Great CS deals which you were lucky to snag

[voce]

My ruby engagement ring (DF let me pick it out) and my indicolite tourmaline in the center of the rosette ring from CRD. They were pretty much my personal ideal in terms of color and came at an unbeatable price point .
Then I also have this sapphire from someone who had to part with it to pay school expenses.

And a Jedi spinel that's imperfect with an inclusion but still knocks people's socks off.


What do YOU consider yourself lucky to have? Big and small, new and vintage, I want to see what lucky finds you have to share.

 

[Bluegemz]

Ooh! Fun thread! These pics are all reposts and I hope no one is tired of seeing them! This is hard because I feel lucky to have every stone which I own. Especially given how sparse they are becoming. We are all incredibly lucky to own any precious jewelry!!

I feel grateful today for these pieces....actually I could go on and on. It seems though, that because these are at least a few years in my collection, I am bonded with them. They have lived with me and we have memories together.

2 of my Star sapphires. I adore these 2! I really am all about phenomenal gems. I had been searching for decades, but somehow, these came to me within a few months. The large blue one, I found in the corner of a jewelry store which also sold estate/antique pieces.




Next, this antique moonstone bracelet. It was LOVE at first sight. All hand carved with tiny cab sapphires.

My favorite aqua pendant in 22k gold with a horse and star carved in it. Artist has died.

My emerald. I’m more grateful after these emerald threads recently. I got this almost a decade ago. Although I wear it rarely, I’m grateful that my jeweler sold it to me while at a party with drinking...I got a great price, lol!

I adore this gold filigree flower! It’s a personal love and I feel super lucky to have it.

Finally, I love this old Zuni bracelet. It is also a great love.

 

[T L]

I could probably post most of my collection here because I bought many of my gems when spinels, paraibas, and other material was inexpensive. I don’t know if that counts, so I’ll just post some here that I think I was really lucky to get for so little at the time.

This 9 carat Nigerian aqua was bought at a gem show 25 years ago. Aquamarine was not cheap back then, but the dealer had it marked in the wrong price per carat bin. It’s a very deep blue and I paid $200 for the stone. A gemologist concurred it was a real aquamarine because it was one of those too good to be true prices. I still have to set it. It was in an ugly 90s setting, and I think it’s worthy of something better.



At the gem show, I was floored to get this 9 carat indicolite for $22/carat. I couldn’t believe it. One dealer was so pissed I got that for so cheap, he scoffed at me. Still looking for a setting. It is greener at the top, and fancy cut.

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...t-seafoam-blue-tourmaline-from-brazil.143100/



My mom bought this 14 carat, 18k diamond and aqua retro ring for $800. She willed it to me, but I was the one who convinced her at the time (20 years ago), that it was a steal. Here it is next to a large typical pale aqua. The aqua above is deeper in color, but this is a beautiful ring.



My four carat mint garnet was a steal at $1200. from
Primagems at the gemshow. It was also not with the finer material he upcharged for, even though we compared it and the color was identical. He therefore gave me the cheaper price, which at the time was a steal for mint garnet of any quality. I was so giddy that day, it was like I was on cloud nine. He also threw in two half carat mahenge trillions of super fine color for $100. That lavender spinel was a great buy too from technofacet on eBay. I was looking for one and this was a better price than others of lesser cutting, and this was precision cut to boot!



eBay used to have the most amazing deals many years ago, but when I snagged this 4 carat spinel for $100, I almost had a heart attack. I wasn’t expecting anything decent because I was thinking the price was too good to be true, but when I opened the package, my eyeballs almost fell out of my head. It was so violet blue, lustrous and sparkly, it went beyond any expectations. It had a feather inclusion in the vendor photo, but you cannot see it without a loupe. I was so giddy. The one carat each mahenges on the side were exceptional eBay finds too. A lady gem dealer offered to buy it off my finger at the latest gem show.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/4-carat-portuguese-oval-violet-spinel.152354/



Well these are some of my most memorable deals.

 

[PrecisionGem]

That 9 ct green tourmaline, if it were still in the rough would be at least $50 per ct today. It would take about a 25 ct stone to finish at 9, so the rough alone would be around $1250.

