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- Romeo48065 on Laurellite a reverse color change tourmaline is unique.
- toadandspur on Outstanding Achroite with a Mystery
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Monthly Archives: August 2013
Clean medium toned blue from Namibia#1052
The sun’s down so I am looking at the real nice emerald cut under a yellowish light. It responds by really powering up its medium tone highly transparent body. It ends are open and responsive to the slightest movement … Continue reading
Nigerian Red Beauty Oval#1051
There have been better times in the rough tourmaline business. Some twenty years or so ago a gigantic amount of reddish tourmaline was found in Nigeria. There was so much that it actually depressed prices and it seems like … Continue reading
A straight beige that could have been wheat round
This beige is almost without tricks. He is pure and without dichroism. He flashes abundantly under even low light conditions. He has excellent crystal and weighs 5.84 carats. But he was give a different path than most rounds, by having … Continue reading
A moderately included dark tone level plume, round#1049
This plume, rich red purple, colored gemstone has a richer tone level than the average in the collection. This tends to be the case for most of the red purples and they are more a sultry stone than a … Continue reading
Olive Green Shield Cut#1048
Now no tourmaline really wants to be labeled olive green, but there are many of them out there. Many of them are dark and dense and have helped give tourmaline its popular presence (dark and green) in some people’s … Continue reading
Red Round with a Purple Overtone#1047
A purple overtone with red (rubellite) is not unusual. Some people rate the red with a purple overtone very highly (and charge you for it) while others like the pinker reds. This situation is mirrored, with ruby from different … Continue reading
Nice sized red oval#1046
When in doubt I like to call a tourmaline red rather than rich pink, so this oval is red. Its saturation is not the best, but it is a beautiful oval. Unfortunately there is a flaw that can be … Continue reading
Beige on a different axis with a secret, oval.#1045
Thank goodness I just followed my own advice. Face up I am looking at a rather paler stone with a darker middle and light pastel ends. This means that the c axis which usually goes down the long axis … Continue reading
Rich Reddish Orange Round#1044
The tourmaline the jester has brew up a good one this time. Not only does this tourmaline have a garnet color, but a tone level that is very believable for garnet. It is not too dark, but has a … Continue reading
Average Dichroic Pink Oval#1043
I can easily see a pale pink and a richer c axis color in this gemstone. It does a good job of mixing the colors and the result is a solid average pink. It is eye clean and has … Continue reading
Uniform moderate golden yellow droplet.#1043
This standard round brilliant does not appear to be dichroic. It is a really nice yellow with a golden glow that is not easy to get. Its level of tone is pretty high for a yellow, when you consider … Continue reading
Beige for another round of color#1040
Now I didn’t look up the definition of beige when I name this standard round brilliant, it just came to me. What I am seeing is the pinker side of wheat and I still like beige for that. I … Continue reading
Blue Spruce Emerald Cut#1041
I like this good sized emerald cut’s color because it shifts around the blue green spruce look. Some greens are so middle of the road and have such stability that one glance, as pretty as it maybe, is all … Continue reading
Fine Namibian Blue Oval#1039
This Namibian blue oval has a top quality blue with a medium tone level. It is cut with a two stepped crown that makes a bright stone and gives an interesting play of flash off the surface of the … Continue reading
Melon color in round gemstone.#1038
Now I am probably splitting hairs to distinguish a fruity melon color from a Pad (a variety of sapphire) from pink orange, but it is close to dinner and this stone looks delicious. It is mostly orange with a … Continue reading
A richer wheat for a fine round gemstone#1037
If I was a drinking man I would call this color some expensive white wine color, but I am a down to earth wheat man so wheat it is. This nice standard round brilliant has a good medium tone … Continue reading
Crisp Medium Toned Blue Oval#1036
This oval is not made of top grade Namibian blue. But when you’re looking for “different” tourmaline with distinction, you don’t always go for the best. This oval lacks the tone level of the best, but its color is pretty … Continue reading
Dark toned saturated blue emerald cut#1035
This emerald cut with normal end angles is certainly a very saturated blue with out any traces of green in natural light. (touch of green in yellowish light as expected) It flashes nicely in a decent light, but has … Continue reading
Winning Wheat Droplet#1034
This small round still has enough tone level to be wheat rather than just pale out on me. It is so much rarer than pink, but certainly not as highly valued, accept for collectors like me. The gemstone appears … Continue reading
Included Afghan Pink #….#1033
This is one of a number of pink rounds from a lot I bought from Afghanistan. They are a nice lighter bright pink. The biggest disappointment in them is the amount of inclusions they have. There are better ones … Continue reading
Yellow another find droplet#1032
This pure medium yellow droplet came from a couple of large semifacet pebbles I bought inexpensively years ago. A combination of good properties sets the stones I cut from the pebbles apart from everything else I have been able … Continue reading
Orange today and orange tomorrow droplet#1031
One of the colors in tourmaline I wanted to get when I started cutting gems again after a long hiatus was orange. Since Brazil and other classic locations produced very little if any orange (without help from man) some … Continue reading
