First purchase of a Mahenge - thoughts?

[Autumn in New England]

Hello all,

I've wanted a Mahenge for some time now and this is my first purchase. I was looking for the brightest possible pink I could find, with secondary hues being a non-issue for me (purple/red/orange/it's all good - oh, except brown of course). I also wanted a symmetrical cut (round <so hard to find>, square, cushion, etc.) as I would like to set it as a solitaire on a diamond band. Anyway, I studied as many PS Mahenge photos as I could dig up (gorgeous by the way, ladies), yet I'm still not sure how this stone measures up in comparison, as I have little "in person" Mahenge experience. It's not quite neon, in my opinion, but it certainly appears to be a desirable bright/vivid shade to these eyes. The cert lists it as "orangy-pink" and I also see a touch of red under artificial lighting. The orange is never present as more than an undertone no matter the lighting. For all you seasoned Mahenge gals (and guys?), I'd appreciate your opinion on the color. Thanks so much...

Here are some pics. The stone is much crisper in person, loupe clean, and with a blinding refraction you'd expect from a well-executed step cut (as opposed to sparkle). In the photos, it's showing some tilt window, but it's not there in person. This stone is marvelously cut, although it does have an infinitesimal nick in one of the corners which is only visible under a loupe. OK, that's it! Thanks again.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Here are some artificial lighting pics...

 

[bright ice]

I am no expert by any means but it looks great to me, a pretty color.

 

[NKOTB]

Well, I love Mahenges, and I love step cuts, so I think it's beautiful. My only concern regarding this stone for a ring is that with corners like that, another nick may occur.

 

[minousbijoux]

It is by no means the most saturated Mahenge I've seen, but I love the color that in some photos looks red/magenta and in others almost a dusty deep rose color. The cutting is pretty uncommon for a Mahenge (I hasten to add in a good way!) so if you like the sparkle, cut and color, you have a winner!

 

[T L]

Hello all,

I've wanted a Mahenge for some time now and this is my first purchase. I was looking for the brightest possible pink I could find, with secondary hues being a non-issue for me (purple/red/orange/it's all good - oh, except brown of course). I also wanted a symmetrical cut (round <so hard to find>, square, cushion, etc.) as I would like to set it as a solitaire on a diamond band. Anyway, I studied as many PS Mahenge photos as I could dig up (gorgeous by the way, ladies), yet I'm still not sure how this stone measures up in comparison, as I have little "in person" Mahenge experience. It's not quite neon, in my opinion, but it certainly appears to be a desirable bright/vivid shade to these eyes. The cert lists it as "orangy-pink" and I also see a touch of red under artificial lighting. The orange is never present as more than an undertone no matter the lighting. For all you seasoned Mahenge gals (and guys?), I'd appreciate your opinion on the color. Thanks so much...

Here are some pics. The stone is much crisper in person, loupe clean, and with a blinding refraction you'd expect from a well-executed step cut (as opposed to sparkle). In the photos, it's showing some tilt window, but it's not there in person. This stone is marvelously cut, although it does have an infinitesimal nick in one of the corners which is only visible under a loupe. OK, that's it! Thanks again.

I think you described it well, and if it meets your expectations, then that's all that matters.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Hi ladies... thanks so much for the comments. Yeah, I don't really think I'm doing the stone justice in these photos (all I have is this craptacular camera phone). As far as pricing is concerned, I paid $1k and the stone is 1.25 ct. (6mm). How did I do price-wise?

TL - Be honest... what do you think? I value everyone's opinions greatly.

 

[T L]

Hi ladies... thanks so much for the comments. Yeah, I don't really think I'm doing the stone justice in these photos (all I have is this craptacular camera phone). As far as pricing is concerned, I paid $1k and the stone is 1.25 ct. (6mm). How did I do price-wise?

TL - Be honest... what do you think? I value everyone's opinions greatly.

Okay, since you asked for honesty . . . here it goes:
I would return it for that price, as the color is not vivid or neon. For a small stone around that carat weight, you shouldn't pay nearly $1K/ct. I thought you had paid very little based on the color. I know mahenge prices have gone up, but I can probably get that color from Tan (odysseygem) in that size for maybe $300. You said yourself it wasn't neon, and for me that would be a requirement for such a small stone, otherwise, it's just another plain orangy pink spinel, and not a true mahenge.

