Multicolour...

[Indylady]

Multicolour has lots of rubies; I''ve been poking around for a ruby for quite some time, and any and every ruby I come across commands a pretty high price, usually around $1000/ct. Multicolour has some calibrated rubies link that are really pretty inexpensive.

My question is: How?

I know they are located in Thailand. Is this why they are able to access rubies/ruby rough? I''ve read about Multicolour often, but don''t remember seeing any examples of their gems. Are they reliable?

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 9/28/2009 5:22:52 PM
Author:szh07
Multicolour has lots of rubies; I've been poking around for a ruby for quite some time, and any and every ruby I come across commands a pretty high price, usually around $1000/ct. Multicolour has some calibrated rubies link that are really pretty inexpensive.

My question is: How?

I know they are located in Thailand. Is this why they are able to access rubies/ruby rough? I've read about Multicolour often, but don't remember seeing any examples of their gems. Are they reliable?

They've been heated, and possibly fracture filled without disclosure, but that one could simply be due to its size. A lot of the Thai sellers only admit to the heat enhancement, but do not admit to the fracture filling.

"Indicates the stone has been heated to effect desired alteration of color, clarity, and/or phenomena. Example: Sapphire, Ruby, Tanzanite, Citrine, and Aquamarine are commonly enhanced in this manner."

 

[Indylady]

My understanding was that they are fairly reputable; do you think that they wouldn''t disclose fracture filling?

 

[chrono]

Multicolour is reputable company and discloses treatment. Perhaps there's something else lacking in the gemstone that is causing them to be priced much lower. Do you mind linking to an example or two? TL has purchased a mint garnet from them but returned it shortly after she found a better mint elsewhere.

 

[Indylady]

Here''s a link to the ruby I''m considering. I think its a stock picture.

 

[chrono]

Those are pretty small and as such, the price comes down exponentially. As you can see, even a 1 ct ruby on Multicolour costs over $1000. Since this is from a parcel that can be broken, you probably won''t get to pick and choose yourself either.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

It is also rather dark and over saturated, which also pushes the price down.

 

[morecarats]

Date: 9/28/2009 5:34:57 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier

Date: 9/28/2009 5:22:52 PM
Author:szh07
Multicolour has lots of rubies; I''ve been poking around for a ruby for quite some time, and any and every ruby I come across commands a pretty high price, usually around $1000/ct. Multicolour has some calibrated rubies link that are really pretty inexpensive.

My question is: How?

I know they are located in Thailand. Is this why they are able to access rubies/ruby rough? I''ve read about Multicolour often, but don''t remember seeing any examples of their gems. Are they reliable?

They''ve been heated, and possibly fracture filled without disclosure, but that one could simply be due to its size. A lot of the Thai sellers only admit to the heat enhancement, but do not admit to the fracture filling.

''Indicates the stone has been heated to effect desired alteration of color, clarity, and/or phenomena. Example: Sapphire, Ruby, Tanzanite, Citrine, and Aquamarine are commonly enhanced in this manner.''

I know there are a lot of unethical sellers in Thailand, probably more than in most places. But I think it''s important to be careful about suggesting fraudulent behavior on the part of a dealer without any evidence. There are a number of very reputable online dealers in Thailand, including Multicolour, AJS Gems and GemSelect. If you look at their websites, you''ll see they are all scrupulous about disclosing treatments. These dealers have all been in business for years and have reputatuions to protect. They are not like the eBay sellers who appear and disappear under various names. Check to see if the dealer is offering certification from independent gem labs for his stones. It''s the best sign that a dealer is playing it straight. Fracture-filling is about the easiest treatment for a lab to detect.

I think you owe Multicolour an apology. I know your advice was offered with the best of intentions, but please realize there are reputable dealers who guard their reputations very carefully, even in Thailand.

 

[T L]

David Weinberg, the owner of Multicolour, has been very patient in answering my questions about gems in the past. I suggest sending him an email for additional pictures if you feel they are necessary, and for any information related to treatment, color, or otherwise.

Although I do admit that returns to MC.com are a bit of a pain if you live outside of Thailand, it is a reputable firm. I''ve had rather bad luck with MC.com - the colors of the gems I purchased did not seem to match the GIA gemset associated with the gem. That being said, I do know some serious gem collectors that do buy from them, and are true MC.com fans.

