Blue Topaz help

[gem_anemone]

Does anyone have an opinion on either of these two stones or the online store?

http://www.gemselect.com/topaz/topaz-275280.php#
http://www.gemselect.com/topaz/topaz-275279.php#

 

[Arcadian]

Just my own opinion, I would keep looking. For my tastes, the depth of color isn't there, nor is the cutting. While they're inexpensive, you can certainly see why (bad cutting, washed out color)

Blue topaz is pretty abundant, take your time to look around and get something nice (it still won't be expensive given the material)

-A

 

[chrono]

Blue topaz is relatively abundant and inexpensive. You should not accept those that aren't screaming blue (these are surprisingly unsaturated) and badly windowed.

 

[gem_anemone]

Would the two of you feel different about what I posted if I told you I was looking for a certain shade of blue? I was actually afraid the blue would be too dark for what I wanted. Do you recommend a different gem type for a blue that is close to that shade? I am not sure about what to look for in windows. What are signs of bad windows? I've been looking online but I haven't found a good answer.

 

[chrono]

If that is the colour you want, then I'd still keep looking for the sake of a better cut stone.

Quote from the link below: If a gem is cut too shallow, light will pass straight through, rather than returning to the eye as brilliance. This is termed a “window” (right). In well-cut gems, most light returns as brilliance (left). Brilliant areas are those showing bright reflections. Extinction is used to describe dark areas where little or no light returns to the eye.
End Quote

A bit of info on windowing and picture example:
http://www.palagems.com/quality_4cs.htm

When a stone is windowed, you will see through to the bottom of the stone (see your skin or table or whatever) instead of the colour of the gem back to the eye.

 

[LD]

London blue topaz is a distinct colour and VERY easy to find. I suggest you look at the jewellery shopping channels because they typically have them in abundance. The two you've linked to have massive windows and even when set will only look blue around the edges with a noticeably lighter area in the middle.

 

[gem_anemone]

Thank you for the link! And thank you everyone for the advice! How can I tell if the window will be small or not from web pictures? The pics seem to maybe be doctored up.

 

[mastercutgems]

gem_anemone

The nice Ladies on this post are steering you correctly; as usual

I cannot post an opinion on any other vendors gem; but in the world of Irradiated blue topaz it used to be a standard of 3 colors.

London Blue being the darkest
Swiss Blue being a medium blue and rather intense
Sky Blue which to me looked like a pastel aquamarine colored gem

Of course there were variations of each color as they all do not irradiate and heat exactly the same. There is also the coated silver topaz but that is usually done on the pavilion to keep it looking good if the gem was scratched on the crown. You also have diffused topaz and that can be in any color.

IF you are looking for a regular irradiated/heated silver topaz that is blue just make sure it is not hot ( too much irradiation and not cooled down properly; rare but has happened ) and not coated.

Even in the world of treated gems you have to really watch to make sure you are getting the treatment you asked for.

Most Respectfully and Happy New Year;

Dana

 

[distracts]

Thank you for the link! And thank you everyone for the advice! How can I tell if the window will be small or not from web pictures? The pics seem to maybe be doctored up.

In the pictures of the stones you linked to, you can see the greyish color of the background through the stones. That is a window. The 7.64 ct stone is less windowed, but still has a pretty huge tilt window (which you can see in the picture where the stone is tilted). The 7 ct stone has a worse window because it is WAY shallow - look at the picture where it's upside-down, and compare it to the 7.64 ct stone.

Take this stone:
http://www.gemselect.com/topaz/topaz-286597.php#
In the mostly-face-on view, all you see is blue. In the second picture, of the tilted view, there is a mild tilt window (almost all stones will have a tilt window, so just try to minimize it). You want a stone that is not so shallow that it has a huge window, but also one that is not too deep, because being too deep will make the middle of the stone look dark instead of sparkly.

 

[Arcadian]

I think you can get the color blue you are looking for in a much better stone. As explained , a window is when you can see a big spot of nothing in the middle of a stone, where the color tends to go gray or black. There are also tilt windows, a lot less concerning than one that you look at dead on IMO.

There are blue topaz that are quite light blue, but still are very lively because of how they are cut. To me, the two stones are quite washed out. I think that with enough experience on your side, you'll get a better understanding of that that means.

So basically whats being said is, for blue topaz, don't just settle on any old thing. You can take your time and find something that is very lovely while still getting an inexpensive stone.

However the other side of that is that you should buy what you think works for you and only you. People here can only offer opinions and what they see in photos, and you know what they say about those right??


-A

 

[gem_anemone]

Thank you for the link! And thank you everyone for the advice! How can I tell if the window will be small or not from web pictures? The pics seem to maybe be doctored up.

In the pictures of the stones you linked to, you can see the greyish color of the background through the stones. That is a window. The 7.64 ct stone is less windowed, but still has a pretty huge tilt window (which you can see in the picture where the stone is tilted). The 7 ct stone has a worse window because it is WAY shallow - look at the picture where it's upside-down, and compare it to the 7.64 ct stone.

Take this stone:
http://www.gemselect.com/topaz/topaz-286597.php#
In the mostly-face-on view, all you see is blue. In the second picture, of the tilted view, there is a mild tilt window (almost all stones will have a tilt window, so just try to minimize it). You want a stone that is not so shallow that it has a huge window, but also one that is not too deep, because being too deep will make the middle of the stone look dark instead of sparkly.

Thank you! OK I get what you are saying. Oh yeah those are horrible stones LOL