Spessartite/ Hessonite/ Rhodolite Garnet?

[chictomato]

Hi there I would like to seek your advise on the top colors for the Spessartite/ Hessonite & Rhodolite Garnet? Which is rarer and command a higher price? thanks in advance!

 

[chrono]

Chic,
Remember, as with all stones, buy for personal enjoyment. Some people may think what the market (most consumers and connoisseurs) feel is a top stone, may not be beautiful to them. Just like any of the finest gemstones, the purer the hue, a medium/med dark tone (this varies with certain gemstone varieties), and the most vivid of saturation will be the rarest and command the highest prices. A top spessartite should be a shocking pure orange with medium light tone. No yellow or brown undertones. Still, I wouldn’t throw out those reddish spessartites out of bed either. Rhodolites should be a rich vivid pure purple.

 

[ma re]

Spessartite commands the highest prices, it's ideal color is pure orange, close to the one on THIS pic (maybe with a bit less yellow) - but some would consider the one on THIS link quite nice too.

Rhodolite is next in line, some really nice pieces are in the photo over HERE. THIS is the one with a nice color also (but poor cutting).

Hessonite is the least popular so the most affordable of the two, and there isn't much difference in the prices of it's various colors (it comes in many shades between yellow and red, and neither of those is significantly more expensive - although red ones are more popular).

 

[chictomato]

Thanks again ma re and Chrono. I have more reading up to do

 

[T L]

The finest mandarin spessartites I have ever seen are a pure shocking neon orange that reminds me of a bottle of Fanta orange soda. No brown, no yellow, no red, just pure pure orange. As Chrono has stated, there are some nice reddish ones as well. You just have to start worrying if you start getting too much brown in them, otherwise they can look like a citrine.

Garnets like Hessonite and Rhodolite, tend to get very extinct. Therefore, you want a nice cinnamon-red color in a Hessonite without too much darkness, or a very purple red color in a Rhodolite, again, without too much extinction as well. Both of these can be very pretty, but they''re not as valuable as top mandarin (or "Fanta") orange spessartites. Spessartites are also judged by clarity as well since many of them tend to have a lot of inclusions. The cleaner the stone, the more vivid the color, the higher the price.

 

[marcy]

I can''t add anything to what others have said but all three of them are very pretty stones. The pure orange mandarin spessartites are dynamite. Are you thinking of buying one?

 

[chictomato]

hi all thanks for the input, yes I thought of purchasing one but the variety and colors are overwhelming! Saw a couple of intense yellowish orange spessartites, but well, it is more to neon yellow I think. Though its not the best color, I might wanna go for it and the rhodolite, that is of a medium dark pink.

 

[chictomato]

hi there can you comment of these 3 examples of spessartite, rhodolite and hessonite. tks!

 

[chictomato]

Spess

 

[chictomato]

hessonite

 

[T L]

Date: 1/10/2010 11:38:36 PM
Author: chictomato
hi there can you comment of these 3 examples of spessartite, rhodolite and hessonite. tks!

Out of all three, I like the rhodolite the best because it's a pleasant purple red color, not too dark in tone, and well cut.

The spess is way too yellow and the hessonite is way too brown for my taste. I'm actually not a fan of hessonite because I think of them being too brown, but if you like the cinnamon colors, that's your perogative.

 

[Harriet]

Unless you like the yellow, pass on the spessartite.

 

[ma re]

Rhodolite is quite obviously included, which it shouldn''t be as they''re usually eye clean. Cut is nice, but the color is nothing more than mediocre. If it''s really inexpensive I''d consider it, but if you''re looking for a quality piece, I''d keep on looking.

Spessartite is not a good one, and this is coming from someone who usually likes orange and yellow stones. It''s color is way too yellow and lacks visual depth. Clarity is OK for a spess (they tend to have eye visible inclusions quite often), and cut is decent.

Hessonite is IMO the best of it''s species when compared to the other two (i.e. it''s nice for a hessonite, while rhodolite and spess are not particularly good examples). It has some brown, but that''s really normal for a hessonite as those without any brown are extremly rare. Cut is good and the color is quite rich, shows different shades at the same time which is what I mean by depth of color.

I may be biased because I love oranges that go towards neutrals, but I''m trying to keep it objective.

