Newbie needs help!

Very very dark and grey. Are you sure you like that? If so, I don't see a window, but I do see that the stone is cut very deep, which would add to its extinction, and the cutlet is off kilter. The table side is nice in shape, and kind of reminds me of the Hope diamond, but that's all I would say that is going for this stone.

ETA: Your url isn't working

I suspect that stone will look more like this one IRL.

http://www.gemselect.com/spinel/spinel-296108.php#

If you like that, then this one is reasonably priced and large.

YUCK I do NOT like that at all! Thanks so much for your help. I really want something that is medium blue with maybe a little bit of violet in it. I have no idea what I'm doing, though. I will continue to look. In the meantime, what do you think of this one from odysseygem on ebay?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/230474251920?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_2041wt_907

I'm sorry, I hate to just post a link but I cannot get the picture downloaded.

Written by CMB » January 31st, 2012, 10:44 am:YUCK I do NOT like that at all! Thanks so much for your help. I really want something that is medium blue with maybe a little bit of violet in it. I have no idea what I'm doing, though. I will continue to look. In the meantime, what do you think of this one from odysseygem on ebay?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/230474251920?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_2041wt_907

I'm sorry, I hate to just post a link but I cannot get the picture downloaded.

Way too dark. When looking for blue or violet spinels, look for lighter tones, as they'll almost always be darker IRL.

All the stones you are interested in look darker than a medium blue; they appear to be in the dark range. Look for a stone (in pictures) where you see a lot of colour, not a lot of black areas.

Good medium blue cobalt spinels are both extremely rare and very expensive (expect to pay in the thousands per carat) and you will find more choice at cheaper prices if you look at sapphires.

The stone you have posted will look black IRL I suspect.

Written by Chrono » January 31st, 2012, 10:51 am:All the stones you are interested in look darker than a medium blue; they appear to be in the dark range. Look for a stone (in pictures) where you see a lot of colour, not a lot of black areas.

And be careful of photoshopping. Blue spinels are one of the most photoshopped gems there is. That is because 99% of them have a lot of grey, and the vendors want them to look more sapphire like.

Look for violet spinels too, as they're most cost effective than nice medium cobalt blue spinels.

Thank you all so much! I really want a sapphire but I thought I'd be able to find a spinel for cheaper to serve as a stand in until I could get a sapphire. I think I will turn my search in a different direction now.

If you like the colour of the stones that you posted, then you should be able to find a sapphire that looks like them IRL fairly easily and it won't be expensive as it's not a market premium shade.

Do you have an idea of size, shape, budget?

Btw, I've had some nice stones from Oilpearl and their photos are reasonably accurate. I've tended to get weird things from them for my study collection, but haven't had anything other than a positive experience with them.

The colors of those spinels on my screen are ok but I definitely wouldn't want them to be darker IRL. If I were buying a sapphire, I would prefer one to be about the color of the one below from simply sapphires (assuming this is close to the actual color).



In my wildest dreams, I'd get one that's about 9mmx 7mm in a cushion cut because that is what I think would look nice on my size 6.5 finger. I'm trying to stay within $500 for now so I know that one of that size is out of my budget. That is why I was looking at spinels. I'm thinking I'll have to get a smaller sapphire now or look at other gemstones.

This one is nice too, IMO.

Even your latest photo has a gem that is quite dark.

In blue gems, generally speaking, the darker it is in a photo, it will appear much darker in real life and then will darken even further once set - and that's in the best lighting conditions.

Blue spinels are difficult to find (unless you want one that looks black or incredibly grey - neither of which are appealing to the majority of gemstone buyers). Good quality blue spinels are very pricey indeed.

Blue sapphires are much easier to find but the more desireable and blue the colour, the more you'll pay.

If you don't know much about gemstones and are happy to accept treatments, one way to pay less is to buy a treated sapphire. One that has been beryllium diffused will be significantly cheaper to buy than a non treated sapphire.

Written by CMB » January 31st, 2012, 1:46 pm:The colors of those spinels on my screen are ok but I definitely wouldn't want them to be darker IRL. If I were buying a sapphire, I would prefer one to be about the color of the one below from simply sapphires (assuming this is close to the actual color).



In my wildest dreams, I'd get one that's about 9mmx 7mm in a cushion cut because that is what I think would look nice on my size 6.5 finger. I'm trying to stay within $500 for now so I know that one of that size is out of my budget. That is why I was looking at spinels. I'm thinking I'll have to get a smaller sapphire now or look at other gemstones.

This one is nice too, IMO.

