Found my Alexandrite

[digdeep]

Would you be interested in this one? (I know it's not traditional alex colors...........but it is Alex (MOHS) and may fit your description of your relationship..............


18897 Alexandrite,
Medium Yellowish Green/Pink, 1.57 cts oval cut measuring 7.2x5.7x5.0 mm, v lt incl, from Tanzania. An attractive alexandrite with a strong color change from yellowish green in daylight to pink under incandescent light.
Priced at $800/carat or $1,256.00/gem

There is a further discount which makes the price VERY reasonable..............see it at D & J Rare Gems under Fine Gems.

 

[Coralfish]

Hi, great update.

I think store credit must be your jeweller's policy and not Pala - they send out to the jeweller on (7 or 10, can't remember which)-day approval. The store may be out shipping & shipping insurance fees both way, but 'store credit only' sounds extremly whiffy and iffy. I don't live in the USA so other PSers will know much more but I'd be tempted to find another jeweller.

Pretty much any retail jeweller can get a stone from Pala. I'd recommend internet people but I think you need to see the stone in person and it would be rather inefficient for both of you for them to get the stone and then ship to you, you'd only have a day or two with the stone so as not to eat into the approval period and give you time to ship it back to them etc. The other option is to have the internet retailer skype you with the gem (!) - Pandora did this with her tsavorite many years ago, from Pala, approved through skype, by Wink at High Performance Diamonds (who went on to make the setting). She was in the UK so it seems it'd be much better for you to just get a lovely selection into your local jeweller. Pala also have inventory that is off their website. They are about as reliable as you can get for a gem retailer so no worries there.

I also recommended Wilds Global Minerals to someone - they are in the same gem superleague but not sure about their alexes! Also be very clear on their return policy, who pays return shipping/insurance, which country the gem gets sent to etc. They are rather on the pricey side but have access to some amazing things, though have not seen their alex.

Finally make sure you are emailing David through his email address and not the webform. The webform seems to just digest messages!

 

[minousbijoux]

You have been getting great advice here, so you are definitely in good hands. I do believe that if its an alex you want, you can talk with David and he will work with you to find one that exhibits what you're after - mainly a strong purple and a strong color change. Do keep in mind that you might not see the purple colorway all that often as that is the one that shows up in incandescent light.

Please do not do business with that jewelry store if they require store credit only. I have never heard anything like that associated with Pala. What's more, if you are buying an expensive stone such as an alex, where does that leave you if you don't like the stone? That would be a large store credit!

 

[rimshotsnap]

Thanks, all, for the subsequent responses. DigDeep, thanks for posting the alex you came across. The price is certainly right and I like the stone myself, though my girlfriend has said she does not want a yellow stone. I think that alex has enough shades of yellow that she may not like it. Great option, though!

I've traded a few messages with David from Multicolour. We've landed on this one being the best option: http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-149691299

What are your reactions to this stone? It doesn't appear as strongly purple as some of the photos I've seen/read about. Probably a different look overall. But I'd love your comments on it.

A couple other things working: Yvonne has a few options she came across at a gem show today, and she'll be sending me detailed pictures tomorrow. I'll post those once I receive them. Pala also has a couple that might work, and I'm also expecting pictures shortly. We were able to sort out their return policy: They first told me "store credit only" because they are worried that some folks may use their stones as inventory, and they want to discourage that. I explained my concerns and they said they can work around it. Eager to see these pictures, as well.

All feedback is greatly appreciated

 

[Coralfish]

I very very much like the teal daylight colour. It makes me think of JoJo's lovely stone. They are somewhat romantic softer colours than the last alex you had in hand. What do you instinctively feel?
I am an alex novice so please bear this in mind as you read the rest of my post!
Others will point out the window, some setting trickery may or may not help it close up, something to think about. (Such as a metal cup under the stone/closed basket). Then again the equivalent windowless alex in this size may well have been out of budget.

