Advice regarding what to do with a natural Alexandrite

[needfullshinythings]

Hi all, I will start with an apology for the lack of pictures with this post. The gemstone I wish to discuss is off being looked at right now, but I will upload some as soon as I get it back. I currently own a natural Alexandrite that weighs 1.58ct is round cut and shows as a blue/green colour in sunlight with a high refraction and a violet/blue in candlelight. I recently sent the stone off to safeguard ( whilst still in its mount ) and they said it was natural. Could anyone please give me some sound advice on what to do next ? Due to the fact I know nothing other than what I have researched online regarding Alexandrite ( it appears I may have found a nice stone ) I was hoping there might be someone with experience of this rare stone on the forum. Should I send it off to 1 of the labs in Europe or would I get a proper certification from anchor cert ? I honestly don't know what to do with it !!! Please help. P.S 1st ever forum post, scary.

 

[T L]

Hello, and welcome to the forum.

Can you go to multicolour.com to their alexandrite section and tell us which stone best emulates the color change on your gem. Is the color change very strong as well, or is there "bleeding" of color in sunlight, and artificial (candlelight)? Is it muddy at all in some lighting?

AGL is the premier lab for colored gemstones, but if you're in Europe, you can use GRS or SSEF. Hopefully those repots can tell you the quality of color and percentage of color change. I'm not as familiar with their reports, but AGL does provide extremely comprehensive reports based on what you need to know.

 

[needfullshinythings]

Many thanks for the reply TL, I have looked at multicolour.com and there are few with similarities on the daylight colour but none with the change of colour in candlelight that my stone has. The closest colour I found was a pair of pear shape weighing o.68ct ref number YAX726aa. The blue/green is very similar ( mine is a little darker ) but I cant find the change colour on their charts. Thanks for the links regarding gem labs in Europe, I only know of igi & egl and the joke shop in the uk called Anchor cert. Much appreciated. I will be picking my stone up soon so next time I post hopefully there are some photo's for you to look at. Thx again.

 

[T L]

Many thanks for the reply TL, I have looked at multicolour.com and there are few with similarities on the daylight colour but none with the change of colour in candlelight that my stone has. The closest colour I found was a pair of pear shape weighing o.68ct ref number YAX726aa. The blue/green is very similar ( mine is a little darker ) but I cant find the change colour on their charts. Thanks for the links regarding gem labs in Europe, I only know of igi & egl and the joke shop in the uk called Anchor cert. Much appreciated. I will be picking my stone up soon so next time I post hopefully there are some photo's for you to look at. Thx again.

So this one?

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/index.html?-1946824709

Is your stone clean too?

 

[chrono]

Do you trust Safeguard's assessment? If you require additional verification from a premier lab, then my choice would be SSEF, Gubelin or GIA in Europe. Might as well get it done right once rather than having to send it off twice to get a definitive answer.

 

[needfullshinythings]

hi again TL, yes that's the 1. Mine is a little darker with no purple bleeding, its a very definite blue/green with a good refraction in sunlight. The colour change is nothing like my stone though, mine is a dark blue/violet colour. The stone does have some natural inclusions, until I get it back I honestly cant remember to what level. My main concern is getting it certified, as natural Alexandrite seems to be quite rare nowadays. Many thx again for your reply.

 

[needfullshinythings]

Hi Chrono, thx for the reply. NO I dont trust safeguards appraisal. I had a very interesting bout of emails regarding their assessment, it failed to mention the stones colour,colour change,cut,clarity and worst of all it didn't have in writing any mention of natural or synthetic !!! I contacted them regarding this and they sent me an email ( which I have kept ) stating that if there is no mention of natural/synthetic on the appraisal then the recipient should ASSUME that it is indeed natural. Also the lack of mention of the stones colour ( a fundamental basic when appraising a coloured gemstone ) clearly indicates a company with a lack of professionalism. I certainly wouldn't use them again. Someone please open a gem lab in the uk !!!

 

[chrono]

The information written on the lab report will also be fairly basic but at least it will tell you whether it is a natural stone, synthetic or simulant. It doesn't tell you the strength of the colour change nor the colour quality even though it lists the 2 colourways. The clarity is only listed as transparent, translucent or opaque. If you require detailed information such as the colour quality, cut quality, and more, as far as I know, AGL is the only lab that provides this.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

What to do next depends on, well, what you want to do

Are you planning on selling the stone? Are you planning on keeping it and are you worried about insurance? Are you thinking of resetting it? Do you want an approximate value for the stone so you can decide?

