Fake alexandrite on ebay

[ilovegemstones]

fluorescent lighting - last picture. Thanks!

 

[chrono]

Oh man, can someone please pass me my reading glasses?

ILG, can you post larger pictures please? I’m squinting to see the colour on those stones.

 

[LD]

Sally offered me those stones when she first got them. I don''t recall seeing blue in them but that was at least 9 months ago and I''ve slept since then!

Oh (don''t panic) the only reason I didn''t buy one is that I have enough Alex and they were a little on the small side for me.

 

[Arkteia]

Date: 1/15/2010 2:24:11 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Sally offered me those stones when she first got them. I don''t recall seeing blue in them but that was at least 9 months ago and I''ve slept since then!


Oh (don''t panic) the only reason I didn''t buy one is that I have enough Alex and they were a little on the small side for me.

LD, do you know if that strong-color-change Indian alex for 20K is still on Multicolour website? I thought that 10K per carat was too steep for an Indian alexandrite but I did not see it on their website yesterday. Apparently, alexandrites get sell like hot pies!

 

[LD]

I don't know which one you mean as I see his prices in UK£. What I DO know is that David Weinberg knows his Alexandrites and there will always be a reason why he prices as he does. He has a phenomenal oval on there (3.06ct) for £13k. It's expensive but you only have to look at it to see why.

 

[ilovegemstones]

Here are larger pics. We picked the second stone. I read alexandrites from India are bluish green. This is in natural light coming in from a window.

 

[ilovegemstones]

pic 2 natural light from window

 

[ilovegemstones]

pic 3 fluorescent lighting

 

[ilovegemstones]

pic 4 incandescent light


Thanks for the advice, Chrono and anyone else! I do believe they are natural, but I just wasn''t sure about the whole blue thing. What do you think?

 

[chrono]

ILG,
How large are those alexandrites?

 

[ilovegemstones]

4 mm to 4.2 mm in diameter.

 

[ilovegemstones]

i believe they are natural. I read teal blue alex''s come from a mine in India. I really trust this vendour also. I guess there can be blue alex''s!

 

[LD]

Date: 1/17/2010 11:10:32 AM
Author: ilovegemstones
i believe they are natural. I read teal blue alex''s come from a mine in India. I really trust this vendour also. I guess there can be blue alex''s!

There''s no such thing as a blue Alex. You can get ones that are green that have a slight blue hint to them (teal blue) but definitely NOT blue. I''ve seen tons of Indian Alex and have never seen a blue one. I''m sure that Sally has got you a natural Alex but if you''re worried then you must get it checked out. For more information on Alex have a look at this:-

http://www.alexandrite.net/

 

[T L]

I have seen blue color change garnet, and they could be easily mistaken for alexandrite due to the color change, which can be purplish red or pink. I would make sure that these are not garnets, because almost anyone can get fooled.

 

[ilovegemstones]

the second one is teal blue, not blue, right? i am new to gem colour terms.

 

[chrono]

I have seen a few Indian alexandrites but none of them go from blue to purple, but rather green (or very very slightly bluish green) to purple. The green component is still very strong. I've heard that Sally is a reputable vendor so I do not know what else to advice other than to get the stone verified by an independent third party. Blue to purple reminds me a lot of colour change sapphire.

 

[ilovegemstones]

Thanks for the input. I do trust Sally and the team and am going for it! She says all 4 were cut from 1 piece of rough. I can''t wait for my rings to come!

 

[Arkteia]

Date: 1/17/2010 11:19:27 AM
Author: LovingDiamonds

Date: 1/17/2010 11:10:32 AM
Author: ilovegemstones
i believe they are natural. I read teal blue alex''s come from a mine in India. I really trust this vendour also. I guess there can be blue alex''s!

There''s no such thing as a blue Alex. You can get ones that are green that have a slight blue hint to them (teal blue) but definitely NOT blue. I''ve seen tons of Indian Alex and have never seen a blue one. I''m sure that Sally has got you a natural Alex but if you''re worried then you must get it checked out. For more information on Alex have a look at this:-

http://www.alexandrite.net/

Sorry, LD, but when I came across the article for the first time it also mentioned wholesale prices and listed some publications and magazines where I could find wholesale prices. It might have been another website through which I found this article but do you remember where they were listed? I can easily find them with my appraiser, of course, but I wanted to subscribe to these.

 

[LD]

Date: 1/20/2010 2:08:00 PM
Author: crasru

Date: 1/17/2010 11:19:27 AM
Author: LovingDiamonds

Date: 1/17/2010 11:10:32 AM
Author: ilovegemstones
i believe they are natural. I read teal blue alex''s come from a mine in India. I really trust this vendour also. I guess there can be blue alex''s!

