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- 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.
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- 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
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- rexguo on Laurellite a reverse color change tourmaline is unique.
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Author Archives: Bruce Fry
List of facts about tourmaline, an opinion
I have been looking at the inter net for statements about tourmaline. I would say that a large percentage of the serious pages that make statements about tourmaline are incomplete or wrong in my opinion. I will list simple facts … Continue reading
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No Paraiba in top ten list of most valuable/rarest or beautiful gemstones??
I have been roaming around youtube and found the multiple lists of either the rarest or most valuable or most beautiful gemstones in the world to be rediculous. They do not compare apples with oranges, while many of them include … Continue reading
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#261 and a bright red cuprian smile
One of the tourmalines I had tested with GIA’s laser ablation mass spectrometer instrument when I visited in January was a bright red standard round brilliant. Even with some inclusions and a flatted crown it is a beautiful smaller gem. … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Rubellite
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Getting threw the winter, 1/3 carat of fire
I keep mixing in small pieces of rough from the good old days in with the small amount of cuttable larger rough that I have recently received from Africa. I just finished a 1/3 carat standard round brilliant, out of … Continue reading
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The amount of lead in tourmaline.
I have received data from the GIA on the tourmaline they ran on their laser ablation equipment during my latest trip to the west coast. I have some questions, but one thing is obvious. There is a lot more tourmaline … Continue reading
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Color my world of tourmaline.
I am just back from a month long trip to the west coast. Part of the trip was to the Gem Institute of Americas lab in Carlsbad California. Besides reviewing some research on Laurellite, I got to see some beautiful … Continue reading
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Copper’s limited roll in coloring Paraiba/cuprian tourmaline.
On my site you will find many examples of tourmaline gemstones that have their color influenced by trace amounts of copper in their makeup. With my spectrometer I can see the amount of light that is absorbed by the only … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Tourmaline Analysis
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Paraiba and rarity, the dream of copper.
I have been motivated to make this post, by more than just ridiculous comments made about gemstones on the inter net. This does not mean that I don’t have a new pet peeve about the inter net. The newest one … Continue reading
Update on my effort to purchase tourmaline rough.
Every market has its ups and downs, but the availability of tourmaline rough has turned out to be a wild ride. Gone are the days when larger clean rough was available in reasonable amounts and at affordable prices. But I … Continue reading
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Working on a report on color in cuprian tourmaline using my spectrometer.
My spectrometer is finally operating properly. again. I am still learning about color analysis, but I should have a new report up on this site, that compares color caused by copper as a chromophore and other chromophores. The focus will … Continue reading
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Purple and heated cuprian/paraiba tourmaline
There seems to be a universal acceptance that if a cuprian/paraiba tourmaline has a purplish cast/overtone it is unheated. This not true. At least early on the exploitation of the Mozambique deposit,, large highly toned red/purple nodules were found. They … Continue reading
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Spectrometer and color in tourmaline.
Over 5 years ago I purchased a compact soilid state spectrometer. I tested all of my collection of tourmaline for copper and it was great fun. I found a significant number of cuprian tourmaline in my collection that I did … Continue reading
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Welcome to a tourmaline collection with a difference.
I have spent a fair amount of time searching the inter net for information and images of tourmaline. I have come to the conclusion that this site is unusual if not unique on the inter net. Part of the difference … Continue reading
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Fighting the good fight to keep cutting interesting tourmaline.
I have begun to work with a Nigerian dealer, who now works in the US, He just got back from a buying trip to Nigeria. If you have read, like I did, that the Chinese have left the market and … Continue reading
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Outstanding Achroite with a Mystery
Latest summer while I was traveling trying to get research on color in tourmaline done I had a brand new tourmaline tested. It is the biggest achroite I have that I am sure has not been heated. It is water … Continue reading
Posted in Achroite, Tourmaline Analysis
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Traveling again in the name of tourmaline.
As sping approaches, I plan visit to the GIA’s museum in California and a couple of museaums on the east coast. I am looking for good homes where my Laurellites will be safe from heating. I think it is unique … Continue reading
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Canary tourmaline, down the yellow brick road
Recently I have been able to get more interesting tourmaline rough. I have cut some of the ones sold as “yellow” and here is an update and overview of my search for the wonderful world of “canary” tourmaline. (I use … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Yellow
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Bulk diffusion of copper into tourmaline, wrong all the way around.
I think that I have not written about the bulk diffusion of copper into tourmaline before on this site because, from the start, it was a suspicion that was support by inept science and pushed by the seeking of status … Continue reading
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Orange, to be or not to be, it is. All hale a glory of tourmaline.
Orange will never be number one in the world of color in tourmaline. Much of it is either desaturated under all reasonable white lights or at least under more bluish light (Brownish cast). But there are exceptions and I have … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Orange
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Results from sending a stone to the GIA to be tested for copper.
Well it took $152 and a month to get the stone back with a report. There is no mention of copper in the report. Instead, it says that the cause of the color in the gemstone could not be determined. … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Tourmaline Analysis
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A Case History of an oval pink tourmaline.
Ovals in general have a long history of problems with me. I could not cut them with my original equipment that I purchased as a kid of 15. But when I got back into faceting after a long period of … Continue reading
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Sending a tourmaline to the GIA for a report on copper.
I have been working with Laura, my older daughter to try and get a page for selling selected stones on my website. Well it is together now and you can go there from the main page. I am not really … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Tourmaline Analysis
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Collection pretty much back together again after GIA trip.
I have just finished putting the collection back together after fifty of the stones were kept by the GIA for photographing. It is hoped that they will be included in a future spread in Gems and Gemology on the beauty … Continue reading
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Making money on Paraiba when all you have is from Mozambique.
In promoting the Ethereal Carolina Divine Paraiba as coming from Brazil, being part of the original mine’s production and being even an authentic Paraiba is reaching a new low in probably confusing the public. This largest of all “Paraiba” tourmaline … Continue reading
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Opinions on the Paraiba/paraiba type and cuprian tourmaline market.
The publication of a new study on the principle and trace elements in Paraiba/ cuprian tourmaline in The Journal of Gemmology, along with changes’s in The Guide’s presentation of how the market values copper bearing tourmaline has me troubled. The … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Introduction
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Successful return from my trip to the west.
I am still trying to hydrate after returning from San Diego via the southwest, but I wanted to share some tourmaline related highlights. 1, Â My spectrometer’s light source will be modified to be better able to analyze color. 2, Â A … Continue reading
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New Trip
Early in July I will be headed to the West Coast via St Louis in the hope of getting more research done on tourmaline. I will be writing about the trip and any work that I can get done as … Continue reading
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Hunkers in the Hole, Adventure in Cutting Big Semi-Facet Rough.
In the effort to produce a top quality (AAA) piece of tourmaline rough a whole lot of cobbling, clipping and grinding goes on. Now everyone loves the perfect piece of rough that can produce the perfect gemstone with a great … Continue reading
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A Cool Bi-Color Pear Shaped Tourmaline.
In my last package of rough from Africa there was a very well worn, blocky piece of what appeared to be a medium light spice green tourmaline. Upon a closer look it turn out to be a bi color with … Continue reading
Posted in Achroite, Bi-Color, Cutting Tourmaline
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Vivid yellow green color wins over the flaws.
I am sitting here trying to put my thoughts together about an oval gemstone I just finishing cutting. I have worked in wool for many years and most people come to realize that if you just pick out the bright … Continue reading
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A small round, but a brilliant idea.
If you have been following my posts here you probably realized that the availability of tourmaline and its affordability have pushed me to cut practically everything in tourmaline that I have. Years ago I purchased a significant lot of “mine … Continue reading
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The Drama of Cutting a Beautiful Tourmaline.
I wrote the following story soon after finishing one of my early cuprian/paraiba type tourmalines from Mozambique. The year was 2002 and no one had publicly announced the discovery of cuprian tourmaline in Mozambique. That was to come three years … Continue reading
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More projects with tourmaline on the way.
A new page will appear that will have only tourmaline from my collect on it, in a few days. They will be for sale and the page will be run by my older daughter Laura. All inquires and questions should … Continue reading
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A winter update on my tourmaline world.
It maybe cold outside, but my tourmaline world is heating up. I have been posting again and making new contacts. Some that could lead to new research on Laurellite, a reverse alexandrite color changer from Mozambique. On the rough side … Continue reading
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Finally a bit of golden orange tourmaline from the holiday season.
When I still worked for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania I would work diligently on a nice piece of rough tourmaline over the holidays. It would help me get threw them without my family. Now that I have been retired for … Continue reading
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Stay tuned for the latest breaking stories, there might be a mint (tourmaline) in it
Tourmaline Tribune Dateline Saturday December 12, 2015 Problems with a significant (expensive) piece of rough minty tourmaline continues past the preform stage. The piece of rough was rate AAA and had almost a preformed shape for a square gem. It … Continue reading
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A tourmaline trip, to cut a gemstone, like never before.
This quest for this beauty, I just cut, started most of ten years ago. At the same time I was obtaining beautiful cuprian tourmaline from Mozambique, I got some lots from Afghanistan. In one of the lots was a most … Continue reading
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Do you want to have fun on a dark winter night, looking at tourmaline?
I have been working on upgrading the tray section of this site. In order to get a handle on the dynamic nature of color in tourmaline I have a number of different lights to use on them, to try and … Continue reading
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Learning from a strongly dichroic, vivid blue round, tourmaline.
One thing you learn early in the tourmaline game is that you can not cut a practical gemstone without including at least some principle axis (c axis) color. An emerald cut with steep ends, on the order of 70 per … Continue reading
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How I have come to love the right kind of imperfections in tourmaline.
Everyone desires and admire the perfect tourmaline with a wonderful vivid color. But how many times do you find such a tourmaline and if you did, could you afford it. And finding and affording quality tourmaline seems to become harder … Continue reading
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Researching a bright blue green round that I just finished cutting.
The rough was expensive and that is understandable when it is glowing blue green tourmaline. When it arrived I immediately recognized a nice piece of sea foam tourmaline with a medium tone level. It had a stronger yellower c axis … Continue reading
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Snappy medium pastel gold with a sip of orange juice.
Fresh off the boat/plane this 3.47 carat standard round brilliant is the first major tourmaline I have cut in most of a year. I have cut a couple of included specimens that came with this rough, about a 13 carat … Continue reading
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Fried Tourmaline and the Quest for Purplish Blue Color.
The roots of my quest for purplish blue tourmaline, goes all the way back to my renewed determination to cut and collect tourmaline over 10 years ago. I wanted all the colors in the rainbow and more, which leaves tourmaline … Continue reading
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Cutting a True Blue Pebble into a Standard Round Brilliant with an Exceptional Eye.
A Tale of a Blue Tourmaline’s Missing Eye. The day started slow like most days in the Borough of Mars, a small town about 25 miles north of Pittsburgh Pa, but the cutter’s heart was a bit a flutter because … Continue reading
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Watermelon tourmaline, What is in a Name and a BIG CITY Museum Blunder
On the net again looking for something interesting in tourmaline. I find pictures of beautiful tourmaline and information that is accurate. Of course, following the lead of our news services, that doesn’t make interesting news. But when I find an … Continue reading
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Life is sweet, apricot jam and the long road to victory.
This post is about a modest piece of rough that brought to the forefront the eternal battle between perfection and creating something beautiful. I will let the stone tell its own story with an appropriate ending by the cutter, me. … Continue reading
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Cuprian Tourmaline, The Internet, Information
I have never tracked anything on the inter net like I have information about cuprian tourmaline. I use the term cuprian tourmaline as a way to cover all the flavors of tourmaline with copper (cu+2) as its chromophore. This includes … Continue reading
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Treading water and holding my breath, for a color fix.
Summertime and the living is easy. I have a great deal of outside work to do because I am painting my old story and half craftman house barn red and cream again. The garden also takes much of my time, … Continue reading
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Tourmaline rough, higher price, but more normal supply.
If you have been reading some of my more recent posts, you will know that I am quite negative about the supply of interesting tourmaline rough in the market today. And the little that is available is quite expensive by … Continue reading
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Disappointed in the Smithsonian again.
It was just a small book produced by the Smithsonian and devoted to gemstones. The amount of information had to be limited, but I always scan such an introductory book on gemstones for its tourmaline presentation. Well the Smithsonian failed … Continue reading
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Laurellite, reverse alexandrite color change and logic.
I have been a bit busier than usual talking with a well positioned gem expert on the property of reverse alexandrite color change in cuprian tourmaline from Mozambique. By reverse I mean that “Laurellite” the name I have given the … Continue reading
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Its here, a new piece of cuprian rough from Mozambique
Over a year ago, my principle dealer in Africa said that he had just gotten a nice piece of cuprian rough tourmaline that probably came from a new location for cuprian in Mozambique. I thought that I had read a … Continue reading
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Treatment in the Name of Beauty?
In an effort to work out a problem with my spectrometer I have a few minor cuprian tourmaline gemstones out of storage. One of the gemstones is particularly close to my heart. I bought the rough after the great escalation … Continue reading
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When is a tourmaline with three colors not a tricolor specimen.
I love tourmaline. It keeps coming up with exceptions to the rules/definitions. Definition. A tricolor tourmaline has three different colors as seen from a point of view perpendicular to the principle (c) axis. It doesn’t depend on tourmaline’s dichroic nature … Continue reading
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Paraiba/paraiba type/paraiba like, overselling provenance
Paraiba tourmaline and the broader family of cuprian tourmaline has certainly been a driver for interest in the provenance of gemstones. The price differential between Brazilian with the proper levels of tone and color and similar  African cuprian tourmaline is … Continue reading
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Laurellite, a rare one and getting rarer, cuprian tourmaline
I have been out on the internet again and reading about “rare” to incredibly “rare” gemstones. There seems to be two assumptions made that are amazing. One example is that all ruby that comes from Burma is high quality material, … Continue reading
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RIP The Quest for Quality Gem Rough for Custom Cutters
I have been out on the internet again reading about the gemstone news of the world. It is not new to read about places like Pakistan/Afghanistan not producing up to their potential because of societal problems. And it is not … Continue reading
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A view of colored stones in Japan.
I just got back from a trip to Okinawa to see my daughter and my new grandson. On my return trip I had a layover in the Tokyo airport that was long enough to look around. So I popped into … Continue reading
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Blue Purple Color a Tourmaline Quest
As I have written, one of the colors of tourmaline I wanted to obtain when I started cutting again after many years was blue purple. One of the best things about being able to purchase unheated Mozambique cuprian tourmaline for … Continue reading
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Rubellite/Pink tourmaline, limitations on heating and irradiation.
The investigation of color in tourmaline and what causes it is complex. Many investigators have proposed causes for the colors in tourmaline, but have either been unable to prove the conjecture or proven wrong. In the case of the red … Continue reading
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Measuring and passing on information about color in tourmaline.
Today I sat down with some trays of tourmaline and access to a gemstone color matching system. The system certain showed that a great deal of work had been done to present color in different cuts, tones, saturation besides just … Continue reading
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Finally finishing a couple of included pieces of blue green tourmaline
I am not sure that would have even purchase these two pieces of rough in the “old”days. They did have nice colors in the pictures on the internet, but they were at best semifacet grade and were short sections of … Continue reading
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yellow color centers in cuprian tourmaline
A major factor in the color of gemstones is color centers. Color centers do not depend on trace amounts of transition elements to produce the color, but by damage to the gemstone’s structure. The creation of color centers is usually … Continue reading
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Paraiba/paraiba type tourmaline and treatments.
I have not seen a lot of finished Paraiba/paraiba type gemstones, I have certainly cut a fair amount of different grades of rough. I have also kept my ear to the ground and filled the air with questions. Since I … Continue reading
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Clarity treament of tourmaline
Clarity treatment of tourmaline has become much more of an issue with the prices of tourmaline raising and the premium paid for flawless stones. A bit on what I feel about flaws in a tourmaline gem is useful here. 1, … Continue reading
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Going nuts over Christmas
I hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday season. I usually have a choice specimen to cut over Christmas since it a pretty quiet time for me. But this year the rough stocking is empty. Credible reports have come in … Continue reading
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On reading “The World of Jewel Stones” by Weinstein
In my travels I decided to pick up a copy of a book called “The World of Jewel Stones” by Michael Weinstein that was published in 1958. I seldom get books that are this old about gemstones because they really … Continue reading
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“Polish Wars” the ongoing saga of constant effort.
When I started faceting tourmaline many years ago, diamond was not generally considered the best polish for tourmaline. When I got back into faceting seriously about 15 years ago, I never considered diamond as a polish for tourmaline. In part … Continue reading
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Defeated by a different tourmaline or I wish I was in the pink.
It is not the first time that I have set out on a quest with a tourmaline crystal that has basically a bluish gray to gray core and a bright pink irradiation coat. The vendor did not have a good … Continue reading
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Coming up for air while cutting a standard round brilliant.
After just finishing a real nice vivid yellow oval tourmaline of about 1 carat the cutting of a smaller pale green standard round brilliant does not get the audience excited. (I really live alone and the audience is my an … Continue reading
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Going down the drain with the last yellow tourmaline.
Beating a dead horse doesn’t get you down the road very well, but I have to say again that the amount of interesting tourmaline rough on the market is abysmal. I have truly looked in every little bag etc. that … Continue reading
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The Quest to Save Laurellite, a variety of cuprian tourmaline with a reverse color changer
When a new and beautiful gemstone is discover you would think that there would be excitement and pleasure in seeing another expression of the beauty of nature. I read about the ultimate in rarity in gemstones and see interesting, but … Continue reading
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The long and winding path to making a droplet of color
It has been most of a year since I first saw the piece of rough on the inter net and decided to buy it. It was stout water worn section of a crystal that was both dichroic and blue green.  … Continue reading
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A job well done in ways that will never be seen.
I just finished a standard round brilliant that is about 8 mm in diameter. It is a very nice bright pastel blue with an even field of inclusions. The gemstone has good crystal, polished beautifully with no imperfections in the … Continue reading
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To sell or not to sell is the question and when.
The price of quality tourmaline rough has jump up along with a sharp reduction in its availability. This has made it difficult to continue to cut significant tourmaline gemstones for the collection. I am down to cutting mostly droplets of … Continue reading
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Cuprian tourmaline and the spectrometer
I have certainly written about my spectrometer and the testing I did to discover which tourmaline in my collection contain copper, but not in this focused a manner before. I decided to write this discussion because there was a debate … Continue reading
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A long and personal path to a passionate purple pinnacle.
In the beginning there was only a primeval need to crave all the colors of the rainbow and more in gemstones. I had not cut a single gemstone in thirty years and I was on that newfangled thing called the … Continue reading
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Color droplets keep falling on my head and melting my heart.
I love color drops which are standard round brilliants that are around 6 mm in diameter. With the availability of tourmaline rough at an all time low, at least for an amateur like me, I have been force to go … Continue reading
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Natural Beauties, a new direction that has been coming for sometime.
Large flawless pieces of colorful tourmaline are wonderful to cut and produce beautiful gemstones. So I have certainly not sworn off my addition to such beauties. But as the market has evolved, high quality tourmaline rough has basically become unavailable … Continue reading
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On my way to Vancouver, July 7, 2014, to show/talk tourmaline
Hi from Minot North Dakota. I am well on my way to talk about and showoff my collection on the west coast. The beauty of tourmaline needs to be seen in person and some features of tourmaline,such as the neon … Continue reading
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Market insight into clarity enhanced paraiba type tourmaline
I just had a great conversation with a women who is actively buying large numbers of faceted paraiba type tourmaline. She had just purchased a beautiful gemstone that turned out to a Laurellite and wanted to discuss it with me. … Continue reading
How dear is your tourmaline? Precious Rubellite!
Threw my friend a well known goldsmith in the Pittsburgh Pa area, I have come to know a fellow that sells melee, casts metal and has been involved in the lapidary trade for years. In the eighties a major find … Continue reading
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Totally inappropriate behavour with a strange twist, green emerald cut.
This post is on a personal trip down a path that I have just begun to travel with determination. The market in tourmaline is so bad for a custom cutter/me that I have decided to actively pursue getting only rough … Continue reading
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Finished a brown emerald cut from a round pebble of long ago.
When I started cutting again after a long hiatus and began to focus on tourmaline, I did not spend a lot of money on rough. One of my purchases was a few pebbles of a strongly dichroic brown from Africa. … Continue reading
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Trip to Vancouver and showing the collection of tourmaline.
Some months ago I said to Al, the man most responsible for this site being up and presenting my collection, that he deserved to see my collection in person. Now the path from Mars Pa is a long one to … Continue reading
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Tourmaline as a Cinderella waiting to be discovered is over.
Cinderella as we all know was a beautiful, but under valued person that was discovered by the prince and love blossomed. They lived happily ever after of course. Well I just read in the latest introduction to a series of … Continue reading
IVCT, intervalence charge transfer, dichroism in tourmaline.
I was searching threw my papers for tax time, when I ran across a copy of a personal email from George R. Rossman of Rossmanite and Caltech. I want to quote a paragraph on dichroism in tourmaline from that April … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Tourmaline Analysis, Truth in Tourmaline
Tagged analysis, chromophore, composition, dichoic
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Gigantic paraiba type gemstones for millions.
I put museum grade tourmaline in the search engine and away I went. I found two gigantic (around 50 to 60 carats each) faceted tourmalines called “paraiba” because they contain trace elements of copper and manganese and were within a … Continue reading
Strange and unique, possibly chrome green emerald cut.
Well here is another gemstone hot off the dop stick. The rough had a natural table that was obvious and the tables outline looked rather like a “D”. It had a moderately strong degree of dichroism with a very nice … Continue reading
Laurellite a reverse color change tourmaline is unique.
I am sure that I have probably said too much about Laurellite on this site for some people, but questions have arisen and I wish to list the salient points about Laurellite that are important to appreciate it. 1, Laurellite … Continue reading
Posted in Laurellite, Tourmaline Analysis
Tagged analysis, chromophore, color change, cuprian, gemology, laurellite, spectrometry
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Public will not buy included tourmaline!
I just finished reading an email from about a year ago, from a cutter that runs a significant selling site on the internet. He said that people are looking for a reason not to buy gemstones now and he can … Continue reading
An Oval by the Numbers
It has been a bit, but I finished a tourmaline gemstone today that is worth commenting about. The rough was a pretty average piece of dichroic brownish gold that had be reduced significantly to eliminate a major flaw. And I … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Dravite, Polishing Tourmaline
Tagged cutting tourmaline, dichroic, dravite, gold, golden-brown, oval, polishing tourmaline
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In the pink, another round for everyone.
I just finished a pink oval from a piece of tourmaline rough from Nigeria. It turned out to be one of the most fragile pinks I have cut. And this is from a location that has produced very calm and … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Pink, Truth in Tourmaline
Tagged analysis, Nigeria, pink, round, tourmaline composition
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Appraising a book on appraising gemstones.
Just got back from a traditional bookstore that is now half toys and puzzles. I found a few cheap books and looked in the known locations for books on gemstones and minerals etc. And I found a new one which … Continue reading
Posted in Truth in Tourmaline
Tagged gemology, reference, tourmaline gemstones, truth in tourmaline
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Bi Color stability aways a question.
I just finished a darker blue/medium blue that came threw like a champ. It is only 5mm wide and about twice that in length. I had to cut down a much longer crystal to just get the area of the … Continue reading
Another deep round in pink , down home goodness for the holidays.
It is always nice to sit down at least once during the holiday seasons to the smells and cheer of a familiar home cooked meal with family. Recently I have been cutting some smaller and unusual tourmalines that have pushed … Continue reading
More tsaisite in my life?
Just finished a small, about 1/2 carat, oval from a sliver that my friend said was purported to tsaisite. (1/04/2014) It is the yellow that the trade has come to call tsaisite , but as I have posted before it … Continue reading
Sea Foam, the neon look, Afghanistan and Paraiba like from Mozambique
The events in the following post really happen yesterday (01/003/2014. The point of the post has been brought up many times, but I still think it needs to be reinforced because it could cost you money. I have cut a … Continue reading
A dynamic tidal basin of color, yellow, orange, brown, purple, pink round
It is nice to finish a smaller standard round brilliant of 1.75 carats without having anything to pull my hair out for. The stone is probably rich in manganese of different valence states and high manganese can lead to a … Continue reading
A round of watermelon with a lesson.
They say that the third try is a charm and so I am ready to tell a charming story. It is about a most peculiar type of tourmaline that has a watermelon distribution of color. It has a central core … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Orange, Polishing Tourmaline
Tagged cutting tourmaline, orange, polishing tourmaline
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Dissecting a Dravite Hot Off the Lap.
I am continually amazed by the variety of dynamic colors in tourmaline. And shifts in color than can make a less desirable color in gemstone still blaze with a unique statement. And a unique tourmaline certainly gets my attention. The … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Dravite, Orange
Tagged brown, brown-orange, cutting tourmaline, dichroic, dravite, mahogany, orange
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Golden eye in an Orange Circle of Flash
It is always nice to get a delightful surprise and when it turns out to be a great new tourmaline, than that merits a post of progress with the collection. The piece of rough I gotten from a friend did … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Dravite, Orange
Tagged cutting tourmaline, dravite, orange
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My little emeralds (tourmaline), no, not chrome this time.
I just finished two beautiful green tourmaline, one shield cut and the other a standard round brilliant. (12/11/2013) that are different enough to build a post. Each gem was cut from a different alluvial pebble that had significant inclusions. The … Continue reading
I wouldn’t call this anything, but mahogany or maybe golden brown, oval#299
Brown was suppose to be brown and then I got into mahogany. Now I am seeing storage boxes with golden brown on the back and I see the most wonder rich sultry mahogany under my yellowish florescent light. I check … Continue reading
A medium tone level brown to brownish orange oval.#298
This oval has a normal depth and lighter medium tone level than most of the dravites in this tray. It goes more orange brown from brown in my yellowish light, but it doesn’t reach beyond a rather watery presences. It … Continue reading
Golden brown to brownish orange either way it is still beautiful. oval#297
This long ratio oval is cut as shallow as the pavilion can be made with good optics and with a respectable crown. Its color slides around brown and can be golden or quite orange, but still a dravite. It appears … Continue reading
Posted in Dravite, Orange
Tagged brown-orange, dravite, golden-brown, orange, orange-brown
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One tall order of pure peach pink delight. oval.#296
When an oval is as deep as this gemstone is, you get pulled right down into its flashy depths. And this is no tall tale either. The proof is in looking at the pavilion and seeing a “super nova” cut … Continue reading
It has never been prettier riding the edge of red, oval.#295
This oval has a rather self effacing personality. She has too high a tone level, with its reddish implications, to be a hot pink and not quite enough size or tone level to be a red. Still she rides the … Continue reading
Darker pink with a touch of purple, oval.#294
This nice sized, medium plus tone level, pink has a purple wash. It is slightly included in the pavilion, next to the girdle. The inclusion does not flash and with this ovals rich tone level, I can not see it … Continue reading
Big Red is my name, Red is my game, Nigerian Rubellite Oval.#292
I will give you a hint. This large, 9.98 carat medium dark oval is red. It originated in Nigeria and made a trip to South Africa before showing up in Mars. Never needing to offer itself on the inter net, … Continue reading
A golden dichroic oval that is eye candy.#290
I like bright medium gold, like this oval has, in the tray.  It doesn’t need bright light or even being that awake to pick it out and appreciate it. This oval has a significant amount of dichroism. The paler … Continue reading
A tourmaline for those who like chocolate diamonds, oval#288
Now I haven’t looked at a large number of “chocolate” diamonds, but this dark flash driven golden brown beauty seems to fill the bill for me. The oval appears to be eye clean and with its table, cut perpendicular to … Continue reading
Mixing yellow and pink for a peach oval.#287
This oval has a tender balance of color that I like to call dynamic. Depending on the light some tourmalines certainly shift and even change color. I think that it has not gotten the big play that Alexandrite gets is … Continue reading
The steam has been building and this is a hot pink oval.#286
This hot pink oval is in the zone and ready to grab you eye. It appears to be eye clean and has fine crystal. It is probably was part of a terminus since I see some parallel banding, when I … Continue reading
A classic Rubellite, inclusions and all.#285
This oval is a pure Rubellite, a treasure trade name for truly red tourmaline. It has the inclusions, which in this case make little difference in the appearance of the gemstone. It has the dark tone level, but in this … Continue reading
Medium dark tone level pink with a touch of purple, oval.#284
This oval appears to be very slightly included. Again the inclusion have no effect on the beauty of the gemstone. It has fine crystal, but its medium dark tone level and touch of purple moderates the stone’s flash. It is … Continue reading
This slightly included oval is in the red and doing well.#283
This is a great red tourmaline. It has the color and still has a medium dark tone level that is not too dense to flash and sparkle. This is nice and rare, Between the flash and the medium dark tone … Continue reading
A medium toned purple with significant flaws.#281
This standard round brilliant is typical of the type of cuprian tourmaline that became available after the world was introduced to its beauty. About half of it is clean and flashy while the rest is so included that it obstructs … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Etc.
