WHICH STONE DO I NEED?

[iLander]

Thanks Rockit, I''ve been looking at those and I''ve got an email out to him asking him to look at the color and give me an opinion on the amount of red versus orange.

I was looking at one of Gene''s red zircons, but it''s too big and if zircon will abrade, then it probably won''t work for me.

And then last night I saw some of those glowy pink Mahenge spinels on other threads here. . . and the budget is starting to seem not so important . . . and the true color red is seeming less important . . .

Uh-oh.

I''m thinking of buying one, turning all my lights down low so I can enjoy the glowy effect, and then it''ll pay for itself in electric bill savings. LOL

I blame chrono, does she get a commission from the Tanzania?

 

[colorluvr]

I just got this stone set and the picture is blurry, but it will give you an idea of the color of a "flame" spinel, now that you are willing to get a red stone with some orange in it. I have a red/orange spess that looks quite red in some lighting and then shows orange in others. The two rings (flame spinel and spess) look really similar in some lighting, but in lighting that brings out the orange, I think the red spinel holds its color a bit better. This picture is a native cut 2.08ct flame red spinel I got from gem-earth on ebay. The cut is pretty decent and fit the bill for what I was looking for in my price range (under $200). I was going to get some better pictures and "share", but this one does a pretty good job of showing the color. HTH

 

[iLander]

WOW

That''s a beauty! Congrats! Beauty on a budget, it can be done apparently. Where did you get it set (if you don''t mind answering)?

I have a budget committed to another stone, but that doesn''t seem like it''s going to come to fruition, so maybe I can give those fab Spinels a closer look.

You''re really very helpful, and your comments are exactly what I''m looking for: different people''s experiences with stones in different lighting situations.

THANKS!

 

[colorluvr]

the setting is platinum and I got it used on ebay

the flame spinel came from gem-earth on ebay on one of their auctions. Most of their stones are BIN, but some of their stones are sold on auction and sometimes you can get them at a decent price... I''ve purchased several stones from them (including the one in my avatar) and have always been pleased with what I got vs. what I paid. Their auction photo made this one look much oranger than it is IRL, which might be why it didn''t go for a lot.

 

[colorluvr]

Actually, the most red stone I have that isn''t a ruby is a red sapphire that I got on ebay from Thanex. Here is the auction photo... It''s not as deep of a red as a nice ruby, but still a nice color.

 

[iLander]

I thought ruby was another name for red sapphire . . . ?

 

[T L]

Date: 5/26/2010 7:58:44 PM
Author: colorluvr
Actually, the most red stone I have that isn''t a ruby is a red sapphire that I got on ebay from Thanex. Here is the auction photo... It''s not as deep of a red as a nice ruby, but still a nice color.

I apologize, but I don''t trust Thanex for rubies and sapphires. No lab certs. Gem-Earth is a little better. I know someone that resells alot of their gems. I haven''t bought any though.

 

[chrono]

I think a search on Thanex on PS will bring up old posts where doubt is cast on their sapphires. There is strong suspicion of undisclosed treatment of the worst type (heavily treated), not to mention that their pictures and videos are most likely enhanced to make the stone better than it looks IRL.

 

[iLander]

MADE UP MY MIND! (Yes I am shouting this time)

I emailed Barry and he put up a garnet for me that he thought would work, I paid for it last night and it''s already in the mail. Love this kind of response.

One thing I learned in sales is strike while the iron is hot, and Barry knows it too (given enough time, people can talk themselves out of anything, even a good decision). Smart guy and super-nice to me and he responded right away to my rambly emails. I''ve seen some other Barry stones on here and they look fab-U in RL. Here''s the pic from his site, the stone is coming Tuesday (stinking Monday holiday). He says it is a red stone, and on one of my computers it does look red, on another reddish. I am willing to cave on the "pure" red, if it''s blingy enough.

I can''t wait

 

[T L]

That garnet looks like a purplish red. In any case, I hope you love it. It''s a rhodolite I assume.

 

[iLander]

Date: 5/28/2010 12:15:00 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
That garnet looks like a purplish red. In any case, I hope you love it. It''s a rhodolite I assume.

Yup. Everyone on PS kept saying I couldn''t get a pure red in my price range, so I''m going with the purplish. We''ll see how it goes, though. Here''s Barry''s description:

GA-1736 Tanga Garnet(J) 3.27 cts., 8.0mm round brilliant[Gec]. This Tanzanian rhodolite has a luscious medium/dark reddish pink color and is flawless at 10x. BB

He used the word luscious, so I thought I''d give it a try, anyway. On one of my monitors it looked more red, so my fingers are crossed.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I think it will look great. Have you any idea who will make the ring for you?

 

[iLander]

This is a budget piece, meant to replicate those rings I used to get from bubble gum machines when I was a kid. So I''m going to put it into a cheap solitaire setting myself.