ETA: Of course I'm basing my opinion on your photos which you say are not accurate, but you did say the stone is not neon, and that is a requirement for me at that price point/carat weight. After 2 carats, true saturated mahenges go up in price exponentially. I'm also worried about the square shape, as the corners might be prone to chipping.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Wow well I did ask for honesty! lol Seriously though, I appreciate your candor. Once I saw minous refer to the stone as dusty rose pink, I knew my photos had to be off. Because this stone does not look anything like that color in person. So I went home to snap some more pics. Same crappy camera I'm afraid, but definitely a great representation of the color in person. I am sticking to my guns that it does not appear to be quite "neon" to me, but it is definitely very intense/vivid in person. Here it is again under fluorescents (I only have energy saving bulbs in my house and they're not the best to photograph under). The other photos were taken at work. Here goes...

 

[Autumn in New England]

A few more... It looks a little less red and more hot pink in person, but otherwise an accurate representation of the saturation and vividity. Still a no-go ya think? I just love the cut so much and all I ever see is oval (which is great, but I have so many in my collection).

ETA: TL - Do you happen to have any photos of your Mahenge that you could post for me? Much obliged if at all possible.

 

[minousbijoux]

TL it might be helpful if you pointed out some examples from Tan for around $300 - or whatever - that you think from the photos appear similar. This might help us understand whether it is close to that color, or whether the OP's stone has in fact more intensity that we can't see...

 

[minousbijoux]

I would also wonder, as you suggest, if there isn't a premium on the stone's cut, since they are not that common and we see ovals all over the place!

 

[Autumn in New England]

TL it might be helpful if you pointed out some examples from Tan for around $300 - or whatever - that you think from the photos appear similar. This might help us understand whether it is close to that color, or whether the OP's stone has in fact more intensity that we can't see...

Yes, yes! This would be most helpful. Thank you, minous.

 

[Aoife]

I'm just going to point out that Mahenge is a place, not a color. AutumnInNewEngland, the only really pertinent question is if you love the color, love the cut, and feel that the price you paid is commensurate with the pleasure you think the stone will give you.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I would love to think that the cut is so superb that it can account for the gap in price that TL pointed out. But I'm not so sure... I will say that it is completely free of inclusions, even under a 20x loupe. Not sure if that is making any difference or if that is the norm with this type of stone. Or maybe it's just overpriced. haa haa

 

[minousbijoux]

AINE: Please don't smack me, but I agree you can do better price wise, as most Mahenge spinels of comparable size and quality I've seen are considerably less than $1,000 - maybe not $300, but between $300 and $600. Then again, with the exception of one Roger Dery sent me to check out, I have not seen one cut like that - what would you call the shape, a princess step cut or something? And Roger's was in the price ballpark of yours if I remember correctly.

 

[Aoife]

I would love to think that the cut is so superb that it can account for the gap in price that TL pointed out. But I'm not so sure... I will say that it is completely free of inclusions, even under a 20x loupe. Not sure if that is making any difference or if that is the norm with this type of stone. Or maybe it's just overpriced. haa haa

Hmmm. Now I'm wondering if there's any possibility that it might be synthetic. Is it from a reputable dealer?

 

[Autumn in New England]

I'm just going to point out that Mahenge is a place, not a color. AutumnInNewEngland, the only really pertinent question is if you love the color, love the cut, and feel that the price you paid is commensurate with the pleasure you think the stone will give you.

This was a sweet comment. Thank you, Aoife. I did ask for honest opinions and I'm appreciative of everyone's comments. I do very much like the stone. As I said, this is my first foray into this type of spinel, so I wanted to be sure I was getting in on it right and it was a desirable color. But, yes, I think it's quite pretty in person and I also think the cut would make a great solitaire with a diamond band.

P.S. Definitely, definitely not a synthetic. I received it from a very reputable dealer and it was accompanied by a cert. I'm not sure I want to mention who I purchased it from because I'm always leery (read: terrified) of insulting the vendors who read and post to the forum. If I decide to keep it, I would be happy to mention the vendor. Do you think the color is good enough to look like a synthetic though?!

Edited for typos...

 

[T L]

I'm just going to point out that Mahenge is a place, not a color. AutumnInNewEngland, the only really pertinent question is if you love the color, love the cut, and feel that the price you paid is commensurate with the pleasure you think the stone will give you.

