Help with Spessartite purchase

[portia]

I''m looking to buy an oval Spessartite and I know nothing about these stones or oval cuts. Wink is bringing the following three stones in for me to look at next week. I think I like the first one the best (he does too). It has beautiful checkerboard faceting on the top. Looks pretty to me! Is that a good thing? Checkerboard cut? Any thoughts or comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

http://www.palagems.com/php/db_search.php?action=gemdetail&inventory_number=8648

http://www.palagems.com/php/db_search.php?action=gemdetail&inventory_number=11706

http://www.palagems.com/php/db_search.php?action=gemdetail&inventory_number=9794

 

[LadyAmythyst69]

I agree - I like the first one the best. Checkerboard is a nice cut - especially for bigger stones. It helps show the light and throw the color of the stone. As long as the polish is good then these should be nice stones.

 

[portia]

Thanks, LadyAmythyst! I''ve never seen a checkboard cut, but it looks great in the photo. Hopefully it looks just as good when I''m viewing them next week. I always wonder how accurate the photos are.

 

[Kaleigh]

I like all 3, but have to say #1 and #3 are my picks. I love the checkerboard faceting. Have ever seen a checkerboard cut in person?? #2 is a more traditional cut. I think he''s found you 3 lovely stones, can''t wait to see which one you pick.

 

[vivianv]

Oh! I love them all! Why just one?

#3 is my favorite for the slightly lighter orange color.Then #1.

 

[movie zombie]

i am not a fan of checkboard faceting.....but i am a HUGE spessartite fan. you''ll know which one is for you when you see it. spess is extremely hard to photograph even by the best of color gem experts. you''re looking at nice sized stones which will command nice sized prices for pala quality stones. and you''ve got the assistance of wink which is a real plus. if you can, spend as much time as you can with each of the stones. see them in different light. if you could have them for a couple of days it would be ideal for decision making. a quality spess is worth the time, trouble, and $$$$.....no matter the cut. welcome to the world of orange!

movie zombie

ps and i know the experts disagree with me but as a buyer of color gems and the owner of my 8.19 carat spess, i enjoy looking at them through a lens. getting to know your gem up close and personal is like getting to know another''s personality.

 

[Harriet]

Hi Portia,
The stones are from Pala and have been selected by Wink. I''d daresay that they are top quality. You''ll just have to see which one you fall in love with.

 

[marcy]

Spessartite are awesome. I think I''d go with #1 there is less zoning and more light reflection in it. I think all 3 would be nice though.

 

[Skippy123]

Wow, I can''t wait to see what you get!!!

 

[colormyworld]

Of the three I like the proportions and color of the stone pictured in the first link.

 

[portia]

Thanks so much for all the replies! It really helps me to get other opinions.

I had actually gone to online to Pala and found those stones (there were others, too). Really had no idea what to look for so I went by color and shape. I sent them to Wink to find out how much they were and he gave me some comments on the stones which helped me narrow it down to three. I totally trust Wink, however, it''s nice to get other opinions here on PS. Unfortunately, I won''t see them in person (only via webcam) so hopefully it will be really easy to choose as I''m horrible at making decisions!

vivianv - hehe... love your comment ''Why just one?'' It''s going to be difficult to choose... I just know it!

moviezombie - Your Spess. is gorgeous. What a beautiful color! Yum!

It''s funny because after I got engaged and married I started lurking on the Colored Stones forum. I saw some photos of Spessartite, but wasn''t completely enamored with them. Now I can hardly wait to have my own!

I saw this setting on Leon''s website and thought an oval Spessartite set east-west would be beautiful. I talked with Leon about it and he thinks he can adjust the setting to accomodate it. It''s listed as a new, custom reproduction setting.

 

[portia]

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Leon also has a stone for sale. It''s a 4.54 ct. cushion cut Mandarin Garnet (that''s the same as spessartite, right?) and it''s 9.90 x 8.00 x 5.50.



What do you think of this stone? Not quite as big as I wanted, but still lovely.

 

[movie zombie]

not as impressed with this last one....

and i do think the leon setting would be lovely with a spess!

personally, i think it is a mistake to buy a stone without seeing it. is there anyway possible for you to see all three stones side by side? would wink send them to you? of course, it would certainly damage your credit card balance....

movie zombie

 

[portia]

Hi movie zombie,

Maybe if I can decide on 2 stones (maybe one checkerboard and the other regular oval cut) and have those two sent. Three would be a bit much for me as they''re pretty expensive. I''ll see if Wink could do that after I look at them.

Interesting... I think I found the exact stone that Leon had quoted me on ParaibaInternational.com. And it was a lot less $$$ online. I had never seen that website until I saw Harriet''s Emerald thread. They have some very pretty stones.

 

[Harriet]

I don't know whether Leon's stone is from Paraiba. Paraiba certainly has pretty stones. I bought a pair of Spessartite aka Mandarin Garnet rounds from them, returned the pair, and am regretting my decision. I hope it is still around.

