Color change garnet - what''s considered the main color?

[cinnamon013]

First, I''m not sure if this the stone I have is a color changer or not. How is this determined? I got a malaya garnet from brown.eyed.girl. The original vendor photo from Barry shows it when it is pink. But pink isn''t really the color I see most of the time. It''s generally either a gold or salmon or peachy color. The peachy color is really pretty. The gold-ish color is hard to describe and really cool as well, almost like certain blond hair you see on people. Only in some natural type lighting with not too much sun (and just being in the shade doesn''t make it happen), will you see the pink. Oh, in the evening in my house in a few rooms it is pink. The various colors it shows are dramatically different so much so you''d swear it was a different stone. Is this what is meant by "color changer"?

And would the main color be pink or peach or gold? Is the main color defined by the color in shows in certain lighting or the color you see most often?

Sorry for these strange questions. You may think - why do you ask this? I don''t know, I guess I just wonder!

 

[PrecisionGem]

What you are explaining is very typical for Malaya garnet. Most garnets do have a strong color shift depending on the light. Red/orange/pink garnets will look the most red or orange or pink in incandescent light. In florescent light they will tend to close up and get a bit muddy looking, with the color going in the case of a Malaya to more of a brown peach color.

If you look at a color wheel, you will see that a color change stone should move half way around the color wheel to have 100% color change. So a red stone will go blue. This is very rare, and also very expensive. The malaya garnets will usually go from a peachy pink, to a peachy brown or flesh color. Darker stones will go from a burt orange to a brown. I wouldn''t consider this to be color change, but a color shift.

There are really very few stones that don''t shift color, at least to some extent, and every stone seems to have it''s preferred light. The best judge of color is really natural daylight, but not in direct sunlight.

In Tanzania last week, the best color change garnets I saw, were also the very darkest. I felt they were too dark, but a few did have a very good color change. The Africans call these stones "Change Color Garnets", rather than color change.

 

[cinnamon013]

Gene,
Thanks for that info. Nice to hear that it is typical of malayas and is really just the "shift" of color, not a "color change". I think I finally understand these terms.

Your description of a malaya is spot on for what happens with this stone. Yep, sometimes I see the blah that is almost brown - and the reason most malayas get labeled moody. I don''t see it too often though because that peachy color and the cut pick up so many other surrounding colors and throw them out.

I also like the word "flesh" to describe that one color. That is it! I know some folks on PS don''t like stones when they get them and they think they match their skin tone too much. I actually think that look is kinda sexy. Ok, maybe not the best way to describe the look, but there is something in me that likes the way it blends with my skin. So flesh is my new favorite color name and one I''ll use to describe that color I see. I gotta get a box of crayons so I can match up my stones and associate them with the right Crayola color!

Thanks again - such good info.

 

[cinnamon013]

And now that I think about it, a umba garnet from you, Gene, is rarely pink and usually shifts to varying degrees of purple and other pretty shades. I had it set into a pendant in yellow gold and it really looks great. It''s a way different color, but does that same shifty thing to other colors.

 

[chrono]

Gene beat me to this one. Nice job explaining the difference between colour shift and colour change. A change is when the colour is on the opposite side of the colour wheel and colour shift is when the colour changes to its next door neighbouring spot on the colour wheel. A shift is orange to red, or blue to purple, or yellow to green. A colour change is green to red, or blue to orange (I have not seen such a change but it would be amazing if it exists).

 

[cinnamon013]

Date: 7/10/2009 4:00:31 PM
Author: Chrono

Gene beat me to this one. Nice job explaining the difference between colour shift and colour change. A change is when the colour is on the opposite side of the colour wheel and colour shift is when the colour changes to its next door neighbouring spot on the colour wheel. A shift is orange to red, or blue to purple, or yellow to green. A colour change is green to red, or blue to orange (I have not seen such a change but it would be amazing if it exists).

Such a cool thing now that I understand it! Hmm - what would I wear with a ring that changed from blue to orange???

 

[zeolite]

A colour change is green to red, or blue to orange (I have not seen such a change but it would be amazing if it exists).

5.62 ct diaspore. A daylight fluorescent on one side reflects off of one row of facets. Two G.E. Reveal incandescent bulbs on the other side reflect on the opposite side row of facets. Both lights are on at the same time to make this picture.

Color change: blue to orange-pink.

 

[chrono]

Cool stuff, Zeolite. I''d completely forgotten about cc diaspore.

 

[marcy]

Very cool discussion with great information. Thanks! I would LOVE to have a true color change garnet and of course it''s been on my wish list for years.

 

[Jeffrey Hunt]

Hi everyone,

I''ve been working on photographing a few stones this week, and this Tanzanian Color Change Garnet by Roger Dery was shot yesterday. It is very photogenic! This photo is with a combination of tungsten and incandescent. I''ll do another shot of the gem in natural sunlight, just by holding it to the window it exhibits an amazing and dramatic shift towards brown. I also have a flourescent I may use for a third shot, this will probably be in combination with incandescent though.

I''ve been shooting a number of stones recently and this one really stands out.



Jeff