True, but the Mahenge area became famous for those neon pink/red spinels, and now it's a marketing name for those gems. Unfortunately, I think it's being overused to represent very orange and unsaturated spinels that come from that location, or just Tanzania in general. Many dealers are capitalizing over that name and selling very inferior material (not saying that's the case with Autumn's spinel). When you say 'Mahenge' in this forum, or even at a trade show, you are supposed to think of a certain color, and for those that have not seen great color, they just don't know. I personally think its misleading to call any ordinary pink or orange spinel a 'Mahenge.'

 

[Autumn in New England]

Hi minous - This is a no smacking zone, so no worries. I believe it would be referred to as a square step cut. Princess is a square brilliant. Love, love, love the cut. The color looks so pure. But it doesn't have the sparkle of a brilliant. It is more of a beaming, radiating light.

 

[erinl]

I joined pricescope about a year ago and quickly fell in love with mehenge spinels. I saw one on swala that I wanted to buy and I choked, it was about 1.77 carats and listed at 1300 dollars. I never saw it in person, but have continued to kick myself. I wanted a 2 or 3 carat mahenge of fine saturation for around 2g and I gather I was at least 1-2 years too late. I recently bought a couple smaller mahenges. One from the gemtrader, an .83 carat pear-shaped stone for 373.50. Even though this stone is so tiny, I am pretty happy for the color and cut of this stone. Shortly after that I purchased a 1.07 carat heart-shaped stone from Tan at gemburionline for 299. This little stone glows no matter what the lighting- indirect, sunlight, etc. It really glows. I look at it a lot in its box before I put my kids to bed, often with little lighting on it and it is brighter than anything else I own.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350515666313?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

If I had a stone that was 3 carats or so that looked like that I don't know what I would do. Just my guess, but there used to be stones like that, they no longer exist, especially in larger sizes. I need to take a picture and post it. I prefer bigger stones for myself, the heart and the pear are in waiting for a set I will give my daughter when she gets older.

Personally, i feel you paid too much for the stone. I am not an expert, so my apologies of I seem rude.

 

[VapidLapid]

I really like your stone. It is variously poorly represented in your photos. Like it or not, and as uncommon as it may be to find a square cut mahenge, I would return it. Yes they've gone up in price. I dont think theyve gone that far yet and they may go beyond that, but I dont think that is where they are today. I have a precision princess cut mahenge about the same size (5.7mm). It was a fifth the cost of yours. But I bought it a year ago. And I've never seen one this cut but for yours and mine. Sure there will be others. There are always others. If it sings to you then keep it. Otherwise send it back.

 

[NKOTB]

If you love the cut, that is something to consider, for sure. I recently bought a mint garnet with that cut. Definitely more expensive than many mint garnets, and believe me, I looked for several months for something comparable (but cheaper), and that I loved as much, but came up short.

I've seen Mahenge spinels that literally brought tears to my eyes. I don't know if they would be considered "premium colour" by the standards of some, but I thought they were really beautiful. What do YOU think, as Aoife asks? Does it make you smile, feel a little bit excited when you look at it? I think it's hard for others to really judge the colour accurately because many have commented (and it has been my experience) that the pictures here don't always reflect what we see in person. I have a little Mahenge that I LOVE. It's small, some may see orange and think that's a bad thing, the pictures I've taken look nothing like what I see, and it's a favourite little fireball in my collection. Maybe I only love it because I haven't seen "the real thing", but maybe that's okay? But, of course, we'd rather not get ripped off by a marketing term, either. It's a tricky one.

I'd love to see some 300-ish dollar examples for comparison, though, as well as maybe some pics of "this is what the ideal Mahenge should look like". And I'm still worried about those corners!

 

[VapidLapid]

FWIW, my stone looks nothing like the photos I just put up. In life it is a magenta pink with hot flashes and magenta red depths.

eta. I will also say that your tweezer photo looks pretty fantastic. If that's what it looks like all the time then it is a keeper.

 

[y2kitty]

I think its pretty, for what its worth. As to whether $1k is too much - at times we all spend too much for something, whether it be a haircut, a purse, etc. If something makes you feel good, and you can afford it, then I think you should not play the "can I do better" game. However, if you think asking for honest opinions has made you doubt the stone then send it back. What you don't want to do is waste time/money buying "Mahenge" after "Mahenge" searching for what others say is the top color.

 

[Aoife]

TL, you are right of course about the marketing aspects of the "Mahenge" name. I think we've all seen really pitiful examples of spinels marketed that way. However, when a poster says that photos s/he has posted are not accurate representations of what s/he sees IRL, I am very uncomfortable making a judgment on quality based on those photos. That's just me, and I'm not suggesting that anyone else should feel the same way.

