Alexandrite E-ring in the making

[alexring]

Normally I'm a forum lurker but on this one occasion I am going to try to get all the advice I can.

I'm in the early stages of getting an alexandrite engagement ring made for my unsuspecting girlfriend. I was a complete gem newbie about a month ago but at this point I know a little bit (about alexandrites anyway).

Generally I get really into major projects like this and have been spending every waking moment (when not in my girlfriend's presence) learning about the different gem stones. I've finally decided that I want it to be an alexandrite.

Next up, I have been browsing pictures of gem stone rings, to see if I can find something I like. I was looking mostly at modest size stones, since we both generally like simpler things, and because alexandrites are worth a fortune. I thinking of a three stone ring as she has shortish fingers and I like the look of them too. I stumbled upon this picture (I'm not sure where) and really liked it. The centre stone is 0.4 carats. I'd like to hear your opinions as to whether this could work as and E-ring (the picture should be attached).

Where I've really been spending my time is looking for the stone. Since its going to be a small stone, I want it to be really top quality. I'm hoping for 0.39 to 0.49 carat stone in oval cut. In alexandrites, colour is most important so I'm looking for 95% colour change from blue-Green to violet or reddish purple.

I figure online is by far my best bet since alexandrites are so rare, although I am a bit nervous about buying a gem that I've never seen in person. Looks like the best site is khazargems.com which sells almost exclusively alexandrite and has a wide selection. They seem to have a good reputation too. The stones themselves at Khazargems look phenomenal and they are selling them for more or less whole sale prices, which means I will actually be able to afford one. The only thing is that most of them are natively cut, giving lots of them large windows and mediocre brilliance.

My first question about the stone is how much emphasis I should put on brilliance and clarity? In alexandrite, it's supposed to be colour that really matters. However, this is for an engagement ring, where diamonds are the standard. As such I was really hoping for VVS clairity and a really superb, brilliant cut.

Would it be worth it to get one of the native cut gems on khazargems, re-cut? One of the ones they have posted (I applogise if you are reading this some time in the future and the link is now broken) is a 0.55 carat stone that is natively cut and has a large window. It seems otherwise perfect. Could this be cut into the stone? How much does cutting cost?

I'm hoping this thread become a place where I can get advice through this whole process and also be a resource for others thinking of making and alexandrite E-ring (which I'm really excited for).

Thanks

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I like the setting you chose - very delicade and distinctive.

I am not familiar with the vendor khazargems. However, the fact that they sell every gem at 15% to 40% of the list price does raise a few flags in my mind.

 

[Pandora II]

Please, please contact a couple of vendors and ask for their help - that way you get a second pair of eyes and they will have more sources than you will find on your own.

All my stones have been bought unseen IRL and I have LOVED them all.

Explain your parameters and budget and see what they find!

 

[alexring]

Thanks for the replies (and fast too).

I was a bit sketched out by how low the prices are at Khazar as well at first. But I dug around a bit and it looks like they are honest. They have excellent customer feed back as reported at Site Trust Network (which also seems legit), and are linked too off of a lot of other sites.

What other vendors would you recommend contacting? Cherrypicked seems to have limited selection in alexandrites, maybe half a dozen. Multicolour.com looks promising with a huge selection, prices are comparable, maybe a tad cheaper than Khazargems. Does anyone have any experience with multicolour.com?

Should I bother walking into local (Toronto) jewellers? Seems to me that Alexandrite is hard to find, and the internet seems to be much cheaper.

Thanks

 

[LD]

Hello! I've collected Alexandrite for many years and have bought from different sources. I can highly recommend David Weinberg at multicolour.com He is an expert in Alex and will give you all the help you need to make an informed decision. The one you're looking at at Khazargems (sp?) is, as you've said, a native cut and it will affect the brilliance of the gemstone. For the same money or a little more you should be able to get something with a better cut I'd think.

By the way, most Alex have inclusions and it's classed as a Type II gemstone.

If you want more advice on Alex there is a website written by David it's http://www.alexandrite.net/

 

[hlpkaixin3344]

Sorry Alex, that .55 carat won''t work. To remove that window, you need to have around 50-60% of the width in the depth. The reason it is windowed is that they tried to make it too big. You''ve only got 2.5 carats in the depth, and 4.2 in the width. So your going to lose width and length on a recut and then you have to do the top as well. Your looking at $300 for the recut. I don''t know where they get their $3100 retail price, but hey, I got a bridge in my spare pocket. Your overpaying even at $950 for that.

