Buying color change gemstones in singapore

[Dalcier]

So I've been trying to get either a color-change garnet or color-change sapphire here in Singapore for a proposal ring, but haven't managed to find any ones that I like at Golden Mile (either weak color change or looks very muddy).

Does anyone know of any online stores which have good color-change gemstones that would ship to Singapore, or any other places I should try in Singapore that may have some?

 

[chroman]

I think there's a sizable gem show there going on now - I wonder if that could turn up some leads?

 

[Burmesedaze]

It didn't have a good variety of gems unfortunately. But Heritage Gems was there and could source for you.

Another alternative is Madly Gems (search on Facebook).

There is another lady that deals with CS http://www.sheilacustomizejewelry.com/?m=1

All of the above are based in Singapore. The 3rd option might be priced more competitively.

 

[Gemobsessed]

So I've been trying to get either a color-change garnet or color-change sapphire here in Singapore for a proposal ring, but haven't managed to find any ones that I like at Golden Mile (either weak color change or looks very muddy).

Does anyone know of any online stores which have good color-change gemstones that would ship to Singapore, or any other places I should try in Singapore that may have some?

I have a contact who I can reach out to for you. He’s cutting a lot of garnets and doesn’t post everything he has online. I don’t know if he has a colour change garnet but he has a lot of mehenges. I bought two from him. If you’d like I can ask him if you share the specs you’d like. I’m also based in singapore and he is currently shipping these to me.

They are not colour changers though.

 

[Dalcier]

I think there's a sizable gem show there going on now - I wonder if that could turn up some leads?

I did try to go down, but they didn't have any good CC garnets/sapphires. Most of them were really muddy/brownish looking which wasn't what I was looking for. Thanks for the suggestion though!

It didn't have a good variety of gems unfortunately. But Heritage Gems was there and could source for you.

Another alternative is Madly Gems (search on Facebook).

There is another lady that deals with CS http://www.sheilacustomizejewelry.com/?m=1

All of the above are based in Singapore. The 3rd option might be priced more competitively.

Yes, I didn't really see that many nice color-change gemstones at the gem show. Oh I should have asked Heritage Gems while I was there! I do remember visiting their booth but I can't recall much else about them. I'll drop them a query on their website!

Thank you for the two other links as well! I'll drop them messages as well and see if they have anything I need in stock!

I have a contact who I can reach out to for you. He’s cutting a lot of garnets and doesn’t post everything he has online. I don’t know if he has a colour change garnet but he has a lot of mehenges. I bought two from him. If you’d like I can ask him if you share the specs you’d like. I’m also based in singapore and he is currently shipping these to me.

They are not colour changers though.

Oh that sounds good! I have a few different places trying to source for me as well, but another one should hopefully increase my chances! I should probably take this chance to post my preferred specs as well in case someone sees it and knows where to get it!

Colour-change Garnet/Sapphire
4.5-5mm width (which is probably around 1-1.5 carat but depending on the depth and the way it's cut. Not that particular about the carat but more particular on the width size)
Round brilliant cut
Obvious colour-change (but no green)
Preferably a lighter colour tone and not the darkish-brown/muddy colours I've been seeing a lot of.

 

[qubitasaurus]

You'll get better options online, the recommended vendors thread is great (just check their shipping policies).

Both the following vendors will carry color change stones
https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/listing/544014602/color-change-sapphire-5mm-ceylon?ref=shop_home_active_74 (this vendor may even be able to help you set the stone).

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?2134902411 (mixed light pics look a little muddy, but if you like it then it probably wouldn't hurt to ask for more pictures (preferably on the back of someone's hand). Otherwise this vendor also has another jewelry website under the name david wein and is very well known for retailing colour change stones accross both online platforms.).

Be aware that synthetic corundum regularly comes in blue-purple colour change (sometimes passed off as alexanderite).

 

[Burmesedaze]

Btw do note that anything over sg$400 on the customs form will incur 7% GST and a handling fee.

 

[chroman]

Does this have enough color change, or is it tok weak for what you're thinking:
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/sapphire/ysa908aa/&930512007

The pinker mahenge garnets do tend to show a color shift to salmon/peach, but only in CFL lights, not daylight/incandescent.

I've seen one rough dealer post about finding a parcel of very stong CC garnets recently, though its rough which doesn't exactly help. Do you know any local lapidaries? The only one in Singapore whose work I'm familiar with in Sutra Gems (on facebook)

 

[Gemobsessed]

I did try to go down, but they didn't have any good CC garnets/sapphires. Most of them were really muddy/brownish looking which wasn't what I was looking for. Thanks for the suggestion though!



