Question about reddish garnets?

[mufiin_top]

Howdy y''all, I am debating returning the spinel I have. It is not the deep red I had hoped, especially in the sun. It''s more of a medium soft red, unless I''m in really strong incandescent light. I''m trying to stay under 2k budget wise. Does anyone know of a vibrant reddish garnet on sale that has very very little brown or purple? The closest I have come is spessartite, but these seem to have a slight tinge of brown too; otherwise they are closer to orange. I would consider a red garnet with some orange in it but most seem to be orange with red. Also, I have to find one that''s round and between 7-8mm...I am guessing I''ll have to find one and pay to have it recut so the larger the better.

 

[chrono]

It’s not going to be easy trying to find a vibrant reddish garnet; many tend to be too brown or overly dark. I might have seen one on Gary Braun’s website (Finewater) but I believe it is sold. It is a round but I don’t recall the size. Perhaps you can contact him to see if he has more of the same material if the colour and tone looks about right to you.

 

[D&T]

is this too orangey for you?

http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=57&idproduct=2901


ETA: How bout this? too dark ?

http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=57&idproduct=2624

 

[T L]

Can you share the vendor photo with us?

 

[mufiin_top]

Date: 1/21/2010 3:47:25 PM
Author: Chrono
It’s not going to be easy trying to find a vibrant reddish garnet; many tend to be too brown or overly dark. I might have seen one on Gary Braun’s website (Finewater) but I believe it is sold. It is a round but I don’t recall the size. Perhaps you can contact him to see if he has more of the same material if the colour and tone looks about right to you.

Thanks, I emailed Gary. a local gemaholic told me to find an anthill garnet. Fingers are crossed.

 

[mufiin_top]

Thanks D&T! Unfortunately the first one is too orange and the second is too small, but that''s an awesome try

 

[mufiin_top]

I keep getting errors when posting and now the picture is on the server so I have to go back and rename it. Grrr! The spinel is a little bit lighter than the photoand the window is as bad as it seems.

 

[mufiin_top]

OK:

 

[mufiin_top]

So, the spinel is what I believe others would call a good color, but for me it's not as dark as I like. In fact it's much closer the the pear chrono posted...maybe slightly more saturated. It was overpriced considering the cut IMO (about 1200)

 

[T L]

If the cut would have been better, would you have thought it was worth it? Truth be told, it''s extremely difficult to find pure red spinels. That''s why rubies are the #1 red stone. Did it have too much orange, or was it too brown for your liking?

Does it have UV fluor?

 

[mufiin_top]

If the cut was better, it would have been a keeper (and would have been more expensive no doubt). It has absolutely no brown, and if there is any orange I don't see it; it's pretty much red. It has inclusions similar to the last spinel I got at pala. There is a round on AJS I keep looking at but it is not pure red and it also has a window. I don't have a UV light

There are lots of nice spinels at pala but none in round shape except one that is a bit out of my budget.

 

[T L]

Date: 1/21/2010 6:27:14 PM
Author: mufiin_top
If the cut was better, it would have been a keeper (and would have been more expensive no doubt). It has absolutely no brown, and if there is any orange I don''t see it; it''s pretty much red. It has inclusions similar to the last spinel I got at pala. There is a round on AJS I keep looking at but it is not pure red and it also has a window. I don''t have a UV light

There are lots of nice spinels at pala but none in round shape except one that is a bit out of my budget.

If you are shopping around for red spinels, may I suggest you invest in an inexpensive UV light. They''re all over ebay for around $5. The reason being is that UV fluor gives the stones a ruby like glow when outdoors. It''s like that little extra punch of color, and I wouldn''t buy a red spinel that didn''t have UV fluor.

