Tourmaline (Maine?) Diamond 14kt Ring - mid 1980s Purchase

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Tourmaline (Maine?) Diamond 14kt Ring - mid 1980s Purchase

About the Item

Purchased at auction back in the 1980s, this is Stamped 14kt and appears to be a custom piece due to the tooling marks in the back which were left from the goldsmith carving out the wax. This saved weight in gold in the long run, but as you can see, the top has quite a bit of gold. The center gem is Tourmaline, Oval Pinkish and measures approximately 11x9mm with approximately 1/3ct total weight of SI/white diamonds. The color of this Tourmaline as well as the dichroic colors seen using a dichroscope, are reminiscent of Maine Tourmaline, specifically those found in the biggest Tourmaline discovery back in 1972 in Maine. We knew (and know) those involved in this world famous find, written up in boos, magazines, Yankee Magazine and many others. We also purchased rough and faceted gemstones directly from them back in the 1980s and from others related to the find, we purchased some rough and had it faceted by some of our cutters in the U.S. Some of these Maine Tourmalines are still available in the All That Glitters Collection, and a few were featured in a book on Gemstones (contact us if you wish more info on this book - about 35 of our gemstones appear in both the 1st and 2nd edition by K. Wallis). For those who are familiar with the new Maine Mineral Museum in Bethel, Maine, their logo frequently shows a large 500ct Watermelon Tourmaline Slice from the find noted above. We had this in the All That Glitters Collection for some time, were it appeared in newspapers along with the owner of All That Glitters. It was sold to individuals collecting for the museum about a decade prior to the museum being completed, along with a few other Maine Mineral Specimens we have in our inventory. Maine Tourmaline is very collectible especially by those who love Tourmaline, desire an American Gemstone or for those who live or have visited New England. The price over the past 10 years or so has increased. You will frequently find Maine Tourmaline in stores in Maine selling for $1000/ct or so depending on the size, color, clarity, cutting, etc. A few mines are producing currently, but it is sporadic and luck to find a small pocket with cuttable material. Due to the timeframe of the purchase of this ring, the dichroic colors seen and the location of the purchase, Maine Tourmaline from the 1972 strike was entering the market a number of years after the strike - we do feel there is a very strong possibility that this is indeed Maine Tourmaline from the strike. We haven't determined the size of the ring, but it can easily be sided up or down at a local jewelry store. The ring has recently been cleaned and polished and looks like new.

Ring Size:
7 US, Resizable
Metal:
14k Gold
Stone:
Diamond,Tourmaline
Stone Cut:
Oval Cut
Style:
Contemporary
Place of Origin:
North America
Period:
1980-1989
Date of Manufacture:
unknown
Condition:
Bought at auction, but many of the pieces that were at this auction and at auctions of the time, were newly created pieces. We believe this to be the case here also vs. being an estate piece. It has been cleaned, polished and looks brand new.
Seller Location:
Methuen, MA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU3784220451812