Another thing to note:
There is a small inclusion at about 4 o'clock which may well be prongable (hideable with a well-placed prong or claw). If it breaks the crown and/or pavillion facets, and/or possibly girdle, it may possibly represent a durability issue. Best to ask David for his thoughts.

The pics you have coming from Yvonne and Pala sound very exciting indeed. Excellent that the jeweller is able to work with you. I am sure between these three vendors you have every likelyhood of getting a great alex at a fair price.

As I don't know enough about alex to go into detail about your gem, I just want to say if you end up deciding this is the alex for you, or any alex for that matter, please make the sale contingent on a GIA report (for this stone which I believe is in Thailand, where there is a GIA lab. For Pala and Yvonne an AGL prestige report will probably be even better as the AGL, Pala and Yvonne are all in the USA). I have seen AIGS (the cert this gem comes with - click 'View Full Gem Certificate') making a mistake with heat/no heat with a sapphire. David is a GIA G.G. with decades of experience of Alex and highly trustworthy, plus the alex has that natural inclusion, so the chances of it not being an alex are close enough to 0 to call it 0 ...but I'd still want a GIA report. Or an AGL report once you flew it over to the US.

GIA doesn't do origins for Alex, whether or not that matters to you I don't know, if David says India I'd be confident it's India. In Thailand you also have GRS who will prob do origin but not everyone likes them (though I do!) - but their certification time is a little longer.

http://www.gia.edu/gia-faq-alexandrite-from-russia

http://aglgemlab.com/the-prestige-report/

AGL and GRS do origins for alex apparently?

http://aglgemlab.com/about-christopher-smith/

http://www.gemresearch.ch/origin.htm

 

[minousbijoux]

OP: it sounds like you've done quite a bit of good work already. Excellent!

I applaud your efforts to find something as unique and original as you and your soon to be fiance, but I want to make sure you're going in the right direction here. Did David offer you a video for the stone he recommends? It is my experience that cameras often magnify windows. While the photos certainly seems to make it appear to have a pronounced window unfortunately, a video would give you a much better idea. David says its a well cut stone which surprises me if the window is really as prevalent as it seems. In any case, some things to double check with him about.

I also want to ask about the color again. IIRC, you said that your GF was open to an alex as long as it had a purple/teal colorway, correct? While the stone looks to have a great color change (in other words, exactly what you'd expect in a high quality alex), what I don't see is the purple it sounded like you were after. His description as well as his photos indicate that it goes from a teal to a reddish purple in incandescent. I would make sure that your fiance loves these colorways.

Also, for my own curiosity, did you call Pala directly? Does that mean they are dealing with you and your are not having to go through a jewelry store? This would be fabulous news for others of us who love Pala's inventory but thought it to be off limits to all but those in the Trade. Could you explain this?

 

[rimshotsnap]

Thanks to you both for your comments/suggestions. Great points to ask about the inclusions/pronging/windowing. David did tell me that he can't see any inclusions with 5x optivisors. I do agree I need to ask for a video: I find that these stones are really hard to get a good sense of from pictures. My girlfriend would be fine with the reddish purple colorway. The thing we really want to avoid is having lots of grey/black/brown. The greys and blacks of the other stones is really what made them no-gos--they are both sort of "meh" at night with the lights on. This stone is almost twice the price of the one I got from ebay (and right at the outer edge of my budget), so I would want to make sure the color/color change is significantly nicer.

Regarding Pala, a local jewelry store here suggested I contact them about alex. I called the number, said exactly that, and have been working with Carl (owner's son, I believe) who has been very helpful. I take it that's not how they normally work?

By the end of all this, I think I'll probably know how to buy a gemstone I'm definitely a bit obsessive about finding the right one, partly because I'm interested in it, but mostly because I want something she will love. Again, I'm so grateful for all I'm learning from you all.

 

[digdeep]

Keep up the good work........many don't realize how much effort goes into getting the right gem for a lifetime ring! So glad you are getting more options in finding 'that' stone!!

 

[Acinom]

All the best with your search! You put a lot of effort and thought into it and it will be worth it.