Tagged cuprian, medium, Mozambique, outstanding, purple
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Dichroic orangish pink oval with a bright clean look.#280
This is a nice bright flashy oval that is some combination of pink and orange. It is not dominated by brown and appears to be eye clean. The dichroism shows up as slightly darker ends, but is not that important … Continue reading
Brown did you hear me, I said brown, but not dull, oval.#279
I think this good sized oval is one of only two gemstones in the collection that deserves to be just called brown. It is obviously dichroic with its table being cut perpendicular to the principle axis (c). The a/b axis … Continue reading
Desatured orange I call mahogany, oval.#278
I usually don’t go too far over the edge when it comes to naming tourmaline’s colors and I have brown on this stone’s storage box, but the gem is too nice for such a bland term. This desaturated brownish orange … Continue reading
Dichroic orangish pink oval#277
This oval has darker ends and is obviously cut from dichroic material. Still the medium tone level does permit any problems with flash. The pink tends to dominate the richer toned ends while the orange tends to dominate the middle. … Continue reading
peach and pink with a dark modifier oval.#276
I guess because of the complexity of generating orange in tourmaline, nature has produced many desaturated hybrids that are not particularly attractive. I have been told that titanium is the cause of many of the less than desirable shades with … Continue reading
This oval is a bit of a raspberry, but not a thorn in my side.#275
Pink to red in tourmaline comes in the full array of shades probably only matched by lipstick colors. I hope to use my spectrometer to get a better understanding of its nuances. This darker, raspberry pink has just a touch … Continue reading
Dichroic medium toned pink with purple enrichment, oval#274
This pink is more complex than the average highly saturated pink gem. Its purple shade both darkens it and makes the color more dynamic. The ovals medium plus tone level and touch of purple reduces the flash level to a … Continue reading
Medium light pastel pink with great transparency, oval#273
The radiating flash of this nice pink oval seems to be very far from the table due to the gems great transparency. The gem has a medium light tone level and the pink might have just a speck of peach … Continue reading
A pink with the brawn to make a statement oval.#272
This moderately toned pure pink oval has a slightly flatter crown than usual. This makes a greetings that draws you into a wonderfully flashy and pure well of color. And for those lovers of tourmaline and those who would like … Continue reading
Copper and Manganese made a Lady of Her, round#271
I am not a great believer in luck, but there are times when you’re game plan works out. My game plan with the collection was not to secure the best investments or even the prettiest tourmaline, but to chase color. … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Etc., Laurellite
Tagged color change, cuprian, laurellite, lavender, Mozambique, outstanding, pastel, personal story, purple
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Eye candy alert, orange tang on the menu, oval beauty.#270
Some colors do not need much to get me going. Orange is one of them. An influential tourmaline expert once wrote that he questioned whether orange was a naturally occurring color in tourmaline.  It certainly has not been a big … Continue reading
A bit of a brown shade on this richer golden oval.#269
This golden oval is a rich medium color with a wash or two of brown on it. Still it is not dominated by brown, but I would call it a dravite. It appears to be eye clean and with fine … Continue reading
Brown, long ratio oval, table perpendicular to principle axis. cuprain #268
I like this oval’s color. It is the closest to a pure brown in the collection. I does approach brown from the yellow side, but it has no pretenses of having a fancy name. It has a nice even color, … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Dravite, Etc., Orange
Tagged brown-orange, cuprian, dravite, orange, oval, unique
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More gold in them thar hills, slightly included oval.#267
I am impress with the level of saturation of the gold in this oval. Not a touch of brown or green anywhere to be seen.  It is slightly included, but is still a bright sparkling gemstone. It does not … Continue reading
Slightly included oval of medium toned pink glory.#266
This oval has a well saturate pink color in a medium tone level. It is slightly included without damage to the beauty of the gem. Its brightness is definitely above the normal, but not quite hot, but I am pretty … Continue reading
Nice sized oval in a fine medium tone level pink.#265
After looking at pink after pink because of the way my son organized about half the trays in the collection, it is surprising to think how rare a fine pink is in the world of gemstones. Put that on top … Continue reading
A pink oval with a touch of purple punch.#264
This bright sharp pink oval looses nothing from its touch of purple. I realize that violet overtones in pink tourmaline is not as highly esteemed as the pure pinks, but I like the little bit of different look. The oval … Continue reading
A shield cut with whole wheat goodness.#263
Wheat is a good word to describe a pastel, slightly brownish, yellowish, peach color because it covers such a large range of colors and sounds nutritious. This large shield cut is certainly tasty. It is not dichroic at all and … Continue reading
Medium pastel pink round that can carry its weight.#262
I really like my lightly toned pastel tourmalines. They aren’t expected from tourmaline and I love to surprise people with their beauty. But they must be kept clean in jewelery because they can not carry the piece by their color … Continue reading
Hot red round with a flatter crown.#261
Some stones I have cut are certainly more memorable than others. This one grabs my eye every time I look at this tray so it is easy not to forget the compromise I made in cutting it. Two thirds of … Continue reading
A deeper richer golden yellow oval that demands respect.#260
This golden oval is a darker breed of golden yellow, but it is still very open with its medium tone level. It is not dominated by drown and I would still not call it a dravite, but I am sure … Continue reading
Simply a great sparkling golden oval.#259
This stone will not brook with anything to do with color shifting or changing. It has a pure 24 karat, golden heart. It also appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. Since it does not have even a … Continue reading
Golden brown shaded with orange oval.#258
This oval has a flatter crown and a nice open look. Looking into it gives a fine flashy view that appears to be eye clean. There is enough red in the golden brown that it drifts toward orange, which probably … Continue reading
Light toned pastel peach oval.#257
This oval has a lightly toned pastel peach color that is stable. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. Nice properties lead to a bright flashy gemstone. It weighs .82 carats. Bruce
Medium toned purple pink that shifts to orange pink droplet of color.#255
Don’t pigeonhole me cried the purple pink to orange pink with a desire to be a red droplet of color. The effort to attain individual attention and independence continues in the ranks of the orange red tribe. They have become … Continue reading
Posted in Pink
Tagged color-shift, droplet-of-color, medium, orange-pink, pink, purple-pink
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Pastel baby pink, sharp oval.#256
This pink oval appears to be eye clean and could not have a better, sharper crystal like appearance. It has a light tone level and weighs 1.34 carats. Bruce
A fine medium light oval with three rows of steps.#254
It takes a bit of effect to climb the three rows of steps that lead up to the table on this larger oval. But went you get there, you see a great pool of pink with just a little scatter … Continue reading
Nice oval with fine properties for a middle of the road pink.#253
Out side of a somewhat flatter crown, this oval is straight down the pink runway. When it landed, it came out eye clean and with a fine sharp look. It weighs1.10 carats. Bruce
Another peach to pink mascaraed, sliding color, round.#252
I ran into many more blue to green sliders in the collection than I ever expected, but the variety that is really spooking me is the unstable pink/red to peach/orange. This is another gemstone that does not agree with the … Continue reading
Peachy pink and ready to roll, round.#251
This one of those troopers that never expects to be notice, but it is a little joy. It is mostly pink with a touch of peach, but the main interest in the stone is its sharp, high quality crystal look. … Continue reading
Gold to Green color changer, Dravite the species oval.#300
In my opinion this is a true color changer. I have run into a few on the inter net, but this is the only one in the collection. I did not realize that I had a another type of color … Continue reading
A fine orange round that is lightly toasted and brilliantly brewed.#950
Need new picture This orange standard round brilliant has an impressive substantial look to it. This is not a watery drink filled with sugar, but a brew that deserved to be sipped. You can see right to the bottom of … Continue reading
An exceptional, red purple emerald cut with punch.#949
I have not been particularly enamored with many of the purple reds that I have seen. The purple cast seems to produce an overly dark tone level that limits flash. Well this emerald cut stands above all that. It is … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Rubellite
Tagged emerald cut, Nigeria, outstanding, red, red-purple, rubellite
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Deeply cut, brilliant, medium pink round.#948
This is a beautiful gemstone. It appears to be eye clean and has exceptional clarity. I cut it with horizontally split mains on the pavilion that both darkens its medium tone level and produces a nice flash. This pink is … Continue reading
Significantly included, Laurellite, cuprian, round, Mozambique#947
This standard round brilliant has a nice purple color in daylight, but its flash is significantly lessened by it feathers. I say daylight with the purple, because it is a Laurellite. Laurellite is a name I gave to a new … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Etc., Laurellite
Tagged blue-purple, bruce fry discovery, color change, cuprian, laurellite, Mozambique, purple, round
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Great blue pink bicolor from Afghanistan.#947
This emerald cut is a beautiful gemstone. It has a body that is a little over half pink with the remainder blue. Both pastel colors have a great medium light tone value.  It appears to be eye clean and of … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Etc.
Tagged afghan, bicolor, blue, emerald cut, outstanding, pastel, pink
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Included, Oval, Laurellite, Cuprian, Elbaite from Mozambique.#945
This oval was actually the first Laurellite that I cut. It is not as colorful as her sister #944, since her color change goes from purple to more of a grayed blue, but she set me up to take action … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Etc., Laurellite
Tagged blue-purple, bruce fry discovery, color change, cuprian, laurellite, Mozambique, oval, personal story, purple
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Mahogany, brown orange, droplet of color.#940
Now what is in a name. Too much I am afraid. This standard round brilliant is a pretty gemstone. It appears to be eye clean and has fine crystal. Its medium dark tone value still permits the stone to be … Continue reading
Posted in Dravite, Droplets of Color, Orange
Tagged brown-orange, dravite, droplet-of-color, mahogany
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Bright slightly included baby pink round Afghanistan#746
This is a nice round with a medium toned baby pink color. It is slightly included and weighs. .68 carats. It came from Afghanistan. Bruce
Bright pastel baby pink round. Afghanistan.#741
This bright baby pink round is slightly included. It came from Afghanistan and has fine crystal. It weighs .86 carats. Bruce
Achroite it is by a hair, oval.#740
Voting on whether an almost colorless tourmaline is an Achroite of just a member of the IceT group can get political. This very nice eye clean oval might just have enough to be a very very weak wheat, but the … Continue reading
Lightly tone baby pink round from Afghanistan#739
This round is slightly included and comes from Afghanistan. It is bright and sparkly. The lightly tone baby pink is very nice. It weighs .89 carats. Bruce
Slightly included baby pink round, Afghanistan#738
Nice sharp and bright slightly included baby pink round. It came in a lot from Afghanistan and I have cut quite a few of them. They work well in jewelery as long as you keep them clean. It weighs .91 … Continue reading
Slightly included non dichroic blue green oval#737
This is a very nice and rather different blue green oval. It has a medium tone level and has a uniform color and tone level because it is not dichroic. It is slightly included beside the girdle, which has no … Continue reading
This is a bright flashy pastel orange or peach oval#236
This is a beautiful pastel orange that I call peach. It has a richer medium tone level than many peaches. The oval has a longer ratio and appears to be eye clean. It appears to be eye clean and has … Continue reading
Eye clean pale blue round from Afghanistan.#735
This round is one of the better blue pieces that I got in a lot I bought from Afghanistan. It is not only visibly blue, which is better than most of the blue halves of bicolors that broke apart, but … Continue reading
lightly toned baby pink tourmaline round, Afghanistan#734
This baby pink round is slightly included. Its light tone value makes a bright sparkly gemstone. It is from Afghanistan and weighs 1.03 carats. Bruce
Lightly toned baby pink, slightly included round, Afghanistan.#733
The rough for this round came from Afghanistan in a lot I purchased years ago. It started out as part of bicolors that broke apart and I also got some very pale blue/achroite pieces in the same lot. This slightly … Continue reading
Lightly toned, baby pink, included round#732
This is a very nice piece of baby pink tourmaline from Afghanistan. It is very flashy and came in a lot with many other pink and pale blue pieces of rough that use to be bicolors, but broke apart. This … Continue reading
A yellow green bi color that appears to be eye clean, emerald cut.#450
I love this stone. It is a wonderfully subtle, but effective mixture of about 2/3 medium toned green and 1/3 quite pale yellow. It is as bright as an emerald cut can be with superior crystal and the complete lack … Continue reading
Flawed, medium light, non dichroic, pastel blue green emerald cut.#449
This is a nice sized emerald cut that is not dichroic and has a medium light tone level. It has fine crystal, but a couple of residual radial flaws spoil the stone clean flashy look. When I see this amount … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, emerald cut, green, non-dichroic, pastel, verdelite
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Green IceT all around for this highly transparent emerald cut.#448
This pale green emerald cut is not dichroic and without any problems with its cleanliness or crystal. I would honestly think this was a beryl or maybe even a greened quartz before I would guess a tourmaline. With successful polishing … Continue reading
Hexagonal cut, lightly tone level, vegetable juice green#447
I have seen a light tone and this rather flat green before and I have shied away from calling it a vegetable juice green, but this stone color is filled with the juice, in my mind. I tried to bring … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged celery juice, green, hexagonal cut, light green, verdelite
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An eye opening golden green emerald cut.#445
I knew there was something “funny” with this emerald cut as soon as I focused on it. It has golden green on the storage box, but color was not that big a deal with this mostly green emerald cut. I … Continue reading
This is a GEM, exceptional gemstone, sea foam, emerald cut.#444
Now I knew that this was an exceptional gem, but it was in a different tray than the other sea foams, so I never really compare it with them. Now, thanks to this effort in posting (2013), I have all … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Verdelite
Tagged afghan, emerald cut, green, outstanding, seafoam, verdelite
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closed ended with poorer crystal, flash driven blue emerald cut.#443
The emerald cut is an Indicolite, because its blue flash does not drift toward green. It has decent flash that seems to be inhibited by poorer quality crystal. Having closed and steeply cut ends doesn’t really effect the stone. It … Continue reading
Well saturated, medium dark tone level, blue green emerald cut, Namibia#441
This solid, established member of the tourmaline community appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. The emerald cut has steeply cut ends because they are closed. Its well saturated, medium dark tone level, blue green color does shift … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, color-shift, emerald cut, green, medium dark, Namibia, verdelite
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Open ended medium tones blue green emerald cut.#440
This is the type of emerald cut that is not rare in the collection. It probably came from Afghanistan and is very pretty without being overtly flashy. It is completely open and is probably eye clean. There really is nothing … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged afghan, blue-green, dichroic, emerald cut, green, medium green, open-c, verdelite
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Bright, medium tone, pastel blue green emerald cut.#439
This emerald cut is only slight dichroic and has a nice, evenly bright, medium pastel blue green color. It appears to be eye clean and has fine crystal. Even with all of this going for it, the stone is fine, … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, emerald cut, green, medium green, pastel, verdelite
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A very bright, non dichroic, medium toned, emerald cut. cuprian.#438
This pastel green with a touch of blue, emerald cut stands out in the tray of green emerald cuts. It has a great medium tone and a very bright eye clean look. I discovered that this gemstone has copper in … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, cuprian, emerald cut, green, Mozambique, non-dichroic, pastel, verdlite
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Golden green, olive medium plus tone level emerald cut.#437
This closed ended emerald cut has a nice medium plus tone level. Its color is golden green on the storage box, but I would probably call it an olive green. It appears to be eye clean and have fine crystal. … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged bronze, emerald cut, golden green, green, olive green, open-c, verdelite
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Rather dull yellow green closed ended emerald cut.#436
This stocky emerald cut has closed ends, but has a good amount of flash. In the daylight its color definitely has a bronze, brownish cast in the medium dark plus toned, yellow green color. But this is a gemstone that … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged bronze, closed-c emerald cut, color-shift, green, verdelite, yellow-green
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Smaller emerald cut with dichroic green and yellow green color.#434
This emerald cut has normal angles and an open yellowish green c axis. The a/b axis is a medium green and the overall tone level is moderate. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. It came from … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged dichroic, emerald cut, green, Mozambique, open-c, verdelite, yellow-green
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Semi open ends with a flatter crown, green emerald cut.#433
This stone appears to be open on the ends and I cut it with the normal angles. Still the c axis ends lack the expected transparency. The flatter crown gives the stone a wide open look. It appears to be … Continue reading
Completely open, bright blue green emerald cut, Afghanistan#432
This is another winner from Afghanistan. Its yellower c axis sparkles in the end and the bluer a/b axis dichroic color makes for a touchdown. As usual the stone has great transparency. It appears to be eye clean and weighs … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged afghan, blue-green, emerald cut, green, open-c, yellow-green
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Open ended bright, medium toned, green emerald cut, Mozambique#431
Looking at this bright medium toned emerald cut reminds me of my problem with propagating flaws in the green Mozambique material I got about ten years ago. This gemstone has a quite visible, residual, radial flaw flashing at me. I … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged dichroic, emerald cut, green, medium green, Mozambique, verdelite
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Straight lace blue with open ends, emerald cut.#530
Many of the blues that I have and love have either a rich sapphire blue look or sing of the tropical waters. This straight laced blue follows a more stalwart path to success. It does not play with green much … Continue reading
Bare dichroic, medium toned, slightly bronze, green emerald cut.#429
This emerald cut is oriented with the c axis and its bronze color across the stone rather than in the ends,like the vast majority of emerald cuts. Since the stone is barely dichroic in tone values, the bronze color and … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged bronze, dichroic, emerald cut, green, medium green, verdelite
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Barely dichroic, medium toned, blue modified green, emerald cut.#428
This emerald cut has a sophisticated green that plays a bit with blue. It is completely open and barely dichroic. Still it is not eye candy and it may have just a touch of gray to keep it in line. … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, dichroic, emerald cut, green, open-c, verdelite
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Open ended flashy emerald cut with a bit of olive in the color.#427
This is a nice smaller emerald cut with normal ends and a good amount of flash. The c axis is sort of a olive bronze that gives the stone a below average color. It does appear to be eye clean … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged bronze, dichroic, emerald cut, green, olive green, verdelite
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Beautiful completely open dichroic green emerald cut. Afghanistan#426
Now I love a great green in a closed ended, emerald cut, but when you see the true potential of green tourmaline in a completely open gemstone with mixing dichroic colors, it is big step up. Afghanistan again claims the … Continue reading
Semi closed ended, spicy green emerald cut#425
This spicy emerald cut with semi closed ends is pretty flashy for an emerald cut. It appears to be eye clean and have fine crystal. It has a medium tone level and weighs 1.24 carats. Bruce
Slightly included average green emerald cut with closed ends.#424
This smaller emerald cut is slightly included, but has fine crystal and is unaffected by the inclusion. It has closed ends and with steep angles. It has an average, medium dark tone level, green color and weighs 1.20 carats. Bruce
Average green, closed ended, emerald cut.#423
This gemstone is a middle of the road green emerald cut with closed ends. It appears to be eye clean and has nice crystal, but the color is not exceptional. It weighs 2.89 carats and has a medium dark tone … Continue reading
Hexagonal cut green tourmaline.#422
This gemstone was an experiment in cutting a “hexagonal cut” in a moderately toned, bluish green tourmaline. The shape of the gemstone and its crown are the same as an emerald cut, but the pavilion is angled toward a culet. … Continue reading
Great green, closed ended, medium dark, emerald cut.#421
This stocky emerald cut looks rather like an octagon with the corners cut off so much, because of the steep angles on the ends of the stone. But it seems to produce a great showing of this gems superior flash … Continue reading
Usambara effect, chrome chromophore, green emerald cut.#420
I will be posting more on the usambara effect in tourmaline, but I will focus more on this specific gemstone in this post. It is always a pleasure to discover something new about tourmaline and then to discover something unexpected … Continue reading
Posted in Dravite, Etc.
Tagged chrome, dravite, emerald cut, green, umbasara, unique
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Lightly included, pastel yellow washed with green, oval. cuprian#419
This is another gemstone that I did not buy as cuprian, but my spectroscope uncovered the proper absorption curves. It is very clean for a cuprian tourmaline from Mozambique, with only a very few light inclusions that do not effect … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Etc., Yellow
Tagged cuprian, green-yellow, Mozambique, oval, pastel, yellow
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Sharp crystal like clarity, green, closed ended emerald cut.#418
I stopped a moment to try and come with a better description of what this stone looks like (including other eye clean and well saturated greens.). Just saying that it is probably eye clean or with fine crystal doesn’t seem … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged closed-c, crystal, emerald cut, green, medium green, verdelite
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Very bright bronze and green, dichroic, emerald cut.#402
The posted stone, emerald cut, 1.13 carats. Older cut stone, round, .83 carats Same material. I like a stone like this very bright emerald cut. It has a very good green c axis color and a more muted bronze a/b … Continue reading
Closed ends with normal angles, green emerald cut.#415
This small emerald cut has normal angle even though it has closed ends. It does show darker areas at each end of the emerald cut and the flash is different. It still has a nice green flash and can be … Continue reading
Closed ended with classic yellowish green color, emerald cut.#414
This emerald cut is an excellent representative for its class of tourmaline. It has the following properties. 1, Strongly dichroic, with a closed c axis. 2, Well saturated slightly yellowish green a/b axis. 3, Cut with steep ends to minimize … Continue reading
Medium light tone, blue green color with significant flaw, emerald cut#412
This bright open blue green emerald cut has sparkle in the ends. It has a more shift in its color than the more common yellow greens which is pleasing. Unfortunately this gemstone appears to have failed and there is a … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged color-shift, emerald cut, green, open-c, verdelite, yellow-green
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Well saturated green with a touch of blue, closed ended, emerald cut.#411
If I was an emerald, I would want to look like this green with a touch of blue tourmaline. (like many synthetic emeralds). The tone level of medium dark along with being eye clean and with fine crystal blows many … Continue reading
Well saturate, eye clean, closed ended green emerald cut#406
This emerald cut is the best you can cut from the world of small highly dichroic green tourmaline crystal that nature has produced. It has the typical well saturated yellow green in a medium tone level, which is good for … Continue reading
Closed ends but a great green emerald cut.#410
This emerald cut has steeply cut ends, but that doesn’t stop the a/b color from being exceptional. Its beauty is helped by being eye clean and with fine crystal. It medium dark tone is very rich and smooth. It weighs … Continue reading
Small emerald cut saturate green color and open ends.#409
This is about as small as I have ever cut an emerald cut. It weighs .33 carats and is a dandy little open ended and well saturated green gem. It also appears to be eye clean. Bruce
Fine, medium toned, green emerald cut that is not visibly dichroic.#408
This is a beautiful, well saturated green emerald cut that is not visibly dichroic. It appears to be eye clean and with excellent crystal. Its completely open ends with the same color and tone values as the sides of the … Continue reading
Dichroic medium light yellow green emerald cut.#407
The ends of this emerald cut are a deeper yellow green, while the body of the gemstone is a medium toned green. It is a nice open gemstone that is only moderately dichroic. It weighs .60 carats. Bruce
Steeply cut ends on a well saturated green emerald cut.#406
The emerald cut has normal ends because it has open ends. Its well saturated green color is is bright and flashy. It appears to be eye clean and with great transparency. It weighs 1.20 carats. Bruce
Steep ends on a semi closed, well saturated, medium toned green emerald cut#405 cut.
This emerald cut has steeply cut ends because it has semi closed ends. Its well saturated medium tone a/b axis color is very nice. It weighs .72 carats. Bruce
Well saturated, eye clean, green emerald cut.#404
This green emerald cut has a well saturated color. It appears to be eye clean and has almost open ends which helps make it flashy. It weighs .64 carats. Bruce
Included green emerald cut with closed ends.#403
This face up visibly included green emerald has a nice clean color. It has a medium dark tone level with closed ends. It weighs 1.18 carats. Bruce
Snappy green classic green emerald cut with semi closed ends#402
This small emerald cut is quite flashy considering that its ends are semi closed. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. The medium toned, snappy green a/b axis is what really makes this gemstone. It weighs 1.13 … Continue reading
Almost square, completely open, green emerald cut, Afghanistan.#401
This is a beautiful almost square emerald cut from Afghanistan. Its medium tone level is a little high for sea foam, but it is in the same blue green family. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. … Continue reading
Included, medium light toned, blue green oval.#1200
This is the last of the four ovals that I cut from a large included piece of rough. I have written about cutting this stone on another post about cutting included rough, if you would like to read more about … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, cutting tourmaline, green, medium green, oval
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Peach pink, eye clean, oval#1199
This oval appears to be eye clean and has fine crystal. It medium light toned pink with a touch of peach color is bright and flashy. It weighs 1.48 carats. Bruce
Slight included, bright golden yellow, droplet of color.#1198
This standard round brilliant is slightly included, but still bright and flashy. It color is a joy and its body has very good transparency. It verges on to an orange in some lights. It weighs .74 carats and is a … Continue reading
Long ratio, narrow, blue emerald cut.#1197
This long ratio and slender emerald cut has closed ends. Still the long ratio minimizes the darkness and the stone has a medium toned blue flash. It appears to be eye clean and weighs .64 carats. Bruce
Spicy yellowish green medium plus tone level, emerald cut
The long ratio of this narrow emerald cut minimizes the closed ends and put forward a nice medium plus tone level of spicy green. It appears to be eye clean and weighs.1.32 carats. Bruce
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged closed-c, emerald cut, green, medium green, spicy, yellow-green
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Pink touched with orange droplet of color.#1195
This standard round brilliant appears to be eye clean. It is bright and flashy and has just a touch of orange in its pink world. It weighs 1.72 carats and is a fine addition to the droplets of color. Bruce
Bright medium light sea foam oval from Afghanistan.#1194
Sea foam is another color variety that will go out of my way to try and get as much out of it as I can. This small oval is too small to really get the full effect of the lightly … Continue reading
Small oval Namibian blue#1193
I don’t cut this small an oval very much anymore. For most colors a simple standard round brilliant and a ticket into the droplets of color is enough. But with a nice piece of Namibia blue, I go for the … Continue reading
Included purple oval with blue areas, Mozambique, cuprian#1192
This oval is pretty heavily included and the inclusions do effect its crystal quality and flash. Still it has the rare color purple and the added interest that it has blue areas in the gemstone.  This stone pushes the cleanliness … Continue reading
Nice medium toned slightly included emerald cut.#1191
This emerald cut is dichroic with semi closed ends. It has a good amount of flash, but is not eye clean. It has a slight radial feather that is on one side of the table, on the long side. The … Continue reading
Pale pink oval with frisky yellowish spot.#1188
This rough for this gemstone is from Nigeria and I have seen quite a bit of it. The body is a nice pink, but some faces of the crystal have a yellowish green layer on them that appears to have … Continue reading
Included, dichroic, medium dark green trilliant cut.#1187
Now I am not saying the I prefer included stones, to the pure joy of bright, flashing, eye clean perfection, but some inclusions don’t bother me as much as they use to. This trilliant has a great dichroic green. But … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, dichroic, green, trilliant, verdelite
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Longer ratio pink oval, with sleek look of three rows of steped facets crown#1186
Sometimes all the parts add up to more than any individual part is valued. This oval appears to be eye clean with fine crystal, nice medium pink color and a longer ratio cut with a crown of three rows of … Continue reading
Gray with blue flash round, Mozambique#1185
The purchase of the rough for this standard round brilliant shows a bit more discipline on my part than my earlier days. The dealer had gotten a lot of a tourmaline with a different color that is never stated. It … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Indicolite
Tagged blue, dark blue, gray-blue, indicolite, Mozambique
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Included, long ratio, bright blue green, medium toned, oval.#1184
This is one of the ovals that I cut from a large piece of included rough. This stone has a moderate amount of inclusions, but is still bright and flashy. I have posted about cutting this oval in a post … Continue reading
Really sharp pastel yellow oval has been claimed by the IceT group.#1183
It was a close call, but the official ruling is that this yellow is both free enough of green, to be just a pale yellow and at the same time an IceT pledge.  The stone has three rows of step … Continue reading
Baby pink is slightly included but sharp, droplet of color. Afghan.#1182
This is a nice example of baby pink this is slightly included, but with great crystal. It is well saturated and has broken the ranks of the droplets of color.  So another baby pink is crown with the droplets blessing. … Continue reading
Medium light tone blue green dot of color#1181
This blue green dot of color is bright and has a medium light tone. It wished that it was bigger at .20 carats. Bruce
Medium toned blue green dot of color#1180
This standard round brilliant is a very nice medium tone level, pastel blue green dot of color. It appears to be eye clean and bright and weighs .20 carats. Bruce
Chrome green dot of color#1178
This chrome tourmaline has a nice flash driven green color. It weighs .20 carats. Bruce
Blue green pastel dot of color.#1179
This standard round brilliant is a nice medium pastel dot of color. It is quite and bright and appears to be eye clean. It weighs .18 carats. Bruce
Chrome tourmaline, flash driven green round.#1177
This dark green dot of color has a flash driven green color. It is called chrome tourmaline despite the fact that it is probably colored by vanadium. It weighs .20 carats. Bruce
Dark green chrome dot of color.#1176
This dark green dot of color has some flash driven color. It is called chrome tourmaline despite the fact that it is probably colored by vanadium. This standard round brilliant weighs .17 carats. Bruce
Emerald green dot of color.#1175
This small standard round brilliant is cut from chrome tourmaline. It has a bit better tone values than the other five green dotes of color on the same tray. It weighs .20 carats. Bruce
Chrome green dot of color.#1174
This small dark green, but with good flash, round is called chrome tourmaline. It has a different feel to it than green Elbaite the most common form of green tourmaline. This dot of color weighs .16 carats. Bruce
Green dots before your eyes, chrome dots of color (6)#1173
Dark, but with a very nice flash driven emerald green color. This chrome tourmaline is one of six rounds that I cut from the last of a dealers inventory. Chrome tourmaline has a different presence than green Elbaite and you … Continue reading
Included medium toned pastel blue green oval.#1172
This is one of four ovals that I cut from a large included piece of rough.  I describe the work in another post that discusses the cutting of included rough. I hope that you would read that for more details … Continue reading
Included medium toned pastel blue green oval.#1171
This oval was cut along with three other ovals from a large piece of included rough. I have gone into quite a bit of detail about their cutting in a post discussing cutting included rough. So I would see that … Continue reading
Lightly toned, icy blue and eye clean droplet of color.#1170
This is one cool stone of icy blue without a gray cast. It appears to be eye clean and of fine crystal. I think that few people would think that it is an indicolite because it not dichroic in the … Continue reading
Fully open, slightly dichroic, spring green emerald cut.#1169
Over the years of cutting green tourmaline with every degree of darkness down the c axis, I have really come to appreciate an emerald cut like this one. It is slightly dichroic, but the c axis is wide open and … Continue reading
Really a tourmaline? Purple green bicolor, round.#1168
First of all, cutting a round out of a bicolor is not the “normal” way of bring the best out it. But the rough was unbalanced and so stubby that to cut an emerald cut would not show the colors … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Etc.
