Alexandrite Question

[krabe]

I am trying to create a mother's ring for my wife. We have one June and one April. I have a Princess cut Diamond, ok quality purchased back when I was ignorant. Measures at 5mmx5mm. I was trying to find a natural alexandrite stone of equal dimensions and mount the two of them in a setting.

The best that I have been able to come up with is a 5mm cushion cut fairly square or a 4.5mm by 4.5mm alexandrite.

The jeweler tells me that the 4.5mm square is AAA quality and is a tich over my budget. I have never heard of AAA quality when it comes to stones. (do these exist) I have to pay for the stones to have it shipped in so that I can look at it and make a decision. But I am thinking of passing because of the cost and the difference in size between the 5mm diamond that I have and the 4.5mm. Would you agree? Or do I just bite the bullet to buy a good quality alex?

With the cost difference of the 5x5 cushion to the 4.5x4.5 square I can afford another diamond to match the cushion I think. We live in a small town so I will be driving this weekend to see the cushion but trying to think of another idea or way to create a two stone ring for my wife, who hates round.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

KRABE

 

[krabe]

Here are the pictures of the Cushion 2 alone with the jeweler trying to show the color change and one in comparison to a cushion diamond they have in the store.

 

[Bex]

I don't love that stone... it looks too olive green and the color is a bit muddy. It also looks like there is a pretty large window.

What's your budget? Would you consider a 3 stone ring? Multicolour.com has a pretty solid selection of princess cut alexandrites around 3mm, and calibrated ones in the 2-2.5mm range. I'm sure they'd be willing to look to see if they have two that would make a nice pair!

http://www.multicolour.com/gallery/?2007322429

 

[krabe]

I would agree we are not overly a fan of the stone if it looks like the pictures. We are hoping that they just do a poor job with pictures/poor lighting etc.

Budget is about $4500 if I don't have to buy a diamond to match. My wife is pretty particular that she just wants the two stones due to only having 2 kids.

We are in a position that if we can't find the right stone or right set we will just continue to wait until the right one comes along. More time also increases the budget, but we are hoping to find something that she will like. Another jeweler was able to find a 5mm square stone but it was 11500 which I just can't justify.

We have spent a lot of time at multicolor and I keep hoping to find something that jumps of the page, but we have only ever seen one natural alexandrite and it looked poor making us even more skeptical to buy one online sight unseen.

KRABE

 

[girlyglam]

Since Alexandrite is all about color and color change, a lot of subjectivity comes into it. I don't personally love that stone - it's not my preferred colorways and I'm not thrilled about the color change. However, someone else may love it.

I would give Multicolour.com another shot. I'm a little bit confused when you say you only saw one natural alexandrite on there because all of his alexandrites are natural, and he has a pretty decent selection. Are you at all open to different shapes other than a symmetrical cushion or princess? If so, it would open up your choices some more.

 

[krabe]

Girlyglam,
We have only seen one stone in person. It wasn't from multicolour.com but I have been hesitant to buy from online retailers. I know I shouldn't be but, if this stone doesn't work I will probably be looking there a little harder.

 

[girlyglam]

Girlyglam,
We have only seen one stone in person. It wasn't from multicolour.com but I have been hesitant to buy from online retailers. I know I shouldn't be but, if this stone doesn't work I will probably be looking there a little harder.

Ah, sorry - I misunderstood you! I know it's not the same as seeing a stone in person, but you can also contact David at multicolour for hand shots and ask his opinion of stones. It might help ease your concerns a little if you do decide to go the online route.

 

[new-beginning]

I recently purchased an Alex from David and am awaiting the arrival - I will post his pic and take my own pic so you can compare - I did purchase the preferred blue-green, reddish purple stone; I greatly dislike the olive/orange/brownish color stones.

 

[GLbluegreen]

Just here to provide a positive experience with David at multicolour. I purchased one of his designs with the alex already set and it was as nice as his pictures showed with very good workmanship. He was very good to deal with and I wouldn't be afraid to work with him if I were you if you find something that interests you. I only caution however that if your are in the US you will be paying extra custom fees and probably your home state tax as I did. The customs fees are done immediately but the state tax fee comes in the mail a few months later.

 

[Seaglow]

For color changers, I would rather get a stone that have 2 nice colors. Color changers are interesting and a curiousity but if I have a nice purple stone that turns into an unattractive gray, I'd rather have a nice purple stone that doesn't change color. also not just because it's an alex, the stone would have a drastic color change. Some have little color change you'd hardly see it yet there are vendors that classify them as alex.

 

[krabe]

Saw it, didn't like it, going to look at the 4.5x4.5 square when it gets in. The pictures were pretty accurate. It was really dark and never really changed from the olive to olivish red. Hopefully the next one will be better otherwise I am going to be looking at multicolor.com.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[the_mother_thing]

Another happy, Multicolour Alex-buyer chiming in here. I posted a few pics of mine in new-beginning's thread, including the video from David for comparison: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/alexandrite-at-multicolour.227995/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/alexandrite-at-multicolour.227995/[/URL]

There was just an Alex on LT that looked about the size you are looking for, but it's noted now as 'sale pending', but it might be worth looking at and emailing the seller if you like it, just in case the sale falls through. https://loupetroop.com/listings/loose-stones-colored-gemstone/pending-sale-0-dot-46ct-alexandrite

Do the two stones have to be the same size/shape? I think you might open up your options a bit (especially considering the potential difficulty in finding a quality Alex in the overall budget) if consider two different shapes perhaps in a moi et toi style ring ... sort of celebrating each child's uniqueness and individuality. It would also give you more flexibility in Alex size as there will already be an obvious difference in shape, so a minor difference in size won't stand out quite as much. Just a suggestion to hopefully help you find a perfect Alex for your ring.