 

[minousbijoux]

Regarding Pala, a local jewelry store here suggested I contact them about alex. I called the number, said exactly that, and have been working with Carl (owner's son, I believe) who has been very helpful. I take it that's not how they normally work?

By the end of all this, I think I'll probably know how to buy a gemstone I'm definitely a bit obsessive about finding the right one, partly because I'm interested in it, but mostly because I want something she will love. Again, I'm so grateful for all I'm learning from you all.

I'm not sure if you meant that Carl is the Pala owner's son or the jewelry owner's son. If you are working with Pala directly, that would be great and uncommon. If you are working with them via the jewelry store as the conduit, where they receive the stones and tell you the pricing, then that is more how I've known them to do things in the past. What I was getting at is the fact that since I thought Pala only works with the Trade, I was under the impression that non-Trade members like us cannot call up and be told the price of their stones. If this has changed, like I said, it would be great to know.

And yeah, I think we're all a bit obsessive to be so into stones so you're in good company. And you've already learned far more than most about alexandrite.

 

[rimshotsnap]

Hi All,

So, I received some photos from Yvonne (who has been absolutely marvelous, by the way). I wanted to share those pictures and hear your feedback on the stones. Which do you like the best? How do you think these compare with the stone from Multicolour? All input welcome.

I'm also posting some additional information from Yvonne including size and pricing.

1. Square Cushion, .75 Cts, $3K / Ct. Slightly muddy and strong color change.
2. Long Cushion, 1.2 Cts, $2K / Ct. Less muddy, one inclusion, good color change.
3. Marquis, .89 Cts $3K / Ct. Also less muddy, good color change.
4. Round .74 Ct, $2.4/ ct. Lighter color, crisp, weaker color change.
5. Very fat pear, .99 Cts, $2K/Ct, crisp, lighter color, weaker color change.

 

[lovedogs]

I'll admit that I am by no means an expert on Alex stones, but my preferences (from the pics and descriptions) are 1 2 and 3. I like the marquis (3), but it looks slightly windowed in the pics with the purple color (on her finger). So for those reasons I think I prefer 1 or 2 over 3, but don't know if maybe the window is just in the picture.

I don't know what "muddy" refers to here (like I said, definitely no expert on this stone), but I do like 1 (square cushion), because it has a strong color change. 2 does also, but I think the shape might be hard to set as an e-ring, just because it is unusual and might not fit as well with some of the more traditional e-ring designs (even if you go custom--just in terms of designing an e-ring overall with the center stone being that shape).

Just the opinion of a novice though, so I might be wrong! That's just what my eye sees

 

[Coralfish]

Agree word for word with lovedogs.

Also an alex novice, but the colour of the marquise stands out. However its proportions I find slightly ungainly.

Like lovedogs I am drawn to the cushion, of those offered. Also am not sure what is meant by muddy. Normally I'd expect that to describe the appearance in mixed light. A strong colour changer can look insanely fantastic in mixed light - it is somehow both colours at once, throwing off its purple flashes. I have heard that muddy colour changers look kinda... muddy in mixed light.*

Could she be referring to inclusions? It has a slightly silky look, which does enhance the appearance of uniformity and saturation of colour in many gems, but at the cost of crispness. What's your top contender of the lot? And how does that, for you, face off against the MC stone?

Look forward to the Pala update

*I have not seen such alexandrian mud in real life, so this is a poorly educated guess!

 

[Acinom]

I had not even heard of Alexandrites prior to PS and do not know anything about them. So please take this with a good grain of salt...
Personally I love the fresh green of the round! For me it stands out. I am currently on my iPhone so that could effect the color I see... The teal blue of the round looks a bit greyish but still attractive. It will also be a great shape for everyday wear.

Which sings to you more?

 

[Marlow]

2400pct for a 0,74 ct round with a weak CC - so 1800$ - a little bit expensive...

 

[rimshotsnap]

Thanks everyone for your feedback! Like several of you, I was initially drawn most to the square cushion, since it seems to have good proportions and a strong color change. Second choice was probably the fat pear (Yvonne's first choice), but for different reasons: The color change isn't as strong, but it seems more "crisp." It would be good to compare/contrast these stones side-by-side, since I am also an alex novice. They should be here sometime early next week.

