First purchase of a Mahenge - thoughts?

[Autumn in New England]

Hello again ladies...

TL - I really took a good look at Tan's Mahenges at your suggestion. I have purchased from him before and I've always found his listing photos to be pretty accurate. Anyway, it seems that the buzz word for buying vividly saturated pinks from him is "hot" pink? Or is this not necessarily indicative of "neon" with this vendor? I really value everyone's opinion so let 'er rip.

I ended up purchasing the stone below from him last night. It is a 1.67 ct. which was described as hot pink. He mentioned to me that it is of a certain quality that is no longer being produced out of Tanzania. The listing price was $850. What say you my friend? I didn't want an oval and the clarity isn't as good as the square I purchased, but the color looks pretty vivid. The cut is atrocious... if I like the color, I hope I can learn to live with it! Although Tan assured me that it was symmetrical. It will be set, so hopefully that will aid in diminishing any windowing. Do you think this stone will be of a superior quality to the square (color-wise)? I know it's hard to accurately judge from photos... but I also know how well acquainted you are with Tan's Mahenges. Unfortunately, I will have to return the square before the oval arrives... so I won't be able to compare them in person.

TIA to anyone and everyone who can help (and has already helped)!

 

[Coco914]

Hi again, Autumn... I purchased a small heart-shaped Mahenge spinel from Tan that looked like it was cut a bit wonky in the photo. I'm happy to say that when it arrived and I saw it IRL it was actually very nicely cut and the saturation was vivid. I was not disappointed! Hope you'll post some photos when this one arrives.

 

[T L]

I hope you like it, as it's difficult to find really neon stones these days. Much of the material on the market seems to be newer, and less saturated material. Here is the video of my neon trillion solitaire that was on the prior page. Hope this helps reading Tan's videos.

 

[LD]

Hi Autumn

The one you've bought it quite purple (from the photo) and TLs is more red - if you cut and paste and put side by side you'll see the difference. Having said that I'm sure it will be very pretty. Do you have a link to the auction so we can see the video?

 

[Autumn in New England]

Hi Coco - Glad to hear that! So there's hope that the cut may not be that horrendous in person... The color is the most important factor for me, so I'm willing to bend on the cut (and clarity too I guess).

TL - As nice a color as the vid still of your stone is, I think your photo is 500x better! So that also gives me hope that the color of the one I purchased from Tan will be what I'm looking for. Do you have a copy of the photo in the listing (as opposed to the vid still)? So what do you think of the new stone from Tan? Think it should be closer to what I'm looking for than the square?

Hi LD - I'm actually looking for a pink as opposed to a red, so that's ok. Although, I'm not seeing purple? Just looks pink to me compared to TL's (again, stunning!). I have a neon red Namya and now it's time for a pink. I am comparing the new Tan oval to the square I posted at the begininning of this thread (not sure if you thought I was comparing it to TL's?). Anyway, I think it was Aoife who asked that I post a photo of my Namya. I took a photo today... here it is. My lousy camera phone cannot begin to capture the true glow of this stone. It's a pure neon red with no orange, purple, or pink... just stunning in person. This stone is fluorescent to the hilt and, if you look closely, you can see the blue sheen around the edges. A favorite of mine for sure. The ring is 18k white gold (heavy!) with 1.30+ VS F rounds and baguettes. Now this one was love at first sight. The photo was taken by the window in daylight.

P.S. I will post a link to the vid of the new Mahenge when I get home. Not sure I can manage it from my droid.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Waiting for this Mozambique paraiba to come back from testing... I have this stone, an unheated amethyst, and my new pad that I'm waiting to set. Of course, I will also want to set one of these Mahenges once (if?) I find the right one...

 

[Autumn in New England]

P.S. TL has the best of both worlds as her trilliant can look both red and pink. Here it looks pink... delicious!

 

[T L]

P.S. TL has the best of both worlds as her trilliant can look both red and pink. Here it looks pink... delicious!

Awww, thanks. Actually, the pinkish red stones are more red in certain lighting, but I would say my stone is more red than pink. Your Namya is gorgeous and looking forward to seeing that paraiba too. Thanks for the additional pics of your collection. I don't have a vendor still picture of the stone. I only save off Tan's videos as they are more accurate than his photo stills IMO.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

The only reservation I have about your stone is that you describe it as not being neon. My mahenges are probaly not the best but they all have a neon glow and I think a Mahenge spinel should possess that quality. But if you love the stone then that is really what matters most of all.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Hi Lisa - Yes, I agree. It is a very pretty pink in its own right, but it is lacking that intense Mahenge glow. I may still keep it (I'm in love with the cut), but I have purchased a new stone from Tan. I posted a photo earlier. Hopefully, it's closer to what I'm looking for color-wise.

TL - Thanks again... I'll definitely check back in when I receive the second stone (coming registered, which takes forever to get to my area).

Enjoy your day ladies!

 

[KentK]

Hi,

I just finished reading this thread, I love the cut of your first spinel, here is a Mahenge spinel I bought a few months ago, sorry the pic is a little blurry, but it show off it's color very well in sunlight to give you something else to compare to.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Kent - That is exactly the color I would like! neon Neon NEON! I know most people are looking for the reds (which I love too, of course), but I'm really looking for a nice hot pink. Yours is a serious stunner. Thank you so much for posting a pic. Enjoy her! And wish me luck in my continuing quest! I did decide to keep my square and I'm getting ready to set it. The more I looked at it, the more I really came to love it. Even though it's not the preferred color, it's a rich daffodil pink and I think it will look pretty set. But I'm still searching for a pink spinel that knocks the ol' socks off. Waiting on the oval I purchased from Tan. Actually, I'm even more so in the market for a good camera... eek. Apologies to the vendor for so poorly representing the stone here (thanks for being so great about everything)!

 

[KentK]

Good luck in your search for the pink spinel of your dreams.

 

[Sagebrush]

Autumn,

After reading through this thread it seems to me that what we have here is the classic Pricescope conundrum, attempting to value a gem by comparing images rather than comparing gems. In some of the images your stone appears to be quite vivid in others not so. In some the hue appears to be pinkish red, in others reddish pink.

Pink is light toned red. Pink becomes red as tone increases beyond 50% so if pink/red exist on a continuum, where does pink end and red begin? We tend to know it when we see it. The Burmese really have no term for pink, so everything is ruby, pink sapphire, for example, is a creation of the Occident.

So is it a vivid hue and what is the primary and what is the secondary hue? If it is a vivid pinkish-red, you are looking at the rarest of the Mahenge material, red spinel, a stone that is worth more than the price you paid. If vivid reddish-pink certainly worth the price. Telling the difference can be difficult because it may appear to have a red primary in some lights and be distinctly reddish pink in others, but north daylight at noon is the standard.

Best of luck,

RWW