Garnet hunt - which of these two?

[sapphiredream]

Any opinions about these two candidates and which one you think would look better IRL (as a large center stone for a relatively hefty ring). Also some opinions on the price relative to quality would be appreciated too.


1)
https://jefferydavies.com/gemstones/garnet/mj8202-mahenge-garnet-4-54ct/#tab-description

and

2)
https://www.moregems.com/loose-cut-...hodolite-garnet-7-70-carats-stepped-oval.html

 

[jewelsforalltosee]

oh man, those are beautiful. I'm literally on JD's site right now looking at MJ10859. I think I prefer the color of the first, my tastes lean toward pink and not red. Just my two cents on size, you say it will be for a ring - I have a 7ct prasiolite ring and it's literally gigantic. Completely covers my finger and then some (size 4.75 finger). So I really don't wear it. I'd go for Jeff's, but I'm no expert on pricing. That one is just my preference. Can you give an idea of the ring's look?

 

[sapphiredream]

oh man, those are beautiful. I'm literally on JD's site right now looking at MJ10859. I think I prefer the color of the first, my tastes lean toward pink and not red. Just my two cents on size, you say it will be for a ring - I have a 7ct prasiolite ring and it's literally gigantic. Completely covers my finger and then some (size 4.75 finger). So I really don't wear it. I'd go for Jeff's, but I'm no expert on pricing. That one is just my preference. Can you give an idea of the ring's look?

I go by dimensions - and both are about the same in length and width despite a large difference in carat weight. I think the red one is bulkier in depth but it could fit down in the basket.

This is the ring I am trying to set one of these garnets in. It's hefty at 12 grams.



I got in a 2.52 ct sapphire for a different project and I am ashamed to admit it felt small and insignificant on my hands. Maybe they look like this when they are not set?..or maybe I am just used to wear my "dinosaur" ring.

In general, if the ring doesn't feel hefty on my hands with a clearly visible stone - it drives me crazy.
I can't say I have too big or fat hands...but sometimes they do get a bit puffy and the squarish fingertips don't help either; and there's nothing I dislike more than a light/dainty setting with a small stone on puffy square fingers.

Don't ask what this little "quirk" does on one's budget if you even vaguely contemplate an actual precious stone. Nothing - because you can never do it.

I DO love that blood red in the second one but you're probably right that the size may be pushing the boundaries of good taste.

 

[jewelsforalltosee]

@sapphiredream I too appreciate a large stone, and also what it does to one's budget It's a real thing, the phenomenon of "shrinkage" when you wear large stones! I don't even think of my ering being large until I put it next to a friend's.

I think my prasolite ring's just really high and feels ridiculous, there are no side stones so it's just this big honking thing on my finger. Yours looks proportioned, and yes I didn't even think about depth and face up size. At 8.4mm depth that will sit pretty high, but if you will wear it then I say go for it. I certainly don't think it's pushing any good taste boundaries, on the contrary - I'm jealous you can pull it off!

 

[sapphiredream]

@sapphiredream I too appreciate a large stone, and also what it does to one's budget It's a real thing, the phenomenon of "shrinkage" when you wear large stones! I don't even think of my ering being large until I put it next to a friend's.

I think my prasolite ring's just really high and feels ridiculous, there are no side stones so it's just this big honking thing on my finger. Yours looks proportioned, and yes I didn't even think about depth and face up size. At 8.4mm depth that will sit pretty high, but if you will wear it then I say go for it. I certainly don't think it's pushing any good taste boundaries, on the contrary - I'm jealous you can pull it off!

I agree that large colored stones without any other small helper diamond stones around, can look awkward - just perched up there.

You may want to consider re-doing the setting with some very tiny micro-pave around it (or what not) and I bet you whatever that stone is ...it will turn into "yummy".

As for jealousy, mine is directed towards the ladies on the "Diamond under 1 ct" thread.
That parade might as well be called "The PS Ladies with perfect hands".

I LOVE a dainty super-sparkly diamond in a fine simple setting on an "Audrey Hepburn" type hand. Young, long, slender fingers, no puffiness.
That is absolutely perfect - IF you have the hand to pull it off.

Otherwise, good luck to the budget, because it will need a lot (of luck).

 

[sapphiredream]

@sapphiredream

I think my prasolite ring's just really high and feels ridiculous, there are no side stones so it's just this big honking thing on my finger.

Hmm..I looked up prasolite and it is not a dark stone.
The dark, deep ones look really awkward when big and perched up on their own.

 

[jewelsforalltosee]

haha! I have long skinny fingers...go figure I like big rocks! I'm my own worst enemy Maybe you can change my mind about the ring I have. I'll have to pull it out and have another look. A reset might work, it is a cool stone. It's a light pastel green, I got it really cheap years ago.