Hurray for a smaller green shield cut.#1023
It is always a pleasure to be able to preform a piece of tourmaline rough into a triangular shape suitable for a shield cut. This is about as small a shield cut that I make and it has a great … Continue reading
Orange with a pink modifier in the Round.#1030
No matter how I look at this orange round it is orange. And orange is not a common color in tourmaline. It is a bit on the fruity side and I like to think of a nice cantaloupe rather than … Continue reading
True blue that so sweet in the round.#1029
I think that Namibia should be declared a world treasure for the blue tourmaline (indicolite) it produces. It also produces other colors that I don’t want to put down, but blue is the name of the game for me. My … Continue reading
Pad your bet with this orange pink round#1028
After dravites, brown yellows to brown oranges and all tourmalines in the brown world, (progress is being made in that area) the mixture of orange/pink is the most under appreciated color range in saturated colors. (Achroite, colorless, I am leaving … Continue reading
Outstanding Blue Green Droplet of color.#1027
It is nice to run into an outstanding stone that should have been remembered, but wasn’t. At 1.67 carats this standard round brilliant will make a fine droplet. It is very bright and really loves yellowish light as … Continue reading
Dynamic Blue Shield Cut#1026
I can see why I have cut a number of shield cuts from this tone level of blue. It makes a beautiful pastel shield cut because the blue is not dichroic. Now I think dichroicism in tourmaline can be great, … Continue reading
If you like pink you will like this oval#1025
This pink oval has a much better tone level than much of the available rough. It doesn’t damage that great beginning by being included or by having any unfortunate overtones. It is pure pink and a very sharp pink … Continue reading
Golden Brown Oval#1024
This tourmaline is dichroic with the darker drown in the ends, but they do not make the stone dark. I would call this a dravite, but it is golden and spicy and not a color drag at all. The … Continue reading
pink/orange slider for the droplets of color#1022
Nice bright clean droplet that slides with the light from pink to orange. It size and being a standard round brilliant insures that this pitch hitter will make the droplet team. It weights 1.03 carats. Bruce
Posted in Droplets of Color, Orange, Pink
Tagged color-shift, droplet-of-color, orange, pink
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Fine Green Emerald cut#1021
Now this is a fine emerald cut. It has all the right properties of clean color that is especial bright under incandescent/yellowish light, tone level and saturation. It also has normal angles on the ends. During the last few years … Continue reading
Small Darker Blue Green Emerald Cut.#1020
This smaller emerald cut is darken by closed ends, but has a good blue color blend with green. It appears to be eye clean and has some flash in the corners which comes from having normal angles on the … Continue reading
Definitly dichroic green droplet of color.#1019
This bright medium grass green droplet has darker weeds mixed in it that makes for a lawn with nice dynamic color. It seems to be eye clean and weighs .94 carats. It is a very nice addition to the … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged dichroic, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite
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Celery juice in a tourmaline emerald cut.#1018
Celery juice was squeezed out of me when I saw this tourmaline. Now I know it is a tourmaline, but this is a jester moment. I would definitely think that this was a beryl if I didn’t know better. … Continue reading
Solid down to earth green emerald cut#1017
In 1968 I returned home from Golden Colorado via Yellowstone and Niagara Falls, after taking a surveying course. I had stayed in cheap motels and eaten fast food so I had a little money left over. My home was … Continue reading
A salmon that is a bit fishy oval#1016
I always smile when I am obviously looking at a gemstone under different conditions than when I put the gemstone’s official color on the back of the boxes they live in. Today under a yellowish light on a gray … Continue reading
Really Nice Green Round#1015
I know that I shouldn’t bias my love of a color on cut, but with green I truly long for nice ones that are not emerald cuts. There are several reasons for cutting green tourmaline rough into emerald cuts. … Continue reading
Big pink with c axis in ends emerald cut.#1014
The emerald cut is dominated by the dichroic a/b axis. This color is a very pale pink that shows a touch of cream. The preferred color is the darker pink c axis, with a better saturation, but it was … Continue reading
A yellow green IceT droplet#1012
A delicate wisp of yellow green and a Hi O Silver will get this bright clean very pastel droplet pledge on the trail to being a star in the western sky. This standard round brilliant needs you to be … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, IceT, verdelite, yellow-green
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Red winner for the Droplets#1013
I have cross the line of doubt and I declare that this addition to the droplets is red. It is bright crisp and ready to play. This standard round brilliant comes in at a bit on the heavy side at … Continue reading
Afghan pink #… round#1011
I have cut quite a number of these included medium light pink round tourmaline. They are the size of droplets, but I don’t included all of them so as not to dilute the group too much. This standard round … Continue reading
How long I have waited pink/champagne/green tri-color#1010
Now I love tri and bi and watermelon and completely mixed up tourmaline, but they are not the main thrust of the collection. Color in all its diversity is center stage, yet chances do come along and I have … Continue reading
PInk Orange droplet of Color#1009
