demantoid garnet thoughts...

[jstarfireb]

Hi guys! I''ve been thinking of picking up a tiny demantoid...tiny because of budgetary reasons, that is. I came across one that has a color and cutting that I like from the picture, looks pretty clean in terms of clarity, and is priced decently. What do you think of it? Should I get it or save up for wait until I can afford a better one? I''m OK with the size, as I''ve been on a stacker kick lately and would probably bezel it.

3.5 mm demantoid, 0.20 ct
Color: Medium Dark Slightly Yellowish Green
Clarity: Slightly included
Origin: Kamal, Iran
Price: $60.00

 

[Lovinggems]

If it looks like the photo I think it''ll be lovely. I am partial to demantoid garnets myself. You might want to do more research on dems from Iran though.

 

[jstarfireb]

Thanks LG - this is the best info I could find on Iranian demantoids. They seem to be a little more yellowish and have the typical inclusions. Do you have any more info?

 

[Lovinggems]

How about this one?

It''s brighter and will look great in stackers, more yellow though.

http://diamondexpert.com/diamonds/dbs.cgi?sf=detg.setup.cgi&active=active&stock=GD00015&submit_search=1

 

[jstarfireb]

Thanks for the links! That is a pretty one, eye-clean, and it's not too much smaller, but just looking at the pictures, I prefer the less yellowish color of the first one. However, they're both described as "slightly yellowish green" - interesting.

I'm not sure if the darker color of the first stone would obscure the sparkle and fire that demantoids are known for (that's why I want one). If anyone has an idea about that, please let me know!

 

[Barrett]

The darker "color", jstar, will not affect the sparkle..it''s the saturation that will..hey LG..I got nabbed for doing that

 

[jstarfireb]

Amguy, thanks for the clarification...so are you saying that this stone is or is not so saturated as to affect sparkle?

 

[Lovinggems]

Date: 9/23/2009 10:52:13 PM
Author: amethystguy
The darker 'color', jstar, will not affect the sparkle..it's the saturation that will..hey LG..I got nabbed for doing that

oops, can't edit it now

 

[jstarfireb]

Any more thoughts on the saturation and whether it will decrease the sparkle factor?

 

[ma re]

A well cut stone will be lively and scintillating regardless of color (with the exception of black, of course

), but the fire i.e. dispersion of light will be reduced in darker materials. Take two diamonds, one white, the other one a cognac brown. All else being the same, you''re likely to see a lot of "rainbow flashes" in a white one, while you''re not likely to see many (if any) in a dark brown one.

Your first stone is a lovely one, but I''d worry about bezeling it for two reasons: a) if it''s "medium dark" it might turn out "really dark" once you bezel it, especially in white metal due to increase in color contrast and b) demantoids are quite soft and fragile, so not all jewellers can safely bezel them - make sure your jeweller has some past experience with more fragile materials.

 

[chrono]

A darker pure green demantoid will show as much dispersion as a lighter yellow green demantoid. It’ll still be lively but that’s the trade off of the pure medium greens. I’m with Ma Re about the stone getting a smidge darker after it is bezeled plus if the benchperson is skilled enough to set it.

 

[Barrett]

of course a clear/white stone will show the fire better(of equal disp.) for the simple fact there is no body color but as far as dems go whether it''s light green, pure green, or a darker green it will still show about the same fire as long as the saturation is not affected..of course if you wanted to get technical you could probably argue a darker medium would inhibit the play of colors more but it wouldn''t be enough to affect your decision on wheter to buy this or that dem. based on color

 

[jstarfireb]

Thanks guys! So I think the way to interpret all this info is that the saturation shouldn't affect my choice of whether or not to buy the stone.

It would definitely be bezeled, so that may or may not be an issue. The vendor is known for taking accurate photos of color. The jeweler would be Sally at Heart of Water, and she knows her stuff and has done plenty of bezels (usually filigree though). I think this stone would be too small for a filigree bezel like her Pillbox setting; I would just be setting it in her "Lotus Seed" ring.

This will probably give away the seller, so I hope lurkers don't take advantage...but the seller and Sally are located in the same country. I would actually have the stone shipped directly to Sally so she could inspect it, take photos, and tell me what she thinks.

 

[jstarfireb]

Deleted - wrong thread!