Yes, I didn't really see that many nice color-change gemstones at the gem show. Oh I should have asked Heritage Gems while I was there! I do remember visiting their booth but I can't recall much else about them. I'll drop them a query on their website!

Thank you for the two other links as well! I'll drop them messages as well and see if they have anything I need in stock!



Oh that sounds good! I have a few different places trying to source for me as well, but another one should hopefully increase my chances! I should probably take this chance to post my preferred specs as well in case someone sees it and knows where to get it!

Colour-change Garnet/Sapphire
4.5-5mm width (which is probably around 1-1.5 carat but depending on the depth and the way it's cut. Not that particular about the carat but more particular on the width size)
Round brilliant cut
Obvious colour-change (but no green)
Preferably a lighter colour tone and not the darkish-brown/muddy colours I've been seeing a lot of.

Hi again, I asked him and he has just one or two garnets left that have colour change properties. 1 carat plus and shifts from pink to peach. It is a mehenge and it will cut about 6mm round. Some pics of the rough are attached.He says it should be flawless



Though not exactly the same here is an example of a colour change he has cut

View attachment 599600 View attachment 599601

The photos are fuzzy. Here is an online example.

 

[Dalcier]

You'll get better options online, the recommended vendors thread is great (just check their shipping policies).

Both the following vendors will carry color change stones
https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/listing/544014602/color-change-sapphire-5mm-ceylon?ref=shop_home_active_74 (this vendor may even be able to help you set the stone).

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?2134902411 (mixed light pics look a little muddy, but if you like it then it probably wouldn't hurt to ask for more pictures (preferably on the back of someone's hand). Otherwise this vendor also has another jewelry website under the name david wein and is very well known for retailing colour change stones accross both online platforms.).

Be aware that synthetic corundum regularly comes in blue-purple colour change (sometimes passed off as alexanderite).

Yup I did come across that etsy vendor, but I'm a little wary of buying gemstones that I can't see before paying. I do agree that those are nice though! The alexandrite I'm not really considering because my girlfriend hates green, so most alexandrites are out of the question haha. I'll check him out to see if he has other gemstones though!

Btw do note that anything over sg$400 on the customs form will incur 7% GST and a handling fee.

Oh thanks for the reminder! I'm not very familiar with the process of ordering gemstones online however. Do I have to make any special arrangements for the customs fee or do I just get the receipt for paying it once it reaches me?

Does this have enough color change, or is it tok weak for what you're thinking:
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/sapphire/ysa908aa/&930512007

The pinker mahenge garnets do tend to show a color shift to salmon/peach, but only in CFL lights, not daylight/incandescent.

I've seen one rough dealer post about finding a parcel of very stong CC garnets recently, though its rough which doesn't exactly help. Do you know any local lapidaries? The only one in Singapore whose work I'm familiar with in Sutra Gems (on facebook)

That colour change is a little weak, but that sapphire is way to big for what I'm planning. I don't actually know any local lapidaries, and I would be worried that it won't turn out the way I imagine and then I would have wasted all that money! Have you tried cutting roughs before?

Hi again, I asked him and he has just one or two garnets left that have colour change properties. 1 carat plus and shifts from pink to peach. It is a mehenge and it will cut about 6mm round. Some pics attached.He says it should be flawless

Oh that colour change does look quite nice! Do you know what price range is he looking at for that? I'm not very familiar with working with roughs though!

 

[Burmesedaze]

It's been a few years since I last ordered from overseas and even then it was dive equipment, not gemstones. I remember having to call to schedule the delivery and payment of the fee. There was a S$10 or $20 handling charge on top of the GST but this was a few years back. I suspect it depends on the courier used.

 

[Dalcier]

Oh, okay thanks! I'll make sure to check it out if I order online!

 

[chroman]

Note: that color changes is between daylight and flurescent lighting, which is different from the daylight/incandescent change of alexendrite.

There are also some purple garnets that show a shift to red - see this thread for a pic:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/purple-mehenge-garnet-owners-out-there.235079/

 

[Gemobsessed]

Yup I did come across that etsy vendor, but I'm a little wary of buying gemstones that I can't see before paying. I do agree that those are nice though! The alexandrite I'm not really considering because my girlfriend hates green, so most alexandrites are out of the question haha. I'll check him out to see if he has other gemstones though!



Oh thanks for the reminder! I'm not very familiar with the process of ordering gemstones online however. Do I have to make any special arrangements for the customs fee or do I just get the receipt for paying it once it reaches me?



That colour change is a little weak, but that sapphire is way to big for what I'm planning. I don't actually know any local lapidaries, and I would be worried that it won't turn out the way I imagine and then I would have wasted all that money! Have you tried cutting roughs before?

