Featured Amethyst Mystery

These are set in sterling and test in the amethyst range on my Presidium. The surrounding white stones test in the tourmaline range. I tested them repeatedly and the needle did not drop back to the glass section. The thrift shop is saying they are a QVC item, but I don't see anything like them online. I don't even know how to search to find them. The back of the necklace shown close up is open, the bands are within the stone itself. Shown are two necklaces and one pair of earrings.

Do you think these are amethyst and white tourmaline? The white stones are nicely set. If not amethyst, any other guesses? Thanks.

 

Wrong color for amethyst I think, and the inner structure looks... odd. The stone is about a 7 to 7.5 on the mohs scale. I wouldn't be surprised if it were all tourmaline.

 

Hmm.... good thinking. But the reddish stone tests much higher than the white stones.....what else could it be? A type of quartz, even?

 

Agree the center stones could be tourmaline & are not amethyst. Is one of them really quite a lot darker than the other? Or just a trick of the light?

The white stones could be topaz, which has a lot of flash, much more so than quartz.

 

The inner structure reminds me of labradorite.

 

The darker one looks spotted, more included. I liked its look.

 

I have a ring with a pink tourmaline I would not call gem quality. It is cut en cabochon, is a little cloudy, uneven in color, & has that thready look. I think they are internal fractures rather than inclusions.

 

If it is QVc it must be signed somewhere Any markings?

 

I don't think it's QVC.

 

Did you try QVC? I would start with what they told you at the thrift store. They have a lot of really unusual stones on QVC, quite a few less expensive stones with glamorous names.

 

It didn’t look like it to me but you never know

 

The fact that there are 2 pendants exactly alike except for the natural variations in the stones makes me think that if they didn't come from QVC, they came from some other TV promotional program, like the Jewelry Channel.

 

Tourmaline is a striated crystal--so the "threads" in the stone are a natural part of its formation. I agree with everyone else that the stones are most likely to be tourmaline.

 

Jewelry TV is another candidate. I've only bought their stuff at tag sales when I've needed a cheap chain for something.

 

Yes, then, all tourmaline makes sense. Yeah, JTV is not quality stuff, but I really liked the settings on these, and I also love the color. I doubt it's JTV, though, because the setting/prong works on these is very secure and squarely set. I have seen JTV stuff, not the best. Besides, I got the pieces for the price of a sterling chain or less at Walmart prices. Being all tourmaline, I can now search for these online.