I do believe you get what you pay for with MC.com. There used to be bargains to be had, but I am finding that less and less with them of late. These are just my experiences, others can feel free to disagree.

 

[benell]

The picture sort of reminds me of the color change sapphire I bought from them. The stone was as described and changed color, but it just isn't all that pretty. I've bought a nice sapphire and ruby from AJS and those babies have that nice warm velvety glow, but the stone from multicolour is dull and doesn't have that at all. I'm not trying to be unfair to multicolour here, because their stone wasn't even in the same price range at the ones from AJS, you just get what you pay for.

Unfortunately, I can't give a whole-hearted endorsement of AJS either as we've now had 2 disagreements over the meaning of "eye clean".

EDIT: I just noticed that tourmaline_lover posted "I do believe you get what you pay for with MC.com" right before me, so consider this post a 2nd of that statement.

 

[chrono]

To be fair, colour changers are very difficult to buy. Either the colour change is incomplete or one or both of the colours just don’t look nice. They typically tend to be very dark as well. It is far easier to get a “solid” coloured gemstone.

As with any vendor, it’s good to verify what eye clean is because one person may be more eagle eyed than another. Is eye clean 12 inches away? Is eye clean 6 inches away? Eye clean is also only from the top view. Perhaps eye clean to others might encompass the entire gemstone. Benell, I’m not trying to single you out; I’m merely explaining because everyone sees the eye clean issue differently.

 

[brandy_z28]

I''m just chiming in to say that I''ve bought from multicolour twice and been happy with them. The first stone I purchased was my mahenge spinel and I

it. I think it was a very good bargain, almost feel like I stole it! My second purchase was with an orange zircon and a sphene. I really love the sphene and feel like I got a great deal on it but the zircon is just meh ok. Then again, the zircon was a $7 stone. I wasn''t expecting it to be a stunner. I''ve never returned a stone to them though so can''t give any input there. I think their pictures have been very accurate from my experience as well as their descriptions.

 

[benell]

Yes, I certainly wasn''t trying to be unfair to Multicolour about the sapphire. From what I''ve seen, Multicolour carries a wide spectrum of quality including more low end stuff than some other places, and when you couple that with "you get what you pay for" then you need to be wise when buying from them. If a stone seems very inexpensive, it probably just isn''t very pretty in person. I''m definitely not accusing them of any funny-business.

I''m torn about AJS, I get frustrated when I buy from them but I still find myself going back to look at their website because they have such good deals on beautiful stones. I really wish they were more forthcoming about imperfections though. I just wanted to add a word of warning because nobody wants to be unpleasantly surprised when they receive their stone and look it over the first time.

 

[chrono]

Benell,
I have to agree with you on that. MC carries varying qualities of gemstones from the very bad to some pretty nice items. They are usually also priced accordingly. It used to be that bargains could be had if a person knew what they are doing but it seems pretty rare now. I always also request additional pictures and questions from vendors to avoid any surprises. I’m sorry you didn’t get what you thought you were getting.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 9/29/2009 7:41:45 AM
Author: morecarats

I know there are a lot of unethical sellers in Thailand, probably more than in most places. But I think it's important to be careful about suggesting fraudulent behavior on the part of a dealer without any evidence. There are a number of very reputable online dealers in Thailand, including Multicolour, AJS Gems and GemSelect. If you look at their websites, you'll see they are all scrupulous about disclosing treatments. These dealers have all been in business for years and have reputatuions to protect. They are not like the eBay sellers who appear and disappear under various names. Check to see if the dealer is offering certification from independent gem labs for his stones. It's the best sign that a dealer is playing it straight. Fracture-filling is about the easiest treatment for a lab to detect.

I think you owe Multicolour an apology. I know your advice was offered with the best of intentions, but please realize there are reputable dealers who guard their reputations very carefully, even in Thailand.

I don't have any evidence, and I admit that I allowed my own immediate suspicision of all low-priced rubies to take over. I apologize to MC, but I did post their direct treatment straight from the link.

However, after purchasing from all 3 (MC, AJS, and GemSelect) I have to echo others. If it *feels* like you should pay more for a particular stone, there's probably a good reason for it. Having bought low to higher $ ($40- $800+) stones from all 3, I have always gotten what I paid for.

Also, I've reported the post for deletion.

 

[LD]

I've come late to this thread but I have to say that I was very distressed when I starting reading this to see that it was suggested that Multicolour might sell fracture filled Rubies etc.

