This gem has a twelve main with split facets pavilion and an 8 main modified step cut crown. It weighs 9.16 carats and has a slight inclusion that does not effect the beauty of the stone.
Sometimes when you start out on a new adventure with a piece of tourmaline rough, the color is so outstanding that you cannot miss. Now there is the other side of the coin and a completely water worn pebble of a dichroic green can keep you guessing about the color power of the finished gemstone until it is off the dopstick and cleaned up.
This beautiful cool forest green with a definite blue spruce look got my best effort. Why you might ask, would I have to say that. When I sure that I at least left the impression, that I give my best with each stone. Let me list it features that I liked about this rough. It would be nice if everything I cut had such great attributes, and I could have such an adventure.
1, Nice size piece of rough.
2, Well suited for a round.
3, Nice c axis color that is not overly dense with a pale a/b axis that will not noticeably affect the stones color.
4, Plenty of depth and light enough tone to cut a deep round.
5, Good crystal with manageable inclusions.
6, The rough can be oriented to exploit the c axis color without loosing too much weight. (good yield)
7. And most important of all, a green in the wonderful world of tourmaline greens that is a bit different.
Now I have had greens that are heat sensitive, (I still use dopping wax when I cut the pavilion) and some are just contrary and break. This is normally along the radial cracks that are perpendicular to the c axis and you see on many tourmaline crystal. And some greens and other colors do not like to have their tables perpendicular to the c axis, which causes problems with their table’s polish. Well to make a long story short, nothing bad happen to this stone. All twelve mains on the pavilion welcomed being split and the eight main modified step cut on the crown finished easily after a great run with the table. I sound pleased and I am, but this success is typical with paler tourmaline. I say paler only because the a/b axis is very light, but because the c axis color completely dominates and the stone is strongly dichroic, the finished stone is quite rich.
The spruce came out to be 9.16 carats and feels like a cool spot deep in the forest. It is not eye clean, but with such a rich tone the only inclusion that I saw when I examined it, makes no different in its beauty.
Bruce