I was going to use Tripps, but they don''t have a setting for that big of a stone. I''ll use one from LG Jewelers supply, about $140 in yellow gold.

http://www.lgjewelers.com

I learned how to set my own stones using the $60 kit from Tripps (plus their youtube video). It''s pretty easy and I only do it myself on inexpensive pieces.

 

[chrono]

Do be careful with a garnet though as they aren’t as tough as corundum.

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 5/28/2010 2:09:46 PM
Author: iLander
I learned how to set my own stones using the $60 kit from Tripps (plus their youtube video). It's pretty easy and I only do it myself on inexpensive pieces.

I looked at that kit from Tripps and would recommend also getting a small triangular jewelers file since you're going to need something to cut the seats in the prongs. How are you going to smooth and polish the prong tips ? You should probably also think about how those seats are going to be shaped since a precision cut stone typically has thicker girdles and sharper girdle edges than the stone which was supplied in that kit. Doing it yourself is neat, but it is possible to chip the edge of this type of stone by pressing against it in the wrong direction, so be careful. Send me a note if you'd like some tips on how to do this as safely as possible.

 

[colorluvr]

Date: 5/27/2010 6:42:19 AM
Author: iLander


I thought ruby was another name for red sapphire . . . ?

As everyone has stated on here, they are both corundum, but I''ve had it explained to me that even though the distinction can be subjective, some do distinquish between the two. Here''s a quote from this article:

http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/amber/go340/corundum.htm

"Gem quality red corundum is known as ruby, whereas any other color is termed sapphire"

and even though this stone is red, it just doesn''t have the depth of color of a gem quality ruby, plus it shows a bit of orange under flourescent lighting, so perhaps that is why the seller called it a red sapphire and not a ruby. It looks true red under "normal" lighting however. Perhaps I should have called it a red appearing sapphire with a hint of orange under some lighting......

It was sold as a heat only sapphire from Tanzania. I had it looked at (didn''t want to pay for a cert because I didn''t pay that much for the stone) and it "appears" to have only been gently heated with no sign of diffusion or other treatment.

 

[colorluvr]

Date: 5/28/2010 11:31:40 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 5/26/2010 7:58:44 PM
Author: colorluvr
Actually, the most red stone I have that isn''t a ruby is a red sapphire that I got on ebay from Thanex. Here is the auction photo... It''s not as deep of a red as a nice ruby, but still a nice color.

I apologize, but I don''t trust Thanex for rubies and sapphires. No lab certs. Gem-Earth is a little better. I know someone that resells alot of their gems. I haven''t bought any though.

I''ve gotten several stones from gem-earth, with the most expensive ones having certs and I''ve always been pleased with their stones, however, most of the stones that I have purchased from gem-earth have been spinels and but I did get my big yellow sapphire (which came with a cert) and my largest demantoid (also with a cert) from them.

Thanex can be a crap shoot, but I never pay a lot of money for his stones and so far, the ones that I''ve bothered to have checked out, have been as advertised, but perhaps I''ve been lucky. I don''t buy from Thanex much any more, however, I did buy a pretty yellow oval sapphire and when I got it, it looked almost too perfect, so I questioned him as to whether or not it was natural or a lab stone... (it was sold as vvs/flawless)

He told me that he checks all of his stones, but perhaps a synthetic had gotten past him, so he had me send it back to him, and he got a cert on the stone, and then returned the stone AND the cert, at not cost to me. This was back when I had purchased several stones from him, so perhaps that is why is did that.

His auctions say that you can request a BLG cert for an addition $20.

 

[T L]

Date: 5/28/2010 4:23:12 PM
Author: colorluvr

Date: 5/28/2010 11:31:40 AM

Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 5/26/2010 7:58:44 PM

Author: colorluvr

Actually, the most red stone I have that isn't a ruby is a red sapphire that I got on ebay from Thanex. Here is the auction photo... It's not as deep of a red as a nice ruby, but still a nice color.

I apologize, but I don't trust Thanex for rubies and sapphires. No lab certs. Gem-Earth is a little better. I know someone that resells alot of their gems. I haven't bought any though.

I've gotten several stones from gem-earth, with the most expensive ones having certs and I've always been pleased with their stones, however, most of the stones that I have purchased from gem-earth have been spinels and but I did get my big yellow sapphire (which came with a cert) and my largest demantoid (also with a cert) from them.


Thanex can be a crap shoot, but I never pay a lot of money for his stones and so far, the ones that I've bothered to have checked out, have been as advertised, but perhaps I've been lucky. I don't buy from Thanex much any more, however, I did buy a pretty yellow oval sapphire and when I got it, it looked almost too perfect, so I questioned him as to whether or not it was natural or a lab stone... (it was sold as vvs/flawless)


He told me that he checks all of his stones, but perhaps a synthetic had gotten past him, so he had me send it back to him, and he got a cert on the stone, and then returned the stone AND the cert, at not cost to me. This was back when I had purchased several stones from him, so perhaps that is why is did that.