 

[voce]

Ooh! Fun thread! These pics are all reposts and I hope no one is tired of seeing them! This is hard because I feel lucky to have every stone which I own. Especially given how sparse they are becoming. We are all incredibly lucky to own any precious jewelry!!

I feel grateful today for these pieces....actually I could go on and on. It seems though, that because these are at least a few years in my collection, I am bonded with them. They have lived with me and we have memories together.

2 of my Star sapphires. I adore these 2! I really am all about phenomenal gems. I had been searching for decades, but somehow, these came to me within a few months. The large blue one, I found in the corner of a jewelry store which also sold estate/antique pieces.




Next, this antique moonstone bracelet. It was LOVE at first sight. All hand carved with tiny cab sapphires.

My favorite aqua pendant in 22k gold with a horse and star carved in it. Artist has died.

My emerald. I’m more grateful after these emerald threads recently. I got this almost a decade ago. Although I wear it rarely, I’m grateful that my jeweler sold it to me while at a party with drinking...I got a great price, lol!

I adore this gold filigree flower! It’s a personal love and I feel super lucky to have it.

Finally, I love this old Zuni bracelet. It is also a great love.

Love all those pieces, Bluegemz! Every piece you own is beautiful, unique, and a large size to covet.

I could probably post most of my collection here because I bought many of my gems when spinels, paraibas, and other material was inexpensive. I don’t know if that counts, so I’ll just post some here that I think I was really lucky to get for so little at the time.

This 9 carat Nigerian aqua was bought at a gem show 25 years ago. Aquamarine was not cheap back then, but the dealer had it marked in the wrong price per carat bin. It’s a very deep blue and I paid $200 for the stone. A gemologist concurred it was a real aquamarine because it was one of those too good to be true prices. I still have to set it. It was in an ugly 90s setting, and I think it’s worthy of something better.



At the gem show, I was floored to get this 9 carat indicolite for $22/carat. I couldn’t believe it. One dealer was so pissed I got that for so cheap, he scoffed at me. Still looking for a setting. It is greener at the top, and fancy cut.

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...t-seafoam-blue-tourmaline-from-brazil.143100/



My mom bought this 14 carat, 18k diamond and aqua retro ring for $800. She willed it to me, but I was the one who convinced her at the time (20 years ago), that it was a steal. Here it is next to a large typical pale aqua. The aqua above is deeper in color, but this is a beautiful ring.



My four carat mint garnet was a steal at $1200. from
Primagems at the gemshow. It was also not with the finer material he upcharged for, even though we compared it and the color was identical. He therefore gave me the cheaper price, which at the time was a steal for mint garnet of any quality. I was so giddy that day, it was like I was on cloud nine. He also threw in two half carat mahenge trillions of super fine color for $100. That lavender spinel was a great buy too from technofacet on eBay. I was looking for one and this was a better price than others of lesser cutting, and this was precision cut to boot!



eBay used to have the most amazing deals many years ago, but when I snagged this 4 carat spinel for $100, I almost had a heart attack. I wasn’t expecting anything decent because I was thinking the price was too good to be true, but when I opened the package, my eyeballs almost fell out of my head. It was so violet blue, lustrous and sparkly, it went beyond any expectations. It had a feather inclusion in the vendor photo, but you cannot see it without a loupe. I was so giddy. The one carat each mahenges on the side were exceptional eBay finds too. A lady gem dealer offered to buy it off my finger at the latest gem show.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/4-carat-portuguese-oval-violet-spinel.152354/



Well these are some of my most memorable deals.

Thank you for posting here T L, since I really enjoy hearing what you could find back in the old days. I'm also impressed you remember so many details even when say, an aqua was bought 25 years ago. I guess this is another instance of how the emotion of love (for our gemstones) can improve our long term memory.

All those pieces are gorgeous and fantastic steals, but my favorite is of course that awesome spinel that reflects multiple colors.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

A while back I was searching for the perfect lavender spinel, this ring was listed on LT as a sapphire. Well it was up there for a while and the price came down $200 so I jumped on it.

