Challenge...finding a light blue stone with a strong grey tint?

[DahliaDante]

Hello all,
I'm a new poster, but somewhat long-time lurker of the forum. I recently took my acquired price scope knowledge and customized a setting for a beautiful emerald stone I had inherited from my mom (posted pics in colored gemstones).

Anyways, I'm now a little addicted to building my own fine jewelry collection! My next project will not start for 6 months or so, I need to save my money for this project. I'm also in the starter-research phase so I can start to create a budget!

I think I'd like to build a ring with a center stone that matches my daughters light blue-grey eyes. But I don't know what stone type has a selection of stones in this color range. I know diamonds (even fancy colors) don't contain blue naturally- for a regular person budget!

I've looked at sapphires but they have too much blue, not enough (or any) grey. Maybe sapphires that are considered seriously color-flawed have grey and I'm not finding that color for sale online because it's considered very unappealing?

Spinels? Grey spinels? Do they have a blue tint?

Tourmaline? I know they have pretty light blues...do they ever have a greyish tint?

Basically, I'm looking for a light blue stone with a grey cast. Can anyone point me in a direction of which stone to start researching?

Thank in advance!

 

[Rockdiamond]

DahliaDante

What a cool quest!!!
Here's my thoughts: Yes, if blue is the primary color, a diamond is going to be stoooopid expensive.
BUT- if the main body color is grey, you might be able to find something.....
Hope this helps!!

 

[WinkHPD]

I have seen one such gem, a Spinel that I sold twenty or thirty years ago. I looked for years to find another to make a pair of earrings, none was found at that time. Even if I had it available still, the chance of it actually matching your daughter's eyes is very minimal.

Your best chance is to work with a vendor who goes to the Tucson Gem show in February.

Get him/her a picture of your daughters eyes and let him talk to his suppliers and then meet with them in Tucson.

Do not go to several, as having all of them looking at the same time will create a buying frenzy and drive the price up. Go with someone who sells a lot of color as that someone will have the best of the slim chance of finding what you are looking for.

Wink

 

[DahliaDante]

ok, good feedback!
@Rockdiamond - I did see a very grey diamond on a website but no hint of blue, but your optimism encourages me to keep checking for that grey with a hint of blue color!

@Wink- Thank you for the caution to not approach several venders! And I will look for someone that goes to that gem show.

P.S. I don't need an exact match...but close enough for a mix of blue grey stone to tell my daughter and others my choice of stone was to remind me and represent her.

 

[WinkHPD]

I wish you the best luck! Twenty years ago I was a regular attendee of the Tucson Gem show and the designated dancer at the Accredited Gemologists Association dinner. Now my focus is on diamonds and I only rarely sell a colored gem. You need someone who is very involved with color to serve you well!

 

[the_mother_thing]

@DahliaDante Definitely check out spinels. I have one that is a light/medium blue. I loved it when I saw it because it was kind of a light/worn denim color. Pics of it are here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/super-blue-spinel-satisfaction.208923/

Maybe consider an aquamarine as they seem to have a light blue/gray look to them, though they aren’t quite as durable.

You might want to ask the mods to move this thread to the colored stone forum, as you’ll get a lot more advice and suggestions there.

 

[DahliaDante]

ok, I'm going to ask this to be moved to colored gemstone area!
Thank you everyone for your help!

 

[swany]

I'm new here and haven't been able to add any advice (I think everyone know a lot more than me!) but I just saw this spinel and think it would be perfect for you! It looks a bit more blue in the video.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/546932952/round-blue-gray-spinel?ref=shop_home_active_2

 

[DahliaDante]

@swany - yes! That first picture is the color I am after. I'd need to see it in real life to ensure the color doesn't go too dark. So they do exist! It's too early for me to pull the trigger, but I'm going to keep looking, and keep learning about how to asses the stones and check on prices. thanks!

 

[rockysalamander]

Spinel are a good option, but they are shifty and hard to photo...especially the greys. You might reach out to Elle at TheGEmstoneProject and see if she can help you source one.

Montana Sapphires also come in that blue-grey tone. EarthsTreasury is always a good source and good at color descriptions.

https://www.etsystudio.com/listing/502899956/light-sky-blue-montana-sapphire-loose

What kind of budget and size are you thinking for the grey stone? What style of setting?

 

[MissyBeaucoup]

I was also going to suggest Montana sapphire. I found one to match my Siamese cat’s eyes. My sapphire is fairly blue, yet another of my cats has eyes that are bluer. I think you could easily find a blend of blue and grey, maybe by reaching out to someone like Earth’s Treasury who handles a lot of Montana sapphires. Mine came from Precision Gem, but I got a garnet from ET and they were great to work with.

 

[Hivona]

Quick search of Earth’s Treasury “gray” Montana sapphires turned us these: https://www.earthstreasury.com/prod...-gemstones/montanasapphire/?filter_color=gray

Light blue: https://www.earthstreasury.com/prod...ones/montanasapphire/?filter_color=light-blue

Good luck!

 

[elle_71125]

Well my recommendation of Montana sapphires has been many times before so I'm just going to chime in and say your daughter's eyes sound just beautiful!

 

[DahliaDante]

Thank you everyone!! I was not expecting to find a solution and stones within a day! I think Montana Sapphire will be my best bet. I'm not going to start this project for at least a few months, so I'll learn everything I can and keep an eye on the price market. Thanks!