Have you enquired about more photos of either stone you are considering? I emailed JD, hoping for more looks at the one I like!

I agree that large colored stones without any other small helper diamond stones around, can look awkward - just perched up there.

You may want to consider re-doing the setting with some very tiny micro-pave around it (or what not) and I bet you whatever that stone is ...it will turn into "yummy".

As for jealousy, mine is directed towards the ladies on the "Diamond under 1 ct" thread.
That parade might as well be called "The PS Ladies with perfect hands".

I LOVE a dainty super-sparkly diamond in a fine simple setting on an "Audrey Hepburn" type hand. Young, long, slender fingers, no puffiness.
That is absolutely perfect - IF you have the hand to pull it off.

Otherwise, good luck to the budget, because it will need a lot (of luck).

 

[jewelsforalltosee]

And PS, 12 grams for that setting, wow! That is heavy! Love how bold it is!

 

[Sabrina31]

Personally i like the moriartys gem one better, i like that higher crown (?) where it doesnt go as flat when tilted, and i like the color better, so long as its not darker in person.

 

[sapphiredream]

haha! I have long skinny fingers...go figure I like big rocks! I'm my own worst enemy Maybe you can change my mind about the ring I have. I'll have to pull it out and have another look. A reset might work, it is a cool stone. It's a light pastel green, I got it really cheap years ago.

Have you enquired about more photos of either stone you are considering? I emailed JD, hoping for more looks at the one I like!

I am just trying to get in touch with him. I contacted him yesterday but he hasn't responded yet.

As for long skinny fingers - you are lucky because you can choose big or you can choose small.
I think big stones look awesome on long skinny fingers (see the entire Holywood) but if budget won't hear it, small stones can look just as beautiful and refined on such lucky fingers.

By contrast, shorter, squarish and not so skinny...can't quite have their pick.

Like skinny body will pull off any type of clothes; non-skinny bodies...not so much.
It's just life.

Yes, please show us your wonderful ring on your perfect fingers! Stir up the "jelly"!

I can try to convince you you don't need a larger one.

 

[sapphiredream]

And PS, 12 grams for that setting, wow! That is heavy! Love how bold it is!

I have been to various jewelry stores where they have these ready-made settings...and when I see a relatively large stone set in these flimsy, light, hallow settings - I need to take it off right away no matter how pretty the stone is.

Dainty and fine is one thing - but the ring should still have some heft.
Light and hallow just feels cheap to me.

 

[shinyrocks]

Both look like beautiful stones! From the photos alone (which can be dangerous to go by), the Jeff Davies stone looks a bit lighter/brighter to me.

 

[LD]

I like them both. The Moriarty gem is larger but a little darker although does look brighter. I don't know how their gems stack up in real life though.

I don't think you can go wrong with either of them and it boils down to price point/size and which one appeals to you more!

 

[sapphiredream]

I like them both. The Moriarty gem is larger but a little darker although does look brighter. I don't know how their gems stack up in real life though.

I don't think you can go wrong with either of them and it boils down to price point/size and which one appeals to you more!

I am afraid the moriarty one might get a tad too dark in low light. Is it safe to assume that in low light the gem would look like the dark parts shown in this stone under Light?
That would be too dark.

At the same time, I am yet to see such brilliance in any garnet. They seem to have amazing cutting abilities.

 

[Cockatiel]

Just my two cents. In my experience the large (say bigger than 7mm round) red garnets rarely appear red enough in many viewing environments compared to rubellites, or brownish red spinels. Almost always they are too extinct or go brown under fluorescent light. I am more tolerant of that dark brown look than most, but if you are looking for a ring to wear all the time you might want to reconsider red garnets.

 

[sapphiredream]

Just my two cents. In my experience the large (say bigger than 7mm round) red garnets rarely appear red enough in many viewing environments compared to rubellites, or brownish red spinels. Almost always they are too extinct or go brown under fluorescent light. I am more tolerant of that dark brown look than most, but if you are looking for a ring to wear all the time you might want to reconsider red garnets.

So would the Mahenge one do better? Those have more of a pinkish-purple-ish look.
As long as they look deep pink/purple in low light and not brow - that is fine.
Or you mean ALL generally red/purple-ish garnets in large sizez get too dark?
(Red as in not green/tsavorite).

Are you suggesting a spinel or rubellite would be better in terms of color for a large stone?

I just need a large stone for my statement/hefthy ring above.
I cannot go small because if I go small we talk about a completely different ring - and that would be with a sapphire - a separate project).

I even thought about a light garnet - almost white/light pink. Would that show better in a large stone?
I have a hunch that light stones look better in large sizes.

Am I wrong?

