The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline thread

[Acinom]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Thanks for sharing your views! As you can tell I love Paraibas in all kinds of shapes and colors.
Surely no one in this thread should question their purchase and if they do I know the perfect solution
I came up with this question as I started wondering (seriously!!) whether I 'needed' yet another Paraiba... set in rose gold after seeing the latest goodies here. I was also wondering whether we (and no one in particular) are sometimes choosing stones because we admire the pics on PS while not being someones individual style. This happened to me with choosing a light pinkish/orangish stone: I love love love the look but when I bought one I discovered that it is not a great match with my skintone

Rfisher is right by mentioning the other PS trends where we have highly inspired each other like the french cut trend or here on PS the natural blue topaz trend. I could have indeed started a new thread on this topic as it is not unique for Paraibas.

 

[dk168]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

A Paraiba Tourmaline (cab or otherwise) is on my list of "To Get", and I am certain I shall find one that I like and within budget one day.

I have a special shape in mind, either a round or a fat oval, for a specific setting that I have in mind.

I would probably have bought one this year had it not been for other goodies that were too good to pass, such as Yvonne's Mahenge Spinel trillion.

Am I following a trend? Perhaps, and perhaps not. Paraibas were already on my radar when I went to HK in 2013 and attended a trade show where there were a selection on sale, and knew I would like one eventually.

I was close to getting one last year from Adam, however, it was snapped up by another PSer before I was ready, hey ho.

May be next year.

DK

 

[mochiko42]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

A Paraiba Tourmaline (cab or otherwise) is on my list of "To Get", and I am certain I shall find one that I like and within budget one day.

I have a special shape in mind, either a round or a fat oval, for a specific setting that I have in mind.

I would probably have bought one this year had it not been for other goodies that were too good to pass, such as Yvonne's Mahenge Spinel trillion.

Am I following a trend? Perhaps, and perhaps not. Paraibas were already on my radar when I went to HK in 2013 and attended a trade show where there were a selection on sale, and knew I would like one eventually.

I was close to getting one last year from Adam, however, it was snapped up by another PSer before I was ready, hey ho.

May be next year.

DK

Oh, DK, shall we go Paraiba shopping next year at the Hong Kong show? They always have so many Paraiba (much more selection than PI) and I will GLADLY help you spend your money

 

[lilmosun]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

My paraiba ring was my first serious CS purchase (nothing like starting at the top lol) and before I joined PS. So while I can blame PS effect for a lot (like my mahenges), it was actually my paraiba addiction that brought me here. I did try to resist this latest round but watching Yvonne's finds from Tucson disappear from her store as I talked myself in/out of buying made it hard to resist in the end. I stay out of the other forums for the most part because I don't need any more temptation

Congratulations mochiko (and Yvonne) for Jewel of the Week! Your collection of blue/greens is my ideal and if you got the crazy urge to sell, I would be in line.

 

[dk168]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Oh, DK, shall we go Paraiba shopping next year at the Hong Kong show? They always have so many Paraiba (much more selection than PI) and I will GLADLY help you spend your money

Indeed, in fact, that's my plan, to save up with the aim to get a better one in Nov 2017.

With going to Beijing as an extension, my trip to HK in Nov 2017 is going to be expensive, and I shall have more than a year to plan and to save up after my trip to LA this year.

DK

 

[SparkliesLuver]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

I find them all beautiful in their own way.




Another photo, with a couple of loose stones (Namibian teal tourmaline, and a natural blue topaz asscher).

I love your ever-growing collection, mochiko! And I can't wait to see how you set that chubby Namibian pear.

 

[SparkliesLuver]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

A word of reflection...
We have been seeing the most gorgeous jewelry created with the equally stunning Paraiba and Copper bearing stones. We seem to have created our own trend. But are we making choices because the stones are our taste or are we being stirred by the trend.

In any case: ensure that a stone has a stunning and saturated color and glow for your own taste. And that the pricing fits with the quality. Only buy from recommended and trusted vendor with a good return policy. What do you think. Are we creating our own trend and let ourselves get carried away? Would love to hear your opinion.

PS offered knowledge and insight that I didn't necessarily have before, but the final decision has always been my own based on what I loved and could afford. I also strive to bring my own ring designs into reality, which means it may not have been done before and/or it's not going to be popular with the masses. I think your point about getting carried away is relative. Did you mean that in a specific way? Just curious.

 

[Rfisher]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

What do you think. Are we creating our own
trend and let ourselves get carried away?
Would love to hear your opinion.

I think it is no different than mahenge stones, the French side collection, using VC, LM, or SK, rose gold, transition from yellow gold to white/platinum, halos, old cuts, FCD's.

Forums and the Internet have increased and magnified what has always been.

Eta:
As far as letting ourselves getting carried away, I think commenting on that now is at an inopportune time.

