CAN WE TALK TOURMALINE?!-JEWELRY REPAIR, JEWELRY APPRAISAL

 

Bi-coloured Tourmaline crystal, 0.8 inches lon...

 

With October well underway its time to talk about October’s other birthstone, Tourmaline.  First off Tourmaline is actually a group of gemstones and not just one species like corundum is with the only difference is color.  All tourmalines share the same crystal structure.  Tourmaline crystals grow in long crystals with a triangular cross-section.  The crystal structure makes for not only very large and elongated stones but changes in the formation process can affect color.  This is known as color zoning.  These combinations are called bi-color or parti-colored (three or more).  Most stone cutters really like to take advantage of this when cutting the stones.  Some can show even color splits so that they are half and half or mostly one color with a bold stripe of a second color.  Some are so striking in color blocking they remind me of a Mark Rothko painting. Another form which is quite popular is called watermelon tourmaline.  A pink tourmaline is surrounded by green tourmaline while they are forming so when the stone is sliced it looks like a slice of watermelon.

Some of the more popular colors of tourmaline are Chrome tourmaline which is a bright green color.  It gets its name from the element Vanadium.  Schorl is midnight black, and was once fashioned in mourning jewelry.  Paraiba tourmaline is highly prized because it is a bright electric blue and the highest quality rival in price with sapphires and emeralds.  Rubellite is known for its hot pink color.

While tourmalines are found all over the world the most variety comes from Brazil.    At Raymond Lee Jewelers we have a wide variety of tourmaline jewelry to show you.  We also have access to fine tourmaline if you would like to have something custom made or if you need your tourmaline jewelry repaired or a  jewelry appraisal please feel free to call me, Richard your south florida jewelry guru.

Richard Resnik Your South Florida Jewelry Guru!

As an integral member of the team at Raymond Lee Jewelers, this is the first of what I hope will be many articles for you that will be both informative and entertaining. I will talk to you about the importance of having current appraisals for your insurance company.  I will show you how to give new life to your old jewelry.  I will tell you about colored stones, both exotic and the usual suspects.  I will share with you new advances in technology that allow us to be more creative.  I will also keep you up to date with what is hot in Hollywood as well as South Florida.  Keep checking in and if you have any questions about any of the subjects discussed or would like to suggest one feel free to email me at Richard@webuybigdiamonds.com.

Things to know when shopping for a diamond engagement ring

Image by D.NEA via Flickr

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A Raymondleejewelers.net blog

If you are like most guys, you know its hard to select a diamond engagement ring. Some guys pick on there own and other couples pick it together. Whatever you choose to do it is important to know what you are looking at. Obviously diamonds come in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. Some people choose to get more bang for the buck (bigger diamond, lesser quality), and others choose to get a smaller stone with a higher quality. When shopping for any quality its really important to compare apples to apples.

That is what brings me to certificates.

Diamonds can come with no paperwork, can come with certificates and can come with appraisals. These are obviously all very different.For starters, I don’t suggest buying a diamond with no paperwork period. As far as certificates are concerned, there are hundreds of companies that certify diamonds and jewelry. Only a few are trusted sources. This is what I mean when I say “compare apples to apples”. If you are looking at a 1ct diamond with a G.I.A certificate in one store and find the same quality 1ct diamond in another store with an E.G.L certificate, chances are the E.G.L. should be a lot less expensive. An uneducated consumer would jump on the less expensive.

However, if both certificates say the stone is an F VS1 only the G.I.A. is held to the highest standards. E.G.L. can be a few colors and a clarity off thus it should be less expensive. Labs that have grading standards that I agree with include G.I.A. and A.G.S. I could get into a lot more detail here but you can also call me with any questions and I will post more in the near future on the topic.

The last item on the list are appraisals.

Appraisals are totally different from certificates, don’t get confused. An appraisal is written by an independent and is only an opinion. Its not at all the same as an appraisal. Like I said before, please call me at the store with any and all questions anytime.

Questions about this blog? 1-800-329-4367

A Raymondleejewelers.net blog