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Tag Archives: pink
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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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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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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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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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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
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
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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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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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 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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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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
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 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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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 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
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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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
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
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
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 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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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
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
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
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
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
A Pink Oval that has It.
There are a lot of pinks in my collection, after green it must be the most common color out there. (sometimes it is the most available from Africa) Now I have nothing against an average pink, but at times I … Continue reading
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
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
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
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
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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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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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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
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
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
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
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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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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