 

[chrono]

The rhodolite looks grayish purple to me.
The spessartite looks too yellow to me.
The hessonite looks brownish red to me.

All three are also included but might not be noticeable in person because they will be smaller then. Out of the three, if I had to choose one, I’d go for the hessonite. However, if I am not in a rush, I’d pass on all 3 and keep looking.

 

[chictomato]

Thanks TL, ma re, Chrono and marcyc. I kinda like color of the rhodolite. It color seems close to this 2nd example from Gene. Does it? rhodolite

 

[lavatea]

Date: 1/11/2010 10:26:51 AM
Author: chictomato
It color seems close to this 2nd example from Gene. Does it? rhodolite

To me it looks a little more washed out but close in color.

 

[chictomato]

Date: 1/11/2010 12:14:39 PM
Author: lavatea

Date: 1/11/2010 10:26:51 AM

Author: chictomato

It color seems close to this 2nd example from Gene. Does it? rhodolite

To me it looks a little more washed out but close in color.

Hi Lavatea! I thought the colors are close too

 

[chictomato]

Date: 1/11/2010 4:45:31 AM
Author: ma re
Rhodolite is quite obviously included, which it shouldn''t be as they''re usually eye clean. Cut is nice, but the color is nothing more than mediocre. If it''s really inexpensive I''d consider it, but if you''re looking for a quality piece, I''d keep on looking.


Spessartite is not a good one, and this is coming from someone who usually likes orange and yellow stones. It''s color is way too yellow and lacks visual depth. Clarity is OK for a spess (they tend to have eye visible inclusions quite often), and cut is decent.


Hessonite is IMO the best of it''s species when compared to the other two (i.e. it''s nice for a hessonite, while rhodolite and spess are not particularly good examples). It has some brown, but that''s really normal for a hessonite as those without any brown are extremly rare. Cut is good and the color is quite rich, shows different shades at the same time which is what I mean by depth of color.


I may be biased because I love oranges that go towards neutrals, but I''m trying to keep it objective.

Hi ma re! according to djraregems description, the rhodolite is eye clean, 6.1mm round, going at a special, priced at $15!

 

[chictomato]

Date: 1/10/2010 11:41:54 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 1/10/2010 11:38:36 PM

Author: chictomato

hi there can you comment of these 3 examples of spessartite, rhodolite and hessonite. tks!

Out of all three, I like the rhodolite the best because it''s a pleasant purple red color, not too dark in tone, and well cut.


The spess is way too yellow and the hessonite is way too brown for my taste. I''m actually not a fan of hessonite because I think of them being too brown, but if you like the cinnamon colors, that''s your perogative.

Hi TL! I like the purple, pink rhodolite too can I know how do you tell from the picture if a stone is well-cut or not?

 

[ma re]

Date: 1/12/2010 3:11:10 AM
Author: chictomato


Hi ma re! according to djraregems description, the rhodolite is eye clean, 6.1mm round, going at a special, priced at $15!

Well 15$ even per carat is cheap for a rhodolite, so you can''t expect much for the price - if you''re after something more for fun than for great jewellery, it''s not really a risk to buy it. Could be that inclusions are there just in the photo, you can''t really know that without seeing the stone. Multicolour has some nice rhodolites, I think this is one of the best, but it costs "slightly" more than the one you found

:
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/rhodolite/yrh290ab/&930512007

About knowing a good cut when you see it, it''s all about practice. I learned a lot about that watching shopping networks (of all things...) - you see a stone on tv (pretty much how it looks in person) and then you go to their website and see how different it looks there. Of course visiting some jewellers and browsing their gemstones is even better, but if that''s not an option, there''s always watching videos on youtube. Basically, it''s something that comes over time. Understanding color and cut is of course, a great part of being able to evaluate it in photos, so learn about windows, extinction, dispersion, diochroism, color zoning, brilliance, color coverage, birefringence, refraction, reflection...

 

[stci]

Hi!

I have to up this topic cause I have find a Rhodolite ring that seem beautiful and in my budget.

If I can see beautiful purple in the stone (pic with flash), is this a good sign? Soooo difficult to make the good choice when you know nothing!

Thank you for your help!