His auctions say that you can request a BLG cert for an addition $20.

As for Gem-Earth's certs, I've seen some of them on sapphires which say nothing conclusive about a foreign element being introduced, so I suspect they sell be-treated sapphires with a cert to give the buyer false peace of mind. What does your yellow sapphire cert say about treatment, and is it Burapha? I also don't care for the fact that every spessartite they have seems to come from Namibia when that was mined out years and years ago. Their spessartites are too brown and clean to be Namibian, more like Nigerian. That being said, I know some people are very happy with them. I guess spinels are pretty safe as long as you get a reputable cert for red ones, and very blue ones.

 

[FrekeChild]

I hope you enjoy your Barry garnet. It does look more pink than red on my monitor. If I went for a childhood fun ring, it''d be a neon pink emerald in a yg filigree setting.

Funny, as I was typing that out, I realized that I have a pink rectangular scissor cut in an antique yg setting that just about fits the bill!

Now Mariah Carey''s "childhood ring" is atrocious...Ring Pop anyone?

 

[Rockit]

Congratulations on your purchase. I''m curious to know what you think when you see your new gem.

 

[iLander]

Well BARRY IS A GEM (LOL) !

If anyone is new to this forum just look up http://www.acstones.com/ and ogle at the lovely stones!

Barry was easy to work with, I paid for it on Thursday, it arrived Tuesday and that''s with a stupid Monday holiday that messed everything up.

Loved the cut, it was scintillating and lovely, my hesitancy was the garnet itself. Garnets, while lovely, are just not to my taste.

I emailed Barry and he had no problem taking it back and understood that my finicky dislike of garnet.

I rarely have pleasant transactions with internet retailers, but Barry is a real person, with years of experience, and it shows.

The search for my bordering on gaudy,

ever-so-slightly tacky stone continues. Big 7-9 mm round, I''ve given up on true red. Any ideas?

 

[pocadot]

Date: 6/2/2010 7:26:21 PM
Author: iLander



Well BARRY IS A GEM (LOL) !

If anyone is new to this forum just look up http://www.acstones.com/ and ogle at the lovely stones!


Barry was easy to work with, I paid for it on Thursday, it arrived Tuesday and that''s with a stupid Monday holiday that messed everything up.


Loved the cut, it was scintillating and lovely, my hesitancy was the garnet itself. Garnets, while lovely, are just not to my taste.

I emailed Barry and he had no problem taking it back and understood that my finicky dislike of garnet.


I rarely have pleasant transactions with internet retailers, but Barry is a real person, with years of experience, and it shows.

The search for my bordering on gaudy,

ever-so-slightly tacky stone continues. Big 7-9 mm round, I''ve given up on true red. Any ideas?

Sorry to hear that the garnet didn''t work out for you iLander. I do think that the best stone to fit your budget and color requirements is spinel. Have you considered a cabochon by any chance? Multicolour.com has several huge bright red spinel cabochons for less than $500.

I was also looking through ebay, and LOGR was selling this bright red ruby ring with a 7x9mm center stone: http://cgi.ebay.com/Ruby-Diamonds-14k-White-Gold-Ring-/220615757970?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_Fine_Rings&hash=item335db95092#ht_2298wt_958

That LOGR ring is probably the closest thing to what I can remember of those vending machine rings. It''s also well within your budget

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I ran across this one:
http://www.artcutgems.com/item.php?item_id=393&page=2&category_id=46
and thought it sounded like something that might fit the bill.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Date: 6/2/2010 8:49:41 PM
Author: pocadot

Date: 6/2/2010 7:26:21 PM
Author: iLander



Well BARRY IS A GEM (LOL) !

If anyone is new to this forum just look up http://www.acstones.com/ and ogle at the lovely stones!


Barry was easy to work with, I paid for it on Thursday, it arrived Tuesday and that''s with a stupid Monday holiday that messed everything up.


Loved the cut, it was scintillating and lovely, my hesitancy was the garnet itself. Garnets, while lovely, are just not to my taste.

I emailed Barry and he had no problem taking it back and understood that my finicky dislike of garnet.


I rarely have pleasant transactions with internet retailers, but Barry is a real person, with years of experience, and it shows.

The search for my bordering on gaudy,

ever-so-slightly tacky stone continues. Big 7-9 mm round, I''ve given up on true red. Any ideas?

Sorry to hear that the garnet didn''t work out for you iLander. I do think that the best stone to fit your budget and color requirements is spinel. Have you considered a cabochon by any chance? Multicolour.com has several huge bright red spinel cabochons for less than $500.