 

[Fly Girl]

Date: 1/21/2010 4:45:21 PM
Author: mufiin_top

Date: 1/21/2010 3:47:25 PM
Author: Chrono
It’s not going to be easy trying to find a vibrant reddish garnet; many tend to be too brown or overly dark. I might have seen one on Gary Braun’s website (Finewater) but I believe it is sold. It is a round but I don’t recall the size. Perhaps you can contact him to see if he has more of the same material if the colour and tone looks about right to you.

Thanks, I emailed Gary. a local gemaholic told me to find an anthill garnet. Fingers are crossed.

I have a 0.55 ct anthill garnet from Precision Gem, and that baby is dark red. Very dark, and very red. The vendor picture looks at bit orange on my monitor, but I assure you that the stone is dark-dark red in real life. Of course, with Gene's cutting, my stone has marvelous red flashes. It is my understanding the anthill, or chrome pyrope, garnets tend to be on the small side. (ETA-The picture on the right shows the anthill garnet along with a Barry sapphire and a Barry spess.)

 

[chrono]

The anthill garnets are very small (around 1 ct or 6 mm at most) and very very dark. You''ll find several for sale at GemLine.

 

[Novel]

Have you seen the larger of the two rounds that Peter Torraca has? If you''re looking for something dark and pure red... I can''t speak to the brown, because I''m apparently incapable of seeing that, but its big and its seriously red! And his cutting is supposed to be amazing. Peter Torraca''s garnets

 

[MAC-W]

Is this any good (picture attached)? Its not round but maybe Lisa has some rough left and can cut a round for you

Its from http://www.custom-cutgems.com/ and the product code is Garn-G-Tril-0530 (cans eem to link directly -sorry)




or there is http://www.whitesgems.com/gems/GAR126.htm which is sold but if you like the colour Jeff might have some rough left and could cut what you are after?





wrong shape and might be too orange http://www.dbof.com/jewelry/4-67ct-gorgeous-gypsy-rose-trillion-garnet/ but big enough to make into a round if you like the colour.

 

[Novel]

Richard Homer also has this guy... 7.3 mm round. Gem #5277.

 

[movie zombie]

good grief! that last one MAC-W posted has me lusting for it!

re red spinel: a really true red spinel w/o over saturation/extinction is going to be thousands per carat. wasn''t always the case but now that spinel is popular, well, prices have gone up.

mz

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Yeah, red garnets I''ve seen are never a bright and shining "stoplight" red, they tend to have a darker body color with flashes of intense red.

I also have a small half carat anthill garnet, and it''s a beautiful med dark pure red to my eye. Too bad they are so small

I think the anthill garnet is fun just because of the story of how the ants "mine" them! hehe.

 

[Novel]

This is the Torraca I mentioned. His notes are: ""Cherry Malaya" garnet (Madagascar garnet). 2.03ct, 8.27x8.27x4.74mm. (Gar112) This cut is a slight modification of a design specifically created for darker garnet by another cutter. It''s not a quick or easy cut, but it sure gives these darker garnets a lot of flash, both from internal reflection and the rose-type crown. Note the three facets that make up the "tri-point" on the top of the crown. "

 

[mufiin_top]

Date: 1/21/2010 7:56:35 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 1/21/2010 6:27:14 PM
Author: mufiin_top
If the cut was better, it would have been a keeper (and would have been more expensive no doubt). It has absolutely no brown, and if there is any orange I don''t see it; it''s pretty much red. It has inclusions similar to the last spinel I got at pala. There is a round on AJS I keep looking at but it is not pure red and it also has a window. I don''t have a UV light

There are lots of nice spinels at pala but none in round shape except one that is a bit out of my budget.

If you are shopping around for red spinels, may I suggest you invest in an inexpensive UV light. They''re all over ebay for around $5. The reason being is that UV fluor gives the stones a ruby like glow when outdoors. It''s like that little extra punch of color, and I wouldn''t buy a red spinel that didn''t have UV fluor.

TL, I am a little confused by this. Are you saying that exposure to the UV light affects the way the spinel thereafter look in daylight? Or are you saying I should use the UV light to guage the quality of the spinel once I receive it?

 

[mufiin_top]

Date: 1/21/2010 8:36:28 PM
Author: Fly Girl

Date: 1/21/2010 4:45:21 PM
Author: mufiin_top

Date: 1/21/2010 3:47:25 PM
Author: Chrono
It’s not going to be easy trying to find a vibrant reddish garnet; many tend to be too brown or overly dark. I might have seen one on Gary Braun’s website (Finewater) but I believe it is sold. It is a round but I don’t recall the size. Perhaps you can contact him to see if he has more of the same material if the colour and tone looks about right to you.

Thanks, I emailed Gary. a local gemaholic told me to find an anthill garnet. Fingers are crossed.

I have a 0.55 ct anthill garnet from Precision Gem, and that baby is dark red. Very dark, and very red. The vendor picture looks at bit orange on my monitor, but I assure you that the stone is dark-dark red in real life. Of course, with Gene''s cutting, my stone has marvelous red flashes. It is my understanding the anthill, or chrome pyrope, garnets tend to be on the small side. (ETA-The picture on the right shows the anthill garnet along with a Barry sapphire and a Barry spess.)

Thanks fly girl. I think I actually created some confusion earlier. I now see that perhaps ant hill garnet is too dark for what I am looking for. The picture of the spinel I posted is actually much lighter in person: I actually would like a red like the photo of the spinel I posted above. Something a littlke darker would be OK too, but since it''s going into a bezel I am pretty sure a garnet like your would be too dark.

 

[RevolutionGems]

Just a quick reiteration of what has already been said:

Anthill garnet, won''t work for what you need. It is FAR too dark and tends to be small. You would play hell trying to find a 7mm stone.

I am purchasing a piece of rough from a new find in Kenya. The particular variety hasn''t been determined yet but the color looks nice.

 

[mufiin_top]

Chrono, whenever I go to gemline I get sad, because they tease me with stones that have already sold. I think I am going to find a cheap overseas spinel and just beg somebody in the US to recut it for me. I did contact gemline to see if they could help, but the garnets are much darker than I had hoped. Wait until I change my mind again.

 

[mufiin_top]

MAC W thanks for the suggestions, but I think these garnets are browner than I'd like. But I did go ahead and email Jeff, thanks for the tip

 

[mufiin_top]

Date: 1/21/2010 10:16:42 PM
Author: movie zombie
good grief! that last one MAC-W posted has me lusting for it!

re red spinel: a really true red spinel w/o over saturation/extinction is going to be thousands per carat. wasn''t always the case but now that spinel is popular, well, prices have gone up.

mz

Well, I am stubbornly steadfastly refusing to accept the truth about spinel being out of reach. Then sometimes I change my mind. But I like your quote in your sig!

 

[mufiin_top]

Novel, that Homer Paprika garnet is really nice. The only concerns I have are 1. how it would look with a pair of round brilliant diamonds. won''t the cut mismatch a roun d brilliant cut of a diamond. and 2. since it is called paprika, I am concerned it is more brownish orange than red....despite the photo. AM I wrong to be concerned?

 

[mufiin_top]

Date: 1/22/2010 12:58:23 AM
Author: Revolution
Just a quick reiteration of what has already been said:

Anthill garnet, won''t work for what you need. It is FAR too dark and tends to be small. You would play hell trying to find a 7mm stone.

I am purchasing a piece of rough from a new find in Kenya. The particular variety hasn''t been determined yet but the color looks nice.

Jeff, Based on what I have found it actually looks like an orange red spessartite might be a closer match to what I''d like and yeah, all the ant hill garnets I have seen are pretty dark. I look forward to seeing what you turn out from kenya

 

[RevolutionGems]

Yopu wouldn''t have to beg to have an overseas stone recut. At least, not too much.

 

[RevolutionGems]

You wouldn''t have to beg to have an overseas stone recut. At least, not too much.