GRADING REPORT RPR117
- Identification: Natural Unheated & Untreated Rubellite
- Carat: 1.17
- Shape: Round Brilliant
- Measures: 6.21-6.32x5.42 (millimeter)
- Color Grade: Very Good
- Tone: M50
- Color Zoning: None
- Clarity: Free of Inclusions
- Cutting Grade: Very Good (cut in Germany)
> Brilliancy: 80%
> Depth: 87%
- Origin: Mozambique
Treatment: None
Certificate No: IGI 219624045
Overall Grade: Very Good
Comment: Borderline case between rubellite and pink tourmaline with the IGI report coming down on 'rubellite', hence 'rubellite' it is. Remarkable about the gem, amongst others, is its depth of 87%. This means it is almost as wide (6mm) as it is deep (5mm) with several side-effects:
1. As a rule, the deeper a gem, the darker, or in this case, the 'less lighter' it gets. Color gains with, well, the depth of the gem as in 'baby pink' moves to 'rose pink' but only down to Medium 50 (right in the middle between white 0 and black 100). The depth may thus be the reason why IGI judged 'rubellite' and not 'pink tourmaline'.
2. Smaller face-up than in a normal cut (60% depth), around 1mm less in diameter.
3. In this particular shape, and with tourmaline's optical properties, the long back-end begins to catch and reflect colors BEHIND the gem, not only those falling in from the front, plus it begins to mirror internally (one side turning more pink than the other). Good or bad? That depends. If we set it in rose gold so that the metal hue will be reflected into the gem, we will create a most unusual but stable color effect. Set with the side open, the gem will be picking up colors from its surrounding, as in most of our (far too many) images. There you see, that though the pink is in fact 100% evenly distributed (no color zoning what-so-ever), we perceive different shades of pink and all kinds of secondary hues where there are none.
The result? An unusual gem for sure. I would try a closed cone of rose-gold first, and if you don't like it, we can try an open-sided setting. If you are game, we are: no additional setting cost if we need to change. No inclusions, hand-cut in Germany, no treatment, full IGI report and the rest. The handshot doesn't show much, except the size, so here is a night-image for your pleasure:
