Vendor pictures and owner pictures of PS stones

[chrono]

A few things to consider -
1. Ask the vendor about the light condition/source used to photograph the stone
2. Remember that the vendor's photographs show the stone at its very best, which can be extremely difficult to replicate
3. Most sapphires will colour shift, often times becoming very dark and gray under fluorescent lighting. Ask before purchasing.
4. When in doubt, post your question in CS and many are more than happy to help interpret the photograph.

 

[deskjockey]

3. Most sapphires will colour shift, often times becoming very dark and gray under fluorescent lighting. Ask before purchasing.

Is it me or are montanas/blue-green sapphires particularly shifty? Mine goes very dark inside or under direct sunlight, it's really the cut that saves it (imo).

In other news, in my impatience over my tiny-topaz ring that is supposed to be here by Friday (but I have not seen pics yet, so... ) I jumped on one of the bigger ones on Dana's site. I have no idea how he gets such good pictures:




In real life, it's very close to Dana's hand shot. All my pictures are making it look dark and very brown, it's more of a buttery champagne color in real life, not a super in-your-face color but I like it very much (apparently, what I like in terms of colors varies wildly by the particular stone). Dana described the color as a bit earthy, which I think is accurate, though it's nice and lively. So here are a few bad pictures from me:


Why hello there, tilt window! The tilt windows keep showing up really obviously in my pictures but they're not as obvious in real life. Even a couple straight on shots *look* like windows but when I'm looking with my eyes I'm not seeing them. Not sure what's going on there or if I can't hold my phone straight.


One of these days I'll remember to use macro, and, like, focus. Lighting - horrible office flourescents


mixed lighting, incandescent and whatever random super-efficient bulbs are in that bathroom. Focus is horrible but the tone is pretty accurate I think.

And just for fun.... BANG!

I BLIND YOU!!!!!!!!

So anyway, Dana's pics are wonderful compared to mine, and I would call them accurate, though I think it has more character in person, I'd say "softer" color? And when I was looking at it in my kitchen, I noticed it pics up reflections of things around it, it was throwing off some reddish flashes at times in there. Now to decide what part of my body gets to wear it. I like rings because it's the best way for me to see and look at my goodies, but at 10mm it's a little big (though not as scary as I thought it would be, once I held it). Thinking a semi bezel for it, either way. I know it's not the type of color I see a lot of in here, but I like it

 

[chrono]

Reminds me of a champagne diamond with the soft colouration and beautiful cut/sparkles. Congrats on your new stone.

 

[Acinom]

Gorgeous champaign stone Congrats!

 

[Acinom]

Rubellite from Gemfix

The vendor pics by Gemfix are quite accurate. I like the stone even better in person though.

 

[sfilly]

2 carat light blue sapphire cut by Gene at precision gems. His photo vs my cellphone photo.. the cut looks the same to me! Whats interesting is that the stone photographs exactly the same colour, yet in real life it's different. It looks a tiny bit blue-green in all of my photos and in his product shot, but IRL it never ever has green.. it's always blue or purple blue or periwinkle with a hint of silver. Cannot capture it with my camera though.

 

[Acinom]

Zircon from Jeff Davies. In reality the stone looks quite similar to the vendor pic by Jeff.
The stone is what I had been hoping for, but better.

 

[Acinom]

Paraiba by Perry/Leon. I kept coming back to this stone despite the window and inclusions. In reality the stone is amazing with the Caribbean sea color and glow:

The stone in reality does not resemble the vendor pic as the glow was not captured in the vendor pic. In reality I am amazed by the color and glow. I would say the stone looks better in real life compared to the vendor pic.

 

[Acinom]

Blue sapphire. In this case I had seen the stone in real life. The small jewelry store is very dark and the stone looked darker when I tried it for the first time. The stone is also very dark in the vendor pic.
In reality the stone looks much much better compared to the vendor pic.

 

[mochiko42]

Rose de France amethyst from Jeff Davies. It's beautiful and I <3 it.
I found the vendor photo and video to be quite accurate.

Weight - 1.67 ct
Size - 7.35 x 5.80 mm
Clarity - Eye clean
Origin - Brazil
Treatment: None

Vendor photo:

Vendor video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7RQghYD1TA

My photos:

 

[Acinom]

That's a beautiful stone from JD Mochiko. Any ideas on how you will set it?

 

[minousbijoux]

I am not a big Am fan, but that is gorgeous, Mochiko. You definitely have the eye.