If you want a value, a good appraiser will give you a figure, based on the information you already have (but a good lab report will allow the appraiser to give a more accurate figure).

If you want to sell, get a good lab report right away. A natural alexandrite of good size is not cheap and it attracts a more knowledgeable public (in general) than the "big three" and they will want to see a report from a reputable lab. Then, you have to decide what venue will best suit you (depending on how fast you want to move the stone, how comfortable you are with selling online, etc).

If you want to wear it, you may want to insure the ring and have the setting checked out by a good bench jeweler, to make sure all prongs are in order and the setting sound.

If you want a reset, PSers can participate in the fun of choosing a new home for your stone.

 

[T L]

Hi Chrono, thx for the reply. NO I dont trust safeguards appraisal. I had a very interesting bout of emails regarding their assessment, it failed to mention the stones colour,colour change,cut,clarity and worst of all it didn't have in writing any mention of natural or synthetic !!! I contacted them regarding this and they sent me an email ( which I have kept ) stating that if there is no mention of natural/synthetic on the appraisal then the recipient should ASSUME that it is indeed natural. Also the lack of mention of the stones colour ( a fundamental basic when appraising a coloured gemstone ) clearly indicates a company with a lack of professionalism. I certainly wouldn't use them again. Someone please open a gem lab in the uk !!!

Natural alexandrite isn't rare, but fine quality alexandrite is rare. What you need to know is if your stone qualifies in the "fine" category. The lab reports don't always state the quality, so that's something you should look into. With information from the lab report, an appraisal can then be made by a COMPETENT gemologist that specializes in colored stones, to appraise the gem for insurance purposes, if you wish to insure it. If not, that's okay too. A safety deposit box is handy and inexpensive for safeguarding gems. However, as LadyD said, what do you want to do with it? Hold it as an investment, sell it, set it? Colored gemstones are rarely good investments and appraisals are usually never what you can get for the gem as a private seller, but more for insurance purposes.

 

[needfullshinythings]

hi again, thx to lady disdain & TL for your posts. No I don't know what I am going to do with the stone lady disdain, I have had it removed from its setting for the purpose of having it certified, it will also need to have a very minor chip on the crown sorted ( if possible ) before I get to the idea of whether to sell or have it set and wear it. Would you agree that this is a stone for the ladies or could you see it being worn by a man ? The chances are that I will probably sell the stone and fund another item due to my magpie nature.Thx for the post. TL, many thx for the multitude of info. Looks like ive got some more research to be getting on with I should have the stone back soon, as soon as I get it I will post some pics. They probably wont be great but I will do my best. Thx again.

 

[T L]

hi again, thx to lady disdain & TL for your posts. No I don't know what I am going to do with the stone lady disdain, I have had it removed from its setting for the purpose of having it certified, it will also need to have a very minor chip on the crown sorted ( if possible ) before I get to the idea of whether to sell or have it set and wear it. Would you agree that this is a stone for the ladies or could you see it being worn by a man ? The chances are that I will probably sell the stone and fund another item due to my magpie nature.Thx for the post. TL, many thx for the multitude of info. Looks like ive got some more research to be getting on with I should have the stone back soon, as soon as I get it I will post some pics. They probably wont be great but I will do my best. Thx again.

You're welcome. As to your question about using it for a man's ring, I'm not sure that would be a good idea because the stone, according to you, sounds a bit dark in tone. Most men's rings use a lot of metal that surround the gem, and I would personally put a dark stone in a more open claw setting.

Good luck on your research.

 

[chrono]

Personally, I like to set colour changing stones in as open a setting as possible to allow the maximum amount of light to reach into the stone to see it change often and quickly. As TL said, most men's rings are very enclosed and could well darken the alexandrite too much to the point where the colour change is less obvious.

 

[minousbijoux]

Look forward to seeing photos.

 

[needfullshinythings]

Very,Very sorry about the lack of posts/updates everyone. I managed to get a long weekend away for the 1st time in ages, just what was needed. I have contacted my jeweller and he says I will have the Alexandrite stone back sometime this week, shouldn't be long b4 I get it on the forum. Sorry again for the lack of updates, 4 days of peace and quiet was worth it though I also managed to snag a bargain whilst away, that magpie syndrome wont go away. Back soon.

 

[needfullshinythings]

Hello again all, Finally got my stone back from the jewellers today. That's the good news !!! I will get some pictures taken and let you decide before I disclose the particulars, Gobsmacked is the best word I can find to describe my reaction. I shouldn't be long with the pictures. Back soon.