Hope you don't feel as though you can't comment on this due to my thread, Rfisher. I definitely do not take it personally. For me, paraiba is something I've been coveting since I joined PS, but after really considering how much my "vision" would cost, I needed to take a step back. But I think Acinom brings up a great point here, since everyone has their own taste and getting caught up in a trend won't end up making the wearer happy in the long run. I'll have to see my cab to know for sure whether it's my "dream" stone, or whether I need to accept that the stone I want isn't realistic at this point in my life/career/salary level. I'd love to hear more opinions!

Yeah- I'll be honest. It was in response to your thread. Not against Acinom in any way- I don't think I've read any harsh words from her, I just thought the timing was very short, and my mind went directly to your thread.
I apologize for the knee jerk reaction. You handled yourself here and in your thread much more beautifully. I should learn from you.
I think it's sad when opinions are not asked for the quality on an stone, but a reply is chimed in as if it's not possible for the owner to like/love/appreciate /buy a stone that is not up to the replyer's standards - only cream of the crop. Someone that's been reading PS and researching stones for sale (for a while ) knows they are not buying super top quality, most likely knows they are not paying for top quality either. I'm reading a lot into tones of how things are written and I should know better.
Sorry for the hijack.


And on unrelated note- I see a certain beautiful faceted rectangular paraiba posted up thread, was put up for sale on LT yesterday.......

 

[mochiko42]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Some rambling thoughts..

I think that for all gems it can be easy to get carried away, then have doubts or second-guess one's purchase. I think that with paraiba the feeling can be amplified because 1) out of the expensive gems it's a relatively 'new' gem compared to sapphire, emerald etc which have centuries of history and 2) the pricing and demand for paraiba has been so rapid, so it can be quite intimidating for the hobbyist, whereas the market for other expensive gems like sapphire could be seen as more predictable and 'stable'.

With any expensive gem purchase, it's natural to have doubt or to worry whether it's worth the cost. I always jump from being very excited to feeling that maybe I don't really want to go through with expensive projects. Usually I have to tell myself to be calm and rational, and not to make rash decisions. It's not easy as I have an impulsive personality but I'd like to think that I'm getting better at it. It's soo easy to get sucked into trends for certain gems like paraiba.

For example, with my new paraiba ring, it was definitely an impulsive purchase. I had a bluish/turquoise paraiba on my list, but it was low on my list of priorities. I made a sudden decision to go for it because I didn't know when I could find another one at that price, whereas it would be much easier to find a diamond upgrade.

Still, because it was an impulse purchase, I had some moments of doubt during the setting process and even after I received the ring. I didn't see the center stone loose before it was set, so I agonized a little whether I should have seen the loose stone while it was still within its return period. It was a risk, but it was a calculated risk that I took because it was with a vendor that I trusted and who I knew to have a good eye for gems. When I received the ring, at first I was a little underwhelmed. The center cab was not that glowy and the color was a bit less saturated than I had expected (although still better than the vendor photos). But I realized that the day the package arrived it was very dark and raining outside (it's monsoon thunderstorm weather, it can get as black as night outside during the rainstorms) so everything looks grey and dull. I decided to wait for better lighting conditions but it rained for 3 days straight, during that time I only saw the ring in the worst possible lighting (harsh office lighting and then overcast skies outdoors) so it was a bit difficult to be patient and wait to see the ring in all its moods. The ring was very pretty and slightly glowing in a muted way even in ugly fluorescent lighting in the office but I felt the neon was only 'on', not 'ON' like with my faceted cuprian tourmaline (if that makes sense). At its very worst the paraiba looks a bright pastel color (which is a color I like a lot, so I'm OK with it).

Finally some better weather arrived and then I realized how awesome the ring is. The camera on my phone tends to increase the blue saturation, so in real life most of the time (except when it's looking its best) the center stone is slightly less saturated and a little more turquoise blue-green (not straight blue) than my photos show. It looks like the photos maybe 25-30% of the time, other times it shows more neon green or elsewhere it tends to lose a bit of the neon glow, depending on the lighting. Unfortunately I seem to spend a lot of my time in very ugly lighting.

For the price though (the cab was much cheaper than the other stones Yvonne had on sale) I am more than happy. Yes it was very expensive for my budget but then I know that compared to what I could have been charged for the stone + ring, it could have been a lot more. For those of us with limited budget, it's so easy to want everything and to have doubts when reaching a trade-off between what we want and what we can afford. Ideally I would like both my paraiba ring and diamond upgrade but I made my choice and will have to save up again for my diamond upgrade.

I do sometimes feel some regret at giving up the 5mm round paraiba, but then I feel glad because it's now with lilmosun and she has a setting design which will really do it justice rather than the simple setting I had originally planned. Also I don't need to spend more money on paraiba, as I have other items on my gem list I need to focus on

I think that online and on PS, we tend to forget that we usually see only the glamor shots of stones in the best possible lighting, and that cameras don't capture what we see with the human eye. We don't see the full/real picture and that may create unrealistic expectations. It's like the classic photo of a super model in the photo vs how she looks in real life. This is a lesson I've learned by trial and error.

