help me shop........so confused

[cemrn]

Sorry I had to start another thread. I need some help sorting out what I might like. I am thinking about a pink tourmaline from Gene mainly because that is what he had rough. I am now realizing I don''t know if I''ve really explored my options or thought about this enough. Maybe I am just getting cold feet. This whole gemstone thing is so hard compared to learning about diamonds I am feeling really confused. Here''s what I know:
I have to have an asscher. I am just falling in love with them. I was inspired by the one I listed here (scroll down a bit)
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cut-question.144619/
What do I love about it? The fact that it is not round (so different from my e ring). I love the geometry of it. I love the clarity of the stone and crispness of the cut. I believe that color really shows that off.
I prefer to go with a well respected vendor rather than scouring ebay (a time thing and lack of knowledge thing).
I don''t like orange and don''t want to go with green on this stone. I love purples, lemony yellows, blue and pinks (not hot pink).
My birthstone is garnet which would be special but not at all necessary
Stone should be durable for a RHR. I don''t plan to bezel or halo my asscher.
I''d like 7-8mm and a budget of $450 max for the stone alone.

Lead a thirsty horse to water. I want to join the gemstone club

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

Cemrn

A 7-8mm asscher is going to be 3+ carats, depending on the color and types of gemstone you might be able to find something in that price range. Asschers have a large table so you will want exceptionally clean rough and light colored rough due to the depth required for the cut. I am sure your cutter will know this. There are a lot of great cutters on the forum listed and all of them know their stuff.

 

[chrono]

Jim has explained it well:
1. Asschers are a naturally deep cut, deeper than most so when you are looking at a 3 ct stone, be prepared for it to sit up higher than other gemstone varieties.
2. A stone with a higher RI can get away with less depth compared to a stone with lower RI for an asscher cut due to the way light behaves as it passes through the stone.
3. An asscher cut is only suited for certain colours and lighter toned stones as I feel that if too dark or too rich, it looks just like a dark blob from a distance.
4. An asscher cut isn’t as super sparkly or brilliant like other specialty cuts

I highly suggest that you see one in person to decide if an asscher cut is for you.

 

[cemrn]

What is RI?
I am going to the "jewelry building" in Houston today so I am going to look around a bit.
What colors do you think suit an asscher? I do think you are correct and that a darker tone looks like a blob.
Thanks for teaching me about the cut needing to be deep. I didn''t know that and it makes sense why you have to get such a large carat to get the coverage you want.
Chrono thanks for being involved in my threads today

 

[chrono]

RI = refractive index. A garnet and spinel are more sparkly than a tourmaline because it has higher RI.
Any light toned and super saturated stone will be fine. Typically, aquamarine, light pink tourmaline and the like are best suited for that cutting design.

I highly doubt you will see an asscher cut gemstone IRL because they aren’t in demand other than in the PS world. I think QVC used to sell asscher topaz, citrine and amethyst for very little so you can buy one to see if it’s something you will like.

Christie, NP. I love to help and just happen to have more time on my hands today.

 

[StonieGrl]

Hi Christie, great to have you here!

Houston, you''re in the home of Whiteflash, great settings of PS gemstones have come out of Whiteflash.

You cannot go wrong with a colored gemstone from Gene Flanigan or for that matter, Barry at ACS, Gary Braun, Jeff White, Andrew Gulij/Gemfix, etc. You will get a quality stone beautifully custom cut and you won''t have to worry about getting taken.

Go look at colored stones at the site you referenced. Don''t buy anything yet. Then look at the sites of the stone guys that are faves around here. They have years of repeat business from most of us for a reason.

Always check return policies. Ethical vendors allow for returns in a way that is fair to both parties.

Good luck, enjoy your first buy! My first buy was a lavendar spinel from Gene and is in my avatar.

 

[lavatea]

How negotiable is your size range? There is a purple spinel asscher cut by Dan Stair listed for sale on a website we can''t link (search for Bob Kast and go where he sells his stones). I really want it myself but don''t mind telling you about it. I''m not sure I can justify another big purchase right now. It''s smaller than you said though.

 

[cemrn]

OK I think I need to look more at garnet and spinel. Am I correct in thinking a spinel in 7-8mm will not be in my price range? They seem pricier.......I love those lavendar spinels. If I went with the garnet family I am not sure which would look nice in an asscher. Am I correct in think they come in darker pinks or can you find lighter toned pinks in garnet? Hmmm I think I need to look around a bit more after work tonight. I think the more I learn about tourmalines the less I think it is for me. Is there a chart somewhere that lists the RI of common gemstones?

 

[cemrn]

Lavatea, I do like the color but I don''t want to go that small. I don''t want to halo or bezel the ring but do want some finger coverage. But thanks for introducing another vendor. I did not have him bookmarked

 

[chrono]

For your budget, a spinel might be out of your budget unless it is very light and not one of the highly sought after colours. A tourmaline that is cut with a busier pattern will appear sparkly, thus I don’t think they are best suited for a more understated step cut like an asscher design.

 

[lavatea]

You''re welcome. I don''t hear much about Bob around here (maybe I''m just missing the threads??), but his prices seem very reasonable. Other people sell on that site, too, and boy do I wish I had more spending money bc there are some great loose stones there.

 

[chrono]

Lavatea,
I don’t think I’ve seen Bob Kast cut anything other than round stones but I could be wrong.

 

[T L]

Date: 6/29/2010 4:00:09 PM
Author: Chrono
Lavatea,
I don’t think I’ve seen Bob Kast cut anything other than round stones but I could be wrong.

Bob cuts cushions too.

 

[chrono]

Date: 6/29/2010 4:04:14 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 6/29/2010 4:00:09 PM
Author: Chrono
Lavatea,
I don’t think I’ve seen Bob Kast cut anything other than round stones but I could be wrong.