 

[RevolutionGems]

When you look at a well cut stone, the facets will come together at sharp points (meetpoints) and clean edges. If the point of a facet is flattened, it means the facet was overcut. If the facets don''t quite come together, it means they were undercut. Looking at the facets is probably the easiest and most obvious sign of a well cut stone.

Most custom cutters (though definitely not all) will facet the girdle of the stone. The girdle is the edge of the stone. You will rarely find a faceted girdle on native cut stones, even those that are well cut. The girdle faceting doesn''t really have any effect on the final product except that it makes it look a little cleaner in my opinion.

The best way to educate yourself on fine cut stones is to llok around at the stones that people post here. Notice how the facets come together. Pay attention to the polish on the stone. Look at the pattern of the facets. Then, for comparison, go look on ebay at the stonesoffered there. Not to say that there aren''t good stones available on ebay but the vast majority of them are low grade native cuts. Because they are so poorly cut, it will be easy for you to see the problems with the meetpoints and even the difference in the polish of the stones.

More than anything, look ,look, look. Don''t just glance at pictures of stones. Really study them. Look at each little part of the stone and you will quickly learn how to recognize a well cut stone.

 

[stci]

Thank you Jeff! I need pratice...!

 

[Gailey]

Date: 1/12/2010 2:08:54 PM
Author: ma re

Date: 1/12/2010 3:11:10 AM
Author: chictomato


Hi ma re! according to djraregems description, the rhodolite is eye clean, 6.1mm round, going at a special, priced at $15!

Well 15$ even per carat is cheap for a rhodolite, so you can''t expect much for the price - if you''re after something more for fun than for great jewellery, it''s not really a risk to buy it. Could be that inclusions are there just in the photo, you can''t really know that without seeing the stone. Multicolour has some nice rhodolites, I think this is one of the best, but it costs ''slightly'' more than the one you found

:
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/rhodolite/yrh290ab/&930512007

About knowing a good cut when you see it, it''s all about practice. I learned a lot about that watching shopping networks (of all things...) - you see a stone on tv (pretty much how it looks in person) and then you go to their website and see how different it looks there. Of course visiting some jewellers and browsing their gemstones is even better, but if that''s not an option, there''s always watching videos on youtube. Basically, it''s something that comes over time. Understanding color and cut is of course, a great part of being able to evaluate it in photos, so learn about windows, extinction, dispersion, diochroism, color zoning, brilliance, color coverage, birefringence, refraction, reflection...

I have two stones from Multicolour, both Malaya garnets. My own experience has been that the dark areas on the photograph are darker still in real life. MC''s colour representation is quite accurate and I think that generally their stones represent good value for money, but if I bought another stone from them, I would be very wary about any dark areas on their gem photographs. Moreso with rhodolites and other dark stones that have a general reputation for showing areas of extinction.

 

[chictomato]

Hi there! It''s me again What do you think of this rhodolite? Does it seems too dark? I thought its of a pretty color? TIA

 

[ma re]

Date: 3/18/2010 4:50:31 AM
Author: chictomato
Hi there! It''s me again What do you think of this rhodolite? Does it seems too dark? I thought its of a pretty color? TIA

It''s pretty. What are the specs? The price?

 

[T L]

Date: 3/18/2010 4:50:31 AM
Author: chictomato
Hi there! It''s me again What do you think of this rhodolite? Does it seems too dark? I thought its of a pretty color? TIA

One of the most beautiful rhodolites I ever saw was from Gene. It belongs to Arjunajane and is in a ring by James Meyer. With rhodolite, you want to make sure it doesn''t go extinct, especially in various lighting. I would ask about that.

 

[chictomato]

Date: 3/18/2010 7:31:26 AM
Author: ma re

Date: 3/18/2010 4:50:31 AM

Author: chictomato

Hi there! It''s me again What do you think of this rhodolite? Does it seems too dark? I thought its of a pretty color? TIA

It''s pretty. What are the specs? The price?

SIZE: Approx. 5.95 X 7.5 X 4.5 MM. Priced at $120. 1.37 carats, eyeclean. Precision cut. From artcut. Do you think that its a good deal? tia!

 

[chrono]

I do see some nice internal colour play in that rhodolite even though it looks to be darkish on my monitor. Have you asked Rick how dark it is and how it looks under various lighting?

 

[ma re]

Well I don''t know the usual price ranges of precision cut stones, but I''d say that''s not too much.