JRVAULTS
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2024
- Messages
- 60
Welcome to PriceScope!
The rainbow colours could be thin-film interference colours, like those you see in soap bubbles or oil slicks. They can be caused by very thin flattish fractures or inclusions. Are they iridescent, i.e. do they change with the viewing angle? That would suggest interference. Looking with a loupe might be informative. Also, a sharper picture would be helpful.
To be clear, I haven't seen or heard of interference colours in tourmaline, but it seems at least plausible.
Definitely normal to see a face in tourmaline. I actually see several in yours. And one of them is talking to me. Which is also perfectly normal. Perfectly normal.
OTOH, a face in chrysoberyl, for example, would be just nuts.
Yes it looks iridescent and yes the angle changes how they refract. Rainbow colors only show when looking from one side. I am posting mainly because I haven't found any tourmaline showing the rainbow unless under 10x magnification. Do you think it would be worth the gamble on certificate of origin?
Sorry, I can't add much. What you have said supports the idea that the colours are caused by interference in thin flat fractures or inclusions. That's all I know.
We are not allowed to link to other forums, but searching on "iridescent inclusion in a tourmaline", "chrome tourmaline cabochon with iridescence", or "confetti tourmaline??!!" may find threads in a well-known forum about gemology. Alas, there are no pictures and only frustratingly vague descriptions. But it seems that tourmaline with spangles exists but is rare. Whatever, the spangles make your stone interesting. Whether they make it more valuable, I wouldn't like to guess.