You probably want something like this: 5 x 5 x 5 mm approx. With that color change though, it''s a bit more $$ than your indicating here.

 

[jleb]

Hmmm. I was anonymized in that prior post.. here's the real poster..

 

[chrono]

As much as I love colour change stones, one thing to aware of is that you''ll rarely get it to display a full violet/red and green colour unless you are able to manipulate the lighting very well. Under true day to day living situations, you''ll most often see a mixing or blending of the two colours. Multicolour is a good place to shop (honest and straightforward) but you have to know what you are looking at and ask the right questions. You don''t want a stone with a lot of gray mask, a tone that is too dark or windowed (ambitious cutting in order to maximize final dimension measurements).

 

[neatfreak]

I personally would contact someone like Wink Jones. He has gotten some GORGEOUS colored stones for people on here, and I would certainly trust him. He''s a very honest and well known vendor here.

 

[alexring]

I've sent emails to Indygem.com, and palagems.com, in the spirit of contacting several vendors. I'm still waiting to hear back from them.

I'm not to concerned if the gem is often between the daylight colour and the incandescent colour. Lighting is often mixed anyway. I just want it to look good always and am actually kind of excited for it to be a transient mixture of the two colours in mixed light.

David helped be find this beautiful alexandrite. What do you guys think. I'm concerned that the saturation for this stone is only 3 (on the 6 point scale, 3 is "very slightly grayish) in both lighting conditions. I know that the competing colours mean that I'm not going to get a 6 "vivid" gem, but I thought I'd do better than 3. I suddenly wish I was buying a stone in person so I could see what the saturation actually looks like.

Its funny that this stone and the one I linked at Khazargems (which has been pointed out would not work) are both described as having reddish-purple incandescent colouring yet the pictures are so different. Do you think this is a lighting/photography effect?

This made go back and look at the hue spectrum again. Turns out that I don't know colours very well. According to the spectrum on this site the colour I thought was fuchsia is actually purple and and what I've been calling purple is apparently violet. As such I guess I'm looking for more bluish purple/reddish violet than reddish purple.

I wanted to thank people for their advice thus far. I feel like I'm learning a lot quicker now.

Cheers.

 

[LD]

Ask David to take photographs of the actual gemstone for you. The alex photos on his website are taken under strict conditions to show both extremes of change but that''s not necessarily what you''ll see on a day to day basis. He is usually more than happy to take photographs at different times of the day and label them up so you can see what natural cool/warm daylight/incandescent will look like.

In all honesty I only have 1 alex that mixes both the green/purple during the day - however, what you will see is that in the morning it will be a different green to lunchtime and then as the light fades the colour will change again. The WHOLE alex should change to the same colour as it''s shifting though (not just parts). If it''s changing in parts during the day then steer clear. The only time that it will change in parts is when you get to early evening, the natural light is fading and the electric lights are on. For a short window you''ll see two colours (1 dominate and the other flashing through) but then the change will complete when there''s no natural light remaining. On multicolour.com somewhere there is a guide that states what the best colour change/saturation/tones are for alex. I can''t remember where it is!

Personally speaking, the alex you''ve picked is 100% better than the other you posted. Don''t worry about the grey mask because it''s only slight. If it affects the stone''s beauty you''ll see that if you get photos.

Good luck in your quest.

 

[LD]

Found it! Thought I'd seen it somewhere:


"What colors should we look for?


There is no fixed rule about this. Some dealers look at the red incandescent color and price the stones based on the intensity of the red. My own feeling is that both the daylight green and the incandescent colors should be nice and hightly saturated if possible. The srength of the color change change is the most important factor affecting the value of alexandrites. The GIA grades the following colors as top in daylight, G 5/2 (medium slightly grayish green) and vslbG 5/2 (medium slightly grayish very slightly bluish green). Under incandescent light, R 5/3 (medium very slightly brownish red) and slpR 5/3 (very slightly brownish slightly purplish red) are considered to be the best colors. Some stones may only look good in daylight or only under incandescent light and they should be less expensive. Finally, it is the buyer that will wear the stone so the colors he or she likes are the most important."

(Extract from www.multicolour.com)


By the way, I think I'm right in saying that the Andrapradesh mine in India is no longer producing Alexandrite but it did produce some fantastic daylight colour stones!

