Login
-
Recent Posts
- List of facts about tourmaline, an opinion
- No Paraiba in top ten list of most valuable/rarest or beautiful gemstones??
- #261 and a bright red cuprian smile
- Included bright sparkling red round. #261
- Getting threw the winter, 1/3 carat of fire
- The amount of lead in tourmaline.
- Color my world of tourmaline.
- Copper’s limited roll in coloring Paraiba/cuprian tourmaline.
Tags
- achroite
- afghan
- baby pink
- bi-color
- blue
- blue-green
- brown
- closed-c
- color-shift
- color dot
- cuprian
- cutting tourmaline
- dichroic
- dravite
- droplet-of-color
- emerald cut
- golden
- green
- green-blue
- hot pink
- IceT
- indicolite
- medium green
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- non-dichroic
- open-c
- orange
- outstanding
- oval
- pale
- pastel
- peach
- personal story
- pink
- purple
- purple-pink
- red
- rubellite
- seafoam
- shield
- unique
- verdelite
- yellow
- yellow-green
Recent Comments
- Romeo48065 on Laurellite a reverse color change tourmaline is unique.
- toadandspur on Outstanding Achroite with a Mystery
- Bruce Fry on Welcome to a World of Color in Tourmaline
- David Walsh on Paraiba/paraiba type tourmaline and treatments.
- rexguo on Laurellite a reverse color change tourmaline is unique.
Archives
- May 2019
- September 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- November 2017
- October 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
Monthly Archives: September 2013
Medium Dark Gray Transparent Oval.
This gray with a touch of brown is quite transparent for its darker tone value. It came from Thailand and was probably heat treated. I have enough similar material to feel that this color and saturation occurs in nature, but … Continue reading
We will call it Pink, but is a lot more, dichroic emerald cut.
Being dichroic has its ups and downs with tourmaline. Dark ends can be an effort and pinks can loose their heat with a browned a/b axis color etc. But then you can hit a home run and actually get around … Continue reading
Snappy meium toned yellow with slight touch of orange emerald cut
This is how a yellow should look, like eye candy. And this emerald cut is just that, but it can not claim the yellow honors completely, because it has a touch of the orange roaming around. The orange comes into … Continue reading
Dichroic medium toned brown, modified emerald cut.
In an attempt to use a cut that better blends the stones two dichroic colors, together I used a modified emerald cut. The cut does not demand as much depth to the gemstone as a Barion cushion and it is … Continue reading
Cuprian, nice pastel yellow standard round brilliant.
This bright medium toned yellow does not have copper in its composition. This bright medium toned yellow has copper in its composition (detected with spectrometer) This medium light pastel has exactly the same color as #322 and yet my … Continue reading
Very nice pastel yellow oval
This pastel yellow appears to be eye clean. Its tone level is medium light and does not appear to have a greenish or brownish overtone. With a fine crystal, a great polish and cut, the stone has to be a … Continue reading
Medium Gray Oval
I obtained the rough for this medium gray oval from Thailand. It has probably been heated and my principal interest was to see if I could tell the difference between heated and unheated tourmaline. I could not tell there was … Continue reading
An amazing GEM green emerald cut.
To be a GEM (highest quality gemstone) in the world of green tourmaline is saying a lot. The competition from chrome tourmaline and cuprian tourmaline is intense. Now I am not saying that this gem can match the level of … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Verdelite
Tagged emerald cut, green, non-dichroic, unique, verdelite
Leave a comment
What can I say about gray, dark emerald cut.
I really don’t know how much dark gray tourmaline is out there to be faceted, but this is the only example that I have. It is not just a dud to be kept as an example of the range of … Continue reading
Slightly included pastel peach emerald cut
This pastel peach emerald cut has a full set of facets with four steps on the pavilion and three steps on the crown. This helps enhance the amount of scintillation an emerald cut can produce and potentially makes the gemstone … Continue reading
Golden Reddish Brown Colored Emerald Cut.
This smaller emerald cut has a rich tone level that shows off its golden reddish brown color very well. The stone is dichroic, but the light a/b axis is at the ends rather than the normal arrangement of the c … Continue reading
Smaller amber to brown emerald cut.
This dravite, is a great amber to brown color and is not dichroic. This means that the color is uniform and the end bright and flashy. It appears to be eye clean with fine crystal. It came from East Africa … Continue reading
Pale citrus yellow without green emerald cut from Brazil
When I started cutting gemstones again after a long hiatus, I bought only small material. The first dealers I worked with on the internet were really junk deals. The posted citrus yellow emerald cut was an attempt to get something … Continue reading
Medium Dark Toned Yellow Green Oval
This oval is dichroic and the ends are a bit greener than the sides. The cut effectively mixes the colors together well. This yellow green oval is flashy for a darker toned stone. It weighs 3.04 carats. Bruce
Possibly heat colorless oval
This colorless oval could have possibly been heat treated since it went threw Thailand from where ever it was mined. The principle reason I purchased the rough was to see if heating effect it, in a way that I could … Continue reading
Included saturated yellow with a glaze of honey emerald cut.
I try not to cut emerald cuts from included material because the cut makes any inclusions that lye under the table very obvious. But when you have a rare color like yellow and the rough is shaped to cut an … Continue reading
Smaller dichroic reddish brown emerald cut.
This dichroic emerald cut has rich reddish brown ends and moderate, browner sides. The sum of the colors produces what I like to call mahogany. The stone has a darker tone, but the mahogany is interesting in stronger light or … Continue reading
Smaller, on the pink side of peach, emerald cut.
This emerald cut has a fun and fruity color. It is not noticeable dichroic, but I can see both pink and orange in the medium toned stone. The ends are bright and flashy and I always fall for stones that … Continue reading
Included, Bright, Crisp, Pastel Yellow touch of Brown, emerald cut.
If cream was transparent, then it would better fit the color of this emerald cut. So imagine a pastel yellow that is uniform threw out the gemstone and has a transparent creamy touch to it. I don’t think the touch … Continue reading
A orangish brown dravite from East Africa, emerald cut
Brown is not the most desirable color in gemstones, but some stones are so bright and feisty that even brown can not hold them back. This emerald cut is a representative of a group of dravites coming out of East … Continue reading
Included bright sparkling golden peach, emerald cut
The bright refreshing pastel color of this smaller emerald cut, kind of flashes away the eye visible inclusions. Its color definitely dances between a more peach or golden look. The gemstone is not dichroic and its complete open and transparent … Continue reading
Lightly toned Afghan green with touch of pink center, round
This combination of a pale pastel green and pink is a classic and distinctive one from Afghanistan. Many times the green rind on the rough, that had a watermelon color distribution, is not thick enough to be retained with the … Continue reading
A yellow oval modified with green and brown overtones, oval
I have lauded yellows that are well saturated without green and problems with their purity of color that lead to browns. Well this oval can not escape a touch of green and low saturation (purity of color) that leads to … Continue reading
Green c axis and golden brown a/b axis emerald cut
This smaller emerald cut tourmaline has a distribution of color that I think is unique to tourmaline. Its c axis is very nice mid toned yellowish green and the a/b axis is a golden brown. In this emerald cut the … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged brown-green, color-shift, dichroic, emerald cut, green, verdelite
Leave a comment
Medium Pink with just a hint of violet, cuprian round.
This one is for the books. A standard round brilliant that looks so medium pink that I need to compare it with other pinks, to see the cuprian violet in it. And I bought this stone as cuprian. The lack … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, pink, violet
Leave a comment
Green and Pink make yellow all in pastel, round
This is another example of a tricky tourmaline from Nigeria. It is really a combination of pink and green that is mixed by the standard round brilliant into almost a completely uniform blend, that produces a creamy yellow. There is … Continue reading
Big and Bright and Brassy, Yellow Green Emerald Cut.
Here is a live one. This large extremely bright yellow green without any dark tones, emerald cut will not calm down. I personally think that yellow greens are some of the brightest tourmalines out there. Whether it is to do … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Verdelite
Tagged bi-color, emerald cut, green, verdelite, yellow-green
Leave a comment
Dark flash driven sapphire blue round
This standard round brilliant is cut with a shallow crown because the gemstone is dark. Most of the flash driven deep blue color is around the sides of the table. The lack of transparency of the stone can be linked … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, dark blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, sapphire
Leave a comment
Larger pastel yellow shield cut
This larger pastel yellow shield cut is a milestone in the quest for yellow in tourmaline. And the yellow I speak of must be saturated and without even a touch of green or desaturation problems with brown, This beautifully clean … Continue reading
A green oval that reminds me of seaweed.
Tourmaline comes in every shade of green from yellows that just a touch of green to blues the hate to show their green wash. This oval is a bid different green with a level of yellow that reminds me of … Continue reading
Fine, large, stable, green emerald cut
This larger emerald cut has such a great stable green that the dark ends take very little away from the gemstone. The color is a classic tourmaline green, rich, saturated and with just a touch of yellow. The beauty of … Continue reading
Important red, eye clean, cushion
When I retired, I put my money into tourmaline rather than the stock market or the bank. The rough for this 21.4 carat, red, Barion cushion with a three step crown was purchased with some of that retirement money. It … Continue reading
A nice pale pink round with a bit of inclusions from Afghanistan
Now I may have complained about the lot of light pink and blue I got from Afghanistan years ago, but it did produce some decent stones. This is one of the nicer pinks, because it is a bit larger and … Continue reading
A highly transparent golden droplet of color.
This standard round brilliant is a great medium tone without brown. It is eye clean and has great crystal. It loves to flash out its weigh which is 1.55 carats. The droplets are beside themselves with joy, to get such … Continue reading
A hot pink oval of excellect tone and clarity.
This hot pink oval is open to the world. Nothing dark or dull in its world. In fact it is so transparent that a bit of chipping can be seen on the keels. This is not an unusual problem with … Continue reading
graded green to colorless emerald cut.
I don’t know if I would call this emerald cut a bicolor, because it really is only one color. The colorless end might be a very light green, but I doubt it. The emerald cut is a really bright and … Continue reading
A dark round with flash on the side.
This round brilliant with a very flat crown was out of the collection for awhile because Jeff could not get a picture with any color out of it. I think he did better the second time around. The only reason … Continue reading
The IceTs are ready, wisp of blue to colorless small oval.
This gemstone looks like it is colorless in my yellowish light and it has just a wisp of blue in daylight. Either way this smaller, eye clean, oval does not depend on its color for interest. It flashes out bright … Continue reading
A heavily included blue emerald cut.
This emerald cut has a dull blue color that has a dark tone. it is heavily include with flaws that look like part of the crystal did not grow together very well. That and dark ends makes for a less … Continue reading
The IceTs have been waiting for this pale bi-color emerald cut.
