Gray spinel or sapphire for engagement ring

[JDark55]

Hello all-

I'm new to this forum, but it looks like a perfect place to ask this! I'm looking for a gray, angular cut (emerald, princess, asscher) gemstone, probably 1.5-3.5 carats for an engagement ring. My girlfriend was digging around and really liked gray diamonds as well as dark blue and gray sapphires- I've found that there's essentially no way I can afford a gray diamond of the size I want for her so I've been looking at spinel and sapphires.

I've been looking at the recommended vendors online and they have tons of beautiful violet and pink spinel but almost no one has gray stones. I would really, really appreciate some help in finding a stone that fits what I'm looking for. Thank you so much in advance!

JD

 

[chrono]

Lighter gray or darker gray? I don't think I've ever seen a pure gray spinel; most will have a hint of lavender. Princess cut will be very difficult, step cut is doable but will take time.

 

[JDark55]

Light gray would be more ideal. A very clear gem with a bit of smoky hue is kind of what I'm shooting for. I don't mind a hint of violet, but I'm definitely going more for gray as opposed to gray-violet.

 

[chrono]

Do you mind sharing your budget range? 1.5 ct is doable but getting above the 3 ct mark is noticeably more challenging. I did a quick look and found only 2 ovals worth considering.

 

[JDark55]

Of course- sorry for the lack of clarity- I haven't done this before

I would like the stone itself to be less than $500 if possible, though that is flexible to a degree. Her taste is very understated, the final product will probably be a solitaire with a small amount of detailing on the band but not much. In retrospect a 3+ ctw is probably a bit much, I just wanted to give folks a broad base to work with.

Does that sound reasonable? I was shocked at how cost-prohibitive gray diamonds were, considering that they don't seem to be the most popular stones. I definitely do not have $2k to drop on a ring, as much as I would love to.

 

[chrono]

$500 is realistic for 1.5 carat. The emerald cut and asscher cut shape will be a challenge though. How much time do you have until the proposal?

 

[JDark55]

She's totally unaware that I'm doing this, and I don't really have a timetable. I'd rather get this part figured out and then work on the details of when/where/how I'm going to do it. It's definitely not time sensitive.

I've seen lots of cushion cuts, the few emeralds I've seen don't seem to have the luster of the other cuts (I know that's just something you get with that cut, but the dropoff seems sharper with spinel than with diamonds). The specific cut isn't crucial, but she definitely likes angular cuts. I believe her exact words were "everyone has round ones, pears and marquis just don't do it for me and I swear to god if you get me a heart shape I will throw it at you. I just really like the angular ones."

She was obviously joking, but that's the general sentiment lol.

 

[FrekeChild]

Hahahaha at the heart comment! I like your girlfriend.

 

[deskjockey]

It may not be possible for the size/price you're looking for but maybe email Blaze at blazengems.com. It's not spinel but since montana sapphires typically have a lot of grey, he may know of some grey/silver ones that may not be on his site.

Also she said she likes angular cuts and you should really do something she would like, but is there any way to feel her out about rose cuts and semi-opaque stones? I love rings like this:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/170945480/rose-cut-diamond-ring-engagement-ring-in?ref=listing-18

They are low profile and understated, though it's harder to find cushion type shapes.

(going to go back in my corner now)

 

[FrekeChild]

So most of these don't fit your description, but wanted to throw them out there anyway.

Gray supernova oval
https://www.etsy.com/listing/169483...rnova-oval-ceylon-gray?ref=shop_home_active_1

Says it's violet, but looks pretty gray to me, you should ask her about it:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/175072...et-ceylon-spinel-nice?ref=shop_home_active_18

White instead of gray, but maybe?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/161473819/126-carat-white-emerald-cut-ceylon?ref=shop_home_active_23

Almost colorless oval
https://www.etsy.com/listing/172382279/rare-burmese-white-spinel-nice?ref=shop_home_active_14

Gray supernova oval, set in a halo, on sale!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/196479...23-carat-precision-cut?ref=shop_home_active_4

I just thought of Julia B's shop because I was perusing it last night. I'll keep an eye out!

 

[chrono]

I checked out JB right away and I think all are ovals except for that 1 step cut which is slightly off-symmetry.

 

[VirginiaZee]

This might be larger than you wanted and it's a cushion, so not exactly angular (sorry if I missed that you didn't want a cushion) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYfXQogpvGc&feature=youtu.be

 

[JDark55]

I had not actually seen the rose cuts, with the semi-opaque stones they are very pretty. I think she'd really like those but maybe not for an engagement ring. I just want something that will sparkle a little more. I'll definitely keep these in mind down the road though, thank you! I really think you should come out of your corner more often!

Freke, both the emerald and the asscher cut stones look great! The emerald is a bit more white than I'd like, and I agree that asscher looks very gray in the photos but on the video the violet definitely comes out more. Really pretty stone though. The unset supernova is closest to the color I'm looking for for sure, but I don't think any of them are exactly what I want. Now I just want to have an actual income so I can buy those for her too lol.

Thanks for helping out, all of these are so much better than what I was finding on my own over the past ~2 days. If you find anything else I'd love to know.