Oh that colour change does look quite nice! Do you know what price range is he looking at for that? I'm not very familiar with working with roughs though!

Hi Dalcier,

I totally understand. I wasn’t comfortable with rough either. I was expecting a light pink and instead what I ended up getting was hot pink (the asscher I posted before) but it was a nice surprise for me .

This gem will be 180 usd. In case you don’t like it, he accepts returns as long as you don’t use it etc and let him know within the week.

I will also receive my mehenges this week from him and share my reviews with you.

 

[chroman]

Another thought - Malaia garnets can sometimes shown modest color shifts, though not always for the best. They're usually in more in the reddish-orange-brown range than the mahenge garnets (which tend to be more pinkish-salmon-peachy). They can shift to an unappealing muddy-brown, probably like what you're been seeing.

Multicolor seems to have a fairly good selection, but they don't mention color shifts. You might try contacting them to see if there's some options with nice shifts.

 

[chroman]

Some other options:

http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/1-54-carat-blue-violet-to-purple-color-change-umba-sapphire/

http://www.earthstreasury.com/product-category/gemstones/garnet/color-change-garnet/

 

[qubitasaurus]

Yup I did come across that etsy vendor, but I'm a little wary of buying gemstones that I can't see before paying. I do agree that those are nice though! The alexandrite I'm not really considering because my girlfriend hates green, so most alexandrites are out of the question haha. I'll check him out to see if he has other gemstones though!



Oh thanks for the reminder! I'm not very familiar with the process of ordering gemstones online however. Do I have to make any special arrangements for the customs fee or do I just get the receipt for paying it once it reaches me?



That colour change is a little weak, but that sapphire is way to big for what I'm planning. I don't actually know any local lapidaries, and I would be worried that it won't turn out the way I imagine and then I would have wasted all that money! Have you tried cutting roughs before?



Oh that colour change does look quite nice! Do you know what price range is he looking at for that? I'm not very familiar with working with roughs though!

Sure, I had actually read your post to fast and missed the no green bit. In that case I would ask multicolour if they have anything in stock which has colour pathways similar to this one. Or blue-purple. Just be careful about durability if this is an engagement ring. You can read about relative durability on the new to coloured gemstones thread at the top of the forum.

Re customs charges. It is not clear to me whether you will be charged -- sometimes vendors do not declare the full value on the front of the parcel out of concern that small, obviously expensive precious stones will go missing in transit. Sometimes they do declare it for insurance purposes. It is thus hit and miss as to which purchases get additional GST tax. Just dont send it to your work place, otherwise chain of events is SG customs charges Fedex/carrier --> Fedex directly bills your company (not you) --> your company's finance and procurement devision is forced to pay the bill for you, and then invoice you. All this happens up to 3 months after you recieved the parcell (and in my case, while overseas for a month long buisness trip. That was the last parcel I ever sent to work.).

By the way, if you want to see the stone before purchase then the only options left upthread are sheliascustomjewlery and madly gems. The rest are all overseas vendors.

 

[Arkteia]

https://www.finewatergems.com/store/c9/Garnet.html

Almost always carries some color change garnets and has good eye for color

 

[Dalcier]

Note: that color changes is between daylight and flurescent lighting, which is different from the daylight/incandescent change of alexendrite.

There are also some purple garnets that show a shift to red - see this thread for a pic:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/purple-mehenge-garnet-owners-out-there.235079/

My understand has always been that for daylight/incandescent CC gems it usually will change colour little by little throughout the day, am I wrong on that? I mean for daylight/fluorescent lighting definitely that would be outdoors vs indoor fluorescent lighting.

Hi Dalcier,

I totally understand. I wasn’t comfortable with rough either. I was expecting a light pink and instead what I ended up getting was hot pink (the asscher I posted before) but it was a nice surprise for me .

This gem will be 180 usd. In case you don’t like it, he accepts returns as long as you don’t use it etc and let him know within the week.

I will also receive my mehenges this week from him and share my reviews with you.

Alright I'll wait and see how your batch goes! At the moment for such an important ring I don't think I'll risk it, perhaps in the future!

Another thought - Malaia garnets can sometimes shown modest color shifts, though not always for the best. They're usually in more in the reddish-orange-brown range than the mahenge garnets (which tend to be more pinkish-salmon-peachy). They can shift to an unappealing muddy-brown, probably like what you're been seeing.

Multicolor seems to have a fairly good selection, but they don't mention color shifts. You might try contacting them to see if there's some options with nice shifts.

Yes perhaps Malaia garnets have been the ones I've been finding, it does sound like that! Okay I will give multicolour an email and see how it goes!