This long ratio emerald cut has a very soft pastel tone level. Yet you can still see the difference between the one half of the gem that is pink while the other half is cream. It is eye clean and … Continue reading
A great and solid green emerald cut with dark ends.
Now no one wants dark ends, but if that is the fate of your tourmaline, than at least get one that has great color. Well this longer ratio emerald cut tourmaline has one great solid green color. Its medium toned … Continue reading
A sophisticated cream/pink bicolor emerald cut
This eye clean bicolor is a beautiful smaller emerald cut. The hot, medium toned pink is a little over one half of the length of the stone, while a cream color fills up the rest. There does not appear to … Continue reading
Lightly toned, very lightly included Afghan pink, round.
I have cut many of these pale, Afghan, pink, standard round brilliants. This one is a good size at .94 carats and has better clarity than most. It is only very slightly included. They really need to be kept clean … Continue reading
Clean and Bright and Light Yellow, Droplet of Color.
This standard round brilliant is on the verge of colorless (achroite), but it definitely has a clean bright refreshing hint of yellow. This droplet of color appears to be eye clean and transparent. So light and transparent that the IceT … Continue reading
Lavender pink oval without copper
Lavender pinks have generally not been prized over pinks in tourmaline. I think that it is rather toned down from pink, like its more intense purple red sisters. This oval of medium tone is interesting, as a contrast to the … Continue reading
Classic, longer ratio closed ended, yellow green emerald cut.
This longer ratio emerald cut appears to be eye clean and with good crystal. The emerald cut’s ratio helps to reduce the impact of the close ends. The ends are faceted with normal angles. Its green color is the classic, … Continue reading
Included, flashy, medium blue round that is cuprian.
Some stones will always make me smile and stay with me until I can not remember them anymore. This memorable deeply cut round started out in my possession as a water worn pebble that was sold to me as low … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Cutting Tourmaline
Tagged blue, cuprian, cutting tourmaline
Leave a comment
A small round of sea foam for the IceT group.
In trimming larger pieces of high quality sea foam from Afghanistan, I cut off a terminus. This small standard round brilliant came from that terminus. It has the heart of a champion, but not the tonal value to measure up. … Continue reading
Classic, stable green, emerald cut with dark ends and a radial fracture.
Many tourmaline crystal have radial fractures (perpendicular to the c axis) that limit the yield from a crystal. Even if they are not noticeable in the finished gemstone because of the of its rich tone value, they should be removed, … Continue reading
Bright and light without a hint of darkness, emerald cut.
This emerald cut is an example of why it is difficult to make broad generalized statements about tourmaline. Many tourmalines do not show strong or even noticeably pleochroic/dichroic effects. There are many tourmalines in my collection that can not be … Continue reading
Longer ratio blue to green emerald cut.
The longer ratio in this emerald cut reduces the visual impact of the darker ends that are cut with standard angles. It is a bit included toward the keel, but the gemstones richer tones obscure them. Its color floats between … Continue reading
Darker toned purple red oval
Looking over this darker toned purplish red oval produces a feeling of restrained power. It appears to be eye clean and this gemstone is not hazy, but it has too high a tone value to be really flashy. I … Continue reading
A simple, small pink round, cut to fill the empty hours.
The market for anything decent in rough tourmaline is tough. Even pinks and greens that are pretty ordinary are demanding much higher prices. In order to keep cutting I have just about clean out my inventory of rough. The posted … Continue reading
A golden droplet of color.
I think I found gold in my stash of tourmaline rough years ago. The pastel golden tourmaline with just a touch of brown had been purchased in the quest to see all the nuances of light yellowish browns that I … Continue reading
A one a day pink oval to keep the doctor away.
This very nice middle of the road pink oval has a two step crown that produces an interesting stone. I have been cutting more of them and getting good reviews. I can see a faint feather when I check the … Continue reading
All who love orange, a medium pastel oval is born.
Orange in tourmaline does not get a lot of respect. Most of it has dark modifiers that can brown out a very good orange under less than ideal conditions. At times experts have even questioned the existence of orange that … Continue reading
Wheat, Cream, or Slightly Brownish Yellow, oval
This oval can be call by many colors, but it is so pale that the IceT group already has a place for it. It is slightly included which does not effect the stones brightness, but rather looks like little drops … Continue reading
Rich pink that is a Rose by the judgement of the droplets of color.
This standard round brilliant is slightly included. I has a rich pink that I would call rose, because it has a touch of purple in it. As usual the purple pinks are not as flashy as the rest of the … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Pink
Tagged deep pink, droplet-of-color, purple-pink, rose
Leave a comment
An emerald cut with a color that looks like green vegetable juice.,
This emerald cut has a very different feel than the numerous smaller blue greens ones I have been posting about. It has a fully transparent c axis and a complex rather watery green color under natural light. Under my yellow … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, color-shift, emerald cut, grass green, green, verdelite
Leave a comment
Only pure bright blue emerald cut from Namibia.
This is an Indicolite, a trade name for blue tourmaline, that you should appreciate. It is a stable bright blue that sparkles all over the small emerald cut. I know it is from Namibia, just by looking at it. It … Continue reading
Dark ends on a dark grass green colored emerald cut
This is a classic darker grass green emerald cut. It has dark ends, but normal angles. It longer ratio helps to keep the emerald cut from being too dark. It appears to be eye clean and with good crystal. It … Continue reading
Small slightly inclued medium light pink round from Afghanistan
I like to cut smaller rounds in the middle of more complicated efforts. Years ago I got a lot of pale pink and almost colorless blue pieces of tourmaline that use to be bicolor crystals. I have been cutting rounds … Continue reading
Delightful medium light peach, shield cut.
This shield cut brings the best out in a peach tourmaline. The cuts nature is to be flashy and bright. This coupled this with a medium light tone and eye clean peach, makes a great stone. This is about as … Continue reading
Smaller, very pale, IceT material, pink from Afghanistan.
This standard round brilliant is from Afghanistan and since the origins of the IceT group comes from there, they welcome this new hopeful. The round is such a pale pink that no other offers were made even though it is … Continue reading
Smaller blue green emerald cut with closed ends.
This blue green emerald cut obviously has dark closed ends, but I cut it with the normal angles. I think it makes a better stone (easier to set) even if the darkness invades the center a little more. The gemstone … Continue reading
Brightly Polished Eye Clean Afghan Pink Round
This standard round brilliant is refreshingly eye clean which is the exception for my pinks from Afghanistan. I have found that all pastels polish easily and extremely well with my polishing procedures. The only real problem area with all colors … Continue reading
It is final, this is the best green, bar none, in the collection!
Now that is a big title for such a small stone, but it is true. This standard round brilliant only weighs .21 carats, but it is a chrome tourmaline and that means GREEN. Chrome is really a misnomer because it … Continue reading
Posted in Dravite, Droplets of Color, Etc.
Tagged chrome, dravite, droplet-of-color, green, outstanding
Leave a comment
Slightly included pastel pink round
The best way to find an inclusion is to turn the stone over and look at it threw its pavilion. That way your eye doesn’t get distracted by the flash. In this stone the inclusion is very minor and I … Continue reading
Small or large, never enough Namibian blue rounds
I usually don’t remember where smaller tourmaline comes from, if I ever knew, but with the blues, Namibia just stands out. Over the years I have had breakage problems even in small stones, because a lot of of the rough … Continue reading
This blue to green, lighter and brighter, emerald cut is very nice.
This emerald cut has a different feel to it than many of the smaller ones I have been cutting in the blue/green range of colors. Its ends are darker, but I don’t think that they are closed. The color goes … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Indicolite
Tagged blue, color-shift, emerald cut, green-blue, indicolite
Leave a comment
Lavender IceT that is a droplet too. Copper Bearing
Sometimes it is not too bad to be small. I am a standard round brilliant and I am in demand because I am lavender and eye clean. I just wish that the IceT group didn’t think I belonged. I hate … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, IceT, lavender, pale, purple
Leave a comment
A medium dark pink droplet of color
When I compared this standard round brilliant with other pinks in the collection, it comes in a little richer than most pastels. It certainly does not approach the red/pink area that tends to be included. This richer round appears to … Continue reading
Smaller blue green emerald cut with normal ends.
Another bit of blue green beauty in a smaller emerald cut. The emerald cut has normal angels on the ends and has an eye clean, darker toned presences. It and its brothers have help keep me cutting threw some pretty … Continue reading
Lightly included saturated yellow emerald cut
This lightly included yellow emerald cut was made from the last preform that I got out of two larger pebbles, I purchased years ago on the internet. The material has the best yellow without a hint of green or brown, … Continue reading
Open Ends and Strong shift from Blue to Green, Emerald Cut
This smaller emerald cut has normal angles on the end, because its ends are open. Open ends lead to flashy ends and having the corners cut off less. Taken together this makes an emerald cut with closed ends look significantly … Continue reading
Posted in Indicolite
Tagged blue, blue-green, color-shift, emerald cut, indicolite, open-c
Leave a comment
Another red that really is more of a rich pink droplet.
This is the posted round that just misses being a red. This is the winner of the big red one prize. wow This standard round brilliant is marked on the box red, but it really looks more like a rich … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Rubellite
Tagged droplet-of-color, red, red-pink, rubellite
Leave a comment
Medium pink troopers and the building of a collection, oval.
A bright, eye clean, find crystal, in a medium toned, pink, oval. Does that sound familiar, well it is available when other colors are not. And I need to keep cutting and they are relatively affordable. And if you hadn’t … Continue reading
A big red one in a small round.
This standard round brilliant is wonderful in the rays of my yellow light. When I took it outside to be sure that it did not turn purple under the gray autumn sky, it stayed wonderfully red. We have a winner. … Continue reading
This smaller oval dances to a yellow green tune
This yellow green oval is not dichroic and has a bright eye clean look. It has fine crystal and a moderate tone level. It would look great in a delicate,golden ring. It weighs .77 carats. ( Its tone level and … Continue reading
Makes you wonder if it is a tourmaline emerald cut.
The only problem with pretending that this is not a tourmaline is the color. I don’t know too many other gemstones that have this stone’s bright yellow green hue. (Maybe beryl) Still all the people who think that tourmaline is … Continue reading
Peachy Pink Pride in a smaller Oval
Peachy pink or pinky peach is all in the lighting. This oval has a crisp clean look because it does not appear to be dichroic. It also appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. Its tone level is … Continue reading
A creamy IceT look in a standard round brilliant.
You have to be careful when you try and figure out the color of a lightly color tourmaline. That pastel might just be picking up all the colors of the world. When Jeff, my friend and photographer, started taking pictures … Continue reading
I love stout hearted blues that still know how to open up, oval.
