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How will @Mrs_Strizzle set her beautiful pear Paraiba? Her glowing pear is one of the three contestants for an existing setting.
The Show your Paraiba or Copper bearing tourmaline thread
- Thread starter Acinom
- Start date
How will @Mrs_Strizzle set her beautiful pear Paraiba? Her glowing pear is one of the three contestants for an existing setting.
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The Paraiba three stone trend. Three glowies in one ring.
What will @Lovinggems create with her stunning set?
...and what kind of equal gorgeousness will @elle_71125 create with her goodies?
What will @Lovinggems create with her stunning set?
...and what kind of equal gorgeousness will @elle_71125 create with her goodies?
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Someone has been up to something...
Something blue and glowy
@icy_jade has a gorgeous new pendant. Congratulate her with her new find: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-paraiba-pendant.243456/
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Not suprisingly, Paraiba is among the favourite loose CS stones: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/hidden-gems-your-top-5-loose-cs-stones.241305/
These beauties deserve to be set!
@voce :
@SparkliesLuver :
These beauties deserve to be set!
@voce :
@SparkliesLuver :
S
SparkliesLuver
Guest
@Acinom, you're always so on top of things! 
Thank you.
I have a ring design in mind for the two rounds as well as all the melee. Fingers crossed they both happen next year.
Thank you.I have a ring design in mind for the two rounds as well as all the melee. Fingers crossed they both happen next year.
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Aha! Will you share your secrets? Looking forward to see them set@Acinom, you're always so on top of things!
I have a ring design in mind for the two rounds as well as all the melee. Fingers crossed they both happen next year.
S
SparkliesLuver
Guest
haha Probably not just yet.
But I do promise to share (pictures of) the rings when they're done.
Barrett
Ideal_Rock
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Just seen this post by Bruce Fry over on the "other forum", and thought it was a great example of the questions that should be asked and as a dialogue for discussion. I figured I would post it in this thread because I assume most of the true paraiba tourmaline lovers come here.
......".I am looking at a square Barion cut tourmaline from Afghanistan, that I think has all the qualities of a moderate grade Paraiba. I am tempted to say paraiba type, but then no tourmaline from Afghanistan has ever tested positive for copper so it is correctly named paraiba like. But then terms such as like or type, when the trade advertizes big, clean, moderately toned beauties that could never have come from Paraiba, they don't use such demeaning terms. All the fine work of the gemology laboratories, threw their agreement on the definition of Paraiba, is melting away in the glow of promotion, except for color and composition. The Afghan gem certainly has the color so the mighty pillor of containing copper and manganese is all that is supporting this rare and extremely desirerable "precious" tourmaline. Look at the prices if you don't think it is "precious". It is beyond me why manganese containment is part of the definition of Paraiba since its effect on color is usually eliminated threw heating and purple is not a Paraiba color.
Now for the following questions.
1, If copper always produces a superior tourmaline, why depend on a laboratory analysis to find out what the eye can see?
2, If two tourmalines are identical in appearance, why pay a premium for copper?
3, Is the rarity of Paraiba that important if a nature tourmaline colored by iron can have an identical appearance?
I think the world is justfiably confused about Paraiba and is being exploited. To reduce the amount of exploitation I think tthat the definition of Paraiba should be modified. It should drop the "chemical" part of the definition and let the eye determine what is Paraiba. I think there is support for this in the inclusion of vanadium in both chrome tourmaline and emerald as the major chromophore, in some gems, rather than chromium. But then green beryl colored by iron is just green beryl. I don't think the last definition is bad because any emerald that matches a green beryl should not be called an emerald. Oh and how about sapphire, that has been called upon to carry all the colors of the rainbow, except red, because the old names caused confusion? Is red emerald on the horizen? Exploiting names?
The inclusion of a chemical part in the defintion of Paraiba has certainly not hurt the gemological laboratories bottom line. The lust for rarity has even extended to provenace and valuations that can not be supported by the eye. I even think that the pricing of Paraiba has been distorted by size. It is completely unrealistic to find a clean 5 carat gem that came from Paraiba Brazil, but an included 1 carat could certainly be from the original location. So the reprocussion of testing for copper go on.".......
