Educate me on my spinel purchase

[CharmyPoo]

I own a few beautiful colored stones as gifts from my mother but I must admit that I know very little about colored gemstones.

Today, I was reading a few threads about cheap settings from China and spinels. I got hooked into eBay and won a reddish-purple spinel but have no idea what I purchased or what it is actually worth. In my opinion, it is a beautiful stone but who knows if I bid way too high or I purchased a dud. It is from a power gemstone seller with over 1500 feedback and 99.4% positive.

What are your thoughts on the spinel? How much do you think it is worth? What should I be looking out for?

Certification: None? Do they certify gemstones?
Color : Cherry Purple Red
Weight : 2.48 ct
Size : 7.53 x 7.38 x 5.59 mm
Clarity : IF / VVS1
Shape : Antique Cushion Cut
Treatment : None
Origin : Mogok, Burma

Thanks in advance!

 

[marcy]

Pretty color!

 

[T L]

Nice color

 

[CharmyPoo]

Any ideas on worth? Should this be a couple dollars or couple hundred dollars? I have seen spinels sell for a huge range. I am not sure if I should go through with the deal. Thanks!

 

[T L]

When you get it, take pictures of it and post them here. It's really difficult to tell from ebay shots what something is worth because the photo can unfortunately be doctored, or taken in lighting that best represents it. It looks like a nice cut, I'm sure the cushion cut lovers will be drooling. If you won it off ebay, don't you have to buy it? You could always return it if the seller is honest enough.

Also just because an ebay seller has lots of positive feedback, it doesn't always mean they're honest. Use the website toolhaus.org to check out negative and neutral feedback. Sometimes those few negative feedbacks in a sea of positive feedback can say quite a bit about a seller.

There's one seller on ebay that I know of that has 99 or 98% positive feed back and he sells fake stones. You have to be very very careful on ebay. Although there are lots of great deals to be had, you also need to weed out the good sellers from the more unscrupulous ones.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Thank you for your suggestions. I did check toolhaus first and his negatives are mostly from people who made multiple purchases and complained about slow shipping. If I don''t go through with the deal, I will just take a hit on the negative but it is pretty sad considering I have 340 positive feedback and never a negative. I guess I will wait and see if anyone else chimes in.

 

[T L]

That would fit perfectly into the LOGR legacy setting. Is that what you were thinking of doing with it?

 

[CharmyPoo]

Hehehe... that is what got me thinking about a fun little project. I would love to get a nice yet cost effective ring to wear around without having to worry about it getting lost or damaged. I have been talking to LOGR and another china manufacturer to make a custom setting like Nicole Richie''s old engagement ring. I can''t believe how cheap they are - I was quoted around $220 for a custom design. The quality looks acceptable as well for the price but I might be better off sticking to one of their designs.

 

[T L]

Well, if and when you get it, please post pictures. I think that would look great in the LOGR legacy setting. I think LaurenThePartier is getting a deep reddish stone set (a garnet I believe) in the Legacy setting. She showed some pictures of it unset in the setting. It is sure to look very elegant when it's set.

I hope some other people will chime in on your gemstone purchase. Hopefully you got a great deal!

 

[Tessie]

It does look very pretty in that photo! Here is one that also has a darkish color in the 2ct range: http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?994057660

 

[Pandora II]

I wouldn't touch it with a barge-pole unless you are paying pennies and just want something that is red and faceted.

A flawless spinel of that size and colour from Mogok should have a price in the thousands of $.

If it's not that kind of price it's probably synthetic.

You can get certified gemstones, but they tend to be the more expensive pieces that have them. I don't own any with certificates myself - and as I know exactly what they all are I don't feel the need to spend money on having them.

ETA: As an ebay seller and buyer, in my opinion it's pretty poor form to bid and then not go through with it.

 

[CharmyPoo]

I agree that it is very bad practice to not pay on ebay. I have been a ebay seller but usually a buyer and have never not paid for something. As I mentioned above, I have 100% positive on over 300 purchases. I guess I will just pay for it and take it as a lesson learned.

What are some indicators that I can look for to determine if it is glass or spinel? If it is glass, I don''t want to waste more money having a jeweler look at it.

 

[Pandora II]

If it's a synthetic, it is still spinel - synthetics have the same physical, chemical and optical properties as the natural material - so it won't be that easy to tell.