There''s no such thing as a blue Alex. You can get ones that are green that have a slight blue hint to them (teal blue) but definitely NOT blue. I''ve seen tons of Indian Alex and have never seen a blue one. I''m sure that Sally has got you a natural Alex but if you''re worried then you must get it checked out. For more information on Alex have a look at this:-

http://www.alexandrite.net/

Sorry, LD, but when I came across the article for the first time it also mentioned wholesale prices and listed some publications and magazines where I could find wholesale prices. It might have been another website through which I found this article but do you remember where they were listed? I can easily find them with my appraiser, of course, but I wanted to subscribe to these.

I''m sorry Crasru, I''m not sure what you''re referring to? I''ve never seen wholesale prices for alex listed anywhere. I''m not sure there''s such a thing as a wholesale price but I could be mistaken. I would be happy to help but I''m confused. Sorry.

 

[meauxwalk]

First time poster, long time lurker...

My husband bought me an Alexandrite ring for Christmas off of Ebay. The seller had a great rating, positive feedback from buyers who had their jewelry tested after receiving, has been around for many years and had a very good money back policy. They stated outright that they did not sell any man-made or laboratory grown gems. It came with a certificate from Labtrade Laboratory (don''t know anything about them, other than what I read on their website) stating that it was natural Alexandrite, approximately .38 cts. It has a decent color change in person, from a grass green in sunlight to redish-purple in artificial light. (The pictures don''t do it justice!) There are small inclusions that you can see under a loop, but they don''t really detract from the appearance. He paid real alexandrite prices--it was not cheap.

I took it in today to have it sized (decided I wanted to wear it on another finger) at a local chain jewelry store (they don''t carry or sell Alexandrites). The lady who was helping me (not a gemologist) was unfortunately very rude and told me that there was no way that it was an alexandrite because it wasn''t purple and that it should be under artificial light. I asked what it was and she said that she didn''t know but that it was probably a "synthetic green stone." I was so frustrated with her attitude that I didn''t have it sized and left the store.

From all that I know (I''ve done a lot of research on Alexandrites--it''s my birthstone), I have the real deal. It certainly wasn''t a "too good to be true" situation and the ring''s characteristics are right in line with Natural Alexandrite. However, I''m wondering now if I ought to send it off and have it tested by someone else to see if we''ve been duped. What do you think?

 

[meauxwalk]

Here is the color under artificial light...sorry for the poor quality.

 

[m76steve]

im showing real alex 1st under daylight conditions-ull see more a green color-flourescent light...

 

[m76steve]

this pic shows the same stones under incandecent or candle light-more reddish/purple....

 

[LD]

Date: 2/5/2010 5:37:23 PM
Author: meauxwalk
First time poster, long time lurker...

My husband bought me an Alexandrite ring for Christmas off of Ebay. The seller had a great rating, positive feedback from buyers who had their jewelry tested after receiving, has been around for many years and had a very good money back policy. They stated outright that they did not sell any man-made or laboratory grown gems. It came with a certificate from Labtrade Laboratory (don''t know anything about them, other than what I read on their website) stating that it was natural Alexandrite, approximately .38 cts. It has a decent color change in person, from a grass green in sunlight to redish-purple in artificial light. (The pictures don''t do it justice!) There are small inclusions that you can see under a loop, but they don''t really detract from the appearance. He paid real alexandrite prices--it was not cheap.

I took it in today to have it sized (decided I wanted to wear it on another finger) at a local chain jewelry store (they don''t carry or sell Alexandrites). The lady who was helping me (not a gemologist) was unfortunately very rude and told me that there was no way that it was an alexandrite because it wasn''t purple and that it should be under artificial light. I asked what it was and she said that she didn''t know but that it was probably a ''synthetic green stone.'' I was so frustrated with her attitude that I didn''t have it sized and left the store.

From all that I know (I''ve done a lot of research on Alexandrites--it''s my birthstone), I have the real deal. It certainly wasn''t a ''too good to be true'' situation and the ring''s characteristics are right in line with Natural Alexandrite. However, I''m wondering now if I ought to send it off and have it tested by someone else to see if we''ve been duped. What do you think?

Two questions:

1. What colour does your stone go at night in your home with the curtains/blinds closed and the lights on? Forget what you''ve read, try to describe the colour you see.
2. In the store what sort of lighting did they have?

 

[m76steve]

Date: 2/5/2010 6:50:58 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds

Date: 2/5/2010 5:37:23 PM
Author: meauxwalk
First time poster, long time lurker...

My husband bought me an Alexandrite ring for Christmas off of Ebay. The seller had a great rating, positive feedback from buyers who had their jewelry tested after receiving, has been around for many years and had a very good money back policy. They stated outright that they did not sell any man-made or laboratory grown gems. It came with a certificate from Labtrade Laboratory (don''t know anything about them, other than what I read on their website) stating that it was natural Alexandrite, approximately .38 cts. It has a decent color change in person, from a grass green in sunlight to redish-purple in artificial light. (The pictures don''t do it justice!) There are small inclusions that you can see under a loop, but they don''t really detract from the appearance. He paid real alexandrite prices--it was not cheap.

