2.92-Carat California Bicolored Tourmaline
$1,180.00
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A pretty little bicolored tourmaline from the Himalaya Mine in California, 2.92 carats.
In stock
Description
The Himalaya Mine in Mesa Grande, California is world-famous for its production of gem-quality multi-colored tourmalines. First discovered over 100 years ago, it rose to prominence in the early part of the 20th century, supplying tourmaline to the Dowager Empress of China. When she passed away and the Boxer Rebellion ensued, the Chinese market for tourmaline collapsed and the mine became inactive for a long time. In the 1980’s and 1990’s Pala International once again operated the mine, producing large quantities of tourmaline, but once again the mine is mostly idle. Currently there is only minor hand mining done in the old tunnels, finding pockets passed over by the more recent work. This gem comes from some of that mining; this rough was mined in late 2015 from a small pocket.
Bicolored tourmalines look best when faceted with simple designs that highlight the colors and don’t blend them. A simple emerald cut does the job, although the angles have been optimized for tourmaline to maximize the brilliance. This would make a gorgeous stone for a simple pendant as the shape is elongated to follow the natural shape of the original gem crystal. It has excellent clarity, making it bright and scintillating in the hand. There may be tiny inclusions that are visible only with a 10x loupe. The gem weighs 2.92 carats and measures 17.6 x 4.2 x 3.9 mm.
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Video Request
Although we do our best to take the highest quality images, sometimes it can be difficult to envision how it will look on your hand. We can take a video of up to four gems side by on the hand to help you compare them and see how they perform in daylight. Please provide the following information, and include the SKU numbers or links to the stones you would like to see a video of.
Please note that we don’t do 360-degree videos as colored gems are optimized to be viewed face up, and because the current technology is such that none of the 360-degree systems we have tested provides the accurate color. Our desire is to present the most honest and accurate color possible!