R021, Paraiba Topaz, 10KY Gold Ring and 45 similar items

Stone Type _________________ Paraiba Topaz Approximate Stone Size _______ 10x8mm Approximate Stone Weight _____ 3.3 cts Jewelry Metal _______________ Solid 10k Yellow Gold Approximate Metal Weight _____ 3.9 grams Ring Size __________________ Size selectable during checkout Our Warranty _______________ A full year on workmanship Our Guarantee _____________ Totally unconditional 30 day guarantee ____________________________________________________________________ Back in 1989, a new color of tourmaline was discovered in the state of Paraiba, Brazil. A breathtaking neon blue/green/teal color, this rare gem was sold for as much as $15,000 per carat. It was rare, it was gorgeous, it was intense, and now, it's pretty much gone. There are small pockets of this color of tourmaline being mined still in Paraiba, and even Nigeria and Madagascar, but they're small, heavily occluded and pretty darned expensive. So what is Paraiba Topaz? For starters, let me make it abundantly clear that this topaz is merely a look-alike of the Paraiba Tourmaline. The topaz is natural, in that it was mined from the ground, but it has been enhanced. Back in the late '90's, early '00's, a small company in California was working on a method of treating Topaz to make it look like London Blue Topaz, but without the expense of having it treated at a nuclear reactor, etc... They would bake a chemical of some kind right into the skin of the topaz using extremely high heat and pressure. The problem was, the stones kept turning out too green. One bright soul observed it looked a lot like the Paraiba Tourmaline, and Voila!... a market was created for their "Too green for London Blue Topaz experiment". We are using the term "Paraiba" as a unique color descriptor, because no other term would describe the color nor relate to the natural stone better. A really cool color, there's nothing really like it. This ring is quite elegant, having two CZ's mounted on either side of the Paraiba. Smooth flowing lines tell the story well. Wear this one when going out on the town. ____________________________________________________________________ BTW, Since we make this from scratch after you order it, we have a lot of flexibility. We can cast this in yellow, white or rose gold, and in any of 10k, 14k, or 18k. Obviously, some of these choices will affect the price, but email us and let us know what you're interested in, and we'll give you the best price we can live with. We enjoy a strong repeat business, and keep it by making good jewelry you'll want to wear at prices that we both can live with.