Alexandrite Selection & Windows

[the_mother_thing]

Copied/pasted from another thread to start a new topic/thread.

Hi there. I'm new to PS, but have been reading plenty, trying to get somewhat educated and understand the ins & outs of buying a colored gem. I really would appreciate some feedback on this alexandrite, which is listed from a reputable Alex seller (prefer not to say as I've read lurkers will snag stones out from serious potential purchasers).

I have read the wonderful "intro to colored gems" article that was pinned to this forum, and I thank the author immensely for that compilation of valuable information! My concern here (and it's not super huge to me, I don't think) is the appearance of the window. I am not a jewelry connoisseur by any means, and truthfully, the purpose of this stone (to be set in a ring) would be more sentimental to me than for value, resale, etc concerns (not buying it to sell it down the road). So, that said, I am IN LOVE with the colors of this particular gem. It's about 2 cts (9.46mm x 6.48mm x 4.2mm). The price is in the area of $2-3K. I am trying to determine if what I am seeing is, in fact, a window, or if it's merely a likely reflection of light. If it IS in fact a window, that doesn't necessarily deter me, as again, I LOVE this color variation/change, but it's hard to ascertain how that window will look in real life. Collectors and those more astute in color gems might pass it over because it's not as strong a red/purple in incandescent light or because of that possible window, but I absolutely love the color, and think I might be able to overlook/live with the window if it is in fact the case because the color (to me) is so beautiful. Obviously, the more red/purple ones are stunning as well, but for this particular stone, I love this mauve-y color as well as the daytime light color. I am also planning to contact the seller to see if it's possible to have a less "studio" photo of it (e.g., in his hand) to see what the "window" would look like in that manner.

I would really appreciate your input & thoughts on: 1) is it a window? and if so, how 'bad' is it in your opinion (would it be 'tolerable' if not purchased for collection/value/resale purposes; and 2) if - as a lover of color - I am crazy to buy such a stone if that is a window, or if the fact I'm not buying it for resale/collection but for personal taste/jewelry, makes my 'logic' logical.

I would also love to see others' stones that do have windows to see how they appear in real life/wearing them vs. the studio pictures, if you have them & don't mind sharing, to help me decide & learn.

Thanks much, in advance, for any feedback (and please feel free to be brutally honest; I don't offend easily).

Also, Chrono (if you see this) - I corrected the dimensions in this posting. I was off by a mm in the width earlier, so that may change something from your perspective.

 

[chrono]

I am very sure that what you seeing is a window and not a trick of the light. It is a a bit shallow and the material is expensive so it's not something I would pay to "fix". I think with the right setting, it will also be less noticeable but not go away completely. In terms of colouration, if the colour is great, I will forgive a window of that magnitude although I know others will not. The change is not strong enough for me to forgive the window. As you love it though, your tolerance level will be different from mine.

 

[the_mother_thing]

That's it right there ... thank you, Chrono, for your opinion & perspective. I do love the coloring of this stone, so much so that (embarrassingly enough to admit), I hop online to admire/look at this stone several times a day. When I first saw it, my heart pittered/pattered, and it was love at first sight for a lot of reasons (most of which are sentimental). If the window is no worse than it appears in the pictures, I think I can live with it and love the stone.

I plan to contact the seller to try and see more photos or video; however, should those come back less than 'tolerable' to me because of the window, might there be another stone suggestion that offers a similar color change that anyone might be aware of (mind you it's the blue/green and mauve coloring I love; I am not looking for the vivid red/purple coloring) that could produce a similar coloring? I know there are color change sapphires and garnets, but not sure the probability they are capable of providing these specific colors. My reasons for alexandrite are sentimental and hope to keep in that direction, but worst case, 'inspiration' may have to suffice/be just as sentimental. If anyone has alternative suggestions, those would be appreciate as well.