Here is a beautiful blue that knows how to stay blue under a gray day’s sky or even in my secret place, just under the side of a compact florescent light in a yellowish shade. There are more steps that … Continue reading
It is a pitty that this classic peach tourmaline oval is not bigger.
I like peaches and this pastel approximation of their color looks delicious. It is dichroic and both of the peaches blend well in their creamy world. The longer ratio oval appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. It … Continue reading
Steep ends and blue green color, emerald cut, trooper.
My collection needs troops like this eye clean, blue green, emerald cut, in significant numbers. They bring beauty into the world, in an affordable way and let me keep cutting. They vary in color between blue and yellow green and … Continue reading
This well cut longer oval displays the purplish red color well.
Longer ratio ovals are more work to get right than ovals that think they are almost rounds. Longer ovals have more than just getting a better yield out of a piece of rough, going for them. They produce relatively thinner … Continue reading
A good pink trooper to make a pretty, common statement, round
Not every tourmaline in the collection can be exceptional. I never made such an effort to buy only exceptional rough. I would not have been able to keep cutting. The make up of the collection real shows windows of opportunity … Continue reading
Violet droplet sighted on the starbord side, captain.
It has been a long journey for this smaller and included gemstone to reach safe harbor in a plastic box in my collection. In a distant land, awash in gemstones, the secret of its color was undiscovered. Then some natives … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color, Etc.
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, paraiba, purple, violet
Leave a comment
Smaller, Open Ended Dichroic Green, Oval
This middle of the road green oval has refreshingly open ends. Both dichroic color are green and blend together nicely with the darker color in the ends. It appears to be eye clean and has fine crystal. It weighs .80 … Continue reading
Dark Ends and Passionate Green Emerald Cut
In tourmaline it isn’t always easy being green. You may have closed ends and have a problem finding a cut, outside of an emerald cut. Even when properly cut, your window of transparency and flash is limited and rejection can … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Verdelite
Tagged closed-c, cutting tourmaline, emerald cut, green, verdelite
Leave a comment
Dichroic peaches and cream oval
This rather round oval is obviously dichroic. Both colors are shades of peach with the darker peach being in the ends of the oval. Now I use peach as a color name for pastel orange of moderate to low levels … Continue reading
This included saturated yellow is such a joy. round
If purples seduce me into purchasing rough that is more included than I usually get in more commercial colors, then saturated yellow searches me out and demands action. This standard round brilliant is not laid back or a wall flower. … Continue reading
Olive green under the girdle and forest green around, oval
I have posted before about an interesting phenomenon of decreased transparency down the c axis. This green gemstone is an excellent example of that phenomenon. Under the table, which is perpendicular to the c axis, is a bit darker olive … Continue reading
Nice eye clean pastel pink oval
Pink seems to work well with ovals and most pink rough that is available can be efficiently cut as either a round or an oval. So everything is in the pink most of the time. Still inclusions can be a … Continue reading
Nice, clean, blue green with steep ends, emerald cut.
This is one of the pawns in the collection. I have cut a lot of them and each one claims it bit of beauty. They are generally clean and have colors that swim around in the blues to yellow greens. … Continue reading
A powerful orange with a bit of red oval
I don’t know if orange is a “power” color in anyone’s book because it usually just a fun color. Even a bit fruity at times, but the orange of this stone speaks of authority. Its color is stable and penetrating … Continue reading
A purple that wants to be lavender without copper, emerald cut
Well it is time to let you see the difference or not between two similar colors. One is the classic lavender of copper in tourmaline from Mozambique. It is the first image and is a round. The second is … Continue reading
A lighter lavender with a selection of moderately light inclusions, round
Lavender, in the words of a poet, is copper’s sweet song of seduction in tourmaline. It seduces me into accepting flaw material that would be questionable in other colors of tourmaline. And when I am reward with an included gemstone, … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color, Etc.
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, lavender, Mozambique, purple
Leave a comment
An after dinner, pastel green mint of an oval.
This light green oval has that light pastel look that we associate with babies. It appears to be eye clean and with decent crystal. It does not appear to be dichroic and the ends of the oval flash very nicely. … Continue reading
Slightly included spicy green emerald cut.
This nice sized emerald cut is slightly included, but the tiny dark lines are not distracting. This is not true of the emerald cuts color which is a really bright and fun, slightly yellowish green color. The ends of the … Continue reading
Good sized, medium pastel, pink, oval.
This pink oval has a two step crown that has won praise from my board of directors. I am using it more often because it gives me very good control over the thickness of the crown. Its only drawback is … Continue reading
A great dichroic orange in a great shape, shield cut
This orange shield cut has a two step crown, that helps open up the stone to see its great color. I don’t cut a lot of shield cuts and it is nice that this popular shape has a fine example … Continue reading
Wonderfully open ended blue green emerald cut from Afghanistan.
Many people who have become familiar with commercially cut emerald cuts, hold them in low esteem. They don’t have the scintillation of many other cuts (all emerald cuts share this) and the emerald cut’s flash is lessened by cutting them … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged afghan, blue-green, emerald cut, green, open-c, verdelite
Leave a comment
Exciting bright crisp pink oval.
I have seen a lot of pink tourmaline and there is a certain fatigue that builds up, but each time I see a pink like this oval, the excitement returns. I don’t think that there is any other kind of … Continue reading
Open Dichroic Orange Oval
The selection of rough to cut this collection has never had an organized method to it, except for purchasing the best and most diverse set of color in tourmaline I can find and afford. What that really boils down to … Continue reading
Off the edge peach lands in with the droplets of color.
This moderately included standard round brilliant has a different peach look. It is a muted look and I think that I hit it on the head, when I wrote on the back of its box, dusty golden peach. Now don’t … Continue reading
Happily it is pink purple time again at the cuprian bar, oval
This example of a color that is owned by the cuprian bar is only slightly included. That makes it the toast of the town and puts many other pink purples from Mozambique to shame. Still she doesn’t have the best … Continue reading
A faintly dichroic green oval
This oval is a very nice green and is only faintly dichroic. This lets the ends of the oval be nice and flashy. Still I don’t think that the c axis is aliened with the long axis of this oval … Continue reading
Slide the tone level of green all the way up with this emerald cut.
This attractive and interesting emerald cut is not a bicolor or tricolor. It is just one bright acid green color displayed along the long axis of the stone from very pale to a dark tone. There is a darker end … Continue reading
What is the difference between rusty yellow and peach pink? Dichroism.
This is a great oval and I am glad that I put the extra effort into a “supper nova” pavilion that makes a deep pavilion. It has a three step crown that is relatively shallow in this stone. This adds … Continue reading
A fine transparent pink oval
I just finished writing about a pink shield cut.#808 and this is probably the same hue (color) as that shield cut, but its tone level is not as high. It is also not as flashy. I generally try not to … Continue reading
In the Name of Beauty Everyone should have a Pink Shield.
I like shield cuts and this larger one is in the pink. And I mean pure pink. The shield cut brings out a vibrant scintillating flash the is not obscured by any flaws or a lack of transparency. The medium … Continue reading
How Green is My Tourmaline, VERY, emerald cut
This green emerald cut is made from a dichroic crystal, but the emerald cut keeps the darker yellower green c axis color pretty well isolated in the ends. The central window of the gemstone focuses on the really nice a/b … Continue reading
Transparent pink to orange pink slider, oval
This oval stays basically pink, but has a weakness for orange. It is a very transparent gem because of its eye clean, high quality crystal, but that is only part of the story. Its tone level is medium and it … Continue reading
A different purple without copper round
This standard round brilliant has a color of tourmaline that is difficult to categorized. It is some shade of purple that is a mixture of pink, purple and gray.’ It bears little resemblance to the copper, red purples, that have … Continue reading
An Oval Dichroic Pink that stays Pink
This oval wants to be pink and though it displays two dichroic colors, both are shades of pink. It has a medium tone level and fine crystal. No inclusions bother its flash. It weighs 2.32 carats. I have indications of … Continue reading
Darker greenish yellow oval
This darker greenish yellow stone has a moderate amount of flash. It is dichroic and has some light yellow green color in its ends. An eye clean, good quality body helps to make this an attractive gemstone. It weighs 2.90 … Continue reading
Large Barion Cut Spruce Green Cushion.
I have a friend that I work with to make beautiful jewelry. He is an excellent goldsmith and I hope to have some of his work with my stones on this site. He would look at my collection, which he … Continue reading
A deep yellow green oval that is fun.
In the quest to sell lighting it has gotten popular to advertise that this “high tech” wonder is daylight equivalent. There is not such man made light source and there will probably never be one made. And even if one … Continue reading
A great round blue from Namibia, droplet time again.
For a smaller standard round brilliant this medium toned, blue, droplet of color can not get any better. It has it all, even a stable color, and give a closer look, pleasure. It came from Namibia and weighs in at … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, Namibia
Leave a comment
Included pale blue Afghan droplet of color.
This standard round brilliant has eye visible inclusions in a tiny sea of pale blue. It came from Afghanistan in a lot that consisted of blue and pink included pieces from bicolored crystals that broke apart. The blue part is … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged afghan, blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, pale
Leave a comment
Lavender purple without copper droplet
This standard round brilliant is a welcome guest because it is pastel purple without copper content. One of the complexities of color in tourmaline is the production of similar if not exactly the same color by different chromophores. In this … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Etc.
Tagged droplet-of-color, lavender, non-cuprian, purple, unique
Leave a comment
Darker forest green with less transparent center, droplet of color.
This standard round brilliant is a nice clean rich forest green. The gemstone was cut with the c axis perpendicular to the table and that is causing some lose of transparency under the table. It still has a great ring … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged dark green, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite
Leave a comment
Sultry, bright, included, pink that may have copper droplet.
\This standard round brilliant is included like most of the rich sultry pinks are. I saw some indications of copper with my spectrometer in this gemstone, but I can not confirm the finding because my instrument tests too narrow a … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color, Etc., Pink
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, pink
Leave a comment
The team of orange droplets of color is building.
This standard round brilliant is just another great little orange. The droplets are fortunate to have a draft pick at the right time. She is eye clean and bright and the type of orange I actively sought out for years. … Continue reading
Great, cuprian, eye clean, yellow round.
This standard round brilliant is a great gemstone. It is eye clean and has a medium light pastel yellow that is reasonably stable in any white light. No greenish yellow here, but it can not compare with the sharp saturated … Continue reading
A cold yellow, pastel, round
Now I don’t know if it is really possible to be yellow and a cold color at the same time, but that is how she leaves me. I think I spotted her weakness, she has a gray side. This is … Continue reading
Darker Yellow Green Clean Round
This standard round brilliant is a yellow green with a higher tone level than most. I would not call it a classic tourmaline green because it is too yellow. It appears to eye clean and has excellent crystal. At 2.72 … Continue reading
Included gray that is stable, droplet of color.
