Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Check

[lilmosun]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

I hear you sapphirecats...the elusive (and way too unaffordable for me) paraiba has been on my list too.

Would you consider smaller stones? For me, it was either go with smaller stones or forget about it. Mine pop/glow so much - the ring gets more comments than many of my larger pieces. I've had no regrets.

Don't get me wrong - I would love a ring with a larger stone with the same glow/saturation but I would have to win the lotto too.

 

[mochiko42]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

I wouldn't compare any of these to a Paraiba, but if you like the "glow" factor, there are lots of other CS that you might like, especially those with silk.

some examples:

-- slightly silky sapphires or spinel
-- spess
-- chrysoberyl (though vanadium chrysoberyl might be hard to find)
-- emerald (might be too soft for regular wear but I love the blue green emerald glow)
-- also even though they don't "glow" per se, the luminosity of some "milky" cabs like aquamarine, moon stone etc can be very beautiful too. As Greg mentioned, gem silica and other chalcedony are nice too. I also like prehnite's apple green color in cabs.
Personally I love cabs for this reason as well as the attractive price point.



Vanadium chrysoberyl

 

[sapphirecats]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

Wow! : lilmosun! That ring is amazing! I love it! I'd settle for even 2 pointers to use in a halo! I may buy an indicolite, we'll see...

 

[Marlow]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

by TL » 20 Jul 2014 18:35
Written by Marlow » 20 Jul 2014 11:58:
@TL

I have two purple tourmaline - not a strong color like that one - from Mozambique - not heated course of inclusions - the stone would not
survive the treatment.

This is included too - beautiful color! Yes - cuprian before heating.

Same with old original Paraiba rough - several violet chips and a cut one - violet oval with a neon blue spot.


Are yours reddish purple though? I see lots of reddish purple or purplish reds, but rarely a pure purple or violet.

-----

No, same color as this round stone but in a lighter tone - one is like a rose de france and the other a bit lighter than this round.
You now violet skapolithe? Comes close to them.

Not expensive - I paid 71 EUR for 1,65 ct LI with a slight window - the color was so usual that I ad this to my collection.
The other is smaller, lighter and double of the price!!!! I purchased this a few years earlier....

Maybe not a bad idea to buy a larger one and ask Uli Zeisberg to recut it....
The stones appear eyeclean so

 

[T L]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

Marlow,
I have a six carat violet cuprian that came with a GIT report, pretty clean too. I considered heating it in the past, but I like it the way it is right now, as the color is pretty rare.

Here's a pic.

Ignore the window.

 

[Marlow]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

Cool!! And a nice size!!

No - heating is a risk - I think they know why this stone was not heated.

The round and mine have inclusions maybe with some "liquid" or gas/air - you would destroy the stone.

Purple is really rare!! That's why I bought them. Next rare color from Mozambique is a vivid cherry red!! So beautiful!!!

I have no problem with a window.

http://www.palagems.com/gem_news_2007_v2.htm

Scroll till the end - purple and cherry red - honestly I like them more than many neon...

 

[JewelFreak]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

Marlow, I'm dying for any of those 3 tourmalines in the Pala newsletter. The purple is unbearably beautiful & the green & cherry red so vibrant they almost blind anyone who sees them! I'm thinking it's a shame to heat so many to blue/green -- I'm sure most material isn't this saturated in its natural state, but I don't think I've ever seen unheated Paraiba-type tourms sold. Maybe I just hang with the wrong crowd?

To threadjack the threadjack here, the Mexican Fire Opal micrographs a ways above the tourm article are gasp-worthy. Wow, gorgeous!!!

--- Laurie

 

[T L]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

Cool!! And a nice size!!

No - heating is a risk - I think they know why this stone was not heated.

The round and mine have inclusions maybe with some "liquid" or gas/air - you would destroy the stone.

Purple is really rare!! That's why I bought them. Next rare color from Mozambique is a vivid cherry red!! So beautiful!!!

I have no problem with a window.

http://www.palagems.com/gem_news_2007_v2.htm

Scroll till the end - purple and cherry red - honestly I like them more than many neon...

This is a taboo subject here, but many of the cherry neon reds are irradiated, and there's no way to identify that treatment. Know your source.

 

[Marlow]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch



In know radiated rubellite - red cuprian too!!!!!!!

 

[LoversKites]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

Cool!! And a nice size!!

No - heating is a risk - I think they know why this stone was not heated.

The round and mine have inclusions maybe with some "liquid" or gas/air - you would destroy the stone.

Purple is really rare!! That's why I bought them. Next rare color from Mozambique is a vivid cherry red!! So beautiful!!!

I have no problem with a window.

http://www.palagems.com/gem_news_2007_v2.htm

Scroll till the end - purple and cherry red - honestly I like them more than many neon...

This is a taboo subject here, but many of the cherry neon reds are irradiated, and there's no way to identify that treatment. Know your source.

Whoa, had no idea.

 

[texaskj]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

I'm confused. The second ring on this thread I posted is almost navy to my eyes, but he's saying it's a paraiba:

http://jewelrynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-jewelry-creations-of-zorab-atelier.html

If you're going to cough up that much money for a true paraiba, wouldn't you want that Windex blue?