Tagged bicolor, green, horizontal split mains, purple, unique
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Another round of blue from Namibia for everyone, dot of color.#1166
This is a pretty little blue standard round brilliant. It appears to be eye clean and came from Namibia in a lot that proved to be unstable. The dot of color has a medium tone level and weighs .27 carats. … Continue reading
Achroic, colorless round from Afghanistan#1167
This standard round brilliant is colorless and without inclusions. It came from Afghanistan and really does produce some of the purest tourmaline in the world. The biggest draw back to colorless tourmaline, as a gemstone, is its lack of dispersion, … Continue reading
A bright tang orange trilliant with zoning.#1165
This bright orange trilliant with a crown made with two rows of step cuts, looks like it was cut from a terminus because of its triangular zoning. It has a great bright tang orange without brown overtones. It is a … Continue reading
Included and flawed, but still a laurellite, cuprian, Mozambique#1164
The list of problems in the title makes this stone sound worse than it looks. The flaws are not under the table and the inclusion/poor crystal is not bad enough to stop the standard round brilliant from flashing. So this … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Laurellite
Tagged color change, cuprian, laurellite, Mozambique, purple
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Another blue dot special from Namibia#1163
If you can keep dots of color on the dop stick, they can be fun to cut. I went to a diamond dopping wax years ago, that is just about pure shellac and have never regretted it. I now use … Continue reading
Exceptional Rubellite Unique to the Collection Round.#1162
Deeply cut bicolor, colorless crown, red pavilion, 6.60 carats. Nice longer ratio emerald cut with bright red c axis, 4.51 carats This is a GEM, an exceptional gemstone. It has everything including a secret. But first a question. How do … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Etc., Rubellite
Tagged colorless, horizontal split mains, outstanding, red, rubellite
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Deeply cut round with a sparkling yellow green glow#1161
This is a pretty little gemstone. The split horizontal mains on the pavilion of this eye clean round give an added bunch to the great medium toned yellow green color. As usual this yellow green seem particularly bright when compared … Continue reading
Pink center and blue ends makes a different oval.#1160
A unique gemstone in this collection must have a interesting story. I cut away a good part of this oval’s story, when I preformed this oval. It had been a rather flat section of a watermelon tourmaline with a pastel … Continue reading
Closed ends does not make a dull green tourmaline, emerald cut#1159
This emerald cut is alive with nice flashes of classic yellow green color. It does have completely closed ends, and is cut with steep ends, but it never was too dark or dull. It appears to be eye clean and … Continue reading
An included round from the sea.#1158
This is an old stone that is so included that it sat away from the collection for years. Still when I was getting the collection in order for this website and photography, I looked it over again. And I still … Continue reading
Dichroic, but open ended snappy green emerald cut.#1157
This emerald cut has a little less than a medium tone level to set off a yellowish green to bluish green, flashy, color. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. It is only mildly dichroic and has … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, color-shift, dichroic, emerald cut, green, verdelite, yellow-green
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Long ratio oval in peach.#1156
This long ratio oval has that modern look of three rows of step cut facets on the crown. It appears to be eye clean and have fine crystal. Its pastel peachy color is quite pale and drifts into straw in … Continue reading
A Namibian blue reaching to be a droplet of color.#1154
My principle dealer out of Africa usually does not offer individual tourmalines that are less than 5 carats in size. Â He offers the smaller material in lots. Â The posted bright blue that is going to be just big enough to … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, Namibia
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Small, closed ended, blue to blue green emerald cut.#1153
This is a pretty emerald cut that has a very nice medium dark toned blue to blue green color. Â It has closed ends and steep angles on the ends. Â It weighs .72 carats. Â It appears to be eye clean. Bruce
A black that is dark green emerald cut.#1152
This is a stone from the old days that I decided to store with the collection. Â Then thinking about it, if I want as broad a sample of color/intensity/tone as I can get, I should include it as a permanent … Continue reading
Part of the lot of Namibia blue dots of color#1151
Small rounds are fun to cut, but you work for what you get. Â There are not too many colors that I would push a round down this small, but a great medium toned blue, like this dot of color, is … Continue reading
Moderate pale green droplet of color from Brazil#1150
This standard round brilliant is moderately included. Its minty green body produces a reasonable amount of flash. I bought the rough in a lot from Brazil and it was some of the first material I cut, when I was getting … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged Brazil, droplet-of-color, green, mint, pale, verdelite
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Included peach pink droplet of color, Brazil#1149
This round was not permitted into the collection for many years because of its heavy inclusions. I had purchased the rough from Brazil when I started cutting again and loved the color, but couldn’t really cut a clean stone. The … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Pink
Tagged Brazil, color-shift, droplet-of-color, peach, pink
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Best blue in the house goes to Namibia, droplet of color#1148
Now it is the policy of the house is that the judging of color be done without regard to size, cleanliness or country of origin. This standard round brilliant won the coveted title of best blue on its own merits. … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Etc., Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, Namibia, outstanding
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Moderately included spring green droplet of color.#1147
This standard round brilliant has a nice , spring green, look despite its moderate inclusions. Its medium tone level is much in demand with the droplets of color. It weighs 1.36 carats. Bruce
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, spring green, verdelite, yellow-green
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Namibian blue dot of color.#1146
Another fine stable blue from Namibia that is a dot of color. It appears to be eye clean, but may not be stable enough to set. It weighs .35 carats. Bruce
Long ratio, semi closed ends, spicy green emerald cut.#1145
I went to college in Colorado in the late sixties from New Jersey. Besides being introduced to many delicacies of western fare, I ran into Mexican food for the first time. When I asked my “friends” which salsa I should … Continue reading
Rolling in dots of blue Namibian tourmaline.#1144
Namibia gets my vote for blue in tourmaline. It may not have the neon look of Paraiba, but I keep finding room in my collection for it. This dot of color is bright blue and stays blue even in my … Continue reading
Open ended and medium toned, green emerald cut.#1143
This emerald cut appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. It has open ends and a fine medium tone level. It green color is interesting as it is a bit different than most green tourmaline. Just another example … Continue reading
Heavily included pale green emerald cut. Brazil#1142
When I first got back into faceting after a long hiatus, I bought mostly small sized, inexpensive, cutting rough, much of which was junk. The lot that the posted gemstone came from was Brazilian and had tourmaline with three distinctly … Continue reading
Slightly included pastel golden orange emerald cut.#1140
This tourmaline looks a lot like a topaz I cut years ago. The emerald cut has a nice medium light tone level with darker, but not closed ends. It flash very nicely and is only slightly included. And the color … Continue reading
Blue toward green color shifter, closed ended, emerald cut.#1139
This longer ratio emerald cut is blue in day light, but makes a strong sift toward green in my yellowish light. It appears to be eye clean and has good crystal. It dark tone level and closed ends makes the … Continue reading
Posted in Indicolite
Tagged blue, closed-c, color-shift, emerald cut, green-blue, indicolite
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Great blue green with a few visible growth tubes oval.#1138
I really like this medium plus tone level of bright blue green color. The gemstone has one fault. There are a few quite visible growth tubes deep in the culet that parallel the sides of the oval. I remember thinking … Continue reading
Included pale gray oval#1137
This gemstone is just another little step to cover the world of color in tourmaline. Its pale gray color is rich enough to keep it from being achroite, but doesn’t give it much life. It is noticeably include in one … Continue reading
Darkly toned, dichroic blue green oval.#1136
The ends of this long ratio oval are darker than the middle of the oval because it is dichroic. Both colors work together well and are nice shades of blue green. The gemstone has a number of faint inclusion and … Continue reading
Included, rich, hot pink, oval#1135
This is a great piece of eye candy. This oval is hot and even if a bit more than the hoped for level inclusion are there, they just do not come threw the rich pink flash. It is surprising that … Continue reading
Pure tourmaline magic, Blue capped pink bodied round.#1134
Blue cap round from face up. Blue cap round, more from the side. I set out to cut a different stone from a different piece of rough this time. Blue capped tourmaline crystals are some of the most beautiful and … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Cutting Tourmaline
Tagged bicolor, blue, cutting tourmaline, horizontal split mains, pink, unique
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Medium toned, blue green, dichroic gemstone is a droplet of color.#1133
This standard round brilliant has an interest mixture of the two dichroic colors of blue green and yellow green. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. It weighs .54 carats and is a droplet of color. Bruce.
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, dichroic, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite, yellow-green
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Dark blue with limited flash blue dot of color.#1132
This dot of color is as small as I have cut them. It has a rich blue color, but seems to suffer from a lack of transparency that I have seen in other blues. Still with its small size of … Continue reading
Included pink dot of color.#1131
This standard round brilliant is included. It has a nice medium toned pink color that is enough to be a dot of color. It weighs .26 carats. Bruce
Another unstable pink peach oval has been sighted.#1130
Even before I set up my yellowish light and let the natural light into where I am posting, pinks, peaches, reds and oranges have been betraying me. I examine them after they have been cleaned and placed in their storage … Continue reading
Add two thirds pink and one third gray together and you get a nice bicolor.#1129
This emerald cut is pure tourmaline in its bicolor nature. About two thirds of the length of the long ratio emerald cut is a nicely saturated, medium toned pink and the rest is a balancing patch of gray. It makes … Continue reading
Something different for my last bit of strawberry, round.#1128
One advantage of practically running out of rough to cut, is the discovery of stray bits of past accomplishments with the interest and time to cut them. This small round is NOT a standard round brilliant. The stray bit of … Continue reading
Included, medium toned, blue dot of color.#1127
Sometimes I can tell when a stone has been a real problem and this is one of them. It is pretty included and such a small size that i am sure that its destiny did not start out that way. … Continue reading
How many Namibian blues does it take to make a lot, as many as I can get#1126
I think that doing all the posts for my new web site has caused me to reflect on some of my purchases. I seem to have a selective memory or lack of it, when it comes to how many small … Continue reading
A nice medium toned green dot.#1125
Now what does it take to be a fine dot of color besides a determinative size? The rich enough tone level to be seen and a fine color. This standard round brilliant has both and has been accepted. ( Since … Continue reading
Summing up the parts, beautiful yellow green shield cut.#1124
With all the difficulty and expense of getting natural tourmaline rough, it makes me wonder sometimes why I just don’t cut synthetic. I don’t believe in any mystical force of nature or the healing power of natural gemstones, but I … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Verdelite
Tagged green, outstanding, shield, verdelite, yellow-green
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Another winner, pale yellow green, deep round.#1122
I feel a growing acceptance of a new force in the round world. It the tourmaline rough meets the following criteria, it may end up being cut with a split horizontal main pavilion and a modified step cut crown. 1, … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged green, horizontal split mains, pale, verdelite, yellow-green
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Slightly include hotter pink oval#1121
This medium toned pink oval is hotter than most, but I would not call it a hot pink. It is lightly included which is typical of tourmaline in the hotter richer pink range. It is still a bright flashy gemstone … Continue reading
Medium toned blue, dot of color, Namibia#1120
This is a pretty medium toned blue standard round brilliant. It is from Namibia and makes a fine dot of color, It weighs .22 carats. Bruce
Classic blue green emerald cut tourmaline.#1118
There, I have brought up the fact,in the title, that this beauty which screams tourmaline when you look at it, is a tourmaline. I think you may have been surprised by the world of color in tourmaline as you brows … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Polishing Tourmaline, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, emerald cut, green, outstanding, polishing tourmaline
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Lavender without copper, grayed and slightly included, emerald cut.#1117
I love purples derived from copper and manganese in tourmaline, but I never wanted them to be my whole purple world. Therefor I have set sail many times on the quest for any purple with a challenge, are you out … Continue reading
Peach with a pink shadow, dichroic emerald cut.#1116
This is a classic tourmaline gem. An emerald cut with richer ends and a blend of two colors peach and pink. I confess that I would cut emerald cuts even if the rough wasn’t ideally suited for them, at times, … Continue reading
Namibian blue, classic dot of color.#1115
There are not many colors that I would cut in such a small round anymore. But I go the extra mile with a great Namibian blue. A combination of medium tone levels and great transparency helps my beloved blue, just … Continue reading
Medium light toned, two step on the crown, oval.#1114
This middle of the road pink oval does have a bit of a modern twist. It has two rows of steps for the crown. I have begun to cut more of these because they have been well received. It is … Continue reading
This pastel oval is in the pink and should be babied.#1113
This medium lightly toned baby pink oval is a nice size. It appears to be eye clean and has fine crystal. Now all this could indicate a gemstone from Afghanistan or Nigeria, but that can not be proven by its … Continue reading
Deeply cut medium pastel green round.#1111
This delightful gemstone owes much of its interest to the increased depth and bright flash created by a different cut, than the standard round brilliant. This cut consists of eight horizontally split mains for a pavilion and a modified two … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Verdelite
Tagged cutting tourmaline, green, horizontal split mains, pastel
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Darker blue green round with reasonable flash. Droplet of color to be.#1110
This standard round brilliant appears to be eye clean and has reasonable flash for a darker gemstone. One that likes the sun and an intimate glance. The blue green components of the stones hue are well balanced. It weighs .86 … Continue reading
Eye clean and hot enough to flash, round.#1109
This very flashy standard round brilliant has a nice pink color that is pretty hot in my yellowish light, but calms down a bit in the light of a new day. It appears to be eye clean and without chipping … Continue reading
Limited flash in a blue green round.#1108
This standard round brilliant has a darker tone level and nice color, but limited flash. I don’t see a lot of heavy inclusions, but I don’t think it has very good crystal. Also I think that this stone may be … Continue reading
peach pink medium lightly toned emerald cut.#1107
You can see that this gemstone is a slight dichroic peach pink. The ends of the emerald cut are slightly darker than the sides, but the gemstone is very open. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. … Continue reading
Slightly included baby pink droplet of color.#1106
Needs picture 1106 This medium light toned baby pink is bright and flashy. It is just slightly included and came in a lot from Afghanistan years ago. I have cut many of them between working on bigger projects. This one … Continue reading
What can I say, I like even gray, in the color world of this round.#1105
I was once looking threw a list of gemstones and their colors presented by the Gem Institute of America GIA. I always like to see which colors are not included in the list of colors for tourmaline. The most notable, … Continue reading
Long ratio, hot pink pool with sparkles on the ends, oval#1104
This oval has as long a ratio of the length to the width (1.5 times) that I cut. The oval cut that I use,which is a lazy oval meet point design, although I don’t cut it in a completely meet … Continue reading
There is no cure for the Namibian blues, beautiful, small, emerald cut.#1103
Do I like to cut, large length to width ratio emerald cuts? Not really. Do I like to cut skinny emerald cuts? Not really. But when it comes to desiring top quality blues from Namibia I gladly go the extra … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Indicolite
Tagged blue, cutting tourmaline, emerald cut, indicolite, Namibia
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Deep, well saturated, pastel yellow, round.#1102
I have posted enough of the collection by now for my loyal readers to realized that yellow is a passion of mine and probably the scarcest well saturated primary color in my collection. I am talking about yellows that have … Continue reading
Nice, middle of the road, eye clean, Nigerian, pink round.#50
This is the type of gemstone that needs to be on its own, to impress someone. It is at least eye clean and very bright in its garb of medium toned, average pink pastel color, but that is not enough … Continue reading
Flatter crown and a richer tone level purple pink, round.#48
Well looking at this gemstone closely for flaws/inclusions has brought back a memory. It was soon after I started cutting gemstones after a long hiatus and I was new to the inter net.  I dealt with most American dealers that … Continue reading
Bright, eye clean, medium toned pink round.#46
This standard round brilliant is a nice large pink that really has not problems. It probably came from Nigeria and my yellowish light really ignites it into a spice pink. In sunlight it is a much more of a medium … Continue reading
Eye clean darker pink with purple highlights, round.#45
A flatter crown helps this standard round brilliant stay flashy with a darker toned pink with purplish highlights, color.  It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. It weighs 2.72 carats. Bruce
Dark pink with a bit of purple cast, low level flashing round.#44
Need picture 44 This dark pink with a purple cast, that does not come from copper, appears to have a transparency issue. This is probably because the standard round brilliant was cut with its table perpendicular to the principle axis … Continue reading
Medium toned purple with a bit more pink round cuprian.#43
The rough, for this standard round brilliant, was probably heated to lighten its original dark reddish purple color. The heating gradually reduces the reddish component in the color. This medium toned, lavender pink round is eye clean and with fine … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline
Tagged cuprian, Mavuco, Mozambique, pink-purple, purple
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A medium tone purple with pink passion, round, cuprian#42
This standard round brilliant was probably heated to lighten its original, dark reddish purple, color.   The dark reddish purple tourmaline was the only really clean material, originally found at Mavuco, Mozambique. This excellent example of purple tourmaline with a … Continue reading
Lightly toned well saturated lavender oval, cuprian#41
The rough for the lightly toned lavender was cut from a large dark purplish red nodule that had been heated to lighten it. It would have probably gone completely light blue if the heating continued. The blue is from … Continue reading
A baby pink round with a white feather in its crown.#40
This is baby pink round from Afghanistan that I have produced in quantity from a lot I bought years ago. It has a nice color, but it is always included. This 1.85 carat standard round brilliant has a much more … Continue reading
Medium dark pink soup with an orange shadow, round.#39
This gemstone is part of my first tray in the collection. My son organized it after the last show the Carnegie Museum ever gave with gems and minerals. He brought together many red/pink rounds from over the years. Many of … Continue reading
Medium dark tone , a close call, but its a red, round.#38
This is the type of red/pink tourmaline where it depends on the size of the gemstone, whether it is red or pink. A one carat size stone would certainly be a rich pink while a 10 carat size would be … Continue reading
A red world to explore, included round.#37
It is easy to see the mission that I accepted when I started to cut this flash driven, dark red round. Cut a standard round brilliant with the proper angles on the pavilion, but a lower crown while keeping the … Continue reading
Just you average hot pink standout, round#36
Sometimes it is hard for a great stone to show its stuff in the collection. Surrounded by a lot of competition is hard on the ego. It can also make the decision about what is a reasonable choice for a … Continue reading
A hot rich pink round that is a real flasher.#35
This hot pink rides on the edge of red without needing more than a medium tone level. It is included as you would expect, but I can only see a small area of white non-flashing inclusions close to the girdle, … Continue reading
A touch of purple goes a long way dark purple pink round.#34
This standard round brilliant appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal, still it is not a flashy gem because of its dark tone level. The case grows stronger that whatever causes pinks to get a purplish cast, it … Continue reading
Another hot pink on the color screen, round#33
Now declaring a hot pink or not a hot pink is a personal matter that I have to make. I actually return a lot of pink rough years ago because I did not think that the pink was that hot. … Continue reading
A prize from the past, middle of the road pink round.#32
I can tell from the markings on the storage box that this standard round brilliant was cut in the early stages of my rebirth in lapidary. It is a fine trooper, with a decent medium toned pink that is eye … Continue reading
Eye clean baby pink round from Afghanistan.#30
The rounds keep rolling around the collection. Pink comes from every large area of tourmaline production in the world. This baby pink, medium light toned stoned is classic Afghanistan. They have really pure, brightly colored tourmaline there with very few … Continue reading
A round with a flater crown, average included pink.#29
This is a nice stone, but not exceptional when compared with the rest of the collection. It does have a flatter crown that makes it a bit different, if you know what you’re looking for and look close enough. (You … Continue reading
A red sails in and interest rises in this round.#28
Yes we yet have another standard round brilliant that has won the jackpot and been declared a red. It has the dark tone value of the usual red, but is missing the inclusions so there is a good chance that … Continue reading
A hot one in the hole, slightly included pink round.#27
I am sure that it takes a variety of factors (known and unknown) to make a great hot pink round. I can do my best, but some pinks are hot and some are not. This is one of those hot … Continue reading
A flatter crown helps open up a darker pink round.#25
This darker average pink is helped to flash with a flatter crown. Its broad flashes are a decent color that is helped by an eye clean body. Even with all this the stone is not a particularly flashy gem because … Continue reading
A dark sultry pink that wants to be red droplet of color.#24
It is dark enough for a pink to sink into red, but it keeps floating above the color level. It appears to be eye clean and seems to have a slight overtone of purple. This would help explain why this … Continue reading
Eye clean and with a richer medium toned pink, round.#23
If this was the first richer medium toned pink round I had seen with such a good cut, I would be very pleased to expound on it. But it is not, and this average beauty has learned to roll with … Continue reading
A unusally light toned purple pink round.#22
This medium lightly toned round is a purple shade different than the abundant pinks all around it. The standard round brilliant appears to be eye clean and with good crystal, yet it is not exceptionally flashy when compared with similar … Continue reading
Hot pink with a couple of growth tubes round.#21
I love this stone. Every time I check out this tray, the stone jumps out at me. It has a very clean body except for a few growth tubes. Growths tubes form inside a crystal of tourmaline when something interrupts … Continue reading
A clean baby pink wrapped in crisp flash, round#20
It is nice to see a pink that is both a baby hue and clean of inclusions. This soft pastel sparkles, but has a limited ability to handle bright lights like all pastels. It weighs .88 carats. Bruce
Medium light tone, average pink round#19
This standard round brilliant misses the eye clean goal with just a couple of touches of inclusions. They are completely innocuous and only fit to show that this medium light toned pink is genuine. The pink hue is well saturated … Continue reading
Surrender pinks a slight included red round steps forward.#18
Well I have drawn the line in the sand and this nice standard round brilliant red has been confirmed as a red. Its commonly occurring flaws are light and really just make a little of the body a bit hazy. … Continue reading
Medium plus tone level and slight inclusions droplet of color.#17
The droplets of color have been waiting a while for a nice richer pink to fit into their group. This slightly included standard round brilliant is just such a stone. As usual this variety of tourmaline is at least slightly … Continue reading
Slightly included bit darker medium toned pink round.#16
This standard round brilliant has a nice pink color that is only slightly darker than a medium tone. It has a slight inclusion next to the girdle that doesn’t effect the beauty of this 2.08 carat bright, flashy stone. Bruce
A moderately included, average pink that is really not average, round#26
When I label a tourmaline a moderately included, average pink, gemstone, I am comparing it with my collection and not with what is available commercially. I think that my collections level of cleanliness is much better than commercially grade stones … Continue reading
Dark toned pink that appears eye clean, round#15
Most pink reds that slide into red are darker toned like this standard round brilliant. But this moderately flashy round is still very pink even though it has a dark tone. It appears to be eye clean and have decent … Continue reading
Nice, eye clean, average pink droplet of color#14
Where would the collection be without a multitude of troupers, small stones with reasonable properties, but nothing different. It would be much smaller and I would have run out of material to cut a long time ago. This is one … Continue reading
A pink trouper for the droplets of color.#13
This is a pretty average standard round brilliant. Its color is a bit redder than average, but not much. It has the expected inclusions, but the cut is still a bright pleasant medium pink. It weighs 1.09 carats the places … Continue reading
Purple pink with a nice medium tone level, droplet of color.#12
I have seen problems with a lack of transparency in pinks that have a purplish cast. So it is really nice to have this beautiful standard round brilliant that is completely open and eye clean with a spicy color. It … Continue reading
Medium toned, lightly included lavender droplet of color, cuprian #11
I love lavender tourmaline and can turn a very deaf eye to their inclusions. But with this standard round brilliant I don’t have to.  It has some fine scatter, a but it is pretty transparent and flashy. The color has … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, lavender, Mozambique, purple
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Slightly included pink pastel round from Afghanistan.#10
This standard round brilliant is one among many rounds that I cut from a lot I bought from Afghanistan years ago. The lot included both very pale blue and a more moderate, light pink, haves of bicolors that all broke … Continue reading
Bright medim toned pink droplet of color.#9
This standard round droplet of color is a little fireball. It is very transparent and appears to be eye clean with fine crystal. Its bright, flashing, medium level properties would present a pretty face in any piece of jewelery. It … Continue reading
Well saturated rich pink with slight inclusion, droplet of color#8
This standard round brilliant has a slight inclusion that does not effect the beauty of the stone. It is brighter than many pinks and has a better more saturated color. It weighs .77 carats and is a fine medium toned … Continue reading
Red/Pink, how little it takes to sway me, great droplet of color. #7
If you have read many of my posts about pink tourmaline, you will see that pink is the most common color, by far, that is suitable for making rounds. So I am a bit jaded when it comes to many … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Pink, Rubellite
Tagged droplet-of-color, pink, red-pink
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richer toned medium pink droplet of color.#6
This standard round brilliant is a nice ring size. Its tone level is a bit higher than medium because of its larger size. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. This makes a flashy gemstone, but not … Continue reading
Hotter slightly inclued pink droplet of color.#5
This standard round brilliant pink is getting hotter. It is only slightly included and with good crystal. That, along with a medium tone level makes a bright flashy stone. It weighs .79 carats and shines in the pool of the … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Pink
Tagged droplet-of-color, hot pink, medium-pink, pink
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Good saturation in a medium dark toned pink droplet of color.#4
In working with color, the word saturation is not how deep the color is, but rather how pure the color is. That is how much gray hinders the color. Most if not all of my pinks have a good saturation, … Continue reading
Average darker pink droplet of color.#3
It appears that this medium dark pink droplet of color is eye clean. It still does not reach the flashing heights of the hot pinks, but would stand up better to bright lights and bit more soiling than the pastels. … Continue reading
Included medium pink droplet of color.#2
This pink standard round brilliant may have a touch of purple in its color. I see one feather between the table and the girdle, but there are probably more light inclusions, because this is a color that is generally included. … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Pink
Tagged droplet-of-color, medium-pink, pink, purple-pink
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Eye clean with good crystal, lavender droplet of color, cuprian#1
I usually don’t advertise the gemstones cleanliness in its title, but with cuprian tourmaline it is a question with every stone, no matter how small. I am sure that I purchased the rough and finished the standard round brilliant before … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, lavender, purple
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Cutting a flawed but not an impossible dream.
