ceylon blue spinel

[m76steve]

a new ceylon spinel in blue with crystals in place-will b appraised in next few days-steve...

 

[Arcadian]

Hi Steve:

I wish I could see more of the stone, but I think its your lighting...the background is really super yellow and tends to hide your stone.


Have you taken pictures in natural daylight instead?

-A

 

[m76steve]

pictures under flourescent light-little more blue-marked cobalt blue, ceylon, 4.7 cts-steve...

 

[Arcadian]

Well you can certainly see how blue it is now! just my opinion, even though it may be a tad more blue, the yellow of the incandescent light hides how pretty the stone is.

What do you plan to do with it?

-A

 

[m76steve]

after appraisal & mounting-the next pendent it will become-i must say the blue spinel seems to b a little on the sparce side of the colored spinel-steve...

 

[LD]

Steve - You've called this stone "cobalt". If that's a cobalt spinel then I'm an astronaut. If your appraiser says it's a cobalt spinel run to the hills as fast as your legs can carry you. Use it as a test to see what the people you deal with know. Also, ask the appraiser about the cut and colour of the stone compared to value and see what he/she says.

Oh by the way, If I'm wrong, I'll blast myself into space!

I don't want you to be hoodwinked by so called "experts" and really urge you to start sending your gems to a lab for proper assessment. If you believe something is of value it's worth doing so.

 

[colormyworld]

Steve - You've called this stone "cobalt". If that's a cobalt spinel then I'm an astronaut. If your appraiser says it's a cobalt spinel run to the hills as fast as your legs can carry you. Use it as a test to see what the people you deal with know. Also, ask the appraiser about the cut and colour of the stone compared to value and see what he/she says.

Oh by the way, If I'm wrong, I'll blast myself into space!

I don't want you to be hoodwinked by so called "experts" and really urge you to start sending your gems to a lab for proper assessment. If you believe something is of value it's worth doing so.

Wow it must really be nice to be able to ID the elements that give a stone its color from a picture on the net.
10 9 8 7 6...

 

[LD]

Steve - You've called this stone "cobalt". If that's a cobalt spinel then I'm an astronaut. If your appraiser says it's a cobalt spinel run to the hills as fast as your legs can carry you. Use it as a test to see what the people you deal with know. Also, ask the appraiser about the cut and colour of the stone compared to value and see what he/she says.

Oh by the way, If I'm wrong, I'll blast myself into space!

I don't want you to be hoodwinked by so called "experts" and really urge you to start sending your gems to a lab for proper assessment. If you believe something is of value it's worth doing so.

Wow it must really be nice to be able to ID the elements that give a stone its color from a picture on the net.
10 9 8 7 6...

And another lovely ascerbic comment from the acid tongued mouth of CMW. Must remember to hit the report post AGAIN.

 

[colormyworld]

Perhaps you should report yourself while you are at it.

 

[john gem]

Steve, I don't want to be mean and hope I don't come across to harsh but that has to be the biggest window I have ever seen in a gemstone and I have seen thousands upon thousands of stones. It's extremely dark. Where you have it flipped upsider down you can't even see through it which you should be able to with any stone. It also looks synthetic to me. It's big and extremely clean. The picture is not close enough for me to make a positive ID and this is a shot in the dark but those inclusions look like gas bubbles and not spinel octahedra, apatite inclusions, etc. If you have a scope or a powerful loupe I would check them. Also, when I was going back and looking at all your sweet pendants in your old post(I must have looked at the all I like them so much) I noticed you get your stones appraised. Any particular reason why, like insurance purposes, as opposed to a proper gem lab? I have dealt with many many appraisers in my day and realized that many don't have any continuing education in gemology which is a problem when dealing with new synthetics and materials that have come onto the scene. I would rather see you send your stones to a gem lab as opposed to an appraiser. Since you seem to buy most of your stones from ebay I don't see why you would be getting them appraised since they probably didn't cost to much(your words) in the first place. I would rather have peace of mind knowing what they were for sure rather than what someone says they are worth. Does your appraiser test the stones? If so ask him to give you the R.I of this stone please as well as the spectrum. I don't want to sound harsh but when I look at your other stones and then at this one I wonder how you could get something like this when most of your other stones are great ones. You pick such nice stones as I have looked at all that you have posted on Pricescope in the past few days it baffles me how this onbe slipped past your guard. Is this an ebay stone as well? I would return this one I get back to your normal buying of good stones. I still love the pendants a whole bunch but would hate to see this one included amongst them

