Yellow Kunzite Necklace

[mhovingh]

This was my first encounter with Kunzite and I am really unsure how best to capture this kind of stone. Comments/opinions are welcome, both on the stone and the photography.

I would really appreciate any constructive criticism on the photography from anyone who has experience photographing this type of stone or stones that photograph similar. Thanks for looking!

 

[mhovingh]

Another lower lighting shot.

 

[mhovingh]

Picture of it in my hand under my normal level of lighting for photographing stones.

 

[T L]

I always feel so harsh and mean when I get these "opinons wanted" threads, but I keep respondng to them, so since you asked. . .

I don't care for the stone at all. It's washed out and a very unattractive color. The stone size just makes the color more expansive so you see more of the dead color and terrible luster. The chain is nice though, but the pendant doesn't do a thing for me. Sorry.

ETA: It's yellow spodumene, not kunzite Kunzite is the marketing name for pink spodumene.

No such thing as yellow kunzite unless someone is just trying to use the marketing name to make it more palatable.

 

[mhovingh]

tourmaline_lover, I really do appreciate any comments. I am trying to learn what people like and dislike about the pieces I post, both so I can learn what other preferences are and so I can get some insight into what I should be looking at myself when I view stones/pieces. Thank you for posting and giving you input.

Here is a photo from the side so you can see the setting better.

 

[mhovingh]

Another shot showing the setting.

 

[mhovingh]

One final shot looking at the back.

 

[movie zombie]

i like the setting and how the pendant is on the chain. actually, i love it.

but i don''t like the stone at all: washed out and windowed.



mz

ps sorry to be harsh...just be honest, though. i really do like the simplicity and style of the overall effect of the pendant/necklace. i can''t help but think how attractive this necklace would be with a much better stone.......admittedly, i like big stones and statement pieces: i think the necklace is a statement piece that the stone doesn''t live up to. can you replace the stone?

 

[Barrett]

I like the pictures you took and I like the stone color..golds, browns..well, fall colors really..thats your standard yellow spodumene color

 

[LD]

Date: 5/20/2010 5:28:40 PM
Author: amethystguy
I like the pictures you took and I like the stone color..golds, browns..well, fall colors really..thats your standard yellow spodumene color

I respectfully disagree Amguy (sorry). This is not a great yellow spodumene and it''s also cloudy. A good one is very sparkly, lively and clear as a bell (the same as as good Kunzite should look but a different colour)!

Sorry mhovingh!

 

[mhovingh]

No need to apologize for speaking your mind about the stone/piece.

I appreciate the comments.

 

[Barrett]

Oh..LD disagreement taken with respect

..lolol..you know it''s all good

It looks pretty much the same as the 50 some odd kilos of natural spodumene rough crystals i have sold..with a majority of them being light yellow
yellow spodumene is called triphane..if you look at just about all definitions anywhere it says "pale yellow"..just about all natural yellow spodumene I have had pass through my hands which is well over 1000 crystals of the yellow all have been roughly that color..i did see one one time that astro gallery of gems had that the color down the c-axis was fairly vibrant but to get any good yellow color you need a stone 30, 40, 50+cts. Natural yellow "kunzite"/spodumene/triphane is always a pale yellow....my pakistani guys are always trying to pass the cut stones off to me..
here is the only yellow spodumene crystal I have now..i kept it because it''s big..if you look at Mh''s third pic down it looks fairly clean to me..the pic with the back of the stone shows a few flaws ..I think you are reading into MH''s photography skills not showing the stone is sparkly
same color as her stone this crystal?

 

[mhovingh]

amethystguy - Thank you for the informative post. I like that you supplied a pic of a rough you personally have. Only concern I have over your post is "same color as her stone this crystal?". If you were talking about me, I am not a her.

 

[Indylady]

Date: 5/20/2010 4:34:05 PM
Author: mhovingh
tourmaline_lover, I really do appreciate any comments. I am trying to learn what people like and dislike about the pieces I post, both so I can learn what other preferences are and so I can get some insight into what I should be looking at myself when I view stones/pieces. Thank you for posting and giving you input.

Here is a photo from the side so you can see the setting better.