Comparing these to the MultiColour stone is where I get stuck! I really can't compare: The pictures, lighting, etc are all different It seems like the MC stone is more bluish/purplish in daylight, and larger, and more somewhat more expensive, but that's all I really know. David said he would get me a video today, which may help. At some point, I probably need to decide if it's worth paying for shipping for the chance to see it in person and compare. Probably worth doing for such an important purchase.

Still waiting on better pics from Pala (only have some iphone photos). There was one stone in particular (".52 oval cut, exceptional color change, high luster, some inclusions that are hard to see without a loupe") that seems like a possibility. Most likely, I will compare the two stones from Yvonne, one from MC, and one from Pala, and go with the best of the bunch.

I have to say, I've been very impressed with all three dealers. Yvonne in particular has gone above and beyond in terms of timeliness, responsiveness, etc. Such a joy to work with. And I can't thank the PS community enough for your support and feedback. What a wonderful group of people!

 

[GregS]

I had not even heard of Alexandrites prior to PS and do not know anything about them. So please take this with a good grain of salt...
Personally I love the fresh green of the round! For me it stands out. I am currently on my iPhone so that could effect the color I see... The teal blue of the round looks a bit greyish but still attractive. It will also be a great shape for everyday wear.

Which sings to you more?

Of the ones listed I preferred the round as well. I got excited when I saw the first picture of it, but when I scrolled down to the color change photos, or lack thereof in this case, and that excitement faded quickly.

If I had to pick one it'd be the cushion. It has some issues but those issues may work themselves out after setting.

 

[rimshotsnap]

Diane, thank you for this. Such an insightful post and gets to the question I've had a hard time articulating.

Maybe this is unrealistic, I'm really hoping to find a stone that doesn't have a major trade off: in other words, it looks great in any kind of light. Part of me wonders if this just isn't possible in an alex. The synthetic I've seen certainly passes this test, but i don't know if it's possible in a natural stone and especially within my budget.

For those who are more knowledgable than me, I'd love your perspective.

 

[rimshotsnap]

Adding the video David from Multicolour made for me showing the stone under consideration. Again, the lighting is "ideal," so hard to see how the stone will behave in real life. From the video, it seems like windowing isn't a big issue (looked like a chance from just the pictures), and the inclusions weren't easy to see. I decided to order the stone so I can compare in person to the others.

https://vimeo.com/135025421

Pala told me they would have some professional photos later today, which I will add once I receive them.

 

[minousbijoux]

I've been avoiding your thread because I didn't know what to say, honestly, about Yvonne's stones. Part of me says you should not settle, so I would pass on all of them. Part of me says they are notoriously difficult and uncooperative when photographing, and you therefore need to see them in hand to compare. So for color change and saturation reasons, the round and pear are eliminated immediately for me. I personally would insist on both a strong, close to 90-100% color change and strong saturation in colors I like. Neither of these has it, imo. This comes down to priorities and yours might be different. So that leaves three, two of which are oblong, which means they will have the shadowing/half and half phenomenon. Since I don't care for that, I would knock those out and have a look at the cushion, with no expectations that in real life it would as good as some of the others you have now seen - I hope I am wrong and it blows you away. If the shadowing does not bother you, then I would ask Yvonne which of the elongated cushion or marquise has a better incandescent color and go with that one as well. In her photo, it appears that the marquise color is slightly more saturated, at least that's how the daylight color looks.

As to David's video, am far more hopeful about the stone having now seen the video. It likely has a small window, but that is not insurmountable, especially in material such as alex. What I love about this India alex is that the colorways are strong but not dark in tone. LD and I have a running debate over which are better - Indian or Brazilian. This is one of the few Indian alex which would have me potentially rethinking my position that Brazilians have better colorways if not overly dark.