I was ready to say that this droplet of color is a pure pink with a bit higher level of tone than usual, but then I read the back of the box. It says that there is a bit … Continue reading
Gold dominates this oval.#
This rich bright golden oval was cut with the c axis perpendicular to the table. I can see the paler dichroic yellow around the edges, but gold is number one in this gemstone. And a very nice gemstone it … Continue reading
yellow gold dichroic oval
This yellow gold dichroic oval is open and eye clean. There is not a speck of green anywhere to be found and I call this one yellow. I love to yellow without green because it is rare. Unfortunately … Continue reading
Red/Rich Pink Oval#1006
The debate will always go on about the line between Rubellite (Red) and rich pink tourmaline. However you make the call this tone level of red does not usually appear as bright as some pinks. This is one of … Continue reading
Plain and Simple Pink Oval#1005
Some color calls are certainly easier than others. This oval is simply pink. No flaws and a fine crystal lets you see easily into it depths. It is also not dichroic, which limits its dynamic color display, but makes … Continue reading
Red/Blue makes Mauve droplet of color#1004
This is a peculiar droplet of color from Nigeria. I have red/blue on the back of the box and I know that they were the colors in the rough. I must have seen them when I wrote the sticker, … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Droplets of Color
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, mauve, purple, red
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An Oval Mixer of yellowish green and gold with a touch of brown.#1003
This oval will have to be called a yellow, but its dichroic nature keeps the stone dancing between flashes of greenish yellow and golden all with a touch of brown. I am a true supporter of yellowish tourmaline, but … Continue reading
Oval with Dreaded Olive Green Color#1002
This larger oval has a very common and not very appreciated color, olive green. I have not really run into other gemstones being called olive green, but some yellowish greens with a touch of brown produces a tourmaline that … Continue reading
White bread sort of wheat oval#1001
A bright clean oval that is so pale that I have to look at it closely to call it wheat. Now this is not your whole wheat variety, a bleach look that has very little brown and might even … Continue reading
The long and winding road of testing “Laurellite”
Laurellite is a name that I have given to a new variety of copper bearing Elbaite tourmaline from Mozambique, that demonstrates a Reverse Alexandrite Color Change from purple in natural light to blue to blue green in incandescent light. I … Continue reading
Golden cream with pink high lights, round.#1000
I hope that I have this color in the droplets because it deserves to be there. Creams are much less common than pinks and I go after them. This pastel is complex for a pale face, some of which … Continue reading
Blue purple included round,cuprian#999
The title is frank and earnest and will probably leave you completely unprepared for my outburst. I love this stone, I love this stone, I love this stone … This purple floats around like all purples do under different … Continue reading
Smaller blue green oval had clutter#998
Some tourmaline I still facet have enough clutter in them to significantly reduce their transparency. In a fantasy world,I would be able to get all the colors I wanted without problems with the purity of the gemstone, but that … Continue reading
Fine yellow round seaks help with drift toward green.#997
This bright standard brilliant is an example of a yellow with a hope for stardom, falling pray to the evils of green. Now where yellow becomes yellow green in tourmaline varies between peoples eyes. Even normal eyes have different … Continue reading
A large blue shield of honor and honesty#996
This shield cut can not help, but come clean. It has nothing to hide except for maybe a drift toward green in artificial light. Still it is a natural pastel blue, but not a baby blue. It probably has … Continue reading
Almost square, very transparent green, to blue emerald cut.#995
This is a beautiful gemstone. Now that I have gotten that out of the way, this gemstone feels Afghanistan. I think I purchased it in my last significant lot of green tourmaline from anywhere. The squarish cut is unusual, but … Continue reading
NIce ring sized round included pink.#994
This pink is dichroic and the paler pink and richer c axis pink mix together very well to make a dynamic churning display. Unfortunately it does have eye visible flaws like many pinks. It may be unfortunate, but some … Continue reading
A Responsive Engine of Color, Blue Green Emerald Cut#993
Nicely balanced and brightly tuned this engine of color goes from green toward blue in the drop of a light source. Since it idles in mixed light most of the time, I call it a blue-green. It is clean … Continue reading
Round with sliced pie placement of gold and green.#992
This standard round brilliant makes me smile. It takes me back to my very early days on the internet when I had found a dealer who cut some tourmaline down the long axis of smaller alluvial pebbles. I asked … Continue reading
Long ratio open ended green emerald cut#991
When the choice and supply of tourmaline rough runs down, I usually have a choice. Either buy medium pinks or long ratio greens. With pinks you do not have a problem with closed ends, but they can be included. … Continue reading
Heavily Included Yellow Oval#990
Sometimes even I push the limits of decency in the name of color and something interesting to cut. This oval is a nice yellow, but is so heavily included that it should probably not have been faceted. How many … Continue reading
Orange with yellow and pink highlights, droplet.#989
Orange is a complicated color in tourmaline and most of the orange in the tourmaline world has come from Africa. Some golden oranges that desaturate to browns, easily are not very attractive. They are called dravites and not particularly … Continue reading