If you''re interested in learning, I''d recommend reading articles on gemstones and gemology. Richard Wise has a few up on his site, and I''m sure other posters will be able to suggest books and other avenues that will help you develop an eye for gems.

 

[Barrett]

lol..sorry mh..my bad..must have slipped in there accidentially

 

[PumpkinPie]

I love the chain and the setting - not a big fan of the stone itself.

 

[blithesome71]

Date: 5/20/2010 9:24:02 PM
Author: Maevie
I love the chain and the setting - not a big fan of the stone itself.

Ditto. If you like yellow, how ''bout a Heliodor? I think its color is stonger than that yellow spodumene. Just my 2 cents

 

[jstarfireb]

I hate to be ganging up on this poor stone, but I also don't like it. On the other hand, I love the pendant - I actually have a similar Stuller setting for a rectangular citrine. I think your photography is very nice too.

 

[ma re]

Mhovingh, if you still haven''t I''d suggest you take a look at this website, as it has a lot of valuable info for people who are new to jewellery and want to learn more: www.gemstone.org
There are many other websites dedicated to gemstones and jewellery, some better, some not as informative, but the above link is a good place to start.
I share the opinion of most here that the chain is much nicer than the rest of the piece. This stone might look more interesting i.e. less...dull (for the lack of a better word) if it were mounted in a more ornated setting, something in a rich shade of yellow, possibly bezeled, with things like granulation or engravings around it, maybe even something sculptural. Rose gold might also do some good to this stone, but honestly, I don''t think anything can help it too much.

 

[chrono]

I think the chain that goes with it is very pretty but that stone is bringing down the entire look. The colour looks pale and dull. Also, I was expecting a pink stone since kunzite is a pink to purplish pink spodumene. I believe the yellow version is just spodumene, not pink kunzite.

 

[oddoneout]

I really like the setting.

 

[LD]

Date: 5/20/2010 7:31:05 PM
Author: amethystguy
Oh..LD disagreement taken with respect

..lolol..you know it's all good

It looks pretty much the same as the 50 some odd kilos of natural spodumene rough crystals i have sold..with a majority of them being light yellow
yellow spodumene is called triphane..if you look at just about all definitions anywhere it says 'pale yellow'..just about all natural yellow spodumene I have had pass through my hands which is well over 1000 crystals of the yellow all have been roughly that color..i did see one one time that astro gallery of gems had that the color down the c-axis was fairly vibrant but to get any good yellow color you need a stone 30, 40, 50+cts. Natural yellow 'kunzite'/spodumene/triphane is always a pale yellow....my pakistani guys are always trying to pass the cut stones off to me..
here is the only yellow spodumene crystal I have now..i kept it because it's big..if you look at Mh's third pic down it looks fairly clean to me..the pic with the back of the stone shows a few flaws ..I think you are reading into MH's photography skills not showing the stone is sparkly
same color as her stone this crystal?

See your point Amguy.

I guess for me, it's not actually the colour (although I have to say I'm not a fan of yellow stones in general anyway) but it's more the cloudiness issue. I'm guessing that parts of your rough would cut up cleanly???? My issue with mhovingh's stone is that it has a cloudy halo around it (sorry mhovingh). A good spod/triphane should also have nice clean clarity. Very rarely do cloudy gemstones sparkle and so this one will struggle to perform as well as a clean one would.

Nice to know you're a "Mr" mhovingh!

 

[LD]

Here's a rubbish picture of one of mine - this is what I mean about the clarity.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

When I photo my kunzites, I find diffused natural light to be the best. In this picture the sun was just over my right shoulder and the kunzite was on my patio chair in the shade of the table.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

In contrast this is the same stone, at night with low wattage incandescent light bulbs to the left of the stone and a lower angle (check out the mutliple shadows to see where the lights were). And those are finger prints on the stone, they''re not as easy to detect in low light lol

See how the angle of the stone lights and camera can drastically change color, lustre and all around prettiness of the stone? I take like 20-25 photos of the stones and only keep about 3. I move the camera slightly up down left right and then turn the stone slightly away from direct light. Sometimes I am not happy at all with the pictures and just go out and try again.