blue spinel

[T L]

Vapid,
If that picture is an accurate representation of the true color of the stone, I agree with you that it is very dark and lacking in blue saturation. You're welcome for the information, I'm glad it helped and was informative.

ETA: Since you mention Vincent, he is the one that is going to do the scientific write up on the spinels from Luc Yen that I mentioned above.

 

[dzop]

Wow, that stone is UGLY. Don Mossi ugly.

 

[Arkteia]

Date: 4/1/2010 10:55:58 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
BTW,

Here is one of the very sought after and desired windex blue spinels from Luc Yen. In contrast to any of the spinels shown above, it''s very saturated blue.

TL,

Where does this stone live? I want to take him home....

 

[LD]

Oh Vapid what a shame - it''s even darker and greyer than the original photo suggested.

Got to say I love the new name you''ve given it though!

I take it you''re sending it back and are on the quest for a nicer one?

 

[VapidLapid]

It is an oddity though. When it does flash it is a pretty stone. But light seems to have a hard time getting back out of the stone after entering it. Oh dear, it''s a black hole! I did manage to get a look inside it but had to put it at the focus of the parabolic reflector of a maglight® and blast it with all the power of a AAA battery! In this lighting situation and from behind it looks great!, limpid and finely colored. Viewed this way I see no reason why it would be so dark face up in normal, terrestrial lighting.

Yes it will have to go back which really upsets me. This is my first contact and purchase from Richard, and I hate to become the client he least wants to hear from.

 

[VapidLapid]

 

[T L]

In my new and limited experience with blue spinels, and shopping for them with various online vendors and from what I've seen on Pricescope, I have found that if they are dark in a photo, then tend to be darker in person. Blue spinels are some of the most unphotogenic stones, but when they're beautiful, they're really beautiful. I recently returned two spinels that weren't even as dark as your stone, and they were larger (around 2 carats each) and much much much less expensive (around $100 for each stone), and exceptionately well cut. My problem with them is that they only looked blue if I shone bright light into them. The photos were a tad lighter, but still dark. Unfortunately, unless you wear a high beam light on your forehead every time you wear the gem, it won't perform that well. While these gems I returned did turn a semi-pleasing shade of violet in incandescent light, again, they were just too dark in tone for my taste and very dark tone tends to make a gem less saturated in color. Not all gems, but for spinels, it seems that very dark tone tends to do this in my limited experience with them.

As for Richard Wise, he has some other lovely gems. Not all vendors carry 100% top gem gorgeous material. Even Harry Winston has some duds, but he may be able to find you something more suitable in the future. From what I hear, Richard Wise is a pleasure to work with. After some returns to certain reputable and upstanding vendors, they tend to understand my tastes a little better, and if they want to work with you, they'll try to obtain something more suitable.

 

[T L]

Date: 4/3/2010 1:42:27 AM
Author: crasru

Date: 4/1/2010 10:55:58 PM

Author: tourmaline_lover

BTW,


Here is one of the very sought after and desired windex blue spinels from Luc Yen. In contrast to any of the spinels shown above, it''s very saturated blue.

TL,


Where does this stone live? I want to take him home....

Get your hiking boots on, according to Vincent P. they''re only up in the hills of Luc Yen, and exceptionately rare to find unless you can get to the mine itself. It''s difficult to find them. Pala has a few, but they are more expensive than diamonds of the same size per carat.

 

[Harriet]

VapidLapid,
Here''s a nice looking one: http://www.palagems.com/php/db_search.php?action=gemdetail&inventory_number=16650

 

[Gailey]

Date: 4/4/2010 9:27:58 AM
Author: Harriet
VapidLapid,
Here''s a nice looking one: http://www.palagems.com/php/db_search.php?action=gemdetail&inventory_number=16650

http://www.palagems.com/php/db_search.php?action=gemdetail&inventory_number=16650

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 4/4/2010 9:27:58 AM
Author: Harriet
VapidLapid,

Here's a nice looking one: http://www.palagems.com/php/db_search.php?action=gemdetail&inventory_number=16650

It ought to be...at a cost of 6 or 7 times that of the stone posted by VL.

The relationship between perceived cost, size and beauty is one which is often overlooked in these discussions. The cost of VL's stone may seem high, but is it, when compared to better examples costing dramatically more ? Is the original stone worth the asking price ? Is the stone linked to, worth it's asking price ? It all depends on your resources and how you're are looking at these stones. If one was to take VL's stone outside in diffuse light and could have the Pala stone sitting right next to it, I just wonder how the comparison would come out...especially when the prices were brought into play. One of the things that this sort of thread, and the comparative images that are shown, seems to do is to raise everyone's expectations about what can be had at relatively low prices levels, (since prices are often not mentioned). I've attached a picture of the comparative stone from Pala, so that people won't have to link out.