How Green is my Afghan Gem#988
This is a beautiful gemstone. Its bluer a/b axis blends beautifully with the more yellow green c axis. I said blend because the tone level of both axis are the same and that gives such a light bright feeling … Continue reading
Nigerian Pink Edged in Yellow Green Round#987
This larger round is mostly a medium light pastel pink. The yellow green on the side of girdle is pretty isolated and only really effects the body (green and pink make yellow)of the stone when you peer threw that … Continue reading
Pure Blue Oval#986
There is absolutely nothing wrong with with bright, flashy medium pastel blue oval. It is not noticeably dichroic and it has great transparency, without a flaw in the sky. So why does it leave me rather cold. It really … Continue reading
Pale Golden Peach and I think of Topaz oval#985
Now everyone would love a fantastic Imperial Topaz and this dichroic pastel golden peach tourmaline does not measure up, but it does look like topaz that I could afford and was actually offered for sale. I can see its … Continue reading
Dichroic, golden orange oval#984
Some gemstone grab you even with a casual glance while others get passed over. This strongly dichroic (two different colors/intensity of color depending on the axis of view) deserves a closer look. The higher tone level c axis color … Continue reading
Nigerian pink-green makes yellow round#983
The piece of rough that became this standard round brilliant came from the giant find of tourmaline in Nigeria over 20 years ago. The overall appearance of the round is that of a yellow, but it is easy to … Continue reading
Long Ratio, Open Ended, Green Emerald Cut#982
Rough that requires a long ratio emerald cut is not #1 on my hit parade. They take effort to keep their long narrow facets square even during the polishing process. Being common does not help my enthusiasm either. The … Continue reading
Bright Medium Pink Oval with noticable inclusions.#981
I bring up inclusions with this nice bright flashy oval because it is easily seen, by eye, with the stone face up. It also effect the way I cut this stone. I work very hard to minimize inclusions under the … Continue reading
An Included Oval of Mixed Yellow Persuasion#980
This oval has at least one very eye visible spot in it It is on the pavilion and I have been able to pick it up from the crown, but it is quite visible from the back. Besides that … Continue reading
Clean Moderate Tone Green Emerald cut with open ends.#979
This flashy emerald cut needs to be examined closely to be really appreciated. The end sparkle because they are open and this green tourmaline shows a very good level of transparency. The stone’s color slides from grassy green to … Continue reading
Included pale pink round from Afghanistan#978
This small included pastel pink round came from a disappoint lot that I bought. I have cut many rounds of a pale blue and this pastel pink from the lot and I haven’t included them in the droplets to … Continue reading
Moderately rich pink oval#977
This well cut oval lives up to the ideals of the collect. What keeps it from really demanding notice is a rather middle of the road pink. But if it was ever taken and put on its own, it … Continue reading
Color Dots, a golden tourmaline round#976
When I first started cutting again after many years away from the craft, I did not spend a lot of money. In tourmaline I went for lots of small material and tried to see how small a gemstone I … Continue reading
Hot Hot Pink Droplet#975
I know that I have presented pink as a pretty common color for tourmaline and it is, but there are exceptional pinks. This droplet had a chance of being in a piece of custom jewelery until the well went … Continue reading
Surprising mint green droplet#974
This droplet tried to make the big time in a piece of custom jewelery, but I ran out of money. When it came home I tested it with my new spectrometer and I finally understood why I really liked … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, green, unique, verdelite
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Pure Yellow Droplet of Color#973
This flashy pure yellow droplet is not clean. But it is so nice that I actually tried to have it set in custom jewelery years ago. The first piece of jewelery was so expensive that I had to drop … Continue reading
An All Star Pink Oval#971
Nothing can be said that is exceptional about this beautiful oval, except that it brings everything together to make a great pink stone. I would be proud to show it off as a representative of my collection even though … Continue reading
A cream round with a touch of strawberry juice#970
Cream is not a strong color and it is not that common in tourmaline. Especially when you compare it with pink. So, of course, I have actively sought out cream, while the pinks keep rolling in. I just looked … Continue reading
Decent pink oval#969
This richer pink, lightly included, oval is a decent stone. It has a two row step cut crown. It is the type of gemstone that kind of get lost in this collection, but if you’re looking for a smaller … Continue reading
Large Dravite wins ugliest award#968
This large standard brilliant round weighs in at 23.4 carats, which makes it a heavy weight contender. It came to me preformed to be a round and I did not have any qualms about going with the shape. I … Continue reading
A beautiful plain jane pink round.#967
This nice bright standard round of 1.75 carats is one of the pieces that gives me rest between cutting the bigger more exotic tourmaline. She never gives me problems except for maybe a lost culet once in a while. … Continue reading
Achroite with a secret#966
There is always a danger in seeing what you want or expect to see in a pale colored stone with tourmaline. Many to most tourmalines have two colors (a/b and c axis) and those colors can be quite sensitive to … Continue reading
Posted in Achroite, Cuprian Tourmaline, Etc.