Bob cuts cushions too.

That''s right! Now I recall a super well cut cushion morganite who belongs to Cellantani, if I''m not mistaken.

 

[movie zombie]

i''m sorry you are so confused: rest assured that most of us started out feeling the same way!

i assume you are not in a hurry. i would suggest stopping, taking a very deep breath, exhaling slowly and then taking a lot more time to investigate the world of color stones as well as the influence of shape. this will enable you to learn more and save more $ to have to use. there really is a difference between a $200/carat spinel [usually has a lot of extinction going on] and a $2000/carat spinel [which is pure color, no extinction]. ditto the other stones.

take the time to learn what pleases your eye. can you live with some extinction? what about windowing? are you open to some of the less popular colors? what about shapes? are you open to heat treated? all these will reduce the price of a stone and may or may not be exceptable to you.

it just takes time. everyone of us wants to get our money''s worth and not overpay for a stone.

some stones look better as an ascher than others. but given the popularity of the cut right now you may pay more for it.

again, if you are not under a deadline, relax and learn more. this is supposed to be fun....and it will become that the more you learn.

realistically $450 is not going to get a killer spinel but will get a killer amethyst.

most of us have what we call "learning" stones: stones we purchased from ebay or other vendors for cheap...and i do mean cheap. it is from these stones we''ve learned to develop an eye and what we can live with but cannot abide. a lot depends on budget, too. we''ve learned what we are willing to tradeoff to stay within our own particular budget.

you are so right that the world of color is more difficult but it is so worth it.

mz

ps good that you''re going to look around at stones today. you may already know more than those showing them to you.

 

[T L]

Date: 6/29/2010 3:39:07 PM
Author: cemrn
OK I think I need to look more at garnet and spinel. Am I correct in thinking a spinel in 7-8mm will not be in my price range? They seem pricier.......I love those lavendar spinels. If I went with the garnet family I am not sure which would look nice in an asscher. Am I correct in think they come in darker pinks or can you find lighter toned pinks in garnet? Hmmm I think I need to look around a bit more after work tonight. I think the more I learn about tourmalines the less I think it is for me. Is there a chart somewhere that lists the RI of common gemstones?

When cut properly, and if the material is clean enough, some tourmalines sparkle like mad. I recently had a tourmaline cut with a high crown and small table, and it sparkles as much as a garnet, so I wouldn''t rule out a well cut tourmaline. Note that tourmaline is not as durable as spinel, so you do need to be careful when wearing it, but there are some lovely shades of pink tourmaline, and it is more affordable than spinel of the same color and size per carat.

A good lavender spinel without a ton of grey in it, is difficult to find. Not sure if you like grey in your gems, but it is in most spinels, and it can be challenging to find one without one. I would stay away from darker colored spinels as they tend to be very grey IMHO.

 

[cemrn]

Thanks everyone for chiming in. I went to 4 stores today and they all were light on the gemstones. I only saw one asscher cut diamond. It was good to give me a perspective of how deep the stone is. I also was able to see how it performed although I know that would be different with a tourmaline. I saw several tourmalines in person and several lighter pink stones that I was informed were pink sapphires. I thought the tourmalines looked pretty nice although some bordered on too dark for my taste. One guy was really encouraging me on the pink sapphire.............I never see people talk about them here...how come? I forgot to ask if the sapphires were treated.
Anyway I''ve decided that the one thing everyone seems to agree with is that Gene is a trusted vendor. He has the rough, knowledge and honesty so I am just going to call him up and see what he thinks. I can always return it if I don''t like it so I don''t really have anything to lose.

 

[T L]

Date: 6/29/2010 9:08:05 PM
Author: cemrn
Thanks everyone for chiming in. I went to 4 stores today and they all were light on the gemstones. I only saw one asscher cut diamond. It was good to give me a perspective of how deep the stone is. I also was able to see how it performed although I know that would be different with a tourmaline. I saw several tourmalines in person and several lighter pink stones that I was informed were pink sapphires. I thought the tourmalines looked pretty nice although some bordered on too dark for my taste. One guy was really encouraging me on the pink sapphire.............I never see people talk about them here...how come? I forgot to ask if the sapphires were treated.
Anyway I've decided that the one thing everyone seems to agree with is that Gene is a trusted vendor. He has the rough, knowledge and honesty so I am just going to call him up and see what he thinks. I can always return it if I don't like it so I don't really have anything to lose.

Don't buy pink sapphires from a typical B&M store. 99% of them are diffused (dyed) to that color, or synthetic, and both kinds are worth very little.

 

[Upgradable]

What about this? 2.07 lavendar spinel

This is a very respected vendor. You can even have them get a cert for the stone.

 

[T L]

Date: 6/29/2010 9:30:07 PM
Author: Uppy
What about this? 2.07 lavendar spinel

This is a very respected vendor. You can even have them get a cert for the stone.

I asked Tan about that stone at one time, and he told me it was very grey. He knows I'm really picky about grey though. LOL!

 

[Upgradable]

I was wondering why it has been hanging around for a while? There's a pretty 1.50 too. It looks like it was cut from the same rough. The grey modifier may not be as bothersome to the OP either. I totally identify with her difficulty trying to crack the nut that is colored stones! Diamonds are sooooo much easier!!

 

[cemrn]

I love getting suggestions on specific stones. But I don''t like that color very much. It feels kinda cold???

 

[chrono]

Date: 6/29/2010 10:10:36 PM
Author: cemrn
I love getting suggestions on specific stones. But I don''t like that color very much. It feels kinda cold???

Correct; grayish stones also give a “cold” feel which some people refer to as “steely”.