I was also looking through ebay, and LOGR was selling this bright red ruby ring with a 7x9mm center stone: http://cgi.ebay.com/Ruby-Diamonds-14k-White-Gold-Ring-/220615757970?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_Fine_Rings&hash=item335db95092#ht_2298wt_958

That LOGR ring is probably the closest thing to what I can remember of those vending machine rings. It''s also well within your budget

That ruby is probably (I would say certainly) heat treated, flux treated and maybe BE treated as well.

 

[Rockit]

Can you be more specific regarding what it is you don''t care for in garnet? Or, what makes a stone desirably "gaudy" to you? Perhaps tourmaline is an option?

 

[Arkteia]

Date: 5/26/2010 11:36:51 AM
Author: colorluvr

I just got this stone set and the picture is blurry, but it will give you an idea of the color of a ''flame'' spinel, now that you are willing to get a red stone with some orange in it. I have a red/orange spess that looks quite red in some lighting and then shows orange in others. The two rings (flame spinel and spess) look really similar in some lighting, but in lighting that brings out the orange, I think the red spinel holds its color a bit better. This picture is a native cut 2.08ct flame red spinel I got from gem-earth on ebay. The cut is pretty decent and fit the bill for what I was looking for in my price range (under $200). I was going to get some better pictures and ''share'', but this one does a pretty good job of showing the color. HTH

It looks beautiful! Is "flame" spinel just a trade name, or does it come from certain locatins?

 

[iLander]

Date: 6/3/2010 9:57:29 AM
Author: Rockit
Can you be more specific regarding what it is you don''t care for in garnet? Or, what makes a stone desirably ''gaudy'' to you? Perhaps tourmaline is an option?

I think garnet just gets too dark in low light. I don''t like the brown tones that in a lot of the red ones, and their overall brightness just isn''t there.

You''re right, a tourmaline, that has a pure hue may work. How do those do in low light? My daughter has a tiny hot pink with purplish tones and it''s pretty cool. I''m actually thinking of just giving up on red altogether. Maybe a jumbo peridot, or a shiny blue zircon.

IMHO gaudy means a bright, clear hue, with vivid saturation, no dark or distracting secondary tones. If you were a kid drawing with a crayon and you wanted orange, you wouldn''t pick the "peach" crayon, you''d pick the one marked orange. But the one marked "yellow-orange" would be okay, since it''s secondary tone lightens and brightens the stone.

Any suggestions? No amethyst, please, I have plenty of that, and nothing in the topaz family, it''s just too common. So, if there''s no red restriction, what do you think?

 

[colorluvr]

Date: 6/3/2010 10:27:25 AM
Author: crasru

Date: 5/26/2010 11:36:51 AM
Author: colorluvr

I just got this stone set and the picture is blurry, but it will give you an idea of the color of a ''flame'' spinel, now that you are willing to get a red stone with some orange in it. I have a red/orange spess that looks quite red in some lighting and then shows orange in others. The two rings (flame spinel and spess) look really similar in some lighting, but in lighting that brings out the orange, I think the red spinel holds its color a bit better. This picture is a native cut 2.08ct flame red spinel I got from gem-earth on ebay. The cut is pretty decent and fit the bill for what I was looking for in my price range (under $200). I was going to get some better pictures and ''share'', but this one does a pretty good job of showing the color. HTH

It looks beautiful! Is ''flame'' spinel just a trade name, or does it come from certain locatins?

"Spinel’s color range includes violet, blue, orange, red, pink, and purple. Blue spinels are often grayish and subdued, but the best are a deep rich color. The reds can rival fine ruby. And the vivid orange to orange-red stones merit their trade name—flame spinel. Some spinels show color-change, usually turning from grayish blue in daylight or fluorescent light to purple under incandes­cent light."

from this GIA page:

http://www.gia.edu/research-resources/library/featured-gemstones/spinel/index.html

 

[Rockit]

If it is pure hue that does not change from lighting situation to lighting situation, then, tourmaline may not be your stone, at least the red/pinks available in your budgeted range. Tourmaline may look quite different in daylight than it does in incandescent light... many varieties appear brownish inside or at night. Definitely not what you seek.

Since with ANY colored gemstone there is a premium – in terms of desirability and price – placed on PURE hue, as you state you desire, your choices for such a small budget are limited. Much of what you''ll find in your price-range will be stones with modified color. You are going to have to go smaller (like the chrome tourmaline that I suggested earlier) or with modified hue of some sort.

Honestly, I think garnet was one of your best bets. Sorry that it did not work out for you – a shame to dismiss the entire group after one stone didn''t please. Anyway, peridot sounds like a good place to look. Or something yellow... Maybe you should look into less expensive cabochons instead of faceted gems?

 

[iLander]

Okay, back to the red: What the heck is andesine? I saw it on a European website, and I''ve never heard of it, is it treated?

It looks really red, though. . .