In the world of my dreams, the tourmaline runs large, colorful and clean. This is certainly not the world I live in and I am not sure that I would want to cut in it either. I remember a documentary … Continue reading
A medium pastel green with a nice bluish smile. round#149
This stone #149 needs a picture. This really is a pleasant gemstone. It color which is mostly green will make you pause to appreciate its bluish flavor, if you look closely. It appears to be eye clean and have fine … Continue reading
Light blue, eye clean, droplet of color.#150
How nice it is, an apparently eye clean, lighter blue, completely open, droplet of color. It has fine crystal and is ready to flash and dance at a moments notice. It certainly could be an aquamarine, but tourmaline has a … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, pale
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Another round of IceT with everyone included. Blue#147
Getting the “true” color of very pastel tourmaline can be a challenge. I have had gemstones that picked up the color of my shirt at arms length and refused to let go. It’s as if they were born to be … Continue reading
Dichroic forest green round#146
Face up this standard round brilliant appears to have a nice even medium dark forest green (green with a blue touch), but it is hiding the truth. When I turned it over to check for inclusions/flaws etc. and rotated it, … Continue reading
One of the crop of Namibian rounds that sings the blues.#145
need picture #145 The current of Namibian blue that flows threw the collection is not always very large, but it is precious. This smaller standard round brilliant does take to the greenish blue side in my yellowish light, but is … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, green-blue, indicolite, Namibia
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A fine medium light toned pastel blue round.#144
Under my yellowish light this pastel blue, which stays blue, really drinks in the color and becomes a solid medium tone. I have to realize that this gemstone will not be as intense under daylight. (I also checked the back … Continue reading
Namibian blue with an order of white inclusions on the side, round#143
This standard round brilliant is compromised by a significant white inclusion about half way between the girdle and the table. It doesn’t flash, but it is quite visible. Still the stone has such a beautiful blue and it still sparkles. … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, Namibia
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Blue to blue green medium dark round.#142
This is a beautiful gemstone. I never realized until I started posting my collection that I had so many blue to blue green medium dark gemstones. This one has to be one of the best. It is eye clean and … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Indicolite
Tagged blue, green-blue, indicolite, medium blue, outstanding
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Included watery blue cuprian round.#141
need picture 141 The rough for this standard round brilliant was bought before copper was discovered to be in gem grade tourmaline in Mozambique. It has a good number of inclusions and not very good crystal. Still I was in … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Indicolite
Tagged blue, cuprian, indicolite, Mozambique
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Green to blue green, medium dark, droplet of color.#140
This is a very pretty droplet of color with a very nice, rich, shifting color between green and blue green. It likes light as most medium dark tone gems appreciate, but it seems more open than most to more moderate … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, color-shift, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite
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Strongly dichroic forest green round.#139
Most of the smaller rounds and many of the larger ones are cut with their table perpendicular to the c axis (principle axis). This is to get the best level of tone and an even color, face up, in the … Continue reading
Cuprian, medium toned, shift blue green round.#138
The top grade cuprian tourmaline that came out of Mozambique can be much larger and cleaner than the vast majority of Paraiba material from Brazil. But in both deposit, included material represented the vast majority of the production.  I lowered … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, color-shift, cuprian, green, Mozambique, verdelite
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Medium pastel blue green beauty, round.#137
This pastel is outstanding for its open medium tone and a bit of a different blue green hue. It does slide around blue to green, but is a true blue green. It appears to be eye clean and as flashy … Continue reading
One of a continuous grade of blue to blue green rounds.#136
This blue tourmaline just stops short of blue green in my yellowish light, but is a great blue under both daylight and incandescent, so it is an Indicolite. It is proud to wear the name and be true blue under … Continue reading
Pleasant, average green with blue overtone, droplet of color.#135
This droplet of color has a green color that is modified by a blue cast. It is a bright flashy gemstone that appears to be eye clean. It is a standard round brilliant and weighs .84 carats. Bruce
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite
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A galaxy of inclusions in a blue green IceT special, round, Afganistan#134
Afghanistan certainly produces a lot of lightly toned tourmaline and the IceT company is considering opening up a district office there. This very pale blue green standard round brilliant originally hailed from there. I think that the galaxy of white … Continue reading
I am a round of constant blue hue (color).#133
One of the joys of the collection is to be able to compare subtle differences between tourmalines that might appear identical under casual observations. I finished a post on a beautiful tourmaline that I have called blue since I cut … Continue reading
High quality medium dark blue round#132
My principle supplier from Africa has pretty much given up on supplying a provenance for his tourmaline rough. He generally deals indirectly with the mines threw a “miner” who really is a whole sale intermediary. The natural inclination of these … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Indicolite
Tagged blue, blue-green, indicolite, medium blue, outstanding
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A memorable blue round, included.#131
When I remember trying to polish a gemstone years later, It was a bugger. I usually do not have problems polishing indicolite, trade name for blue tourmaline, but this gem drove me crazy. It does have a rather evenly spread … Continue reading
Posted in Indicolite, Polishing Tourmaline
Tagged blue, indicolite, polishing tourmaline
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Include sleep time purple with an attraction to me, oval#130
My principal dealer out of Africa still manages to pick up a few cuprian tourmaline pieces of rough (2013) and I keep spending too much for too little because of my purple addition. I bought the rough for this gemstone … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Cutting Tourmaline, Etc., Laurellite
Tagged cuprian, cutting tourmaline, laurellite, oval, purple
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Just your average nice little green droplet of color.#129
Man can not live on eye candy alone. This little standard round brilliant is an honest green droplet of color that never pretends to be more than it is. It appears to be eye clean with an average green color. … Continue reading
A brilliant beautiful middle of the road pink round.#128
Need picture #128 When I looked at the posted gemstone, I began thinking of all the pinks I have seen over the years. I admit that I am a bit jaded about pink except for a relatively few truly exciting … Continue reading
Bright flashy medium dark blue green droplet of color#126
This round just doesn’t want to be quiet. It has a deeper tone level, but still seems to have a better flash then many of its brethren of the same tone level. Its blue green color is attractive and it … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite
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A fine medium toned blue green round#127
This gemstone is pretty close to the sea foam from Afghanistan. It has a little bit darker tone level and is not as neon in brightness. Still this is a very nice open pastel blue/green that is bright and flashy. … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, medium green, seafoam
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medium dark, blue to green droplet of color#125
This blue to blue green droplet of color appears to be eye clean. It has a medium dark tone that limits flash and its blue color, in natural light, definitely slide toward the green side more than most blue tourmaline. … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, blue-green, droplet-of-color, indicolite
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Included medium dark blue to blue green round.#124
This standard round brilliant is a personal gemstone that really only shows it flashing blue to blue green under decent light. It is moderately included, but its darker tone makes them difficult to see face up. It weighs 1.90 carats. … Continue reading
A nice richer than usual, blue color, in a small round from Namibia.#123
This blue dot of color from Namibia has a medium dark tone. If was even moderately bigger than its .35 carat size it would be completely dark. So I guess sometimes it is best to be small. It does have … Continue reading
Another blue green round with transparency problems.#122
This standard round brilliant is a medium dark toned disappointment. The lack of transparency is again evident with a stone cut perpendicular to the c axis. It does have some muted flash and a decent bluish color, but it is … Continue reading
Deeply flows the river of pink threw this round’s veins.#120
Cut with a deep, split horizontal main, pavilion to reach for all the gusto this pink tourmaline has to offer was rewarded.  The stone is pure medium pink and has all the flash and brightness that goes with it. … Continue reading
A darker average green round#119
This standard round brilliant is pretty much what people, who have not taken the adventure of color in tourmaline, expect from tourmaline. A darker rather unpretentious, nondescript green. Having it in a round rather than an emerald cut is a … Continue reading
Little, dark tone level with green flash, chrome tourmaline#118
This round chrome tourmaline has the classic green color, but is so dense that the color is only seen in the flash of this small round. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. There are many things … Continue reading
A perfect beautifully green chrome tourmaline.#117
Saying a chrome tourmaline is green is redundant, but I don’t want anyone, even for a moment to think that this standard round brilliant is anything other than the ideal green tourmaline in a medium tone level. It is not … Continue reading
A green color dot with apparent c axis transparency problems.#115
I have been finding more tourmaline with c axis transparency problems than I realized in the collection. They have all been blues and greens. This medium dark, small standard round brilliant seems to have joined the group of known examples. … Continue reading
Included. mostly green with blue overtone droplet of color.#114
This standard round brilliant has a good tone level for such a small stone. The medium plus tone level also helps to mask the dot of color’s inclusions. So this green with a blue overtone is a decently little gemstone … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, medium green, verdelite
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Average blue dot of Namibian origin.#113
This small blue, standard round brilliant, really could use a little bulk to get up there to the top of Namibia’s bounty. As it stands, it a nice average dot of color with a medium tone and eye clean body. … Continue reading
Medium toned, modest, blue green droplet of color.#112
need picture If wishes all came true, this .46 carat round would be a lot bigger, but it wouldn’t have to really change in any other way. It is a fine middle of the road blue green standard round brilliant … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, blue-green, droplet-of-color, indicolite
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Dark toned powerful blue green round.#111
Do you need a stone that can stand up to that bright afternoon sun at the local barbecue, then this fine example of a dark toned blue green round from Namibia, should fill the bill.  It has concentrate color power … Continue reading
Light toned included pastel blue droplet of color.#111
This is one of the darker blue round from a lot I bought years ago from Afghanistan and it is still just light in tone. It is also moderately included which does not stop the standard round brilliant from being … Continue reading
A galaxy of flashing stars in aqua blue heaven, oval
To me blue is a hue/color in tourmaline that is a complex issue. It is really not solved by limiting Indicolite or Indigolite (I hope I spelled that right because it is a name I never use) to pure blue … Continue reading
A different peach to bless a shield cut.#199
This larger peach shield cut, with a different overtone, has a couple of spots in one corner, but the view from the table is nothing, but bright and flashing. Still something keeps this peach cool and not really ripe to … Continue reading
Bronze to olive green shield cut.#198
Sometimes you never know which part of the collection will spark the appreciation for tourmaline that I hope to instill in my fellow man. When I spent a day with a curator of gems and minerals at a large eastern … Continue reading
Lavender Tourmaline, Lavender Tourmaline, Shield Cut, Cuprian#196
It is probably unnecessary and maybe even childish to type the same color before tourmaline twice in the title of this post. It is just a way to express how important this color is in my world of color in … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Indicolite
Tagged cuprian, lavender, Mozambique, shield
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Between yellow and green this is toward the darker green side, round.#195
I have posted on yellow greens and most of them are on the yellower end. This count really does not include many classic green colors of tourmaline that are just this side of pure green and not a blue green. … Continue reading
Nice sized, larger, medium toned yellow green round.#194
This medium toned yellow green is on the yellow side again. I just can not lay off the yellows. It has fine crystal and appears to be eye clean. As usual it is very bright and flashy, which may be … Continue reading
Bronze star for this round since the color doesn’t sell it.#193
Bronze is a nice way of saying that the yellow green has enough brown in it to be darker and not as flash. And that is what we have with this standard round brilliant. It is a rather common color … Continue reading
Excellent yellow green with the green dominating, round#192
This is an excellent, wide open, fully transparent, deep round. The depth of the stone is enhanced by the used of horizontally split mains. Its color is a flashy medium tone that appears to be eye clean. I use the … Continue reading
Attractive pure green round. #191
This standard round brilliant is cut with it table perpendicular to the c axis. This gets the highest tone value out of a pale crystal. It is used much more often with pink/red because of the strong dichroic nature of … Continue reading
Now we have an outstanding, Tang orange colored shield cut.#189
I don’t know how many people remember Tang or whether they still make it anymore, but it was one of the memorable items on my mother’s diet along with peanut and bananas, on dark Hollywood bread, sandwiches. Well this shield … Continue reading
Lightly included green with brown overtone shield cut. cuprian#188
The wispy feathers in this larger medium plus toned shield cut are hard to see (best from the pavilion) and do not effect the flash. The green is taken down a peg with a brown overtone in daylight, that is … Continue reading
Ultimate eye candy in the name of a medium toned pink, shield cut#186
On one of the group of pages that my principle rough dealer puts out on the internet, he had a special group of tourmaline that seemed to be particularly colorful. I have lost track of the other pieces of rough … Continue reading
A normal medium toned green droplet of color.#185
This standard round brilliant has a nice even medium toned green. It has no noticeable dichroism and appears to be eye clean. This is a fine combination for a 1.36 carat stone that earns it a pathway to droplet heaven. … Continue reading
Bright cool refreshing mint blue green, cuprian round#184
Another unexpected copper discovery with my spectrometer that is in a much more desirable (expensive) color, minty blue/green. The eye clean stone has a very bright, medium light pastel color, but really does not have the neon look to me. … Continue reading
Distinct slices of pie shaped alternating color, green, golden green round.#183
This standard round brilliant was cut with its table parallel to the c axis. This produces a wheel of pie slices that alternate from green to golden green and back again when you look at the stone. It is interesting … Continue reading
A yellow with a wash of green, cuprian round.#182
This is another gemstone that I did not buy as a cuprian tourmaline. I discovered it with my spectrometer. It has just the faintest inclusions that don’t effect the beauty of the stone at all. But then again, I don’t … Continue reading
A cool touch of blue in a green round.#181
This is not a happy spring kind of green standard round brilliant. This medium toned green does try to get up in the yellowish light, but a touch of blue keeps it more sophisticated. It appears to be eye clean … Continue reading
Non dichroic, rich pastel blue green shield cut.#180
This smaller shield cut is a bit hazy from a lower grade of crystal. Still its rich blue green pastel color is nice and the naturally flashy nature of the shield cut helps to make this a nice gemstone. It … Continue reading
Golden orange, included trilliant cut.#179
The impact of flaws/inclusions on a tourmaline gemstone is a complex issue. This trilliant cut has some significant non flashing inclusions in it pavilion. They effect the flash of the gemstone, but really have a minor impact on the stone … Continue reading
Nice and spicy green trilliant cut.#178
This trilliant cut is not particularly flashy. I don’t think it is the few minor inclusion I see, but a generally low quality of crystal. I cleaned it, to double check, and it still shows its spicy green color in … Continue reading
This is a pink that is almost too rich and powerful for a simple shield cut.#177
Their are wonderfully flighty and flirtatious pinks in the world and then there are powerful pinks that let you know who is boss. This eye clean, rich and powerful shield cut is quite a warrior. Her sultry, darkly toned recesses … Continue reading
Medium rich green with slight inclusions, cuprian droplet of color.#175
Of all the colors I explored with my spectrometer for copper, the most discoveries of copper were made in greens. I also had quite few indications of copper in pink/red, but there are technical issues with that color of tourmaline … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite
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Slightly included, nicely saturated, yellow green, cuprian, droplet of color.#174
I was most fortunate to be in the hunt for different colors in tourmaline, when Mozambique began to produce cuprian tourmaline. Then it was years before the copper bearing nature of the deposit was revealed in a reverse Alexandrite color … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, green, Mozambique, verdelite, yellow-green
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Dichroic golden green and green round.#173
This combination of a golden green c axis and a nice medium well saturated a/b axis seems to be reasonably common with tourmaline. This is another smaller round that has been cut with the table parallel to the c axis.  … Continue reading
Richer yellow green droplet of color.#172
When I venture out into the world of tourmaline rough for sale, I do not really think about what I want, rather what I have an opportunity to buy. If I am able to make a tentative list of possible … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, verdelite, yellow-green
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Fine medium dark forest green droplet of color.#171
Honesty is the best policy, but I don’t claim to be unbiased. I think that tourmaline has the most exciting greens in the gemstone world. It might not have the ultimate green of an emerald buried in a museum or … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, forest green, green, medium green, verdelite
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The best yellow in saturation and size, shield cut.#169
This is a shield cut to get excited about. It was the premier stone cut from two water worn pebbles I got over the internet from Tanzania years before “canary” tourmaline was discovered (canary tourmaline is a recently discovered yellow … Continue reading
Another green lifted up by a fine shield cut.#170
I like this bright medium toned well saturated green shield cut. It is always refreshing to find a nice piece of green rough suitable for something different than an emerald cut. This piece of tourmaline does not appear to be … Continue reading
A yellow green with an uplifting shield cut.#168
When you have a piece of rough that is being preformed and it looks like it will make a shield cut, things are going well. This eye clean, medium toned yellow green is nice, but the cut makes it a … Continue reading
Beatutiful shield cut that rides the thin line between pink and red.#167
This is about as good as pink/red in tourmaline gets. It has a beautiful cut and there is no darkness in the heart of this beauty. It doesn’t even have an inclusions which can be a problem with such a … Continue reading
The only triangular cut in the collection pink.#166
This triangular stone with the tips cut off is the only time I have made this style of cut. It is a fine little stone that would need a custom setting because of its shape. It is eye clean and … Continue reading
Bright flashy medium toned pink shield cut.#176
This is a delightful gemstone for anyone, but if you love pink, this stone is for you. The shield cut produces a fine flashy gem as long as the tone is not too dark. The well saturated pink in this … Continue reading
The droplets of color demand this green with golden wash, cuprian round.#165
This standard round brilliant is a nice, eye clean, gemstone with a flashy, medium dark tone green, that is a bit on the yellow side. I found out that this round was cuprian because I tested it with my spectrometer. … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color, Etc., Verdelite
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, golden green, green, Mozambique
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Dichroic golden green and green round.#163
This dichroic gemstone has the classic pie slice shaped areas with alternating yellow green and green, when you look face up at this standard round brilliant. It appears to be eye clean and has a medium dark tone color. It … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Verdelite
Tagged cutting tourmaline, dichroic, golden green, green, verdelite
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Delicate sea foam oval from Afghanistan.#162
A fine little oval that came with the sea foam lot from Afghanistan. I has a light tone level that doesn’t support the sea foam color very well, but it is very bright and eye clean. It weighs .83 carats. … Continue reading
Medium dark forest green droplet of color.#161
This standard round brilliant appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. I don’t see any dichroism in its medium dark, forest green color. It is nice to have another green droplet of color. It weighs 1.52 carats. Bruce
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, forest green, green, medium green, verdelite
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A steely blue green shield cut.#160
A great effort is sometimes made not to put gray into the color name of a gemstone, but the fact is that many blues and other colors have a gray over tone in tourmaline. Calling a gemstone steely is a … Continue reading
A cool yellow trilliant that is reserved.#159
I usually think of yellow as a bright sunny open color, but this pastel yellow is not inclined to levity. It is not bother by a greenish cast like many of its brethren, but seems to have a darker cast … Continue reading
Fine medium toned green shield cut.#158
Sometimes I think that movie critics should not review new movies because they have seen too much. Who really cares if the plot was ripped off a 1947 thriller and the lead actor is trying to act like Laurence Olivie … Continue reading
Medium toned bright pink trilliant#157
This trilliant is eye clean and has a very nice medium toned pink color. The color has good saturation and fine crystal. It weighs 1.14 carats. The trilliant is a more modern cut and I would use it more often, … Continue reading
Sea foam droplet of color, Afghanistan#155
This smaller droplet of color came with the bigger boys from Afghanistan. It is just a little shaver and lacks the tone value to really show what top grade sea foam can do, but it is still very attractive. It … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged afghan, blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, seafoam, verdelite
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Very bright pale yellow washed in green, droplet of color.#154
This pale yellow droplet of color just couldn’t stay away from being washed with green. It is a common fate of many yellow tourmaline. But that didn’t prevent the round from being very bright and eye clean. This flashy gemstone … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Yellow
Tagged droplet-of-color, green-yellow, pale, yellow
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Included dichroic golden green/green round#153
This standard round brilliant has the classic pie shape alternating areas of golden green and green. The two colors blend together pretty well and give it a pleasant mixed color appear. Its inclusions are significant and they do effect the … Continue reading
This medium light, pastel yellow green, droplet of color is included.#152
This gemstone has a galaxy of tiny flashing inclusions. It certainly effects the droplets of color’s flash. But in a way it makes it look more like candy, that is also enhanced by the stone light tone values. It weighs … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, pastel, verdelite, yellow-green
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Nice medium dark green droplet of color.#151
This standard round brilliant has some minor inclusions that have no effect on the stones flash. The droplet of color has a nice medium green color that flashes in a medium dark body. It is simply a nice medium dark … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, medium green, verdelite
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light, bright, toned down peach trilliant.#156
This pastel peach trilliant is rather toned down. It has some minor inclusion, but they are not a factor. Neither is the quality of crystal, so I think that color has a darker cast to it. The stones weighs 2.04 … Continue reading
Smallest round in the collection and a green dot of color.#109
This is as low as I have ever cut a small gemstone. This standard round brilliant only weighs .11 carats, but it is a chrome tourmaline and probably has as good a green as there is in the collection. If … Continue reading
Medium toned forest green droplet of color. #109
This standard round brilliant does not have the darkness of the deep forest, but it does have a hint of evergreen in its pretty middle of the road green.  It appears to be eye clean and with a moderate flash … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, forest green, green, verdelite
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Ideal tone level in a crisp blue green droplet of color.#107
It is tempting to call this a sea foam and perhaps it would be by some people. It came from Afghanistan or Pakistan and it has a great bright blue green color, but I would not rate its brightness above … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged afghan, blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite
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Included pale blue, that I can see, IceT member.#106
At times I have cut rough from a lot, I got years ago from Afghanistan, that has some pieces of tourmaline rough with a touch of blue in it, but when I am finished cutting, I can not see the … Continue reading
Bright, neon, sea foam droplet of color Afghanistan/Pakistan.#105
This standard round brilliant has the bright neon sea foam look, but is getting a little small for the best tone level. It is eye clean and of fine crystal. It weighs .71 carats and joins a select group of … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged afghan, droplet-of-color, green, neon, seafoam, verdelite
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Small oval of watery blue disposition.#104
This oval with a watery, medium toned blue, is one of the smallest ovals I have cut.  The little, eye clean, gem is a pretty piece of blue with value. It is from Afghanistan/Pakistan. It weighs .43 carats. Bruce
A sea foam droplet of color from Afghanistan.#102
There are only a few varieties of tourmaline that I think can approach cuprian tourmaline in brightness. One of them is top quality sea foam from Afghanistan/Pakistan. And how “neon” the material certainly effects it price. This standard round brilliant … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged afghan, droplet-of-color, green, neon, seafoam, verdelite
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Included Aqua Blue Oval#101
This medium light toned, aqua blue oval is full of tiny inclusions and a few fine feathers. They do effect the stone’s flash, but its pretty color shines threw. The stone’s fine color, medium light tone level and brightness still … Continue reading
A medium light tone, dichroic, golden brown emerald cut.#100
This smaller emerald cut has an exceptionally nice medium light toned golden brown color. A color that is not common in tourmaline that has lighter tones. It is dichroic and the c axis, which is in the ends of the … Continue reading
A brown red to red depending on the light, round #99
This standard round brilliant is a beautiful gemstone. It has a great, well saturated red in yellowish light, but to its eternal regret, it does brown out in the bluer, natural light of days. I forgive it though and gave … Continue reading
Pink culet and the rest green makes great mixing for a round. Nigeria #98
This is both an interesting and beautiful gemstone. The standard round brilliant is a great cut to mix up colors and this gemstone has great ones to mix. Both the pink culet and green crown rather disappear when the stone … Continue reading
Larger Nigeria pink green mixed to orangy, round #97
This standard round brilliant is big enough to really see the mixing of green and pink into yellow and oranges that happens in this interesting stone. The mixing certainly depends on the light and you can still see the pink/ … Continue reading
What you see face up is not what you have green/pink round.#96
I have gotten more than a few pieces of this interesting rough from Nigeria over the years.  It is really a pink crystal that has some faces that look they had a chomophore (trace element that effects color) diffused into … Continue reading
Longer ratio oval with a step crown, that is a honey of a golden brown color #95.
NO picture for 95. In the “old” days, when tourmaline for the intrepid amateur cutter, was more available, one of my primary dealers out of Africa would send out emails on new finds of tourmaline. (and other gemstones). This posted … Continue reading
A pure and simple golden droplet of color with a thinner crown.#94
I cut most of my standard round brilliants with 40 degree mains, but this bright flashing gem has a much flatter crown. I am seeing low angle crowns in commercially cut stones, because the geometry of many tourmaline crystals doesn’t … Continue reading
Medium Toned, Yellow Green Bronze Round #93
This medium toned standard round brilliant is both not a dense stone or one that is excessively brown. Its color is not completely driven by flash and under a gray sky I can see some bronze flash mixed into a … Continue reading
Darker oil green with lighter green flash, round #87
This standard round brilliant suffers from the same lack of transparency down the c axis that I have seen in some other richer tourmaline. This effect manifests itself by the stone having muted flash under the table, while brightly flashing … Continue reading
Lots of competition to be eye candy in yellow green, meet a winning round #92
This standard round brilliant has a great combination of decent size, bright yellow with a wash of green color, eye clean purity and fine crystal to be eye candy and she has accepted the honor. She weighed in at 2.05 … Continue reading
Medium toned yellow with wash of green is laid back, round#91
This standard round brilliant is eye clean with great crystal. She might aspire to be eye candy, but is just too laid back and sophisticated to make the grade. Her reserved nature would lend itself to a white metal treatment, … Continue reading
A long, long ratio, IceT flavored pastel punch of a bicolor emerald cut. #90
For me the cutting of a long ratio (length to width) ratio is an effort to keep the long narrow rectangular facets square. Actually it is in the polishing, rather than the cutting, that causes my problems, Generally I only … Continue reading
A bit of a roasted red, that doesn’t mind being browned all around, round. #89
I once read sometime ago that in Thailand they will not show you a ruby before 10 AM in the morning. Now why would such a dynamic and sales oriented people limit their hours? Because the morning light tends to … Continue reading
A bit of mint covered in chocolate, dichroic round. #88
When I came to this small round that was cut years ago, it made me pause. I have written golden green on the back of its storage box ,but I am seeing a more complex picture than that. This standard … Continue reading
Golden Green Dichroic Round. #86
This standard round brilliant has a great well saturated golden yellow principle, c axis and a paler a/b axis that is yellowish green. The mixture produces a medium dark tone gemstone with slices of pie shaped area of both dichroic … Continue reading
A fine orange round under yellow light, that goes browner in daylight. #85
This bright flashy orange is at home under my yellowish light, but turns browner under the bluer light of day. I can not see a significant difference in hue between this orange that browns out and some of the great … Continue reading
Rich pink with orange tones oval. #76
I posted this stone along with two others in a earlier post called “Red is not enough”. I was looking at all three stones under both a yellowish florescent light or an incandescent at the times. I waited to do … Continue reading
Included bright yellow droplet of color. #82
This round is barely within the upper bounds of weigh in being a droplet. But its color would demand some flexibility, even if it had crossed the line. Yellow without green in a medium tone level or higher is one … Continue reading
Included larger yellow washed in green, round. #81
Did you ever go to a planetarium as a child and wonder at all the tiny specks of light that flashed on the rounded ceiling. Well this larger standard round brilliant has the same kind of multitude of tiny lights … Continue reading
Beautiful tricolor, pastel blue green, colorless, pink emerald cut. Afghan #80
This is a beautiful gemstone and the largest of the three examples I got threw a dealer that had direct connections with Afghanistan. He was also a cutter, but had found them too fragile for his heavy hand. I was … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color
Tagged afghan, bicolor, blue, colorless, emerald cut, green, pastel, tri-color
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Medium dark toned orange brown flash, round #79
This is one of the “modern” dravites that has come out of East Africa. It is not too dark to have decent flash and the orange tones make it spicy enough to demand a new name rather than dravite in … Continue reading
A pink to orange, but mostly brown, sliding round.#78
Not all browns are created equality and many dealers probably don’t care because once a stone is dominated by brown it becomes a vile creature. It is called dravite, a name that sounds vaguely like an ancient language and left … Continue reading
A Blue/Pink/Gray colored mess of a standard round brilliant. #77
My father use to tell me one of his few stories about his college days, that centered on making tuity fruity ice cream, over again many times. He always smiled and it was good that he had at least one … Continue reading
Be cool orange droplet of color. #75
Now when I see a bright orange piece of eye candy, I get excited, but the posted droplet of color leaves me with a different feeling. It is just a toned down cool cat, that doesn’t like to run with … Continue reading
A most unusual pastel yellow orange round.#73
It is hard to tell exactly what is going on in this unique gemstone. It is a standard round brilliant that from the back appears not to be zoned. Therefor the flashes of pastel orange and pastel yellow must be … Continue reading
Droplets of color unite, a yellow green gift is upon us. #72
This standard round brilliant is nothing more than a excellent example of an eye clean, very bright and flashy, yellow green colored beauty. So if you like acid yellow green, you will love this round. It weighs 1.18 carats and … Continue reading
Yellow washed in green, cuprian oval. #71
This apparently eye clean and very bright oval is mostly yellow with a wash of green. I discovered, with my spectrometer, that it contains copper as a chromophore and that is interesting. But I don’t know how much difference it … Continue reading
A beautiful tricolor, blue green, colorless, pink, emerald cut. Afghanistan. #70
This is a beautiful gemstone. I was given the opportunity to buy this tricolor rough because it is fragile like many bi and tri color tourmaline. I was successful in cutting this long ratio emerald cut, but it needed to … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Etc.