 

[T L]

Steve,
It is a very dark stone from the photos. Now I know there is mention the word "cobalt" or "cobalt blue" when vendors are selling spinels. If the seller called this "cobalt blue," it does not necessarily contain cobalt, but it is a selling ploy to make the stone sound like a nice blue stone. True cobalt spinels are typically more of a pure blue, but again, even among cobalt spinels, the quality can vary, and some can have much much nicer saturation than others.

The thing you probably don't want with a blue spinel is one that is so very dark that it looks almost black and very little light escapes from it. I hope that's not the case with yours, but that's what the photos are revealing to me and others. Good luck and I hope it at least turns out to be a natural stone. There is a plethora of synthetic sapphire being sold as spinel on ebay from what I've found out recently, so you do have to know your source and be very careful. Good luck.

 

[chrono]

Maybe it’s me but I don’t see where Steve called it a cobalt spinel, only a Ceylon blue spinel? Whatever it is, it looks way too dark.

 

[m76steve]

john gem-@ the window-most of the pics were shot with the stone crownside down so i could show the color-there is a small window, maby u call it med-but i was trying to show the natural inclusions within the stone which look like grow crystals in spinel & the color does show well in the daylight pics-getting ready to throw in the towel-steve...

 

[john gem]

Wait, so you are saying 2 of those pics which look like windows are actually upside down? Why would you take 5 pics of it upside down and only one face up but tilted? I would like to see a lab report on that stone or your apprasial papers with the R.I. and even a spectrum on it. Did you get this from ebay as well? Which vendor did you get it from there?

 

[m76steve]

john gem-the vender is listed as [oil pearl] on the web-my appraisal will b completed next week & i will give the results-i took the pics as i did to show the color & the natural inclusions within the stone-a meaning to the madness-steve...

 

[chrono]

Steve,
Colour quality is graded face up, not by the pavilion view, hence it is more helpful to see the face-up pictures.

 

[LD]

Steve hun, DON'T GIVE UP. I guess we're all worried with this stone (and a few of your others) that the appraisers you're using are giving you really bad information. John Gem, TL and Chrono are right when they've identified potential colour, inclusion and cut issues and this really does affect the value of a gemstone.

It's easy to have a huge collection of poor quality gemstones and to be hoodwinked by appraisers. It's NOT easy to have a large (or even a small) collection of very good high quality stones. It means hours of research, years of looking at gems, a deep understanding of cuts and a healthy knowledge of treatments. Being able to identify a badly windowed stone is key to this. John Gem is right that many of your gems have window issues. For some, they can be hidden by good setting, others are more of a challenge. If you don't mind windows in your gemstones then there's absolutely no problem but just be aware that it does affect value and in some instances, beauty.

I am so concerned that the "experts" you use are simply not helping you. I would like to see you sending your gems to labs. You then get definitive answers not "I've looked this stone up and ......". Very few appraisers have the tools to assess stones so that they can give an unequivocal X, Y and Z.

Please Steve, please listen. You obviously LOVE gemstone collecting and having pendants made. It's so lovely to see a man enjoying gemstones as much as us ladies! We just want you to make wise, considered purchases and most of all listen to posters. Don't dismiss their views by saying that your appraisers say X when unfortunately it's clear that they're giving you horrendous advice.

I do hope you take this feedback as it's meant. I just want you to increase your collection with high quality, great value, beautiful stones and along the way get sound advice.

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

Steve hun, DON'T GIVE UP. I guess we're all worried with this stone (and a few of your others) that the appraisers you're using are giving you really bad information. John Gem, TL and Chrono are right when they've identified potential colour, inclusion and cut issues and this really does affect the value of a gemstone.