With a good x10 loupe you may be able to see certain inclusions that are indicative of synthetics.

Spinel is not a stone I have much experience with, but there are people on here who can probably tell you a lot more about the current things to avoid....


I sometimes buy gemstones from ebay - I do a lot of research on who is buying from the buyer and what they normally buy, how much they pay and where else they buy. You can spot the serious collectors quite fast that way.

I have had good deals where I have picked up the dealer's loss leaders (stones they sell at less than market value that will convince a collector that their product is kosher - the hope is that the buyer will the return and bid with confidence on the more expensive stones).


If the stone is real, I think you will find it will be a LOT darker in real life than it looks in the picture.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Thank you so much for your help.

For any one interested, I found a great article.
http://www.gaaj-zenhokyo.co.jp/researchroom/kanbetu/2006/2006_03-01en.html

 

[LaurenThePartier]

We need real life pics, but from the couple of Ebay experiences I''ve had with gemstones, I wouldn''t go back again.

Almost every gemstone I''ve bought on Ebay has a huge window, and one I bought for $25 turned out to be a synthetic after some seroous lopue exploration. Fun to play with, but not worth the $25 hit.

It''s possible to find phenomenal deals on Ebay, but it takes a lot of work and a large investment of your time. I prefer to work with cutters now, and buy fewer, well-cut stones.

 

[CharmyPoo]

This spinel was a lot more than $25 that''s why I am hesistant to pay for it. I will see what the seller has to say.

Maybe this fun project has to wait because it doesn''t feel so fun anymore! Too much to learn before I can make a good purchase.

 

[T L]

You really need to know what you''re doing on ebay. A lot of vendors buy their stones from ebay and resell them at a huge markup, but they''re very experienced vendors, or gem collectors, and they know gemstones really well. They also know the vendors to do business with and they do the same business with them over and over again.

You can find great gem bargains on ebay (LTP''s recent OEC purchase is a great example), but you really need to weed out the bad from the good (the needle in the haystack so to speak). I tend to stay away from stones that are often synthesized, simulated, or known to be commonly treated with unscrupulous treatments (ie: beryllium treated sapphires, or glass and resin infused emeralds and rubies). I also like a reputable lab cert or memo to accompany the stone if I''m paying a a higher price. Ebay was the only place I could find an extremely rare untreated color of tourmaline, and the stone had a reputable memo that accompanied it, and knowing tourmaline as well as I do, I knew this was a true one when I received it. I was as happy as a clam when I received it, and I''m thrilled to death with it. It''s one of the prizes of my collection. I also beat out a billion bidders as well, so I knew it was highly sought after.

I just bid on a pretty cushion ruby for very little money because I liked the cut, size and supposed color. I thought of it as something pretty and I didn''t bid that much because I thought it would be full of treatments (which it probably was). I lost the bidding war, but I often find that if you lose an ebay auction, it''s akin to winning. You don''t want to pay more for something that you think is suspect to all kinds of treatments. You can then use the money to buy something better later on.

I finally have to admit to you that I saw that spinel before you posted it. It''s very pretty, and I hope it turns out to be what you expect. Please post pictures when you get it, and btw, I think you got a great deal if it turns out to be the genuine article. Good luck!

 

[CharmyPoo]

I really appreciate your thougthful response. My boyfriend and I spent a lot of time researching diamonds before he made the big purchase. However, the world of diamonds is relatively simple and it was made easier by going to the recommended ps vendors

I will let you know how everything goes with the spinel. I am still hoping that it isn''t glass. I was shocked at how high it went and got hooked into bidding (it happens a lot). I also got into the heat of things and won a diamond/pearl pendant during a live auction. I really don''t like it too but I guess it is mine now

I have also purchased name brand purses on ebay. I think it''s a bit like gemstones as there are so many fakes on there but once in a while .. you get lucky. I got a couple fendi and lv purses for great prices but don''t get me started on my paranoia during each of those purchases.

Here is my ugly pearl/diamond pendant.

 

[T L]

Pearls are another thing you have to be really careful about on ebay, but then again, I bought some of the most beautiful pearls off of ebay as well. I knew this one vendor who got his start on ebay (that''s how lots of reputable sellers start out), and he was selling the most amazing Tahitian and other saltwater and freshwater pearls. They weren''t cheap, but they were a lot less expensive than a regular store.