Tagged afghan, bicolor, blue, colorless, emerald cut, green, tri-color
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Unique faceted watermelon pink center, green rind, emerald cut. #69
Everyone seems to love watermelon tourmaline,(a crystal with a pink core that runs down the long axis of Elbaite tourmaline that is coated with a green rind.), but it is rare that this distribution of color is useful to the … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Etc.
Tagged bicolor, emerald cut, outstanding, unique, watermelon
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This droplet of color is a dark brown with flashes of violet. #68
Every brown is a desaturated (not a pure tone) color and this dark toned droplet of color, spectral color is violet. In good light you can see the violet flash, but when the clouds move in, the flash turns to … Continue reading
Slightly included, medium dark, well saturated droplet of color. #67
This rich orange drink is tempered with brown and looks like you should find its color at the bottom of a shot glass. It is an intoxication little standard round brilliant for those addicted to orange in tourmaline. It is … Continue reading
A honey of a golden orange droplet of color. #66
This round has a lower crown than usual, which gives the stone a very open appearance. It really is a sweet gem with a bright, eye candy, look of golden orange honey. it appears to be eye clean and the … Continue reading
Dichroic rich golden color in a droplet of color. #65
You can see both dichroic colors face up in the rich golden colored droplet of color. But the paler a/b axis color is completely dominated by the rich medium toned golden c axis color. The round appears to eye clean … Continue reading
Nice slightly included bright baby pink round from Afghanistan. #64
Another standard round brilliant that came in a lot from Afghanistan. It is always slightly included, but still has a really nice, bright flashy look. Its pink has very good saturation and would work well in a delicate piece of … Continue reading
Delicate pale yellow to golden droplet of color. #63
Tourmaline can have dynamic color in many areas of the spectrum. This small standard round brilliant drifts between a nice light pastel yellow in natural light and a distinctly richer pastel gold in my yellowish light. Now I would expect … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Yellow
Tagged droplet-of-color, golden-yellow, pale, yellow
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A great, clean, yellow green piece of eye candy, copper bearing round. #62
This is a beautiful gemstone. Its acid yellow green color seems to burn a hold threw the little plastic box I store it in. Its medium toned splendor is augmented by having copper as a chromophore in its chemistry. I … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Verdelite
Tagged cuprian, green, neon, outstanding, yellow-green
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Greenish yellow and a tale of discovered copper, round #61
This yellow tourmaline with a green wash does not have particularly good crystal, because it has a wide assortment of faint wispy feathers. It is flashy and about average in brightness, despite the fact, that yellow greens usually have higher … Continue reading
Pastel green pink bicolor from Brazilian “salad”. #59
I read somewhere that Brazil, the homeland of tourmaline for many years was not producing much quality material anymore. But it was producing what they cal “salad” which are native cut gemstones in mostly included tourmaline. Sometimes it is just … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Cutting Tourmaline
Tagged bicolor, Brazil, cutting tourmaline, emerald cut, green, pastel, pink
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A full rich medium tone level, for a yellow droplet of color. #56
I know that my yellowish light is helping this yellow droplet of color to get to the medium tone level, but I can not stop from praising it. Yellows without green in the collection need all the encouragement they can … Continue reading
Darker orange some would call burnt droplet of color #55
I have never really liked the term burnt for orange and this droplet of color really has a pretty good saturation level in a medium dark tone level. It really does not have an excessive level of brown. It appears … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Orange
Tagged burnt orange, dark orange, droplet-of-color, orange
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Slightly included bright baby pink Afghan droplet of color. #54
The droplets are pretty full of pink, but this slightly included standard round brilliant is too nice an example to pass up. It came from Afghanistan with many siblings and I cut darn near all of them. They are never … Continue reading
Cute little golden oval. #40
I think this is the smallest oval in the collection. I cut it when I was working to see how small I could cut stones. It is a cute .40 carats golden moment. Bruce
Nice to come home to a solid pastel yellow droplet of color. #52
A rather gentle yellow pastel, that is a little headlight in brightness. It appears to be eye clean and the type of yellow material, without green, that I am always looking for. The standard round brilliant was carefully weighed and … Continue reading
Bright yellow green oval with a two step crown. #51
Yellow green is a wide venue that is full of excitement with tourmaline. This bright yellow green oval is toward the medium toned, yellow end. It appears to be eye clean and have excellent crystal. It maybe me, but I … Continue reading
longer ratio, blue green emerald cut with steep ends. #400
This longer ratio emerald cut has blue green color and is very dichroic. It has steep ends that help minimize the darkness in the ends of the gemstone. It appears to be eye clean and have great crystal. A fine … Continue reading
Classic bright saturated green with dark ends emerald cut.#399
This is a quintessential example of a classic green tourmaline taken to perfection. Its central color is a bright grass green, but it is so dichroic that the ends are completely dense. To generate flash in the ends and minimize … Continue reading
A blue sliding into greener blue hue in a great emerald cut. Namibia#398
This medium toned blue emerald cut takes on a quite distinct greenish cast in yellowish light, but still stays on the bluer side of green. It is completely with dichroism and its low ratio between its length and its width … Continue reading
Mom’s Stone, A GEM of blue force from Namibia, emerald cut.#397
I have been looking forward to sharing this GEM, exceptional gemstone, with you. It came as a lot of one, separate from all the well saturated medium dark toned material I had been getting from Namibia. Its bright blue hue … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Indicolite
Tagged blue, emerald cut, indicolite, medium blue, Namibia, outstanding
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Slight bicolor with a few marks blue to green emerald cut.#396
This medium light toned emerald cut slides around between green and bluer green depending on the light. It has excellent transparency except for a few marks scattered in the stone. The most important is on a corner of the table … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Indicolite
Tagged bicolor, blue, emerald cut, green, non-dichroic
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Completely open, medium toned blue green, emerald cut.#395
This is a beautiful gemstone. It has a great,completely open, medium toned body. In fact it is not even dichroic, at least by eye. The color shines from the tray without needing to be flashed and when it is moved, … Continue reading
Darker blue green emerald cut with some flaws.#394
This nice emerald cut has a variety of small flaws that are not easily seen in it s medium dark toned body. I don’t think that this stone is unstable, but it is not of the highest quality from Namibia. … Continue reading
Included saturated blue green emerald cut.#393
This was the largest piece I cut from the lot I got from my regular African dealer, before the blues from Namibia became much harder and more expensive to get. It suffers from the moving flaw problem I saw in … Continue reading
Excellent completely open dichroic green emerald cut.#392
This dichroic emerald cut has a great well saturated green c axis on the ends and lighter blue sides. The overall impression of the stone is of a bright flashy medium toned green with a touch of blue. The stone … Continue reading
Medium dark toned, saturated, blue green emerald cut, included#391
This emerald cut suffers from a flaw that propagated itself as I cut the stone. The rest of the saturated medium dark toned body is eye clean and of good crystal, but I don’t know if the moving flaw would … Continue reading
A fine eye clean blue to green emerald cut. #389
This well saturated blue to green emerald cut, shifts with the light.  It has open, but slightly darker ends that still flash quite nicely for an emerald cut. It appears to be eye clean and has the typically high quality … Continue reading
Darkly toned blue with touch of gray emerald cut.#387
This darkly toned blue emerald cut has steep ends as a result of having closed ends. The blue is toned down with a little gray and it takes a bit of close inspection to appreciate this gemstone. Under closed inspection … Continue reading
Lightly toned, not dichroic, deeply cut, watery blue green, emerald cut.#386
This lightly toned, non dichroic, emerald cut does not look like a classical tourmaline. If you did not do an index of refraction test on it and find that it has a much higher index than beryl, I would guess … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged aquamarine, blue-green, green, non-dichroic, pale, unique
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A Namibian revelation, completely open blue green emerald cut.#385
The posted revelation. It weighs 2.75 carats. Mom’s stone, it weighs 5.27 carats. In a separate, private transaction, I receive a lot that contained one piece of rough. I came to call my “Mother’s Stone” because I used part of … Continue reading
Posted in Indicolite
Tagged blue, emerald cut, green-blue, indicolite, Namibia, open-c
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Closed ends with steep angles blue green emerald cut.#384
This emerald cut has closed ends. The medium dark tone and steep ends reveal a well saturated blue green body. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. It weighs 1.90 carats. Bruce
Very long ratio, dark, blue emerald cut with inclusions.#383
This is a blast from the past. It is one of the few tourmalines in the collection that I cut as a teenager. It has a dark tone level and closed ends that were cut with normal angles. The flash … Continue reading
Normally cut, blue green emerald cut, with slight flaw#382
This smaller emerald cut has semi closed ends that are cut with normal angles. It has a rich well saturated green to blue color depending on the light. It appears to be eye clean except for a slight flaw in … Continue reading
Crown jewel, a Blue Emerald Cut, in Lot from Namibia#381
This is a beautiful gemstone. It came in a lot of over a dozen pieces of rough that I bought privately from my principle African deal. At the time it seemed to be a continuance of steady production from Namibia, … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Indicolite
Tagged blue, closed-c, emerald cut, indicolite, Namibia, outstanding
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Really snappy blue green, not dichroic, emerald cut
Now I like medium dark fully saturated emerald cuts as much as the next man, and maybe more, but when I see a medium tone, well saturated non dichroic barn burn of a blue green, I rejoice. This eye candy … Continue reading
Completely open, medium light tone, green emerald cut.#379
The emerald cut has a wonderful tone level and a green that strikes me as watery, without any blue in it. It dichroic colors appear to be the same color except that c axis is darker. The stones ends flash … Continue reading
Dark ends, dark tone, but great saturated blue emerald cut.#278
This personal stone has limited flash in bars across the stone beclause the ends are very closed. But the flash is a great blue that is rare in tourmaline.  It has one faint narrow fracture that is not deep and … Continue reading
beautiful medium toned blue green emerald cut.#377
This is a beautiful gemstone. Its medium blue green color sparkles everywhere in the stone since its ends are completely open and just a bit bluer than the sides. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. This … Continue reading
Deep, completely cut, open medium pastel blue green emerald cut.#376
This is a great gemstone. I cut it with the full complement of 3 steps of facets on the crown and 4 steps of facets on the pavilion. This, along with a medium toned blue green color, that flashes from … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, emerald cut, green, open-c, pastel, verdelite
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Closed and steeply cut ends on a slightly greenish blue enerald cut.#375
Steeply cut ends help mitigate the closed ends on this blue with a touch of green emerald cut. The medium toned blue does not seem as saturated as the best material from Namibia. It appears to be eye clean and … Continue reading
Medium dark tone, hexagonal emerald cut shaped, green.#374
This is the only example of this different back on an emerald cut shape, in the collection. It worked and gave a different radiating flash than an emerald cut’s flash, but I still prefer the old fashion emerald cut. It … Continue reading
Outstanding, medium toned, well saturated, blue green emerald cut.#373
This emerald cut is completely open and flashing. It is slightly dichroic, but from face up, I can not see any darkness or difference in color in the ends from the saturated blue green color on the sides. It is … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, dichroic, emerald cut, green, medium green, verdelite
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Bright, medium tone,saturated, grass green emerald cut.#372
This emerald cut is a beauty. It has well saturated, green flash, sides and ends that flash with a slightly darker green. It appears to be eye clean and with find crystal. It weighs1.09 carats. Bruce
moderately dichroic blue green, moderately toned, emerald cut.#370
This emerald cut easily shows its greener ends and blue green sides when the sun shines on it. It has a moderate tone that is augmented by not having the ends too dark. It appears to be eye clean and … Continue reading
A moderately dichroic blue green emerald cut.#369
This medium toned emerald cut definitely has richer green ends and rather pale bluer green sides. The green ends dominate the stone, so I would call it a green with an overtone of blue. The ends though darker than the … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, dichroic, emerald cut, green, open-c, verdelite
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Moderate dichroism and tone in a blue green emerald cut.#368
When the sun shines on this moderately toned blue green emerald cut you can easily see the dichroism. The more greenish ends are distinctly different from the blue green sides. It has a somewhat muted color, that may be result … Continue reading
Slightly dichroic, but not closed, medium dark blue/green emerald cut.#367
This is a very nice medium dark toned blue with an overtone of green. The color is flash driven and saturated.   It appears to be eye clean and have a fine crystal body. The dichroism causes some darkening of the … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, dichroic, emerald cut, green, medium green, open-c
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Medium pastel green with a flaw threw the heart, emerald cut.#366
I should probably replace this smaller emerald cut with another stone. It medium tone green with touches of blue is OK, but it obviously cracked while cutting and I can see areas of white from too far away. It weighs … Continue reading
Namibian blues a moving flaw in a pure hearted emerald cut.#371
It is always sad to see a beautiful stone destroyed and when it is happening as you work on it, that is even worse. Now I have certainly had tourmalines “blow up” on me and left me shatter along with … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Indicolite
Tagged blue, cutting tourmaline, indicolite, Namibia
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Medium lightly toned grayed green emerald cut.#365
This medium lightly toned grayed green goes toward the bluish side when permitted by the light. It has a bright flashy look with completely open ends. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. It weighs 1.91 carats. … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, emerald cut, gray-green, green, open-c, verdelite
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A grayish blue rather watery looking, emerald cut.#364
This medium toned emerald cut has a bit different blue that is desaturated into a grayed blue under my lighting.  This gives the stone a feeling of being diluted when it is compared with the saturated Namibian gems. It … Continue reading
Afghanistan produces a nice pastel green droplet of color.#363
Bright and light are the passwords for this medium light tone, green droplet of color. It has a very slight flaw at the girdle, that makes no difference in the beauty of the gemstone. It weighs .90 carats, which is … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged afghan, droplet-of-color, green, pastel, verdelite
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Smaller, bright green with a touch of blue, open ended emerald cut.#362
This smaller emerald cut has a color many real emeralds would be jealous of. It is medium dark green with a touch of blue. It appears to be eye clean and has completely open ends. Such sparkle in a darker … Continue reading
A silent moment for an exception blue emerald cut from Namibia#361
Sometime before the availability of Namibian blue tourmaline decreased greatly for me, I bought a lot from my principle dealer out of Africa. The lot had over a dozen pieces of rough in it and I am sure some of … Continue reading
Fine, eye clean, blue green emerald cut.#360
It is nice to have to look at some of these smaller gemstones for the first time in a while. This smaller emerald cut has open ends and such a great medium toned, flash driven blue green color, that it … Continue reading
On the edge of tiny, medium light pastel emerald cut.#359
This has to be one of the smallest emerald cuts I have made. Its medium light blue color is a fine pastel and its open ends give life to the stone. It weighs .37 carats and will probably will not … Continue reading
Posted in Etc., Indicolite
Tagged blue, emerald cut, indicolite, medium blue, open-c, pastel
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Fine, rich grass green, with darker ends, but not closed, emerald cut.#358
This emerald is a medium plus toned, flash driven gemstone. It ends are darker, but still open enough to give life to a really fine grass green color. It weighs 1.05 carats. Bruce
Fine, open, blue emerald cut.#357
This small emerald cut is a beauty. It is a legitimate blue that just picks up a little green in the yellowish light. The emerald cut is open ended, bright and flashy. This medium toned joy weighs .65 carats. Bruce
One lost baguette in the collection, small blue.#355
I decided to cut a baguette to see how I would like it. I decided that I much preferred emerald cuts so this medium blue one was the only baguette I have cut. It has a nice medium tone and … Continue reading
Small, bright, open ended, included, blue green emerald cut.#356
This small emerald cut is a very nice gemstone. Its flaws are not major and the emerald cut is still bright and flashy. It has a medium toned blue green look that grabs the eye. It weighs.68 carats. Bruc
Dark blue with touch of gray, included, emerald cut.#354
This emerald cut has closed ends, but normal angles on the ends. It is pretty dark and has some face up visible flashy flaws. Still it is mainly a grayed blue with just a wash of green. It weighs .91 … Continue reading
Great blue green in a medium toned emerald cut.#353
No need for steep ends on this bright opened blue green emerald cut. It is a very outgoing gem with a medium tone level that is not inhibited by poor crystal of inclusions. It weighs 1.23 delightful carats. Bruce
Bright, crisp, blue green, steep ended emerald cut.#352
This steep ended emerald cut has a medium dark tone, but the flash driven color is a snappy blue green. It is a personal stone that appreciates good light. It weighs 1.17 carats. Bruce
Medium blue with steep ends, emerald cut#351
Steep ends minimizes the darkness from the closed c axis of this medium blue gemstone. The stone appears to be eye clean and of fine crystal. It weighs 1.23 carats and stays blue even in the yellowish light. Bruce
Pale blue sky with a galacy of faint inclusions, droplet of color.#649
This sky blue round is a bit restricted by many faint inclusions that add up to a low quality crystal. Still if you keep it moving, it will flash you a nice smile. It has a medium light pastel look … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, pale, sky blue
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Light pastel non-copper purple, droplet of color.#648
A standard round brilliant, non copper, less tone level than the following cuprian purple, but very similar hue (color). It weighs 1.01 carats. A standard round brilliant, cuprian, a bit darker than the non copper above, but with a … Continue reading
Bright, dyamite ,hot pink eye candy, droplet of color.#646
It is amazing to me, how many faults in a stone, can be overlooked when it is eye candy. This hot pink, which is one step up from most, has a number of inclusions around the pavilion. They really have … Continue reading
Rich, lush, mysterious jungle green droplet of color.#647
This round has a dark flash driven green color that brightens up the rim of the crown, but leaves the center mysterious. The body appears to be both eye clean and with fine crystal, so the lack of flash in … Continue reading
Orange droplet of color, a bit pale for the contest.#645
This gemstone protested the results of the contest between three of its orange brothers. The judge, me, had ruled that the posted droplet of color was just bit too low in tone to compete. Now that I have taken a … Continue reading
Cuprian, light yellow, round#644
I did not buy the rough for this gemstone as cuprian and I did not know it was cuprian until I check it out with my spectrometer. I have no idea whether the copper content effects the color of this … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Etc., Yellow
Tagged cuprian, Mozambique, unique, yellow
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Pastel yellow to green slider, round#643
This medium light toned pastel flirts with both yellow and green. The cut between these colors is always difficult in tourmaline and depends in part on the individuals eyes. Yellow is the much rare color as you will definitely see … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite, Yellow
Tagged color-shift, green, verdelite, yellow, yellow-green
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Bright eye clean peridot yellow green, round#642
It is rather sad to use peridot’s green to reference tourmaline’s, but I think that more people know it than tourmaline’s colors. Hopefully not for long. I like yellow greens in tourmaline, they polish wonderfully and I think they have … Continue reading
Copper plus manganese equals a well saturated purple, round#641
No one should get too blase about well saturated purples in tourmaline. It is rare and always will be rare because the saturation, if not the actual color, is dependent on both copper and manganese chromophores. Manganese is pretty common … Continue reading
A gray sweeps in to save the day, droplet of color.#640
Now the droplets take pride in having every hue (color) and I try to help them all I can. But a true gray in tourmaline is not common. Having colors that are grayish is a piece of cake. But this … Continue reading
One vertical feather and the green flashes on, droplet of color#639
I can see I was successful with this standard round brilliant in getting the principle feather to intersect the table at about ninety degrees. Face up the feather is just a narrow whitish line. The bright, rich, exceptional, slightly yellowish … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, verdelite, yellow-green
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A shifty blue that has a green streek depending on the light, droplet of light.
This medium toned blue shifts to more green than expected under the yellowish light. But boy does it love incandescent light.  So we will call it a blue green pastel, droplet of color, with visions of greatness, because it drinks … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, color-shift, droplet-of-color, green-blue, indicolite, pastel
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Not quite a midnight rose, droplet of color.#637
This pink has been toned down by a wash of purple to make a medium dark rose that blooms a dark smile. It is interesting how a touch of purple increase the tone level significantly in pinks that would probably … Continue reading
The votes have been counted and this is a hot pink droplet of color.#636
I have enough pinks in the tray of fifty I am working on to begin to compare what I have written on the back of the droplets storage boxes. I am really not that consistent. It probably has to do … Continue reading
A mildly dichroic yellower orange, droplet of color.#635
This is a bright and flashy, yellowish orange, droplet of color. Where the three oranges that competed in the contest, to see who was the best orange in the droplet of color group., were purer orange, this one is too … Continue reading
Nice medium toned baby blue droplet of color.#634
You have seen this baby blue many times in life and now this tourmaline has a really pretty setting for it. The standard round brilliant is eye clean and with a fine crystal.  The droplet of color even stands out … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged baby blue, blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, medium blue
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Beautiful average pink rolls on in the collection, droplet of color.#633
This standard round brilliant is not your average pink tourmaline in the trade, but it seems to be what I am inclined to buy when I have the chance. The posted droplet of color has a great medium tone and … Continue reading
I should make a mint, on this eye clean, mint colored droplet of color.#632
This standard round brilliant is eye clean and with a great medium tone level.  Its blue green color loves the yellowish lights, but it is still a delight in the gray overcast light of autumn’s waning days. I was comparing … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, mint
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Included pinker shade of cuprian tourmaline, Mozambique#631
This pink definitely has the glow of copper’s purple and it has been confirmed with my spectrometer. It is included, but the medium light, well saturated, standard round brilliant is still bright and flashy because most of the area corrupted … Continue reading
Cuprian, Purple droplet of color from Mozambique (included)#630
A very nice rare color in tourmaline, I call purple, needs copper to being it to the level of saturation that I see in this standard round brilliant. The inclusions, which frankly are expected, can not draw me away from … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color, Etc.
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, Mozambique, purple
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An included, bright yellow, piece of eye candy, droplet of color.#629
Thank goodness there is one example of the yellow, that I have been raving about for years in this tray of fifty smaller standard round brilliants. It is included, but frankly that is besides the point when I look at … Continue reading
Powerful blue green wave from the abysis, droplet of color#628
This standard round brilliant is a personal stone, that draws you into its bottomless reaches of darker blue green, flash driven, color. It appears to be eye clean, but with its darker tone level minor flaws are not really a … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, dark green, droplet-of-color, green, sea green, verdelite
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And the third orange contest is this droplet of color.#627
Posted stone, bit light, brilliant orange weighs .87 carats Winner of the contest of three oranges, weighs .77 carats. Bit darker brilliant orange weighs .62 carats. This standard round brilliant is the third droplet of color in the contest to … Continue reading
Medium toned sea foam from Afghanistan, droplet of color#626
This standard round brilliant was cut from the lot of high quality sea foam I obtained from Afghanistan. It is eye clean and medium toned, but really too small to show the dynamic interplay of the blue green and yellow … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Etc., Verdelite
Tagged afghan, blue-green, dichroic, droplet-of-color, green, seafoam, verdelite, yellow-green
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Included minty green droplet of color.#625
This droplet of color, in the yellowish light that I have now, is so bright and rich in color that it is hard to call it minty, but I know that in sunlight is will not be as saturated. Its … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, mint
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Included rose colored droplet of color.#624
This rose, a pink with a touch of purple, has inclusions that are light and in line with the hot pinks.  It is still bright and flashy for a medium toned standard round brilliant. It weighs 1.41 carats and … Continue reading
A rose, freshly bloomed, in a droplet of color.#623
This standard round brilliant has just a touch of purple in the pink, that I call rose. It is not as bright as the hot pinks. But it is a fine gemstone, that is eye clean and with good crystal, … Continue reading
A single inclusion in a great green droplet of color.#622
I am guilty of pushing the rough to get the best yield I can while protecting the color potential of the piece of rough. What has to give, at times, is the retention of flaws that could have been removed. … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, forest green, green, verdelite
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Include medium toned hot pink round#621
The inclusions in this round are both easily seen and impact the flash of the gemstone. Still the gem is such a piece of hot, eye candy that sparkles and flashes brightly, that the flaws seem minor. This is just … Continue reading
Please pass the extra virgin olive oil, droplet of color.#620
Olive oil has grown in popularity over the years and I vote for this color to get more respect in tourmaline too. It doesn’t have to be rare to be good for your color appreciation. It sets off its color … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, olive, verdelite, yellow-green
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Clean, Bright, Cuprian, Purple Punch, droplet of color.#619
I think that I have posted about how forgiving I am with purple tourmaline that are cuprian. Well this standard round brilliant just shrugs the concern off with a great eye clean body and a sparkling bright purple personality. A … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, Mozambique, purple
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The green green grass of home, droplet of color#618
I was not born to grow great grass at home or anywhere else. Still I was fortunate to cut a piece of rough that produced this exceptional, green as grass, green. I think that this standard round brilliant can stand … Continue reading
Pale, completely uniform yellow green pastel, droplet of color#617
This tourmaline was born to not look like tourmaline. The standard round brilliant that was cut from it is bright and flashy, but with only enough tone level to just keep out of the IceT space. It could easily be … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, pale, pastel, yellow-green
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Hot pink rounds to keep tourmaline color on fire, droplet of color#616
Nothing like a standard round brilliant that is eye clean and on fire with hot pink to keep the tray of fifty rounds lighted up. This eye candy is not as rambunctious as some, but then it is more high … Continue reading
Olive yellow green droplet of color.#615
Now there are all sorts of olive greens in tourmaline and it is not a particularly prized color. This medium dark, standard round brilliant, has decent flash for it tone level. It also appears to be eye clean with good … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, olive, verdelite, yellow-green
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Red as Rubellite should be, droplet of color#614
I was reading that Rubellite should be dropped from being a trade name for red tourmaline because it is deceptive. This despite the fact that Rubellite is an old established name under which millions of tourmaline have been sold. The … Continue reading
This is a great round of top grade Afghan sea foam.#612
Nothing come close to being wrong with this wonderful medium sized standard round brilliant. It is big enough to show off its top grade sea foam color with an ideal tone level. It is eye clean and Afghan tourmaline is … Continue reading
Grayed Purple Droplet of Color without Copper#611
The vast majority of purplish tourmalines do not have copper as a chromophore, but I remember the cuprians the most because they are saturated. (and expensive)Â This droplet of color has a nice medium toned lavender color, but the grays … Continue reading
A richer red pink more mature droplet of color.#610
Now this standard round brilliant is not against playing with the eye candy, hot pinks, it is just that it take itself more seriously. It has fine flash and appears to have an eye clean body, but its darker toned, … Continue reading
Achroite under any reasonable light, round.#609
I have a number of standard round brilliants that were cut from a lot of Afghanistan material I purchased years ago. I could see a touch of blue in part of the lot, that use to be half of a … Continue reading
Pure Punch of Pink, hot to the eye, droplet of color#608
This hot pink standard round brilliant is blessed with an eye clean body. It is not ashamed to be forward with its bright medium toned flash. I can really never get enough of this color, but I dream more about … Continue reading
A mature, toned down purplish pink droplet of color.#607
This standard round brilliant is riding on the edge of red, while being dragged down in tone by a wash of purple. I guess being dragged down seems a little negative and this rose colored stone is very attractive, but … Continue reading
Included a bit toned down hot pink droplet of color#606
When you have enough tourmaline pinks (or other colors) to compare you can begin to see some subtle color differences in tourmaline. At least that is one of the goals I hoped to achieve with my collection.  This hotter pink … Continue reading
Included hot pink droplet of color.#605
With the notable exception of Nigeria, if you want to be included in the hot pink world, you just have to be included. This standard round brilliant toed the line and still is a beauty. It light inclusions have a … Continue reading
A great open blue green droplet of color.#604
How can I, a cutter that has scaled such tourmaline pinnacles, call a smaller standard round brilliant with a reasonably common color and tone level great, because it is. Size does matter with tourmaline, though certainly not as much as … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, dichroic, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite
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Included pink with a speck of purple, dot of color.#603
It is amazing to me how much being “in” can matter when it comes to price. I truly love cuprian tourmaline, but only stones with higher quality colors should warrant a big differential in price. (in my opinion) When I … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color
Tagged color dot, cuprian, pink, purple
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Orange, Orange, Orange droplet of color.#602
Posted stone, weight .62 carats. Winner of the contest .77 carats. Third contestant in the contest .87 carats. There are three candidates for the title of the best all around orange in a smaller stone, from the droplets of color’s … Continue reading
Highly transparent pastel blue droplet of color.#601
This standard round brilliant has a medium light tone level and a very open non-dichroic face. It could be considered a baby blue and is eye clean, bright and flashy. It weighs .76 carats and is certainly a droplet of … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, pastel
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A blue Namibian droplet of color.