I was once reading a list of tourmaline color published by the Gem Institute of America (GIA). It did not list gray. I can see why they would over look it, but I love a good solid gray and this … Continue reading
How green is my grass with a bit of inclusions, droplet of color
I realize that green tourmaline is recognized as generally a flawless gemstone, but lighter toned exciting greens generally have some inclusions. This standard round brilliant is just a fine grass green. It is dichroic so the grass tends to flash … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged dichroic, droplet-of-color, grass green, green, verdelite
Leave a comment
Bright, eye clean pastel blue, droplet of color
This standard round brilliant is a pastel blue with it all. It is a droplet of color that soaks up the diffused lighting of a fading day with great effect. The effect is an intensifying of the color that is … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, pastel
Leave a comment
Browner more forceful orange with hint of red, droplet of color.
From a distance this standard round brilliant might appear to be a brown, but on a more personal relationship level, it reveals a complex personality. Orange flash with a hint of red fill the rotating stone and declares its difference. … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Orange
Tagged color-shift, droplet-of-color, orange, orange-brown, red-orange
Leave a comment
Just another beautiful pink, droplet of color
There is nothing wrong with this, on the money, standard round brilliant pink. It should be a star someday in a beautiful piece of jewelry. It certainly is a hot medium pink with pizazz. It weighs a nice 1.,46 carats … Continue reading
Baby blue with a sparkling inclusion, droplet of color.
This light blue would be great for a baby and comes dressed on a standard round brilliant. The gemstone is bright and flashy, but has eye visible inclusions under the table. It has been nominated for both the IceT group … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged baby blue, blue, droplet-of-color, IceT, indicolite, pastel
Leave a comment
Pink, rolling, rolling, rolling, droplet of color
This standard round brilliant looks to be a perfect pink at first glance. It medium dark toned pink is not burdened with an over tone. It crystal is excellent and I almost gave it an eye clean rating. But it … Continue reading
A bit of scatter in a mint green droplet of color
The standard round brilliant grabs your eye. At first it looks like a sea foam, but it is really too blue for that honor. It also doesn’t have waves of the two colors (yellowish green and bluish green) mixing together … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, mint, verdelite
Leave a comment
A shade of pink purple owned by copper, droplet of color
Color in tourmaline is truly a wonderful trip, but you have to be careful about coming to conclusions about its chemistry based on color alone. Two areas of major confusion are the coloring of Dravite the species with either chrome … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color, Etc., Pink
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, pink, purple
Leave a comment
There are bound to be inclusions with purple, cuprian, droplets of color
I have one museum stone that is eye clean and the purple of a life time. I also have clean paler purple tourmalines that probably were partial heat treated from large, dark toned, reddish pebbles, that were found very early … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, purple
Leave a comment
This yellow has to be included in the droplets of color
She has her freckles and her flash from being a standard round brilliant is a bit effected, but this color, a saturated yellow has to be in the droplets of color. As I have said in other post. I got … Continue reading
Dark flash driven blue green color in a droplet of color.
If you like your sapphires dark, you will like this standard round brilliant with its flash driven blue green color. It is included in the middle of the pavilion, but the dark tone level hides them pretty well. It weighs … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, dark green, droplet-of-color, green
Leave a comment
Pure and sweet orange for a juicy droplet of color
This standard round brilliant is a perfect orange wave. It is true to its color, eye clean and very bright. What more can you want in a rare tourmaline color. (a bit bigger would help). Another success for the droplets … Continue reading
Small sea foam, but still a sea foam droplet
This standard round brilliant is eye clean except for a tiny flash that is unimportant to the beauty of this top grade sea foam. The tone is a.little light for such a small droplet, but it still sparkles. It weighs … Continue reading
Included misty green round
What is misty green, well in this case it is a green that has too much blue in it to be a sea foam. This, want to be sea foam, is bright and flashy despite having white inclusions next to … Continue reading
Darker toned average rose droplet of color
This standard round brilliant has some inclusions half way down the culet. They are hard to see because of the dark tone of the stone. This gemstones color is an average rose and it weighs1.41 carats. It is a droplet … Continue reading
A rose without a thorn round
This eye clean average rose colored standard round brilliant is a droplet of color. It has not too dark, or too light, or has anything wrong with it and nothing outstanding either. It weighs .88 carats. Bruce
Average darker toned yellow green round.
This standard round brilliant has a couple of white flaws and a faint feather that are next to the girdle. They do not impact the beauty of the gemstone very much. The rest of the stone has decent clarity and … Continue reading
Included bright pink with hint of purple, round
This medium bright pink standard round brilliant has a hint of purple, that makes me think it may have copper. The absorption data from my spectrometer is ambiguous so I can not really tell. I can say this, the gemstone … Continue reading
A dichroic orange of pastel and bright tones. droplet
This standard round brilliant has a rare saturation in orange that is not dimmed by desaturation to brown under different white lights. It is dichroic, but both colors , one a pastel and the other a bright orange, mix to … Continue reading
Medium dark tone level, included, yellow green droplet of color
This standard round brilliant is your average Joe. Needed for the troop, but not outstanding. It has a darker than average tone level and noticeable inclusions. Still when push comes to shove this tourmaline will be there for the droplets … Continue reading
great color, purple, I know this is cuprian, droplet of color.
I don’t need a spectrometer to know that this standard round brilliant is cuprian, though I did check it out. It is written in the purple color of its being. I could use a fancier name for purple, but I … Continue reading
A bright grass green droplet of color.
This standard round brilliant is a glorious grass green color. It has a medium dark tone value that is enhanced by great crystal and an eye clean demeanor. It is also not noticeably dichroic. You might think that it was … Continue reading
Green IceT over ice, droplet of color
This standard round brilliant is a yellow green, but it is cool and icy light. With a tone level that darn near hits bottom, this eye clean droplet is very bright and crisp. It weighs 1.03 carats and helps bring … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, IceT, pale, verdelite, yellow-green
Leave a comment
A Hot Pink Blessed with Purity
I am afraid that I failed the grade when I put a label on this standard round brilliant years ago. I put hot pink on it when it is even richer/darker than a pink, I used to try and separate … Continue reading
Dichroic yellow green and yellow brown droplet of color.
There has been quite a bit of looking at this standard round brilliant stone before its color was figured out. At first glance it seemed almost like a gray, but then brownish flashes appeared. Now that doesn’t make a lot … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged brown-green, color-shift, dichroic, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite, yellow-green
Leave a comment
Real Red for a Real Droplet of Color
This is one of the anchors upon which the good ship tourmaline, manned by the droplets of color, stays on course. Except for a few rare cases involving zoned crystals, the reds always have a darker tone value. And sometimes … Continue reading
An orange for all seasons droplet of color.
When I started cutting again after a long hiatus, I was particularly interested in purples and oranges. I have found golden oranges in abundance out of Africa and some of it has driven me up the wall because it is … Continue reading
Great Sea Foam from Afghanistan, round
The droplets wanted this really high quality sea foam from Afghanistan, but she is just too big. She has a medium toned flawless beauty that can stand alone. This standard round brilliant is cut with its table perpendicular to the … Continue reading
Stormy purple droplet of color.
c The rough for this standard round droplet of color came from Madagascar. It is a rather peculiar grayed purple that I have more examples of. I get the feeling of a cold austere soul that will join the droplets … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Etc.
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, Madagascar, purple
Leave a comment
Red/Pink droplet of color
When does a pink cross the line and become red? Tourmaline shares this problem with corundum (ruby and pink sapphire) and it can be a very personal opinion, that will be debated forever. I think that lightning makes a big … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Pink, Rubellite
Tagged color-shift, droplet-of-color, pink, red, rubellite
Leave a comment
A white droplet of color touched with blue.
The rough for this very very pale blue standard round brilliant came from Afghanistan. It originally was part of bicolors that broke apart. I have cut many included light pink rounds from the pink half of the broken bicolors, … Continue reading
Pink is Pink droplet of color
When is a pink, a hot pink or just a pink. Well I’m in the middle of a tray of droplets of color and I have to read what I put on the back of boxes at different times over … Continue reading
Rich Rose Droplet of Color
It seems that I only think of rose as a color when the gemstones tone level is higher, like it is in this standard round brilliant. This fine droplet of color is more sultry than gaudy and doesn’t play with … Continue reading
Included hot pink droplet of color
This standard round brilliant is a very nice medium toned hot pink. The gemstone is slightly included which is common with hot pinks that have a high tone level. This bright flashy gemstone weighs .65 carats. Bruce
Slightly included hot pink droplet of color.
This standard round brilliant is hot pink and a bit included. This color in tourmaline tends to be included and rather brittle. The gemstone has an excellent tone level for a small stone and is bright and ready to be … Continue reading
Great green to blue droplet of color
This standard round brilliant has a great tone level for a small gemstone. It goes from a fine green in yellowish light to a fine blue in natural light. I would call it a color changer, but it is hard … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Etc., Indicolite
Tagged blue, color change, droplet-of-color, green, indicolite
Leave a comment
PInk with just a touch of violet droplet of color.
This standard round droplet of color is not eye clean, but the stone is still bright. I actually bought this small one because it contains copper. When I saw it finished I wonder if it was truly cuprian. When I … Continue reading
Dichroic, orange on the red side, droplet of color
This standard round brilliant has a dynamic movement of color. It is dichroic and on the reddish side under yellowish light. It appears to be eye clean and with good crystal. It weighs .62 carats and is a welcome addition … Continue reading
Light blue droplet of color
This standard round brilliant is crisp and has a refreshing light pastel blue color. It appears to be eye clean and is welcome addition to the droplets of color. It weighs .76 carats. Bruce
An average tourmaline green with steep ends emerald cut.
I have cut many gemstone like this classic, medium dark toned, yellow green that drifts into blue green, emerald cut with closed ends. The emerald cut does benefit from steeper ends, but if I have a decently large ratio between … Continue reading
Fascinating dichroic orange round
Orange can be a fascinating color in tourmaline. My eyes had taken a healthy swig of this standard round brilliant when I realized that this gemstone is highly dichroic. I had missed it at first because both colors are ORANGE. … Continue reading
A beautiful blue drifter into blue green round.
I like to call this wonderful standard round brilliant a blue, but it will drift into blue green under common lights in the home. It has a flatter crown that gives the stone an open look with broad colorful flash. … Continue reading
A fine pastel dichroic green with a few precks deep in the round.
This dichroic pastel green is dominated by the interplay of a clean blue green and a richer yellow green which is probably the c axis color. It has a few deep inclusions that are difficult to see. It has a … Continue reading
A bit of scatter in the end, but a GEM sea foam emerald cut none the less.
