Spessartites: Loliondo, Namibian, and Nigerian

[cellentani]

My good friend and fellow gemstone collector, Alj, met with me this weekend, and we put our spessartites together for a photoshoot. I thought it was interesting to compare these orange garnets from 3 different locations, and while there's always a range colors and inclusions, I think they're fairly classic examples of each. Lots of photos to follow....

 

[cellentani]

 

[Arcadian]

Thanks for posting those, they're all very lovely examples for each location!

I found that in some of my pictures of my new spess I also saw brown in the pic though it wasn't there IRL either I don't know if its just shadow from the camera, me, who knows. They can be hard to photo.


-A

 

[VapidLapid]

gorgeous stones. Makes me sad that litnon no longer discounts to PSers, but they still have great deals.

This is not mine but I thought I would contribute it to your lolipop guild. Im sure it is not facetable but anyone who wanted it would likely want it more for the fine crystal structure and color than for clarity.

http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/jhbnyc/gifs/51835.htm

 

[faegrace]

cellentani ~

Thank you for the amazing pics. I just bought my first spessartite and am over the moon with it! And I imagine it will not be my last. LOL

~ faegrace

 

[sleepyspinel]

I have yet to get some Tanzanian material but I have some Nigerian and Namibian (Litnon) stones to share



These three are most likely from Nigeria



Two more shots of the same stones from above


Namibian, as taken by the vendor



I think its a wonderful to have a thread comparing the different localities! I hope others contribute

 

[ked123]

Just gorgeous!

 

[cellentani]

Holy smokes, sleepy, those spessartites are incredible!! I especially like the round - I would have guessed it was Namibian, lol!

 

[JewelFreak]

All of your pics are wonderful to see -- they hit all the buttons of why I'm addicted to gems in their complexity & beauty. Neat to see them from the different locations, great idea.

VL, I could gaze at that piece of rough all day, with its crystal structure & texture as well as color. So interesting.

--- Laurie

 

[Arkteia]

Beautiful stones! The rough is amazing, too!

 

[chrono]

Interesting how I was able to guess the location quite accurately; then again, the examples shown are very good and typical of that location which made it easier. I love looking at these spessartites!

 

[T L]

I have one spessartite pear that I suspect is Namibian. I don't know the origin for sure, but it is the color of some Namibians I have seen, and it has the whispy veils and microscopic silk that Namibians are known for. It's very neon, and really does look like the Fanta soda. I bought it from a dealer ten years ago or so, and he had a whole parcel. This one was, by far, the cleanest. It's four carats on the dot.

I have a loliondo from Gene. Great stone, and it's fairly large. It's more of a yellowish orange, but very bright and neon. It's included, but the inclusions don't bother me, as this is typical for the material, and it's 6 carats (huge), precision cut, and it glows in some lighting.

I have a 3.5 carat Nigerian, which is slightly more brown (although still in the realm of orange), and it's flawless (I can't even seen anything with a loupe). This is typical of Nigerian material. If you like clean spessartites, Nigerian stones are for you, as Loliondo and Namibians are almost always included.

I have a fairly clean 2.5 ct Nigerian stone from Tan in a bypass setting with a tsavorite. It's more of a yellowish orange. I think it's Nigerian, but I suspect Loliondo.

I need to take more up to date photos with my new camera, but there's photos of them all over PS.

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

I need to take more up to date photos with my new camera, but there's photos of them all over PS.

Oh come on !!!!!
When can we have enough pictures of pretty Spess ??? HUH ?????

I would love to see your pics with new camera ~ I find my spess a frightening challenge to photograph

 

[T L]

I need to take more up to date photos with my new camera, but there's photos of them all over PS.

Oh come on !!!!!
When can we have enough pictures of pretty Spess ??? HUH ?????

I would love to see your pics with new camera ~ I find my spess a frightening challenge to photograph

I took a pic of my pear with my new camera in my "obnoxious camera" thread, but when I uploaded it to PS, it made the stone look more brown!! It has no brown in it. I get so frustrated with uploading photos here sometimes.

I haven't been on an orange kick lately, so I haven't taken that many pics of my spessartites with my new camera, but I will.

 

[cellentani]

I need to take more up to date photos with my new camera, but there's photos of them all over PS.

Oh come on !!!!!
When can we have enough pictures of pretty Spess ??? HUH ?????

I would love to see your pics with new camera ~ I find my spess a frightening challenge to photograph

I took a pic of my pear with my new camera in my "obnoxious camera" thread, but when I uploaded it to PS, it made the stone look more brown!! It has no brown in it. I get so frustrated with uploading photos here sometimes.

I haven't been on an orange kick lately, so I haven't taken that many pics of my spessartites with my new camera, but I will.

TL, I've had the same trouble - I was horrified to see my photos at the top of the thread! Somehow, the PS compression rate makes my photos look washed out, dull, and a little brown. Not very inspiring, to say the least.

 

[Barrett]

Hey cell, great thread. So cool to see the 3 diff. location varieties. Good job thinking of that!

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

I need to take more up to date photos with my new camera, but there's photos of them all over PS.

Oh come on !!!!!
When can we have enough pictures of pretty Spess ??? HUH ?????

I would love to see your pics with new camera ~ I find my spess a frightening challenge to photograph

I took a pic of my pear with my new camera in my "obnoxious camera" thread, but when I uploaded it to PS, it made the stone look more brown!! It has no brown in it. I get so frustrated with uploading photos here sometimes.

I haven't been on an orange kick lately, so I haven't taken that many pics of my spessartites with my new camera, but I will.

TL, I've had the same trouble - I was horrified to see my photos at the top of the thread! Somehow, the PS compression rate makes my photos look washed out, dull, and a little brown. Not very inspiring, to say the least.

I am feeling the pain, there is no way that spess of mine has brown, when I look at it I see a bright orange fireball. (Seems to be a true orange, according to Arc's panko renderings...)
I am the ONLY ONE WHO CAN SEE IT !!!!!!!!!!!
the inclusions are all sugar, no brown or black...
All I can think is that the facets are reflecting back every background color
known to man, and then some, when the picture is taken.
then when downloaded all the brightness is gone.

SOOOOO ANNOYING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Henripootel]

Hi. I'm not really a gem guy but I'm curious about the value of raw Namibian spessartites. I have a few but I never gave much thought as to their value. My thanks in advance.

 

[VapidLapid]

You do understand that valuation is far beyond the scope of this consumer forum. Even with good photographs to judge them by there would be no way for us to examine them and test them, and that, even, would be assuming any of us is qualified to value gem rough. For a ball park I would suggest you look at what sellers of rough are charging for similar material. Remember size, fineness of color and clarity as well as advantageousness of rough shape can all be factors in pricing. One reputable seller of rough you might look at is
http://africangemstones.co.za/plate9.htm
scroll down the page to get to the spessartites.

Good luck!

 

[canuk-gal]

My good friend and fellow gemstone collector, Alj, met with me this weekend, and we put our spessartites together for a photoshoot. I thought it was interesting to compare these orange garnets from 3 different locations, and while there's always a range colors and inclusions, I think they're fairly classic examples of each. Lots of photos to follow....

HI:

Thanks for the eyecandy! WOW!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Henripootel]

Just what I was looking for - thanks Vapid. Sorry to intrude, I was simply curious about namibian stones.

 

[cellentani]

Just wanted to post an updated photo of the Namibian spess as it's now set! 6.34ct, in an 18K and diamond setting. Funny enough, Allison D was with me during that first photo shoot, and we were together for this pic too - this is her shot on one of the pumpkins we carved later that night.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

How did I miss this stunner?

cheers--Sharon