This standard round brilliant is blue. It seems so inadequate to say that these droplets of color from Namibia are just blue because the are great stones. I have not been able to get much larger blue tourmaline from Namibia … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, Namibia
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A solid sparkling pink droplet of color#800
This standard round brilliant is really a fine little stone. It is eye clean with fine crystal. It pink is crisp and without overtone. It weighs 1.03 carats and would make a delicate piece of jewelry beautiful. Bruce
Tiny dot of color in the blue green world#799
This standard round brilliant is almost the smallest gemstone in the collection. I cut it while I was experimenting with standard round brilliants to see how small I could cut a stone. It is a nice rich green with a … Continue reading
Maybe a touch of blue in an Achroite, round#798
I just rediscovered the key to finding the blue in these nearly colorless standard round brilliants from Afghanistan, direct sunlight, how new and novel. This gemstone still almost failed the blue test. It is very bright and flashy and weighs … Continue reading
Small round with a creamy heart of peach, dot of color
This standard round brilliant has a really nice tone level of peach for such a small stone. It is not brownish or dichroic at all. It weighs .37 carats and is a dot of color. Bruce
blue green dot of color#796
This small standard round brilliant has a nice bright medium toned blue green color. It weighs .21 carats and I haven’t gotten smaller than that many times. Bruce
Pink dot of color#795
This small standard round brilliant of pink was cut while I was experimenting with cutting small stones. It is a nice medium toned pink that weighs .25 carats. Bruce
A Dichroic, Gold Droplet of Color#794
This standard round brilliant was cut from a lot I purchase years ago, that only contained 1 gram pieces and smaller. The rough is dichroic with a darker gold c axis and a pastel a/b golden yellow. This gemstone is … Continue reading
Afghanistan Achroite with an eye clean heart.#793
This Achroite from Afghanistan may have a touch of blue, but with my old yellow eyes, I can’t see it. The round standard brilliant is eye clean and can not anything by bright. It weighs .48 carats. Bruce
Bright very pale bicolor for the IceT group, an emerald cut.#792
Of all the pieces in the lot of bicolors from Afghanistan, this is only the second piece that stayed together and could be cut. I can easily see the faint pink colored, side and I know there is a little … Continue reading
Magnificent bicolor with yellow crown and rust culet, orange round. Del Delgato#791
I have put together a general post about Del Gado and other sources of rough that peaked at different times in my time of collection building. Still it should be said here that Del Gado, which is the most northern … Continue reading
An included hot pink dot of color with a flater crown.#790
This standard round brilliant is included like you would expect of this hot pink color in a great medium tone level. It also has a flatter crown than other dots of color. Still it is an exciting stone even though … Continue reading
It is pretty small, but still a blue from Namibia, round#789
Small or not doesn’t matter when it comes to having a blue from Namibia. This standard round blue is a blue blood and shows its pedigree even though it is only .27 carats big. Its tone level is on the … Continue reading
Small medium toned green dot of color#788
This standard round brilliant was cut while I experimented with cutting small rounds. It has a nice medium tone that stands up to being in such a small stone. Its color is a nice green without dichroism and is a … Continue reading
Medium toned green dot of color.#787
This standard round brilliant has a nice medium toned green color. It appears to be eye clean and without dichroism. It weighs .35 carats and is a nice do of color for the eye. kBruce
Faintest hint of blue and the IceT group is helpfull, round#786
Afghanistan tourmaline is amazingly pure at times. This standard round brilliant is another example of such purity. It has just the faintest touch of blue, in a sparkling clean body. It weighs .33 carats. Bruce
This small round looks orange enough to make juice.#613
Early on in my quest for all the colors of tourmaline I could get, orange was close to the top of my list of wants. I hadn’t come up with a steady date with any dealers and I was new … Continue reading
This is small enough to be a dot and it is, a beautiful blue Namibian one.#785
There is something about a Namibian blue that stands out even when it is as small as this blue dot of color. It is not just its color, but the great medium tone that goes with it in these smaller … Continue reading
From light blue rough comes a Achroite, Afghanistan#784
A small standard round brilliant that is very brilliant. It is pure water white and came from rough that you could see just a hint of blue in. Well I can not see it now, so I am changing the … Continue reading
Small baby blue oval#782
This small oval has a medium light pastel blue color. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. The color is even and completely open because the stone does not display any dichroism.  This flashy gemstone weighs … Continue reading
Shallow yellow oval with two tier crown.#781
This larger yellow oval is eye clean. It has a very nice medium tone level and the yellow is without a greenish overtone. The rough came from Del Gado Mozambique, which is the most northern state in Mozambique. The material … Continue reading
Smallest round I ever made, blue color dot.#779
It looks like a little sapphire and deserves a note as the smallest stand round brilliant I ever cut. (and any other style of cut). It has a nice medium toned blue and weighs a spectacular .11 carats. (That is … Continue reading
A beautiful medium toned blue droplet of color from Namibia.#778
This standard round brilliant is a blue that stands up to yellow light without greening. Sparkles even in muted light and is able to climb tall cutters in a single bound.  I keep buying Namibian blue when I can, it … Continue reading
Slightly included bright hot pink dot.#777
This standard round brilliant is still hot pint in this dot of color. Even this small a hot pink is slightly included. It has a medium tone value and weighs .27 carats. I cutting it when I was experimenting with … Continue reading
Nice blue green color dot.#776
This green standard round brilliant has enough tone value to still be darker in this color dot. It weighs .36 carats and has the typical amount of flash for a darker stone. Bruce
Small even for a color dot, golden gem.#775
This is about as small as I ever cut a standard round brilliant. This dot of color is still rich in golden color and reaches to flash, threw the cotton. It weighs .15 carats and sadly will never grow up. … Continue reading
Bright water clear round.#774
Keeping in line with past decisions, this extremely bright and flashy Achroite standard round brilliant will accept no invitations to join any groups. It might of had a history of being very lightly blue, but that is in the past. … Continue reading
A smaller plain green droplet of color.#773
This standard round brilliant has a good tone level for a smaller droplet of color. The rather sedate green is just that green. It seems with tourmaline you are always reaching for adjectives to describe the multitudes of greens. Well … Continue reading
A richer golden yellow I will call butterscotch, droplet of color.#772
Another sweet color in a standard round brilliant package. The stones richness comes from maybe a bit of brown, but that goes with chocolate and butterscotch just fine in this case. That is because there is nothing dense about this … Continue reading
Medium toned green dot of color#770
This smaller standard round brilliant is eye clean and has a nice medium tone. I cut it when I was experimenting with cutting small round brilliants. It weighs .36 carats. Bruce
Slightly include, pale, pastel green IceT, groupie#769
This pale green round just missed being a droplet of color. It is slightly included and really wished that it was larger so that its tone level would be more appropriate for such a small standard round brilliant. It weighs … Continue reading
Eye clean baby pink round from Afghanistan#768
This smaller standard round brilliant was cut from a lot of included very light blue and pink pieces of tourmaline that use to be bicolors. They broke apart and now go their separate ways. This pink weighs .54 carats and … Continue reading
This bright droplet of color looks like a bit of sea foam from Afghanistan#767
When the standard round brilliant gets this small the force of sea foam is much diminished. The Afghanistan material just does not have the tone level to descend this low. Still the eye clean round is attractive and has found … Continue reading
Medium dark pink dot of color#766
This standard round brilliant, medium dark, pink has the force to standout in the cotton.  It was cut while I was experimenting with cutting small rounds. It weighs .28 carats and is a dot of color. Bruce
Another round of Achroite for the boys.#765
I think that I saw a touch of blue in this standard round brilliant, in the past, because I could see it in the rough. Now I only see one of the brightest, purest water white Achroites I have cut. … Continue reading
A pale, baby pink round from Afghanistan#764
This standard round brilliant has just enough pink to not be an IceT, but is pale for such a small round. Still its delicate beauty smiles threw its lightly included surface and rewards me for my effort. I weighs .41 … Continue reading
A touch of blue leads to an IceT round.#763
You could easily miss the touch of blue in this otherwise completely colorless round. But with the help of my IceT consultants I see it this time.  The bright and flashy stone appears to have a sprinkling of tiny inclusions … Continue reading
Moderate inclusions and a hot red/pink, round#762
This standard round brilliant’s inclusion would be a disappointment except for the rounds bright hot red pink look that makes them a normal occurrence. I don’t think that red/pinks in tourmaline are as burdened as emeralds with imperfections, but they … Continue reading
Tower of Green Power Emerald Cut with Dark Ends.#761
To cut a nice gemstone from tourmaline that has closed ends (very little if any light is transmitted down the principle, c, axis.) restricts your options as a cutter. The choice of the emerald cut is essential for minimizing the … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Verdelite
Tagged closed-c, cutting tourmaline, emerald cut, green, verdelite
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Dark flash driven blue droplet of color#760
This standard round brilliant couldn’t be much larger to keep any transparency with such a dark toned blue.  The blue flash is without green and is quite a good solid blue, that deserves to call an Indicolite (pure blue tourmaline). … Continue reading
A golden ray of color for a color dot#759
This smaller round brilliant is a bright golden dot of color. It is bright and sparkling and weighs .31 carats. Bruce
A steely blue color dot.#757
This smaller standard round brilliant was cut while I was experimenting in cutting small stones. It blue color is a bit gray, but it is still a nice open stone that is bright and flashy. It weighs .27 carats. It … Continue reading
Pink peach punch in a dot.#756
This small standard round brilliant was cut while I was experimenting in cutting small rounds. I put it in the collection to keep it safe. It is a nice peach pink of light tone and bright disposition. It weighs .24 … Continue reading
A hot dot of pink power.#755
When I first started cutting after a long hiatus, I only worked on small stones. It got to the point that I wanted to see how small I could make them. This small standard round brilliant was part of that … Continue reading
Slightly included peach droplet of color.#754
This smaller standard round brilliant has a nice medium tone and a clean peach look. It slightly included, but still very bright with no signs of brown. It weighs .55 carats and joins the droplet of color. Bruce
Great light minty green droplet of color.#753
This standard round brilliant is a really crisp pastel green with a touch of blue. It would make a fine after dinner mint if it wasn’t so hard. It is eye clean and very bright. It weighs 1.23 carats and … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, mint, verdelite
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This oval is in the pink and ready to flash.#752
It is nice to see a pink oval that is eye clean and very bright and flashy, be an average stone in my collection. It is nothing new in color, but for those who love pink, this stone would be … Continue reading
Medium light pastel peach round#751
This standard round brilliant has all the good properties that a peach should have. It has a nice medium light pastel tone level. It is not bother by browns or any other overtone. It is easily eye clean and weighs … Continue reading
Quite included candy orange oval, Brazil#550
This oval was cut from a piece of “salad” that I purchased from Brazil. “Salad” are low grade tourmalines that are faceted by native cutters. I got some just to see if I could get some different shades of color … Continue reading
Snappy, sassy, cuprian, pinkish purple, but still lightly included oval#549
When it comes to cuprian tourmaline with a great pinkish purple color, I am very forgiving with cleanliness, but in this case I don’t really have to be. It has a moderate tone level, which is beautifully complemented by just … Continue reading
A sea of color in a lower transparent round. Droplets can’t pass it by.#548
This standard round brilliant just doesn’t have the crystal to shine. None of its flaws flash or are distracting. But they help keep this gemstone’s beautiful, blue green color, from lifting it into being a pinnacle of power. It weighs … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color
Tagged blue-green, dichroic, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite
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A bicolor of rust and cream emerald cut#547
This is really nice gemstone. It is about fifty percent rust color and fifty percent cream. Since the rust color travels down the long axis and colors the cream end, the stone is dominated by rust, but you can still … Continue reading
Purple brown in a dark package, oval#546
This gemstone is an example of how you have to buy in the world of tourmaline rough to quest for color. I consider tourmaline to be a world of color possibilities. Opportunities appear which demand action because if you miss … Continue reading
Someone has to be in the middle of the bell curve, pink oval.#545
I would judge this pink oval to be an example of the most typical pink that is coming out of Africa at the moment (2013). It maybe a little larger at 4.36 carats and cleaner, eye clean, than most, but … Continue reading
Bright medium dark beautiful pink oval#544
Back in the middle of the road, pink oval. But it is really a beautiful middle of the road. No potholes here, just an eye clean gem of fine crystal that sets off a rich, brightly flashy, pink. The stone … Continue reading
A brown descent into orange wood, mahogany,round.#543
When I looked at the back of this standard round brilliant to look for flaws I was somewhat frustrated by my past cutting behavior. There was a white inclusion about one third of the way up from the pavilion and … Continue reading
A Red/Orange-Peach, deep oval.#542
Since I posted that I was using peach only in the pastel world this deeply cut oval is probably a medium toned reddish orange, but it still is really a deeper peach. Its pavilion is a “super nova” which takes … Continue reading
An emerald cut with open ends and green touched with blue.
No 540 picture for now. This emerald cut has a nice complex color that get touches of blue in a mainly a green world. The gemstones tone level is delightfully breezy and without any darkness in the ends. Such a … Continue reading
A medium pastel blue with a touch of gray oval cuprian#539
I did not buy the rough for this oval as cuprian. It was too early in the game. Later, I did not expect this somewhat different blue, with a touch of gray, to be cuprian because it does not have … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Etc., Indicolite
Tagged blue, cuprian, Mozambique, oval, pastel, sapphire
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Blue to blue green droplet of color#538
This blue to blue green round has a great medium dark tone level. It is bright in a reasonable light and looks rich and delicious. The droplets of color will have a feast with this new member. The standard round … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, green-blue, indicolite
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Just rolling in peaches, emerald cut.#537
This emerald cut has a nice medium tone level without dichroism. It is completely eye clean and with excellent crystal. It is a peach pastel like a peach pastel should be. It weighs 4.10 carats. Bruce
Very pale peach emerald easy choice for IceT development#536
This is one of those tourmaline that you would think is anything, but a tourmaline. Its tone level is very low and the stones crystal is flawless. It is not dichroic and actually looks like some inexpensive topaz I had … Continue reading
Stately blue emerald cut with authority.#535
The emerald cut is a combination of an absolutely transparent body without any hint of dichroism and wonderful crystal. It is quite impressive without even mentioning a color. Now its eye clean stature and stable blue color (it slips a … Continue reading
Slightly included smaller hot red/pink oval.#534
This longer ratio oval is a great piece of red/pink eye candy. It is slightly included, as you expect of a piece of tourmaline with this intensity of color and being a red pink. I think that this is a … Continue reading
A purple without copper, oval#533
This purple without copper does not have a good saturation level, but it is a purple and therefor rare in the collection. The stone is included, but its medium dark tone level tends to obscure the inclusions. (I just spotted … Continue reading
A watery orange that failed a bit, round#532
Well this is the first inclusion failure I have found in the collection and I probably should consider recutting it. Still the small area of the pavilion that failed (chipped out probably during epoxy removal)is hard to see from the … Continue reading
A great brown with a different twist, emerald cut.#531
If you look closely at many tourmaline browns, what do you see. An orange that is just not saturated (purity of color) enough to present its orange face cleanly and brightly to the world. But the posted gemstone, which is … Continue reading
Very Pale Yellow to Green, victim of wishful thinking round. (IceT for sure)#530
Now the IceT party is ready to party hard with this standard round brilliant no mater what official color I come up with. In the morning light I see a very pale green, but there is yellow on the box. … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite, Yellow
Tagged color-shift, green, IceT, pale, verdelite, yellow
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Get your red hot pink round, everything included.#529
There are times when you truly wish that you could get an eye clean specimen of a certain shade of color for the collection. Well the posted standard round brilliant is an object of that wishful thinking. It is a … Continue reading
Smaller round with rind of blue and a heart of pink.#528
I purchased the rough for this standard round tourmaline as a bit of cuprian color, but my spectrometer said no copper. It is still interesting, even if it has moderate inclusion that inhibit the flash. They are at least spread … Continue reading
Dichroic pink with growth tubes emerald cut.#527
Imperfections in a gemstone do not always make it less beautiful or interesting. Cats eye in tourmaline that are produce by dense formations of growth tubes is a prime example of that beauty and interest in tourmaline. The posted highly … Continue reading
An Achroite, simply pure, colorless and open round.#526
My father use to tell me over and over again that nature abhors a vacuum to his profound enjoyment. Well I think that nature abhors a tourmaline without color. So I always question if an Achroite has been heated or … Continue reading
Cyan blue and cuprian rich emerald cut.#525
This smaller emerald cut is a GEM (outstanding gemstone) and was one of the first gemstone from Mozambique that I got, that proved to have copper in it. It has such a bright neon look that I knew it was … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Etc., Indicolite
Tagged blue, cuprian, cyan, emerald cut, Mozambique, neon, paraiba
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Baby pink round from Afghanistan#524
This standard round brilliant is one of the better ones from the lot I bought years ago from Afghanistan. It is eye clean and has a good size. I never tried to keep track of have many rounds I cut … Continue reading
So many varieties of peaches, round.#522
I can see that the person who put this collection together is drawn toward peach to orange tourmaline. The posted round is faintly included and with its medium pastel peach color you would notice any inclusions. It is a bright … Continue reading
A great medium toned green droplet of color.#520
This standard round brilliant is slightly included, but still bright and flashy. It has a great medium tone level that reminds me of sea foam. I would call it sea foam, except that I like to leave sea foam for … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, pastel, verdelite
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Classic hot hot included pink droplet of color#519
This is what hot pink tourmaline looked like for most of the old days. It was and is a great color in this standard round brilliant, but it always was included. Included to such a significant degree that it impacts … Continue reading
Slightly sleepy, included, dichroic, blue oval.#518
I usually think of sapphire and garnet when I hear sleepy, but that is what this oval is. I can see both dichroic blues in the gem’s flashes and they are not exceptional dark. But the pizazz is not there. … Continue reading
Slightly graded color in a slightly included, dichroic, peach emerald cut.#517
The title of this post says a lot. With all of it, the bottom line is, it is a pity that I don’t have more peaches like this one. The darker c axis ends are redder than the middle. The … Continue reading
Posted in Orange
Tagged dichroic, emerald cut, graduated tone, orange, pastel, peach
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An extremely faint trace of green in the IceT emerald cut.#516
This emerald cut goes back awhile, to a time when I thought that the straight sharp fagot of tubes in the pavilion of this emerald cut were rutile crystals not growth tubes. (Now I have never heard of rutile in … Continue reading
Midnight/sapphire blue flash, trilliant cut.#515
It would be nice if I never purchased a “problem” piece of rough. But then I guess I would never get to show off, to myself, what I can stretch to do. (I have almost never discussed cutting a stone … Continue reading
A step up from the average pink round, to be droplet.#514
This standard round brilliant has a great medium tone level and is just a step up from the the average baby pink round, that has been presented. It is eye clean and is a really reflective little gemstone. This is … Continue reading
If it wasn’t included it wouldn’t be a saturated yellow oval#512
This oval is lightly included and the inclusions are not a distraction from the beauty of the stone. This saturated yellow is not only excellent for tourmaline, I don’t think that many other types of gemstone can really measure up … Continue reading
Dravite, just not enough satuation to keep this Orange without Brown, Oval#511
This oval has a good size, fine crystal and is probably eye clean, but gets very little respect because its saturation (purity of color) is not high enough to scare away the brown. This problem is shared with many other … Continue reading
A heavily included experiment in the round.#510
The standard round brilliant that is heavily included was just an experiment. I had purchased some Brazilian “salad”(low grade faceted gemstones) to try and see if I could get something different.(I did get a couple of grayed purples that are … Continue reading
A blue green round of middle proportions, droplet of color.#509
There has to be something in the middle of the road to have a middle of the road, and this pastel blue green round fills the bill.  I have nothing bad to say about this standard round brilliant that rolls … Continue reading
Posted in Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, forest green, green, verdelite
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Another round of bluish blush for this green round (droplet).#508
There are many views of nature’s rich pallet of greens in Pennsylvania’s springtime awakening. The bright and flashy hillside drenched in sunlight and the gathering darkness of the canopy in the deep forest, along with all the grass people continue … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, forest green, green, verdelite
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Slightly dichroic peach emerald cut#507
This cute smaller emerald cut looks a lot like a topaz I cut years ago. It has darker peach ends and a moderately lightly toned center of pastel peach. It is eye clean with excellent crystal for a peachy deal. … Continue reading
When does colorless become white, round#506
When you’re dealing with transparent gems, I guess colorless is a better term than white to describe the stone. Now if the transparent gemstone becomes less transparent because of a lower grade crystal and a network of internal flaws should … Continue reading
Non dichroic, lightly toned shield cut.#505
If you want to spend the time and effort on a shield cut, this is a stone like you would want to cut. It has all the right gemological properties in a mild bright pastel blue. It refuses to gray … Continue reading
Make way for a little red round that shouts Rubellite.#504
It is my opinion that Rubellite (varietal name for red tourmaline) should be used with the reddest most intense color that tourmaline is capable of producing. Not pinks or reds that desaturate to brownish off color gemstones. Smaller gemstone usually … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Etc., Rubellite
Tagged droplet-of-color, red, rubellite, unique
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Living with a complex color round.#503
We have a live one in this darker toned standard round brilliant. First I see a pink purple that is very close to maroon and I begin to wonder. Then I look at the back of the storage box and … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Orange, Pink
Tagged color-shift, orange-pink, pink, purple-pink
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Scattered, light inclusions in a pale lemon droplet of color.#502
This smaller standard round brilliant looks like the medicine I use to take to help with a sore throat. The light lemony with just a touch of green color has scattered inclusions that aren’t too dense. Its flash is impacted … Continue reading
Something different a maroon emerald cut.#501
With all the rough I have bought to enlarge the spread of color you would have thought I would have more maroon. Now maroon has a part of me since it was part of my high school colors. Maroon and … Continue reading
Very slight included baby pink round from Afghanistan#750
This standard round brilliant has a very nice baby pink color. It appears to be very slightly included, but it is still a very sharp little round. It weighs 1.17 carats. Bruce
Closed ended blue green emerald cut.#749
This emerald cut has normal angles on its ends despite being closed ended. I prefer the flash better on normally cut emerald cuts even though the darkness edges in a little. It appears to be eye clean and has a … Continue reading
A blue cup of IceT round from Afghanistan#748
This very pale blue stone, and I can clearly see the blue in this one, still made it into the IceT group. It is a very bright ,lightly included, standard round brilliant. It weighs .63 carats. Bruce
Eye clean sharp baby pink round from Afghanistan#747
This standard round brilliant is slightly included and has a nice baby pink color. It came in a lot from Afghanistan years ago. It weighs .64 carats. Bruce
Eye clean, baby pink round from Afghanistan#745
This standard round brilliant is a nice eye clean baby pink. It came in a lot years ago from Afghanistan. It is a shape little stone that is bright and flashy just like all pastels are from Afghanistan. It weighs … Continue reading
Very lightly included baby pink from Afghanistan, round#744
This pale pink standard round brilliant is very slightly included. It came in a lot from Afghanistan years ago. It weighs .79 carats. Bruce
A ghost round for a tourmaline from Afghanistan#724
It is difficult to see really pale colors in tourmaline because it has a habit of picking up ambient colors and showing off your shirt, the walls etc. This Achroite has barely enough color to make the IceT group. Under … Continue reading
Included round with pleasant baby blue color.#731
This baby blue standard round brilliant is moderately included. the inclusions definitely affect the flash and transparency of the gemstone. It is from Afghanistan and weighs .47 carats. Bruce
A light pastel blue green droplet of color.#730
Another shade of the complete continuum in tourmaline color from green to blue. It is a light pastel with the brightness and flash that you would expect in an eye clean stone. It weighs .76 carats and joins the raising … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, pastel, verdelite
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Strawberry, just a bit hotter pink, round#729
The use of strawberry for the color of this included standard round brilliant is not my creation. It is used in Afghanistan to label this, always included, extremely hot pink tourmaline. I also was told that it generally comes in … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Pink
Tagged afghan, droplet-of-color, hot pink, pink, strawberry
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Slightly included medium forest green, oval#728
I think that this medium toned forest green oval has just a touch of blue. It has a slight flaw close to the girdle, but it should not weaken the stone. The rest of the gem is eye clean with … Continue reading
Golden Brown Honey for the Droplet of Color#727
This standard round brilliant is a sweet treat for the droplets of color.  A brown overtone maybe a liability for some gemstones, but not for the pretty piece. It is only a touch of honey brown and that makes the … Continue reading
Posted in Dravite, Droplets of Color
Tagged brown, droplet-of-color, golden-brown, honey
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Namibian Indicolite with single inclusion, droplet of color.#726
This standard round brilliant is blue and will have nothing to do with green. It purity is compromised by an easily seen white non-reflective inclusion that is close to the girdle. I don’t believe that it endangers the physical integrity … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Indicolite
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, indicolite, Namibia
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Small, but potent sea foam droplet of color.#725
This bit of a standard round brilliant was sliced off one of the high quality sea foam pieces I got from Afghanistan. It appears to be on the bluer side of sea foam and has enough tone value to be … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged blue-green, droplet-of-color, green, seafoam, verdelite
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Open Bright Green Droplet of color.#224
Another rare find in a bright medium toned green that is open enough to be a standard round brilliant. It appears to be eye clean and has fine crystal. There are never enough of these for the droplets of color. … Continue reading
Dichroic golden orange with yellow mate, droplet of color.#723
This is a very nice standard round brilliant that is dominated by its c axis color of golden orange, that still must share some of the spot light with the a/b axis yellow color. This color distribution is caused by … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Orange
Tagged dichroic, droplet-of-color, orange, yellow-orange
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Modest, mid range, pink oval#722
This modest oval has a rather toned down flash and does not appear to be significantly dichroic. The stone appears to be eye clean and with good crystal.  Its color is a mid range pink with a darker tone level. … Continue reading
Smaller Beautiful Blue Emerald Cut#721
This blue without green emerald cut deserved to be called an Indicolite. I have been reading about reports that the old trade varietal names like Indicolite are going out of favor. In the future just plain Jane names like red, … Continue reading
cherry red and ripe with beauty, round#720
Some stones you remember cutting for a long time, even if the details fade. This standard round brilliant came forth from a flaw piece of rough. I had to fight for every fraction of a carat and I just made … Continue reading
Here is the yellow green Peridot color you have been looking for round.#719
These standard round brilliants are so bright when they are cut from a medium pastel piece of rough, with a great color, like this one. This stone acts like a headlight in my secret place besides a twisted florescent light … Continue reading
Lightly include oval with a heart of gold.#718
Except for the inclusion that are minor, this golden ray of beauty has it all. Its moderate tone level and open golden color, without any green or darker tones makes an eye grabber to me. It weighs 2.16 carats. Bruce
Tea that can turn to yellow round#717
Under my yellowish light this standard round brilliant is a very nice yellow, but in bluer light its steeped in tea. It has a medium tone level and is nice and bright, even with a slightly brownish overtone. The only … Continue reading
A nice sized sea foam colored round#716
The phrase “eye candy” connotes a certain element of superficiality that this superior, sea foam, standard round brilliant doesn’t have. But it will grab your eye as soon as you spot it and it is eye candy to me. Most … Continue reading
Decent lavender without copper emerald cut.#715
This emerald cut will not win any prizes for cleanliness or excessive brightness since its crystal is below average, but its color assure it a place in the collection. This is one of my better non-cuprian purples and it is … Continue reading
Posted in Etc.