......".I am looking at a square Barion cut tourmaline from Afghanistan, that I think has all the qualities of a moderate grade Paraiba. I am tempted to say paraiba type, but then no tourmaline from Afghanistan has ever tested positive for copper so it is correctly named paraiba like. But then terms such as like or type, when the trade advertizes big, clean, moderately toned beauties that could never have come from Paraiba, they don't use such demeaning terms. All the fine work of the gemology laboratories, threw their agreement on the definition of Paraiba, is melting away in the glow of promotion, except for color and composition. The Afghan gem certainly has the color so the mighty pillor of containing copper and manganese is all that is supporting this rare and extremely desirerable "precious" tourmaline. Look at the prices if you don't think it is "precious". It is beyond me why manganese containment is part of the definition of Paraiba since its effect on color is usually eliminated threw heating and purple is not a Paraiba color.
Now for the following questions.
1, If copper always produces a superior tourmaline, why depend on a laboratory analysis to find out what the eye can see?
2, If two tourmalines are identical in appearance, why pay a premium for copper?
3, Is the rarity of Paraiba that important if a nature tourmaline colored by iron can have an identical appearance?
I think the world is justfiably confused about Paraiba and is being exploited. To reduce the amount of exploitation I think tthat the definition of Paraiba should be modified. It should drop the "chemical" part of the definition and let the eye determine what is Paraiba. I think there is support for this in the inclusion of vanadium in both chrome tourmaline and emerald as the major chromophore, in some gems, rather than chromium. But then green beryl colored by iron is just green beryl. I don't think the last definition is bad because any emerald that matches a green beryl should not be called an emerald. Oh and how about sapphire, that has been called upon to carry all the colors of the rainbow, except red, because the old names caused confusion? Is red emerald on the horizen? Exploiting names?
The inclusion of a chemical part in the defintion of Paraiba has certainly not hurt the gemological laboratories bottom line. The lust for rarity has even extended to provenace and valuations that can not be supported by the eye. I even think that the pricing of Paraiba has been distorted by size. It is completely unrealistic to find a clean 5 carat gem that came from Paraiba Brazil, but an included 1 carat could certainly be from the original location. So the reprocussion of testing for copper go on.".......
Barrett
Ideal_Rock
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here is his responses to some follow up questions we proposed...
"Bruce Fry.....
With a thanks to Jason for motivation, I will try and list my observations, thoughts and aquired facts about Paraiba/paraiba/african paraiba, cuprian, paraiba like., paraiba try tourmaline. They are not in any particular order.
1, No one knows the optimal level of copper in tourmaline to produce the glow like property seen in high quality blue green/cyan coloed tourmaline.
2, The heating of tourmaline with a copper as a chromophore does more than reduce Maganese+3 to Manganese +2, which removes the red vector in some copper affected tourmaline.
3, Excess heating can effect the expresion of the copper +2 chromophore and render the tourmaline less vivid/washed out.
4, Even some of the best grades of Paraiba had a touch of gray that had to be heated out.
5, Iron is not a factor in the coloration of most cuprian tourmaline.
6, The glow like property of Paraiba etc. is restricted to the cyan and blue green part of the color wheel.
7, Copper can effect the visual presentation of tourmaline in many colors. Not all cuprian tourmaline will appear bright when cut, but if the tourmaline is particularly bright the chances that it has a copper chromophore is significantly increased.
8, Tourmalines with a medium tone level and a saturated color show the best glow like features.
9, Copper colored tourmaline generally does not show a strong dichroic nature.
10, Some greens will heat to a bluer gem and others will not. I believe that the heatable greens gain their yellow color vector from radiation induced color centers and the refractory greens are effected by low levels of iron.
11, Copper +2 can not inpart both a blue/cyan color vector and a green vector, no matter how the concentration of copper chromophore varies.
12, The eye/mind has evolved over millions of years to maintain color consistency under natural light that varies during the day. Part of the refindment is assumtions about the level of light that should be return to the eye/mind from a certain amount of illumination on an object. If the eye/mind gets back more light than expected, the eye/mind is fooled into thinking that the surface is producing light. That sensation of producing light is what can be called glow-like.
