Alexandrite Advice Please! Which stone would YOU choose?

[juxtaposed]

Considering options from multicolour for an engagement ring. These are his current stones available that she shows interest in. Any advice or opinions as to pro/cons/which one you would choose for yourself... would be GREAT!!!

Thanks so much!!!

Budget is ten thousand dollars.

 

[liao]

have you saw an alex in person? I have saw #5 and #7, and #7 is a better stone (in term of color change). #5 has prob like most indian alex. great fluorescent color, not so great incandescent color. It also has a huge window. As for the other, you shall not expect to get incandescent color close to the pic. expect something with purple as its dominant color. As for the price, I am not sure if david will give discount online, but, for the very least, you can try. I'd like to suggest the price you might want to propose, but I think some other member will be mad. So, you should trust your own judgement.

Try to consider this one as well:

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax766aa/&1396285136

 

[LoversKites]

have you saw an alex in person? I have saw #5 and #7, and #7 is a better stone (in term of color change). #5 has prob like most indian alex. great fluorescent color, not so great incandescent color. It also has a huge window. As for the other, you shall not expect to get incandescent color close to the pic. expect something with purple as its dominant color. As for the price, I am not sure if david will give discount online, but, for the very least, you can try. I'd like to suggest the price you might want to propose, but I think some other member will be mad. So, you should trust your own judgement.

Try to consider this one as well:

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax766aa/&1396285136

Interesting. I always liked the look of 5 from the pics. What bothers me with most alexandrite is it's darkness and that one has a nice medium tone. But I believe you when you say it is not that great.

 

[chrono]

I am not able to read the description or see the stone clearly but here's a quick tip; I automatically throw out any stone that has a dark tone. Some windowing might be unavoidable but several of your choices have windows that are much too large for my comfort zone.

 

[deskjockey]

I'm clueless, so keep that in mind, but I like 7 the best out of those. From the tiny pictures, of the gems that I like the "mixed light" color on, it seems to have the best cut (to my novice eyes).

 

[liao]

Well, #5 has serious window problem, and the incandescent color is way worse than the one in the pic. If I remember correctly the mix light color also was not as great as the pic. The pear, on the other hand, almost has everything. Unfortunately, the fluorescent color is very grayish. Honestly, I have not seen any great alex posted in the internet.

This one has bad incandescent color and prob w/ its price tag! I cannot remember correctly, but I think David last offer is 190K ish for this one:
http://www.alexandrite.net/gemstones/natural-alexandrite-oval-8-66-faceted_MSAX1122aa/420338/69/0

This one has bad flourescent color. It has bad picture, but in real life, the incasdescent color is much better than david's:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GRS-Certified-Natural-Alexandrite-Oval-8-09ct-Green-Red-Color-Change-Gem-/121126063583?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c33ad0ddf

This one has a great color change, but the color is way too dark and not vivid enough (at least for that price tag)
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-1233060107

 

[LoversKites]

Honestly, I have not seen any great alex posted in the internet.

Where should people interested in buying alex buy from? Gem shows?

This one has bad incandescent color and prob w/ its price tag! I cannot remember correctly, but I think David last offer is 190K ish for this one:
http://www.alexandrite.net/gemstones/natural-alexandrite-oval-8-66-faceted_MSAX1122aa/420338/69/0

Wow really? In the picture the incandescent colour looks lovely but I guess in real life not so much.

And to the OP, yeah anything described as dark I'd shy away from. Even medium dark can be too dark for my taste in alex sometimes.

 

[Marlow]

In my opinion there is no VIVID alexandrite.

To the OP:

I like none of them - to dark, to expensive, windowed, to small.....

If you really have 10K budget buy a nice CCG - tell her it is an alexandrite and use the rest for some other things

( Just kidding....)

 

[chrono]

The downside with CCG is that the wearer has to baby it whereas alexandrite can be worn everyday without much worry.

 

[Marlow]

This one has bad flourescent color. It has bad picture, but in real life, the incasdescent color is much better than david's:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GRS-Certified-Natural-Alexandrite-Oval-8-09ct-Green-Red-Color-Change-Gem-/121126063583?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=

Sorry but it is a tiny little bit over budget.......

And have you seen this one live? The fluor color - you used an LW UV lamb???

grayish green to grayish purple....

 

[Marlow]

The downside with CCG is that the wearer has to baby it whereas alexandrite can be worn everyday without much worry.

7 1/4 - 7 1/2 is enough I think...

 

[chrono]

Occasional wear = no problem.
Everyday wear = be prepared to see facet abrasion and perhaps some nicks at the girdle within the year. There are several CS regulars who have garnet e-rings and even with extreme care, have noticed some damage to their garnet e-rings.

 

[Marlow]

O.K. - but you can buy several CCG !!!

But over 9K for a 0,9 ct alexandrite

This is toooo much.