Well, I can’t really call this great medium toned, neon, sea foam emerald cut a GEM because there is some light scatter in one end. Still the inclusions make very little different in the real world beauty of this gemstone … Continue reading
In this oval we have BIG PURE PINK.
In many tourmalines you have at least two colors. In some tourmaline you have only one color, but it is in a graded series of tone values, finally you have a uniform color, but it doesn’t have a good saturation … Continue reading
A Nice Sized Shield Cut on the Yellow Side
I am going to put this shield cut as yellow, a medium pastel yellow, but I am sure that green can creep in on this one under some white light conditions. Still it is a much rare color than your … Continue reading
Yellow washed in green a twice told tale, oval
Some colors I routinely pick up whenever possible. A yellow green that really is a yellow that has been wash with green clothing and no bleach is always in demand. This one is eye clean and a smaller size. It … Continue reading
Pale Include Blue that Glows Shield Cut.
The crystal quality of the smaller shield cut is not good and it has a wide assortment of fine inclusions. Still I am pleased to have it in the collection because it appears to a diffuse glow. It doesn’t … Continue reading
Smaller dichroic green oval
This dichroic oval in a mixture of bluer and yellower greens and is nice to see in an oval. It is darker than ideal, but still displays it color nicely. It appears to be eye clean and weighs 1.14 carats. … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, dichroic, green, oval, verdelite, yellow-green
Leave a comment
Complex color of yellowish red orange round.
I think that this is a dichroic standard round brilliant gemstone. I see redder flashes as I turn the basically medium toned,yellowish orange gemstone around. It appears to be eye clean and has fine crystal. It weighs 4.07 carats. I … Continue reading
A Bluer shade of Sea Foam,Barion Cut Cushion. Afghanistan
This Barion Cut Cushion from Afghanistan was not purchased as a sea foam and its color is too blue, but not by much. It has good crystal, but it is included. The inclusions appear to be light feathers and under … Continue reading
Medium Dark Tone Level in a Deep Round
This round, which has a horizontally split main pavilion, is a down to earth yellow green beauty without any brown tones. It does not appear to be dichroic in any appreciable way. So it is bright, even and resistant to … Continue reading
Top of the Line Afghanistan Sea Foam Emerald Cut
The title of this post should be put up in neon lights, because this top grade sea foam gemstone is so bright. It also appears to be eye clean with great crystal. On top of all that it has a … Continue reading
A Nice Sized Red Orange that helps with the color wheel round
I like a full bodied red orange and they are not as common as the yellowish oranges. They also tend to be unstable with their precious color. This makes the posted medium dark toned, standard round brilliant. that much more … Continue reading
A nice sized mostly yellow with a wash of green round.
You probably have seen and will see more of this color, that rides the edge of the yellow green line, because they are not in great demand and I scoop them up. They always polish easily and make very bright … Continue reading
Bicolor IceT beverage only for the faint hearted.
I once bought a second round of pale colored tourmaline from Afghanistan for business reasons that did not pan out. I cut most of the first batch into included rounds that I have presented and written about a number of … Continue reading
A score of ten for the flawless high quality sea foam from Afghanistan.
This Barion cushion is cut from a very high grade of sea foam tourmaline from Afghanistan. It has the desirable neon look and the cut blends the blue green and yellow green together wonderfully. It has great crystal and appears … Continue reading
A Dichroic Dancing Green Round.
This standard round brilliant is a very active gemstone. It is definitely dichroic and not cut with the table perpendicular to the table. This works very well here because both colors are of similar color and tone value. The dynamic … Continue reading
A darker drifting orange pink droplet of color
Sometimes the back of the boxes I keep the individual gemstones in, is wrong when it comes to color. I will have to bring it up to management’s attention. I will also check this stone’s color again tonight. This droplet’s … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Pink
Tagged color-shift, droplet-of-color, orange-pink, pink
Leave a comment
Red Orange Round keeps on rolling
This is a beautiful gemstone without visible fault. I would hazard a guess of some kind of orange garnet, if I was pressed to guess, what this gemstone was without knowing. I like this standard round brilliant that weighs 2.32 … Continue reading
Smaller green emerald cut with closed ends.
There is some blue shifting in this modest green emerald cut. It has closed ends, but is cut with normal angles. I personally like the improved flash with normal angles even if the darkness encroaches a bit more from the … Continue reading
Extra virgin olive oil for this shield cut’s color.
There is a hint of olive in the yellow green of this eye clean shield cut. The color stays a medium toned green in different white lights and is well presented. This is because this green is not dichroic and … Continue reading
A beautiful top quality sea foam with a feather Barion cushion cut.
Face up this top quality sea foam looks flawless because I manage to get a slight feather just out from under the table. As you tilt and rotate the nice sized Barion cushion cut you can see a few islands … Continue reading
Clean and bright shield cut, Pink
This pink with maybe a bit of orange has everything going for it. The shield cut makes a naturally flashy gemstone and medium tone and great crystal just amplify the effect. I also appears to be eye clean. This modern … Continue reading
Deeply Cut Yellow Copper Round
I love all the different looks the orange can give to tourmaline. This medium lightly toned round with a split horizontal main cut pavilion is a fine example of tourmaline beauty in orange. I left the yellow copper color description … Continue reading
Posted in Orange, Yellow
Tagged copper, horizontal split mains, orange, pastel, peach, yellow
Leave a comment
Included Afghan pink that has been nominated for the droplets.
This standard round brilliant gemstones is one among many that I have cut from lot I bought from Afghanistan. The lightly toned pink is nice, but all of them are included. The posted round is probably one of the best … Continue reading
A GEM Emerald Cut of Afghan Sea Foam
Years ago I bought a National Geographic’s tape about diamonds. I was still not focused on my destiny in stones. Part of the tape was about cutting diamonds. One example was in India and showed a boy using a platform … Continue reading
Very nice smaller green shield cut
When I find a piece of tourmaline rough that is suitable for a shield cut I jump on it. The strongly dichroic nature of many green tourmalines makes it relatively rare to find a suitable piece even when there is … Continue reading
Good Sized Solid Green Oval
I am working with an artist on a portrait that I will post on the “who am I” part of the site. While I was watching him paint, I went threw one of his catalogs. There were thousands of different … Continue reading
Singing Pink or Orange depending on the light oval.
This stone and its larger brother (#659) have driven me up the wall too many times. I was just singing in my mind (the cat on my lap doesn’t like me to make too much noise) how I love a … Continue reading
A stately catherdral of blue to blue green emerald cut.
Emerald cuts have a formal feeling to them and when that is combine with a color that does not want to play, you are dealing with a presence. This open ended blue tourmaline does let a little slide into blue … Continue reading
A yellow that dances around with a bit of green, oval.
I am seeing yellow in natural light and my yellowish light, but I know this is the type of tourmaline that will make a debate out of whether it is a slight greening yellow or a yellow. I would probably … Continue reading
A great sea foam with a small flaw, Barion cut cushion
At first glance, this sea foam Barion cut cushion is a GEM and couldn’t be better. It has the very desirable “neon” glow in an excellent mixture of bluer and yellower greens. As I move the stone off face up, … Continue reading
Included Pastel Afghan Pink with Punch, Barion Cushion.
This is one of the best stones from a lot that I got from Afghanistan. The lot was a disappointment because the rough was almost all included and the color, though bright, did not have a very high tone level. … Continue reading
Small Barion Cushion Cut Brown
One of my other hobbies is working in the garden and working in the garden to me is getting into dirt. The color, smell and feel of a rich topsoil can be very satisfying. So perhaps this is why I … Continue reading
Included Pastel Lilac from Copper Oval
Looking at this delicate lilac oval whose color is a blessing from copper and comparing it to the exact same material in an oval half it size points up somethings about pastels. While darkly toned material can get too opaque … Continue reading
Bright dancing yellow green dynamic oval
This flashing oval may have a bit of an inclusion that is very difficult to see by eye and has not impact on the stone. I confess that I am drawn to greens that are open and not dichroic like … Continue reading
Wounded pink to orange color changing oval.
Decisions, decisions and you have to make them cutting gemstones. I have chosen with this gemstone to retain a white feather that is close to vertical with the table, in order to get a descent sized oval. The rest of … Continue reading
Nice average included pink oval
This is a nice average medium toned oval that speaks a pretty pink. I don’t think that most of my pink tourmalines have been heated or treated and that speaks well for tourmaline’s natural beauty. This tourmaline will always have … Continue reading
Nice medium dark pink droplet of color
This is one of the pinks that is pretty and the salt of the earth. It is clean and bright and will go to the droplets of color get together. I just hope that the smaller standard round brilliant pinks … Continue reading
Blue No Green No Blue No Green emerald cut.
I was getting ready to post about a smaller blue emerald cut with closed ends, when I checked the back of the box and saw green. So I checked under my yellowish light and sure enough this quite saturated blue, … Continue reading
A Good Morning Sunshine Yellow Oval
Now my mornings do not start off greenish or brownish and this oval will have none of it. I was cut from one of two larger pieces of water worn crystals from East Africa that I got together, long before … Continue reading
Announcing an Emerald cut of note, Pure Sea Foam.
Emerald cuts are very useful for the cutting of tourmaline. This is due, at times, to their dichroism. or crystal shape or desire to keep colors from interacting too much in a gemstone. It is also a cut that … Continue reading
A Pink Oval that has It.
There are a lot of pinks in my collection, after green it must be the most common color out there. (sometimes it is the most available from Africa) Now I have nothing against an average pink, but at times I … Continue reading
Moderate Honey Brown Oval
How many brown gemstones have you ever seen? (I guess brown diamonds have become popular, but I hardly ever think about diamonds period.) And when a gemstone has a brownish cast to its red, orange or yellow body, heaters … Continue reading
Copper bearing rather steely blue to green round.
This standard round brilliant has pretty good crystal even though it is lightly included. Its color is unstable, blue to green depending on how yellow the light is. My spectrometer found that this tourmaline is cuprian, though it does not … Continue reading
Nice pale blue included round droplet of color
This round has a bid more than an IceT (very light) tone level, and is not overly burdened with inclusions. It has a clean pastel blue color and a standard round brilliant cut that makes it one of the droplets … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged afghan, blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, pale
Leave a comment
Favorite green in the collection is a fighter, round.
Now to be the favorite green in this collection is saying something and it did not come easily. I purchased the rough for this gemstone well before copper was discovered in tourmaline from Mozambique, in “Laurellites” I supplied the GIA. … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Etc., Verdelite
Tagged cuprian, green, Mozambique, neon
Leave a comment
Strong IceT, but please only one teaspoon of inclusions. round
This nice pastel is sprinkled with inclusions. They have little effect on its brightness or flash. The gemstones color is a pale blue to sort of a yellowish green blue under yellowish light. I think that is pretty normal for … Continue reading
A darker, but not dense green dancer, round.