13, I think only tourmaline in the cyan.bluegreen color zones can fool the eye/mind enough to appear to produce light under the proper conditions.
14. The glow-like property of tourmaline is best seen under moderate to lower levels of illumination.
15, No one can determine whether a tourmaline has been heated or not. Even a purple cast will not suffice to certify that the tourmaline is unheated.
16, For a more complete effort on descibing beautiful tourmaline and my research efforts on especially color change, another example of fooling the eye/mind, visit my website at BruceFryTourmaline.com.
Bruce
I like to think of tourmaline as the jester of gemstones because with its complexity and numerous colors, tourmaline fools a lot of people. Close personal observation and knowledge is need to be sure that the tourmaline you want to buy measures up. The gemology labs give you very little support in producing a certification for tourmaline.
"Bruce Fry.....
With a thanks to Jason for motivation, I will try and list my observations, thoughts and aquired facts about Paraiba/paraiba/african paraiba, cuprian, paraiba like., paraiba try tourmaline. They are not in any particular order.
1, No one knows the optimal level of copper in tourmaline to produce the glow like property seen in high quality blue green/cyan coloed tourmaline.
2, The heating of tourmaline with a copper as a chromophore does more than reduce Maganese+3 to Manganese +2, which removes the red vector in some copper affected tourmaline.
3, Excess heating can effect the expresion of the copper +2 chromophore and render the tourmaline less vivid/washed out.
4, Even some of the best grades of Paraiba had a touch of gray that had to be heated out.
5, Iron is not a factor in the coloration of most cuprian tourmaline.
6, The glow like property of Paraiba etc. is restricted to the cyan and blue green part of the color wheel.
7, Copper can effect the visual presentation of tourmaline in many colors. Not all cuprian tourmaline will appear bright when cut, but if the tourmaline is particularly bright the chances that it has a copper chromophore is significantly increased.
8, Tourmalines with a medium tone level and a saturated color show the best glow like features.
9, Copper colored tourmaline generally does not show a strong dichroic nature.
10, Some greens will heat to a bluer gem and others will not. I believe that the heatable greens gain their yellow color vector from radiation induced color centers and the refractory greens are effected by low levels of iron.
11, Copper +2 can not inpart both a blue/cyan color vector and a green vector, no matter how the concentration of copper chromophore varies.
12, The eye/mind has evolved over millions of years to maintain color consistency under natural light that varies during the day. Part of the refindment is assumtions about the level of light that should be return to the eye/mind from a certain amount of illumination on an object. If the eye/mind gets back more light than expected, the eye/mind is fooled into thinking that the surface is producing light. That sensation of producing light is what can be called glow-like.
13, I think only tourmaline in the cyan.bluegreen color zones can fool the eye/mind enough to appear to produce light under the proper conditions.
14. The glow-like property of tourmaline is best seen under moderate to lower levels of illumination.
15, No one can determine whether a tourmaline has been heated or not. Even a purple cast will not suffice to certify that the tourmaline is unheated.
16, For a more complete effort on descibing beautiful tourmaline and my research efforts on especially color change, another example of fooling the eye/mind, visit my website at BruceFryTourmaline.com.
Bruce
I like to think of tourmaline as the jester of gemstones because with its complexity and numerous colors, tourmaline fools a lot of people. Close personal observation and knowledge is need to be sure that the tourmaline you want to buy measures up. The gemology labs give you very little support in producing a certification for tourmaline.
Barrett
Ideal_Rock
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Here is some neon and some glow that I captured using low light.....as TL used to say...."it should look like an internal battery resides inside making it glow"
The quick video I did earlier this evening, and shown below, closely represents what a Paraiba tourmaline should look like. This stone is close to what the original Heitorite paraiba material looked like in the late 80's early 90's.
The rich blue hue, vivid saturation, and lack of tone, all come together to give it an actual "glow/neon" property, that is unmistakable.