 

[alexring]

LovingDiamonds, you are awesome. Thank you so much for your help. I did actually look for that quote you just posted but didn''t get anywhere. This makes me feel way better about the saturation of the alexandrites I''ve seen online.

I''m quickly becoming obsessed with this project (probably checked this thread 20 times today, it is a weekend). Can you feel the excitement?!

I know I''m nowhere near this point yet, but can anyone with experience give me an estimate on the setting? remember that the centre stone in the above ring is 0.4 carats, for scale. I''m assuming it will have to be custom made, as I REALLY like the detail (for lack a a better description lets call it the swirly detail) and doubt that I will be able to find anything like it. I was hoping for platinum, but white gold would be okay depending on the price difference.

Come to think of it, maybe I will try to figure out where that picture came from. I really have no idea.

Thanks

 

[bar01]

I recently purchased a small alexandrite from Cherrypicked. It was not listed on their site, I had the owner do a search for me. I looked at the other sites you mentioned and of those alternatives - khazargems.com had the most interest for me.

The little round brazillian alexandrite I got was .32ct, 90% color change (teal to light raspberry), Medium Tone (GIA 5), Moderate saturation (GIA 4), Fine Hue (6), and a "Fair" brilliance. It had a list price of $1200 and an appraised value of $1400.

What made your choice of Alexandrite? Have you seen one in person?

One thing that was frustrating for me was that it was impossible to see any examples of Alexandrite before I bought on line. Even the finest stores in Chicago had not a single piece. "Too rare" and "not in demand" I was told.

Whiteflash does excellent custom settings and diamonds. They also have some expertise in colored stones and could do the whole thing for you.

 

[alexring]

I have to admit I''ve never seen an alexandrite in person. I chose alexandrite because upon reading about them I was awed and thought it was a great sounding gem. I knew I/she didn''t want a diamond, and I didn''t want a large stone, so it worked out that even small alexandrites are valuable.

Also they are hard (moh 8.5) which is really important. Basically the only other option that is hard enough would be a sapphire, which I considered. I''m also really excited because no one we know will know what an alexandrite is. A real break from convention, which is perfect for us.

 

[LD]

Does anybody know if it''s possible to post a video on here please? I''ve got a video of an Alex pendant that I took in semi natural daylight (by glass french windows) and then walked into a room with electric light. Whilst it doesn''t show the colour change brilliantly, you can certainly see the colour shift. If I could take a video during the day and then at night that would be better but hindsight is a great condition to have!

If I''m allowed to post it alexring I''d be happy to............ then at least you could see one in person before you buy (if you know what I mean)!!!

 

[alexring]

How big is it (the file size I mean)? If all else fails you could email it to me.

 

[LD]

1893kb whatever that means!

Here are some photos I took of it though - these are true to life:

Green = daylight
Purple = incandescent

This is a 1.5ct and is a very good specimen.

 

[colormyworld]

Hi alexring,

Please go out and look at a few alenandrites in person if possible. Be sure to view in various lighting conditions. Color change stones are the toughest to "get right" in photos. The expression "emerald by day,ruby at night" is very optimistic at best. IMO

 

[LD]

Date: 8/10/2008 6:18:35 PM
Author: colormyworld
Hi alexring,

Please go out and look at a few alenandrites in person if possible. Be sure to view in various lighting conditions. Color change stones are the toughest to ''get right'' in photos. The expression ''emerald by day,ruby at night'' is very optimistic at best. IMO

I completely agree which is why I wanted alexring to see the video. I''ve only ever seen 1 that looked like a Ruby(ish) at night. Most look like amethyst. However, the photos that I''ve posted above are true to life. I have the worst time in the world photographing the green daylight colour but by fluke managed to on that occasion.

Alexring - all of these in daylight are a green colour (some stronger than others). This photo was taken in full sunlight and you can see hardly any of them look green! The 3ct pear on my ring finger has a week colour change and you can see that''s still green. The bottom one on my little finger is a Russian alex that''s very very poor quality. The others have good colour change - some stronger than others.

Alexring one other thing - Alexandrite is not an immediate "WOW" stone. Once you know what it is and experience the colour change it becomes WOW just because it''s fascinating but in all honesty it''s not the nicest looking gemstone in the world! (Although I love them)!

