I know it is a bad idea, but still...

[Arkteia]

I am always looking at my alexandrite. Its evening color is great, exactly what I wanted to have, raspberry-purple, and red when the light shines through it. Even a huge window doesn''t spoil it.
Daytime is a different thing. This window spoils everything. The side facets are so small, that you can see slivers of emerald-green on the sides, the rest of it is extinct. I tried to put pieces of metal underneath it, to cover the window, but it spoils the evening color. I tried to raise it high above the finger, and it seems to make a difference, for some reason the light flowing through it freely makes things look better.
I can not photograph the daytime color for one reason. It does have emerald quality to it and never comes out as pure green. Greenish with blue hue, but it is green.
So...I thought that even making small facets on the sides of the window, not to close it completely, but to make less, could make a difference. They have to go at a very narrow angle, just almost polished off rather than cut off. I just think that adding at least four additional small facets can make it look better.
I know I shall be losing a lot of $$ on a Brazilian, double-certified, 2.5 - ct alex. And everyone who looks at it in the evening either thinks it is an amethyst or asks me what the stone is so the color is fine. But it should show itself at daytime, too...
Any comments?

 

[T L]

Date: 6/15/2010 3:27:50 PM
Author:crasru
I am always looking at my alexandrite. Its evening color is great, exactly what I wanted to have, raspberry-purple, and red when the light shines through it. Even a huge window doesn''t spoil it.
Daytime is a different thing. This window spoils everything. The side facets are so small, that you can see slivers of emerald-green on the sides, the rest of it is extinct. I tried to put pieces of metal underneath it, to cover the window, but it spoils the evening color. I tried to raise it high above the finger, and it seems to make a difference, for some reason the light flowing through it freely makes things look better.
I can not photograph the daytime color for one reason. It does have emerald quality to it and never comes out as pure green. Greenish with blue hue, but it is green.
So...I thought that even making small facets on the sides of the window, not to close it completely, but to make less, could make a difference. They have to go at a very narrow angle, just almost polished off rather than cut off. I just think that adding at least four additional small facets can make it look better.
I know I shall be losing a lot of $$ on a Brazilian, double-certified, 2.5 - ct alex. And everyone who looks at it in the evening either thinks it is an amethyst or asks me what the stone is so the color is fine. But it should show itself at daytime, too...
Any comments?

It depends on the value per carat. A recut, even by half a carat, can significantly lower the value by thousands. If you do not care, and the stone makes you absolutely miserable, then have a lapadary evaluate it to see where it can have the most minimal loss of weight. I''m not sure of the precise value of your stone, but top quality alexandrites, especially larger than 2 carats can be tens of thousands per carat. I would be leary about a recut. You would also void your lab certifificates because they would no longer represent the original stone, and that is important for insurance purposes and value to your heirs. You might have to get it recertified.

 

[chrono]

It all depends on the value for me. No matter how horribly cut a stone is, it pains me to see a stone recut into something a lot smaller if it is of a rare material. TL has shared good advice.

 

[Arkteia]

OK...Yes, it was expensive, since the red is the best red I have ever seen - no brownish hues to it. Certified by Gubelin and GIA, so it must be a good stone. Any other ideas? Why does raising a stone higher help the color? It makes facets more visible - it seems that the finger is "covering" the window - but it shows the stone better and it becomes less extinct.

 

[T L]

Do you have a photo of it in the ring so perhaps people can offer better ideas about how to set it to minimize the window a bit. If the window really bothers you, perhaps sell the gem, or lock it away in a safety deposit box for the future since it sounds like an investment stone. I definitely would not recut such valuable material, but it sounds like the gem is just not doing much for you aside from the color change phenomena. Do you absolutely love the colors on the color change, or are they okay, and there are some gems you own that you love better?

 

[LD]

DON''T TOUCH IT.

Did I say that loudly enough?

I only have two perfectly cut Alex and the rest have windows or crooked faceting or or or or or or ................. The value is in the colour change and weight primarily. Therefore if you re-cut there is a possibility of changing the colour change (unlikely BUT could happen) and then you''ve affected the value enormously. Also, if you recut and the stone goes below 2ct you''ll have significantly affected the value.

Please please please don''t do it. Send it to me and I''ll look after it for you. I''ll certainly love it for it''s flaws and personality and appreciate it''s beauty!!!!!!!

