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Thoughts on Precision Gem green tourmaline?

Use a Youtube.com to upload your video.

The picture looks good. careful with lurker snatching that tourmaline. :devil:
 
MichaelB|1423110814|3827596 said:
Would love to get some thoughts on this tourmaline from Precision Gem, for an everyday/engagement ring. Thanks.

Links to website photo, and a video that Gene sent me:

http://www.precisiongem.com/Gemston...9_Afghan_Tourmaline_Precision_cut_cushion.jpg

http://michaelb.vidmeup.com/view?q=54d2f66f97916.flv
Click to expand...

Gene's probably going to kill me, but I'll reiterate, tourmaline is not durable enough for an everyday ring, like an e-ring, in my opinion and experience. I would probably go with a stone that is an 8 on the Mohs scale or higher, like spinel, corundum, chrysoberyl, and of course, diamond. For an occasional ring, the tourmaline is fine.

However, it's a pretty stone and a fair price per carat for a precision cut.
 
Yes - wanted to post the same - would be a shame course it will look terrible after a few years. And this material Gene bought is outstanding - perfect for a collector or fine jewellery but not for everyday.

The stone is large - you can't avoid scratches and nicks - so if he kills TL he has to kill me too.
 
Thanks TL. Gene did acknowledge that it may not be great for everyday wear due to its size. I've been searching for a sapphire for a few months and nothing has really grabbed me so I started considering other stones. Maybe I should just be patient and stick to sapphire.
 
Something to consider is that sapphire rarely has a bright open green color that a tourmaline, garnet, emerald, etc might have. Are you specifically seeking a green stone? If so, what color green?
 
No, not looking for green specifically. Mostly looking at blue sapphires, but also looking other color sapphires or other stones. e.g., I like the 5 ct orange sapphire from finewatergems and requested more photos/videos in different lighting.
 
Gene can kill me too, however, I am only learning from the experts on here, in that Tourmaline is not suitable for daily wear! :bigsmile:

DK :))
 
Gorgeous tourmaline but not for everyday wear.

Is there anything we can do to help with your search? You seem to be considering all colours (green, blue and orange) but what does SHE want for an e-ring?
 
That's the bigger sister to my stone from Gene. :D I do love it, but my ring will be an occasional wear RHR. As much as I love the color, and would recommend that part for an engagement ring, I have to agree with everyone else.

If you're looking for a sapphire and having a hard time, start a new thread. Tell us what you're looking for (include all the particulars) and I'm sure everyone here would be happy to help you look.
 
If you are interested in a gem, please do not give the name of the vendor for your own sake. Most of the regular posters here will recognize the vendor if you just post a picture. Each vendor has their own photography style. In that way, you can still ask questions about the vendor without naming him/her.

It is very common for people to ask questions about a stone here, and then have it bought out from under them by someone else.
 
My grandfather had an amethyst pinkie ring, that he wore every. single. day. For many years. He wore it showering, working, everything. All the time. It's a big stone, 12 x 16, set in a basket, not particularly low, edges exposed. When I inherited it, I noticed the facets were a little worn, but there were no chips or cracks. I had it repolished at a jeweler for $75. Good as new.

I wouldn't stick my hand in the freezer wearing it, I might bang it against a frozen steak, but I don't worry about it. These things are still rocks, not glass. I think if it's set low, it's fine. That's my personal opinion.

I love the color on this tourmaline, it's stunning. :appl: What the pics and video don't show are how sparkly the stone is. When Gene cuts a stone, it's a beautiful sparkly thing. A thing of beauty is a joy, it really is.
 
iLander|1423149895|3827743 said:
My grandfather had an amethyst pinkie ring, that he wore every. single. day. For many years. He wore it showering, working, everything. All the time. It's a big stone, 12 x 16, set in a basket, not particularly low, edges exposed. When I inherited it, I noticed the facets were a little worn, but there were no chips or cracks. I had it repolished at a jeweler for $75. Good as new.

