CC Garnet stone search update

[gemgaga]

Well, I got the stone yesterday from Precision Gem and it is a beauty! I did not know that garnets were capable of such sparkle and excitement at being a garnet! This is a true testement to the cutting skills of Gene.

But............... While the two colors are lovely, I am not sure there is enough drama for me. I want to strike the right balance between beauty and uninqueness. So.............................. I am strongly considering ordering a second stone from Gene and comparing them side by side.

I will be putting the stone into a custom ring.

I have posted both photos of both stones. If you'd like to weigh in, I would love to hear from you.


To iLander - not so decisive after all, huh...

Stone I have at home is the pinky purple one. Turquoise / Red one is a second one I am considering.

 

[LD]

Not sure which one you've got BUT as a fan and collector of anything that colour changes/shifts, I can tell you that they're an acquired taste! They always sound so romantic but in reality you tend to get one drop dead phenomenal colour (either daylight or incandescent) but the other colour way can be a bit "oh, ok" rather than "WOW". That's not always the case but is much more common. If you're looking for 2 colours, both vivid and both knock your socks off colour that are DRAMATICALLY different from each other then you're talking mega bucks and a long search.

If your stone changes well and has a personality then live with it during the whole returns period because you may find you grow to love its different faces. Make sure you see it in all different lights though. I have a Malaya Garnet that is just THE best gorgeous colour in incandescent light but then turns corpse coloured in daylight - eugh!

 

[chrono]

It is incredibly rare to have any colour shift stone show very good colours at both changes. Many tend to be overly dark, have a muddy mid-colour change and/or strong gray modifier on one of the changes. Most people purchase colour changer for the fun phenomena, not necessarily to look for fine colour, unless you are dropping large sums of money. If you want more drama, I’d stick to a stone that shows only one colour but shows that colour extremely well all the time.

 

[iLander]

How did I FORGET these from Andrew?

http://www.gemfix.com/newest_gems.html

Roll over the CC garnets at the bottom row for the 2 different colors. I like the bigger brown and maroon oval. It's worth ordering in to see if the brown is a rich smoky topaz-like color or just meh.

You'll be trading the Gene's pretty clean colors for Andrew's slightly muted (but dramatic!) color change.

It's hard to find a color changer that is really hitting all the buttons. . .

 

[LD]

I've got a conquer brown one that changes to the most beautiful, phenomenal, Shiraz red in incandescent lighting. In the photo below, the daylight colour isn't represented well as it's a real rich brown with no purple or red undertones. These are not expensive as far as colour change garnets go and the one below is just over 4.5ct. Do I wear it? No because the daylight colour is brown. If you like brown then it's be wonderful! Mine only get worn out at night!!! I suspect this is very similar to the one that iLander linked to above.

 

[Treenbean]

That will be a pretty neat ring with two color changers... You should make it so that when one is OFF the other is ON, how's that for drama?
6 pages worth of color changers at ajs
http://www.ajsgem.com/color-change-garnet-gemstone-garnet-2046340402.html

 

[Arkteia]

I like the second one of Gene's stones. The evening color is fantastic, and his pictures are usually true to color. Besides, his cut is very nice, especially for transparent stones. This garnet looks quite bright.

 

[zeolite]

I would comment that the first stone shows both colors cool (green and blue). I’ve never seen that before. What is more desirable is a stronger change, from a warm color to a cool color.

LD: you tend to get one drop dead phenomenal colour (either daylight or incandescent) but the other colour way can be a bit "oh, ok" rather than "WOW".

Since most garnets in general are mostly warm colors, almost all CC garnets show a strong warm color and a weak cool color. If you want equal strength on both colors you are much more likely to find that in CC sapphires, spinels, diaspore, or the exceedingly rare CC tourmaline.

LD: If you're looking for 2 colours, both vivid and both knock your socks off colour that are DRAMATICALLY different from each other then you're talking mega bucks and a long search.

Chrono: Most people purchase colour changer for the fun phenomena, not necessarily to look for fine colour, unless you are dropping large sums of money.

I don’t think that exists in any gem at any price. It is a fantasy. I mean expecting the intensity of a top ruby and a top emerald. The best you are going to find is a strong change, say from a so-so red tourmaline to a lower grade Brazilian iron green tourmaline. And that gem will be extremely pricey and extremely rare.

I’ve seen hundreds of alexandrites, and even ignoring prices, I’ve never seen one worth buying, with the exception below. I guess I came into the market too late to find fine Russian alexandrites.

I saw the first Hematita alexandrites from Brazil when they appeared in the Feb 1988 Tucson show. These were stunning quality, changing from raspberry or rhodolite red to a teal (blue-green tourmaline) color. Translated to 2010 dollars, the finest ones were priced at $10,000 for one carat to well over $200,000 per stone for large ones. I strongly considered buying a 1 carat size, but was holding out for a better quality at that size. I never found it, and regret not buying the $10,000 one then.