Turned out it was not a sapphire at all but a natural spinel! I literally got the spinel I was looking for by buying what I thought was a sapphire ring.

 

[voce]

A while back I was searching for the perfect lavender spinel, this ring was listed on LT as a sapphire. Well it was up there for a while and the price came down $200 so I jumped on it.

Turned out it was not a sapphire at all but a natural spinel! I literally got the spinel I was looking for by buying what I thought was a sapphire ring.

Omg your lavender spinel is gorgeous too! The color and the luster...
Although, I think I recognize the vendor, and I'm now scared to buy from her, since she doesn't use gem labs to verify what she's selling. Or maybe it's the LT person who mis-remembered what she bought from the vendor?

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Thanks so much @voce! My situation could have gone really badly so I don't blame you. IMO anyone selling something that they didn't buy directly should have a gemologist look over an item before selling. That's what I always do and it's really peace of mind for me too.

 

[Bluegemz]

A while back I was searching for the perfect lavender spinel, this ring was listed on LT as a sapphire. Well it was up there for a while and the price came down $200 so I jumped on it.

Turned out it was not a sapphire at all but a natural spinel! I literally got the spinel I was looking for by buying what I thought was a sapphire ring.

I think it’s a treasure! I’ve always admired it on loope troop and I love the setting. It’s truly of the nuclear age, which is very cool! aesthetics were bold and distinct, and had tremendous confidence due to the amazingly hopeful and confident spirit (zeitgeist) of the time, fabulous designers, Hollywood etc. I think you scored! Don’t let modern styles skew appreciation for this because they can be too simplistic, with the same things and the same styles. . Also, spinels are more rare than sapphires, right?

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Oh thank you so much @Bluegemz, I was just so glad it was a natural stone. Spinels can be rarer than sapphires, this color in particular is very desirable right now and hard to find and when you do find it you pay dearly!

 

[T L]

That 9 ct green tourmaline, if it were still in the rough would be at least $50 per ct today. It would take about a 25 ct stone to finish at 9, so the rough alone would be around $1250.

Would that be a regular green or a sea foam blue green?

 

[T L]

@StephanieLynn you did luck out with that spinel and unique retro ring.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Thank you so much @T L, your aqua is amazing, what a find for it to be in the wrong bin! The color, the cut...love everything about it.

 

[Bluegemz]

Ok, I feel the need to talk more about this Zuni cuff....because genuine Native American artistry, aside from the BS of marketing and overly repeated themes, is magnificent, and of the highest consciousness and should be appreciated!

I love this for the obvious reasons: it is old, it is rare, iris beautiful, and It’s unique. what really moves me is how consciousness is married with artistic design, as in many Zuni pieces. This cuff, like many other pieces, visually demonstrates a marriage between thought, higher belief, personal feeling and form. It starts with one center point, either thought or feeling, and explodes outwardly with consequent cognitions and emotions, and changing forms. in totality, it’s a story of metal, stone, story and of spiritual state,in a beautiful symmetry. I feel the amazing abstract qualities of native Americans, which condense so much meaning, are not well understood. To me, I see how one thought affects the system of consequent feeling and behaviors, like a blossoming effect in life! It makes one take note of how ones perception, consciousness are a determinant in one’s life. It is highly sophisticated and is deserving of respect aside from the wash of banality of the mass exposure of “ Zuni” art.
.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Would that be a regular green or a sea foam blue green?

For the color that your stone looks in the photo. Greens are tough to photograph well. A straight green would be less. I all depends on the size and shape too. I have some larger Afghan green/blue that was over $100 per ct in the rough. Rough is more complicated to buy than cut, especially in tourmaline since you need to be concerned with the color of the C axis. Often in the blues and greens the C axis is either totally closed or so dark you can't do more traditional cuts on it.

 

[T L]

For the color that your stone looks in the photo. Greens are tough to photograph well. A straight green would be less. I all depends on the size and shape too. I have some larger Afghan green/blue that was over $100 per ct in the rough. Rough is more complicated to buy than cut, especially in tourmaline since you need to be concerned with the color of the C axis. Often in the blues and greens the C axis is either totally closed or so dark you can't do more traditional cuts on it.