There is green in the middle of the range of colors that this gemstone displays. Under the yellowish light source, there is even a bit of olive in the green, but that all disappears and blue dominates a forest green … Continue reading
Great blue to green droplet
This droplet of color is a delightful shifter. In morning light it is blue, while in yellowish light it is a mixture of green and blue that does not loose any of its tone value. Both ends are bright and … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, color-shift, droplet-of-color, green-blue, indicolite
Leave a comment
A Blue that walks to a different drummer, Round
Most blue tourmaline really like yellowish/incandescent light. It really fires up the stone even if the blues can tend to become greens. Well here is a standard round brilliant that just has to be different. I read on the box … Continue reading
Blue with white feather, round
Sometimes you have to face the fact that to get a stone you have to accept a feather. Now I am not talking about rough that does not contain any areas that are clean, I am talking about a piece … Continue reading
Beautiful blue to green round
Simply put this gem is a rich sapphire blue in natural light and rich emerald green in yellowish light. My yellowish light is not incandescent, just a miniature florescent in a yellow shade so I am going to check the … Continue reading
Dichroic, blue green droplet
This standard round brilliant has dynamic color, with both a dichroic effect and shifting from greener to bluer. It appears to be eye clean. It is still on the dark side of good, but an interesting gemstone none the less. … Continue reading
Darker tone Jumper from yellow green flash to blue flash, round.
Here is another good one. This standard round brilliant is dark enough to have its color mainly flash driven under average lighting conditions. I have a yellowish light and a diffused midday light to work with. And this stone’s flash … Continue reading
Included, medium sized, copper bearing round.
When I cut this moderately heavily included round I had no idea that it contained copper as a chromophore. I learned that later when I tested it with my spectrometer. It is a mildly attractive rather grayed green/blue under … Continue reading
A Blue Green Joy, Round
Its after lunch and I am going to try a write some new posts on a tray that I have not looked at for a while. And what should I pick out next, but a treasure. A solid medium toned … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite
Leave a comment
Included moderately toned blue that shifts a bit, round
This gemstone has a horizontally split main pavilion and a normal crown. Its moderate tone level makes this stone’s inclusions quite apparent. The inclusions are positioned toward the girdle and extended only to the edge of the table. I work … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Indicolite
Tagged blue, color-shift, horizontal split mains
Leave a comment
A green droplet with the shadow of blue.
This eye clean droplet met the competition and came on board the droplet train. It has a moderate tone level and an open personality. Still it isn’t a wimpy watered down round with its bluish green (mostly green) color. This … Continue reading
IceT anyone, A modest included Afghan round
The inclusions definitely are visible in this smaller standard round brilliant. Most of them look like white specks that still permit to the stone to be bright. There are not major flaws or problems. Its very pale color is not … Continue reading
True Blue Droplet
No doubt about it, the droplets have a blue team that can not be beat. This .58 carat gemstone has all the attributes of a star. It is bright with crowd pleasing flash, but rich enough in blue to stay … Continue reading
Sun loving blue sliding round.
This is a beautiful medium sized standard round brilliant that has the blessing of a rich blue color in natural light. It does slide into a bit of green under incandescent, but it is a blue to me. Namibia has … Continue reading
Included Blue slider with a past, round.
There are few gemstones from years ago that leave a clear impression on me of polishing their tables, but this one does. I cut the gemstone during a relatively protracted period of time I call the “Polish Wars”. My polishing … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Indicolite
Tagged blue, indicolite, polishing tourmaline
Leave a comment
Purple, Included, Purple tourmaline oval
The title is not a mistake made by my terrible typing. When I see a purple tourmaline that is rich and with good saturation, I know that I probably have a copper bearing gemstone and a rare color to boot. … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Laurellite
Tagged cuprian, laurellite, Mozambique, oval, purple
Leave a comment
Green round that is an above average stone.
This standard round brilliant has a nice clean look and good colors. It is certainly attractive, but kind of gets lost in the collection because of what is around it. Still it would hold its own, when it helps others … Continue reading
The salt of the earth, pink round.
This beautiful standard round brilliant is not exceptional in anything. But when you add up a great medium tone, great medium color with good saturation along with excellent eye clean, crystal, you get a great stone when cut well. This … Continue reading
Sea Foam or Blue Green Droplet
What is in a name, maybe a better price. I try and limit the use of sea foam to tourmaline from Afghanistan with a medium light to medium tone and two open colors. A bluer green a/b axis and a … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, seafoam, verdelite
Leave a comment
Medium Toned, Blue Green droplet
This medium toned blue green standard round brilliant has some difficult to see scatter. It effects the flash more than anything else. This may be why it is not as bright as most blue greens in the collection. Still the … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, blue-green, droplet-of-color, indicolite
Leave a comment
Nice medium dark blue green droplet
This standard round brilliant has a bit of acid in its green side, but is tempered by the dominant blue. It has a nice medium dark tone level that is well suited for its small size and eye clean nature. … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, green-blue, indicolite
Leave a comment
A darker blue with eye visible inclusions, round
This darker standard round blue has a significant amount of inclusions. They do not effect the gemstone’s beauty that much because of gemstone’s high tone values. The inclusions just sort of augment the flash from the facets. It weighs 1.90 … Continue reading
Nice sapphire color dot of blue.
This color dot weighs only .35 carats, but has a blue that is as solid as any tourmaline in the collection. Green is not in its book and it likes to take vacations with the sapphires where its mid level … Continue reading
Blue Green Too Dark To Handle?
I remember being shown some larger sapphires years ago, that had such a high tone level that you saw their color only when they flashed. They had some interest, but were not my choice. This blue green tourmaline sails in … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, blue-green, dark blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, saturated
Leave a comment
Very sharp small round in blue green droplet of color
This round standard brilliant has been inducted into the droplets of color. Its medium tone level works great with a blue green that likes to be a blue green. It really likes yellow light like the rest of the … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, blue-green, droplet-of-color, indicolite
Leave a comment
Darker average brown green round
This .76 carat standard round brilliant is a pretty average dichroic browned green color. It has a darker than average tone. It appears to be eye clean. The droplets have decided to include this gemstone, because it has a common … Continue reading
Color droplet of pure green, chrome tourmaline
This small standard round brilliant is a pretty average size and color for a good chrome tourmaline. Its tone would be too dark for large pieces, but the green has great saturation. It absolutely loves yellow light and would put … Continue reading
But A Moment to See Chrome is Better
This chrome tourmaline is a different species (dravite) of tourmaline than Elbaite, which is the most common tourmaline made into gems. When just enough vanadium/chrome is found in dravite, you get an outstanding green. Unfortunately chrome tourmaline ‘s tone level … Continue reading
Very Nice Greenish Yellow Deeply cut Round
This gemstone got a split horizontal main pavilion to enrich its really nice yellow, washed in green. That kind of pavilion can make a stone hard to photograph, but it shines when it is moved. The nice average tone level … Continue reading
Darker Grass Green Round
This small standard round brilliant is darker than desirable. Still the flash driven grass green color is nice, but after considering its size the droplets have dropped another one. The .43 carat stone appears to be eye clean. Bruce
OK but rather flat blue green round, Included
This smaller standard round brilliant is a step or two down from the best Namibian in eye appeal. It is included, but has a good tone level. With a weight of .43 carats, the droplets have passed on this one. … Continue reading
Great, moderately toned, smaller, blue round droplet
This standard round brilliant has a nice color and is from Namibian. It has a lighter tone level than most bigger Namibian blue gemstones. It weighs .41 carats and appears to be eye clea with good transparency. It is a … Continue reading
Darker than average blue/green from Namibia
This standard round brilliant has great flash driven color in moderate light. It is clean with excellent crystal and not visible dichroic. Another fine blue/green from Namibia that likes to be blue in natural light. It weighs 2 carats and … Continue reading
Darker Blue round that stays Blue, droplet
no 102 picture Between blue and green are a lot of tourmaline that let it slide. This darker standard round brilliant likes it just find being blue. It has significant inclusions, but its darker tone makes the flash from … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, dark blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite
Leave a comment
Small medium light blue oval
This is probably the smallest oval in the collection. It has a pretty average medium blue color with good clarity. This eye clean gemstone weighs .43 carats. Bruce
Average clean dichroic green round. Droplet accepted.
The droplets try and take the average as well as the exceptional into their group. This standard round brilliant was very pleased to accepted with its average dichroic green color. It is clean, but has only average brightness for a … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged dichroic, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite
Leave a comment
Green Dot of Chrome Tourmaline
When I first started back into faceting after a long hiatus, I did not spend a lot of money on rough. To get anything to cut that had decent color in tourmaline I had to go small. And being small … Continue reading
Great waves for a sea foam droplet.
This is a great little sea foam droplet. It has great crystal to go alone with a bright medium toned. blue green color. There is nothing flawed about this beauty. A perfect little GEM. It weighs 1.12 carats and stands … Continue reading
Included very pale blue round
You have to have color to be a droplet. It is not enough to be a smaller standard round brilliant, so they drew the line and did not offer the prize to this nearly colorless supplicant. At least its numerous … Continue reading
Nice Bright Patel Green Round with Incusions
This round standard brilliant has a variety of inclusion that hardly slow it down. It leaps at the sun even with its pastel nature. It could and should be in the droplets and so it is. This medium toned green … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, pastel, verdelite
Leave a comment
Medium toned blue droplet from Namibia.
My love of Namibian blue, especially when it is without any green like this one, keeps calling me back. I also like this droplets medium tone and clean nature. Do the droplets have enough space for all of the standard … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, Namibia
Leave a comment
Sea Foam Droplet from Afghanistan
The rough for this stone came from a large lot of high grade sea foam tourmaline from Afghanistan. I was able to buy one over 10 carats piece and some smaller stones. This round standard brilliant does not have the … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Etc.
Tagged afghan, droplet-of-color, green, neon, seafoam, verdelite
Leave a comment
Included pale blue oval
Not all semi-facet rough is created equal. Some semi-facet has larger, but relatively few significant feathers that need to be oriented, as much as possible, perpendicular to the table and other semi-facet material has a diffused web of small inclusion … Continue reading
Another Nambian blue green winner.