I have bought numerous - high end - gemstones from David Weinberg and am in the process of buying another at the moment. He's always honest. He will send me additional photos if I'm dithering and will often recommend a different gemstone (sometimes at a much lower price). Without exception, I have been thrilled with all my purchases. I live in the UK and actually receiving/sending back gemstones to Multicolour is, I think, much easier from here than the US for some reason.

In addition, David always always always remembers me and makes me feel like a valued customer. Some of my most coveted gemstones have been purchased from Multicolour.

At checkout, you also have the additional comfort of being able to request a Certificate from a range of labs for your particular gemstone - of course at an added cost.

ETA: Lauren I think we were posting at the same time!

 

[haagen_dazs]

Date: 9/29/2009 4:25:54 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
II have bought numerous - high end - gemstones from David Weinberg and am in the process of buying another at the moment. He''s always honest. He will send me additional photos if I''m dithering and will often recommend a different gemstone (sometimes at a much lower price). Without exception, I have been thrilled with all my purchases.

this is really good to know.
i am starting to look at multicolour for gemstones and they have pretty good prices.

 

[T L]

If there is an invasive treatment on a stone, MC.com will openly post it. For example, I did see a lattice-diffused sapphire listed there, and that''s fine, because David disclosed it. I''m not sure if they sell fracture filled rubies (haven''t checked), but if he did, that would be disclosed. Treatments are fine because they keep stones affordable for many people that want the look, but can''t pay the price for untreated fine color. As long as it''s disclosed, I have no problem with it.

 

[haagen_dazs]

Date: 9/29/2009 11:21:54 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
I''ve had rather bad luck with MC.com - the colors of the gems I purchased did not seem to match the GIA gemset associated with the gem. .

TL
Were your gemstones lighter or darker in saturation and/or tone?
How did it not match?
Did you keep anything from multicolour at all?
Thanks

 

[T L]

Date: 11/14/2009 3:55:18 AM
Author: haagen_dazs

Date: 9/29/2009 11:21:54 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
I've had rather bad luck with MC.com - the colors of the gems I purchased did not seem to match the GIA gemset associated with the gem. .

TL
Were your gemstones lighter or darker in saturation and/or tone?
How did it not match?
Did you keep anything from multicolour at all?
Thanks

They were lighter in saturation in color, and they had unwanted modifiers that you would not expect with certain levels of saturations. These saturations and tones are listed with almost every stone based on the GIA gemset for color. I purchased a grossular garnet from MC.com that had a very good GIA gemset for color and saturation, and when I got it, it was visibly very brown (which didn't show up in the picture either).

Out of 5 purchases from MC.com, I was only really pleased with one stone, a sphalerite. The more expensive ones I returned, and two I kept because it would be too expensive and too much of a hassle to return them (returns are very difficult through them if you live in the US).

I find it odd, but I am one of the few people it seems that has had really bad luck with MC.com, even though I asked David a ton of questions. He told me that the two Mahenges I ordered were really fine color, but I posted them on PS, and many people who own top quality Mahenges thought they were not that fine. The only good thing I could say about them was that they had UV fluor, which I think should be a prerequisite of buying any fine Mahenge.

I know some people have also found some amazing bargains with MC.com, but in my experience, I believe you get what you pay for with MC.com. The grossular I purchased was less expensive than some with similar carat weights and GIA gemset colors, so that's probably why it was subpar.

I may be the rare exception, but David told me if I returned anything else, I would get a charged a restocking fee because my rate of return was so high. Okay whatever.

 

[haagen_dazs]

Date: 11/14/2009 10:36:22 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
They were lighter in saturation in color, and they had unwanted modifiers that you would not expect with certain levels of saturations. These saturations and tones are listed with almost every stone based on the GIA gemset for color. I purchased a grossular garnet from MC.com that had a very good GIA gemset for color and saturation, and when I got it, it was visibly very brown (which didn't show up in the picture either).


Out of 5 purchases from MC.com, I was only really pleased with one stone, a sphalerite. The more expensive ones I returned, and two I kept because it would be too expensive and too much of a hassle to return them (returns are very difficult through them if you live in the US).


I find it odd, but I am one of the few people it seems that has had really bad luck with MC.com, even though I asked David a ton of questions. He told me that the two Mahenges I ordered were really fine color, but I posted them on PS, and many people who own top quality Mahenges thought they were not that fine. The only good thing I could say about them was that they had UV fluor, which I think should be a prerequisite of buying any fine Mahenge.