 

[mochiko42]

Thanks Acinom and minous. The cut indeed makes this ammy quite special, also I got it for a good price on JD's Ebay auctions.

I thought at first that I could put it in a pendant or a cocktail ring, but it will have to go unset for a while now, along with my Doug Menadue pink tourmaline, because I just found THE OEC for me and all bling funds will be going towards that for now.

 

[Acinom]

Thanks Acinom and minous. The cut indeed makes this ammy quite special, also I got it for a good price on JD's Ebay auctions.

I thought at first that I could put it in a pendant or a cocktail ring, but it will have to go unset for a while now, along with my Doug Menadue pink tourmaline, because I just found THE OEC for me and all bling funds will be going towards that for now.

Yay
You are always up to something Mochiko. Can you post pics and specs of THE OEC

 

[mochiko42]

Thanks Acinom and minous. The cut indeed makes this ammy quite special, also I got it for a good price on JD's Ebay auctions.

I thought at first that I could put it in a pendant or a cocktail ring, but it will have to go unset for a while now, along with my Doug Menadue pink tourmaline, because I just found THE OEC for me and all bling funds will be going towards that for now.

Yay
You are always up to something Mochiko. Can you post pics and specs of THE OEC

Hi Acinom,

Sorrrrrry!!! I only just saw this message. I don't want to threadjack this CS thread (well, not too much anyway!) so I'll keep it brief, and probably start a separate thread in SMTB later.

Here's the stone, it's a 1.72 AGS K VS1. 7.61 x 7.45 x 4.80. 63.9% depth, 47.9% table.


I'm putting it in a modified LAD Elizabeth setting in platinum. Modifications are: French cuts instead of single cuts in a slim (2mm or less) shank, with milgrain and engraving on the basket. I was definitely inspired by your OEC ring and other PS'ers rings with French cuts, milgrain and claw prongs, but wanted a few adjustments (less tapered, flush fit, slim shank etc). Hope you don't mind that I used some elements of your ring as inspiration!!

 

[JimmyMilla]

This is such an awesome idea for a thread. I just found this website and I think it is a great resource.

Ok, so I purchased this 1.70cts Sphene from gemrockauctions.com
I won it in one of their auctions that had no reserve. I was a bit sceptical about the gem because I won it so cheap. But, good news, the stone is natural and is even better than I could have imagined (or photograph). The colour is spot on (I think the vendor photo with the hand in it really helps, gives perspective) and it has more dispersion than I could capture on camera.

Vendor Photos




My photos with my phone (best I could get)

 

[Acinom]

Ah Mochiko. What a fabulous stone. Every single facet is so beautiful and the total is a dreamstone. Please post it in SMTB indeed :
I am so flattered that you are inspired by my OEC ring. Thank you!!! The Elisabeth is a stunning ring. What a great idea to replace the rounds for frenchies. And I hope you will enjoy the engraving as much as I do every day. I love the eye candy. Hopefully your ring is ready quite quite soon

Your sphene seems to glow from within JimmyMilla. Any idea on how you will set it?

 

[JimmyMilla]

Your sphene seems to glow from within JimmyMilla. Any idea on how you will set it?

It sure does. I ma not sure yet, I think in a pendant. Something simple, I will have to make an appointment with my jeweller

 

[chloeishere]

I own three stones from an ebay hobby cutter that hasn't been represented on this thread, yet. I think everyone has been reluctant to talk about him because the stones are well cut and very affordable (but, as you'd expect, it's not top caliber rough). For someone like me, who most often prefers colors that aren't the trade ideal, and loves precision cut stones, he's great. The seller is pidgeonrock262 (and I say he's a hobby cutter because he only has a few stones for sale every week or so-- it's not his full-time job).

This was described as a grayish purple pink Tanzanian sapphire (1.20 carat, 6.5 X 5.7mm x 4.2mm). It's got some obvious inclusions, but for a pendant I thought it would be nice-- and it was very inexpensive.

Grayish purple pink, it shifts to a light grayish lavender color in fluorescent lighting. Its a odd stone. Interesting to look at. All photographs were taken outside in daylight on a white piece of paper.

Vendor picture:


My pictures, there is a pretty strong color shift that I enjoy looking at. The inclusions are eye-visible at about a foot away (as I think you understand from the picture), and due to them the stone is darker than it otherwise would be. There are still good flashes of color, and I still like it. I'm thinking about an inexpensive stacking ring or simple pendant.
Purple (indoor lighting):

Cloudy day lighting (similar to the LED flashlight on my iphone). To my eyes it's a chrome-greenish gray. I suspect the shift will look different at different seasons or latitudes.