Tagged achroite, blue, cuprian, purple, unique
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Blue Afghanistan trilliant beauty.#965
Now the internet has points that transcend just a way to quickly try and buy faceting rough. This site for example. I did write for another site for a while and got to meet some interesting people. I hope … Continue reading
A Great Fake Peach Round
True or False. Pink and green light mixed together with the right level of tone makes YELLOW. True and the story goes on. In the tray this large round with a pavilion consisting of eight split mains and … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Cutting Tourmaline, Pink
Tagged bi-color, green, Nigeria, peach, pink, unique
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Peach shield cut with a brownish cast.#964
I don’t really know how a peach can be austere, but this shield cut is. It has a nice medium light pastel color in decent sunlight that doesn’t blow it away with glare, but it soon desaturates into brown … Continue reading
Ring size Yellow Green with great crystal.#963
Now yellow green in tourmaline is not greatly prized. In higher tone values it is probably one of the more common colors with tourmaline. It might even rate right in there with medium light pinks for being everyday material. … Continue reading
Heavely included, long ratio, blue emerald cut.#962
When I got this rough I knew that it was heavenly included, but it had wonderfully blue views down the c axis. I cut a long ratio emerald cut out of it, because that was the only practical … Continue reading
Blue Included cushion cut that is cuprian.#961
This is an interesting stone. I bought it after my supply of cuprian tourmaline had pretty much dried up. I continued to buy the smaller more included cuprian material that became remained available, because I am always looking for … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Indicolite
Tagged blue, cuprian, cushion cut, indicolite
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Purple Oval of Copper Bearing Beauty#959
I love this stone, I love purple in tourmaline, I love copper bearing tourmaline and I love getting a nice stone for a decent price. I consider this medium shade of purple to be only found in copper containing … Continue reading
Bright Light Pink Shield Cut
This shade of pink with a light tone level is common in tourmaline rough coming out of Africa now (2013). It is also not noticeably dichroic and is eye clean. The thing that I notice about this gemstone, that … Continue reading
Golden Yellow Droplet
This is a classic droplet of color and does show up well with the group. It would be a lot more in demand if it had a purer yellow. Still its place is assured because it lacks any green … Continue reading
Two Distinct Hues in a Green Oval
Now I love the dynamic nature of hues (color) in many tourmaline, but it can make an effort to honestly present, in both photography and writing, its beauty. Now this eye clean oval possesses two distinct colors that had … Continue reading
Nice medium pink standard round brilliant.
This is a pretty average stone for my collection. It is a very nice bright even hot pink that is clean and weighs 2.28 carats. It would be a droplet of color, if I really needed the color in … Continue reading
Wow another pink emerald cut.
This very nice pink emerald cut has its tone level grade smoothly down the length of the gemstone. The tone gradation, without a hue (color) shift could be caused either by an increase in concentration of manganese in the darker … Continue reading
Dravite long ratio emerald cut
On the back of this box I have brown for the color of this beautiful emerald cut, That certainly lacks the flickering fire of inspiration that is need to sell tourmaline. We need a spice name for the long … Continue reading
Large round spruce specially cut gemstone.