I took it in today to have it sized (decided I wanted to wear it on another finger) at a local chain jewelry store (they don''t carry or sell Alexandrites). The lady who was helping me (not a gemologist) was unfortunately very rude and told me that there was no way that it was an alexandrite because it wasn''t purple and that it should be under artificial light. I asked what it was and she said that she didn''t know but that it was probably a ''synthetic green stone.'' I was so frustrated with her attitude that I didn''t have it sized and left the store.

From all that I know (I''ve done a lot of research on Alexandrites--it''s my birthstone), I have the real deal. It certainly wasn''t a ''too good to be true'' situation and the ring''s characteristics are right in line with Natural Alexandrite. However, I''m wondering now if I ought to send it off and have it tested by someone else to see if we''ve been duped. What do you think?

Two questions:

1. What colour does your stone go at night in your home with the curtains/blinds closed and the lights on? Forget what you''ve read, try to describe the colour you see.
2. In the store what sort of lighting did they have?

a female gemologist who saw my alex pendent was trying to tell me that the stones only change color by heat-so as she was looking at the pendent she was trying to warm the stones up with the heat from her hands-the only thing she did was to cloud up the stones from the oils on her fingers-she couldnt take any crits-she was an authority-this was at baily, banks, bittle which just closed....

 

[meauxwalk]

The store had flouresent lighting, and the stone was greenish. At night, in our house it''s a rose-purple color. In varying types of lighting, the stone ranges from a rich grass green in sunlight, to a kind of teal/green in full spectrum energy saver lightbulbs, to a reddish-purple under normal lightbulbs and a rich purple in candlelight.

 

[LD]

Date: 2/5/2010 7:28:26 PM
Author: meauxwalk
The store had flouresent lighting, and the stone was greenish. At night, in our house it's a rose-purple color. In varying types of lighting, the stone ranges from a rich grass green in sunlight, to a kind of teal/green in full spectrum energy saver lightbulbs, to a reddish-purple under normal lightbulbs and a rich purple in candlelight.

What you're describing is a typical colour change for an Alex. Some daylight bulbs and some fluorescent lighting can actually cause the Alex to hold it's green colour. That might be what happened in the store. About 5 years I got caught out because I was wearing one of mine and went into a jewellers one evening and was astonished to see it remain green. He had the bulbs that reflect natural daylight (because they're good for selling diamonds apparently!) and I'd never seen my Alex do that before.

However, and I need to add this rider, it is impossible to say with any certainty that yours is a natural Alexandrite because there are some amazing synthetics on the market that change colour in exactly the same way that a natural Alex would. For example, flux grown Alex looks and behaves exactly the same as a natural one AND it will have inclusions!!! So that's not helpful when trying to identify your stone. To make matters worse (if that's possible) the RI and SG of these are exactly the same as natural Alex! The only way to be sure is to send to a lab so the gem can be put through its paces.

Czochralski Alex is slightly easier to spot because it may show characteristics you wouldn't normally see in a natural gemstone and synthetic corundum laced with vanadium is even easier because it's normally clean with the exception of gas bubbles. Typically the RI of a synthetic corundum will have an RI of corundum rather than Alex so this one is easier to spot. This material has been on the market for years and sold as Alexandrite so lots of people who think they have an antique piece with Alexandrite, often have synthetic corundum.

What you will need to consider is that your stone would most probably need to be taken out of the setting for testing and, depending on where you send it, the cost of this, the test and then putting it back in the setting may well mount up - not to mention you'd want somebody skilled to do this because your gemstone is bezelled.

 

[meauxwalk]

Thanks for your input! My husband (who purchased the ring) spoke to the seller in person and is 99.9% certain that it is authentic. I called the lab that graded the stone and they authenticated the report, so at least the stone they graded was real. I supposed between the time the stone was graded and it was shipped it could have been tampered with, but I highly doubt it.

I''m happy with the ring (even should it turn out to be color changing garnet/sapphire or lab grown alex) and was more upset with the patronizing treatment I received by the store clerk than her claims that it was not real.

 

[jewelz617]

Those stones look great to me!

 

[LD]

Date: 2/5/2010 8:11:06 PM
Author: meauxwalk
Thanks for your input! My husband (who purchased the ring) spoke to the seller in person and is 99.9% certain that it is authentic. I called the lab that graded the stone and they authenticated the report, so at least the stone they graded was real. I supposed between the time the stone was graded and it was shipped it could have been tampered with, but I highly doubt it.

I'm happy with the ring (even should it turn out to be color changing garnet/sapphire or lab grown alex) and was more upset with the patronizing treatment I received by the store clerk than her claims that it was not real.

I just stumbled across your ring on Ebay. My one concern is that the seller is trying to say it's Russian. I would therefore be highly suspicious of buying from him. However, the lab who certificate your ring are, I believe, ok. I haven't seen any negative reports about them.