shape
carat
color
clarity

Garnets!

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,636
I''m interested in a acquiring a member of the garnet family! I''ve been most drawn to tsavorites and spessartites, and recently to yellow grossular garnets. If you had to pick of those 3, which would you pick? (based purely on asthetics)
 

ma re

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 10, 2008
Messages
2,698
That''s like asking "which of these three is your favorite color". I''m not crazy enough about green (although I do like it) so it would be one of the other two. Probably a spessartite.
 

chictomato

Brilliant_Rock
Trade
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Messages
1,369
fanta spess:)
 

Pandora II

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 3, 2006
Messages
9,613
Depends on budget...

If i had $$$$$$ I''d buy an amazing and large tsavorite or a top colour spess.

otherwise I''d buy a Mali garnet
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
38,227
It depends on your preferred colour, the size of your budget and how particular you are about colour quality. The most expensive of your choice is tsavorite. They also are more commonly found at around 1 ct and under, with those not being too expensive. Some are a straight green, some with a bit of yellow, and rarely, a few with a bit of blue. Spessartites are in the middle, price wise. A good specimen is also not as easy to find, depending on how particular you are about the colour. They range from reddish to the yellowish. I just purchased one that is supposedly O5/4 and found it to be too brown to my eye, but perhaps the vendor overstated the saturation level. Some prefer the red, some must have only orange and others like a hint of yellow. Malis aren’t easy to find either if you are looking for that vivid colouration, as most tend to be a dull yellow colour.
 

Arcadian

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 17, 2008
Messages
8,630
I agree with what Chrono said. I have LOTS of garnets, many of which were aquired since finding pricescope! There''s a lot of colors out there to choose from.


I''m biased because of all the garnets I have, I''m in LUV with my tsav. I''d look at swala''s inventory if thats what you want.


-A
 

tonygemma

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 10, 2006
Messages
36
You can always check out orange grossular and Umbalites for something a bit unusual.
 

DistinctionJewelry

Shiny_Rock
Trade
Joined
Oct 27, 2008
Messages
198
Ohhh, a fellow garnet lover! Purely on aesthetics...hmmm.

I love green, and I love tsavorite green, so if it''s a matter of choosing a favorite color, I''d go with a gorgeous green tsavorite. However, spessartites are truly stunning. They seem to have a greater visual impact than tsavorites - for a really beautiful gem it''s hard to beat a spessartite.
 

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,636
Thank you so much for the responses! Chrono, thank you for the break down on price and color. Does anyone have pictures or know anything about orange grossulars? My budget is low, sadly. I''m buying myself a little present for being a finalist for the Fulbright. If I actually do get it (I''ll find out in April) then it will really be time to party! (time to party meaning time for a nice RHR!) But for the time being, I''m trying to keep it simple. I''m going to collage together all of the gems that I''m interested in for opinions.

Ma Re, I agree, it is something like asking for a favorite color!

Pandora, I''ve always loved your tsavorite and love its saturation. I was also primarily considering spessartites and tsavorites.

Distinction and Chic, I''ve actually never seen a spessartite in person!
15.gif
I think its time to change that.

Tony, that''s a great idea!
 

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,636
What do you guys use to make collages? I''m trying but its harder than I expected. Maybe Powerpoint is easiest?
 

tonygemma

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 10, 2006
Messages
36
I''ll try to take some pics of my orange grossulars and some umbalites this weekend, but I warn you that my photo taking skills of gems are really bad. If I had to make a decision to buy gems based on photographs I took I wouldn''t have a one! Another garnet choice to look at are mint grossulars.
 

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,636
test run
 

Attachments

  • gem4544.ppt
    39 KB · Views: 330

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,636
I''ll just post them one by one.
 

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,636
Here it goes! 1.25 carat grossular.

grossgar1.jpg
 

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,636
Half carat cushion demantoid.

demangar1.jpg
 

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,636
A 1 carat tsav garnet. I like the muted/minty look...I think it would be nice in rose gold.

tsavgar3.jpg
 

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,636
A .83 carat round spess.

spessgar1.jpg
 

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,636
Lastly, this one''s an emerald.
14.gif
I found it on my search for garnets, and I like it too. I can see a trend towards green in this thread. Please tell me what you think! I understand that these aren''t top color; I''d like to hear which one of these you guys like the best out of the bunch. I really like the cushion demantoid, but its just so small! Next, I like the spess and then the grossular. If you''ve seen any other garnets you''d like to recommend I would love a link or a picture. Thanks in advance!

thumbnail.php.jpg
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
24,801
I personally wouldn't buy a demantoid for the color, but for the sparkle and brilliance. The best ones have been mined out as far as color is concerned.