Somehow I don’t think that many blue greens are as bright as a true blues. It is probably my preference for the rarer blue. Well this bright Namibian blue green can keep up with the best medium dark toned blues. … Continue reading
Good Size green oval with light growth tubes.#249
A nice, spicy, larger oval tourmaline with a good uniform, medium toned green. Wow I got a lot into that sentence. The only thing I can see that lessen the glory with this gemstone is a few deeply buried ghostly … Continue reading
Included saturated yellow oval#248
This is the final stone that I cut from two large alluvial pebbles that I bought off the inter net years ago. The pebbles were completely frosted and were not expensive because of the numerous flaws that render the … Continue reading
A darker Namibian blue with a touch of green oval.#247
The Namibian oval is a bit too dark to be optimal. It also has a greenish cast that really does not shout out I am a blue gemstone. Still when it gets it chance to shine in a yellowish light … Continue reading
Great Sapphire Like Blue Tourmaline#246
I was able to buy a nice sized lot of very good blue Namibia tourmaline before my source dried up and prices climbed to ridiculous heights. I am reminded of how fortunate I was when I checked out this BLUE … Continue reading
A great blue(indicolite) oval from Namibia#245
This is an expensive gemstone in dollars per carat. It is clean and without flaws. Its tone is moderately rich and that is very important in Namibian blues. And an intense, consistent, saturated blue it is, in the shade of … Continue reading
Darker Rather Obscure Green Oval#244
This darker green oval does not have dichroic dancing colors to make it dynamic. It just flashes it color and goes toward the olive or back toward the bluish side depending on the lights. It is cut with a … Continue reading
WOW a Whale of a Green Oval#243
I have been working on a tray that my son organized after the last gem and mineral show that the Carnegie Museum did in Pittsburgh. The green ovals are nice and there is a sprinkling of blues, but most … Continue reading
Moderate Dichroic Green Oval#242
This is a very transparent green oval, with typical dichroic coloring. It appears to be eye clean and with the type of crystal that would make it try and disappear in a glass of water. It weighs 1.93 carats. Bruce
Moderate Dichroism in Green Oval#241
This gemstones gains quit a bit from its dichroism. This because its tone in the ends of the oval are quit moderate and the overall stone shows the two colors well. The typical c axis color is yellower with the … Continue reading
Quite Light Blue/Green Oval#238
Medium light and bright and raring to flash for you. This stone is only held back by too much light. It is best for the indirect lighting of intimate moments. It does not appear to be dichroic. I has excellent … Continue reading
Nice array of growth tubes in blue/green tourmaline#240
This oval does not have high quality crystal along with a fine array of ghost like growth tubes. It does have a fine blue green color that darkens toward the ends. There is no doubt that this is a natural … Continue reading
Darker ends on smaller oval#239
This smaller oval has a nice blue flash in the middle of the gemstone and darker yellowish green ends. It is still flashy and really fires up under incandescent lights. It weighs 1.06 carats and appears to be eye clean. … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, dichroic, green, oval, verdelite, yellow-green
Leave a comment
Rich Powerful Namibian Blue Oval#237
It takes but a moment to realize that you are looking into a superior tourmaline with this oval. It is on the darker toned side, but has an open face with a great blue saturation in natural light. The … Continue reading
A bit toned down dichroic green oval#235
This oval does not seem to share the same level of visual impact as other medium toned dynamic greens. Still it is an attractive stone that would make a nice ring stone. It appears to be eye clean and weighs … Continue reading
Spicy mixture greens in an oval#234
Another find member of a large family of spicy dynamic green tourmaline. The c axis is the yellower color and the bluer color is the a/b axis color. I always put the a and b axis together because they … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, dichroic, green, oval, verdelite, yellow-green
Leave a comment
Deep Crown. Browned Green Oval#233
This gemstone was cut with a deeper than average crown. That effort produced a medium dark browned green that twinkles with a brighter more saturated green. It appears to be eye clean and weighs 2.89 carats. Bruce
Definite Dichroic Green Oval#232
This oval shows classic area of yellow green and bluer green that comes from dichroism. (The ability of the stone to separate light into two rays that travel different paths threw the stone and produce different colors.) This gives the … Continue reading
Bright even medium light green oval#231
The gemstones medium light tone level just doesn’t produce a pastel with this oval. It is just too bright. It is clean and not noticeably dichroic. It weighs 1.96 carats. Bruce
A different look darker “chrome” tourmaline#230
This gemstone is made of a different member of the tourmaline group than most of the gemstones in this collection. It is a vanadium/chrome (most of the time the vanadium dominates) colored Dravite, the species. Dravite has magnesium in it … Continue reading
Great Clean Medium Blue Green Oval#229
This oval slides around blue to green and therefor it is blue green. It has a medium tone and good crystal for a bright stone. It weighs 1.77 carats. A nice respectable gemstone that will be sure to please. Bruce
Green with a blue side, pastel oval
This paler shade of green definitely is on the blue side. It is not noticeably dichroic and the medium light tone level is refreshing. It weighs1.15 carats. It is eye clean and you can easily see inclusion in pastel gemstone … Continue reading
Hazy pretty blue oval
This included oval has a really sharp bright medium blue color. It has numerous small inclusion that produce a poor quality crystal. It weighs 2.01 carats. Frankly, the nicest colors can come in included stones and this is a … Continue reading
Straight up rich blue tourmaline.
This medium dark blue is true. Its tone level is medium dark and sapphire like. It came from Namibia and weighs 2.13 carats. It appears to be eye clean with fine crystal. This is a very nice gemstone. Bruce
Bright medium toned yellowish green oval
This ovals bright medium light green is not what many people expect from tourmaline. But when the rough does not have dark ends, the lapidary is set free to cut different shapes. This oval has good crystal and appears … Continue reading
Very Dichroic Green Oval
The two dichroic colors in the this oval are very distinct, while still being green. The c axis in the ends of the ovals are a nice medium forest green while the a/b color in the middle is a yellowish … Continue reading
Very Nice Green, Clean, Oval
This oval is a great dynamic mixture of dichroic green colors. The oval appears to be clean and has find crystal. It weighs 2.15 carats and has a medium dark tone level. Just right for a great stone. Bruce
Very Nice Green Oval with Growth Tubes.
This oval is a great combination of medium rich dichroic greens that is spicy and good crystal. Its one drawback is a group of growth tubes (long defects in growth parallel to the c axis). The reflect light and are … Continue reading
Cuprian Green Bright Round
This bright minty standard round brilliant has been found to contain copper. It is clean and eye clean. It tone level is a moderate light pastel and I would not call it a “neon” gemstone. I picked up the copper … Continue reading
Complex gray green Oval#215
I call this complex grayed green color “celery juice”. This oval had a good drink and came out a medium toned gemstone, but without noticeable dichroism. This leads to a brighter stone than many greens, but the gray overtone does … Continue reading
Included Dark Blue Oval#220
This gemstones dark blue color obscures a large number of whitish inclusions that do not flash. The inclusions are not distracting, but they do restrain the gemstone’s brightness. The gemstone weighs 1.31 carats and it came from Namibia. Bruce … Continue reading
Included Medium Blue Oval#219
This blue oval has a nice saturation and moderate tone level, but is restrained by numerous light inclusions. There is also a touch of green, but I would still call is an indicolite. This visibly imperfect gemstone is still attractive … Continue reading
Nice Refreshing Green Oval#218
This oval is on the blue side of green. It is uniformly open and bright and flashy. This is given to it by a limited amount of dichroism and a moderately light tone level. It appears to be eye clean … Continue reading
Medium Dark Blue Green Namibian Oval#217
This nice medium dark toned oval has at least two eye visible inclusion next to the girdle. Its color is principally blue with a fine dash of green, another Namibian specialty a long with pure blue. It weighs 1.97 carats. … Continue reading
medium dark Namibian blue oval#216
This darker Namibian blue oval has a nice even tone level and color, that gives the gemstone a sapphire-like feel. It appears to be eye clean and does not have any green in the blue. True blues (indicolite) in … Continue reading
Moderately Pale Green Oval#214
Pass the celery juice around again for this oval could have used another shot. The pale pastel gemstone has an even if unexciting grayed green color. It appears to be eye clean and have fine crystal. It is flashy and … Continue reading
Darker Ended Dichroic Green Oval#213
A very nice rich green with good saturation is the principal color that can be seen in this oval. The darker yellowish green in the ends, just appear dark unless you have a strong light. The cause for the two … Continue reading
Gray Green Restrained Oval#212
This oval’s tone is darker than desirable, which comes in part from having semi-closed ends . It’s gray overtone restrains the stones native green and along with its tone level makes for a rather quiet gemstone. It appears to be … Continue reading
Delightful Green Droplet#211
Sometimes it is just nice being green, even if the morning light make you a little blue. This standard round brilliant has nothing bad to have reported on its beauty . I have a soft spot for medium toned, … Continue reading
Medium dark pastel blue green oval.#209
This stone is not very dichroic. Its darker pastel blue green color has a touch of gray in it. It weighs 1.28 carats. It appears to be eye clean. Bruce
Moderate toned dichroic green oval#208
This oval is bright and flashy. The darker color in the ends is definitely bluer than the paler blue on the sides. It appears to be eye clean is an above average, attractive gemstone. It weighs .79 carats. Bruce
Nice medium dark blue green oval#207
Nice medium dark toned, blue green oval. It appears to be eye clean and decent transparency. It weighs 1.36 carats. Bruce
Dark Dichroic Blue Oval#206
The tone value of this smaller oval is high. It is dichroic, with the darker color being a good sapphire blue, while the lighter color is a decent medium light blue. It appears to be eye clean and weighs .83 … Continue reading
Definite blue green oval#205
This smaller blue green oval has a medium dark tone. It appears to be eye clean and has a nice flash from open ends. It weighs 1.33 carats. Bruce
Darker Dichroic green oval#204
This darker, yet flashy oval is quite dichroic. The ends of the oval show a really nice medium dark grass green and the sides of the oval show a brownish yellow green. It appears to be eye clean and has … Continue reading
OnlyTwins in the Collection Green Ovals#203
This is the only set of twins in the collection. I lost interest in cutting matching tourmalines many years ago. I also stopped worrying about cutting calibrated sizes as I cut bigger material that was not well suited for … Continue reading
Common Yellow Green Oval#202
A medium bright oval with a common classic color of yellowish green. It is eye clean and weighs .88 carats. Bruce
Medium toned bluish green.#201
This smaller oval has open ends and a really bright flashy presents. It has quite a bit of blue in its green, but it is still a green. It appears to be eye clean and has good crystal with … Continue reading
A Dark Plot Leads to a Red Purple Round Again.#1100
The sun is up and bright so this droplet of color can spread a brighter flash and announce its red purple color. I don’t consider red purples with their dark tones, Rubellites and they consistently have a lack of … Continue reading
Blue, touch of green color dot#1099
Everyone needs a break and sometimes a reality check. Cutting this color dot is a different experience than pushing around a big stone. Being delicate and keeping the stone on the dop stick is the first concern. Then any work … Continue reading
The full 9 yards with a pale pink round#1098