 

[Bron357]

My alexandrite is tiny and quite flawed but it has the most beautiful colour change, 100%, definitely a bright blue green in sunlight to a rich purple / red in candlelight. The little flaws in the crystal catch the light and make sparkles. Cute. To me anyway, when it comes to Alexandrite you want strong colour change, otherwise why bother?

 

[Seaglow]

My alexandrite is tiny and quite flawed but it has the most beautiful colour change, 100%, definitely a bright blue green in sunlight to a rich purple / red in candlelight. The little flaws in the crystal catch the light and make sparkles. Cute. To me anyway, when it comes to Alexandrite you want strong colour change, otherwise why bother?

Funny you mentioned 100%. I remember being in Sri Lanka, at the mining/gem trading town of Ratnapura, and saw many "alexandrites". Then i wanted to see the color change and there, the color change was measured by percentage, like 10%, 50%, 80%, and so on. You could just imagine what 10% color change would look like, you have to even imagine the shift in color. Lol. Ended up buying a color change garnet.

Also at the recent Bangkok Fair, things are still the same. Stones sold as alex with hardly a color change. And if there was a color change, it was an ugly gray. Lol.

 

[Bron357]

Yes, you want to be able to see the colour change, otherwise there's no much point in having an alexandrite.

 

[new-beginning]

let me give you an example of how color affects price: These are all from MultiColour, and they are all the same shape (octagon - I know you are not looking at that shape - this is just a price comparison). In addition, the weights are slightly different but they are 'sort of close' just to show OP how color changes price.

.57, 5.10 x 4.06 - beautiful color - just what I think of when Alex is mentioned - eyeclean - $4371.46
so 10 times the price of the 'pale'

.60, 5.32 x 3.73, a very pale version of what the color should be - eyeclean - $411.00

.64, 5.91 x 4.09. the greenish/brownish/oliveish color - eyeclean - $437.00

In my case, I DO NOT like round stones - pear, octagon, marquise - all were considered (but I love octagon/emerald cut best). So first off I needed a stone in an acceptable (to me) shape, next was color - wanted a stone with what I consider to be a 'true' Alex color - the blue/green change to red/purple. Then, finally, price/size. I had a budget - the stone I purchased is considered 'silky' - I will need to see it in person - had it been eye-clean the price would NOT have been in budget. It was priced very inexpensively due to the 'silky' - and if I simply cannot live with that I will return it to David and increase what I spent (I am still way within budget). Am expecting the stone to (hopefully) show up by the end of next week.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Bron: Your Alex has a beautiful color change to it!

Good God, Newbeginning ... those prices really are all over the place! Looking at stones comparable to mine on MC now makes me glad I got mine when I did. If it's any comfort, mine had a little tiny bit of silk in it as well, and now that it's set, I cannot see it. If you look at the video I linked in your thread, you can probably see it. It doesn't show in the pictures David had listed for it, and I could/can only find it with a loupe. The Alex is approx 9.5x6.5. So ... hopefully it's the same case for you, that whatever silk it does have is not visible in normal viewing, and ends up serving as simply an identifying 'birthmark' when you loupe it.

Also - in either case (you or this thread's OP) - do you know how you plan to set it? I just ask because mine is a slight bit darker in the bezel setting and semi-enclosed gallery. Just something to keep in mind when considering the saturation level of the colors depending on how you plan to set it. If it's any help, below is my thread 'documenting' my Alex journey. I had a TON of questions, and a lot of great advice from PSers in that thread.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/alexandrite-selection-windows.186402/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/alexandrite-selection-windows.186402/[/URL]

 

[kenny]

Uh Oh! Red flag: Photography issue ...

If the same background was used for both of these pics, then the background's color should look the same in both pics.
It doesn't.



It doesn't because the photographer did not properly white balance the camera for the light source used.
This makes the all-important color difference of a color-changing stone bogus.
IOW these pics do NOT tell you what the stone looks like under these two types of light.

Please tell the photographer to learn about white balance, then read his/her camera's Owner's Manual.
When color accuracy is critical it is best to not even use a camera's white balance settings, for instance: Full sun, cloudy day, incandescent, fluorescent, etc.
Why?
Because those categories are too broad.
There are many very different 'colors' of "white" fluorescent lights ... warm, cool, etc.
Even the color of light from our natural full sun is VERY different at noon than it is when the sun is low in the sky.

This is why instead of using any camera's presets for should white balance you white balance manually (also called custom WB) when accurate color is critical.
It's simple and only takes a few seconds.
IMO making a buying decisions on Alexandrite based on pics is a time when the color accuracy of the pics is critical.

Here's a video on how to do a manual (custom) white balance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9MKaj-rXvU