Newbie - Africa gems

[Suzee]

New on every front - never posted to a forum, never bought a stone on line, never bought a sapphire.
What do you think of this stone, advertised as a padparadscha saphire, eye clean.
http://www.africagems.com/pad-sapphiregem-ic-sa-231.html

I love the color, can't tell much about it is cut. I would like it for a ring. I love the color red. I have a 1.4 ct burmese ruby and was thinking about getting a red spinel for my other hand. Then I thought that I should try stepping outside my comfort zone and try something else. I wear my rings all the time so I want a sturdy stone. I''ve not seen any complaints about Africa gems but I didn't see it on the recommended vendor list.

What do you think? Any response would be appreciated.

 

[T L]

New on every front - never posted to a forum, never bought a stone on line, never bought a sapphire.
What do you think of this stone, advertised as a padparadscha saphire, eye clean.
http://www.africagems.com/pad-sapphiregem-ic-sa-231.html

I love the color, can't tell much about it is cut. I would like it for a ring. I love the color red. I have a 1.4 ct burmese ruby and was thinking about getting a red spinel for my other hand. Then I thought that I should try stepping outside my comfort zone and try something else. I wear my rings all the time so I want a sturdy stone. I''ve not seen any complaints about Africa gems but I didn't see it on the recommended vendor list.

What do you think? Any response would be appreciated.

I never bought from Africagems, although I have spoken to Marc, and he's a reputable vendor, good return policy from what I hear, and he was honest with me.

If you like that color, then try it out. At least it has a GIA report with TE, and I think you may need to double check that code, but hopefully it means that it was heated only and tested for foreign elements. I forget, as I deal with AGL mostly, and their comments are more straightforward than GIA (no codes).

Not sure why Africagems isn't on the recommended list, but if someone had a good experience with them, they should ask them to be added.

 

[LD]

Hello and welcome!

Well you know how to set the cat amongst the pigeons with your first post! What I think will happen is you'll get people who love it and say it's a Padparadscha and then others (me included - sorry) who say, that doesn't fit the description of what a Padparadscha should be like!

So why is this so contraversial? Well, unlike other gems, there has never been a definitive "this is what a sapphire has to be in order for it to be called a Padparadscha". Clearly, everybody accepts that one has to be orangey-pink or pinkish-orange but that's where opinion then divides. For example, some say that the only "real" Padparadschas come from Sri Lanka, others will accept other locales. some accept strongly saturated gems, others say that's not correct!

The only definition that has ever been accepted is one from LMHC - http://www.lmhc-gemology.org/pdfs/IS4_18012010.pdf

So, if you follow that definition, the stone has to be pastel tone with low to medium saturation. I don't see the stone you've linked to as pastel (although the middle one on the right hand side of the Africa Gems screen fits the bill a little better). GIA are also probably not a lab that I would want to hang my hat on with coloured stones. I would prefer an AGL report.

Now then, having said all of that(!), the price is ok - perhaps a little higher than I would pay - but the gem is heated so I would want to know if it's been tested for Be diffusion. At the end of the day, do you LOVE it? Does it speak to you? If it's just a sapphire (and not a Padparadscha) would you still buy it and love it???????

 

[LD]

http://www.africagems.com/pad-sapphiregem-ic-sa-654.html Now this IS what I call a Padparadscha! You can clearly see the orange and the pink. It's also got an AGL brief which would be comforting.

 

[T L]

http://www.africagems.com/pad-sapphiregem-ic-sa-654.html Now this IS what I call a Padparadscha! You can clearly see the orange and the pink. It's also got an AGL brief which would be comforting.

I would ignore the marketing name of padparadscha because I feel that it's too subjective to everyone's tastes, and what a lab considers a padparadscha. I would just buy what you like in a orange or pink sapphire, or a combination of orange-pink, and make sure it's been thoroughly tested with the proper paperwork. The marketing name of "padparadscha" helps make these stones more expensive than some colors should be, but if you're on a budget, you can probably find a spinel that color for far far far less money, and they're durable stones too.

 

[LD]

http://www.africagems.com/pad-sapphiregem-ic-sa-654.html Now this IS what I call a Padparadscha! You can clearly see the orange and the pink. It's also got an AGL brief which would be comforting.

I would ignore the marketing name of padparadscha because I feel that it's too subjective to everyone's tastes, and what a lab considers a padparadscha. I would just buy what you like in a orange or pink sapphire, or a combination of orange-pink, and make sure it's been thoroughly tested with the proper paperwork. The marketing name of "padparadscha" helps make these stones more expensive than some colors should be, but if you're on a budget, you can probably find a spinel that color for far far far less money, and they're durable stones too.

I would agree with this - hence my post above. When something is being sold as a "padparadscha" the price suddenly ends up with another zero on the end of the price! As TL has said, you can get other gems that replicate this colourway at a much more afordable price!

 

[minousbijoux]

Sorry but I too agree with LD that the stone does not look like a padparadscha. This is because in the photo, it appears too saturated and too reddish instead of the lighter pinkish orange (or orangish pink). On the other hand, if you look at the GIA cert, the color there does look more representative of a padparadscha. From my own experience, I find that GIA does not throw the term around loosely and you actually can see how they have labeled it on the cert. That is a good thing. If you like it, I say go for it, because as a padparadscha, it is pretty low priced. Also, if it had treatments other than heat, the cert would say so as I recollect from my experience with GIA. Finally, I love the saturation level of the one LD pointed you to, but I see brown in the stone that I don't like (full disclosure: I can't stand brown and grey modifiers).

Oh, and welcome aboard and good luck!

 

[Suzee]

Thanks to all. The padparadscha name doesn't matter so much as the color. Absent the high profile name, is it worth the money? I have seen some settings I like on Fay Cullen but they are $2,500 plus and I am thinking that I should get a stone with a value in the same cost ball park as the setting? Flawed thinking? But if I pay that much for a setting, then maybe I should swing back to looking for a deliciously red spinel. I am chasing my tail, here, as you can see.

This forum is fabulous. Thanks to all of the contributors.

 

[LD]

Ok - so if the name "Padparadscha" isn't important to you and it's more about colour/setting/value for money then I think you can get a similar coloured stone, with a setting (probably sourced separately) for the cost of that stone from Africa Gems.

If you're happy with a spinel or a "normal" sapphire in that colour and a setting from one of the Ebay sellers we use, you'll definitely come in on budget. However, if you're looking at a Leon Mege setting then you won't.

However, forget a red spinel because true red spinels will eat up your budget (even if you could find one)!

 

[LD]

Just a very quick look but this is a similar colour (and in a pendant setting) but look at the difference in price!

http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/imagestanzanite2005/437slp-sm.html

I don't know these Ebay sellers but here's a few others:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-01CT-VIVID-REDISH-ORANGE-100-NATURAL-SRI-LANKAN-SPINEL-NICE-SPARK-RARE-COLOR-/250894256835?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6a768ac3

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-69cts-Unique-Hot-Orange-Pink-Hue-Oval-Ceylon-Spinel-/290668341947?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43ad2eeabb

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-44cts-Unique-Hot-Orange-Pink-Hue-Cushion-Ceylon-Spinel-/290668772979?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43ad357e73