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first post, chrome green gems.

Agnesg

Agnesg

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
283
Good day to all of you. This is my first post. I always wanted a green gem. I saw a few post on chrome tourmaline recently and i am so drawn to the rich green. Where can I find a chrome green tourmaline? just how pricey can it gets? I like the color and size of the loose oval in the recent post and I got in touch with the seller, but was told that they do not have a similar piece in store anymore. Is this a one-off kind of thing? or can I commissioned a gem-cutter to cut a similar piece for me? i am totally clueless...
 
You do not want a chrome green tourmaline..you want a chrome tourmaline..don''t be fooled by sellers using the term chrome green or cobalt blue..if you want a best color green tourmaline go for a "chrome tourmaline"..colored by chromium..not a chrome green tourmaline..make sense?
 
...it takes a while to digest...but I think I get what you are saying. I want a grass green like cictomatos''. that is a chrome tourmaline stated on the card. Does it imply that I should look for a chrome tourmaline and not a chrome green tourmaline? what is the difference? different level of intensity in color?
 
Date: 4/27/2010 11:49:01 PM
Author: Agnesg
...it takes a while to digest...but I think I get what you are saying. I want a grass green like cictomatos'. that is a chrome tourmaline stated on the card. Does it imply that I should look for a chrome tourmaline and not a chrome green tourmaline? what is the difference? different level of intensity in color?
Click to expand...

Well, the finest chrome tourmalines are very nice, and have a deep saturated pure green color that you can't get in regular non-chrome green tourmaline. There are some over dark chrome tourmalines, or yellowish chrome tourmalines though, so you have to be careful of that. A chrome tourmaline will look red under a special filter that looks for the content of chromium. It is called a "chelsea filter." Tsavorite garnet is a similar looking gem to chrome tourmaline, but as a garnet, it has more sparkle factor. They are rather expensive in fine colors above 2 carats though. Other chrome green gems are chrome diopside, but I find it a bit glassy, soft, and meh, and emerald (if you can afford a nice one).
 
Hi Agnes,

Those chrome greens are very soothing, and oddly, also lively colors arent they? I am nuts about them too. Any subject within "colored Stones" has the potential to be complex with a steep learning curve, but you dont really have to get involved on that level to enjoy them and be able to have some nice ones that make you happy. I guess I''m saying not to be intimidated by all the curve balls that may get thrown at you; you dont have to swing at them all! In the mean time to get you started here is the web address for chrome tourmalines cut by one of the master cutters who is quite popular in these parts.

http://www.precisiongem.com/html/html/ChromeTourmaline.html

Rather than throw tons of info at you at once maybe you''d like to just look at pictures and get a sense of what is available. there is a thread at the top of colored stones that lists vendors that have been recommended by various PSers, you might want to browse through as much of that as you can stand.
 
Some green tourmaline are green because they have chrome in them; the chrome is the cause of their particular shade of green. Others may look similar but not contain chrome though some sellers may call it chrome green tourmaline. Then the term "chrome green" is just a name for a color.
 
thank you for recommending the site. But these chrome tourmalines are much lighter in shades, very different from what I want. I thought that chrome tourmaline are suppose to look like grass green and not yellowish or bluish? do correct me if I am wrong.
 
Date: 4/28/2010 12:27:22 AM
Author: Agnesg
thank you for recommending the site. But these chrome tourmalines are much lighter in shades, very different from what I want. I thought that chrome tourmaline are suppose to look like grass green and not yellowish or bluish? do correct me if I am wrong.
Click to expand...

They can have varying degrees of yellow or blue. If I had to choose, I would go for a slightly bluish one since blue is more valuable as a secondary color in green, and yellow brings the price down in green stones. If you want a pure green, you may have to ask around for the cutters to help get some rough, or if anyone has any in their inventory that is not online.
 
like any colored stone they can be a multitude of different shades or have different secondary colors
 
Do you mean that I will have to go to the respective site and drop the cutter an email to ask if they have a purer, grass green chrome tourmaline? or will they actually showcased their best example on the site already? I was looking at the www.odysseygem.com and their chrome tourmalines are so dark, so pricey and the cut is not attractive at all, they appeared very different from that of chictomatos''. Isn''t that strange?
 
you should have a look here:

http://www.gemfix.com/tourmaline_chrome.html

and maybe read some gemological and mineralogical sites that come up on google. Im thinking of places like mindat, webmineral, theimage to get some background.
 
more qns..Do I expect to pay more for a purer green than one with a secondary tone (blue, yellow)? How much will a chrome tourmaline about 2 carats cost?
 
thank you, this latest recommended site has the color I am looking out for. But then again, the price is high.
 
there will be a lot of variations in price depending on size, quality of cut, who you buy from, quality of color, clarity... easily it could range from 300 to 1500 and more if you have deep pockets and very specialized tastes for rarities. But dont be scared you can do well for 2 carats in chrome in the 400-600 range. Likely more for something like chictomato''s since that was concave cut and that is just more expensive.
 
this vendor has a huge selection of chrome tourmaline in a range of shades and prices.

http://www.multicolour.com/gallery/?/gallery/single/chrome_tourmaline/
 
hello,
Thanks for first post in this forum this forum contain many ideas and information which is very useful to us. you also can share you views and ideas with us.

thanks!!
_____________
Hotel Bedding
 
Date: 4/28/2010 2:46:26 AM
Author: Agnesg
thanks once again. I thought this is quite a nice looking one http://www.multicolour.com/gallery/?/gallery/single/chrome_tourmaline/ why does a concave cost more? can we discuss about prices here? I am curious to know how much chictomato pays for hers?
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The link doesn't give one particular stone, just the generic page.