 

[Michael_E]

I say "Chop It Up !" The diamond guys do this all the time and if you can make the stone look better then zip, zap and it''ll be looking great. Think of it as a face lift, (butt lift in this case is more likely). People with million dollar faces get little trim jobs all the time, why not your stone ? Do you have a picture of it from the sides or maybe some dimensions, (you must have dimensions if you''ve got certs) ? If the stone is shallow then my comments are useless, but if it''s deep and just has a flat bottom around the culet, then it could probably be made much better with minimal weight loss. If it''s flat, leave it alone and enjoy it as-is.

 

[VapidLapid]

I would leave it alone. Spend a year trying to find a setting that shows it to best advantage. If that fails commission a jewelry artist to make a custom setting that fulfills that. Would you re-cut the Wittelsbach? How about the Darya-i-noor?

 

[movie zombie]

i''m in the no cut camp.....cutting it may not improve it and you''ll be out size and value as well as having spent more $ on it.

however, you do have a cutter saying go for it and i guess if you''re that miserable.....but there is no guarantee it will be better.

you liked it enough the way it was when you bought it. perhaps you could wear this stone only at night so the daytime window doesn''t bother you?

mz

 

[Arkteia]

Date: 6/15/2010 4:08:46 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Do you have a photo of it in the ring so perhaps people can offer better ideas about how to set it to minimize the window a bit. If the window really bothers you, perhaps sell the gem, or lock it away in a safety deposit box for the future since it sounds like an investment stone. I definitely would not recut such valuable material, but it sounds like the gem is just not doing much for you aside from the color change phenomena. Do you absolutely love the colors on the color change, or are they okay, and there are some gems you own that you love better?

I shall post a photo - I did it in one of my earlier postings but I shall try to photograph it face-on. I am wearing it every day and it may be part of the problem - I sometimes give shots, put on gloves with talcum inside, and never take it off for fear of leaving in public restroom or something else. It looks much, much better after US cleaning but then there is gold which you do not necessarily want to put into a cleaner every day.

I was choosing from approximately 10 alexandrites, all certified, all brought from a gem show. Prior to that, I saw about 15 more. (Not in photos). These 10 were lying in front of me. This one I chose only for its nighttime red. I remember standing next to a window and thinking, "Well, Seattle weather..." It was never stunning in daytime, but later I started noticing this striking green in side facets...I just want more of this green everywhere, that is it. I love the fact that it changes colors, it is a 100% change, I just want to see "emerald by day" and it doesn't work out. Also, I must have been spoiled by the PS.

I do not want to lock it away. It is a sturdy stone which very well tolerates daily wear. Frankly, I love the green of the tsavorites and the orange of the spessartine, and the neon of my demantoid more. It appears that I like very bright colors. But none of garnet rings would tolerate the way I wear them for long enough, so I have to be careful. As to my demantoid, I can see it only in a mirror.

It appears that I bought it for romanticism. Like the demantoid, something very Russian (or with a Russian idea behind it). It may not be seen in my photos, but my tsavorite is stunning and given a choice now, I would have bought the tsavorite before the alexandrite.

BTW - Eric's Mahenge which I initially criticized so much I come to like more because of the color and clarity. I have a couple of very strong-colored, saturated stones in my safe and I think I found people to set them. The other one is Gary's sapphire, a recut, which looked horrible in my photos but is very nice IRL.

Since most of people voted against recutting, I think I should not do it. I shall invest more time into finding a better setting (this one is beautiful but I think positioning it in a different way could change things some).

Knowing what I know now, I should have handled the situation in a different way. I should have turned back to the vendor who sourced out these 10 stones for me and said, "I like this one by night, and this one by day. Find me something that would combine these two". And wait for 10 years.

 

[marcy]

I can''t wait to see a picture. I would want a nicer cut but would hate to have it cut. I''m not a lot of help, huh?

 

[jstarfireb]

I''d go for the recut, but only in the hands of someone very trusted and well-respected. I guess that means basically any of the cutters around these boards, but you know what I mean. I have a badly windowed alex that I''d love to have recut, but the problem is that it''s only 0.4ct, not worth the cutting time, and it would be miniscule after the weight loss. I''ve thought about trying to sell it since I have the one from Sally now, and that has a much nicer cut. But even though it''s small and inexpensive, it has paperwork confirming its natural Indian origin, and my new one doesn''t. Plus, I love the setting it''s in. Anyway, I''m rambling, but I''ve found that it helps to stick a piece of white paper on the bottom of the setting to decrease the window.