So it looks like you personally favor the darker side of medium blue with moderate saturation. 9x7 will most likely put you in the 2.5 - 3.5ct range depending on the cut.
I will look around and see what I can find.
~Justin

Thanks, guys so much. This really shows how ignorant I am about gemstones. I honestly thought the last two pictures from simplysapphires.com were respectively medium and light. I think part of my problem is that when I'm looking at these stones, particularly the last two posted, I am looking at them from the viewpoint of how I'd like them to look IRL. So... if I would like something in the color range of the last stone posted, I need to look for something that shows up a little lighter than that on my screen. This is what you are saying, correct? I can see that this will be difficult for me but I will continue to look. Btw, I don't mind a treated stone for the moment. This stone that I buy right now will be a stand in for the next few years until I can get what I really want. I just want it to be pretty.

Thanks, Justin for offering to help me find a stone. I appreciate that so much!

ETA: If you will check out cushionnutcut's sapphire, this is about the color I'd wish to have, maybe even just a tad lighter. I like that you can see just a hint of violet in it with the flash.

http://www.pricescope.com/forum/show-me-the-ring/you-could-even-say-it-glows-my-20th-anniversary-ring-is-here-t102424.html

Written by CMB » January 31st, 2012, 2:10 pm:Thanks, guys so much. This really shows how ignorant I am about gemstones. I honestly thought the last two pictures from simplysapphires.com were respectively medium and light. I think part of my problem is that when I'm looking at these stones, particularly the last two posted, I am looking at them from the viewpoint of how I'd like them to look IRL. So... if I would like something in the color range of the last stone posted, I need to look for something that shows up a little lighter than that on my screen. This is what you are saying, correct? I can see that this will be difficult for me but I will continue to look. Btw, I don't mind a treated stone for the moment. This stone that I buy right now will be a stand in for the next few years until I can get what I really want. I just want it to be pretty.

Thanks, Justin for offering to help me find a stone. I appreciate that so much!

ETA: If you will check out cushionnutcut's sapphire, this is about the color I'd wish to have, maybe even just a tad lighter. I like that you can see just a hint of violet in it with the flash.

http://www.pricescope.com/forum/show-me-the-ring/you-could-even-say-it-glows-my-20th-anniversary-ring-is-here-t102424.html

Yes that's correct.

Cushioncutnut's sapphire is considerably lighter than the ones you are looking at but you have good taste because it's lovely. Unfortunately, it's also a very desireable colour so many people will like it too and it will come with a price tag.

I really like to see violet in my blue stones as well and you're lucky because that might bring the price down.

Not sure of your budget but how about this one? It's gorgeous and I doubt whether you'd need to upgrade in the future. http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/imagespurple2006/purplecns612a-sm.html

This is possibly too dark but you can ask John (owner of Simply Sapphires) http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/imagesblue2006/bluecns232b-sm.html

Is this the one you posted above? In the larger photo it looks lighter but it might be a different stone. Anyway, it has some grey but looks to be a bright and lively stone and there's the added bonus of a handshot
http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/imagesblue2006/bluecns376b-sm.html

Has some grey and violet - the description is very promising if accurate.
http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/imagesblue2006/bluecns581d-sm.html

There are quite a few more on the same website that you can look at. Don't forget, look for something lighter than you want the final ring to look. Ask John if he can provide a handshot of all of them together so you can compare (don't know if he can do it but it's worth asking)!

I know this isn't what you're looking for, but Richard Wise had an amazing blue spinel. Just wanted to post it so you can see a range of blue spinel.
http://www.rwwise.com/products/id|1706

Wild Fish Gems also has some nice ones:
http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/searchresults?s=cobalt&ss=cobalt&n=54190

LD, I really like the last two sapphires you posted, especially the 2nd to last. EEK, I guess I like a little grey. The first has a little more violet than i'd like.

Pregcurious, I really like the color of the sold spinel and I would have said that the colors of all of the spinels from wildfishgems are nice before I realized that they may be darker than they are in the photos. If the color in the photos are true-to-life, I would love the second one from the top. It's more than I can spend right now, though. I do, however, like the color of the last spinel but I'm not sure about the cut. What's going on with it?

CMB, You have been given some very nice options here. This community is great isn't it?

Considering your budget I really love this stone which LD showed you. Providing its not to dark I think it could be a nice option. I personally like the saturation I see in the stone.
http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/imagesblue2006/bluecns232b-sm.html

Here is another option.

http://gemsthailand.com/product-detail.asp?id=25

~Justin