And wow that umba sapphire is simply amazing, but sadly it's a little too high out of my price range.

Sure, I had actually read your post to fast and missed the no green bit. In that case I would ask multicolour if they have anything in stock which has colour pathways similar to this one. Or blue-purple. Just be careful about durability if this is an engagement ring. You can read about relative durability on the new to coloured gemstones thread at the top of the forum.

Re customs charges. It is not clear to me whether you will be charged -- sometimes vendors do not declare the full value on the front of the parcel out of concern that small, obviously expensive precious stones will go missing in transit. Sometimes they do declare it for insurance purposes. It is thus hit and miss as to which purchases get additional GST tax. Just dont send it to your work place, otherwise chain of events is SG customs charges Fedex/carrier --> Fedex directly bills your company (not you) --> your company's finance and procurement devision is forced to pay the bill for you, and then invoice you. All this happens up to 3 months after you recieved the parcell (and in my case, while overseas for a month long buisness trip. That was the last parcel I ever sent to work.).

By the way, if you want to see the stone before purchase then the only options left upthread are sheliascustomjewlery and madly gems. The rest are all overseas vendors.

Yes I did find out Bekily garnets and they do look really amazing. If I can find the right cut and size for a good price I may just get it even if it's from an overseas dealer. Yes, I spoke to Sheila yesterday and she did warn me as well that Garnets may not be very suitable for daily wear and advised me to go for a sapphire instead. It is on my mind, and that's why I am looking for good sapphires as well. I just want to keep my options open at the moment so that I can find a great gem.

As for the customs, thank you for the info! I will keep that in mind definitely!

https://www.finewatergems.com/store/c9/Garnet.html

Almost always carries some color change garnets and has good eye for color

Thank you! I will take a look!

 

[Gemobsessed]

My understand has always been that for daylight/incandescent CC gems it usually will change colour little by little throughout the day, am I wrong on that? I mean for daylight/fluorescent lighting definitely that would be outdoors vs indoor fluorescent lighting.



Alright I'll wait and see how your batch goes! At the moment for such an important ring I don't think I'll risk it, perhaps in the future!



Yes perhaps Malaia garnets have been the ones I've been finding, it does sound like that! Okay I will give multicolour an email and see how it goes!

And wow that umba sapphire is simply amazing, but sadly it's a little too high out of my price range.



Yes I did find out Bekily garnets and they do look really amazing. If I can find the right cut and size for a good price I may just get it even if it's from an overseas dealer. Yes, I spoke to Sheila yesterday and she did warn me as well that Garnets may not be very suitable for daily wear and advised me to go for a sapphire instead. It is on my mind, and that's why I am looking for good sapphires as well. I just want to keep my options open at the moment so that I can find a great gem.

As for the customs, thank you for the info! I will keep that in mind definitely!


Thank you! I will take a look!

Yes of course it’s such an important occasion . I will share pics when I get mine but mine is NOT a colour change. In fact just the opposite. It’s a hot pink (attached) that doesn’t change much. But will post pics on PS

 

[Dalcier]

Yes of course it’s such an important occasion . I will share pics when I get mine but mine is NOT a colour change. In fact just the opposite. It’s a hot pink (attached) that doesn’t change much. But will post pics on PS

Definitely I would love to see yours when you get it!

Hi
I found this post in face book page its awesome color change Alexandrite stone ,

Thank you but I don't think I will go for an Alexandrite!


Also, I would just like to ask everyone's opinion on heated vs unheated sapphires. I do realise that good quality unheated sapphires are significantly rarer and more expensive. But at the moment, for the nice CC sapphires that I'm looking at, being unheated would bring it significantly out of range of my budget. If I am unconcerned about whether or not it has been heat treated, are there any any other significant things I should be thinking of (other than the inherent lower value)?

 

[qubitasaurus]

With a smaller budget I generally vote for using it on something you can see -- i.e. face up size, and colour would be good to optimize before worry about heated vs unheated. However more invasive treatments are definitely a bad idea, so buying sapphires with a lab report or from a trusted vendor is generally recommended.

I also don't really know how rare 4.5-5 mm sapphires are (heated or unheated). If you are buying on an expectation of it being 'more valuable' in the future, then you would have to understand this point, plus the market for these stones and its general trajectory, plus how you would even resell it. Seccond hand stones sell well below current retail, shipping out of singapore is a pain as there are almost no insured postal options, and if you invest money into a setting then you can bet whoever buys it will give you cents on the dollar as it wont be resizable to their finger, wont be to their tastes or they simply don't recognize the jewler who built it and therefore can't asses the quality.

