What do I look for when buying Rubellite Tourmaline?

Rubellite Tourmaline is probably one of the most popular gemstones available in the market today. Like all Tourmaline, Rubellite sets and wears well in almost any jewelry and is one of the most sought after colors.

Keep in mind that these are my personal opinions and experiences, other people may have different ones.

For gemological and cutting information on Tourmaline

Color - Rubellite is one of the colors in the commercial market that is often miss represented. In my opinion there are a lot of stones being called Rubellite that are not the correct color. A true Rubellite color is a medium to dark saturated red/red, red/purple, to red/purple/very slight peach. Think Raspberry like the fruit. I personally would grade a red/purple/very slight peach stone as being a little less valuable. The peach tone in my opinion is OK (some people really like it), but not a top Rubellite color to me.

What you want ideally, is a pure red/purple/pink to red/red/purple/pink stone that has minimal color shift (peach). There is a point on the color where hot pink/red/purple becomes intense enough to be called Rubellite. This color is often borderline and can be a little difficult to judge. But generally I think that the stone needs to be intense and more red/purple then pink/purple. As you will see, I will often grade a stone Hot Pink/Rubellite when I think it is borderline.

Note: Natural Rubellite often has a very slight to strong peach shift in incandescent light. This is not a problem, but depending on how much peach shift there is I personally generally grade the stone a little lower in cost as it becomes more peach.

Clarity - I have seen a lot of people claim that high clarity IF to VVS stones are rare and not available. This is not really the whole truth, good quality and clarity Rubellites are available, you just may have to look for them. Of course the lower clarity material is more readily available in the commercial market, but better quality and clarity can be found. High clarity IF to VVS stones are very available in the high end commercial market and the American quality cut market (look at my cut stones you will see a lot of them).

Treatments - It is important to know that a major portion of the cut Rubellite stones on the market have been heated and irradiated. This is a very common practice and is very widely done and often not disclosed in the market, in my opinion.

What the commercial cutting houses do is buy lower color and grades of Tourmaline and cut it. Once it is cut they heat the cut stones to very high temperatures, which depending on the mine, turns the cut Tourmaline stone colorless. Once they have the stones colorless they irradiate (nuke) the stones which makes them turn Rubellite/red. These stones are usually sold by the "Don't ask, don't tell..." method and the treatments are often not even mentioned, unless the customer is educated enough to ask the correct questions.

Note: There are different processes and radiation types that produce different colors, but Rubellite is one of the most commonly irradiated colors.

Tips for Spotting Treatments - One tip off that the Rubellites you are looking at maybe irradiated is that all the stones have the same color tone and look. If you inspect enough of the irradiated Rubellite you will soon get so you can recognize that particular color, it is distinctive if you know what to look for. Another tip is that the stones have NO color shift at all. Typically most natural stones will change a little as the light changes. Also if you are seeing trays full of stones that look identical, well that is a pretty obvious tip off. Real natural gems stones seldom look exactly alike, although they often can look similar depending on the mine.

How does a buyer protect themselves from undisclosed treatments? The first line of defense is deal with a quality, experienced gem dealer with a good reputation. Dealing with some one that is an honest and experienced gem dealer is the best way to go.

How does a buyer protect themselves from undisclosed treatments and substitutions (fraud)?

Durability - Tourmaline of all types has good durability and can be set in about any type of jewelry. Tourmaline is 7 to 7.5 in hardness and has no cleavage. The only exceptions are stones of low clarity (read that as having flaws) that maybe weakened because of their flawed structure.

Sizes - Rubellite Tourmalines are available in about any size range, depending on your budget. 1 carat to 6 carat stones are not difficult to find. 8 carat to 15 carat stones are around and can be found, although not plentiful. Over 15 carat stones are available but generally more upper end or in the collector market. I have cut top quality Rubellites well over 100 carats in finished weight. So they are available.

Cuts & Styles - Rubellite Tourmalines are available in about any cutting and style. I find as the stones become more saturated in color that brilliant cuts and checker boards work best. If the stone is not too dark about any type of cut you like can be done.

Cutting Quality - Is the stone cut to high custom standards? Or is the stone cutting the normal commercial quality? Cutting is very important and significantly effects the value of the finished gem stone. If the stone is a high quality cut and particularly cut by a well known cutter it will increase the stones quality and value, many time as much s double or more.

Note: There are also different levels of commercial cutting. Some commercial cutting while not any where near the standard of top quality american cutting (like mine), is significantly better than low quality commercial cutting. A sign of good quality commercial cutting is that the stone is symmetrical and the proportions (table, crown, pavilion) are correct and the stone has a good polish and reflection.

Commercial Market (trade) - In the commercial market many labs (like GIA and others) will show a grading preference for the red/red color of Tourmaline which is usually irradiated (there are some natural red/red stones around but they are quite rare in my experience).

I have had labs incorrectly (in my opinion) grade a red/red stone above a red/purple stone. I think the red/purple color is just as good a stone if not better than the red/red stone (color is a matter of taste). Especially if the red/red stone was irradiated, which most of them are in my opinion. But the labs and their grading charts do some times show a bias. Be aware of this and buy what you like is my advice.

Origin - To some collectors knowing the origin of a gem stone is important and some times it does effect the value of a stone. But in the case of Rubellite it does not really matter other than it is nice to know where the stone was mined.

Value - High quality natural Rubellite's are increasing in value and I think will continue to do so. There is never any way to be certain but the way the gem stone market is trending just about any quality stone will appreciate.

Collectability - Collectors discovered Rubellite early on and quality Rubellites, particularly of decent size are sought after. I would consider any good quality Rubellite and good investment.

Questions to ask when buying

Is the stone natural or man-made? - There is no man-made Tourmaline, but I have seen some substitutes in the market from time to time. This is always a good question to ask.

What is the clarity of the stone? - I would only recommend stones that are IF to VS in Rubellite Tourmaline. Be aware of the different and some times miss leading grading systems some labs and sellers use.

Is the stone heated? - Heat is some times used to lighten the color of Tourmaline or some times eliminate an unwanted secondary color or tone. I have no issue with heating a stone as long as the information is disclosed. Some people want only a natural "unaltered" stone. This is a personal decision. Heating generally does not effect the value of a Rubellite much one way or another.

Is the stone heated and Irradiated? - Like I said, a lot of the commercial Rubellite available is heated and irradiated. I do not mind the heat, but when you are irradiating a stone you are putting color in that was never there in the first place. I generally do not sell or recommend irradiated stones. Irradiated stones should be considerable less money than a "heat only" or "natural" stone.

Note: Heat only modifies the color of a stone, lightens or heats out an undesirable color. It does not put some thing into the stone that did not already exist in the first place. Heat is some thing that happens in mother nature, so I personally do not find it that much of a problem.

E-mail to inquire or order: jeff@faceters.com