 

[liao]

This one has bad flourescent color. It has bad picture, but in real life, the incasdescent color is much better than david's:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GRS-Certified-Natural-Alexandrite-Oval-8-09ct-Green-Red-Color-Change-Gem-/121126063583?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=

Sorry but it is a tiny little bit over budget.......

And have you seen this one live? The fluor color - you used an LW UV lamb???

grayish green to grayish purple....

LW UV lamb? for what? do you mean SW UV lamb? I don't have LW UV lamb.

I saw that one live, that why I know that their pic sucks. The incasdescent color is not grayish purple. it is grayish magenta. I use a normal fluorescent light as the day light source.

btw, I do not think alex is as durable as well. I have broken several alex that I wore everyday. The one that I posted here several weeks ago, might be the next victim of my hand

 

[Marlow]

Sorry, I misunderstood - I use daylight as a daylight source.....

 

[T L]

I can't see the size, but I like #7 the best (the pear), well cut, clean, decent colorways, and good price (is it tiny???).

 

[Marlow]

0,49 ct.......6x4x3 mm

2940$

 

[juxtaposed]

Wow, it's kind of disappointing to hear that none of these stones are up to par.

The 2 she likes above the rest on this list were 2 and 3. She isn't much for rounds or ovals. She prefers trillions or squares/rectangles.
Can I get opinions on those stones? Do they have windows? What is a window? I've never seen bluish alex such as 3. Is this a negative?

Are there any stones within a $10K budget that any of you would find suitable? Is there another spot I should be searching? I've heard that David is the man to go to for Alex.

Your advice is invaluable, thank you so much for your help.

 

[juxtaposed]

Thoughts on these two stones?

 

[eastjavaman]

juxtaposed,
Please read this sticky to understand windows and cut and you will be a better educated buyer.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/[/URL]
http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/brilliance_windows_extinction.htm

10k is a healthy budget to buy any good stones; however, it will all boils down to sizes(carats), cut, clarity(inclusions), color(saturation), treatments(enhancements), and tone for color stones. For example, you will probably can get sapphires in bigger size than that of Alexandrites.

Not to be a downer, Alexandrite is a good durable rare stones; hence, they are expensive. However, the color vividness saturation of the stones tend to be weak(the strong ones are really expensive if they exist) as they change color depending of the lighting source, not to mention that cameras that are used to capture their images often times display the stones differently than what we see.
The elderlies here are offering good advices that for novice buyers, it is not recommended to buy an Alexandrite without viewing it in person. As accurate as the picture can be, in daily usage surroundings we tend to get mixed lighting sources from lamps, sun, moon, candles, etc.

 

[digdeep]

Juxtaposed........eastjavaman had an excellent post. And the 'in-between' color is important to note because in color change gems you will be seeing that "change color". It's not like a light switch where the color is all there or all gone......... it can be muddled at the in between point on cloudy days or lighting that is not strong. Just something to be aware of.

 

[liao]

Honestly, I have not seen any great alex posted in the internet.

Where should people interested in buying alex buy from? Gem shows?

This one has bad incandescent color and prob w/ its price tag! I cannot remember correctly, but I think David last offer is 190K ish for this one:
http://www.alexandrite.net/gemstones/natural-alexandrite-oval-8-66-faceted_MSAX1122aa/420338/69/0

Wow really? In the picture the incandescent colour looks lovely but I guess in real life not so much.

And to the OP, yeah anything described as dark I'd shy away from. Even medium dark can be too dark for my taste in alex sometimes.

somehow, I miss your post. Some high-end gem shows might be the place to look for alex, but I prefer several family own vendor I know.

juxtaposed,
Please read this sticky to understand windows and cut and you will be a better educated buyer.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/[/URL]
http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/brilliance_windows_extinction.htm

10k is a healthy budget to buy any good stones; however, it will all boils down to sizes(carats), cut, clarity(inclusions), color(saturation), treatments(enhancements), and tone for color stones. For example, you will probably can get sapphires in bigger size than that of Alexandrites.

Not to be a downer, Alexandrite is a good durable rare stones; hence, they are expensive. However, the color vividness saturation of the stones tend to be weak(the strong ones are really expensive if they exist) as they change color depending of the lighting source, not to mention that cameras that are used to capture their images often times display the stones differently than what we see.
The elderlies here are offering good advices that for novice buyers, it is not recommended to buy an Alexandrite without viewing it in person. As accurate as the picture can be, in daily usage surroundings we tend to get mixed lighting sources from lamps, sun, moon, candles, etc.

I hope that I am not one of those "elderlies"

I agree with eastjavaman, you should not buy alex online. Color change is the forte of alex, but most of them are lacking in term of color saturation. Usually the vivid (saturation 5) are very expensive.

David definitely the man you want to contact if you want to purchase alex online. However, try to read this thread
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/this-is-an-alexandrite.208290/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/this-is-an-alexandrite.208290/[/URL]

I had a little price discussion in that thread

 

[eastjavaman]

I should add the word "respected" to the term elderlies, then everyone would want to be one.