Just a comment on the cut of the stone that VL has pictured, (the side view particularly). That shallow crown, deep pavilion cut works fantastically well in paler materials, since it maximizes the depth of color and gives good scintillation. Unfortunately in darker materials that maximizing the depth of color can be a detriment. This sort of stone is an ideal candidate for re-cutting because you can increase the crown angles and decrease the pavilion depth easily, without affecting the face up size too much. If you can find stones of this shape which are deeply colored and at a suitable price, your favorite cutter can recut them into a much brighter stone with little loss of face size, (maybe 10% or less depending on crown height).

 

[T L]

Date: 4/4/2010 2:04:24 PM
Author: Michael_E

Date: 4/4/2010 9:27:58 AM

Author: Harriet

VapidLapid,


Here''s a nice looking one: http://www.palagems.com/php/db_search.php?action=gemdetail&inventory_number=16650

It ought to be...at a cost of 6 or 7 times that of the stone posted by VL.

The relationship between perceived cost, size and beauty is one which is often overlooked in these discussions. The cost of VL''s stone may seem high, but is it, when compared to better examples costing dramatically more ? Is the original stone worth the asking price ? Is the stone linked to, worth it''s asking price ? It all depends on your resources and how you''re are looking at these stones. If one was to take VL''s stone outside in diffuse light and could have the Pala stone sitting right next to it, I just wonder how the comparison would come out...especially when the prices were brought into play. One of the things that this sort of thread, and the comparative images that are shown, seems to do is to raise everyone''s expectations about what can be had at relatively low prices levels, (since prices are often not mentioned). I''ve attached a picture of the comparative stone from Pala, so that people won''t have to link out.


Just a comment on the cut of the stone that VL has pictured, (the side view particularly). That shallow crown, deep pavilion cut works fantastically well in paler materials, since it maximizes the depth of color and gives good scintillation. Unfortunately in darker materials that maximizing the depth of color can be a detriment. This sort of stone is an ideal candidate for re-cutting because you can increase the crown angles and decrease the pavilion depth easily, without affecting the face up size too much. If you can find stones of this shape which are deeply colored and at a suitable price, your favorite cutter can recut them into a much brighter stone with little loss of face size, (maybe 10% or less depending on crown height).

Good to know Michael. I would keep that in mind. One of the reasons I don''t care for asschers in darker toned stones is because it''s a deep cut, and makes things look even darker than they should be.

 

[Barrett]

wow that pic of that rough you posted tl is tops..sucker is about as blue as it gets..are you sure it''s not a hauyne

 

[LD]

Date: 4/4/2010 2:17:19 PM
Author: amethystguy
wow that pic of that rough you posted tl is tops..sucker is about as blue as it gets..are you sure it''s not a hauyne

I don''t care what it''s called I WANT IT!

 

[T L]

Date: 4/4/2010 2:19:48 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds

Date: 4/4/2010 2:17:19 PM

Author: amethystguy

wow that pic of that rough you posted tl is tops..sucker is about as blue as it gets..are you sure it's not a hauyne

I don't care what it's called I WANT IT!

I heard from someone that spoke to a Pala representative that this particular "fan shaped" stone still has some grey in it. There is a pear on Pala's site that is supposedly more intense and neon and twice the price of this one per carat! Although, this fan shaped one is pretty nice.

http://www.palagems.com/php/db_search.php?action=gemdetail&inventory_number=17368

Chromophores are actually Fe+3 & Cr, so it is colored by iron and chromium.

I asked Vincent P if these Luc Yen spinels are colored by cobalt and iron, and he wouldn't say. He did say he is coming out with a study on them and will let everyone know when he releases his write-up.

 

[chrono]

So much has happened while I was away during the weekend. Wow, first off, I am terribly disappointed to see that RW’s cobalt blue spinel is like a black hole that just sucks up all the light. I’m so sorry that such a pricey stone turned out totally off the mark. A beautiful stone, spinel or something else, should not need a super bright torchlight to be shining on it all the time to even get some colour out of it.

I will also admit to being the one who spoke to Pala about both Vietnamese blue spinels. I was informed that the triangular stone shows some gray that is not apparent in the photographs. It was described as slightly grayish violetish blue which doesn’t jive with what I see but I am inclined to believe Josh’s description over a photograph. I would have sprung for this one if not for knowing about the gray mask. For their asking price, I expect a blue spinel to be devoid of gray.

 

[winternight]

I almost bought that blue spinel myself (Wise''s). I was concerned it would show up too dark and as your pictures show it does. That''s too bad. Its hard to tell how things look in real life vs. on a computer screen, but I also wish vendors would includes more shots in different types of lighting.