Garnet e ring

[gemprincess]

Hi I''m a newbie but have been lurking around awhile and really love this board especially this section

I really want a color e ring but not to big on having blue stones (even though very pretty) as they are too common in rings, so I have narrowed it down to garnet (yep, that cheap darkish one) as I don''t care for rubbies or tsavorite as I love emerald green. I would proberly have the garnet set with some diamonds in rose gold and if I picked that lush green colour, I like the emerald cut with the diamonds around it in yellow gold. I also love moonstone (but no good for an e ring right?) and Alexandrite (to hard to get a nice one though). So, anyways out of the garnet or tsavorite which one do you think would look nicest for an e ring?

Cat

 

[kaylagee]

Hi GP!

well, i'm partial to the reddish brown garnets(my first e-ring was one too). either type would be beautiful but for me, the red goes with nearly everything.
**
to the experts: 'bohemian' = pyrope? (off to Google)

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 2/5/2006 10:00:09 PM
Author: kaylagee
is ''bohemian'' = pyrope? (off to Google)

Red pyrope garnets from former Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) were very popular during the reign of England''s Queen Victoria and "Bohemian Garnet" jewelry saturated the market.

Pyrope is a garnet species and it occurs in many places. Brownish hues are the result of iron. Fine pyropes from the 4-Corners region of the U.S. and a few other places around the globe contain chromium, not iron, and are ruby-red. Check out my Gallery for a few examples of the various garnet colors.

Richard M.

 

[gemprincess]

Interesting bit of history there. I looked at your gallery and love the color change stone as well as that orange stone ring design in plantium wow! But your tsavorite was stealing my heart!

kaylagee, what did you first e ring look like? What color metal etc? It''s such a dramatic, regal color.

This is going to be a tough choice, I love the elegance of that deep green color but my main concern is would I get sick of wearing a green ring? I don''t think I would have that problem with the pyrope.

 

[MINE!!]

Garnet... Tzavorite is a garnet. But I love the spessertite best..

Tzavorite garnet is really nice. Spessertites are very yummy too. personally, i think with the right setting you can make a scrumptous e-ring out of any color gemstone... But I do take some satisfaction in knowing that you are not being lured by a sapphire...

do you know what shape you like? What color are you more drawn too? I once saw a raspberry colored garnet that I really liked. But I love the fire in a spessertite. (plug there)

Please please more info.. budget? Shape? Size? Setting ideas?

 

[flutterby]

Although I love my ruby, and wouldnt trade it for anything. I think that garnets can be beautiful, and the reddish orange of spessorites especially. Have you thought of a spinel? There are some beautiful reds and they are less expensive than rubies, especially if you are looking for something not heat treated. I am actually looking at some spinels for a pendant now.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 2/5/2006 10:30:59 PM
Author: gemprincess

I don''t think I would have that problem with the pyrope.

There is brighter red garnet than that... I would be a bit leery at the brownish shade of pyrope and the dark color.

Tsavorite? Yeah, any day.

The other day I noticed red Malaya and something called ''Chrome Garnet'' (?) On This Website I don''t know what these look like in person, but since this is a thread about types of garnet, ''thought I''d mention just incase. The stones seem awfully red and darkish - which seems to fit the scope. Hopefully whatever material this is, it may have better saturation.

Hope someone else may know more about these garnets and pass by this thread.

How about light peach-orange? There is some relatively new type of Malaya garnet in such shades on the market. This is not new, only there seems to be more of it lately. Below is a flattering picture of such a garnet, the same that appears in Richard Wise''s book:

 

[kaylagee]

Date: 2/6/2006 12:19:22 AM
Author: valeria101

(hope u don''t mind me asking Cat) i''m curious are there any that aren''t blue-red pink-red rhodolitesque? more like an orange-red?

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 2/6/2006 12:19:22 AM
Author: valeria101
The other day I noticed red Malaya and something called ''Chrome Garnet'' (?) I don''t know what these look like in person, but since this is a thread about types of garnet, ''thought I''d mention just incase. The stones seem awfully red and darkish - which seems to fit the scope. Hopefully whatever material this is, it may have better saturation.