Tagged dichroic, emerald cut, lavender, Madagascar, non-cuprian, purple
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A four slice pie of a pink, dichoric, round.#714
I would have cut this standard round brilliant with its table perpendicular to the principal (c) axis if it was reasonable. It wasn’t, so I cut the emerald cut with the table parallel to the c axis. With that orientation … Continue reading
An emerald cut with a greened bronze color.#713
Now a collection of tourmalines that wants to be inclusive can not only go for the eye candy in the world. Besides I wouldn’t have a lot to cut if every stone had to have great commercial potential. This dichroic … Continue reading
A large fantastic graded pink emerald cut.#712
Some gemstones are so easy to write about. I can not say enough about this absolutely beautiful pastel pink emerald cut. Its tone level grades from a pale pink to a very nice medium pastel pink with a saturation (purity … Continue reading
Strongly dichroic pink with pinch of purple or orange, emerald cut#711
I have seen this combination of a richly colored c axis with some shade of pink and a pale a/b axis with an off color pink. Looking hard I think that the a/b pink has got a little brown in … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Pink
Tagged color-shift, dichroic, emerald cut, orange-pink, pink, purple-pink
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Eye clean bright pink round from Afghanistan#710
This standard round brilliant has a pretty medium light pink color with an eye clean advantage. Most of the rounds I cut from a lot of tourmaline I got years ago from Afghanistan are included. This bright flashy round weighs … Continue reading
A slightly dichroic minty green, droplet of color#709
Green standard round brilliants are not as common as you might think because of problems with dichroism. Either the c axis is too dark to cut a round or one of the axis does not have a desirable color. So … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged dichroic, droplet-of-color, green, mint, verdelite
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A round that inherited a yellow rust color from the rough, but is peach.#708
This standard round brilliant has mixed up the colors of rust and yellow that could be seen in the rough into peach. It is a great property of rounds to flash away zoning, at least from face up. If you … Continue reading
Darker pink with a punch of purple, round
I have this standard round brilliant marked as a pink, but something is both making it darker and toning down the flash. I think that it is a punch of purple that I have seen often in pink tourmaline. This … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Pink
Tagged dark pink, droplet-of-color, pink, purple-pink
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Visibly included bright medium pink, round.#706
This standard round brilliant is visibly included. The round looks rather like how I remember the pinks coming from Brazil years ago. Still a decent stone, but with so many inclusion that there was no hope of cutting a clean … Continue reading
There is nothing fishy about this red salmon colored, round#705
This slightly reddish pink seemed to have just the right touch of orange to get my creative juices going and give it a color name (red salmon) that I have not used before. But as you have probably read before, … Continue reading
Medium light pastel pink, round, Afghanistan#704
This is a nice bright flashy standard round brilliant. Its medium light toned, pink color is so clean. It appears to be eye clean and is one of the better rounds that I have cut from a lot I got … Continue reading
This colorless (achroite) tourmaline is eye clean and bright, round#703
This .58 carat standard round brilliant is eye clean and from the same lot as #702 and I refer you to the preceding post for a better description of this stone. Bruce
A very bright eye clean achroic (colorless) round Afghanistan#702
Afghanistan produces some of the most outstanding tourmaline in the world. It is amazing to me how the pastel colors it produces can be so pure and bright. This small standard round brilliant has a purity of being,without color, to … Continue reading
Included medium light pastel pink, round, Afghanistan#701
This is a bright flashy standard round brilliant that is a nice medium light pastel pink color from Afghanistan. I have cut a number of them from a lot I purchase years ago. All of them are included, but they … Continue reading
Fascinating green to golden brown color changing oval.#300
This tourmaline is unique in the collection. It is a color changer from golden brown in incandescent light and green in daylight. Neither color really grabs you, but the color change is hard to miss. I looked at the stone … Continue reading
Dark toned and flash driven golden/orange brown oval
This bigger oval is reaching the limit, set by its darker tone, in size that an effective oval can be cut. It is dark, but from its depths still come bright flashes of golden orange. Dichroism does not appear to … Continue reading
Dichroic orange brown oval
This oval was cut with the darker dichroic color on the side of the oval and the paler orange brown in the ends. If it works with the piece of rough, it is a good way to get a reasonable … Continue reading
Orange Brown to Golden Brown like Buckwheat Honey, oval
This sweet gemstone is dichroic with the darker golden to orange brown in the ends of the longer ratio oval. The stones tone level is medium dark and it color is mainly flash driven. It is eye clean with excellent … Continue reading
Shades of orange and pink in a deep oval.
This larger medium light toned oval is cut with a “super nova” pavilion and a regular crown. This arrangement makes a really bright fully involved oval. What is bright in this stone is a nice average pink to peach slider, … Continue reading
A Very Bright Rich Pink, that really wants to be a Red, oval.
This pink that wants to be red, is very bright for its rich tone level and knows that it is a great stone. The ovals cut is the standard one I use most of the time, but this gemstone seems … Continue reading
A moderately included rich pink oval
This rich pink oval has a quadrant of the stone that has moderate inclusion. They are visible from face up, but they do not stop the gemstone from being bright for a darker, middle of the road, pink and flashy. … Continue reading
A big red star for the collection, oval#292
My principle dealer in Africa has gotten to know my weaknesses. And really red tourmaline is one of them. I was rather frustrated that I had not been able to be in on the scene when the big find of … Continue reading
Large Exquisite Purple Round, One of the Best Tourmalines in Collection#291
When I started faceting again after a long hiatus, one of the colors I wanted very much was bluish purples. I could get purples as shades of pink and red, but to go to the blue side was unattainable. Then … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Etc., Laurellite
Tagged blue-purple, cuprian, laurellite, outstanding, purple, unique
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A golden oval that rests in brown.#290
This modest gemstone has a nice golden flash, but is darken by brown when the flash passes. It is moderately dichroic with darker tones of gold in the ends of the oval. It appears to be eye clean and with … Continue reading
An incredibly dichroic mahogany oval#289
I have been waiting to post about this longer ratio, deeply cut oval. Face up the dravite, a trade name for brown tourmaline, looks like many of the brown gems I have posted about, with the possible exception that its … Continue reading
A brown has come around, again, oval.#288
I smile when I wrote again in the title, because I like this stone and I wish that more browns would roll my way. But I haven’t seen any for years (2013). I am sure the rough came from East … Continue reading
A peachy pink slightly included oval#287
This modest gemstone has a medium light tone level that does not hide the stones slightly included nature. It color is a nice pastel that floats around in a pink to peach to golden cloud. It weighs 2.01 carats. Bruce
The vote is in and a Rubellite (red) declared, oval.#285
I love Rubellites and I am demanding in declaring was is a good enough red to be called a Rubellite. Nothing with a brown problem or a significant degree of purple under normal daylight conditions should be called a Rubellite … Continue reading
A very nice pretty average darker pink oval#284
This gemstone doesn’t have any gemological problems, but its medium dark pink color is not exceptional. Still it is a solid performer and would make a fine center stone in a distinctive ring. It has enough richness of color to … Continue reading
A more stately oval on the darker side of pink.#283
Now, I love a flashing piece of eye candy as much as anyone, but that is not in every piece of rough, no mater how good the lapidary effort has been. The posted gemstone has a solid amount of flash … Continue reading
Deep cut oval with bright pink flash#286
This oval was cut with both a larger ratio of its length to width and a “super nova” style pavilion. This extra effort was well rewarded by producing a very bright flashy gemstone. Its tone level and pink color are … Continue reading
Liddicoatite rose sliding to orange rose, oval.#282
This is one of the few tourmalines in the collection that I have had adequately tested, enough, to determine that is not Elbaite, but Liddicoatite. Liddicoatite and Elbaite are very closely related species in the group of minerals we call … Continue reading
Copper and Purple hand in hand, round#281
I usually put included before everything else when it is a definite factor in the gemstone, but with cuprian purple it is a different ball game. Purple ,like this stone has, requires copper if it comes from Mozambique, I think. … Continue reading
Dichroic, medium toned, pink orange oval#280
This medium toned oval has a nice complex nature. The pastel pink orange blends nicely with the pastel pink orange to make a medium toned, dichroic gemstone. It appears to be eye clean and of a fine crystal. It weighs … Continue reading
A darker more robust brown oval#279
Little orange is left in this good sized brown oval. I would really reach for a name with this one and call it brown. It is dark, but still has a fine flash driven color, in a stone that is … Continue reading
You may call it mahongany or I might call it root beer, oval#278
I haven’t seen this material in a long time. It is a desaturated orange that makes a fine rich browned orange. I think that this stone is cut with the table perpendicular to the c axis and that produces a … Continue reading
Smaller, Dichroic, Pink Oval#277
This smaller oval is strongly dichroic and the middle of the stone is much paler than the ends which are a nice medium pink tone. This definitely gives a different look to the stone. It is eye clean and with … Continue reading
Pink oval darkened with a bit of purple.#276
Purple pinks are not rare and I find that the purple cast tends to make them less vibrant. This is the case with this oval. It has a good tone level of medium dark and is eye clean with good … Continue reading
A smaller medium dark pink oval.#275
I am working on a tray that my son organized years ago after the last Carnegie Museum Show. It is about 1/3 brown to orange gemstones, 1/10 purples and the rest pinks to reds. I have not really looked at … Continue reading
A definitely dichroic pink oval.#274
This nice sized, dichroic, pink oval was cut with the table parallel to the a/b axis. This causes a band of lighter pink to dominate the center of the oval. The ends of the oval are a much richer, bright … Continue reading
A fine medium light pink oval#273
I you have been reading many post about the gemstones I have cut, you have probably come to the conclusion that pink/reds are predominately in ovals and rounds, while greens are predominantly in emerald cuts. This is true and it … Continue reading
Pendant sized oval pink with great properties#272
This larger medium pink oval has a flatter than normal crown that gives a wide open appearance to the gemstone. The table opens into an eye clean medium toned world of pink flash and general brightness. It weighs 6.72 carats. … Continue reading
Slightly included, gorgeous, lavender round, that is cuprian.#271
I don’t believe that this saturated (purity of color) a purple exists in tourmaline without a copper component in its chemistry. (I think it maybe possible with iron and manganese and I haven’t seen it all, so who knows for … Continue reading
An orange good enough to get juice from it in the morning, oval#270
This is how an orange tourmaline should be. It doesn’t want to be a red or darken into a brown. It follows it purity in color by being eye clean and uninhibited. I have gotten larger oranges, but I haven’t … Continue reading
Smaller richer golden oval.#269
This oval maybe on the small side for me to cut, but it has a rich golden color that flashes to a moderate degree. It is cut with the c axis perpendicular to the table and has a nice even … Continue reading
Great Rich Golden Brown, just like Mom’s Gravy, oval#268
This is an exceptional piece of dravite (brownish tourmaline). It is cut with a “super nova” pavilion and a standard top, to conserve weight and get the most out of a brown, that is not dark or dense in any … Continue reading
Another round of golden eye candy please, oval#267
This bright bouncy golden yellow oval is slightly dichroic, but you have to look hard to see it. It appears to be eye clean and is just a down right nice little stone. There is not a hint of brown … Continue reading
Just another great medium dark pink oval#266
I wish that I could get the rough for this medium dark toned, pink oval at a reasonable price today. It is just a beautiful ring sized stone that has all the right gemological properties. It is even eye clean, … Continue reading
Slightly included, medium toned, bright pink oval#265
This oval has a slight inclusion toward one end of the oval. It is close to the girdle and does not effect the beauty of the gemstone. I think that the tourmaline is slightly dichroic, with a slightly darker pink … Continue reading
A fine uniform rich pink oval#264
I would not call this nice sized pink oval a hot pink. But it is a solid medium dark, middle of the road, pink. One that can say that you’ve reach a stable and mature position as a lover of … Continue reading
A well ripened wheat shield cut.#263
This beautiful shield cut could be considered a pale peach in some light sources, but I think I see enough brown to call it wheat. The wash of brown does not darken the stone very much and you can see … Continue reading
Nice all around medium pink round.#262
This standard round brilliant, is an all around nice stone. It has fine gemological properties and a pleasant medium pinkand medium toned soul. Eye clean and with fine crystal makes a gemstone that can’t help, but to please any pink … Continue reading
This is a Rubellite, top quality red color, round#261
Some tourmalines are memorable even when they are not large. This standard round brilliant is a Rubellite and I really only like to use that old trade name for high quality red tourmaline. The red tourmaline should not desaturate into … Continue reading
A tale of two golden ovals.#260
This is #259 and is piece of bright golden eye candy This is #260 and is a dravite with golden flash. I am going to post one comment for both of the next two stones in the tray. My … Continue reading
Orange flash in a brown body, oval#258
The verdict is in, this is a traditional dravite, even if the flash has quite a good orange color. The oval has a nice medium tone level and appears to be eye clean with good crystal. But it can not … Continue reading
Small pale peach oval#257
Peach that is some level of pastel seems to be the twin of pink in tourmaline. It generally has the same problems and strengths as its more appreciated sibling. This pale peach oval could be easily mistaken for a pink … Continue reading
A pink oval for the common man#256
This pink tourmaline oval is bright and eye clean and flashy and moderate light in tone and has good saturation and is probably the only natural gemstone that you can buy, at a reasonable price, with those gemological properties. I … Continue reading
A pink with a touch of purple, medium dark round.#255
This standard round brilliant is a little frisky, but it stays a medium dark pink with some purple in my white lights. It appears to be eye clean and with fine crystal. It weighs 1.68 carats and was corralled by … Continue reading
Nice sized pink oval with stepped crown#254
I have found that a stepped crown makes a wide open gemstone that does not hide inclusion. This 4.85 carat oval has a stepped crown, but does not have to worry about inclusion because it is eye clean. Its fine … Continue reading
Nice smaller medium dark pink oval.#253
This medium dark pink oval appears to be eye clean. It has good crystal and bright flash. The pink seems to be a bit on the purple side of pink. It weighs 1.10 carats Bruce
Medium sized with a medium toned pink to peach slider, round#252
Research has shown that two areas of the visible spectrum produce shifts of color with tone level that are non-linear. A darker line will not necessary have the same color as a lighter line even if you use the same … Continue reading
Average tone level pink peach droplet of color#251
This standard round brilliant is a pretty average pink peach trooper ready to work with the droplets of color. It has a medium tone level. It appears to be eye clean with good crystal and weighs 1.50 carats. Bruce
Darker bicolor emerald cut of pink and brown.
Before I was able to buy cuprian material from Mozambique, my opportunities to buy purple tourmaline had been severally limited. My hope to buy blue purple had been fruitless. I wished that I had been active when Paraiba was affordable … Continue reading
A slight bicolor with a peach end and a colorless end emerald cut.
You could call this emerald cut a graded color gems, but I prefer to call it a bicolor with an orange end and a colorless end. The darker, but still moderate pastel, reflects down the long axis of the emerald … Continue reading
Included pale peaches and cream oval
This slightly included oval appears eye clean face up. The gemstone appears to be dichroic with light peach in the middle of the stone and a cream in the ends. I am sure that you can come with other names … Continue reading
A yellow glazed in orange for a tasty emerald cut.
A full set of steps present this medium toned beauty. The amount of orange varies with the light, but every view of the stone in different white lights is still beautiful. It is eye clean and has great crystal. I … Continue reading
A mahogany GEM flashes in the collection, emerald cut.
The composite color brown (a color not found in the rainbow that comes from mixing colors) does not get very much respect in the color stone world. I realize that might be changing with the development of a market for … Continue reading
Posted in Dravite, Orange
Tagged brown-orange, dravite, emerald cut, mahogany, non-dichroic, orange
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Included bright medium toned apple green emerald cut, copper bearing
I did not buy the rough for this included emerald cut as copper bearing. I liked its medium toned blue green to apple green color despite its included grade. I usually try not to cut emerald cuts with inclusions under … Continue reading
Old #44 is a large peach oval with a heart of green.
This oval is one of the first larger tourmalines I cut and I even remember the listed sale number it had (44). The rough was advertised to have peach and green, which can make an undesirable mixture. I think that … Continue reading
A Orange Pink has finally hit the bell, Its a GEM emerald cut.
This larger emerald cut is a gem, (top quality gemstone). It has a complete set of facet steps, four on the pavilion and three on the crown. It has a color that has more or less orange in the pink … Continue reading
A medium toned pink with a squeeze of orange, emerald cut
This is another fine emerald cut with a full compliment of steps. It has a fine, medium toned, pink color which is on the orange side, to be shown by the increased number of facets.. It has an even color … Continue reading
A wild side yellow with a long body, oval
I kept this yellow piece of rough for a long time because I wanted to cut this rare color in tourmaline with as little loss in weight as possible. But that meant I would have to cut a very long … Continue reading
Burnt orange in a great rich tone level, emerald cut
This gemstone has the full complement of facet steps, four on the pavilion and three on the crown, that I cut on emerald cuts. This makes a deeper more scintillating gemstone that can draw you into its rich colorful world, … Continue reading
A complex peach with a side order of pink, emerald cut.
Gemstones with a zestful mixture of pink and peach are relatively rare and quite desirable in such gems as corundum (sapphire) and topaz (precious topaz). Well I think that this posted gemstone has all it has to have, to … Continue reading
Dichroic greenish yellow eye candy, emerald cut
One of the features I love about color in tourmaline is how different a color such as yellow green can look/feel in different gemstones. I think there are at least three different sets of conditions that can produce a yellow … Continue reading
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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)Â 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? Â (I guess brown diamonds have become popular, but I hardly ever think about diamonds period.)Â 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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.)Â 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
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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
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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
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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 …Â 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
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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
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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
Clean medium toned blue from Namibia#1052
The sun’s down so I am looking at the real nice emerald cut under a yellowish light. It responds by really powering up its medium tone highly transparent body. It ends are open and responsive to the slightest movement … Continue reading
Nigerian Red Beauty Oval#1051
There have been better times in the rough tourmaline business. Some twenty years or so ago a gigantic amount of reddish tourmaline was found in Nigeria. There was so much that it actually depressed prices and it seems like … Continue reading
A straight beige that could have been wheat round
This beige is almost without tricks. He is pure and without dichroism.  He flashes abundantly under even low light conditions. He has excellent crystal and weighs 5.84 carats. But he was give a different path than most rounds, by having … Continue reading
A moderately included dark tone level plume, round#1049
This plume, rich red purple, colored gemstone has a richer tone level than the average in the collection. This tends to be the case for most of the red purples and they are more a sultry stone than a … Continue reading
Olive Green Shield Cut#1048
Now no tourmaline really wants to be labeled olive green, but there are many of them out there. Many of them are dark and dense and have helped give tourmaline its popular presence (dark and green) in some people’s … Continue reading
Red Round with a Purple Overtone#1047
A purple overtone with red (rubellite) is not unusual. Some people rate the red with a purple overtone very highly (and charge you for it) while others like the pinker reds. This situation is mirrored, with ruby from different … Continue reading
Nice sized red oval#1046
When in doubt I like to call a tourmaline red rather than rich pink, so this oval is red. Its saturation is not the best, but it is a beautiful oval. Unfortunately there is a flaw that can be … Continue reading
Beige on a different axis with a secret, oval.#1045
Thank goodness I just followed my own advice. Face up I am looking at a rather paler stone with a darker middle and light pastel ends. This means that the c axis which usually goes down the long axis … Continue reading
Rich Reddish Orange Round#1044
The tourmaline the jester has brew up a good one this time. Not only does this tourmaline have a garnet color, but a tone level that is very believable for garnet. It is not too dark, but has a … Continue reading
Average Dichroic Pink Oval#1043
I can easily see a pale pink and a richer c axis color in this gemstone. It does a good job of mixing the colors and the result is a solid average pink. It is eye clean and has … Continue reading
Uniform moderate golden yellow droplet.#1043
This standard round brilliant does not appear to be dichroic. It is a really nice yellow with a golden glow that is not easy to get. Its level of tone is pretty high for a yellow, when you consider … Continue reading
Beige for another round of color#1040
Now I didn’t look up the definition of beige when I name this standard round brilliant, it just came to me. What I am seeing is the pinker side of wheat and I still like beige for that. I … Continue reading
Blue Spruce Emerald Cut#1041
I like this good sized emerald cut’s color because it shifts around the blue green spruce look. Some greens are so middle of the road and have such stability that one glance, as pretty as it maybe, is all … Continue reading
Fine Namibian Blue Oval#1039
This Namibian blue oval has a top quality blue with a medium tone level. It is cut with a two stepped crown that makes a bright stone and gives an interesting play of flash off the surface of the … Continue reading
Melon color in round gemstone.#1038
Now I am probably splitting hairs to distinguish a fruity melon color from a Pad (a variety of sapphire) from pink orange, but it is close to dinner and this stone looks delicious. It is mostly orange with a … Continue reading
A richer wheat for a fine round gemstone#1037
If I was a drinking man I would call this color some expensive white wine color, but I am a down to earth wheat man so wheat it is. This nice standard round brilliant has a good medium tone … Continue reading
Crisp Medium Toned Blue Oval#1036
This oval is not made of top grade Namibian blue. But when you’re looking for “different” tourmaline with distinction, you don’t always go for the best. This oval lacks the tone level of the best, but its color is pretty … Continue reading
Dark toned saturated blue emerald cut#1035
This emerald cut with normal end angles is certainly a very saturated blue with out any traces of green in natural light. (touch of green in yellowish light as expected) It flashes nicely in a decent light, but has … Continue reading
Winning Wheat Droplet#1034
This small round still has enough tone level to be wheat rather than just pale out on me. It is so much rarer than pink, but certainly not as highly valued, accept for collectors like me. The gemstone appears … Continue reading
Included Afghan Pink #….#1033
This is one of a number of pink rounds from a lot I bought from Afghanistan. They are a nice lighter bright pink. The biggest disappointment in them is the amount of inclusions they have. There are better ones … Continue reading
Yellow another find droplet#1032
This pure medium yellow droplet came from a couple of large semifacet pebbles I bought inexpensively years ago. A combination of good properties sets the stones I cut from the pebbles apart from everything else I have been able … Continue reading
Orange today and orange tomorrow droplet#1031
One of the colors in tourmaline I wanted to get when I started cutting gems again after a long hiatus was orange. Since Brazil and other classic locations produced very little if any orange (without help from man) some … Continue reading
Hurray for a smaller green shield cut.#1023
It is always a pleasure to be able to preform a piece of tourmaline rough into a triangular shape suitable for a shield cut. This is about as small a shield cut that I make and it has a great … Continue reading
Orange with a pink modifier in the Round.#1030
No matter how I look at this orange round it is orange. And orange is not a common color in tourmaline. It is a bit on the fruity side and I like to think of a nice cantaloupe rather than … Continue reading
True blue that so sweet in the round.#1029
I think that Namibia should be declared a world treasure for the blue tourmaline (indicolite) it produces. It also produces other colors that I don’t want to put down, but blue is the name of the game for me. My … Continue reading
Pad your bet with this orange pink round#1028
After dravites, brown yellows to brown oranges and all tourmalines in the brown world, (progress is being made in that area) the mixture of orange/pink is the most under appreciated color range in saturated colors. (Achroite, colorless, I am leaving … Continue reading
Outstanding Blue Green Droplet of color.#1027
It is nice to run into an outstanding stone that should have been remembered, but wasn’t. At 1.67 carats this standard round brilliant will make a fine droplet.  It is very bright and really loves yellowish light as … Continue reading
Dynamic Blue Shield Cut#1026
I can see why I have cut a number of shield cuts from this tone level of blue. It makes a beautiful pastel shield cut because the blue is not dichroic. Now I think dichroicism in tourmaline can be great, … Continue reading
If you like pink you will like this oval#1025
This pink oval has a much better tone level than much of the available rough. It doesn’t damage that great beginning by being included or by having any unfortunate overtones. It is pure pink and a very sharp pink … Continue reading
Golden Brown Oval#1024
This tourmaline is dichroic with the darker drown in the ends, but they do not make the stone dark. I would call this a dravite, but it is golden and spicy and not a color drag at all. The … Continue reading
pink/orange slider for the droplets of color#1022
Nice bright clean droplet that slides with the light from pink to orange. It size and being a standard round brilliant insures that this pitch hitter will make the droplet team. It weights 1.03 carats. Bruce
Posted in Droplets of Color, Orange, Pink
Tagged color-shift, droplet-of-color, orange, pink
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Fine Green Emerald cut#1021
Now this is a fine emerald cut. It has all the right properties of clean color that is especial bright under incandescent/yellowish light, tone level and saturation. It also has normal angles on the ends. During the last few years … Continue reading
Small Darker Blue Green Emerald Cut.#1020
This smaller emerald cut is darken by closed ends, but has a good blue color blend with green. It appears to be eye clean and has some flash in the corners which comes from having normal angles on the … Continue reading
Definitly dichroic green droplet of color.#1019
This bright medium grass green droplet has darker weeds mixed in it that makes for a lawn with nice dynamic color. It seems to be eye clean and weighs .94 carats. It is a very nice addition to the … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged dichroic, droplet-of-color, green, verdelite
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Celery juice in a tourmaline emerald cut.#1018
Celery juice was squeezed out of me when I saw this tourmaline. Now I know it is a tourmaline, but this is a jester moment. I would definitely think that this was a beryl if I didn’t know better. … Continue reading
Solid down to earth green emerald cut#1017
In 1968 I returned home from Golden Colorado via Yellowstone and Niagara Falls, after taking a surveying course. I had stayed in cheap motels and eaten fast food so I had a little money left over. My home was … Continue reading
A salmon that is a bit fishy oval#1016
I always smile when I am obviously looking at a gemstone under different conditions than when I put the gemstone’s official color on the back of the boxes they live in. Today under a yellowish light on a gray … Continue reading
Really Nice Green Round#1015
I know that I shouldn’t bias my love of a color on cut, but with green I truly long for nice ones that are not emerald cuts. There are several reasons for cutting green tourmaline rough into emerald cuts. … Continue reading
Big pink with c axis in ends emerald cut.#1014
The emerald cut is dominated by the dichroic a/b axis. This color is a very pale pink that shows a touch of cream. The preferred color is the darker pink c axis, with a better saturation, but it was … Continue reading
A yellow green IceT droplet#1012
A delicate wisp of yellow green and a Hi O Silver will get this bright clean very pastel droplet pledge on the trail to being a star in the western sky.  This standard round brilliant needs you to be … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, IceT, verdelite, yellow-green
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Red winner for the Droplets#1013
I have cross the line of doubt and I declare that this addition to the droplets is red. It is bright crisp and ready to play. This standard round brilliant comes in at a bit on the heavy side at … Continue reading
Afghan pink #… round#1011
I have cut quite a number of these included medium light pink round tourmaline. They are the size of droplets, but I don’t included all of them so as not to dilute the group too much. This standard round … Continue reading
How long I have waited pink/champagne/green tri-color#1010
Now I love tri and bi and watermelon and completely mixed up tourmaline, but they are not the main thrust of the collection.  Color in all its diversity is center stage, yet chances do come along and I have … Continue reading
PInk Orange droplet of Color#1009
I was ready to say that this droplet of color is a pure pink with a bit higher level of tone than usual, but then I read the back of the box. It says that there is a bit … Continue reading
Gold dominates this oval.#
This rich bright golden oval was cut with the c axis perpendicular to the table. I can see the paler dichroic yellow around the edges, but gold is number one in this gemstone. And a very nice gemstone it … Continue reading
yellow gold dichroic oval
This yellow gold dichroic oval is open and eye clean. There is not a speck of green anywhere to be found and I call this one yellow.  I love to yellow without green because it is rare. Unfortunately … Continue reading
Red/Rich Pink Oval#1006