 

[chrono]

Are you open to any shapes? I take it your budget is around $2K to 3K? I can tell you are very drawn to this particular alexandrite so the first step is to email the vendor and have him HOLD the stone ASAP. From there, you can ask him about the colour, change, cut and etc. He might have other recommendation that fits the colour you are looking that is within your budget as well.

 

[the_mother_thing]

I have emailed the seller to see what additional photos he may have/can provide, as well as additional commentary from his in-person perspective.

I don't have a particular budget, per se. Not that I have an endless supply of money lying around (I wish!). Rather, I appreciate the rarity of this particular stone, and that it is priced accordingly, so I don't expect it to be "cheap". And I would even consider getting it in a synthetic form if I could find this same color variation, but that's doubtful. If I am forced to resort to an alternative stone type, I don't desire to really exceed that range; however, if it's something that is not as rare/highly-valued from a market perspective, I wouldn't expect to pay alexandrite prices for it, if that makes sense. I've looked through the other alexandrites on that same site, and there are a couple others that I like *almost* as much, and they are less expensive, actually, but the colors don't quite strike me as much as this particular one. But if I were to go to a different stone type altogether that is not as hard to find in quality, I wouldn't imagine it being as costly. But maybe I'm off base (and please set me straight, if that's the case).

Also, this is not a 'must purchase' situation. I'm not a gem collector, nor is this for any impending 'event' per se. Rather, it's something beautiful that I can see myself loving & wearing for years, and know my daughter would one day love to have it as well (she loves alexandrites also). But this specific stone type does have sentimental meaning to me, and I just happen to love this particular variation in color ... then again, I've always been the type of gal to prefer a <$10 bottle of wine over the higher dollar stuff. LOL

 

[the_mother_thing]

Are you open to any shapes?

Sorry, forgot to answer this question. Personally, my favorite shape really is cushion, followed by oval or pear (equally), but those are preferences more than 'requirements'. It really would all depend on the particular stone. I don't have a setting on hand for this stone as of yet; I will wait to decide on that once I make a final decision/purchase, though I have a couple ideas in mind.

 

[minousbijoux]

Jo: It sounds like you are in a great position to find exactly what you want. You have chosen an alex that does not have top color change and will therefore be perhaps easier to find - at least less sought after - than one of more the trade ideal. I applaud you for getting what you like and for finding one off the beaten track of what's most popular, as this is how you find the more economically priced stones while honoring what your heart really wants. This vendor is a good one, and seems to have a fair inventory. If it turns out that this one is not the one for whatever reason, then I'm sure others will come along to your liking. Try looking at alex from India - sometimes the color change is a bit more muted with less of the strong purplish red (it may be too brown in the colorway, but its worth your looking at examples). Also, please inform the vendor that you are not looking for that bright reddish colorway, but as you said, more of a muted, mauve or brickish red...I imagine that would definitely help in his search as well.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Thanks much, Minous. When I hear back from the seller, I'll be sure to share the additional feedback/criteria as well. Not sure how long he typically takes to respond to messages, so I'll just patiently wait in the mean time.

 

[minousbijoux]

He may be away at the big show in Hong Kong right now.

 

[LD]

Welcome and it's great to see another Alex lover

I think you've evaluated the stone yourself very well actually and I agree with you. A couple of clarifications and tweaks to the above:

A). 100% that is a window. It will minimise in a setting but won't disappear completely because its quite big
B). You're paying for the size with this stone and the pretty daylight colour. It lacks in colour change (which is weak) and the incandescent colour as you noted is not the ideal BUT you love it and that's the number 1 criteria.
C). Looking at the photos I just want to warn that the incandescent colour will be quite brown -exactly like the photo. I'm guessing that you see that too and that's part of the attraction for you?

My laptop broke yesterday and is in computer hospital so I don't have access to any Alex with windows photos but when I get my laptop back, I'll post some for you.