 

[T L]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

I'm confused. The second ring on this thread I posted is almost navy to my eyes, but he's saying it's a paraiba:

http://jewelrynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-jewelry-creations-of-zorab-atelier.html

If you're going to cough up that much money for a true paraiba, wouldn't you want that Windex blue?

It could be an unheated violet one. They heat to neon blue. Here is the description from the LMHC.

http://www.lmhc-gemology.org/pdfs/IS6_23092010.pdf

"A paraíba tourmaline is a blue (electric blue, neon blue, violet blue), bluish green to greenish blue or
green tourmaline, of medium-light to high saturation and tone (relative to this variety of tourmaline),
mainly due to the presence of copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) of whatever geographical origin. The
name of the tourmaline variety "paraíba" is derived from the Brazilian locality where this gemstone was
first mined. "

 

[JewelFreak]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

This is a taboo subject here, but many of the cherry neon reds are irradiated, and there's no way to identify that treatment. Know your source.

I didn't know that. Great info!

 

[chrono]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

Paraiba tourmaline comes in several different hues but the most common and well known colour is the Windex blue.

As for irradiation of tourmaline, this was brought up by long timers several times but nobody on PS cared then because this treatment is difficult to detect. It isn't only limited to cuprians but also rubellite, pink and indicolite (blue) tourmaline.

 

[wordie89]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

I've been enjoying the pics of Paraibas.... so yummy. Wanted to share this but it took me this long to upload. I was in Tokyo last fall and mesmerized by the display window. Not a great pic but you get the idea. I think the ring at the bottom is about $24,000



And this is funny, my sons took this picture because they liked the color of the water from painting their teeny tiny little D&D figures. Isn't it gorgeous.



This will have to hold me for a while: it's probably the closest I'll get to a paraiba. Irl it's brighter and this afghani tourmaline has a wonderful glow to it. Now, all I have to do is set it.

 

[JewelFreak]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

Oh, that is a beauty!! What are the dimensions? Do you have ideas for setting it? I'm drooling!!! Pretty way to wait for a paraiba! Such nice material comes out of Afghanistan.

--- Laurie

 

[LD]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

I thought you might like to see the difference between Apatite and Tourmaline. The Apatite is on the left. I have quite a lot of these stones and they are incredibly soft. Some jewellers won't touch them! As a risk taker I wear them in ring but draw the line at a bracelet (although I do have one )

 

[sapphirecats]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

Wow! I love all the photos! Wordie! That window shot is yummy! So are the apatite and paraiba ! I love the colour! I may be buying an indicolite from Jeff white, we will see what develops.

 

[wordie89]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

JewelF,

5.85 x 5.65 approx 1.32 ct.

I've been thinking about a plain setting in yg. or at least yg prongs with pattern on the band. Thing is, I think about it... shop.... find more stones... voila! 7 nice stones unset!

LD, that apatite is beautiful and must be stunning on your hand.

Sapphirecat, when I was taking the pics the manager came out and I thought he was going to ask me to not take photos but he just enjoyed talking about them. I wish I'd tried them on but didn't have time. Jeff White has such lovely stones - have fun shopping!

 

[mochiko42]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

wordie, which shop in Tokyo is it? I go there relatively often and would love to check it out sometime. Thanks!

 

[wordie89]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

Mochiko,

We are on site same time as I just responded to your post in vendor pic vs owner pics Anyway it was the jeweler in the Imperial Hotel tower... lower floor from what I recall. Maybe you can get better pictures!

 

[mochiko42]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

I would sell my first-born for that! Lucky I don't have kids... joking..

----

What he he**....

FCD junkies - selling kids for gems.... crazy!!!!

Btw. is your avatar a Cornish Rex?

yeah, well, nobody would give me anything for that cat.

He is actually a no-breed street cat, but since I am living in Asia the local cats tend to look a little Siamese-type (elongated bodies, small heads). He is so fat now that he is definitely a chubby pear-shaped cat.

OT: Please post some photos some time.

Sorry for the threadjack!! Finally got around to posting cat pics (like the Internet needs more cat photos??): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/random-pictures-stories-of-our-furbabies.183988/page-30#post-3722482#p3722482']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/random-pictures-stories-of-our-furbabies.183988/page-30#post-3722482#p3722482[/URL]

 

[mochiko42]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

Mochiko,

We are on site same time as I just responded to your post in vendor pic vs owner pics Anyway it was the jeweler in the Imperial Hotel tower... lower floor from what I recall. Maybe you can get better pictures!

Nice, Yurakucho! I tend to stay on the west side of Tokyo (started going as a teenager and somehow just still hang out on the west side more, like Shibuya/Omotesando, Shimokitazawa) but will definitely head over to the Imperial Hotel for some window shopping next time. Too bad..I just got back from Tokyo on Sunday night and when I go next year they will have raised the sales tax to 10%.

I am in HK and have found one store that sells Paraiba here (http://www.taymajewellery.com/collection/paraiba/index.html ) .. still looking and wishfully dreaming ...

 

[chrono]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

I think the selection of Paraibas in HK and Japan will be better than the US due to both demand and fatter wallets.

 

[T L]

Re: Would love paraiba tourmaline, but shall I buy lotto? Ch

Beware of simulants, including apatite and this one in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2SYtEZTLMI

and fracture filling which can disguise the true beauty.