There’s more pics of it in the link above the photo. It’s more blue than green. The tip is green. Thanks.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

This red Burma spinel. I bought this at the time prices had already climbed and got a fantastic deal on the stone. I don't like the setting, but one day will reset it.

 

[ilovegemstones]

My spessartite garnet from Arkieb with a big inclusion in it but amazing colour! This is my most recent amazing deal. I am sending it to Sally to set!

 

[strawrose]

So many gorgeous pieces.

I have no idea how much this is worth. The setting was 7 times as expensive as the stone. Does anybody have a clue? 33 carat green beryl. Haha... either way, I think this is a special heirloom piece that I’ll pass to my niece, so I think it’s worth it.

 

[prs]

So many gorgeous pieces.

I have no idea how much this is worth. The setting was 7 times as expensive as the stone. Does anybody have a clue? 33 carat green beryl. Haha... either way, I think this is a special heirloom piece that I’ll pass to my niece, so I think it’s worth it.

Your piece is absolutely gorgeous! You will be pleased to know @T L posted that green beryl can be worth more than aquamarine, and she knows more about this kind of thing than just about anybody. I have no doubt she is correct because we too own a green beryl.

 

[stracci2000]

Some of my more recent finds.

Ruby and diamond bee brooch, Pawn shop

Peridot, blue topaz, 14k angelfish brooch, Thrift store


I've had these next two rings for a few years now.
18k white star sapphire and diamonds, Ebay. And an 18k sapphire 1920's deco ring, Local Gem and Mineral show.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Red spinel, fancy light yellow diamond, Colombian emerald. All bought preloved

My holy grail black opal which took years to find. I wanted full rainbow color representation in a floral pattern with good brightness.


My pad and tsav pair.


And my star sapphire. Too lazy to find a photo lol

 

[stracci2000]

My pad and tsav pair.

This ring is so interesting, I just cant stop staring at it. Cool lotus motif!
The juxtaposition of these two colors and cuts is just mesmerizing!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

This ring is so interesting, I just cant stop staring at it. Cool lotus motif!
The juxtaposition of these two colors and cuts is just mesmerizing!

Haha yeah eventually I had so many loose stones and so many solitaire styles that I started setting 2 stones at a time!

I do love lotuses. Have a tattoo of one in fact.

 

[prs]

Ok, I feel the need to talk more about this Zuni cuff....because genuine Native American artistry, aside from the BS of marketing and overly repeated themes, is magnificent, and of the highest consciousness and should be appreciated!

I love this for the obvious reasons: it is old, it is rare, iris beautiful, and It’s unique. what really moves me is how consciousness is married with artistic design, as in many Zuni pieces. This cuff, like many other pieces, visually demonstrates a marriage between thought, higher belief, personal feeling and form. It starts with one center point, either thought or feeling, and explodes outwardly with consequent cognitions and emotions, and changing forms. in totality, it’s a story of metal, stone, story and of spiritual state,in a beautiful symmetry. I feel the amazing abstract qualities of native Americans, which condense so much meaning, are not well understood. To me, I see how one thought affects the system of consequent feeling and behaviors, like a blossoming effect in life! It makes one take note of how ones perception, consciousness are a determinant in one’s life. It is highly sophisticated and is deserving of respect aside from the wash of banality of the mass exposure of “ Zuni” art.
.

I spent a couple of hours yesterday browsing auction results for Zuni jewelry. I didn't see anything that came even close in quality to the cuff, the necklace, and the earrings you have shown us over the last month or so. @Bluegemz you have a special talent for finding those other worldly pieces that remain hidden from us mere mortals.

 

[Bluegemz]

I spent a couple of hours yesterday browsing auction results for Zuni jewelry. I didn't see anything that came even close in quality to the cuff, the necklace, and the earrings you have shown us over the last month or so. @Bluegemz you have a special talent for finding those other worldly pieces that remain hidden from us mere mortals.

Awe, thank you for the kind compliment! It is difficult to find some of the really nice pieces. I’ll keep my eyes out for you