Maybe this is unrealistic, I'm really hoping to find a stone that doesn't have a major trade off: in other words, it looks great in any kind of light. Part of me wonders if this just isn't possible in an alex. The synthetic I've seen certainly passes this test, but i don't know if it's possible in a natural stone and especially within my budget.

For those who are more knowledgable than me, I'd love your perspective.

Great question - as far as I'm concerned, you have gotten to the heart of the fundamental issue with alex. If you want a stone that looks great in all lights, alex is likely not for you. Yes, a synthetic will do it, but unless you have an enormous budget, finding an alex that looks good in every situation will be difficult. For that matter, this is true of almost all gemstones, and with these gemstones as well there is a tradeoff between perfection and budget. I think a more realistic question for you is can you find an alex which looks good in many daylight and incandescent lighting situations and doesn't go overly dark? If that is something you can settle for, knowing that there are times when it might just be a sleeper or be the complicated in between color which is neither a teal nor a purple, then yes, its feasible and you should plow ahead. I imagine David's will come the closest to this. I hope this helps.

Can you provide us a recap of what you've seen and what you've ordered for those of us who have flagging memories?

 

[rimshotsnap]

Minous, I truly appreciate your perspective. So far, I have seen two Tanzanian stones from GemsNY that were the least impressive. Minimal color change and unattractive yellow/brown tones in daylight. I have the small emerald from MC which is too dark for my taste. And I have the eBay stone- 1 ct oval that I somehow like the best despite the large window. The color change isn't as strong as the emerald, nor is the cut as nice, but it looks attractive more of the time. Plus it's twice the size and less expensive. Still, I'm hoping for something better.

I've got the three stones from Yvonne on their way (should arrive tomorrow) along with the one above from MC. Pala has at least one stone that could be promising (.52 ct oval) and possibly another, but haven't heard anything definite. Really hoping one of these works out: I need to decide on something soon and don't really have a fall back plan!

 

[lovedogs]

I'm sure you've browsed multicolour to death, but here are some stones that maybe warrant asking for a video...again IMHO. Just ones that jumped out at me as being potentials.

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/alexandrite/yax708ad/&302686978
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/alexandrite/yax174aa/&302686978
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/alexandrite/yax764aa/&302686978
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/alexandrite/yax708ac/&302686978

Here are pics (same order as the links) of it in daylight, and all have "strong color change" according to the MC website. Also important (at least to me), is that the stones are still pretty in "mixed light", which I think is important given that we are typically in places with mixed light.

 

[Marlow]

1, 3 and 4 are windowed and flat. Nice maybe for a collection but not in a ring imo.

I like the color and the CC of No. 1 - but 2400 $ for a 0,60 ct stone with a large window...

 

[lovedogs]

1, 3 and 4 are windowed and flat. Nice maybe for a collection but not in a ring imo.

I like the color and the CC of No. 1 - but 2400 $ for a 0,60 ct stone with a large window...

Thanks for the info, Marlow! I figured someone with more expertise could chime in about those stones.

 

[rimshotsnap]

Lovedogs, your post still gave me the idea that perhaps I should ask MC to send another stone or two for further comparison. Since this is my "last shot," I want to maximize my chances of success. I've contacted David to see if there are other stones he'd recommend I look at. Appreciate the suggestion!

Marlow, I appreciate your post as well: I'm still not very good at seeing these stones with the same eye you have. It definitely helps me learn what to look for.

 

[Marlow]

I like this one - maybe a bit to small and you have to like a heart shape...

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?1396466197

 

[rimshotsnap]

I just had a look at the three stones from Yvonne and wanted to share my initial reactions. First, all three stones look nicer in person than in photos (pleasantly surprised in this case, vs. unpleasantly surprised in previous orders). And all three of the stones really match Yvonne's descriptions, which is great. The top two are definitely the cusion and the fat pear, but for different reasons. The pear is indeed "crisp:" It sparkles well in the lighting situations I've thrown it against and really does look good. The only drawback I can find is the color change/saturation, which I know is generally regarded as important in alex. The cushion cut has much better CC and saturation, and I see what Yvonne means by "muddy." I would describe it this way: The pear sparkles; the cushion has a subtle glow. It has more of an emerald feeling in daylight and probably won't knock anyone's socks off. But I like it. The CC of the cushion is quite strong, and unlike the first stone from multicolour, actually looks GOOD under dim lights. I think for this reason I prefer the cushion over the pear. There are definitely trade-offs between these stones, but seems like a trade-off I could live with.

