Gem: Vanadium Kornerupine
Weight: 0.89 ct.
Dimensions: 6.75 x 4.95 mm
Clarity: VVS
Origin: Umba Valley, Tanzania
Treatments: None
Cutting by: Scott Maier
Original faceting design by: Arya Akhavan
Comments:
This is about as clean as kornerupine comes!! There is a small patch of crystal inclusions on a plane with each other in one corner, and it is VERY small and hard to see. You can spot it in the photos, but in-hand it is almost impossible to catch a glimpse of it. For all practical purposes, it's eye clean. The pattern and brilliance are both crisp, and very evenly meet in the center. This design is one of the best I know for brilliance in this shape and proportion.
The dichroism of this stone means you get two greens in the mix -- a light lemon-limey green, and a deeper, richer leaf or grass green. In-hand, and in the photos, you can clearly see both colors, AND the white of sheer brilliance. It's one of the best performing chrome kornerupines I have had the pleasure of cutting. It is NOT easy to source a clean piece of kornerupine any longer, since the late 2019 find has been depleted for a few years now.