 

[Marlow]

Has anybody here a picture ( not photoshopped) of a VIVID alexandrite???

daylight and incandescent color???

To OP

The trillion is much to dark.

 

[minousbijoux]

Has anybody here a picture ( not photoshopped) of a VIVID alexandrite???

daylight and incandescent color???

To OP

The trillion is much to dark.

I have not and have to say I'm a doubter as to whether they really exist, or whether its just someone's interpretation of "vivid" which causes its use.

Juxtaposed, the good news is that none of the stones you showed are awful. They all are from a reputable source and show respectable colors with a good amount of color change if descriptions are accurate. But we are a picky crowd and of course immediately want to find the best we can within your price range.

For any colored stone, you will be looking for the typical drawbacks: inclusions/lack of clarity, tone/whether the stone is too dark in common lighting situations, hue and saturation/the color of the stone and whether it is an intense color, or whether in some lighting situations it looks washed out or not so bright (in these cases, we often refer to seeing grey or brown), and the cut/whether the facet meets line up crisply, and, more often, whether it is cut so that light reflects back well without a center area that you can see through (window), or without areas where the light goes in but doesn't come out like a black hole (areas of extinction). That is a lot to contend with and someone else has already pointed out to you the thread that describes what to look for in gemstones when first starting out.

But alexandrite has another set of factors that should be taken into consideration in addition to those discussed above. The first is the hue and saturation. As you search, you undoubtedly have come across those alex that turn from one muddy color to another - sort of like a greenish brown to a more reddish brown. Some people like these and as long as there is a significant color change, they are alex. But they are far more common, and these color combos are not nearly as sought after. The rare and sought after colors are the green/teal colorway and the reddish/purplish. The trick is to find one that has two good colorways, going from saturated teal/green to a saturated red/wineish purple. By saturated, I mean the intensity of color, not to be confused with the darkness of the color (tone). So in essence, you are looking for one that demonstrates good and bright color for each colorway - in daylight and in incandescent. Also, keep in mind, as someone else said previously, that since most light is mixed, the alex will often show yet a third appearance of mixed color with flashes of its two primary colorways. So your goal is to find one that has two good colorways that you like, with neither one being too dark and requiring extremely bright light to enjoy the color change.

You can see then why its harder to shop for an alex online, since it has this whole other complexity when it comes to color. It doesn't mean you can't, it just means you have to pay particular attention to find a reputable vendor and then to follow the vendor's descriptions, assuming they're accurate. In my opinion, it would also be a good idea to throw out any preferences you may have regarding shape, as it will be hard enough to find an alex with good colorways without hindering your search with another factor, unfortunately.

Over the years, I have seen a number of alex. Some have been stunning, but many were dark, or lacking saturation, or were not colorways I particularly care for. The worst is when one colorway is beautiful and the other is only meh, so make sure to see them both in a number of different lighting situations. I would try and see as many as you can in person, if that is at all possible.

 

[Marlow]

Minoubijoux

EXCELLENT!!!!

OP

I like the colors and the change of No 5 - but the window......

As a collector I could accept this ( much lower price!!) but not for a piece of jewellery.

If you go to a gem show leave a deposit and take the stone outside!! Don't use "daylight" lambs - You future wife will wear it most time in daylight and mixed light. If the vendor says NO walk away!!!

Btw

VIVID are the avatars of Chrono and LoversKites.

 

[chrono]

Minou's post is spot on. You may not have much of a choice when it comes to shape with alexandrites.
1. Good green/teal colouration
2. Good purplish/reddish colouration
3. Good mixed lighting colouration (you will see this colour most of the time, so this is also very important)
4. Good clarity (many are cloudy)
5. Good cut (I'm not even talking great cut but only avoiding major cut issues)

The above are difficult enough and when one is spending $10K, it is difficult for me to recommend an average looking stone for an e-ring.

 

[LoversKites]

Minou's post is spot on. You may not have much of a choice when it comes to shape with alexandrites.
1. Good green/teal colouration
2. Good purplish/reddish colouration
3. Good mixed lighting colouration (you will see this colour most of the time, so this is also very important)
4. Good clarity (many are cloudy)
5. Good cut (I'm not even talking great cut but only avoiding major cut issues)

The above are difficult enough and when one is spending $10K, it is difficult for me to recommend an average looking stone for an e-ring.

Good point, there's a decent amount of ok or average alexes and so few exceptional ones that are, imo, worth it.

 

[chrono]

I should add the word "respected" to the term elderlies, then everyone would want to be one.

I think the word "respected" isn't enough to take the sting off from the word "elderlies".
Off to find my wooden cane and reading glasses...

 

[juxtaposed]

Opinions on these?

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?1425520970

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201216878335?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I live outside of Minneapolis. I'm stumbling as to where to purchase a stone. I haven't found much on Google as to dealers or jewelers around here with expertise. I continue to research.

Again thanks for the help! I've read through all the threads, valuable information indeed.