pls identify the stone, is it synthetic alexandrite?

[b4r]

hi pls help me identify the stones. it is blue without flash and pink with flash. i used an 8.1 mega pixel digicam. the stone is blue green and turns to purple. is this an alexandrite? is it synthetic? if it is, brazilian or indian? thanks a lot!

 

[Divad]

I'm definitely no expert, but it looks like the synthetic alexandrite in this ring from Mexico, bought in the 1970's. Here are some pics in different light:




Synthetic or not, yours are beautiful!

[Edited: typos.]

 

[b4r]

dear divad thanks for your reply and for posting the pics from Mexico. so nice of u, i appreciate it. thanks. God Bless!

 

[jstarfireb]

Yes,it is probably synthetic or simulated (color-change corundum?) alexandrite. Not worth much, but very pretty. This one seems to change from bluish purple to reddish purple. Real alex changes from green to reddish purple.

 

[chrono]

The blue colouration makes me suspect that it might be a synthetic. Not only that, the change is strong and complete, which is rare for a natural alexandrite.

 

[b4r]

thanks for the info jstarfireb and chrono

 

[Niel]

I was under the understanding true natural alexandrite had a complete purple to green color change, but some synthetic corundum was sold as alexandrite....so maybe color change sapphire?

 

[b4r]

actually the stone is purple on flourescent and changes into green vice versa i just dont know why when i took the picture it turned out into blue. i never seen this turned into blue just in the pictures can u still consider this sapphire? thanks.

 

[b4r]

when i took the picture without flash it was under a flourescent and turned into blue in the pictures weird never seen it blue just in the pictures

 

[chrono]

How complete is the change? Is there any "bleeding" of colour? How strong is the change? Your answers will provide clues as to whether it is a natural stone or a synthetic. We cannot tell you the origin from the pictures alone although it doesn't sound likely to of Indian origin.

 

[kenny]

FWIW here are the 3 pics again, but a little more white-balanced, assuming all 3 were taken on the same background and assuming it was white.
Regardless of changing the type of light, the white background itself did not change color, so it should not change color as a result of the photographic process.

The 3 originals are on the left.
The white-blanced ones are on the right.

Notice how pink the background is on the center left?

Notice how when white balanced (on the right) the middle stones look less pink and more purple?
I think careful white balancing is important when judging color change stones.

 

[b4r]

chrono im not oriented with the terms used in stones so i don't know what bleeding is, sorry for that. I am holding the earrings right now, I am in my room with a flourescent light its purple in color that changes slowly to green,completely . i should say 70% -80% green now to be safe. the camera i used is a sony carl zeiss vario tessar 3x optical zoom it's an old digicam . the white background is just a foam.

 

[b4r]

hi kenny thanks a lot for the photography info i am not also photography oriented ur pictures will help the forum identify the stones. i appreciate it. the camera i used is an old sony carl zeiss vario tessar 3x optical zoom 8.1 mega pixel. it's an old digicam so maybe that's the reason why it couldn't capture the purple color i really dont know. the white background is just a foam. i hope u could help me identify the stone. whether it is natural or synthetic i'll be happy i just want to know if it is alexandrite, amethyst etc. thanks.

 

[b4r]

kenny why did the background change into pink pls explain coz im not an expert when it comes to photography thanks.

 

[chrono]

Were these earrings a gift or heirloom pieces? I find that my camera and iPhone changes the background of incandescent lighting into a yellower pinkish background in pictures. Amethyst will not colour shift or change, and never show green.

 

[kenny]

kenny why did the background change into pink pls explain coz im not an expert when it comes to photography thanks.

All cameras are more dumb than you or I.
I recently bought a new $2,000 Nikon body, the D600 (that's $2,000 without any lens).
It also does its best at guessing what is white under various light types, but it also makes booboos on white balance and exposure that I have to correct.

Don't feel bad.
You've done nothing wrong.
The results are simply the state of technology today.
As is often the case, technology promises the world but gives you plenty of hassles.

But now that you know more you can do something additional ... post processing.
That's when you mess with the images on your computer to return them to what you know to be more accurate.
Sure, slime bag liar vendors can do this to deceive you, but you can use it to tell a truth that is more true-to-life than what comes right out of even the best newest camera.
Again you are smarter than your camera, and what even today's best camera's give us is NOT always the truth.

Noticing that the middle "white" background was pinkish was a red flag that post processing was needed.

There are many software programs that work.
One of the best is the expensive Adobe Photoshop at around $700 or so.
I don't have that.
I use iPhoto which came free on my iMac.
I think there are free ones you can download for a PC.

A fine value is Adobe Photoshop Elements at around $90.

 

[b4r]

these are heirloom pieces chrono what is bleeding and what do u think of the stones is it synthetic thanks

 

[b4r]

thank u kenny for the explanation hope the forum could identify the stone. i appreciate ur help thanks a lot.

 

[chrono]

The colour change strength and completeness points to two things; either they are real, very high quality and worth $$$$$, or they are synthetic. This is only my guess based on your comments and I don't know how attuned your eyes are to detecting slight nuances of colour. GIA and AGL will verify set stones and give you a definitive answer, including origin.

 

[b4r]

ok chrono thanks but whether it is natural or synthetic can u consider them as alexandrite atleast i know what kind of stone it is? thanks.

 

[chrono]

There is synthetic alexandrite and cc sapphire which are sometimes sold as alexandrite, so I don't feel comfortable calling them alexandrites at this point.

 

[b4r]

ok chrono thanks a lot for the info

 

[T L]

Looks like synthetic color change corundum (sapphire) to me. However, it's impossible to properly ID from the photos you provided. I do not think it's alexandrite though. You never see heart shaped alexandrites either.

 

[LoversKites]

You never see heart shaped alexandrites either.

Sometimes you do

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax732aa/&780618695

But yeah it's an uncommon shape for alex.

 

[T L]

You never see heart shaped alexandrites either.

Sometimes you do

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax732aa/&780618695

But yeah it's an uncommon shape for alex.

Well, that's a first for me. Thanks for posting that.

 

[b4r]

Nice thanks for sharing LoversKites!