I began to notice the same people buying over and over from him again, and he had 100% positive absolutely glowing feedback, so I took the plunge, and I have absolutely no regrets. The pearls I have are drop dead gorgeous and real (according to a pearl jeweler I see). He no longer sells on ebay, but it was a great place for him to get buyers and a start to his business. He now sells his strands for a lot more $$.

I know some other vendors that got their start that way as well. One of the vendors I got to know well would complain to me that he was loosing too much money on ebay for his loss leaders, but in the end, he got some great clientele and his stones were the talk of the town.

Ebay is also a great outlet for regular vendors to get people to notice their stuff as well. There are some Pricescope vendors that also sell on Ebay and most of us know who they are. They have some fabulous stuff, but you typically don''t see stones starting at a $1 bid price.

 

[coatimundi_org]

I wouldn't mess with pearls on ebay. A lot of commercial(and worse) grade junk with ludicrous descriptions. There are exceptions, as with anything, but the majority is junk. Pearls are being produced by the metric ton in China, they've got to go somewhere.

That spinel looks like it will be quite dark in person. I would not trust any ebay seller's description of origin(Mogok). Only certain gem labs can really ascertain origin. If it's natural, eye clean, and the cut is good, it could be worth a bit--look around at other vendors and see what their prices are for dark reddish purple spinels.

 

[Pandora II]

I have two incredible strings of Mikimoto pearls that I got at outrageously low prices on Ebay as the sellers didn''t recognise the hallmark and I happened to spot it in their photos.

If you are inclined to get carried away when bidding then either use bidnapper - or bid with your max bid in the last 4 seconds. It controls how much you spend and makes you decide a value in advance.

I NEVER bid till the end as I don''t want anyone knowing what I''m bidding on. If I''m interested in an item I always check who else is bidding, what they normally buy and how much they usually pay. Then I can bid accordingly - if the other people are dealers they won''t pay as much as I will, if they are also collectors I like to know how serious a one I''m up against. If I bid early then I am giving this information to other people. (I collect other things besides gemstones).

 

[CharmyPoo]

Thanks for al lthe tips. I actually do use auction sniping tools although I check up on the auction near the end for the things I really like. On occassion (like yesterday). I end up placing in bids over my desired price especially for things that I might not find again. "What''s another dollar" thinking sure adds up.

 

[chrono]

The spinel appears to be rather dark as you can see the strong lighting on the stone and its dark reflection. It also looks to have quite a lot of extinction, so the stone will look dark overall. The other thing is how do you know if it''s glass, coated or a synthetic stone? One clue is the pricing but then again, some unscrupulouos vendors might just price it high anyway.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Just a quick update. The seller assured me it is 100% natural untreated spinel. I know the stone looks dark but I will let everyone know how it looks once I receive it. He has a refund policy as well so the risk is minor. I also won a setting from LOGR for a great price.

 

[CharmyPoo]

The power of photoshop. I am going to have LOGR change the setting a bit since I have to custom make it for my finger size anyways. What do you think?

 

[T L]

I''m excited for you - please post lots of pictures when you receive it!!

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 10/6/2008 3:33:32 PM
Author: Pandora II
I wouldn''t touch it with a barge-pole unless you are paying pennies and just want something that is red and faceted.

A flawless spinel of that size and colour from Mogok should have a price in the thousands of $.

If it''s not that kind of price it''s probably synthetic.

You can get certified gemstones, but they tend to be the more expensive pieces that have them. I don''t own any with certificates myself - and as I know exactly what they all are I don''t feel the need to spend money on having them.

ETA: As an ebay seller and buyer, in my opinion it''s pretty poor form to bid and then not go through with it.

you beat me to it. can anyone say and/or over saturation? however, if its under $1000, you''ll be getting what you paid for.....well, if its not glass or synthetic.

movie zombie

 

[MMT]

It looks beautiful!!

 

[CharmyPoo]

Can someone explain to me what "extinction" is?

 

[T L]

Extinction is when parts of the stone, either due to the cut and/or the variety of the stone, have no light is returned back to the eye, and one sees black voids in the stone. Tourmaline is a stone, for example, that is highly prone to extinction, even when well cut. Certain dark colored stones are also prone to extinction. A stone with a little extinction doesn't mean the end of the world, but you don't want a stone with too much extinction, otherwise it will look black or opaque.