Blue Spinel and other blue stones- opinions?

[cinnamon013]

I'm looking for a blue spinel and not able to spend too much on it. I want to find a square cushion cut. I'm thinking of making a ring with it.

What do you think of these stones?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Museum-Quality-Blue-Ceylon-Spinel-2-28ctw_W0QQitemZ190192394866QQihZ009QQcategoryZ110873QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem This one closes soon.

http://www.ajsgems.com/product/11f7a666-9705-455a-8071-2f8d445f2ebc.aspx

I think sapphires would be too dark to get the look I want, but what do you think about this one? (It's not a cushion...)
http://www.ajsgems.com/product/bd78077e-9123-4631-a07e-baf9e72c0118.aspx

This is actually the color I want, again, not a cushion though. Thsi one might be sliding out of my budget.
http://www.ajsgems.com/product/578f7096-5139-46a6-aa09-f51f4d239410.aspx

What about this swiss blue topaz? I asked rick about it and he says it is lovely. I know these are one of the cheapest stones out there.
http://www.artcutgems.com/item.php?item_id=264

I love Richard Homer's stones, but they are all out of my budget. Maybe I should just wait?
There is a photo with three stones in this link and it's the one in the middle, 5080. YUM!
http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=Blue&ySpecies=Zircon It's $625 though...


Any other websites I should consider?

 

[cinnamon013]

This stone is pretty, just not blue. However, this is my eye color! It would be kinda cool to own a stone the same color. What do you think?

http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/detail.cfm?zNum=5139

Would a tourmaline do well in a ring?

 

[wen104]

I love a beautiful tourmaline. One of my favorite stones but there are so many I love so I understand why you have such a hard decision. I love that swiss blue topaz but I have lose stones I already cannot set

 

[chrono]

The first stone is so gray I can barely see the blue. The cut looks bad too.

The 2nd AJS spinel is also very gray and dark, has some extinction and a small window.

The blue sapphire is MUCH nicer even though it also has a small window.

The blue zircon is not bad looking, also with a small window.

The topaz is the nicest of all your options but I am biased against topazs because they have been nuked.

I like Richard's zircons (in fact I have a 3 ct square cushion concave zircon from him). Please contact him if you are interested because his website is hopelessly out of date. Many of the stones are already sold.

 

[cinnamon013]

Date: 1/22/2008 12:24:03 PM
Author: Chrono
The first stone is so gray I can barely see the blue. The cut looks bad too.

The 2nd AJS spinel is also very gray and dark, has some extinction and a small window.

The blue sapphire is MUCH nicer even though it also has a small window.

The blue zircon is not bad looking, also with a small window.

The topaz is the nicest of all your options but I am biased against topazs because they have been nuked.

I like Richard''s zircons (in fact I have a 3 ct square cushion concave zircon from him). Please contact him if you are interested because his website is hopelessly out of date. Many of the stones are already sold.

Chrono,
I just received an email from Richard yesterday and learned that his website is out of date. He said he has several 3/4 carat sapphires as well as quite a few zircons in house. He didn''t mention the tourmaline or any tourmalines he may have. What do you think about wearing a tourmaline on a daily basis? I think that green one is pretty, although he likely doesn''t have it, but maybe one like it.

My birthday is coming up and my DH asked me what I''d like. I''m going to come up with about 5-6 ideas and let him pick. We don''t usually spend much for my birthday, so if I were to get a small sapphire, zircon, or tourmaline, I''d likely wait to have it set.

Oh, and what do you think about a sapphire of that size? He said the cut is good to give them great beauty.

 

[cinnamon013]

Date: 1/22/2008 11:42:12 AM
Author: wen104
I love a beautiful tourmaline. One of my favorite stones but there are so many I love so I understand why you have such a hard decision. I love that swiss blue topaz but I have lose stones I already cannot set

Do you own any green tourmalines? How are they set? Pictures? What about their durability?

 

[chrono]

Cinn,
If I plan to wear a tourmaline on a daily basis, I would baby it. They are sort of on the soft side but with proper precaution (removing it when you get home, protective low setting, etc), it should be all right.

 

[cinnamon013]

Wish I could change my title from blue to "stones" since I''m branching out and looking at other colors. What do you think of these stones? Since I don''t know much about gemstones, it''s hard for me to know what I''m looking for.

These are from whitesgems.com

http://www.whitesgems.com/gems/313071.htm green sapphire

http://www.whitesgems.com/gems/SPL002.htm pink spinel

 

[chrono]

Both look to be pretty stones. Green sapphires aren''t really in demand so the pricing is more in favour to those who are budget conscious. I have a soft spot for all spinels.

 

[cinnamon013]

Date: 1/24/2008 12:07:32 PM
Author: Chrono
Both look to be pretty stones. Green sapphires aren''t really in demand so the pricing is more in favour to those who are budget conscious. I have a soft spot for all spinels.