 

[bar01]

Date: 8/10/2008 5:08:21 PM
Author: alexring I chose alexandrite because upon reading about them I was awed and thought it was a great sounding gem. I knew I/she didn''t want a diamond, and I didn''t want a large stone, so it worked out that even small alexandrites are valuable.

Also they are hard (moh 8.5) which is really important. Basically the only other option that is hard enough would be a sapphire, which I considered. I''m also really excited because no one we know will know what an alexandrite is. A real break from convention, which is perfect for us.

That is great. Many of us went with colored stones due to their special, beautiful and rare nature over diamonds for our gals E-rings. Sapphires, Rubies, Spinels and Alexandrite would have the hardness you seek. There are some color change sapphires as well. Slightly lower moh''s would yield some nice options in some rare Garnets.

Back to Alexandrites....Here is another site to see some pictures and prices for Alex''s Awesomegems site

 

[alexring]

Posting your email address online is an invitation to spam bots unless you disguise it real well.

I will definitely go out an seen some alexandrites before I buy into one. Do I have a chance walking into the high end places in Toronto? Any advice?

An amethyst looking stone is actually perfect. I/She prefer(s) the violet or purple to red.

Thanks

 

[Ali]

Date: 8/10/2008 5:27:07 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Does anybody know if it''s possible to post a video on here please? I''ve got a video of an Alex pendant that I took in semi natural daylight (by glass french windows) and then walked into a room with electric light. Whilst it doesn''t show the colour change brilliantly, you can certainly see the colour shift. If I could take a video during the day and then at night that would be better but hindsight is a great condition to have!


If I''m allowed to post it alexring I''d be happy to............ then at least you could see one in person before you buy (if you know what I mean)!!!

We do not currently have a way to share videos on Pricescope and external links are not allowed. We are working on a solution and will keep you updated on the progress. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Keep in mind, personal information, including email addresses are not allowed to be posted on Pricescope.

the link to policies can be found at the bottom of every forum page.

 

[Ali]

Date: 8/10/2008 7:52:17 PM
Author: alexring
Posting your email address online is an invitation to spam bots unless you disguise it real well.

For the privacy and protection of our members, personal information, including email addresses, is not allowed.

Please review the forum policies linked at the bottom of the page.

 

[alexring]

Time to bring this thread back to life.

I was finally able to see some Alexandrites today (been trying to do this for weeks now). Linda Penwarden (A jeweller in Toronto, recommended by a few on this site) was nice enough to in some stones. She of course said she had trouble finding them, as they are so rare. After looking at about 6 disappointing stones (really just not that nice), she showed me one that was absolutely beautiful. It had no trouble changing colour between the two lights and when she let me take it outside, I was astonished. I would guess that the colours are as good as it gets, may be a tad dark in tone though. Unfortunately it was priced at $3.5k for 0.44 carats.

It''s way out of my range, but I think I will pay to have her get it appraised. She didn''t have any specs on it at all (or even a place of origin) and I''d like to have these numbers so I can compare with the numbers on multicolour.com. I think this information would be worth the $50 or so.

I''ll keep you updated.

 

[icekid]

Date: 9/2/2008 6:26:57 PM
Author: alexring
Time to bring this thread back to life.

Unfortunately it was priced at $3.5k for 0.44 carats.

It''s way out of my range, but I think I will pay to have her get it appraised. She didn''t have any specs on it at all (or even a place of origin) and I''d like to have these numbers so I can compare with the numbers on multicolour.com. I think this information would be worth the $50 or so.

I''ll keep you updated.

wow, that sure is pricey!! Sounds pretty though. I am curious though- if it''s way out of your price range, why waste money on the appraisal? I''d keep that money and put it toward a stone that you can afford.

 

[Pandora II]

It might be worth looking at colour-change sapphires or garnets.

I have a CC garnet that goes from a bluish/grayish/purple in daylight to bright raspberry in electric light.

 

[alexring]

The idea behind getting the expensive stone appraised is so I can compare numbers from the stone I''ve seen to the numbers of stones I might actually buy. On the other hand your probably right that having this information probably won''t effect which stone I buy in the end. What do people think?

Also I''ve gotten some photos from David of the stone on multicolour that I linked to above. These pictures are taken in less doctored lighting conditions. They were taken in natural daylight. It looks like you get a bit more grey in natural light. What do you guys think of the cutting?

 

[alexring]

side view

 

[alexring]

bottom.