 

[Stone Hunter]

Both stones look nice to me. But of course we each have a color preference. I would go by that.

 

[LD]

There is another consideration here also that you may want to think about. Good clean Demantoids from Russia (especially with the horsetail inclusions that don''t detract from the gemstone''s beauty) are more sought after than Demantoids from other locations. For me, there would be no decision to make (especially if I were going to bezel set), it would be the one from Russia.

 

[jstarfireb]

LD, I think you''ve sold me on it. The Russian stone has the advantage of origin, clear view of sparkle in the picture, probably clarity based on the pictures...and it''s really not that much more expensive, that much smaller, or that much more yellowish. The Iranian one is a bit of a gamble, and I wouldn''t see the stone in person before it was set. I would have the Russian one shipped to me, and I could send it to someone who can set it for cheapo, maybe Kyle Anne Metals on Etsy (she specializes in tube bezels and does them for much less than Sally). I''ve contacted the vendor about it; let''s hope a lurker didn''t pick it up first!

 

[jstarfireb]

OK, new question now. Provided the Russian demantoid is available and I get it, should I do a yellow gold bezel? The band of the ring will be sterling. I would like to minimize the yellow and bring out the green. Which do you think YG would do?

Here''s an example of the type of ring I''m looking into.

 

[chrono]

I’d go with the Russian demantoid as well because it’s the only location with the horsetail inclusion. If you want to minimize the yellow, it’s best to stay with an all white metal.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Oh good you picked the one I liked better!! I think it will be very sparkly. I would keep it in WG to minimize the yellow in the stone. I think YG would pick up on the yellow and bring it out.

HTH

 

[LD]

White metal definitely. Don''t know if this helps you but here''s my Russian Demented (yes, I have spelt that as I wanted lol) Garnet in 18k white gold. DG''s are very very very difficult to photograph (the same as Sphene) but trust me, the fire is amazing from this gemstone.

 

[Stone Hunter]

LD - That''s very pretty. Thank you for sharing it.

 

[jstarfireb]

Beautiful ring, LD! Between alexandrite and demantoid, sounds like you and I have similar and similarly expensive taste in colored stones.

Thank you all for your advice! The stone was available and is on its way to me...woohoo! I will most likely ask Kyle Anne to set it as mentioned above in all silver.

 

[LD]

Date: 9/25/2009 6:32:26 PM
Author: jstarfireb
Beautiful ring, LD! Between alexandrite and demantoid, sounds like you and I have similar and similarly expensive taste in colored stones.

Thank you all for your advice! The stone was available and is on its way to me...woohoo! I will most likely ask Kyle Anne to set it as mentioned above in all silver.

I wish my tastes just stopped at Alex and Demantoid!!!! Ah well, pretty baubles to look at!

I can''t wait to see the finished result. I think it''ll be scrumptious and you''ll be knocked sideways by the Demantoid. Have you ever seen Sphene? That''s another gemstone that you might like. It''s incredibly firey BUT almost impossible to capture in a photo.

 

[jstarfireb]

I haven't seen sphene in person, but there are a few things about it that turn me off, namely the orangey/yellow color (although the greener ones are intriguing) and the double refraction (makes me think my eyes are getting bad). It's kind of a soft stone too, although that has never stopped me - opal and tanzanite are also personal favorites.

Jewelry in general is a pretty expensive habit, of course!

 

[LD]

Does this tempt you ..................

 

[jstarfireb]

LOL! You''re bad!!!

It is somewhat tempting with all that fire, and the olive green color is much nicer than the orangey yellow, but even that little demantoid was stretching my budget. My jewelry habit has left me living paycheck to paycheck these days! (Not to mention the shoe habit...)

 

[LD]

Date: 9/25/2009 8:32:10 PM
Author: jstarfireb
LOL! You''re bad!!!

It is somewhat tempting with all that fire, and the olive green color is much nicer than the orangey yellow, but even that little demantoid was stretching my budget. My jewelry habit has left me living paycheck to paycheck these days! (Not to mention the shoe habit...)

I''m feeling your pain!!! I''ve just lost weight and my feet are now a size smaller

and clothes at least 5 sizes smaller

so I''ve been on a mega "must fill my wardrobe" again mission!