Concave cutting is a form of precision cutting - most precision cutters are in western countries and so the cost of labour and equipment are a lot higher than they are in the native country. Concave cutting is also more time intensive... therefore you pay more for the time and skill of the cutter.

Yes you can discuss prices here, but not everyone will be happy to disclose what price they paid or their source.

Unlike diamonds, you won't find anyone with a shelf of green chrome tourmalines of all the various shades in a range of cuts and sizes. Hunting the right rock can take a LONG time. Many of us have spent months or even years tracking down the stone with the right shape/size/colour and that's before you start thinking about clarity or cut.

Good stones in a desirable shade of colour are not cheap and fine chrome tourmalines are on the expensive side.

It's well worth emailing the vendors - I think I've only once bought a stone from someone's website, normally it's what they have lurking on the shelves that I get!
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A very fine chrome tourmaline is beautiful and can end up being pricey as the size increases and if is pure. Also, as the size increases, you have to be on the lookout not to get the overly dark ones. Just like any gemstone variety, chrome tourmalines range from yellowish green to green to bluish green. Gemstones are not mined to order so sometimes it takes a while to find what you are looking for at a price you can accept.
 
Welcome Agnesg,

As a fellow newbie I can understand that there is A LOT to grasp when entering this wonderful world of gems but I think you will find that the people here are a great resource. I myself was looking for a green stone and never having bought a gem before I joined this site last December and couldn''t be happier with the results.

A couple of things I found along the way..

1) Don''t get totally caught up with price per carat as usually there is a reason that something is cheap.
2) Vendors pictures vary due to lighting, camera, etc... so what you see on your screen may be different than what you will see. Ask them for additional pictures and/or descriptions and a lot of them have good return policies so if it isn''t what you expected or like you can return it.
3) If possible don''t settle for okay if the inperfections are going to bother you. IMHO it is better to save and wait a bit to get something that you will love and when you see it grab it!


My search for a green stone went like this...

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-bit-of-help-for-a-first-time-buyer-please.134179/

For the stone we ended up with...

Vendors pic

902.JPG


Our picture (though a bad one..)

IMG_4053a.JPG


Completed piece..

sal_jkt3a.gif


As you can see the stone looks a bit different in every picture though I can assure you that they are all of the same stone.

Good luck!
 
I had just received replies from 2 cutters. They do not have the shade of green I wanted and also it is not easy to get. I think the multicolor Tourmaline looks dull..
 
Somebody correct me if I''m wrong, but unless you have a serious budget, you can pretty much forget about tsavorites when looking for such large stones. With them, once you get past a carat and a half, prices go up by a lot. Not to mention it would take a long time to find the one with just the right color in that size. This one from mineralminers:
http://www.mineralminers.com/images/tsavorite/gems/tsvg133.jpg
is almost three carats and almost three thousand dollars. I''d stick to tourmalines.
 
Hi Agnes:

Chrome tourmalines are not ''cheap'' gemstones. In order to familiarize yourself with the range of color and other salient qualities found in a chrome tourmaline, I recommend the Pala website, first read their educational link about tourmalines and then go to their inventory page. While you cannot view the prices (those are "for the trade") you will be able to see what a top of the line company has for chrome tourmaline. This and the info on the educational link will tell you what a top-grade chrome tourmaline should go for, a moderate one, and finally a cheap one.

Cheers and enjoy the hunt!
 
Green is made of blue and yellow, and Gene''s shot of Sal Cal''s tourmaline veers more toward blue, and Sal''s shot veers more toward yellow. With green stones, since they comprise two primary hues, there is often a fine line of what is green and a bit too yellow. Therefore, when viewing these gems, please make sure you ask for photos of their appearance in different lighting (natural, fluorescent, incandescent) to ensure that the color doesn''t go dramatically more yellow, since that''s typically undesirable in these gems.

Sal''s stone appears to hold it''s green color well, and looks more green (veering more toward yellow) in some lighting and more toward blue in others, if the photos are accurate. Tsavorite does the same thing, as do many green stones.
 
When looking at stones on www.multicolour.com you''ll find that (generally speaking) they price in terms of quality - and it''s pretty consistent. So if a stone is expensive, there''s a reason. If it''s cheap there''s a reason. Of course there are exceptions but it''ll help you to get a better understanding of whether you like the cheaper, middle or high end chrome tourmalines.
 
I just thought I''d mention to you guys that essentially ALL so-called ''chrome'' tourmaline is not coloured by chrome at all.

The chromophore, and the source of the chelsea filter reaction that most dealers use to guaruntee ''chrome'' tourmaline, is VANADIUM. Hope you guys aren''t let down by this or anything.
 
Date: 4/28/2010 2:18:14 PM
Author: thresh
I just thought I''d mention to you guys that essentially ALL so-called ''chrome'' tourmaline is not coloured by chrome at all.

The chromophore, and the source of the chelsea filter reaction that most dealers use to guaruntee ''chrome'' tourmaline, is VANADIUM. Hope you guys aren''t let down by this or anything.
Click to expand...
Chrome tourmaline is coloured by both chromium and vanadium.
 
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