I wouldn't stick my hand in the freezer wearing it, I might bang it against a frozen steak, but I don't worry about it. These things are still rocks, not glass. I think if it's set low, it's fine. That's my personal opinion.

I love the color on this tourmaline, it's stunning. :appl: What the pics and video don't show are how sparkly the stone is. When Gene cuts a stone, it's a beautiful sparkly thing. A thing of beauty is a joy, it really is.
Click to expand...

In my experience, quartz and garnets are more durable than tourmaline (and beryl for that matter too), even though all of them are around the same hardness level.
 
This is the cushion shaped sister of my elongated stone from Gene! The color and cut are amazing.
I love love love it. It's quite a big size though and I would not choose it as an everyday ring.
 
I would be devastated if my ering stone was damaged. It's too emotional a gemstone...I would stick to diamond and sapphire.

If you want to buy a wedding present, however, I think either the tourmaline or the orange sapphire would be great for a right hand ring.
 
pregcurious said:
I would be devastated if my ering stone was damaged. It's too emotional a gemstone...I would stick to diamond and sapphire.

If you want to buy a wedding present, however, I think either the tourmaline or the orange sapphire would be great for a right hand ring.
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Good point/suggestion, preg.
 
Wait, a wedding present? Is that a thing? A $6k kind of thing? :)

I posted a thread a couple months ago asking for reccos on a blue sapphire, and nothing really came of it so I've just kept checking the suggested sites for a new stone that grabs me, and had the various vendors send me pics/videos of a few. Still haven't found the winner. She doesn't have a strong color preference, except pink is out. And she like platinum band/setting. Budget is around 5-15k, really more about finding the right stone rather than price.
 
Does she have a favorite color? What's her birthstone? Do you have a favorite color?
 
Have you contacted Jeff White? He does beautiful custom cut gemstones.
 
Regarding the orange sapphire, if you're still interested in it, ask Gary about how it looks in different lighting as I suspect it may brown out which is something most people want to avoid.
 
Thanks Chrono. Any recommendations from Roger's inventory?
 
MichaelB|1423254945|3828428 said:
Thanks Chrono. Any recommendations from Roger's inventory?
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What's your budget for the stone?
What colours do you think she'd like in an e-ring? Blue is obviously the safest choice when it comes to sapphire but it seems she likes other colours as well.
So far you've been interested in larger gems. What minimum size do you want? (Telling us the size in millimeters is easiest, rather than using carat weight).

We could recommend what we like, sure, but what she likes is more important :)
 
Because prices are not posted, it is best to contact Roger to find out which stones are within your budget. From there, figure out which ones you like best based on carat weight, shape and treatment. From there, I can give you more comments about the colouration of the ones you have narrowed down.
 
5-15k budget. Like I said, it's more about finding a stone that grabs me rather than worrying about the budget. Could be a $3k stone, could be a $14k stone.

Minimum size probably 2 ct or 7x8 mm?

Guess we have a little different philosophy than others. She doesn't want to describe what she wants and then have me find it; rather, she trusts me to find something beautiful based on a few general parameters, and knowing that we have very similar tastes in this area. Also she doesn't know anything about colored stones.

She doesn't want pink or red.

She has oooh'ed over some blue, green, orange, and yellow stones that I've shown her from time to time. Not sure on purple/violet, I should figure that out.

She doesn't like assher/octagonal shape. I think all other shapes are on the table. I personally like rectangular cushions or ovals over round.

She likes platinum or white gold setting, definitely not yellow gold.
 
It is very hard to recommend stones without your narrowing down what you want. If i wanted a sapphire, this is the color I would want:


If you want a finished product, Joe Escobar as some really beautiful sapphire rings already made:
http://www.escobardiamonds.com/

Sapphires come in nice blues and yellows. Nice purple and oranges are harder to find.

You may be able to do a yellow diamond in your price range. I blue diamond would be awesome, but you will have to increase your budget considerably.

1-20-13_silksapphire_s_sapph_1.jpg
 
pregcurious, the colour of that Sapphire is gorgeous, thanks for sharing! :love:

DK :))
 
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