Sometimes when you start out on a new adventure with a piece of tourmaline rough, the color is so outstanding that you cannot miss. Now there is the other side of the coin and a completely water worn pebble … Continue reading
Pale Pastel Orange Round
This standard round brilliant is a good size at 5.05 carats. It has an eye clean body and probably came from Nigeria. I love Nigerian pastel tourmaline, especially pink, because the material is about the easiest one to polish … Continue reading
Fine Orange Standard Round Brilliant#950
One of the reasons that I got back into faceting after a many year hiatus was my love of color. I looked over the “new” world of the internet and decided that if I ever wanted to collect gemstones with … Continue reading
Pink Purple Emerald cut nice tone#949
This good sized ring stone at 3.68 carats is a fine bright, but sultry pink purple. I see a couple of flecks deep in the stone by eye, but they are not detracting and the stone has a very … Continue reading
Laurellite and a gray day in Mars.
My best Laurellite under florescent light. (5.69 carats) Small oval Laurellite under florescent light. (5.39 carats) Large oval Laurellite under florescent light. (27.13 carats) I have a tray of stones home because I am writing posts about them. This … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Laurellite
Tagged blue, bruce fry discovery, color change, cuprian, laurellite, Mozambique, purple, unique
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Fine middle of the road pink that keeps rolling#948
You can pass over this gemstone in the collection, if you just lust for color, but if you’re into pink, you have to stop. The gemstone has a pure pink statement that flashes from great crystal and polish. It … Continue reading
Moderately included Laurellite round#947
This round is more included than I like and is part of the collection because it is a color changer and a rare color, I call it Laurellite. (see other post for more of the story of Laurellite. It is … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Laurellite
Tagged blue, bruce fry discovery, cuprian, laurellite, purple, unique
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baby blue and baby pink bi-color from Afghanistan#946
When I received this semi- preformed piece of rough in the mail, with other bi-colors from Afghanistan, I thought it was too go to be true. It also had a decent price. Now this rarely happens and it makes … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color
Tagged afghan, baby blue, baby pink, bi-color, blue, emerald cut, pastel, pink
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Big Oval Blue Purple that did not get away.#943
Buying tourmaline rough over the inter net or even in person can be an adventure. This large oval, at 27.13, carats is one of the larger gemstones in the collection. It was cut from a piece of rough that … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Laurellite
Tagged blue, bruce fry discovery, color change, laurellite, oval, purple
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Small Dravite droplet of color#940
This little dravite is darkly toned and could be called a mahogany by some, like me. It deserves a place in the droplet of color world at 1.30 carats. It definitely likes a good light to be enjoyed. … Continue reading
nice bright green droplet of color#939
I love to find a bit of green that had a nice open green color in the c axis direction because it gives you more latitude to make a beautiful stone. This bit of green was too small and … Continue reading
Stately emerald cut of defusing pink.#938
When the rough for this beautiful tourmaline came in, it left no doubt about what kind of gemstone needed to be cut. The whole gemstone is pink, but its tone grades from medium dark to a paler pastel as … Continue reading
Large oval of the earth (color)#937
This very nice, eye clean, larger oval with great crystal is in search of a name. Older tourmaline lovers, that have been around a crystal/gem or two would call it dravite. This is because dravite is a trade name … Continue reading
Little Round Beauties#935
The blue gemstone pictured above is an example of sort of a subset of “color droplets” (which consist of standard round brilliants in as many colors etc. that I can get). I have quite a few of them and … Continue reading
A large round green jester of a tourmaline#936
When I received this piece of rough from Africa it was rather hard to believe. For at least 7 years I only cut tourmaline anymore and this was presented as tourmaline or I would not have purchased it. The … Continue reading
BLUE tiny round to be enjoyed#935
This tiny round standard brilliant has a hue (color), tone level and saturation that I dream about in a larger stone. I have a number of them in the collection and they all come from Namibia. The African … Continue reading
Oval Pink with a wisper of Purple#934
I am looking at this oval gem under morning light and seeing a pink that has some cast to its hue, but I can’t put my finger on it. I look at the its box and I have written … Continue reading
Blue tinted with Green Emerald Cut#933
This 1.24 carat is a blue that is tinted with green. A color that tends to float with more or less green depending on the lights in your life. It is eye clean under the table of the emerald … Continue reading
A Red/Pink oval that walks the line.#932
I don’t think that the debate on the cut off between red and pink is as important with tourmaline as it is with corundum because of the expense that is associated with ruby verses pink sapphire, but is sill … Continue reading
Blue/Green emerald open ends#931
This rather pudgy emerald cut wins the day with open ends that are more greenish than the rather blue a/b color (typical). The emerald cut permits you to see the different colors easily because it isolates the c axis … Continue reading
