Tag Archives: polishing tourmaline

An Oval by the Numbers

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Bruce Fry

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 →

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100 % Niagara White Grape Juice In An Emerald Cut Tourmaline?

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Bruce Fry

I am writing this on February 2, 2014 and the availability of rough tourmaline  has never looked worse in my opinion.   Between wars and competition from commercial processors of rough for mainly Eastern buyers, the amateur cutter, like myself,  encounters … Continue reading →

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Another deep round in pink , down home goodness for the holidays.

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Bruce Fry

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 →

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A round of watermelon with a lesson.

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Bruce Fry

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 →

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Classic blue green emerald cut tourmaline.#1118

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Bruce Fry

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 →

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One of the most brittle tourmalines I have ever cut. emerald cut.

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Bruce Fry

I think that the amount of tourmaline that is available to the custom cutter out of Africa is as bad as it has ever been.  I don’t think that there is much being discovered and the material that is being … Continue reading →

Posted in Cutting Tourmaline, Indicolite, Personal Stories, Polishing Tourmaline | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

A memorable blue round, included.#131

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Bruce Fry

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 →

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Impressive Amber Colored Emerald Cut#541

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Bruce Fry

Some efforts will always stick in the memory and this large emerald cut is one of them.  I had been unsuccessful in getting anything truly orange in any size, when the piece that became this gemstone came to my door.  … Continue reading →

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Included Blue slider with a past, round.

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Bruce Fry

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 →

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