Opinions About Tourmalines

[blackberry16]

I found a green tourmaline that I really love. I want to put it in a JKT bezel ring. It has a hardness of 7.5. I am wondering if you colored stone experts think that it would be safe for everyday wear (minus cleaning, working out etc) if it is in a bezel? I have never owned a tourmaline before so I have no idea.

 

[chrono]

Two notes about bezeling:
1. Do not bezel a stone that is already dark to begin with or it will end up looking like a black hole.
2. A bezel only protects the girdle, not the crown facets which remain exposed.

Some bench people will not bezel set a tourmaline but others will; it depends on their level of skill and comfort. That said, Julia has bezeled tourmalines without any issues so you are fine there. In terms of wearing it everyday in a ring, it will be somewhat more protected but the risk is still there although lessened.

 

[T L]

I found a green tourmaline that I really love. I want to put it in a JKT bezel ring. It has a hardness of 7.5. I am wondering if you colored stone experts think that it would be safe for everyday wear (minus cleaning, working out etc) if it is in a bezel? I have never owned a tourmaline before so I have no idea.

No, it would not be safe for every day wear, even with great care. Tourmalines are easily prone to chipping.

 

[blackberry16]

What about spinels? There is a lavender one that is my second choice.

 

[T L]

What about spinels? There is a lavender one that is my second choice.

I wear a spinel every day, and it has a minor abrasion on a facet as I louped it, and I'm very careful. It will not get as much damage as a tourmaline, but do know that no gemstone is safe from everyday wear, not even a diamond. However, a stone that is at least an 8 in hardness (Moh's scale) is more suitable for everyday wear, unless you're very hard on your jewelry.

 

[chrono]

A spinel is going to hold up much better for everyday wear although as with everything else, the risk of chipping continues to be present. I have a spinel with a minor nick to a crown junction facet but it is not noticeable to the naked eye and can barely be felt with the nail. Even diamonds can chip but that’s the risk we all take. In short, a spinel is fine.

 

[Michael_E]

Sure a tourmaline is safe for everyday wear. That's the point of having jewelry. Will it show signs of wear over time...of course. Do you want and expect a gem to last forever in perfection? If so then even a spinel or sapphire won't work out well either and you'll need to get a diamond and be careful with it. If you are willing to put up with a ding or minor scratch here and there over time and don't mind pulling the stone and repolishing it every 10 or 15 years, then the tourmaline should work out very nicely.

It's a funny thing about the idea of a bezel being more protective. It can be, but it also holds the stone more firmly and so there is little shock absorption that you may get from a prong type setting. I've seen sapphires that would normally be bullet proof, get fractured and fall apart when set into bezel settings due to the lack of any "give" in the setting. I think that safety in everyday wear just depends on how you wear it.

 

[T L]

Michael,
Tourmalines chip very easily, I know from a lot of experience, so I would never ever recommend one for every day wear. Spinels and harder stones aren't quite so fragile, so while they may get a bit dinged up, a tourmaline will wear down much faster.

 

[LD]

For every day wear - no.

For fairly frequent wear - yes.

However, the normal rules apply in that you need to take care of your jewellery and if you're an aerobics instructor who jumps into saunas then it's a good idea to remove your rings!

The only rings I would say to wear daily are diamonds and then after that the corundum family and chrysoberyls. Other than that, I would suggest every day wear UNLESS you accept there may be consequences in minor damage to complete destruction!

 

[Michael_E]

Tourmaline does not chip any more easily than many other stones which are worn daily by a lot of people all over the world. How it's set and worn also plays a huge parts on how rapidly it wears. Obviously spinel and sapphire will be more durable and at a much higher price. If a person doesn't want to spring for a sapphire or spinel or they have a preference for a moderately priced green stone, tourmaline is one of the few stones which comes to mind that fills those requirements. Do you have a recommendation for a suitable green stone in the price range of tourmaline? Sometimes you just have to accept a little less durability to get the color and price point that works for you.

 

[T L]

Tourmaline does not chip any more easily than many other stones which are worn daily by a lot of people all over the world. How it's set and worn also plays a huge parts on how rapidly it wears. Obviously spinel and sapphire will be more durable and at a much higher price. If a person doesn't want to spring for a sapphire or spinel or they have a preference for a moderately priced green stone, tourmaline is one of the few stones which comes to mind that fills those requirements. Do you have a recommendation for a suitable green stone in the price range of tourmaline? Sometimes you just have to accept a little less durability to get the color and price point that works for you.

In my experience, tourmaline does chip more easily. I wear all my rings the same way, and I have more facet abrasion and chips on my tourmalines than my spinels and harder gems. Is it bad luck with tourmalines?? I don't know, but I do know that I take more care with them and wear them less often. I do suspect they are less durable than other harder gems, and that makes them chip more easily.

Tourmaline is not necessarily less expensive than a spinel or sapphire these days. It depends on the color, but I have not seen green spinels, I'm just comparing durability of one gem species to another.

Yes, I agree that if you're set on a certain color in an untreated gem, some species are less expensive than others. Fine chrome tourmalines are not inexpensive however, as with anything, quality comes into question for any particular color. If we're comparing green gems, you can find some chrome tourmalines more expensive than some tsavorites. Quality, as well as gem species, comes into play as well.

 

[blackberry16]

Thanks for your advice everyone! I am not necessarily set on a color, cut or a particular gemstone those just happened to be the ones that caught my eye when I was looking. I am very light on my jewelry but would rather err on the side of caution and perhaps look for a harder stone.

 

[kelpie]

I have a bezeled tourm ring made by her. I haven't worn it extensively because it is a weird size (purchased used) but no problems at all with the setting. I am pretty careful about when/where I put on my tourmalines because I am a natural clutz but I haven't damaged one yet.

ETA- just want to add a counternote...my mom is an outdoorsy handywoman type and has worn her ~3/4ct bezeled tourmaline ring in just about every circumstance, everyday for the last 25 years and that thing is worn down to a cabochon.

 

[The sun is shining]

I chipped my tourmaline. Badly. From the table to the girdle. The sore point is I cant remember it happening. If I am doingt anything that involves waving my hands around, I won't wear it. But on days I want to look divine, I will, and I will treasure it, always.