What I would say is that lurkers will work out from the photo who the vendor is. You sound smitten with this stone so why don't you order it? There's a good returns policy so you're safe.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Just a follow up ... I just sent my third (and I suppose my final) email to the vendor inquiring about this stone. I haven't gotten any response (and I have checked my spam folders to be sure it didn't go there). I am kind of surprised, as I know this vendor is well regarded on this forum. Someone mentioned they may be at a gem show a couple weeks back, but would have thought I would at least get an acknowledgment of my request by now. The first two, once I hit submit, all I got was directed to a page with a "" on it (kinda odd). This last one, I sent using the help desk link. Here's to hoping I see something back soon.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Thanks LD. I appreciate & respect your input as well. I do love the mauvy color that I see in the pic. That's part of why I am asking the vendor for an additional pic or two. As long as it's that mauve color, I am good ... But if it would actually (in real life) look more brown/mud vs mauve, that would not be good.

I hope to hear something back soon. I know my b/f is sick of seeing/hearing me swoon over this stone. LOL he keeps seeing me admire it blown up on my iPad while we are watching tv and stuff.

 

[LD]

Try emailing [email protected] Make sure you are spelling colour with a U (the British not the American way).

 

[the_mother_thing]

Try emailing [email protected] Make sure you are spelling colour with a U (the British not the American way).

Thx LD. I did get an email auto confirmation of my last email to them, but alas, still no response.

 

[LD]

Try emailing [email protected] Make sure you are spelling colour with a U (the British not the American way).

Thx LD. I did get an email auto confirmation of my last email to them, but alas, still no response.

Think about this logically. They're a business and if they don't respond to emails then they lose business! The only thing I can think is that their firewall is stopping your emails from getting through (thinking they're spam). The only thing you can do is pick up the phone or contact David via Facebook.

 

[the_mother_thing]

I know and agree with what you are saying, but I contacted them through their website each time, so I wouldn't think they would spam block their own emails.

 

[chrono]

I would try again. I did not experience any issues the last I contacted MC a few weeks ago.

 

[the_mother_thing]

I would try again. I did not experience any issues the last I contacted MC a few weeks ago.

May I ask what method or location/link on the site you use to contact them? I tried it twice from the page where it shows David on my account info page (twice) then the help desk link. I do remember reading on here, another poster who had issues contacting him and getting that same smilie face window I got.

 

[chrono]

I used their website help desk link and received a response that night (daytime in Thailand).

 

[the_mother_thing]

I used their website help desk link and received a response that night (daytime in Thailand).

I will try this one more time and cross my fingers. I was tipped off yesterday by my b/f's grandmother that he was thinking about buying this for me to have set in an engagement ring because he knows how much I love it, but I don't want him to do that without having a little additional "sense" for the stone's performance with the window. The "surprise" aspect was a bit spoiled, but I certainly don't want him upset by my potential disappointment in the stone either if he were to do that ... Not how I would like to begin our engagement.

Thanks again for all the suggestions. I don't mean to come across rude or feisty ... I just want to have some dialogue about the stone before making a purchase, considering the cost and potential hassles with returning it if I didn't like it.

 

[LD]

It's not THEIR email system that's potentially the problem - it could be detecting the messages you're sending as being spam.

Here's the Facebook page for Multicolour. I'm sure you could PM with that. https://www.facebook.com/Multicolour

 

[the_mother_thing]

It's not THEIR email system that's potentially the problem - it could be detecting the messages you're sending as being spam.

Here's the Facebook page for Multicolour. I'm sure you could PM with that. https://www.facebook.com/Multicolour

I was sending the inquiries to them through their website (not from my email account) so I don't understand why it would be detecting their own site's messages as spam.

Nevertheless, I DID finally receive an email from David after sending this last message this morning. He mentioned something about the spam issue as well, but I don't get it. Nevertheless, he is sending me a video of the stone and his observances/comments as well. So I am looking forward to seeing/reading those when they come in.

Thanks again for everyone's help & insight. And LD if you still have those stone/window pictures, I would love & appreciate seeing them to have a sense for window appearances, if you wouldn't mind posting them.