All pictures taken with an iPhone 5-- the colors on my screen are similar to the colors I see in real life. One more comparison coming (I can't get color-accurate pictures of the third stone for the life of me).

 

[chloeishere]

The other one I purchased very recently after my inexpensive test purchase gave me a better feel for pictures/ description for this seller.
This is a 2.45 carat (9.9mm x 7.5mm x 4.7mm) custom octagon chrysoberyl that was described as "canary yellow". Based on the pictures, I thought it was not too saturated, and had a touch of green.

Vendor glamor shot:


Vendor picture:


My picture:


Other than thinking the stone had a high crown due to the small table (it does not-- there were no pavilion shots to make that clear), I think the pictures were extremely accurate. The cutting is great, and I really like the stone. I plan to have it set east-west in a simple gold bezel ring.

 

[Gwelendil]

My first post here, could not resist the temptation to share a recently purchased stone from Dana at MasterCutGems.

Unheated AGL Fancy Sapphire 2.59 ct
Size: 7.85-7.66 X 5.42 mm
Clarity: VVS2
Cut: Round Modified Brilliant Cut

Dana's pics are in the lower right, mine show the stone set. Estate setting was purchased from coin and jewelry shop in Madison, WI about 5 years ago. The sapphire ranges in color from light lavender with pink flashes to deep purple. I couldn't capture the lavendar but hopefully captured some of the pink flash this stone has. I love it!

(And hopefully I've uploaded this correctly....)

 

[Siameseroo]

Re: Vendor pictures and owner pictures of PS ston

As a newbie to the CS world I've found this thread to be invaluable so I thought I'd post a few of my recent acquisitions too

First up is a 1.55ct bicolour sapphire I purchased from Pristine Gemstones on Etsy earlier this year. This was my first CS purchase! I was initially dissappointed with the stone as I could not see the clear colour zoning (blue/white) that the vendor captured when I first got it - it looked purple all over!

But I then I realised that it looked really different in different lighting conditions - strong blue/white in direct sunlight, light purple in morning/evening light and lavender/blue in artificial light - and I ended up loving how it looks in all lighting conditions!

I absolutely love the stone now. I think the vendor photo is accurate in direct sunlight only - it would have been nice to see photos in different lighting conditions - but the vendor did describe it accurately as having blue and lavender colour zones.

 

[Siameseroo]

Next up are my 4.2mm sapphires from Jeff Davies which came in my mail today! Early Christmas present from my boyfriend

I think they look way better IRL!

 

[dk168]

Jeff White's Rubellite and White Topaz:



My own efforts:




DK

 

[Acinom]

Ricezo: your blue collection is fabulous!!! Your ring deserves a full SMTB thread with lots of pics.

DK: thanks for posting! Would you say Jeff's red is more accurate or your magenta?

 

[mochiko42]

Next up are my 4.2mm sapphires from Jeff Davies which came in my mail today! Early Christmas present from my boyfriend

I think they look way better IRL!

Love the colour on these ones... soooooooooo...........they'd be perfect for earrings, don't you think?

 

[Siameseroo]

Thanks Acinom and Mochiko! Haha my sapphires are at the jeweller as we speak! They are being set into WG studs

 

[dk168]

DK: thanks for posting! Would you say Jeff's red is more accurate or your magenta?

To be honest, when I first saw the pic he sent me, I thought the stone looked too red for my liking, and informed Jeff as such.

He assured me that it is pinker in real life, something to do with his camera, and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the stone in person for the first time.

DK

 

[JimmyMilla]

I was looking for a stone for my husband for Christmas. I wanted something masculine and he loves Tourmaline. So my search began. Thankfully Marlow was talking about a new vendor he found (sedagems.com) so I had a look through their stock.
I found this Touramline:


The description says that is is pinkish orange changing to a light orange color in sunlight. I figured this color is masculine so I went ahead and bought the stone.
My pictures, first one inside and second outside. It really does change color. Such a cool stone and very happy with the purchase. The vendor photo and description was spot on.

 

[Siameseroo]

I love that tourm JimmyMilla! Awesome colour and very unique!

2.02ct Rose de France amethyst from Jeff Davies. Slightly darker/more purple IRL compared to vendor pic but still gorgeous!