Disappointment

[mariedtiger]

I'm so disappointed! I bought a spessartite, got it, fell in love with it. It glows like mad. But having had it for a few hours I noticed it has a black inclusion almost straight in the middle of it. Being of a round shape, it's really distracting. Now that I noticed it, it's all I can see. And I bought it as a VS. Now I'm really torn about what to do...

Thank you for letting me vent.

Edited to add: I'm not adding pictures, because I haven't gotten a hold of the vendor yet. This is more just to give a voice to this disappointment, of falling in love with a gem, and then noticing a flaw that isn't supposed to be there. And I knew you all would understand what I'm talking about

 

[Kismet]

I''m sorry you were disappointed. Spessartites are a type II gem so that VS designation could include eye visible inclusions. It''s rotten that the vendor didn''t mention it though.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Aw, sorry MT! I can relate, it''s a sucky feeling!

 

[D&T]

shoot! I''m so sorry,,, are you going to return it? hate that feeling... uggggg.... vent away!

 

[mariedtiger]

Date: 6/5/2009 3:01:33 PM
Author: Kismet
I''m sorry you were disappointed. Spessartites are a type II gem so that VS designation could include eye visible inclusions. It''s rotten that the vendor didn''t mention it though.

Thanks for telling me Kismet, I didn''t know this. Okay, it makes me feel just a little bit better.

 

[mariedtiger]

Thank you for your sympathies MTG and D&T. I think I''ll look at it in the morning. I don''t want to return it, I really like the little fellow

 

[Nomsdeplume]

Aww I''m so sorry.

That sucks. Hopefully it will grow on you.

 

[Stone Hunter]

That stinks!! I''m so sorry. I hate discovering a flaw.

 

[Stone Hunter]

That stinks!! I''m sorry. I hate when I find a flaw.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

That sinks. How long do you have to make a final decision about it? If this is something that is going to bug you every time you look at it, I would send the stone back. Give yourself a couple days to see if you can look past it or not.

 

[beaujolais]

Sorry you''re sorry MT. Here''s another line of thought, though. I rather like inclusions (within reason). If I wanted perfect, I could buy a synthetic. One black spot in the middle would be fine with me.

 

[T L]

MT,
Do you think the inclusion would lesen or disappear in a setting? If the color is really great, as you say, and you paid a low price per carat, then it might be worth keeping. Vivid orange spessartites are getting harder and harder to come by. I wish you could show a pic. Even if it''s your pic, it might not be intantly recognizable because it''s a round. I know some fancy shapes and cuts are recognizable, but rounds are not as much.

 

[cinnamon013]

Well I''m torn. I love great color in my stones, so I would love the stone. However, I don''t like inclusions for something I plan to set. If it were noticeable, it unfortunately would bug me. The stones I have do not have visible inclusions and I super love the ones I have. They make me happy. So I only keep stones that make me really happy because I figure I could use the money from a not so happy stone to buy one that makes me really happy.

Ok, maybe that is a lesson in how to talk in circles...

What I wanted to say is "bummer! With such beautiful color, it is too bad your eye is drawn to that inclusion that is unfortunately right smack dab in the middle"

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 6/5/2009 4:16:03 PM
Author: Stone Hunter
That stinks!! I''m so sorry. I hate discovering a flaw.

It''s always puzzled me why some people readily accept GIA''s diamond clarity system and ignore the same organization''s system for grading color!

Some minor natural inclusions, even eye-visible ones, are accepted in Type II colored stones and are proof the stone came from the Earth, not a lab. Visible inclusions are expected in Type III stones like emerald, red tourmaline and some others. Only Type I stones are usually consistently eye clean and some of them can be very beautiful with slight to moderate inclusions.

Using diamond clarity designations like VS is misleading. GIA grades color (using no magnification!) as "Eye Clean," "Slightly Included," "Moderately Included," "Heavily Included" and "Severely Included."

If all colored stones are expected to be loupe clean, we''d have to give up demantoids with byssolite "horsetails," star and cat''s-eye stones whose optical effects are created by inclusions, rutilated quartz, sunstone, etc., etc.

Richard M.

 

[T L]

I agree Richard,
But in this case, it's not just any inclusion, but a big ole black spot right smack in the center of the stone. If it were along a facet edge, it might be concealed by a prong, but the location and the severity of this inclusion might be a bit too much to take. Even in emeralds, although inclusions are expected, black inclusions lower the value more than other types.

 

[Ryon]

I really don''t think I could deal with that, it would drive me crazy (be all I see)

 

[colormyworld]

Date: 6/5/2009 2:50:55 PM
Author:mariedtiger
I'm so disappointed! I bought a spessartite, got it, fell in love with it. It glows like mad. But having had it for a few hours I noticed it has a black inclusion almost straight in the middle of it.

After having a stone for a couple of hours before notice of an inclusion does not sound like "a big ole black spot" to me. Spessartite is a type II after all.

 

[Magenta]

Date: 6/5/2009 2:50:55 PM
Author:mariedtiger
I''m so disappointed! I bought a spessartite, got it, fell in love with it. It glows like mad. But having had it for a few hours I noticed it has a black inclusion almost straight in the middle of it. Being of a round shape, it''s really distracting. Now that I noticed it, it''s all I can see. And I bought it as a VS. Now I''m really torn about what to do...

As someone who recently also agonised over this decision, over another spess, I''d say "just return it". There are still spess'' around. Gene''s just put up a lovely one a few days ago, and has more rough, in a round, gemrite has some, Dan said he had more spess around, another vendor will be recutting a ''mandarin'' one...

I''m sure you''ll find one you love. And I''m looking forward to receiving my new one in the next few days! Rounds seem hard to find, though.