AutumnInNewEngland, I do think it's a very pretty stone in an unusual cut. I'll look forward to seeing what you decide to do with it.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Hi Vapid - Thank you for your photos! Now yours is a true princess cut... very pretty. All I do is crop my photos so the stone definitely looks as it does in the photos. I wouldn't say it changes color from light source to light source... but it does look better in some than others. It doesn't brown-out which is good I suppose. Of course, my photos are terrible quality so they are lacking the shine and life that this stone has in person. The only photos where the stone doesn't look right to me are the first few. It is not light like that in person (it is graded at "medium dark" and has strong saturation). I think what's happening with this stone when I attempt to capture it, is because of the cut, all of the facets will reflect light at the same time. It doesn't scintillate like a brilliant cut. So that's throwing the true color off a bit. Anyway... I guess I have some decisions to make!

Hello there NKOTB - Your garnet sounds lovely. I will be honest and say that I have purchased stones that get me all choked up because I love them so much (just purchased a paraiba that had me clutching my chest for a good half hour), but I wouldn't go as far to say this stone is putting me into coronary territory. I do get excited thinking about it set in the solitaire diamond band ring. But I own lots of fine pink stones... sapphires, tourmalines, other pink spinels... and this is the most vividly colored one so far. Not sure if that's saying something or not! And don't worry - I will protect those corners if and when I decide she's a keeper!

 

[minousbijoux]

I have to agree with the latest responses you have received. It seems like when you were first posting, you wanted feedback on the color and then subsequently wanted some validation regarding the price. The more you wrote, the more it seems to me that you really love that stone. If that is the case, I agree with the others and say if you can afford it, then you should keep it.

I'm now at the point of stripping myself of many of the stones I bought a while ago, to keep only those which make my heart sing. Bottom line: that is what's important to me. I have a fair amount of stones bought at excellent prices. Some make my heart sing, many, while lovely, don't and will be sold. I also have stones that I just "paid too much" for. Every one of these makes my heart sing, which is why I was willing in these circumstances to "overpay" for the stone. In a way, its all relative. We all want to get bargain prices. But odds are, if you see a stone, and your visceral and immediate reaction is "Yes!" then you will probably hold onto it for a long time and the price you pay for it, as long as you can afford it, becomes meaningless in the long run. What you remember is the beauty of the stone that makes your heart flip flop when you see it.

I don't want to rain on your parade. You have a saturated Mahenge spinel of a very pretty color. The cut is uncommon and it is what you really love. I bet you would kick yourself if you sent it back and ended up with an oval spinel with that neon color more consistent with what is most popular. Just because its most popular doesn't mean it is for you. I think you're already in love.

Oh and BTW, it looks like Ed Bristol has one remarkably similar to yours and he is selling it for even more...

We're rooting for you whatever you decide!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Thanks kitty, I appreciate the encouragement. I'm teetering back and forth between "I must HAVE the finest colored Mahenge that has ever been mined in the world EVER and I will buy 20 if I have to in order to find it!"... to... "this is a really beautiful stone in its own right with a stunning cut and I already own it, so stop being so fussy - you are not JLo." But I just don't want to come to find out down the road... when I'm more Mahenge savvy... that this stone is not what it should be. Ya know?

Hi Aoife - I wouldn't say the photos are totally inaccurate. I think the latter ones show the stone's intensity well (minus the stone's life that can only be seen in person). I would only say that the first few are way off. Right now I'm looking at the poor little fella on my desk as I'm typing and she's positively glowing. Am I selling it short? Or does it lack the true Mahenge color? I just don't know... And I guess I could on and on and continue to teeter back and forth. But I shall spare you all!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Hi Minous - Well put... thanks so much for your input. And your rooting! lol I guess what it comes down to (and I apologize if I'm beating this tormented, suffering horse to death), is if I can purchase a stone with better color, and as good a cut and clarity (or close to it), for less or equal money, than that would be my preference. But I just haven't seen anything like that. Would anyone be able to point me in the direction of a stone of that caliber for sale? I have looked at all of the usual vendor's stock and I don't see any neon pinks for what I purchased this stone for (or less), all other things equal. I do own a true neon Namya red already so I'm looking for a predominantly pink stone. I'd appreciate the suggestions if anyone spots one with the qualities I'm (and everyone else is!) looking for.