This pale pink round gemstone’s cut is like an attempt to put the ball between the uprights from the fifty yard line. I know both were long shots, but I had to try. Both the crown and pavilion are cut … Continue reading
Open Ends and a fine moderately toned green in an Emerald Cut.#1097
This nice green emerald cut is trying to reach toward being sea foam. Its open ends sparkle with a bit yellower green, while the sides try and slide into blue green, but it just does not make it. It is … Continue reading
Great Orange Round with a Flaw#1096
In the world of cutting quality tourmaline rough, dealing with flaws is very important. Of course any adjustments for flaws is tightly dependent on retaining material for a decent yield and optimizing the color potential of the rough. I … Continue reading
A lighter shade of blue oval#1095
This nice medium blue oval is without a gray modifier. It has a rather watery presence, but it can stand its ground under brighter conditions. It is clean and bright with a personality that is sure to please. It … Continue reading
Clean rich tourmaline green in a closed ended emerald cut#1094
The combination of a pure rich tourmaline green with a touch of yellow and closed ends produces a very modern look in an emerald cut with steep ends. The steep ends produces a pattern of flash where alternate bars of … Continue reading
A clean cool after dinner mint droplet.#1093
You have just had a colorful meal and you only need a touch of cool clean color to finish it properly. Well this eye lean droplet is for you. It is a nice medium pastel green with a touch … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, pastel
Leave a comment
Dark Sapphire like droplet#1092
This droplet needs to be moved to give up its flash driven rich blue color. The color has good saturation without any green. His is proud of the rich color, but is not move to preform at droplet functions unless … Continue reading
Darker red purple trilliant cut.#1091
I don’t use the trilliant cut very much because I prefer shield cuts for triangular shaped rough. But this red purple, which is not a rubellite in my book, has such a high tone level that I needed as … Continue reading
Dravite in Stone, Oval#1090
This gemstone has a nice sharp crown with two steps. It body has good crystal and is eye clean. All great features for a stone that should step forward, but the desaturation of its orange color, that produces a brown … Continue reading
Larger Included Red Orange Oval#1089
This is a powerful stone . Its rich red orange flash swirls in the stone masking the moderate amount of inclusions. Time flashes by and I can not take my eyes off the color. It is not the saturated orange … Continue reading
Wow, Neon, Cyan, Cuprian, Emerald Cut#1088
Long before copper was discovered in gem quality tourmaline from Mozambique, the rough for this gemstone came up on a special page on the dealers web pages. It was used to present newly arrived material, that missed the last set … Continue reading
Included Blond Butterscotch to Yellow oval.#1087
The sun just really came out and the butterscotch just got a lot yellower. Under either lighting condition this included, but still bright oval looks like eye candy. I really appreciate tourmalines that are yellow without green or being … Continue reading
A Pink, Masculine and Dichroic Brand Emerald Cut#1086
Now I am probably pushing the envelope, but I believe in freedom from the tyranny of color limitations where ever I find it. There is nothing dainty about this pink and men should be comfortable wearing it in a ring … Continue reading
When does a pastel orange become a peach, round.#1085
It is a pity that this stone can speak. Pastels are so shy that they have difficulty showing their true colors, so I have to wobble around. I like pastel orange for this standard round brilliant, but most people … Continue reading
Included Pink in the mellon patch, round.#1084
Buying faceting rough is not easy and getting a winner every time is impossible if you keep pushing the color envelope. This pontification comes from buying rough over the internet since I have purchased very little material in person. … Continue reading
Can a Yellow be Cold, no! I Am Green Round#1083
The transition between yellow and green is a variable one with people. Lighting also makes a major impact on whether the tourmaline looks greenish or not. Then I look at the box and check the stone away from the … Continue reading
Middle of the road pink, no orange droplet#1082
The lighting is not the best as it is morning with a gray sky and only one yellowish squiggly florescent light shinning on my shoulder. This droplet jumps into my hand and I see a middle of the road … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Orange, Pink
Tagged color-shift, droplet-of-color, orange, pink
Leave a comment
Blazing Blue Green Color Dot#1081
When I restarted my faceting life, I did not spend a lot of money on rough. This got me focused on seeing how small a gemstone I could cut. I bought a lot of “mine run” tourmaline rough from Afghanistan … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue-green, color dot, droplet-of-color, indicolite
Leave a comment
Get Your Red Hot Pink Oval#1080
You want a hot pink, I got a hot pink. You want a clean stone, I got a clean stone. You want a great hue, but one that is not too toned down for intimate lighting, well I have that … Continue reading
A Yellow with Touch of Green Oval#1079
This tourmaline has a pretty “normal” color. There really isn’t that much green in there, but just a little is enough for it to step down from the yellow heights. Its medium dark tone level does not stop it from … Continue reading
Another Achroite Challange in the Round#1078
I have never tried to describe so many different colors in tourmaline at one time before. My inconsistencies on the official boxes that protect them and keep them ordered is a bit disconcerting. Didn’t I try to spend that … Continue reading
I get really juiced with orange, emerald cut#1077
I reignited my faceting adventure because I wanted tourmaline in all its colors. One of the colors I wanted the most was orange. Not the browned oranges of Dravite infamy, though they were welcome, but pure and fruity pleasures. Well … Continue reading
Namibian Blue Oval to the Starboard#1076
Whales maybe hard to find, but they are easy to spot once you’re close and that is how these wonder Namibian blues are in the later years of my collection. None of them are really large, but their color … Continue reading
Dichroic Gold Oval of Eternal Value#1075
Two rows of stepped faces over an eye clean body that flashes with both gold and yellow makes a modern looking gemstone. I am cutting more of this style crown because I have gotten a good response, but I … Continue reading
A Gemstone of Tea Please#1074
A color addict let loose in the abundant fields of tourmaline color should only be searching for well saturated, medium toned gems with great hues, right? That ain’t necessarily so! My passion goes beyond the obvious color champions in tourmaline … Continue reading
Classic Red (Rubellite) round.#1073
If you want to sit down somewhere else and read about tourmaline, that would be great. If you get to the section on Rubellite (red tourmaline), which may be way too brief, you will find that this standard round … Continue reading
Excellent Green Color with dark radial flaws, Emerald Cut.#1072
With rough that has a great color, you try and make a decent stone somehow. This rich bright green emerald cut has dark ends and a find selection of dark radial flaws. It probably should not be in the collection, … Continue reading
Nice Blue but Included Emerald Cut#1071
The most important decision that will effect the beauty of a gemstone are made during the preforming process with me. I spend relatively little time deciding the future of the gemstone before I remove the material that I am … Continue reading
Dark, Mysterious and Sultry Red Purple Round#1070
This standard round brilliant has a high level of tone that puts it on the edge of having a place in the collection. Flash and associated color does pop up from the depths of the gemstone as it is … Continue reading
Smaller Included Yellow Oval#1069
I have been cutting more rough tourmaline that have a lower grade for a variety of reasons. (08/2013) 1. I have a better selection of color available. 2. The rough cost less, but low yields can negate that advantage. 3. … Continue reading
An Orange that didn’t mind being included, round#1068
This bright medium toned orange without any indications of browning out obviously came from a piece of rough that was not top faceting grade. The light inclusion do not really effect the stones brightness and flash. They just seem … Continue reading
A Purple without Copper Oval#1067
This gemstone has a place in the collection not because of its great beauty, but it is attractive, or size, though it is a decent size, or clarity, though it is has good crystal or … It is here … Continue reading
A Natural Blue that is Shifty, Emerald Cut#1066
I have seen it before and I hope to see it again. A beautifully formed emerald cut with four rows of facets on the pavilion and three rows of facets on the crown. This forms the structure to display … Continue reading
Namibian Blue Droplet of Color#1065
I can not get enough blue from Namibia. Unfortunately larger pieces have either been unavailable or at least unaffordable for years. Unfortunately even in the old days many of the larger pieces had tone levels that were darker than desirable … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, Namibia
Leave a comment
Clearly Dichroic from fine Grass Seed, Round#1064
This is the type of green tourmaline I love. With open ends in a rounded frosted pebble, I had more freedom to cut what I wanted and be rewarded, in this case, with a darker green and yellow green all … Continue reading
Grass Green with a Feather threw its heart, emerald cut#1063
This rather squat emerald cut really lights up from its acid yellow green of spring grass. The flash tries to hid a feather thew the center of the emerald cut, but it is easily seen when you examine the … Continue reading
A Strawberry round from Afghanistan#1062
Strawberry is a description of some of the most intense pinks to be found in tourmaline that comes from Afghanistan. It is always included and I have been very fortunate to get a few pieces. It may not be surprising … Continue reading
Crisp Clean BlueTouched with Green Emerald Cut#1061
Most blue tourmaline is on the green side of blue in the color wheel. The only other side blue can go is toward the purple and I have found that a blue/purple tourmaline to the hardest part of the … Continue reading
Large Included Yellow Round#1060
Sometimes I like to purchase a larger piece of nicely colored tourmaline that has at best a semifacet grade clarity. With enough size and a lack of concern about yield, I have had some pretty clean hits. When I … Continue reading
Orange Oval that is sure it is a tourmaline.#1059
All this orange tourmaline ever wanted to be was orange. It doesn’t go for brown outs and would never shift its gears and become a red. It is mildly dichroic at most. The icing on the cake is … Continue reading
Darked Ended Blue Green Emerald Cut#1058
Cutting an emerald cut with steep angles on the ends is really the only way to go with crystals of tourmaline that have closed ends. The geometry of the cut demands the removal of more material from the corners. … Continue reading
Aqua in Jest, for it is really A … tourmaline droplet.#1057
I think that tourmaline would steal much of aquamarine’s thunder if it was more available and less expensive in the lightly toned blues. Of course aquamarine struggles to be blessed with a darker tone level, while blue (indicolite) tourmaline … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Etc., Indicolite
Tagged aquamarine, blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite
Leave a comment
One of the Best Blue Green Droplets.#1056
Blue green can be one of the best color ranges for tourmaline. Even sapphire does not give it much competition. This droplet is right up there at the head of the class when it comes to color. It would really … Continue reading
Darker Grass Green Oval#1055
This oval has a three step emerald cut like crown that opens up fields of grass green color as it is moved. It does not appear to be dichroic and its tone level is higher than average with the … Continue reading
Red with a bit of Pink Droplet#1054
Now I have confessed that when in doubt I put red on tourmaline when others like my younger daughter, would disagree. It is pink dad! This standard round brilliant is a nice eye clean droplet that sits on the … Continue reading
Peri-do or Peri-dot it’s really a tourmaline oval#1053
I think that the idea of “inventing” modern birthstones that the trade can supply in abundance at a profit is pure genius. It gives a thoughtful, but naive buyer an easy out, when looking for that special personal gift that … Continue reading