Hope someone else may know more about these garnets and pass by this thread.

The "chrome" garnets at that site are chrome pyropes -- just like the ones found in the 4-Corners area of the U.S. The only other known chromium-bearing garnet is green demantoid. The nickname "anthill garnets" has caught on for chrome pyropes because ants bring small fragments to the surface and prospectors then know the area is productive for larger material. It''s the same method used by diamond prospectors because this type of garnet indicates the presence diatremes -- geologic formations that can contain diamonds. Diatremes are found in the 4-Corners region -- but no diamonds so far.

Chrome pyropes have dark tone and bright stones are only possible usually under 5 mm. Larger rough exists but bigger stones are generally dark and lifeless even when cut shallow to allow more light through.

So-called Malaia garnets (aka by the misnomer Malaya) occur in a range of colors including the orangy reds you mention. Others are slightly pinkish orange, reddish orange to yellowish orange. They are intermediate between pyrope and spessartite and contain varying amounts of each which determines whether their hue tends to the red or the orange. There''s an enormous number of possible hue positions, just as with the pyrope-almandines which go by the greatly misused name "rhodolite." Nearly all color change garnets are pyrope-spessartites.

"Malaia" is Swahili for "out of the family," a name given them by Tanzanian gem dealers in the late ''70s because they weren''t the rhodolite they were expecting in their parcels. Beautiful in their own right they were later popularized under that name. They have no relationship with Malaya, a former Asian country now known as Maylasia, although I heard a gem dealer who should know better once tell a customer that''s where they come from. The major source is Africa but I''ve seen nice stones from India and Sri Lanka too.

Richard M.

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 2/6/2006 1:45:11 AM
Author: Richard M.
The only other known chromium-bearing garnet is green demantoid.

Late night tired brain self-correction: green uvarovite garnet (see my Gallery) is defined by its chromium content. If it occurred in larger cuttable-sized crystals instead of just druses it would yield amazing gems. These uvarovite druses are actually a by-product of Russian chromium mining. They grow in crevices on a matrix of black chromite which is very heavy.

Richard M.

 

[kaylagee]

Date: 2/6/2006 1:45:11 AM
Author: Richard M.

... just as with the pyrope-almandines which go by the greatly misused name ''rhodolite.''

can you expand please? It seems that every non brownish-red garnet piece is called rhodolite. what should the average consumer know about this?(shrug)

 

[movie zombie]

like Mine, spessartite is my garnet favorite.

the greens are nice but the $$$$ for a really great stone is more than my wallet can bear. richard wise [www.rwwise.com] has some incredible garnets at his website. there is an EC tsavorite that he lists as the best he''s ever seen. its gorgeous but i shutter to think of the price tag.

high end spess is not cheap but is certainly more affordable than high end tsavorite. however, i''m reading that the mines are played out, etc. and that means a price increase at some point, i''m sure.

and not all garnets are created equal on the mohs scale.

movie zombie

 

[Gemklctr]

Gemprincess, for a few garnet options, check out this thread.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/garnets-anyone.32705/

Ana, that peach malaia is gorgeous.

 

[MINE!!]

WOW... Gem.. I must have never gone back to that thread.. what was going on with me...LOL..

BTW.. I LLLLOOOOVVVVEEEEEDDDD The garnet... absolutely YUMMYLISHIS

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 2/6/2006 3:16:02 AM
Author: kaylagee

Date: 2/6/2006 1:45:11 AM

Author: Richard M.
... just as with the pyrope-almandines which go by the greatly misused name ''rhodolite.''

can you expand please? It seems that every non brownish-red garnet piece is called rhodolite. what should the average consumer know about this?(shrug)

Everyone''s confused! I just spent an hour writing a ‘technical’ answer to your question. Then I realized it’s too long and involved for most consumers to read or care about. So the quick answer to your question about the market impact is this:

Garnets are very complicated chemically and the cost of lab work required to pin down the exact makeup of any given stone is usually greater than the stone''s value. Also, most sellers really don’t know (or care) much about the complexities of garnet composition so they tend to group stones by color. Rhodolite has become a catch-all name for any reddish garnet, as has “Malaia/Malaya” for any orangy-pink or orange-red unknown.