Nice classic tourmaline green with dark ends.#930
This 1.70 carat medium toned grass green emerald cut is a pure classic tourmaline. It is eye clean as most material like this is and has the unfortunate dark ends that aren’t too bad in larger ratio gems like … Continue reading
Hot Pink with Punch#929
This ring sized oval, at 1.85 carats, really has a lot going for it. Its pink is pure and of a good tone level, all set in a fine crisp body. I use “hot” in the title to describe … Continue reading
A Large, Really Green Round of Mistery#928
I have just spent a bit of time trying to orient this rich green gem with it c axis. With a gemstone that weighs 19.54 carats and is distinctly dichroic, that should not be too difficult. But perhaps I am … Continue reading
Pink droplet of color#927
I sometimes wonder where I got all the small pink rough, but here is a ..44 carat droplet that is pretty sharp. Cutting this keeps me busy and gives me a break from the big boys. Bruce
A purple to blue called “Laurellite” by me.#926
This smaller emerald cut is not pure and has somewhat muted colors, but is very exciting to me. You have to work with lighting to appreciate the special place this unheated cuprian tourmaline from Mozambique holds in the world … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Laurellite
Tagged blue, bruce fry discovery, cuprian, emerald cut, laurellite, purple
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A temple of purity in the yellow world.#925
Now cutting an emerald cut from an included piece of rough, that can not be completely clean up, is pushing your luck because any distracting flaws show up real well. This 2.61 carat, great yellow emerald cut, was extracted … Continue reading
Larger deep round of middle of the road pink#924
I have not cut pink/red tourmaline from every location that it is available from, but I have worked at it. My principle sources have been Mozambique, Afghanistan and Nigeria with just a touch of Brazil and various African locations, … Continue reading
Achroic, a colorless call in tourmaline#923
Now you have to be careful when you’re evaluating color in a very pale gemstone, it can catch its apparent color from the world around it. Now an emerald cut is a color cut, so thousands of facets and magnificent … Continue reading
Nice middle of the road droplet of pink color#922
Medium hue, medium tone level and a medium saturation, leads to a standard round brilliant that is right down the middle of the road. Still it would make a great little ring stone at 1.35 carats and sparkle under any … Continue reading
Pink a classic color with an oval shape#921
This good sized oval at 7.11 carats is eye clean and has great crystal (very transparent body). Its pastel color and tone level is probably the most common combination coming out of Africa at the moment (2013). Medium pastel … Continue reading
An underwater color in a small emerald cut.#920
This small emerald cut at .44 carats swims around between the greens and blues. I would say it is blue in natural light, which is the light I use to label a tourmaline with a color name. That is … Continue reading
Small green droplet of color, big color#919
Now green is a common color in tourmaline, but I am a lover of bright, well saturate color in any hue (color) so I like this small .26 droplet of color. It comes to life in any light. Bruce
Average green droplet of color#916
Every collection has its peaks and valleys and in the quest for color my collection is no different. Still I take pride in thinking that even an average small standard round brilliant like this .40 carat green pastel got … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, pastel, verdelite
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Large ratio green emerald cut with dark ends#918
This green emerald cut is longer than I would like with its narrow width. I generally do not get much rough that is dark in the ends and the crystals are too short to be split into two or … Continue reading
Smaller whiter round#917
I probably shouldn’t spend much time on a color less .40 carat round standard brilliant, but I have been force to compare several Achroites while writing and this little gem is the whitest of the bunch. Afghanistan has … Continue reading
Achroite small round#915
This small standard round brilliant probably came from Afghanistan. It has a rather flat crown and is simply without color. It is not clean, but has not large naturals. It came from the center of a crystal with a … Continue reading
Red droplet of Color#913
This darker red standard round brilliant appreciates a good light since its tone level is pretty high, like many reds. I place it in with the droplets of color, the large group of round tourmaline that is the best … Continue reading
One Half Carat of Pure Rich Pink Joy#912
I try and mix in smaller gemstones in between larger efforts. It kind of relieves the tension of polishing facets that are large enough to both make polishing a physical effort, since I work on a stationary lap when … Continue reading
Rolling round with yellow, a droplet of color.#911
The brilliant round standard cut is weighs 1.84 carats and will make a wonderful droplet of color. They like yellow in tourmaline almost as much as I do. It appears to be eye clean. At first I check … Continue reading
Long red emerald cut makes good.#910
This emerald cut surprised me when I removed it from the dop stick and got my first look at it. It is a good size at 5.22 carats and with a ratio that is a bit larger than I … Continue reading
Ring size round Pink#909
This is a find ring stone at 2,57 carats. It is a fine middle of the road pink with an excellent color and a medium tone value. All rounds this small or smaller are cut as standard around brilliants. … Continue reading
Austere green green droplet of color#907