It's easy to have a huge collection of poor quality gemstones and to be hoodwinked by appraisers. It's NOT easy to have a large (or even a small) collection of very good high quality stones. It means hours of research, years of looking at gems, a deep understanding of cuts and a healthy knowledge of treatments. Being able to identify a badly windowed stone is key to this. John Gem is right that many of your gems have window issues. For some, they can be hidden by good setting, others are more of a challenge. If you don't mind windows in your gemstones then there's absolutely no problem but just be aware that it does affect value and in some instances, beauty.

I am so concerned that the "experts" you use are simply not helping you. I would like to see you sending your gems to labs. You then get definitive answers not "I've looked this stone up and ......". Very few appraisers have the tools to assess stones so that they can give an unequivocal X, Y and Z.

Please Steve, please listen. You obviously LOVE gemstone collecting and having pendants made. It's so lovely to see a man enjoying gemstones as much as us ladies! We just want you to make wise, considered purchases and most of all listen to posters. Don't dismiss their views by saying that your appraisers say X when unfortunately it's clear that they're giving you horrendous advice.

I do hope you take this feedback as it's meant. I just want you to increase your collection with high quality, great value, beautiful stones and along the way get sound advice.

Steve, I would listen to LD and others who have told you this. It is easy to dismiss comments when it is only one or two people saying things like this. However, MANY people have stated this on this forum the past few weeks. When I first started out I bought "deals' all the time. Many of these "deals" are still sitting in my rough gemstone box because they are not even cuttable. With gemstones it is better to know than guess and labs are the only way to know for sure!

 

[LD]

Just to prove that I've bought some dire gemstones in my time, here's an 8ct Hiddenite with an ENORMOUS window! This was bought many years ago and for some reason I still have the photograph (and unfortunately the gemstone)! However, it's been consigned to the very back dark depths of the safe, never to see the light again! Pity I can't melt it down and make it into something else!

 

[john gem]

That was well said, Loving Diamonds. Steve, when I first logged onto pricescope the first thread I went to was one with one of you pendants in it. I ended up spending an hour going back and checking them all out. I am enamoured by the way you have done them and the variety you have. Being a man myself I especially like what you have done with them as they are a great way to use and set your stones...a mans way. In a large collection to be dispalyed in a simple format of simlilar styles and look. A lady will want one stone in yeelow gold and one in a halo and one in a pendant of white gold and one in a split shank all to wear. We don't have the same, as men, uses for gemstones. At least I didn't think so until I saw yours. Now I am in the process of doing the same thing as you have done. Not same look or style but same idea. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I will be imitating you. That being said, if you or I or anyone likes any stone for whatever reason thats perfectly okay. I like brown stones and I am sure many of the ladies on here would cringe at many of the browns and fall colors I like, ya know. So window or not, good color or not it's whatever you like or whatever anyone likes. Since this was posted on a public forum I don't mind giving my opinion, abeit an honest one. I would hope you or anyone else on this board would respect and welcome honest opinions and not just you, steve. I know I would. I know a few of your stones have windows but many many more do not. Perfectly fine. I don't mind small windows especially if they are on a "to die for" blue sapphire, alexandrite, etc. What concerns me is the person you are taking your stones to. 95% of gem appraisers don't have the technical know-how or tools to test all the treatments, synthetics, simulants, etc. that are on the market now. An appraiser must have many of the tools and machines a gem lab has to appraise a stone properly which requires them to ID all treatments and synthetics.. Thats where gem labs come into play. They have all the know-how and testing equipment to do this. Like I mentioned before I am not really sure why you are taking your stones to an appraiser and you have not elaborated about it. You said you "buy most of your stones off ebay" so they are going to be worth close to what you paid for them. Not to terribly much more. No one is going to sell a $2500 sapphire for $300. I am sure it happens but not very often. I am pretty sure you are not paying over a $1000 on these stones off ebay and probably much less than $500. So why get them appraised? I would be much more concerned about treatments and fakes and synthetics than I would what someone says they are worth, especially when the stones are costing less than $500 or $1000 even. I found this quote on another forum last week and I just posted it on Rcokytalk and I think it speaks volumes.
"A good gemologist is not necessarily a good appraiser. But a good appraiser must be a good gemologists"

As for this blue spinel. This stone is beneath you, steve. After all the other nice stones and pendants I haver looked at of your it just seems to me this one doesn't fit. This one screams synthetic to me but as everyone knows thats a stab in the dark with the picture guessing game. Your appraiser, if he is not current and up-to-date with his gemology and education on synthetics then he won't be able to tell you whether it's a synthetic spinel or not. It's one of the hardest synthetics to determine from the real thing. Another red flag is on the Oil Pearl website they don't have one single spinel for sale. I did the search for "spinel" and not one match was found. Did I miss something? What exactly do the inclusions look like(if you can see good enough)? Can you describe them in as much detail as possible?