I love that pink spinel too. It is so hard to decide!

Right now, Jeff at whitesgems has some green tourmaline rough that he can cut into a cushion similar to this: http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/912071.htm for a great price. That''s another option. It would be around 6mm.

I''ve received some really awesome photos from Richard Homer that he quickly took for me, along with pricing. They are all great prices, but somewhat more than what I see from Jeff. Wonderful stones. Several green tourmalines, one emerald cut to die for. 2 blue sapphires that are awesome, an emerald cut and a round. There is also a windex blue zircon round.

I am waiting to hear back from Jeff about a bunch of other questions I asked him.

Chrono, how am I going to decide? I''d love to buy this stone for a ring, but the setting would likely cost more than the stone. That''s why I''m leaning toward putting my first gemstone into a pendant just to walk through the process once and see how it goes. Should I post those Richard Homer stones for you to see? Since I know so little about what to look for in a stone, it''s hard for me to gauge stones.

One last question, what/who is an inexpensive way to set this in a pendant? I don''t have a local jeweler. All the stuff I''ve purchased recently has been through Whiteflash. Got any ideas of lovely, inexpensive settings?

 

[cinnamon013]

The emerald cut choices from Richard. He took these photos really quick for me. He said he didn''t take time to clean them up and the photos were just shots from him. The table in the sapphire caught a reflection, but he assures me these stones are terrific. I think they are beauties.

Without further waiting, an emerald cut sapphire pictured with a beautful round I could also choose.

 

[cinnamon013]

The very lovely green tourmaline, emerald cut...

Comments?

 

[gemnut]

Date: 1/21/2008 5:36:20 PM
Author: cinnamon013
This stone is pretty, just not blue. However, this is my eye color! It would be kinda cool to own a stone the same color. What do you think?

http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/detail.cfm?zNum=5139

Would a tourmaline do well in a ring?

If you are not insisting on blue, I like THIS stone the best. Plus, it matches your eyes

 

[cinnamon013]

Date: 1/24/2008 2:16:03 PM
Author: gemnut

Date: 1/21/2008 5:36:20 PM
Author: cinnamon013
This stone is pretty, just not blue. However, this is my eye color! It would be kinda cool to own a stone the same color. What do you think?

http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/detail.cfm?zNum=5139

Would a tourmaline do well in a ring?

If you are not insisting on blue, I like THIS stone the best. Plus, it matches your eyes

Ah that one is sold. Most of the photos on Richard''s site are sold. He has been very busy recently with matters other than gems. He emailed me some green tourmalines that he has in, though.

 

[cinnamon013]

Remember, these are just quick photos he took. He said he didn''t clean them or remove fingerprints.

 

[Fly Girl]

Having seen Richard Homer''s work in person a few months ago, I can assure you that he only uses the best rough with the greatest color. The cutting is perfection. So, just pick the size and color you like best. All of his stones are gorgeous. Not a bum one in the lot, and I looked at around a hundred of them.

Hard to choose, isn''t it?

 

[chrono]

You have so many wonderful choices that my head is reeling with all of them!

Absolutely no local jewellers? Then who's going to set the stone even if you buy an inexpensive setting?

Richards sapphires: I'd chose the square over the round just because it's a very unique concave cut shape.

Richard's tourmalines: Tough choices. I like the square outline but in this case, the round wins me over.
In the threesome picture, I like the one to the far left even though it appears darker than the rest because the faceting pattern looks to be different from the usual "shooting star" look. I'd ask for a better picture of it next to the very last 1.89 ct that you posted. That tourmaline looks really bright and lively.

 

[cinnamon013]

Date: 1/25/2008 12:01:13 PM
Author: Chrono
You have so many wonderful choices that my head is reeling with all of them!

Absolutely no local jewellers? Then who''s going to set the stone even if you buy an inexpensive setting?

Richards sapphires: I''d chose the square over the round just because it''s a very unique concave cut shape.

Richard''s tourmalines: Tough choices. I like the square outline but in this case, the round wins me over.
In the threesome picture, I like the one to the far left even though it appears darker than the rest because the faceting pattern looks to be different from the usual ''shooting star'' look. I''d ask for a better picture of it next to the very last 1.89 ct that you posted. That tourmaline looks really bright and lively.

There are plenty of jewelers in the area - I''m in Denver. I just don''t have a relationship with anyone, so I''m not sure how to start.

I really like the cuts of Jeff. I may wait and see what he brings back from the gem show in terms of material and land something he makes. It''s too hard to decide!

 

[chrono]

I understand. I had to do the same when I relocated. I started by checking out their settings and other custom work to get a feel for their workmanship. I stuck to only family owned jewellery stores or higher end chains that have their own benchperson on site 100% of the time. When I was ready to take the plunge, I did semi-custom earrings and pendants (stock stuller/adwar items with slight modifications) and have been pleased so far.