Sorry about the video volume...i try to add some fun songs sometimes, and I forgot to turn the volume down beforehand. It's not to bad though
The quick video I did earlier this evening, and shown below, closely represents what a Paraiba tourmaline should look like. This stone is close to what the original Heitorite paraiba material looked like in the late 80's early 90's.
The rich blue hue, vivid saturation, and lack of tone, all come together to give it an actual "glow/neon" property, that is unmistakable.
Sorry about the video volume...i try to add some fun songs sometimes, and I forgot to turn the volume down beforehand. It's not to bad though
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Paraiba stacking extravaganza for @kgizo !!! Amazing what an impact smaller sized Paraiba’s have. See her thread for more pics: https://www.pricescope.com/communit...-band-yvonne-raley.231553/page-2#post-4416894
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Paraiba also made it to the top 5 of @elle_71125 , queen of saturation and vibrant colours!
She is actuallly planning a project already with the Paraiba. Will she be a good PSer and share all her plans in detail with us??
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Paraiba also made it to the top 5 of @elle_71125 , queen of saturation and vibrant colours!
She is actuallly planning a project already with the Paraiba. Will she be a good PSer and share all her plans in detail with us??
I unabashedly covet each and every one of these stones!!!!!!!
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Should @Mrs_Strizzle have this dreamy Paraiba set in her heirloom bracelet? Personally I think it will be stunning! A gorgeous, precious and unique piece. I am sure she will wear it with love and care.
Help her to make a final decision: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/who-to-set-my-paraiba-or-if-i-even-should.243788/
Mrs_Strizzle
Brilliant_Rock
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@Acinom
I'm pulling the trigger and shipping them off to DK tomorrow! I'm pretty excited, not only to have found what will be an heirloom, but to work with DK as my first (though partial) custom piece.
I'm pulling the trigger and shipping them off to DK tomorrow! I'm pretty excited, not only to have found what will be an heirloom, but to work with DK as my first (though partial) custom piece.
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That’s great news!! I trust David 100% with softer CS stones. He will do an amazing job for you. I cannot wait to admire the result.
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What a sweet compliment!
I feel the exact same way about your beauties. 
@Acinom I am planning a 3 stone for that paraiba. I have a basic idea in mind but no firm decisions yet. I will definitely be starting a thread with details once I actually start this project.
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A 3 stone would be lovely!What a sweet compliment!
@Acinom I am planning a 3 stone for that paraiba. I have a basic idea in mind but no firm decisions yet. I will definitely be starting a thread with details once I actually start this project.
I am a huge fan of your stones as you know. They seem to overflow with saturation
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Thanks @Acinom. And you know I totally love your beautiful paraiba! (And your other beauties as well)
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Make sure to sit front row when @ilovegemstones finalises her ring with her new Paraiba. It has a beautiful pastel blue glowy quality and looks really good on her skin.
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icy_jade
Ideal_Rock
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clumberlove
Shiny_Rock
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I picked up this 0.66ct 7.44 x 5.05 x 3.03 paraiba from Yvonne Raley. I can't afford to have it set right now, but here are some pictures.
Vendor pic:
In my house at night :
It's finally sunny today so in the shade:
In direct (wintery) sun:
Please excuse the nails, I've been busy in the garden!
Vendor pic:
In my house at night :
It's finally sunny today so in the shade:
In direct (wintery) sun:
Please excuse the nails, I've been busy in the garden!
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voce
Ideal_Rock
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Amazing glow @icy_jade ! What a beautiful and luxurious pendant.
What a find @clumberlove . Yvonne has provided such amazing Paraibas to PSers and yours is one of them. You have plenty of time to dream about a setting. Any ideas yet?
Wow @lovedogs : a beautiful cab and very glowy melee. Hope you love these when you see them in real life as the pics look promising. How will you set them if you decide to get these?
What a find @clumberlove . Yvonne has provided such amazing Paraibas to PSers and yours is one of them. You have plenty of time to dream about a setting. Any ideas yet?
Wow @lovedogs : a beautiful cab and very glowy melee. Hope you love these when you see them in real life as the pics look promising. How will you set them if you decide to get these?
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Not sure! I'm still on the fence about if I want to buy them. It would be a next month purchase since my monthly bling budget is long gone this month haha.
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