Advice & Opinions needed for a Red Spinel

[ccuheartnurse]

Hi All,

I'm continuing my search for my tiny coloured stone collection & have wanted to buy something red, really red. John at Gemrite says the stone is very red with a touch of pink. I have a difficult time reading his pictures. He has been very accommodating providing pictures & videos. He has 2 vids on his site. At 1st he had mentioned the stone did not have any fluoro & that was a concern for me since I've been reading that a good spinel has fluoro. He didn't really know what I meant but was so awesome he went to investigate & sure enough, the stone glowed red. What is your opinion on the stone itself? I read Deb's (AGBF) thread about her search for her red spinel which I found very helpful. Like her, I'm searching for the perfect red for me. Which is, no orange & as little pink as possible. John says the stone has a touch of pink. He says it does not darken indoors.

My preferred shape is a cushion but I would also like the idea of a pear too. It will be set in a 3-stone type of ring. I better not put the cart before the horse & try to find a stone. My budget is up to a max of $2000.
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Thanks All...
Judy

 

[chrono]

Doesn't look stop light red on my monitor (both the pictures and video). I guess the only way to find out for sure is to see it in person.

 

[SparkliesLuver]

Doesn't look stop light red on my monitor (both the pictures and video). I guess the only way to find out for sure is to see it in person.

+1

 

[LD]

Red is a very personal colour - what one person sees as stoplight red, another sees brown in etc. It's probably the most difficult colour to find in the gem world and stoplight red gems command a huge premium (usually).

I have to say that this stone looks too dark to me to be stoplight red AND the video shows it being a very pink/red BUT it may look different in real life. I echo Chrono's suggestion of getting it for a look.

 

[ccuheartnurse]

I thought I saw a hint of orange spots here & there. John did say that the pictures show more orange & the stone is more red in person. It's pretty expensive returning stones to the U.S from Canada. I wasn't able to get to Buffalo to return the marquise Tsavorite that I had bought from Brad. I had sticker shock. I would rather try to figure it out beforehand.

Does anyone know if there is anything out there that might fit what I'm looking for? I think Lisa Eisler has one but if I remember correctly it was too dark & had orange in it.

 

[LD]

I thought I saw a hint of orange spots here & there. John did say that the pictures show more orange & the stone is more red in person. It's pretty expensive returning stones to the U.S from Canada. I wasn't able to get to Buffalo to return the marquise Tsavorite that I had bought from Brad. I had sticker shock. I would rather try to figure it out beforehand.

Does anyone know if there is anything out there that might fit what I'm looking for? I think Lisa Eisler has one but if I remember correctly it was too dark & had orange in it.

Honestly, you need to knuckle down for your search as it may take a long time. Pure red gems are incredibly rare. Perhaps the most rare of all colours as I said above. I really don't think you'd be happy with this spinel as it's VERY pink to me (of course that's purely looking at the video and photo) but if John has said he sees pink in it then I bet the video is accurate. Is that the colour you want? If not, don't get it for a look. I haven't seen a pure red gem for quite some time I'm afraid so can't offer any suggstions.

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Thank you for your advice & opinion. I had wanted to buy a pink gem & a red gem, perhaps I should buy one with both qualities so I only have to do this once. I've been looking at spinels for a while but they are all pretty expensive now. I had contacted Prima about a pear but it had been sold. I have to read more on Chrono's spinel but I love that colour too.

 

[LD]

Thank you for your advice & opinion. I had wanted to buy a pink gem & a red gem, perhaps I should buy one with both qualities so I only have to do this once. I've been looking at spinels for a while but they are all pretty expensive now. I had contacted Prima about a pear but it had been sold. I have to read more on Chrono's spinel but I love that colour too.

Chrono's Mahenge spinel? That was a wonderful find and I know PSers have been trying to find ones that match up to hers for years! Again, you have good taste as that's a beautiful gem but unfortunately you'll need to search for a long time, don't hesitate if one comes up and you may have to bite the bullet to get any stone that you think fits your bill, of course making sure that there are return policies. There is very little material like Chrono's Mahenge on the market now as these have been mined out but you may be lucky and find something on the second hand market.

 

[SparkliesLuver]

Gingercurls has a few listed on LT - items 6-8. Might be worth a look (and be sure to check out her videos).

http://loupetroop.com/users/gingercurls

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Thanks for the advice once again. I have checked out Gingercurls listings. I'll have to revisit them again.

 

[chrono]

Given your location, I would pass on the Gemrite spinel. If you don't mind pink, the LT spinels look very well saturated in the video.