Now, I know "sparkle" is important to my girlfriend, so if I went with the cushion, I'd try to add as much sparkle elsewhere as I could: halo, pave, etc. And at the end of the day I think she'd find more satisfaction in the symbolism and uniqueness of an alex over a big sparkly diamond.

I'll have to test the stones in other lighting situations since I've only been looking at them for a short time. And of course I will have to compare these to the second stone from multicolour which should arrive this week. Still no update from Pala: Not sure anymore if that is going to pan out.

 

[Marlow]

Try a dark room with some candle light.

I think the indian stone from MC is very interesting - from the pictures - I could live with the window - I like the CC very much!! Please post pictures.

 

[katharath]

I'm so glad that you like a couple of the Yvonne gems, bc I do too. I buy a ton from her and I agree with you - her gems almost always look better to me IRL than her pics show; while I find that her pics are generally accurate, I think that they tend to downplay the gem. I like that though, bc I'm always pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed. Plus photographing color change gems is incredibly difficult, and while you have someone like David at multicolor who specializes in that, and is used to it; Yvonne doesn't sell a ton of alex (just occasionally), so her photography won't be as accomplished as David's when it comes to this type of gem. (Also I do know that she sources her alex from a top alex vendor in New York, so I would feel very safe buying it from her).

With all of that said; I'm a big Yvonne fan and after years of dealing frequently with her, I tend to be biased . You definitely need to get the gem that calls to you the most, whoever the seller may be (you are dealing with good people here all around for the most part, although I'm not familiar with the vendor your first gem came from).

I personally like the pear best, so there's my vote

Alex is so difficult bc, as you have seen, it's very hard to get the CC you want, with nice looking colors in all lighting, along with the size and cut you want; and SO many of them just seem poorly cut. These are a lot of things to have to consider all in one gem. What I like about Yvonne's gems is that ALL of them look decently cut for alex. I personally can't stand any gem that has an enormous window. Plus I hate the idea of spending so much on a gem but having it be terribly cut. I think it's better to get a smaller gem that is better quality rather than a large poorly cut gem. When I started out collecting I wouldn't buy a gem with any window at all; after a few years I've mellowed a bit to the point that if the color is right, I can handle small windows, but I have a really hard time deciding between an excellently cut but less than perfect colored gem, vs a lesser well cut with perfect color. In my mind they're pretty much equally attractive; but that's bc cut is VERY important to me. While you will see the "color is king" idea everywhere on these boards, I think that if we're being honest, there are a LOT of us here who would choose the better cut over the better colored gem, all else being equal. It's just a personal choice though.

With alex, unless you have an enormous budget, you WILL have to compromise somewhere. It sounds like you know that now and that you're beginning to get a better idea of what area you want to compromise in. I'm so glad you've had the chance to view multiple stones, that really helps in forming your opinion!

Can't wait to see what you decide, best of luck to you!

Eta - I actually really like the round too; but I have a very strong preference for rounds so I'm willing to overlook things where they are considered, lol. The round is the best cut IMO but I see why you might prefer a more saturated color way.

 

[rimshotsnap]

Diane,

Her birthstone is emerald, so I started down that path initially and was hoping to incorporate my birthstone (tanzanite/zircon) somehow. After some research, I thought tsavorite would be a better choice than emerald since 1) it is somewhat more durable and 2) she loves sparkle, so I thought she would actually find these stones more beautiful. So, I bought myself a tsavorite, until I learned more about alex and decided that this would be the best choice if I can find a nice stone in my budget. By now, I'm pretty set on it, even though I'm sitting on a decent tsavorite. I'm sure I'll find something to do with it