Spiral Red Tourmaline and Diamond Ring in 18k Yellow and White Gold

18k yellow and white gold · 1 oval red tourmaline (rubellite), 0.89 ct · 23 diamonds, 0.17 ct total weight · size 7

Red is the tourmaline color the trade calls rubellite, and it is the one worth paying for. Tourmaline occurs in every hue there is, but true red is scarce, and unlike most tourmaline colors it holds its saturation under lamplight rather than going brown or grey after dark. This stone is an oval of 0.89 carats, set at the center of an open spiral that wraps the finger instead of closing around it, with 23 diamonds totaling 0.17 carats tracing the coil in white gold against the yellow.

Tourmaline runs 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, fine for a ring worn with normal care though softer than sapphire or diamond. It is also strongly pleochroic, showing different depths of red depending on the angle you view it from. In a spiral setting that shifts as the hand moves, that becomes part of the design.