Please understand steve that the only reason I would take the time to write this all out and post with youi and not with any of the others on here is because I am new and I have looked at, I think, all of your post so I feel like I know you better than anyone else on here. In due time I will get to know the others and I will post comments and opinions and advice with them as well. In turn I will also hope to gleam some advice and comments and opinions for me from the vast resource thats called Pricescope and it's members.

 

[colorluvr]

Another red flag is on the Oil Pearl website they don't have one single spinel for sale. I did the search for "spinel" and not one match was found. Did I miss something?

Not saying the stone is real or synthetic because I'm far from an expert, but oilpearl on ebay does have 93 spinels for sale as of today. I have purchased other stones from oilpear (not spinels) and the ones I purchased checked out to be natural. They don't have any complaints of their stones being synthetic on toolhaus and most of the few negatives they have are because a stone didn't measure up to the descripton or photo.

The couple of stones that I just saw on their auction that are advertised as cobalt blue spinels do NOT mention that they contain cobalt, but are rather referring to the "cobalt blue" color of the stone. I don't know if Steve had further communication with the seller about the cobalt content of the stone or if his auction specifically mentioned that the stone contained cobalt, but the few I looked at did not.

I'm NOT jumping into the discussion as to whether or not this stone contains cobalt or if it is a nice stone or is well cut - but I do have a bit more confidence now that it could very likely be a natural stone.

 

[john gem]

Oh I see..I looked at their actual website and not ebay. After going back I looked more closely and they don't have any gemstones. They have a website and it's trying to sell me "VPasp700: the worlds premier shopping cart" Weird that they have a website with gemstone categories but no gemstones or any information what so ever. hmmm

 

[m76steve]

colorluvr-THANKYOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!-steve...couldnt said it better myself!!!

 

[colorluvr]

Oh I see..I looked at their actual website and not ebay. After going back I looked more closely and they don't have any gemstones. They have a website and it's trying to sell me "VPasp700: the worlds premier shopping cart" Weird that they have a website with gemstone categories but no gemstones or any information what so ever. hmmm

Their website was populated with similar stones to their ebay auctions a while back (maybe a year ago was the last time I saw it with stones). I also noticed that their website no longer had any stones listed a couple of months ago, but I have no clue as to why, but it did at one time.

 

[m76steve]

oil pearl has been around for a while & they do have a pretty good record & do stand behind what they sell-at this time they show over 800 items in gems for sale or auction-i think they r one of the better sellers on the market-imputting my hands on the carpet [hands down]-so far no regretts-steve...

 

[LD]

Steve - setting aside whether the stone is natural or not (my guess is that it is because you don't find synthetics cut like that very often) can you understand what we're saying about the cut and colour? Do you see that the colour is very very dark and won't be considered to be top quality and that there's an enormous window?

 

[m76steve]

LD-there is not an enormous window!-the picture u r looking at is bottom up-there is a small window when viewed from the crown looking into the stone-RECHECK-the upper pics with less color were shot at an angle to pickup the natural inclusions thru the window-using the camera to get into the stone from the top-steve...

 

[LD]

Steve picture 0.36 is not face down right?

 

[m76steve]

LD-#36 is correct-there is a window & is showing more because of pic angle-but not sooo bad in the flesh-when the stone is appraised i will post w/new pics-steve...

 

[T L]

Steve,
I saw the stone on oilpearl's site, and I do think you can do better for your money. I would return it. If your photos are accuarate, I think the vendor's photos are enhanced in color, and the stone is not worth the price paid. I'm sorry to be blunt with you, but many of us work hard for our money, and you should get the best quality for the price paid.