 

[digdeep]

This stone is quite sparkly in bright light, but gets darker in shade...........I've seen it in person.

http://www.mastercutgems.com/preview.php?cat=250&id=7644

 

[Cupcake_Panda]

What about this one? It's a bluish gray to my eyes, so I don't know if that's better or worse than a purple cast, but I'm fascinated by the color!

http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=7644

EDIT: digdeep and I were on the same brain wave!!!

 

[digdeep]

YES!! My fingers are not working as fast as your brain, though...........

 

[Cupcake_Panda]

haha nonsense I'm jealous you've seen it in person!!!

 

[deskjockey]

digdeep and cupcake panda, for the win!

 

[JDark55]

That is a great looking stone! It really doesn't appear to have much of a blue hue to it. When you saw it in person did the blue come through more or is it really just gray with a tiny hint of blue?

 

[chrono]

Might be worth contacting Gemcal to see if he has anything else similar.
http://gemcal.com/fancy-spinel-2-87-cts-2794-2

 

[Cupcake_Panda]

JDark55,

If you look on another part of the website, Master Cut Gems have a nice return policy: "Full refund but the item must be returned within 10 days, unaltered, and insured for same amount as item was received."

In my very limited experience, color like what you're trying to discern --- is it bluish gray, or just gray, or mostly gray with blue flashes, is it too dark for me, etc. --- can vary depending on each person's eyes! I say order it if you think you'll like it, so you can see what it actually looks like in person. View it in different lighting situations to get a feel for whether it goes too dark or has too much blue for you. If you don't like it, you can return it, after you've learned more about what it is you like and don't like in a stone If you don't like it, hopefully you'll be able to post here what you don't like, and that will help the experts find you the perfect one!


....Of course I *may* be biased just because I want to see more pictures of that one (Just to be clear:I kid, I kid)

 

[digdeep]

That is a great looking stone! It really doesn't appear to have much of a blue hue to it. When you saw it in person did the blue come through more or is it really just gray with a tiny hint of blue?

I agree with cupcake panda.........Dana is a very nice person to deal with and knows that Colored Stones can look different to each set of eyes and usually need to be seen in person--he has a good return policy.

If I remember correctly, the flashes were a dusty grey/blue and it was very pretty in sunlight......I don't remember them being blue-blue, but this was a while back so I could be wrong. Again, my memory was that I really liked it's performance in bright light, but for me, it didn't work in shade where it was more a solid grey color. Possibly that could be addressed with a setting other than what I was considering----and truth be told, I live in a climate where grey is always around!!!

 

[Bex]

I think this one might have just gone up today or last night on Julia B's etsy shop...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/167166106/ceylon-grayish-white-spinel-nice

It's on the smaller side of your range, but the cut is gorgeous! I think she also offers a discount on the stone if you get the setting from her as well.

 

[Vidalia]

I agree with cupcake panda.........Dana is a very nice person to deal with and knows that Colored Stones can look different to each set of eyes and usually need to be seen in person--he has a good return policy.

I third these comments. I've only purchased once from Dana (a parcel of spinels), but he was very nice in his communications, prompt in shipment, and the spinels were a great deal.

 

[FrekeChild]

I think this one might have just gone up today or last night on Julia B's etsy shop...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/167166106/ceylon-grayish-white-spinel-nice

It's on the smaller side of your range, but the cut is gorgeous! I think she also offers a discount on the stone if you get the setting from her as well.

How did I miss that one?!

 

[kt]

I haven't posted in ages as I haven't been around but I saw this post and I bought Dana's grey spinel after digdeep returned it...it was absolutely lovely and I would say it was more grey with a hint of blue. The only reason why I sent it back was because I have a round one that is almost the exact same color and couldn't justify it...I also just bought the red-pink spinel cushion that he was selling for his friend, so I *really* couldn't justify it!! But it was a beautiful color and cut.

I second that Dana is a wonderful guy and I love buying stones from him! You should really get in touch with him and he may be able to help.

 

[digdeep]

JDark55 If you like Dana's spinel I suggest you ask him to send it to you so someone else doesn't pick it off.......it is certainly a nice size and price--as well as nicely cut spinel!

 

[chrono]

I think this one might have just gone up today or last night on Julia B's etsy shop...
https://www.etsy.com/listing/167166106/ceylon-grayish-white-spinel-nice
It's on the smaller side of your range, but the cut is gorgeous! I think she also offers a discount on the stone if you get the setting from her as well.

It looks very blue (2 with blue backgrounds and 1 hand shot, it looks more silvery in the last hand shot); I would follow up with questions on this spinel if interested.

 

[digdeep]

JDark55............Are you getting Dana's spinel for 'a look'? It's now marked sold.............

 

[JDark55]

Well that's unfortunate, apparently enough people talked about it on here that when I got online this morning to have him send it to me it was already gone . Should have done it before work last night. I'll contact him again to be sure but I think I'm too late. Thanks so much for everyone who suggested it, next time I won't be so slow on the trigger.

EDIT: shipped out this morning to someone else. DRAT!

I did email Julia about that grayish white one, very pretty stone (though triple the price of Dana's!)