some questions about rhodolites - no pics

[Arkteia]

Just wanted to discuss colors of rhodolites and my expectations. I wanted to have a nice rhodolite since I first read about them.

My first one was bought at Costco and returned back owing to my general paranoia about Costco stones, but frankly, I regret it now. It was a light-pink stone, no salmon color and no traces of brown. Since that time, I have tried purchasing rhodolites several times, and had to return them back. Most of them were overly dark. Some had a tad of brown which makes this stone extremely unattractive. Some changed color in different light, from very desirable to almost unnoticeable.

The best one I ever bought color-wise was from Rick Martin but it was a cabochon and at that time, I could not afford spending much $$ on setting one more stone in gold bezel due to possible significant investment into my son future education.

I have bought and returned several more. My question is, should I pursue this stone at all? I saw some beautiful almandites on different websites, has anyone seen them in person? Could they be a better choice?

I saw some beautiful stones in "Cocktai rings", can anyone post more links from the PS?

 

[marymm]

I have more than several Rhodolites - most of them are the red/raspberry color, but a couple are the red/violet color from the Umba region and I find them slightly more pleasing. For me, I found the colors worth the hunt, but I did purchase them probably two years ago and maybe they were more plentiful then?

I have only one Almandine - an 8x6mm oval - it is actually the truest red stone I have, with no brown or other modifiers to it - and it is more red than my admittedly less-than-stellar-quality rubies (which are distinctly pinkish next to it) and my red spinels. It is my favorite red stone, although I have yet to find the right setting for it.

I think all of the Almandines I've seen online have been in the red to dark red color family - if you are interested in the color of Rhodolites, which to me are in the raspberry-to-violet/red color family, I don't think you'll find Almandines to be similar - but on their own merit I think if you like red, Almandines would be a great addition to your collection.

I'm sure others with more knowledge about garnets will be posting, and I look forward to being schooled.

 

[LD]

Your description of the Costco gem doesn't sound like a great Rhodolite (but that's just because it's terrible to compare colours to descriptions)! For me, a great Rhodolite will be purplish/red/with pink flashes rich and warm in colour (like a great shiraz wine). It won't be pink though. Raspberry isn't quite the descriptor I'm looking for but it's near enough.

Rhodolite is a mixture of pyrope and almandite - which ones have you seen that have grabbed your attention?

Good Rhodolites can definitely be found and they're not too expensive. The problem is that (as you say) they can be too brown or too dark. If you're wanting a more pink stone then they're probably not the ones for you.

AJS have some nice ones:

http://www.ajsgem.com/rhodolite-garnet-gemstone-garnet-2046340405.html

 

[Arcadian]

Like LD said, you can find them quite reasonably priced. if your intention is to bezel the stone,just know that they can change somewhat in color.

I put my rhodolite which was a medium pinkish purple into a halo and it darkened to a medium purple with pink flashes. There was a thread on this (its somewhere on the forum) but i think most of us deduced that it kind of the nature of the beast. So armed with that knowledge and experience, my next rhodolite will be in the most open setting I can find!

You may want to look at Umbalite also. They don't seem to change as much after setting.

-A

 

[LD]

I agree with Arc. Umbalites are beautiful - again a Pyrope/Almandine mix. Here's one that I bought from Gene. It's phenomenal and has multiple personalities. The photos are in bright sunlight and then shaded sunlight.

 

[Pandora II]

My favourite is a royal rhodolite that I bought from Rick Martin - deep grape/raspberry with blue flashes.

Defining what a rhodolite is can be tricky. As LD said, it's a pyrope/almandine mix and can occupy various places along a spectrum. For example you can get a stone with a pyrope RI but if you take a spectrum it will be correct for almandine. The term 'Rhodolite' is a market term rather than a geological (or even strictly gemmological) and tends to define the reddish-violet colour. I have bought stones in the past that have been called 'rose rhodolite's and are pale pink but I wouldn't personally call them rhodolites.

I wouldn't get too hung up on what the name of a particular shade of a garnet is as all garnets fall somewhere on a spectrum whether it's a pyrope-almandine or a pyrope-spessartite-almandine etc. I don't think pure pyropes, almandines or spessartites actually exist, so just go with the colour of stone that you like regardless of the name.

 

[T L]

I agree with Arc. Umbalites are beautiful - again a Pyrope/Almandine mix. Here's one that I bought from Gene. It's phenomenal and has multiple personalities. The photos are in bright sunlight and then shaded sunlight.

Such a beautiful stone LD. I was hoping you would show it as an example of a beautiful rhodolite. Umbalites are the marketing name for rhodolites that are found in the Umba valley of Tanzania. The fine ones have exemplary color such as yours.

 

[LD]

Thank you TL. I believe there is a subtle difference with the Umbalites in that they are a Pyrope/Almandine and Spess mix. Rather than just the Pyrope/Almandine of rhodolites from elsewhere. I have no clue how that affects the stone other than I think it makes it a bit less red than the ones without the spess mix.

 

[T L]

Thank you TL. I believe there is a subtle difference with the Umbalites in that they are a Pyrope/Almandine and Spess mix. Rather than just the Pyrope/Almandine of rhodolites from elsewhere. I have no clue how that affects the stone other than I think it makes it a bit less red than the ones without the spess mix.

Really? I would have thought the spess portion would make them more orange. Malayas are a spess mix (with pyrope or almandine, I forget) and they are peachy. Your stone definitely is not peachy.

 

[LD]

I believe it's only traces of spessartite so probably not enough to give it any orange but may account for why Umbalites are a fraction lighter than Rhodolites from elsewhere.

 

[movie zombie]

do not forget that spess also has a spectrum of color......a red stone w/o orange can also be classified as a spess due to chemical content.

MoZo

 

[Arkteia]

Thank you all for your help.

Beautiful stone, LD! Simply beautiful.

I understand now where the problem lies, first, they are on a darker side and it is often not what I am looking for, and, second, they are color-changers and hence some of them do not look attractive in fluorescent lights. In Seattle we are environment-conscious and there are fluorescent bubs everywhere. They change the color of stones, so what may look gorgeous in Florida or Arizona does not look well in Seattle offices (or daytime overcast skies). It actually, opens a totally different subject, which stones to buy for a modern office? Probably, the ones that fluoresce.

 

[LD]

Crasru - sorry but I've misled you. Rhodolites are generally NOT colour changers. The one from Gene I posted above is really the exception to the rule. Here's another that's dark but has presence. It holds its colour in all lighting conditions and the only difference is you see more or less flashes of pink. However, I still think that Rhodolites in general are going to be too dark for you because of the description of the one you loved.

 

[marcy]

I have seen them in several shades of color as well but the ones I like the best are probably best described as raspberry. The nicest one I have I found at a local jeweler's for $41. I think it'd been in his gemstone case for years and even his gf working that day was kind of shocked at the price. I think he made up the price though in what he charged me for the custom ring he made for it.

 

[blithesome71]

OMG LD! That Umbalite is sooo beautiful! I've been doing some back reading here at PS when your umba ring made me drool