 

[mariedtiger]

Hello everyone, thank you for your comments, I''m learning a lot in this thread. That is why I wanted to post about this.

 

[mariedtiger]

Date: 6/5/2009 4:22:32 PM
Author: LtlFirecracker
That sinks. How long do you have to make a final decision about it? If this is something that is going to bug you every time you look at it, I would send the stone back. Give yourself a couple days to see if you can look past it or not.

This is what I have to decide now. Thanks, a couple of days sounds just right.

 

[mariedtiger]

Date: 6/5/2009 4:32:53 PM
Author: sonomacounty
Sorry you''re sorry MT. Here''s another line of thought, though. I rather like inclusions (within reason). If I wanted perfect, I could buy a synthetic. One black spot in the middle would be fine with me.

You know sonomacounty, I completely agree about colorless inclusions. I just never saw black ones until now, so I have to get my mind around it

One more thing to learn.

 

[mariedtiger]

Date: 6/5/2009 5:03:31 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
MT,

Do you think the inclusion would lesen or disappear in a setting? If the color is really great, as you say, and you paid a low price per carat, then it might be worth keeping. Vivid orange spessartites are getting harder and harder to come by. I wish you could show a pic. Even if it''s your pic, it might not be intantly recognizable because it''s a round. I know some fancy shapes and cuts are recognizable, but rounds are not as much.

Hi TL, thanks for chiming in. The color is great for me, it is vivid. But it isn''t a cheap carat price at all and is a yellowish orange, especially in some lights, so that is also one reason that I''m considering whether I can accept this.

I will see if I can get a picture of the inclusion from the top.

As this inclusion is in the middle of the stone, it won''t disappear. But when I woke up this morning I saw that the inclusion is only visible when the stone glows. It''s virtually invisible in the overcast daylight we have today.

 

[beaujolais]

Oh, one or two small/medium black inclusions are fine with me, too.

I used to have a E/I1 diamond. It had two small "specks of pepper". It made it easy to I.D. and reminded me it was a "real" stone.

Just a different thinking for you.

 

[mariedtiger]

Date: 6/5/2009 5:26:46 PM
Author: Richard M.

Date: 6/5/2009 4:16:03 PM

Author: Stone Hunter

That stinks!! I''m so sorry. I hate discovering a flaw.

It''s always puzzled me why some people readily accept GIA''s diamond clarity system and ignore the same organization''s system for grading color!


Some minor natural inclusions, even eye-visible ones, are accepted in Type II colored stones and are proof the stone came from the Earth, not a lab. Visible inclusions are expected in Type III stones like emerald, red tourmaline and some others. Only Type I stones are usually consistently eye clean and some of them can be very beautiful with slight to moderate inclusions.


Using diamond clarity designations like VS is misleading. GIA grades color (using no magnification!) as ''Eye Clean,'' ''Slightly Included,'' ''Moderately Included,'' ''Heavily Included'' and ''Severely Included.''


If all colored stones are expected to be loupe clean, we''d have to give up demantoids with byssolite ''horsetails,'' star and cat''s-eye stones whose optical effects are created by inclusions, rutilated quartz, sunstone, etc., etc.


Richard M.

Hi Rick,

Thank you for taking the time to answer and clarify the grading system. These are very new to me as a customer. I had certain expectations based on the VS grading, but now I am seeing they were false for this kind of stone.

I''m actually one of those people who often likes inclusions. You would laugh if you were to see my favorite aquamarine, and those aren''t meant to have inclusions! I''ve just never seen black ones, and to me they seem more distracting than colorless ones.

 

[mariedtiger]

Date: 6/5/2009 6:43:35 PM
Author: colormyworld

Date: 6/5/2009 2:50:55 PM

Author:mariedtiger

I'm so disappointed! I bought a spessartite, got it, fell in love with it. It glows like mad. But having had it for a few hours I noticed it has a black inclusion almost straight in the middle of it.

After having a stone for a couple of hours before notice of an inclusion does not sound like 'a big ole black spot' to me. Spessartite is a type II after all.

You're right colormyworld I woke up today to discover that in overcast daylight the stone looks flawless. It's just in soft Nordic evening light when it starts to glow that it lights up the inclusion like a spotlight. That is probably why the vendor did miss it. It's also why I was so suprised, because in that light the inclusion is really visible.

And I am just now learning what Type II stone really means through this experience.

 

[mariedtiger]

I followed your story closely

I really look forwardto seeing your stone. I was eying yours too

 

[chrono]

Here's another fun fact: that black spot is most likely the mineral manganese which is what causes that great orange glow in the first place.

MT: it sounds like your spessartite is accurately graded. If it doesn't show up all the time or is difficult to spot at times, then it is indeed a coloured VS. Since you mentioned the colour is awesome, I would think really hard about it. Pure glowing orange spessaritites are getting more difficult to find.

 

[T L]

Date: 6/5/2009 11:02:49 PM
Author: Chrono
Here''s another fun fact: that black spot is most likely the mineral manganese which is what causes that great orange glow in the first place.

Yes, I learned that on PS the other night from SS''s thread.

 

[Harriet]

Mariedtiger,
I''m sorry about your disappointment and hope you can return the stone easily.

Rick,
No byssolites? My stars! I''m with you on the use of diamond clarity terms. To me, it''s a red flag when a vendor does that.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 6/5/2009 10:55:26 PM
Author: mariedtiger
Hi Rick,

Thank you for taking the time to answer and clarify the grading system. These are very new to me as a customer. I had certain expectations based on the VS grading, but now I am seeing they were false for this kind of stone.

I''m actually one of those people who often likes inclusions. You would laugh if you were to see my favorite aquamarine, and those aren''t meant to have inclusions! I''ve just never seen black ones, and to me they seem more distracting than colorless ones.