Gem: Chrome Kornerupine
Weight: 0.61 ct.
Dimensions: 6.05 x 4.25
Clarity: VS+
Origin: Umba Valley, Tanzania
Treatments: none, natural gemstone
Comments:
Hardness of 7
Chrome kornerupine is always impressive. All of the colors that chrome content provides exist on a really great color blend spectrum - The purple blends into the sky blue, which blends curiously well into teal --and teal, of course, can blend readily into minty green.
These colors look great together not just on a spectrum, but any two of them have a fun and vibrant combination. They just all work together, providing balance of contrast and tone.
This particular kornerupine is done up carefully to meet-point perfection, in a combination cut which provides lots of brilliant facets at either end, along with step-cut facets on the long sides.
The result is awesome - the pattern and brilliance show from all sides at most angles - it has very little windowing, and lots of sparkling geometry. The overall gem shape is really elegant, and unique in my opinion. That's one of the benefits of going with the original shape of the rough as your cue in cutting - you can get some very unique shapes.
The color is also something special. The deep teal here is a result of the purple axis moving the color up the spectrum from green into the deep teal you see. The purple and blue colors can be seen as secondary color flashes behind the rich tropical-green-leaning teal.
Kornerupine has a hardness of around 7, so it is a great option, as far as rare, polychroic gems go, for a ring,