This 1,26 carat bright standard brilliant round has just been declared a droplet of color. It is an honor for a rather aloof and austere color in rich pastel blue green. The color appears consistent, but doesn’t really invite … Continue reading
Pretty Little Blue Green Emerald Cut#906
Going down the tray this smaller gemstone does not grab you eye because of its size. but focus and you see a very nice gemstone. I don’t think that it is perfectly clean like most tourmalines, but nothing really … Continue reading
A yellow green, a good after dinner mint#905
This tourmaline is ready to give you a color fake and head for the “in” zone of your heart. It is not a Heliodor, which is a variety of beryl and is probably the most common gemstone in … Continue reading
An Orange that thinks it would be a peach of an idea to be a Pad.#904
Now one of the reasons to spend time showing my collection is to let people see the beauty of tourmaline and for me, to get this “semi” precious gemstone some respect. Now the color of this nice sized (4.29 … Continue reading
Achroite round a ghostly gem#903
Achroite is an old trade name for colorless tourmaline (Elbaite). It is from the Greek, like many names, and it is a find name, but one I have had made relatively little use of. Why you might ask. Well … Continue reading
A shifty Mauve thats in the Pink#902
I don’t attach mauve to a gemstone’s color casually. I always check color in various “white” lights, incandescent, morning light and evening light etc. Many members of the tourmaline color world are not known for being consistent in shade, … Continue reading
Yellow Green with a brown cast, Large round#901
Over the years that I have cut tourmaline, this is the only one that I purchased preformed (for greatness?). When you’re trying to get the widest collection of color in tourmaline, you have to seek out exceptional pieces that … Continue reading
The Blues Brothers split up was rough
Purchasing faceting rough over the inter net can call for tolerance, patience and most of all hope. When a new set of pages comes on line out of Africa, I quickly look for the “different” tourmaline. Color is … Continue reading
Green Shield Cut rarer than you might think.
Green in all its shades is one of the most common colors in the world of tourmaline. Only pinks might compete with green as production shifts between locations during different years. Yet there are very few nice green shield … Continue reading
Afghan pink/blue pastels a broken embrace
For a while I was able to deal with a source of tourmaline rough that had a direct connection for Afghanistan material. I not only bought individual stones, as I usually do, but also a few lots. The … Continue reading
Duo-blue/green, A portrait of a star in the tourmaline heaven#942
The rough for this exceptional gemstone came as an after thought with the most outstanding purple piece of tourmaline I have ever seen. (the name Duo-blue/green coming from being one of two pieces in the lot) The purple … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Indicolite, Verdelite
Tagged bi-color, blue, blue-green, cuprian, green, round, unique
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Yellow’s chief defender, a very nice yellow shield cut
The effort to fill out the color wheel with tourmaline in the pure yellow area has been an interesting quest. Yellow green is one of the most common colors in tourmaline and is not particularly prized. I have also … Continue reading
Queen Ecru Different Cut
This is one of my favorite gemstones. She is big and bright with a different,subtle color that is not common. I call the color ecru which is a term used with wool and can have many tone levels, because … Continue reading
Uniquely oriented watermelon emerald cut
This smaller emerald cut looks like it consists of bands of bluish green on either side of a pinker band running the length of the emerald cut, where the ends have a much more intense pink color. Except for … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Etc.
Tagged bi-color, blue, emerald cut, pink, unique, watermelon
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Anyone for ice T, Almost colorless bi-color
Very pale to moderately toned tourmaline is not rare from Afghanistan. Much of the material is not flawless, but its “crystal quality” transparency is usually excellent. The emerald cut was cut from the largest and cleanest piece of … Continue reading
A Quick Rainbow with Droplets of Color
I was sitting at the computer and thinking about how to show off tourmaline in a simple post. I decided to grab a rainbow of droplets of color. I call small rounds that have no real claim to fame except … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, green, orange, purple, rainbow, red, yellow
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An cuprian oval with mixed colors and a radioactive past
In the quest to completely fill the color wheel with tourmaline examples, the hardest range of colors is blue/purple. When Africa began to produce lavenders to purples that could be slipping into the blue purple range I really tried … Continue reading
spruce cushion with step crown
This cushion cut, which is a Barion, meet point design, partially developed by Mr. Graham, is one of the few more “modern” designs I use when cutting tourmaline. I am a strong believer in simple traditional cuts and I … Continue reading
Bi-color emerald cut with a secret
I love this gemstone. It has a lot going for it. It is well over 5 carats and flawless. The balance of the two colors in the emerald cut is good and the demarcation between the colors is crisp. … Continue reading
passionate plume, a red purple with a different twist
Very few of my tourmalines have actual picked up a name that stays with it very long, but this is an exception. It is a large stone. over 10 carats, with a high tone level that demanded that the stone … Continue reading