Bi Color & Specialty (Tourmaline)
Date - Pricing as of April 2008

Color: Bi color, Tri color, unique colors, and specialty combinations.

Note: There is no real way to grade specialty stones (left) because they are so rare and no two are alike. I am just going to list some guide lines and depending on the particular stone these could vary significantly. I generally price specialty stones in the high end of the bi color range listed. Be aware though some times I price them much higher.

Many of these stones come under the "I do not care if I sell them..." category and I price them accordingly.

Note2: As we all know bi colored Tourmalines are seldom equal in color. The ideal color split is probably 50/50 color. This type of equal split is the most rare and some rough often has to be sacrificed to finish a stone with this color percentage. That being said, I really make no price differences until the color divide is very pronounced and even then depending on the stone I may not change the value.

Note3: Pricing on bi colors to me is very dependent on how vibrant and distinctive the colors are. The brighter and more distinctive the colors the more valuable.

Note4: Pricing increases dramatically in all bi colors over 2 carats. Over 4 carats clean, is at least double in value.

Here is my experience on rarity and how I grade them. Remember that all bi colors are rare, especially clean stones.

Note that the rarity of the bi color combination will put the stone either higher or lower in the pricing range depending.

Pink to green - This is one of the most common bi colors.
Pink/peach/green - This is one of the most common bi colors.
Green to blue - This is one of the less common bi colors combinations, probably in the middle.
Blue to pink - This is one of the most rare bi colors.
Unusual - There are unusual combinations available on occasion and they are obviously quite rare.

Pale (almost colorless to 15% tone) - Pale to light.
Comments - This material is around and does cut an interesting stone, especially in large pieces when cut into a large interesting design that takes advantage of the color.
Pricing - I generally price this material $65/ct to $140/ct and a minimum of $150 for a small stone to cover the labor.

Light (15% tone to 30%) - Light.
Comments - This material is one of the most valuable and I sell it faceted quite well, especially in large pieces when cut into a large interesting design that takes advantage of the color.
Pricing - I generally price this material $90/ct to $360/ct and a minimum of $150 for a small stone to cover the labor.

Light/Medium (30% tone to 45%) - Light/medium.
Comments - This material is valuable and to me probably the best range. I cut this material in what ever the best design and yield are.
Pricing - I generally price this material $140/ct to $2400/ct and a minimum of $150 for a small stone to cover the labor.

Medium (45% tone to 65%) - Medium.
Comments - This material is the top quality, I cut it for shape and yield.
Pricing - I generally price this material $180/ct to $2800/ct and a minimum of $150 for a small stone to cover the labor.

Medium/Dark (65% tone to 85%) - Medium/dark.
Comments - This material is still in the top color range. I cut this material in the smaller to medium size ranges and typically use unique designs
Pricing - I generally price this material $180/ct to $650/ct and a minimum of $150 for a small stone to cover the labor.

Dark (85% tone to 100%) - This material is around, usually very dark. I seldom cut any thing this dark.
Comments - Depending on the saturation sometimes it makes a good cab.
Pricing - Pricing this material depends on what the material fits into.

Special - As we all know as cutters some times a stone just comes out "special" for what ever reason. On these kinds of stones I basically price how ever I feel like. Because this stone comes under the "special" category I often do not care if I sell the stone or not. So I usually price it high enough that if I do sell it, I get a very good price. Enough to make me say "Oh well..." and sell it. So be aware that some times I just price a stone high because I do not care if I sell it. Ironically these stones usually sell the fastest...

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