 

[Lovinggems]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Paraiba pricing is so difficult to get a handle on without going to gem shows, talking to vendors etc. I still have no idea. Looking at Yvonne's stock, just a slight change in hue or clarity or something else the per carat price is drastically different.
Mochiko and DK hope you guys can share more info after your next HK gem show.

 

[Lovinggems]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Paraiba pricing is so difficult to get a handle on without going to gem shows, talking to vendors etc. I still have no idea. Looking at Yvonne's stock, just a slight change in hue or clarity or something else the per carat price is drastically different, and it is hard to tell the level of glow from the photo.

Mochiko and DK hope you guys can share more info after your next HK gem show.

Also I appreciate the opinions I received earlier when I was choosing my paraiba piece, I found it really helpful.

 

[Acinom]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

blushpeony has received her new Paraiba ring from DK and the result is fabulous. You may congratulate her in her thread (which she will hopefully fill with a lot of pics): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/rose-gold-paraiba-halo-ring-handshots.222636/#post-4026883#p4026883']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/rose-gold-paraiba-halo-ring-handshots.222636/#post-4026883#p4026883[/URL]

 

[Acinom]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Thank you all for sharing your views on the topic. It's very helpful and educational to read your insights.

 

[Acinom]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

lilmosun has received pics of her stunning Paraiba ring by Yvonne!! Gorgeous combo of Paraiba and spinels Lilmosun
An invitation for front row: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/another-small-paraiba-ring-in-the-works.221698/#post-4034686#p4034686']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/another-small-paraiba-ring-in-the-works.221698/#post-4034686#p4034686[/URL]

 

[caf]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Gorgeous ring.

 

[Acinom]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

lilmosun will create a pendant that includes a Paraiba. Stay tuned...

 

[Acinom]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Any news on your pendant Lilmosun?

 

[Acinom]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Following Mochiko's footsteps, I made some comparison pics today with my faceted Windex blue Paraiba, greenish cab Paraiba, blue-green Afghan tourmaline and green chrysoprase.
- Like Mochiko already stated in her post: the Paraiba stones have a clear glow. My chrysoprase can show a relative glow in sunlight, but it's a flatter sort of color. Like Mochiko's gem silica, it has a bright jade like color. The blue-green Afghan tourmaline as a remarkable and saturated color, but it has no glow.

- All of these stones are highly saturated but in a very different way. When the weather is gloomy, the faceted blue Paraiba turns into a strong pastel color. Mochiko mentioned this for her cab!

- In contradiction to Mochiko's stones my greenish cab Paraiba is much more glowy in various lighting conditions compared to the Windex blue faceted stone. But when the faceted stone is ON it is truly ON!!!!

 

[Acinom]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

The inclusions add to the beauty and mystery of Paraiba stones to my eyes. The inclusions enhance the glow?

Like Mochiko also stated about her stones, I also love my stones and find them beautiful in their own way.

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

I would love a baby version of your lipstick cab greenish blue Paraiba - its such a beautiful color and gorgeous ring. Sigh.

Thanks for the comparison shots, btw.

 

[coas222]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Here is a beautiful paraiba i look at today, simply stunning.!

 

[DDOC]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Not paraiba, but minty green Tourmaline.
20 mm x 8 mm, 5.00 cts each

 

[Vesper]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Here is my Paraiba

 

[Acinom]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

coas: what a phenomenal stone based on this photo! Did you see it in real life. Were you considering buying it?

ddoc: thanks for sharing!!! Are these copper bearing?

Vesper: I love the mysterious green colour!!! Hope this is not the one you smashed

 

[Vesper]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Thankfully this paraiba is alive and we. Mt wedding band had a sad fate.

 

[DDOC]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

I believe they were copper bearing. The dealer I got them from specializes in Paraiba and has their own mine.
They cut all their own material in Idar-Oberstein.

 

[doberman]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Just trying to decide whether to keep this one or return.

 

[Acinom]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

So glad it's a keeper for doberman: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/paraiba-opinions-on-this-stone.225035/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/paraiba-opinions-on-this-stone.225035/[/URL]
Follow her story as she will have her Paraiba set by Leon Mege. Probably in the stunning Adriana halo setting.

 

[Acinom]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

mmarc77 has the luxury to own several Paraiba's. Especially the oval is a beautiful piece. See mmarc77's complete Paraiba collection here: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/opinions-on-paraibas.225098/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/opinions-on-paraibas.225098/[/URL]

 

[Acinom]

Re: The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline threa

Doberman's choice: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-meg%C3%A9-paraiba-ring.225500/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-meg%C3%A9-paraiba-ring.225500/[/URL]
Congratulations Doberman with your stunning Leon Mege ring!!! The detailing in the setting is amazing with the subtle split shank, the oxidized metal around the Paraiba melee and the beautiful prongs. The Paraiba center is just out of this world!!!