 

[LD]

If you are sending from YOUR computer (doesn't matter on whose system) it can be detected as an outside threat.

I can't remember what photos you wanted to see so will go back and re-read your thread!

 

[the_mother_thing]

If you are sending from YOUR computer (doesn't matter on whose system) it can be detected as an outside threat.

I can't remember what photos you wanted to see so will go back and re-read your thread!

Okay. I am not a techie person, so i wont pretend to understand how it all works. but I would think that if their website generates inquiry emails to their staff that are submitted via their site form, those would pass a spam check. But maybe not.

Earlier up, you mentioned having pictures of Alex with windows that you could share. Those are the pics I was referencing. Thanks much!

 

[katharath]

If you are sending from YOUR computer (doesn't matter on whose system) it can be detected as an outside threat.

I can't remember what photos you wanted to see so will go back and re-read your thread!

Okay. I am not a techie person, so i wont pretend to understand how it all works. but I would think that if their website generates inquiry emails to their staff that are submitted via their site form, those would pass a spam check. But maybe not.

Earlier up, you mentioned having pictures of Alex with windows that you could share. Those are the pics I was referencing. Thanks much!

I am most definitely not a tech person either, and I'm sure it can make sense to someone who knows more than I do, but that is so weird to me! Seems like you've been patient for awhile trying to get more info - hope you find what you need to know soon, so that you can get your gem. Hope it works out for you. I've read a lot of good things about that vendor.

 

[LD]

Ok well just by chance I emailed David today (via his website) about something I'd seen on Facebook and he responded within two hours so it's not their website. Anyway no worries, at least you're in touch with him now so that's good.

 

[LD]

Top photo is a 2ct alex plus diamonds. It has a lovely colour change and is a good size so I forgave it having a window.

and when windows go wrong .................

The bottom photo is a 1.02ct elongated oval that I bought about 10 years ago. The picture is self-explanatory. At some point I'm going to rescue those poor diamonds and then sell the Alex. For me this window just takes over the stone. On the hand it's minimised but I have a few others so this one won't be a keeper.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Top photo is a 2ct alex plus diamonds. It has a lovely colour change and is a good size so I forgave it having a window.

and when windows go wrong .................

The bottom photo is a 1.02ct elongated oval that I bought about 10 years ago. The picture is self-explanatory. At some point I'm going to rescue those poor diamonds and then sell the Alex. For me this window just takes over the stone. On the hand it's minimised but I have a few others so this one won't be a keeper.

WHOA Nelly! Now I can see what the window does/looks like. In the picture I posted, it doesn't quite look like that (clear) but if that is what it will look like in person, then that would bug the crud outta me. Thanks so much for sharing that picture LD!

 

[the_mother_thing]

I received "the video"

I am very curious as to what your thoughts are on this. The 'window' doesn't appear to be a "see clear through the stone" window like what LD posted in the one example. I have asked David for his observance of this as well. So, can I assume that - if I can't see through it in the video - I won't 'see through it' in person as well? If it is how it appears in the video, and I cannot see through the stone clear (rather, it's just a muting of the color in that area), I can definitely live with that.

Thoughts/opinions/observations? I - personally - am more in awe of it now than I was based on the pictures alone. Is there something one of you with a far better trained eye for these things sees that I may not know about/be aware of? I don't expect it to be a perfect, flawless stone, and do detect (I think) slight silkiness in one area of the stone in the video, but that doesn't bother me. Again, I'm not looking for a 'perfect' stone; just perfect for me. And the colors presented in the video are just so much more beautiful than I thought they'd be.

As always, thanks so much for your input & feedback.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/62766553

 

[LD]

This is the same ring with the window but on my hand. I have only just found it so apologies for not posting it before. You'll see that the window is less apparent. The one in the video you posted is similar.

You seem to love it so I would urge you to get it for a look. When you know and understand a stone's flaws, the ultimate test is seeing it in real life to see if you can forgive it it's quirks!