The debate will always go on about the line between Rubellite (Red) and rich pink tourmaline. However you make the call this tone level of red does not usually appear as bright as some pinks. This is one of … Continue reading
Plain and Simple Pink Oval#1005
Some color calls are certainly easier than others. This oval is simply pink. No flaws and a fine crystal lets you see easily into it depths. It is also not dichroic, which limits its dynamic color display, but makes … Continue reading
Red/Blue makes Mauve droplet of color#1004
This is a peculiar droplet of color from Nigeria. I have red/blue on the back of the box and I know that they were the colors in the rough. I must have seen them when I wrote the sticker, … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Droplets of Color
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, mauve, purple, red
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An Oval Mixer of yellowish green and gold with a touch of brown.#1003
This oval will have to be called a yellow, but its dichroic nature keeps the stone dancing between flashes of greenish yellow and golden all with a touch of brown. I am a true supporter of yellowish tourmaline, but … Continue reading
Oval with Dreaded Olive Green Color#1002
This larger oval has a very common and not very appreciated color, olive green. I have not really run into other gemstones being called olive green, but some yellowish greens with a touch of brown produces a tourmaline that … Continue reading
White bread sort of wheat oval#1001
A bright clean oval that is so pale that I have to look at it closely to call it wheat. Now this is not your whole wheat variety, a bleach look that has very little brown and might even … Continue reading
The long and winding road of testing “Laurellite”
Laurellite is a name that I have given to a new variety of copper bearing Elbaite tourmaline from Mozambique, that demonstrates a Reverse Alexandrite Color Change from purple in natural light to blue to blue green in incandescent light. I … Continue reading
Golden cream with pink high lights, round.#1000
I hope that I have this color in the droplets because it deserves to be there. Creams are much less common than pinks and I go after them. This pastel is complex for a pale face, some of which … Continue reading
Blue purple included round,cuprian#999
The title is frank and earnest and will probably leave you completely unprepared for my outburst. I love this stone, I love this stone, I love this stone … This purple floats around like all purples do under different … Continue reading
Smaller blue green oval had clutter#998
Some tourmaline I still facet have enough clutter in them to significantly reduce their transparency. In a fantasy world,I would be able to get all the colors I wanted without problems with the purity of the gemstone, but that … Continue reading
Fine yellow round seaks help with drift toward green.#997
This bright standard brilliant is an example of a yellow with a hope for stardom, falling pray to the evils of green. Now where yellow becomes yellow green in tourmaline varies between peoples eyes. Even normal eyes have different … Continue reading
A large blue shield of honor and honesty#996
This shield cut can not help, but come clean. It has nothing to hide except for maybe a drift toward green in artificial light. Still it is a natural pastel blue, but not a baby blue. It probably has … Continue reading
Almost square, very transparent green, to blue emerald cut.#995
This is a beautiful gemstone.  Now that I have gotten that out of the way, this gemstone feels Afghanistan. I think I purchased it in my last significant lot of green tourmaline from anywhere. The squarish cut is unusual, but … Continue reading
NIce ring sized round included pink.#994
This pink is dichroic and the paler pink and richer c axis pink mix together very well to make a dynamic churning display.  Unfortunately it does have eye visible flaws like many pinks. It may be unfortunate, but some … Continue reading
A Responsive Engine of Color, Blue Green Emerald Cut#993
Nicely balanced and brightly tuned this engine of color goes from green toward blue in the drop of a light source. Since it idles in mixed light most of the time, I call it a blue-green. It is clean … Continue reading
Round with sliced pie placement of gold and green.#992
This standard round brilliant makes me smile. It takes me back to my very early days on the internet when I had found a dealer who cut some tourmaline down the long axis of smaller alluvial pebbles. I asked … Continue reading
Long ratio open ended green emerald cut#991
When the choice and supply of tourmaline rough runs down, I usually have a choice. Either buy medium pinks or long ratio greens. With pinks you do not have a problem with closed ends, but they can be included. … Continue reading
Heavily Included Yellow Oval#990
Sometimes even I push the limits of decency in the name of color and something interesting to cut. This oval is a nice yellow, but is so heavily included that it should probably not have been faceted. How many … Continue reading
Orange with yellow and pink highlights, droplet.#989
Orange is a complicated color in tourmaline and most of the orange in the tourmaline world has come from Africa. Some golden oranges that desaturate to browns, easily are not very attractive. They are called dravites and not particularly … Continue reading
How Green is my Afghan Gem#988
This is a beautiful gemstone. Its bluer a/b axis blends beautifully with the more yellow green c axis. I said blend because the tone level of both axis are the same and that gives such a light bright feeling … Continue reading
Nigerian Pink Edged in Yellow Green Round#987
This larger round is mostly a medium light pastel pink. The yellow green on the side of girdle is pretty isolated and only really effects the body (green and pink make yellow)of the stone when you peer threw that … Continue reading
Pure Blue Oval#986
There is absolutely nothing wrong with with bright, flashy medium pastel blue oval. It is not noticeably dichroic and it has great transparency, without a flaw in the sky. So why does it leave me rather cold. It really … Continue reading
Pale Golden Peach and I think of Topaz oval#985
Now everyone would love a fantastic Imperial Topaz and this dichroic pastel golden peach tourmaline does not measure up, but it does look like topaz that I could afford and was actually offered for sale. I can see its … Continue reading
Dichroic, golden orange oval#984
Some gemstone grab you even with a casual glance while others get passed over. This strongly dichroic (two different colors/intensity of color depending on the axis of view) deserves a closer look.  The higher tone level c axis color … Continue reading
Nigerian pink-green makes yellow round#983
The piece of rough that became this standard round brilliant came from the giant find of tourmaline in Nigeria over 20 years ago. The overall appearance of the round is that of a yellow, but it is easy to … Continue reading
Long Ratio, Open Ended, Green Emerald Cut#982
Rough that requires a long ratio emerald cut is not #1 on my hit parade. They take effort to keep their long narrow facets square even during the polishing process. Being common does not help my enthusiasm either. The … Continue reading
Bright Medium Pink Oval with noticable inclusions.#981
I bring up inclusions with this nice bright flashy oval because it is easily seen, by eye, with the stone face up. It also effect the way I cut this stone. I work very hard to minimize inclusions under the … Continue reading
An Included Oval of Mixed Yellow Persuasion#980
This oval has at least one very eye visible spot in it It is on the pavilion and I have been able to pick it up from the crown, but it is quite visible from the back. Besides that … Continue reading
Clean Moderate Tone Green Emerald cut with open ends.#979
This flashy emerald cut needs to be examined closely to be really appreciated. The end sparkle because they are open and this green tourmaline shows a very good level of transparency. The stone’s color slides from grassy green to … Continue reading
Included pale pink round from Afghanistan#978
This small included pastel pink round came from a disappoint lot that I bought. I have cut many rounds of a pale blue and this pastel pink from the lot and I haven’t included them in the droplets to … Continue reading
Moderately rich pink oval#977
This well cut oval lives up to the ideals of the collect. What keeps it from really demanding notice is a rather middle of the road pink. But if it was ever taken and put on its own, it … Continue reading
Color Dots, a golden tourmaline round#976
When I first started cutting again after many years away from the craft, I did not spend a lot of money. In tourmaline I went for lots of small material and tried to see how small a gemstone I … Continue reading
Hot Hot Pink Droplet#975
I know that I have presented pink as a pretty common color for tourmaline and it is, but there are exceptional pinks. This droplet had a chance of being in a piece of custom jewelery until the well went … Continue reading
Surprising mint green droplet#974
This droplet tried to make the big time in a piece of custom jewelery, but I ran out of money. When it came home I tested it with my new spectrometer and I finally understood why I really liked … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged cuprian, droplet-of-color, green, unique, verdelite
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Pure Yellow Droplet of Color#973
This flashy pure yellow droplet is not clean. But it is so nice that I actually tried to have it set in custom jewelery years ago. The first piece of jewelery was so expensive that I had to drop … Continue reading
An All Star Pink Oval#971
Nothing can be said that is exceptional about this beautiful oval, except that it brings everything together to make a great pink stone. I would be proud to show it off as a representative of my collection even though … Continue reading
A cream round with a touch of strawberry juice#970
Cream is not a strong color and it is not that common in tourmaline. Especially when you compare it with pink. So, of course, I have actively sought out cream, while the pinks keep rolling in. I just looked … Continue reading
Decent pink oval#969
This richer pink, lightly included, oval is a decent stone. It has a two row step cut crown. It is the type of gemstone that kind of get lost in this collection, but if you’re looking for a smaller … Continue reading
Large Dravite wins ugliest award#968
This large standard brilliant round weighs in at 23.4 carats, which makes it a heavy weight contender. It came to me preformed to be a round and I did not have any qualms about going with the shape.  I … Continue reading
A beautiful plain jane pink round.#967
This nice bright standard round of 1.75 carats is one of the pieces that gives me rest between cutting the bigger more exotic tourmaline. She never gives me problems except for maybe a lost culet once in a while. … Continue reading
Achroite with a secret#966
There is always a danger in seeing what you want or expect to see in a pale colored stone with tourmaline. Many to most tourmalines have two colors (a/b and c axis) and those colors can be quite sensitive to … Continue reading
Posted in Achroite, Cuprian Tourmaline, Etc.
Tagged achroite, blue, cuprian, purple, unique
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Blue Afghanistan trilliant beauty.#965
Now the internet has points that transcend just a way to quickly try and buy faceting rough. This site for example. I did write for another site for a while and got to meet some interesting people. I hope … Continue reading
A Great Fake Peach Round
True or False. Pink and green light mixed together with the right level of tone makes YELLOW. True and the story goes on. In the tray this large round with a pavilion consisting of eight split mains and … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Cutting Tourmaline, Pink
Tagged bi-color, green, Nigeria, peach, pink, unique
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Peach shield cut with a brownish cast.#964
I don’t really know how a peach can be austere, but this shield cut is. It has a nice medium light pastel color in decent sunlight that doesn’t blow it away with glare, but it soon desaturates into brown … Continue reading
Ring size Yellow Green with great crystal.#963
Now yellow green in tourmaline is not greatly prized. In higher tone values it is probably one of the more common colors with tourmaline. It might even rate right in there with medium light pinks for being everyday material. … Continue reading
Heavely included, long ratio, blue emerald cut.#962
When I got this rough I knew that it was heavenly included, but it had wonderfully blue views down the c axis. I cut a long ratio emerald cut out of it, because that was the only practical … Continue reading
Blue Included cushion cut that is cuprian.#961
This is an interesting stone. I bought it after my supply of cuprian tourmaline had pretty much dried up.  I continued to buy the smaller more included cuprian material that became remained available, because I am always looking for … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Indicolite
Tagged blue, cuprian, cushion cut, indicolite
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Purple Oval of Copper Bearing Beauty#959
I love this stone, I love purple in tourmaline, I love copper bearing tourmaline and I love getting a nice stone for a decent price. I consider this medium shade of purple to be only found in copper containing … Continue reading
Bright Light Pink Shield Cut
This shade of pink with a light tone level is common in tourmaline rough coming out of Africa now (2013). It is also not noticeably dichroic and is eye clean. The thing that I notice about this gemstone, that … Continue reading
Golden Yellow Droplet
This is a classic droplet of color and does show up well with the group. It would be a lot more in demand if it had a purer yellow. Still its place is assured because it lacks any green … Continue reading
Two Distinct Hues in a Green Oval
Now I love the dynamic nature of hues (color) in many tourmaline, but it can make an effort to honestly present, in both photography and writing, its beauty. Now this eye clean oval possesses two distinct colors that had … Continue reading
Nice medium pink standard round brilliant.
This is a pretty average stone for my collection. It is a very nice bright even hot pink that is clean and weighs 2.28 carats. It would be a droplet of color, if I really needed the color in … Continue reading
Wow another pink emerald cut.
This very nice pink emerald cut has its tone level grade smoothly down the length of the gemstone. The tone gradation, without a hue (color) shift could be caused either by an increase in concentration of manganese in the darker … Continue reading
Dravite long ratio emerald cut
On the back of this box I have brown for the color of this beautiful emerald cut,  That certainly lacks the flickering fire of inspiration that is need to sell tourmaline. We need a spice name for the long … Continue reading
Large round spruce specially cut gemstone.
Sometimes when you start out on a new adventure with a piece of tourmaline rough, the color is so outstanding that you cannot miss. Now there is the other side of the coin and a completely water worn pebble … Continue reading
Pale Pastel Orange Round
This standard round brilliant is a good size at 5.05 carats. It has an eye clean body and probably came from Nigeria. I love Nigerian pastel tourmaline, especially pink, because the material is about the easiest one to polish … Continue reading
Fine Orange Standard Round Brilliant#950
One of the reasons that I got back into faceting after a many year hiatus was my love of color. I looked over the “new” world of the internet and decided that if I ever wanted to collect gemstones with … Continue reading
Pink Purple Emerald cut nice tone#949
This good sized ring stone at 3.68 carats is a fine bright, but sultry pink purple. I see a couple of flecks deep in the stone by eye, but they are not detracting and the stone has a very … Continue reading
Laurellite and a gray day in Mars.
My best Laurellite under florescent light. (5.69 carats) Small oval Laurellite under florescent light. (5.39 carats) Large oval Laurellite under florescent light. (27.13 carats) I have a tray of stones home because I am writing posts about them. This … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Laurellite
Tagged blue, bruce fry discovery, color change, cuprian, laurellite, Mozambique, purple, unique
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Fine middle of the road pink that keeps rolling#948
You can pass over this gemstone in the collection, if you just lust for color, but if you’re into pink, you have to stop. The gemstone has a pure pink statement that flashes from great crystal and polish.   It … Continue reading
Moderately included Laurellite round#947
This round is more included than I like and is part of the collection because it is a color changer and a rare color, I call it Laurellite. (see other post for more of the story of Laurellite. It is … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Laurellite
Tagged blue, bruce fry discovery, cuprian, laurellite, purple, unique
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baby blue and baby pink bi-color from Afghanistan#946
When I received this semi- preformed piece of rough in the mail, with other bi-colors from Afghanistan, I thought it was too go to be true. It also had a decent price.  Now this rarely happens and it makes … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color
Tagged afghan, baby blue, baby pink, bi-color, blue, emerald cut, pastel, pink
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Big Oval Blue Purple that did not get away.#943
Buying tourmaline rough over the inter net or even in person can be an adventure.  This large oval, at 27.13, carats is one of the larger gemstones in the collection. It was cut from a piece of rough that … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Laurellite
Tagged blue, bruce fry discovery, color change, laurellite, oval, purple
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Small Dravite droplet of color#940
This little dravite is darkly toned and could be called a mahogany by some, like me. It deserves a place in the droplet of color world at 1.30 carats.  It definitely likes a good light to be enjoyed. … Continue reading
nice bright green droplet of color#939
I love to find a bit of green that had a nice open green color in the c axis direction because it gives you more latitude to make a beautiful stone. This bit of green was too small and … Continue reading
Stately emerald cut of defusing pink.#938
When the rough for this beautiful tourmaline came in, it left no doubt about what kind of gemstone needed to be cut. The whole gemstone is pink, but its tone grades from medium dark to a paler pastel as … Continue reading
Large oval of the earth (color)#937
This very nice, eye clean, larger oval with great crystal is in search of a name. Older tourmaline lovers, that have been around a crystal/gem or two would call it dravite.  This is because dravite is a trade name … Continue reading
Little Round Beauties#935
The blue gemstone pictured above is an example of sort of a subset of “color droplets” (which consist of standard round brilliants in as many colors etc. that I can get).  I have quite a few of them and … Continue reading
A large round green jester of a tourmaline#936
When I received this piece of rough from Africa it was rather hard to believe. For at least 7 years I only cut tourmaline anymore and this was presented as tourmaline or I would not have purchased it. The … Continue reading
BLUE tiny round to be enjoyed#935
This tiny round standard brilliant has a hue (color), tone level and saturation that I dream about in a larger stone. I have a number of them in the collection and they all come from Namibia.  The African … Continue reading
Oval Pink with a wisper of Purple#934
I am looking at this oval gem under morning light and seeing a pink that has some cast to its hue, but I can’t put my finger on it. I look at the its box and I have written … Continue reading
Blue tinted with Green Emerald Cut#933
This 1.24 carat is a blue that is tinted with green. A color that tends to float with more or less green depending on the lights in your life. It is eye clean under the table of the emerald … Continue reading
A Red/Pink oval that walks the line.#932
I don’t think that the debate on the cut off between red and pink is as important with tourmaline as it is with corundum because of the expense that is associated with ruby verses pink sapphire, but is sill … Continue reading
Blue/Green emerald open ends#931
This rather pudgy emerald cut wins the day with open ends that are more greenish than the rather blue a/b color (typical). The emerald cut permits you to see the different colors easily because it isolates the c axis … Continue reading
Nice classic tourmaline green with dark ends.#930
This 1.70 carat medium toned grass green emerald cut is a pure classic tourmaline. It is eye clean as most material like this is and has the unfortunate dark ends that aren’t too bad in larger ratio gems like … Continue reading
Hot Pink with Punch#929
This ring sized oval, at 1.85 carats, really has a lot going for it. Its pink is pure and of a good tone level, all set in a fine crisp body. I use “hot” in the title to describe … Continue reading
A Large, Really Green Round of Mistery#928
I have just spent a bit of time trying to orient this rich green gem with it c axis. With a gemstone that weighs 19.54 carats and is distinctly dichroic, that should not be too difficult. But perhaps I am … Continue reading
Pink droplet of color#927
I sometimes wonder where I got all the small pink rough, but here is a ..44 carat droplet that is pretty sharp. Cutting this keeps me busy and gives me a break from the big boys. Bruce
A purple to blue called “Laurellite” by me.#926
This smaller emerald cut is not pure and has somewhat muted colors, but is very exciting to me. You have to work with lighting to appreciate the special place this unheated cuprian tourmaline from Mozambique holds in the world … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Laurellite
Tagged blue, bruce fry discovery, cuprian, emerald cut, laurellite, purple
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A temple of purity in the yellow world.#925
Now cutting an emerald cut from an included piece of rough, that can not be completely clean up, is pushing your luck because any distracting flaws show up real well. This 2.61 carat, great yellow emerald cut, was extracted … Continue reading
Larger deep round of middle of the road pink#924
I have not cut pink/red tourmaline from every location that it is available from, but I have worked at it. My principle sources have been Mozambique, Afghanistan and Nigeria with just a touch of Brazil and various African locations, … Continue reading
Achroic, a colorless call in tourmaline#923
Now you have to be careful when you’re evaluating color in a very pale gemstone, it can catch its apparent color from the world around it. Now an emerald cut is a color cut, so thousands of facets and magnificent … Continue reading
Nice middle of the road droplet of pink color#922
Medium hue, medium tone level and a medium saturation, leads to a standard round brilliant that is right down the middle of the road. Still it would make a great little ring stone at 1.35 carats and sparkle under any … Continue reading
Pink a classic color with an oval shape#921
This good sized oval at 7.11 carats is eye clean and has great crystal (very transparent body).  Its pastel color and tone level is probably the most common combination coming out of Africa at the moment (2013). Medium pastel … Continue reading
An underwater color in a small emerald cut.#920
This small emerald cut at .44 carats swims around between the greens and blues. I would say it is blue in natural light, which is the light I use to label a tourmaline with a color name. That is … Continue reading
Small green droplet of color, big color#919
Now green is a common color in tourmaline, but I am a lover of bright, well saturate color in any hue (color) so I like this small .26 droplet of color. It comes to life in any light. Bruce
Average green droplet of color#916
Every collection has its peaks and valleys and in the quest for color my collection is no different. Still I take pride in thinking that even an average small standard round brilliant like this .40 carat green pastel got … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color, Verdelite
Tagged droplet-of-color, green, pastel, verdelite
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Large ratio green emerald cut with dark ends#918
This green emerald cut is longer than I would like with its narrow width. I generally do not get much rough that is dark in the ends and the crystals are too short to be split into two or … Continue reading
Smaller whiter round#917
I probably shouldn’t spend much time on a color less .40 carat round standard brilliant, but I have been force to compare several Achroites while writing and this little gem is the whitest of the bunch. Afghanistan has … Continue reading
Achroite small round#915
This small standard round brilliant probably came from Afghanistan. It has a rather flat crown and is simply without color. It is not clean, but has not large naturals. It came from the center of a crystal with a … Continue reading
Red droplet of Color#913
This darker red standard round brilliant appreciates a good light since its tone level is pretty high, like many reds. I place it in with the droplets of color, the large group of round tourmaline that is the best … Continue reading
One Half Carat of Pure Rich Pink Joy#912
I try and mix in smaller gemstones in between larger efforts. It kind of relieves the tension of polishing facets that are large enough to both make polishing a physical effort, since I work on a stationary lap when … Continue reading
Rolling round with yellow, a droplet of color.#911
The brilliant round standard cut is weighs 1.84 carats and will make a wonderful droplet of color. They like yellow in tourmaline almost as much as I do.  It appears to be eye clean.  At first I check … Continue reading
Long red emerald cut makes good.#910
This emerald cut surprised me when I removed it from the dop stick and got my first look at it. It is a good size at 5.22 carats and with a ratio that is a bit larger than I … Continue reading
Ring size round Pink#909
This is a find ring stone at 2,57 carats. It is a fine middle of the road pink with an excellent color and a medium tone value. All rounds this small or smaller are cut as standard around brilliants. … Continue reading
Austere green green droplet of color#907
This 1,26 carat bright standard brilliant round has just been declared a droplet of color. It is an honor for a rather aloof and austere color in rich pastel blue green. The color appears consistent, but doesn’t really invite … Continue reading
Pretty Little Blue Green Emerald Cut#906
Going down the tray this smaller gemstone does not grab you eye because of its size. but focus and you see a very nice gemstone. I don’t think that it is perfectly clean like most tourmalines, but nothing really … Continue reading
A yellow green, a good after dinner mint#905
This tourmaline is ready to give you a color fake and head for the “in” zone of your heart.  It is not a Heliodor, which is a variety of beryl and is probably the most common gemstone in … Continue reading
An Orange that thinks it would be a peach of an idea to be a Pad.#904
Now one of the reasons to spend time showing my collection is to let people see the beauty of tourmaline and for me, to get this “semi” precious gemstone some respect. Now the color of this nice sized (4.29 … Continue reading
Achroite round a ghostly gem#903
Achroite is an old trade name for colorless tourmaline (Elbaite). It is from the Greek, like many names, and it is a find name, but one I have had made relatively little use of. Why you might ask. Well … Continue reading
A shifty Mauve thats in the Pink#902
I don’t attach mauve to a gemstone’s color casually. I always check color in various “white” lights, incandescent, morning light and evening light etc. Many members of the tourmaline color world are not known for being consistent in shade, … Continue reading
Yellow Green with a brown cast, Large round#901
Over the years that I have cut tourmaline, this is the only one that I purchased preformed (for greatness?). When you’re trying to get the widest collection of color in tourmaline, you have to seek out exceptional pieces that … Continue reading
The Blues Brothers split up was rough
Purchasing faceting rough over the inter net can call for tolerance, patience and most of all hope. When a new set of pages comes on line out of Africa, I quickly look for the “different” tourmaline. Color is … Continue reading
Green Shield Cut rarer than you might think.
Green in all its shades is one of the most common colors in the world of tourmaline. Only pinks might compete with green as production shifts between locations during different years. Yet there are very few nice green shield … Continue reading
Afghan pink/blue pastels a broken embrace
For a while I was able to deal with a source of tourmaline rough that had a direct connection for Afghanistan material. I not only bought individual stones, as I usually do, but also a few lots. The … Continue reading
Duo-blue/green, A portrait of a star in the tourmaline heaven#942
The rough for this exceptional gemstone came as an after thought with the most outstanding purple piece of tourmaline I have ever seen. (the name Duo-blue/green coming from being one of two pieces in the lot) The purple … Continue reading
Posted in Cuprian Tourmaline, Indicolite, Verdelite
Tagged bi-color, blue, blue-green, cuprian, green, round, unique
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Yellow’s chief defender, a very nice yellow shield cut
The effort to fill out the color wheel with tourmaline in the pure yellow area has been an interesting quest. Yellow green is one of the most common colors in tourmaline and is not particularly prized.   I have also … Continue reading
Queen Ecru Different Cut
This is one of my favorite gemstones. She is big and bright with a different,subtle color that is not common. I call the color ecru which is a term used with wool and can have many tone levels, because … Continue reading
Uniquely oriented watermelon emerald cut
This smaller emerald cut looks like it consists of bands of bluish green on either side of a pinker band running the length of the emerald cut, where the ends have a much more intense pink color. Except for … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Etc.
Tagged bi-color, blue, emerald cut, pink, unique, watermelon
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Anyone for ice T, Almost colorless bi-color
Very pale to moderately toned tourmaline is not rare from Afghanistan. Much of the material is not flawless, but its “crystal quality” transparency is usually excellent. The emerald cut was cut from the largest and cleanest piece of … Continue reading
A Quick Rainbow with Droplets of Color
I was sitting at the computer and thinking about how to show off tourmaline in a simple post. I decided to grab a rainbow of droplets of color. I call small rounds that have no real claim to fame except … Continue reading
Posted in Droplets of Color
Tagged blue, droplet-of-color, green, orange, purple, rainbow, red, yellow
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An cuprian oval with mixed colors and a radioactive past
In the quest to completely fill the color wheel with tourmaline examples, the hardest range of colors is blue/purple. When Africa began to produce lavenders to purples that could be slipping into the blue purple range I really tried … Continue reading
spruce cushion with step crown
This cushion cut, which is a Barion, meet point design, partially developed by Mr. Graham, is one of the few more “modern” designs I use when cutting tourmaline. I am a strong believer in simple traditional cuts and I … Continue reading
Bi-color emerald cut with a secret
I love this gemstone. It has a lot going for it. It is well over 5 carats and flawless. The balance of the two colors in the emerald cut is good and the demarcation between the colors is crisp. … Continue reading
passionate plume, a red purple with a different twist
Very few of my tourmalines have actual picked up a name that stays with it very long, but this is an exception. It is a large stone. over 10 carats, with a high tone level that demanded that the stone … Continue reading
ring sized tri-color red-golden-green
This pretty tri-color is flawless and weighs a couple of carats, a nice size for a ring. It is the best example of of color combination of green to red with a narrow band of yellowish between them that I … Continue reading
Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Etc.
Tagged flawless, ring stone size, tri-color, unique
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Large pear shaped paraiba type cyan colored tourmaline#941
This is one of the most important gemstones in the collection. It weighs 13.90 carats and is the only pear shaped stone in the collection. A friend of mine designed the cut to maximize the yield from the rough and … Continue reading
Pink, graded tone levels in large emerald cut#938
Many gemstones of different kinds have zoning caused by different tone levels in their color. In amethyst and sapphire etc. it is not considered desirable, but with tourmaline I find it can be used to make an interesting and beautiful … Continue reading
Included golden yellow colored round
This stone is an example of a developing trend in my tourmaline collection. The rough was purchased within the last few years, as of 2013, as semi-facet grade. That grade means that I will probably not be able to get … Continue reading
Thin intense blue capped crystal leads to interesting stone
This is not the prettiest tourmaline in the collection and the way I cut the rough crystal, which had a thin, bordering on the opaque, blue cap, was frankly an experiment. When I first received the rough from Africa … Continue reading
A face-up beige with a split personality.
Watermelon is a great term for describing a classic color distribution in tourmaline. The most famous combination of colors is pink/red in the center with a pale color band separating it from a green skin, but it comes in … Continue reading
Posted in Bi-Color, Cutting Tourmaline, Etc., Yellow
Tagged beige, bi-color, emerald cut, unique, watermelon
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Welcome to a world of color in tourmaline
This is the next stage in my continuing effort to bring the beauty of tourmaline to as wide an audience as I can. Building on the great pictures of my collection of tourmaline by Jeff Smith I hope to … Continue reading