 

[Arkteia]

Date: 6/16/2010 12:56:32 AM
Author: jstarfireb
I''d go for the recut, but only in the hands of someone very trusted and well-respected. I guess that means basically any of the cutters around these boards, but you know what I mean. I have a badly windowed alex that I''d love to have recut, but the problem is that it''s only 0.4ct, not worth the cutting time, and it would be miniscule after the weight loss. I''ve thought about trying to sell it since I have the one from Sally now, and that has a much nicer cut. But even though it''s small and inexpensive, it has paperwork confirming its natural Indian origin, and my new one doesn''t. Plus, I love the setting it''s in. Anyway, I''m rambling, but I''ve found that it helps to stick a piece of white paper on the bottom of the setting to decrease the window.

You know what? It has the best effect! It does not minimize the window, it just changes the way the light reflects from the stone (maybe that''s what is called "minimizing the window").

It is just uncomfortable - you always have to change paper!

I thought about finding white material, something like acryl or bakelyte or white plastic and make an "insert" from it. An ''insert" that I could take out if I put the ring in US cleaner. (Or somethng that could withstand cleaning). I have no clue how do do it or who to contact (it has to be a jeweler) but your idea works great! I can not understand why my skin does not have the same effect - after all, I am close to TL in my basic color.

Thanks, Jstar! BTW - I think I know the origin of your name, it should be pretty simple, but I always want to call you "Ishtar" - you know, this goddess of love, war and what not...this omnipotent female goddess of Mesopotamia and Eastern areas of the ancient world.

 

[jstarfireb]

Date: 6/16/2010 4:32:21 PM
Author: crasru

Date: 6/16/2010 12:56:32 AM

Author: jstarfireb

I''d go for the recut, but only in the hands of someone very trusted and well-respected. I guess that means basically any of the cutters around these boards, but you know what I mean. I have a badly windowed alex that I''d love to have recut, but the problem is that it''s only 0.4ct, not worth the cutting time, and it would be miniscule after the weight loss. I''ve thought about trying to sell it since I have the one from Sally now, and that has a much nicer cut. But even though it''s small and inexpensive, it has paperwork confirming its natural Indian origin, and my new one doesn''t. Plus, I love the setting it''s in. Anyway, I''m rambling, but I''ve found that it helps to stick a piece of white paper on the bottom of the setting to decrease the window.

You know what? It has the best effect! It does not minimize the window, it just changes the way the light reflects from the stone (maybe that''s what is called ''minimizing the window'').


It is just uncomfortable - you always have to change paper!


I thought about finding white material, something like acryl or bakelyte or white plastic and make an ''insert'' from it. An ''insert'' that I could take out if I put the ring in US cleaner. (Or somethng that could withstand cleaning). I have no clue how do do it or who to contact (it has to be a jeweler) but your idea works great! I can not understand why my skin does not have the same effect - after all, I am close to TL in my basic color.


Thanks, Jstar! BTW - I think I know the origin of your name, it should be pretty simple, but I always want to call you ''Ishtar'' - you know, this goddess of love, war and what not...this omnipotent female goddess of Mesopotamia and Eastern areas of the ancient world.

Haha, I just gave you the same suggestion in your other thread. Great minds, right?

I didn''t know of Ishtar, but that''s kinda cool. I use JStarfireB because, as you can guess, my initials are JB, and Starfire was my first Internet handle that I picked because it sounded cool to me. But there were too many Starfire email addresses and forum names out there, so I stuck my initials around it so I could make it mine. Little did I know that Starfire was also the name of a jeweler (and an electric guitar model...and a Teen Titans character...etc!).

 

[Arkteia]

Oh, Ishtar was a very importand goddess in Messopotamia. She existed in the form of a young girl, a mature woman and a crone, was goddess of love and war, was very loving but also much stronger than her male lover and outsmarted the main god by making him drunk and then asking for most of his power which he willingly gave her! In all of their tales, she comes across as a lovely woman...

 

[jstarfireb]

Date: 6/16/2010 8:58:13 PM
Author: crasru
Oh, Ishtar was a very importand goddess in Messopotamia. She existed in the form of a young girl, a mature woman and a crone, was goddess of love and war, was very loving but also much stronger than her male lover and outsmarted the main god by making him drunk and then asking for most of his power which he willingly gave her! In all of their tales, she comes across as a lovely woman...

Haha, sounds a lot like me!