I know some people have also found some amazing bargains with MC.com, but in my experience, I believe you get what you pay for with MC.com. The grossular I purchased was less expensive than some with similar carat weights and GIA gemset colors, so that's probably why it was subpar.


I may be the rare exception, but David told me if I returned anything else, I would get a charged a restocking fee because my rate of return was so high. Okay whatever.

HI TL
Yeah I guess they have a business to run so I could understand why they would charge ppl for returning things all the time.
So you bought 5, you kept 2 of which one was the sphalerite and the other is ?
Of the three returned, did you return both Mahenges ??

I did read some old posts about your great interests in purchasing the two Mahenges
Do you have the link of how your Mahenges look like in real life with other people's comments?
I cannot find it (maybe not searching right)

Side note. HOw much did postage cost you to return the items via registered mail to Thailand?
Do you have to pay additional insurance on the more expensive stones or is it covered by registered mail?
( i read that reg mail has a higher insurance coverage of like 25k USD ??)

 

[T L]

Date: 11/14/2009 2:34:13 PM
Author: haagen_dazs

Date: 11/14/2009 10:36:22 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
They were lighter in saturation in color, and they had unwanted modifiers that you would not expect with certain levels of saturations. These saturations and tones are listed with almost every stone based on the GIA gemset for color. I purchased a grossular garnet from MC.com that had a very good GIA gemset for color and saturation, and when I got it, it was visibly very brown (which didn't show up in the picture either).


Out of 5 purchases from MC.com, I was only really pleased with one stone, a sphalerite. The more expensive ones I returned, and two I kept because it would be too expensive and too much of a hassle to return them (returns are very difficult through them if you live in the US).


I find it odd, but I am one of the few people it seems that has had really bad luck with MC.com, even though I asked David a ton of questions. He told me that the two Mahenges I ordered were really fine color, but I posted them on PS, and many people who own top quality Mahenges thought they were not that fine. The only good thing I could say about them was that they had UV fluor, which I think should be a prerequisite of buying any fine Mahenge.


I know some people have also found some amazing bargains with MC.com, but in my experience, I believe you get what you pay for with MC.com. The grossular I purchased was less expensive than some with similar carat weights and GIA gemset colors, so that's probably why it was subpar.


I may be the rare exception, but David told me if I returned anything else, I would get a charged a restocking fee because my rate of return was so high. Okay whatever.

HI TL
Yeah I guess they have a business to run so I could understand why they would charge ppl for returning things all the time.
So you bought 5, you kept 2 of which one was the sphalerite and the other is ?
Of the three returned, did you return both Mahenges ??

I did read some old posts about your great interests in purchasing the two Mahenges
Do you have the link of how your Mahenges look like in real life with other people's comments?
I cannot find it (maybe not searching right)

Side note. HOw much did postage cost you to return the items via registered mail to Thailand?
Do you have to pay additional insurance on the more expensive stones or is it covered by registered mail?
( i read that reg mail has a higher insurance coverage of like 25k USD ??)

I kept a grossular that was inexpensive, around $89, but to tell you the truth, I probably could have gotten the same stone on ebay for about $20. It is not good color, although it is a very refractive and sparkley stone with a decent native cut. I did return all the mahenges and I returned a mint garnet. I ended up getting another larger mint garnet for less $$$ with much better color from somewhere else.

Each time I had to return something, I could not insure it (scary) and I had to pay around $22 (non-refundable) and I was told by David to declare it as no value documents and I had to send it through USPS first class priority per him as well. Therefore, if you do buy something from MC.com, make sure you are absolutely sure it won't disappoint. His prices have been steadily going up and there were some stones I was interested in, but it's not worth the hassle of returns to me, nor the fact that I didn't get what I thought I was getting in terms of color.

No, I can't fault him for the fact that he wants to charge me for returns, but I've returned lots of things to other sellers with no penalty either. His one positive is that he has a large selection of gems, so that's a plus. It's fun to browse his website even though it could be more user friendly.

 

[T L]

Date: 11/14/2009 2:34:13 PM
Author: haagen_dazs


I did read some old posts about your great interests in purchasing the two Mahenges
Do you have the link of how your Mahenges look like in real life with other people''s comments?
I cannot find it (maybe not searching right)

Here is the MC.com Mahenge thread I started.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mahenge-spinels.116882/