What do you think of this rubelitte?

[Phoenix]

http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/13224/14494

Is the stone fully saturated? Might there be some extinction? Is it fairly priced?

Appreciate your input.

 

[minousbijoux]

Stone looks quite saturated. But I would ask how dark in tone it is in hand. So many of his photos seem to be lit with bright lighting. I would ask him for a hand shot as well. I find his pricing higher than others, but he often has stones that are not easy to find.

 

[treasurehunter]

yep agreed pricey but not a bad stone but hard to tell with one photo/lighting

 

[pregcurious]

Phoenix, I find the photos on this site difficult to use for judging color. Someone recently posted a pic of a stone for which the description was medium dark, and in the photo, the gem looked medium or medium light. When the photographer floods a gem with so much light, it makes the gem basically look the way it would appear with a flashlight behind it, or with a bright sky behind it. Gem photography is extremely difficult; when I take photos of my gems, I find my handshots with an iPhone are the most accurate.

I would instead ask a lot of questions about the color to the vendor. You can send pictures of your ideal color to the vendor, and purchase under a good return policy. This is what I've done in the past. If the vendor is able to accurately describe their stone, and we communicate well, I am able to keep the stone and buy again in the future. If what I get in the mail is a far cry from the written/verbal description, it means I can't buy again because I can't predict what I'll get. This is not to put blame on either party, but to say that I've found that can work best with people who I communicate best with, like in any other facet of life. I've been able to buy from vendors who verbally communicate well, but whose photos are poor, because I can trust their verbal descriptions.

 

[chrono]

Gems from Wildfish are typically more expensive than others but at least this one is very well cut. In terms of colour, who knows what it looks like in person. Based on previous purchases by PSers, I would hazard a guess that the stone is slightly darker and slightly less saturated than shown due to the lighting and photography method used. I would make sure to ask about colour shifting since rubellite are known to do very opposite shifts. It either becomes very brownish or orangish or it becomes an intense red under incandescent and fluorescent lights. I would also make doubly sure that I fully understand and agree with his return and refund policies.

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I have 2 rubelite tourmalines this color. I have only once seen a true red rubelite. I have seen many lately that are a maroon color(merlot) that i have never thought of as a rubelite. I have even wanted to start a thread on the topic"What has happened to Rubelite Tourmaline.?"

The color looks good to me. The extinction you write about, is that half and half that comes with oval shaped gems. You have to see the gem to determine if you like it.

I understand rubelite is hard to find now. That might be the reason people are buying and selling the maroon(Yes, its an old fashioned word, but describes the color) color stones. i don't like those at all.

This one looks nice, but must be seen.

Annette

 

[minousbijoux]

Right! Please do ask about color shifting as so many gorgeous rubellites turn brown in certain lighting - which to me, absolutely defeats the purpose of purchasing them. Chrono: I'm too lazy to look it up - is his return policy cumbersome or different than that of most other vendors?

 

[chrono]

The website doesn't provide much clarity but it seems that sometimes the returned stone has to be shipped to Portugal. Perhaps this is on a case by case basis but just something extra to consider.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/scared-to-death-that-ive-been-scammed-please-reassure-me.176586/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/scared-to-death-that-ive-been-scammed-please-reassure-me.176586/[/URL]

 

[T L]

Hi,
I understand rubelite is hard to find now. That might be the reason people are buying and selling the maroon(Yes, its an old fashioned word, but describes the color) color stones. i don't like those at all.

A lot of irradiated rubellite is also hitting the market and the treatment is not detectable. Perhaps that's why. Dealers may want to stay away from rubellite for that reason.

 

[T L]

FYI: Just wanted to point out that the fact that it has copper in it should have no bearing on the price. The only stones where copper should have a bearing on the price are the blue or greenish blue stones of Mozambique, Nigeria or Paraiba, Brazil, where the copper is a coloring agent in those turquoise colored tourmalines.

The AIGS report doesn't indicate the presence of copper, and it usually does for copper bearing stones if it is a significant factor.

 

[Phoenix]

Thank you, minousbijoux, pregcurious, treasurehunter, Chrono, smitcompton and TL, for chiming in.

I really appreciate your replies and opinions. I didn't know the rubelittes shifted, nor could I tell that this vendor's photography is done with bright lighting thus making the stones lighter than IRL.

Chrono, the thread you linked me is giving me lots of food for thought. I am quite reluctant to buy anything that would involve such complicated return policies/ procedures. I know I said recently that I may not return the stones, once bought, but now having thought about it and reading up more posts, I think that'd be too much of a gamble with CS's!

TL, I think I understand what copper-bearing means but am not sure what you're trying to tell me lol.

This buying gemstones is really quite hard. I admire you ladies so much, you've bought such gorgeous stones and seemingly with ease. I've been struggling to buy a 4ct emerald (have seen some really beautiful ones but they range from USD60-80k), rubies (almost impossible to find what I want) and some red and/ or pink spinels ..and let's not even venture into sapphires. It's sooo hard to find what you/ one want(s) as I'm not sure what to make of the colour, saturation etc...there are so many different nuances...

Any ideas as how I could move forward please? I feel a bit stuck..

 

[chrono]

That's why this forum is here, to help everyone understand what to look for and buy what they aim for. Sometimes people start small, spend more time seeing stones in person (shows) and read a ton. Understandably, it takes time to train the eye. You can also post stones for opinions, as you've done. We all have to start somewhere and the learning curve for coloured stones can be steep. Don't be discouraged. The more you stick with it, if that's what you want, it'll be more rewarding and satisfying. However, not everyone has the time nor interest. If that's the case, only purchase from higher end places where the homework and legwork is already done. Sure it'll cost more but you won't go crazy wondering if it's the right one.

 

[T L]

Thank you, minousbijoux, pregcurious, treasurehunter, Chrono, smitcompton and TL, for chiming in.

I really appreciate your replies and opinions. I didn't know the rubelittes shifted, nor could I tell that this vendor's photography is done with bright lighting thus making the stones lighter than IRL.

Chrono, the thread you linked me is giving me lots of food for thought. I am quite reluctant to buy anything that would involve such complicated return policies/ procedures. I know I said recently that I may not return the stones, once bought, but now having thought about it and reading up more posts, I think that'd be too much of a gamble with CS's!

TL, I think I understand what copper-bearing means but am not sure what you're trying to tell me lol.

This buying gemstones is really quite hard. I admire you ladies so much, you've bought such gorgeous stones and seemingly with ease. I've been struggling to buy a 4ct emerald (have seen some really beautiful ones but they range from USD60-80k), rubies (almost impossible to find what I want) and some red and/ or pink spinels ..and let's not even venture into sapphires. It's sooo hard to find what you/ one want(s) as I'm not sure what to make of the colour, saturation etc...there are so many different nuances...

Any ideas as how I could move forward please? I feel a bit stuck..

Africagems.com has lots of rubellite too, and just remember, there is no guarantee that they're not treated/irradiated. Treatment is not detectable in these stones. The fact that its copper bearing should also have no relation to the price either.