 

[needfullshinythings]

]Here we go, the pictures are not very good at all folks. I only have a small digital camera, hence the inability to capture the right light etc etc. I tried my best I hope this works.

 

[derbygal]

It looks fabulous.

 

[needfullshinythings]

Thx Derbygal, pleased you like it. This is an open invitation to all of the wonderful people I have had dialogue with and anyone else who wishes to contribute, opinions on what you think this stone is please. Are its characteristics that of an Alexandrite or do you think otherwise ? The reason I ask is because I have never seen 1 other than online pictures from gem sites and a 2nd opinion has thrown a curveball at me. Let me know what you think. Many thx.

 

[needfullshinythings]

I have tried to capture some different angles, still struggling to get a decent picture with its colour change though. opinions please !!!!

 

[Marlow]

Hey,

Could you tell which light condition - first pics looks like daylight - did you use a flashlight. I see no color change.

Size and clarity are really nice - the stone looks like a lot of "alexandrite" from Orissa, India - fantastic daylight color and weak or no color change. They have nearly equal amount of vanadium and chrome - not enough chrome for a good change. So in my opinion green chrysoberyl and not alexandrite. And still beautiful and valuable!!!!

Stones from Hematita have 0,40 - 0,60% chrome and they show a beautiful strong change from bluegreen to purple. They are low in Vanadium. The daylight color in top material is equal with these indian stones.

Btw - to much chrome can produce purple to purplishred Chrysoberyl - again no colorchange.

 

[needfullshinythings]

Hi Marlow, thx for the input. Both sets of pictures where taken indoors in natural light, my attempts at capturing the colour change have proved quite difficult. When it was in its setting I got a fairly good change to deep blue/violet, now all I seem to get from the pictures is a very dark stone. What's the best method for this ? The 2nd part of your post mentions that it could actually be a green chrysoberyl, would a RI of 1.76 be appropriate for that gemstone ? I actually have 2 separate appraisals which contradict each other, And your suggestions adds a 3rd to the list. Alexandrite/ sapphire/chrysoberyl or maybe none of them ? Thx again, keep the posts coming.

 

[chrono]

The only difference between a chrysoberyl and alexandrite is that a chrsoberyl is yellow/green or green/yellow and an alexandrite changes from blue/green to purple/red. RI, SG and all other properties are the same except for the colour change. It's just a "name thing" akin to a red corundum being known as ruby but all other colour corundum is a sapphire.

 

[needfullshinythings]

Thx Chrono, its a long learning curve that I have found myself on . IYHO what would you say this stone is of those suggested ? Or could it be something else ?

 

[Marlow]

The mineral is chrysoberyl.

Alexandrite is a variety of chrysoberyl with a color change from "green" to "red" caused by chrome - vanadium and iron have also an influence ( brownish tone for example).

I am looking forward to see pics with the purple color.

The same "problem" with ruby.

Corundum is the mineral - a red corundum with chrome content is called ruby.

But... a pink sapphire is also corundum colored by ( a lower) amount of chrome. So sometimes it is a discussion whether it is a pink sapphire or a ruby.

 

[Marlow]

Ruby

two people same thought!!!!

 

[LoversKites]

Hehe. I was about to make a similar post as the two above.

Additionally, there is a difference apparently between alexandrite and colour change chrysoberyl. I hope I'm allowed to post this link. I wonder what other members think because I've never encountered this.
http://www.gemsociety.org/article/the-misconception-and-erroneous-marketing-of-alexandrite-versus-color-change-chrysoberyl/

If the colour change is so difficult to capture, you go here and tell us which is most alike to yours: http://www.multicolour.com/gallery/?/gallery/alexandrite/

I think your alex is beautiful in daylight.

 

[chrono]

LK,
Your link pretty much says the same thing that Marlow and I explained above; the only chrysoberyl that can be called an alexandrite are those than change from blue/green to purple/red. All other colour-ways should be called a colour change chrysoberyl.

 

[LoversKites]

LK,
Your link pretty much says the same thing that Marlow and I explained above; the only chrysoberyl that can be called an alexandrite are those than change from blue/green to purple/red. All other colour-ways should be called a colour change chrysoberyl.

Ahh, ok. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[needfullshinythings]

Hi all, sorry but I cant find a comparable colour change anywhere. Could you suggest a simple/surefire way of getting the light right. I have tried to do the candle but the pictures are always too dark. YES I am a complete novice. The appraisal I have states that it has MODERATE colour change, due to my lack of skill with a camera is this a possible reason why I am struggling ? All suggestions/posts are greatly appreciated.