My point is that some of my ocbc asian equities have gome up by 5 % in the last 2 months. My stones remain the same value (probably resell for less than I paid for them and I have enough experiance to know exactly when something is an excellent price online. So this wasnt due to poor purchase choices.) as they were at the beginning of the year.

 

[SnowingGems]

Hi, I am new in PS. I am so happy to know that someone here in Singapore has purchased gems from online vendors. Could you please share some reliable vendors?
I am hoping to find a nice pink gem in Asscher cut.
Thanks

 

[Dalcier]

With a smaller budget I generally vote for using it on something you can see -- i.e. face up size, and colour would be good to optimize before worry about heated vs unheated. However more invasive treatments are definitely a bad idea, so buying sapphires with a lab report or from a trusted vendor is generally recommended.

I also don't really know how rare 4.5-5 mm sapphires are (heated or unheated). If you are buying on an expectation of it being 'more valuable' in the future, then you would have to understand this point, plus the market for these stones and its general trajectory, plus how you would even resell it. Seccond hand stones sell well below current retail, shipping out of singapore is a pain as there are almost no insured postal options, and if you invest money into a setting then you can bet whoever buys it will give you cents on the dollar as it wont be resizable to their finger, wont be to their tastes or they simply don't recognize the jewler who built it and therefore can't asses the quality.

My point is that some of my ocbc asian equities have gome up by 5 % in the last 2 months. My stones remain the same value (probably resell for less than I paid for them and I have enough experiance to know exactly when something is an excellent price online. So this wasnt due to poor purchase choices.) as they were at the beginning of the year.

Yes I definitely agree! I would prefer to spend my money on more tangible aspects rather than heated vs unheated. I am having some trouble trying to figure out if a gem is actually worth that much or not however, which I am definitely attributing to my lack of experience.

I mean after all this will be for setting into an engagement ring so the resale value isn't much of a factor to me since it is unlikely that we will be selling the ring. Thank you for you input!

Hi, I am new in PS. I am so happy to know that someone here in Singapore has purchased gems from online vendors. Could you please share some reliable vendors?
I am hoping to find a nice pink gem in Asscher cut.
Thanks

Hi, you can take a look at some of the replied stated above, some of the other posters have very kindly listed some. Based in singapore you can consider madly gems and Sheila jewelry, both have been extremely helpful and friendly when I approached them for help. For overseas dealers you can perhaps consider Yvonne Raley(https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/shop/yvonneraley?ref=l2-shopheader-name), www.multicolour.com, and www.earthstreasury.com.

 

[SnowingGems]

Thanks, Dalcier.

 

[Gemobsessed]

Hi, I am new in PS. I am so happy to know that someone here in Singapore has purchased gems from online vendors. Could you please share some reliable vendors?
I am hoping to find a nice pink gem in Asscher cut.
Thanks

Hello, I live in singapore too and most vendors on the PS list deliver here.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/list-of-vendors-for-reference.208782/

what kind of gem are you looking for ? Light pink, dark pink? A garnet or sapphire or something else? Size etc?

 

[SnowingGems]

I am not looking for sapphire, but open to any other stones. It's the colour and cut that I am looking for. Hope to find something close to bubblegum pink or hot pink.
I went to Madly gems before, like their customer service, you can view the gem stones before you purchase.
For online purchases, l am worried what l see is not what l get. So I hope to find contacts that someone in SG had tried.

Thanks

 

[Gemobsessed]

I am not looking for sapphire, but open to any other stones. It's the colour and cut that I am looking for. Hope to find something close to bubblegum pink or hot pink.
I went to Madly gems before, like their customer service, you can view the gem stones before you purchase.
For online purchases, l am worried what l see is not what l get. So I hope to find contacts that someone in SG had tried.

Thanks

I understand which I why though I only buy from online vendors (madly is amazing but super overpriced), I always buy from ones with a good return policy.
I just bought this hot pink mehenge. Got delivered today. Great accurate pics. It’s cloudy but in reality it’s brighter. I’ll post more photos later.

 

[SnowingGems]

I just bought this hot pink mehenge. Got delivered today. Great accurate pics. It’s cloudy but in reality it’s brighter. I’ll post more photos later.

Is it possible to share which vendor you purchase from?

 

[Gemobsessed]

Is it possible to share which vendor you purchase from?

Yes of course ! I just didn’t share because I wasn’t sure you were interested. Let me share his ebay Store link so you can contact him through the messaging system.

http://ebay.com/usr/exoticgemstones

He does a lot of stuff as per order though like mine and the one I have suggested for Dalcier. . So don’t go by his inventory alone.