 

[Lannie]

I LOVE the vibrant colour of the first one, but I prefer the shape of the third one. I'd say, between the three, number one is the one to go for.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Here is another, but much smaller:

http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=58&idproduct=687

cheers--Sharon

 

[movie zombie]

you''re paying premium for palagem stones.....you are buying their éye'' which means they''ve already gone through a lot of stones before they decided to add a stone to their inventory. there is a price to be paid for that. also, leon will charge add a finder''s fee to any stone he provides you with. its just a matter of business.

personally, i think it can be worth paying the premium price for a premium stone: how many ebay stones are going to be premium? and how many of those stones do you want sent to you only to reject them and send them back? once you''ve seen a premium spess you won''t be able to go back. having experts at pala and wink on your side means your job is just to sit back and finally make a decision as to which one is THE ONE.

btw, did you consider a concave cut spess from richard homer for your stone? not actually sure how it would look with the rest of the setting though....and wink certainly has access to richard''s stones.

if there is anyway possible to see all three stones together side by side even if it means using two credit cards, i''d do it. and then send them back really quick! i''m one of those that would always wonder if i''d made the right decision if i hadn''t seen them all three.....

i''ve gone back and looked at the original three again....and i''m still not smitten with the checkerboards. but i''d get whichever one had the best color and crystal.

movie zombie

 

[chrono]

Based on what I can see on my monitor, I like #3.

HOWEVER, coloured gems do not photograph well and I really don''t like checkerboard as much. Therefore, it is hard to tell which one is truly the best of the three. Plus, Pala is a bit pricey but you know that you''ll be getting a good stone. Coloured stones really need to be seen before buying; it is good that you are getting at least 2 at the same time to compare.

 

[movie zombie]

glad i''m not alone in not liking checkerboards, chrono! not sure why but they just don''t speak to me no matter the stone....

movie zombie

 

[vivianv]

I am not fond of checkerboard cuts either. Yet, it seems that is what I picked out of the line up. Hmmm...

So, Portia, any word?? Cannot wait to see which you pick and then what you do with it!!
I have about 6 of them and have done nothing with any but none of mine are as nice as what you are looking at. I only bought them because I liked the color and sparkle so much. They really do shine in the sun.

 

[portia]

So what is it with checkerboards that everyone doesn''t like? I''ve never seen one other than in pictures so I can''t say whether I like them either. Do they take away from the briliance of the stone or do they make the stone look too ''busy'' or more/less antique? Just trying to get a feel for why they are disliked.

Wink will be calling in about half an hour so I can view the stones via webcam. Very excited!

I will let you all know how it goes. I''m also going to check with him to see about sending the stones to I can spend a little more time looking at them.

 

[Harriet]

I have nothing against checkerboards. I called in a few checkerboard rubies recently.

 

[portia]

Harriet,

Have you seen a checkerboard cut in person? Does it affect the performance of the stone or is it just a personal preference on cut? I''ve not seen one, only photos. I guess I''ll know in a short while!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I have always wondered why they "checkboarded" stones--is it to mask flaws that would otherwise be observable or just for value added design? I have one, but don''t necessarily migrate to that feature. I look forward to seeing which stone you prefer--let us know!

cheers--Sharon

 

[chrono]

I know some people really like checkerboards and I also know that checkerboards are sometimes cut that way to mask zoning in the stone (but not always), so that''s why I am mentally biased.

 

[portia]

Yay!! I saw the stones and am having two sent! I''m having the 5.9 ct. checkerboard oval and the 4.29 regular cut oval sent. The other checkerboard didn''t have as rich a color as these two. I was surprised at how difficult it was to get a good feel for these stones via webcam. Couldn''t really see the true color and brilliance. Although it did seem like the checkboard one was a bit more brilliant. I will have them either Fri. or Mon. so I''ll be able to see them in different lighting. That was a really good suggestion to have them sent!

Also something I noticed when I was looking at the specs... these stones, although different carat sizes, face up close to the same. The 5.9 is quite a bit deeper than the 4.29 (11.76 x 8.43 x 7.12 vs. 11.5 x 8.1 x 5.49). The 4.29 is more $$/ct.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 10/10/2007 11:47:57 AM
Author: portia
Harriet,

Have you seen a checkerboard cut in person? Does it affect the performance of the stone or is it just a personal preference on cut? I''ve not seen one, only photos. I guess I''ll know in a short while!

Yes, my new Ruby. I''m afraid I don''t know the answer to your question though.

 

[movie zombie]

price per carat will reflect quality of stone: color, crystal, cut, etc. i''m so glad you''re having at least 2 of them sent to you.

movie zombie

 

[portia]

mz,

That was great advice you gave to have them sent and then return one. I really couldn''t tell which was better via webcam. Wink said I couldn''t go wrong either way and I really trust his opinion, but it will be great to see them in person. I guess it I''ll know ''the one'' when I have time to spend with them in different lighting conditions.

I''ll keep you all posted!