As for emeralds, I'm an emerald snob and having seen some extremely fine ones, and tons of tsavorites, I don't think tsavorite is as fine a green. JMO, don't kill me. The problem with emeralds is that most of the ones on the market are very average or below average. Rarely do you ever see a fine one, but when you do, there's really quite nothing like it as far as green is concerned in my opinion. Therefore, many people think they're just these ugly included meh stones, but not the finest ones.

Since I don't think there's a durable stone as orange as a fine Fanta spessartite, it would be that for me as far as garnets are concerned.

I HATE yellow grossulars because they look like the color of . . . well, can't say.
14.gif
Sorry! Some Mali's have a nice greenish secondary though.
 

MakingTheGrade

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Mar 2, 2009
Messages
12,624
I love my tsavorite, it''s one of my favorites! (Precisiongem.com has a tsav pear listed right now that I would llloooovvveee to wear around my neck!)

But what I really want some day is a nice blue to red color changer. :)
 

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,636
Thanks TL and MTG!

MTG- I''ve been dreaming of a tsav bracelet lately...

TL- I''ve seen that pendant listed! $30,000? Hehe, maybe if I actually win the Fulbright (and the lottery too)!

What do you think of the emerald I posted? It reminds me of a little of spearmint or a paraiba type tourmaline.
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
24,801
Date: 2/5/2010 6:39:10 PM
Author: IndyLady
Thanks TL and MTG!

MTG- I''ve been dreaming of a tsav bracelet lately...

TL- I''ve seen that pendant listed! $30,000? Hehe, maybe if I actually win the Fulbright (and the lottery too)!

What do you think of the emerald I posted? It reminds me of a little of spearmint or a paraiba type tourmaline.
The problem with emeralds for me is that 99% just don''t do it for me. If I''m buying an emerald, I want it to look like an emerald, not like something else, tourmaline or otherwise. The only way to get a decent emerald is to spend a lot of money or inherit it, otherwise, I just wouldn''t bother with your run of the mill ones. However, if you want the ultimate in green, and your budget will allow for it, that''s the way to go IMO.
 

LD

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Messages
10,224
Bottom line - which suits your skintone better? For example, I can wear green but I most definitely struggle with yellows and oranges. I adore looking at them on other people but on me they just look bleurgh!
 

empress

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Aug 18, 2007
Messages
104
Congratulations on being a finalist for a Fulbright - that is seriously impressive!

Get something that makes your heart sing!
 

DistinctionJewelry

Shiny_Rock
Trade
Joined
Oct 27, 2008
Messages
198
Based strictly on the pictures, which can deceive....

I''ve seen more brilliant spessartites. They can really, really jump out at you and that one looks a little dull. That cushion demantoid looks like it would be the best of the lot in person, but they are all pretty. Not a fan of the grossular, though - just personally.
 

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,636
Empress, thank you so much! I was pretty excited too.
1.gif


LD, you have a good point! I think I look nice in oranges, pinks, and reds. Basically, warm colors. I do think I look alright in green as well.

TL- I know what you mean. I would love to have a fine emerald, but its going to be a while.

Distinction, I''ve seen better ones too, but I haven''t found any on my search. I also love the look of orange grossulars.
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
38,227
Indy, it''s a difficult choice because none of them sing to me, even if I had to choose one. However, it doesn''t matter which one I like because we may not like the same thing. As a friend once told me, the world would be a boring place if everyone likes the same thing. If none sing to you either, then keep looking and don''t feel bad about it. And congrats on making the cut to the final of the Fullbright elimination.
36.gif
 

Arkteia

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 3, 2009
Messages
7,589
If budget is a consideration, I''d opt for a spessartite.
I have beautiful tsavorite earrings, but they are tiny. 4 mm. each, and even bezeled, they look what they are: beautiful tiny green stones.
With the spessartite, you do not spend that much money. They come in orange, orange-red, red-orange. Red-orange are chaper so you can buy a good stone even on the ebay. I shall post one today if my camera is in the "picture mood". There are (still) beautiful demantoids around but really nice ones would cost! Spessartites are bright and sparkly and noticeable in jewelry.
 

ma re

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 10, 2008
Messages
2,698
Depends what you''d like to wear more. If it''s something pastel(ish) and gentle in color, I''d go for that demantoid; if you''d like a more vivid color, spess would be my option.

BTW, I was browsing through multicolour.com the other day for someone, and found these (not sure if they''re within budget):

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?141324708 - seems to be quite vibrant and nicely cut

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-2105218105 - a bit more of an amber color, but the cut is really nice, should be sparkly

Neither is a top color, but I think each is nice in it''s own right, so thought you might like them.
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top