Worse, there’s no worldwide agreement in the gem trade about what rhodolite really is. It’s a mixture of the pyrope and almandine garnet species but things bog down technically when it comes to agreeing on its boundaries, colors and properties like refractive index, specific gravity, etc. The name is really more of a trade name than scientific. I’ve seen ‘orange rhodolite,’ ‘brown rhodolite,’ ‘cranberry rhodolite,’ ‘raspberry rhodolite,’ and many other hues and descriptors offered for sale. I can recommend some reading on the matter but it''s pretty technical.

No one tends to believe anything about gems without GIA’s seal of approval. So for the sake of brevity here’s GIA’s Rhodolite definition (the latest I think – it’s been changed several times and there are important people who don’t agree):

Rhodolite: “Light to dark reddish purple to purplish red; R.I. 1.76 (can range from 1.71-1.76); spectrum same as almandine.”

Happy hunting!

Richard M.

 

[Richard M.]

Wow! I''m impressed! Thanks for posting this.

Richard M.

 

[pricescope]

Oops, wrong picture
here, a ring for that color-change garnet trillion

 

[belle]

Date: 2/6/2006 2:47:17 PM
Author: Pricescope

here, a ring for that color-change garnet trillion

oh wow...that is stunning!

 

[kaylagee]

Date: 2/5/2006 10:30:59 PM
Author: gemprincess

...kaylagee, what did you first e ring look like? What color metal etc? It''s such a dramatic, regal color.


This is going to be a tough choice, I love the elegance of that deep green color but my main concern is would I get sick of wearing a green ring? I don''t think I would have that problem with the pyrope.

I forgot to post this. I have a bracelet from Gil et Jean(their pieces are quite old-timey but I love the styles) too..

ring link



bracelet link

 

[kaylagee]

Thanks Richard!!

 

[movie zombie]

more info re different garnets: http://www.minerals.net/gemstone/gemstone/garnet/garnet.htm

i think the info is good but i don''t think they used great stones for pictures.

movie zombie

 

[nicky newark]

A while back I purchased a 6.5 mm diamond cut Chrome Pyrope that is quite brilliant and not overly dark. I got it from Tucker Gem Corp. Mr. Tucker specializes in "anthill garnet" and has a nice selection.

 

[movie zombie]

contact info for mr tucker? i at least found in my online search that his first name is ''sid'' but was unable to find direct contact info for him.

movie zombie

 

[PrecisionGem]

You may want to consider a color change garnet. There are some very pretty, and very very rare color change from Kenya. They go from a blueish Purple to a cherry red color. Another nice e-ring stone would be the Tsavorite garnet.

 

[nicky newark]

Tucker Gems P.O. box-742 Homedale,ID. 83628 [208] 337-4351 Fax[208] 337-4599 He always has an ad in Colored Stone magazine.

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 2/6/2006 11:26:53 PM
Author: nicky newark
A while back I purchased a 6.5 mm diamond cut Chrome Pyrope that is quite brilliant and not overly dark. I got it from Tucker Gem Corp. Mr. Tucker specializes in ''anthill garnet'' and has a nice selection.

Yes, I know the source. Tucker knows how to cut chromes and you''ll notice I hedged my statement with words like "usually" and "generally." I know a couple of cutters who do well with larger rough but larger bright chrome pyropes are not common.

 

[nicky newark]

Hi Rich- I agree with you. My stone has nice color but it does not compare to Tucker''s 1/2 ct. stones which look like fine ruby.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Here is an example of a color change garnet.

 

[PrecisionGem]

The first picture is in incandesant light.
This one was taken under floresent lighting.

In some lighting, you can see both the red and blue.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 2/6/2006 2:47:17 PM
Author: Pricescope
Oops, wrong picture
here, a ring for that color-change garnet trillion

That''s quite nice! Hope someone pics up the idea