It is excruciating to find just the right large stone for a large ring.
Dimensions are around 9 x 11.

 

[sapphiredream]

How would something of this color look in a large size ring?

https://gemfix.com/gems/mahenge-garnet-226

This particular one would be too small for my ring but I am thinking if I switched color gears altogether and go light?

By the time I get to rubellite and spinel, it gets too pricey for what I am trying to achieve with this ring.
Then I might as well focus all of my budget on the sapphire (see my PS name .

Yet I do want to keep one large, hefty, statement ring (which is not possible with the sapphire) - hence the garnet search.

I love deep red/burgundy/purple/raspberry colors - but if such colors turn black and flat in low light, then I'd rather not.

I saw two large garnets brought in by my jeweler and a few others in stores - and they were indeed too dark.
But they were not Mahenge - and I heard Mahenge doesn't go flat and too dark brown in low light, which is why they seem to command higher prices than similarly sized garnets of other type.

I am still thinking the Jeff Davies one might be my best bet.

 

[LD]

Rubellites can definitely go a horrible brown in lower lighting conditions but Umbalites and Rhodolites don't suffer as much from this.

It's almost impossible to say whether either of these gems will appear darker because you're seeing both in incandescent lighting used for the videos. I would ask for pictures on the hand in natural daylight and on the hand in incandescent lighting. The reason I'm saying on the hand is because if darkness will be an issue for you, most gems will appear darker when they have a background of skin as opposed to nothing (ie in the videos).

The cut for these two gems will bring out the highlights and they're both well cut. I suspect the larger/darker one will actually sparkle more because of the cut/number of facets.

 

[sapphiredream]

Thank you all for your opinions - they are truly valuable.

I would also appreciate some thoughts on the idea of going light/pastel on a large garnet. Would that be better? Like the link above.

I usually wear deep/dark, rich, vibrant colors, including in clothes - due to dark brown eyes, dark brown hair and medium olive skin (with some very unfortunate sallow undertones ).
I am constantly being guessed as being from the Middle East (even though I am not) - so the rich deep Eastern colors are generally my best bet.

At this point, I am just afraid that my favorite colors in clothes might not translate quite so well in large gems - not if they risk getting so dark/black.

My jeweler told me that as stones get larger, they also get darker.
I didn't understand why it would necessarily have to be this way, other than the case where a lower quality/color rough is used to make for a more affordable large gemstone.

I am so confused about this garnet project - but this thing needs a resolution soon as I have been at it for over a month and reached the end of the Internet.

Ordering in and just looking and then sending back can also get rather expensive pretty soon because the buyer typically pays shipping back and forth.

The beryl is out of the ring and up for sale and now my poor ring only has an empty basket - and this is the nicest I have.

The rest are silver and a couple in plain gold.

So I need this one back to work soon.

 

[Cockatiel]

9x11 peach mahenge garnet will be priced higher than red or purplish red garnet. At least when I was shopping for a decent peach mahenge garnet last year, that's what it seemed like. They can shift towards tan/yellow/mud so unfortunately there is no substitute for seeing them in person even when you have a lot of online gem buying experience.

 

[minousbijoux]

I can't recall whether you've told us where you live, but I strongly recommend seeing if you can make your way to a gem show near you. It will give you an opportunity to see stones in various lighting conditions, and not just the controlled and ideal conditions used by online sellers. Are you near a major city that has an Intergem show for example?

 

[jewelsforalltosee]

@sapphiredream Seems to me the lighter, larger Mahenges are higher priced. Mahenges are pink/peachy more than red, which I prefer.
I've asked JD for a video/photo in daylight. You should do the same and see how that stone looks. But also think a lighter stone would be lovely as well.

 

[sapphiredream]

I can't recall whether you've told us where you live, but I strongly recommend seeing if you can make your way to a gem show near you. It will give you an opportunity to see stones in various lighting conditions, and not just the controlled and ideal conditions used by online sellers. Are you near a major city that has an Intergem show for example?

Actually - i just asked about this on a separate thread.
For the garnet though, I don't think I can wait.
The kind of garnet that I am looking at (Umbalite, Mahenge) don't seem to be that plentiful in the market, and I am not even sure there will be many of these at a show. I really need to put something in this ring soon.

However, for the sapphire project - I will need to see lots and lots at a show to even begin to understand what is and what is not doable.

There are a couple of them announced in March in my area (North Atlanta) but it is not Intergem.

 

[sapphiredream]

@sapphiredream Seems to me the lighter, larger Mahenges are higher priced. Mahenges are pink/peachy more than red, which I prefer.
I've asked JD for a video/photo in daylight. You should do the same and see how that stone looks. But also think a lighter stone would be lovely as well.

Yes, I saw some videos for an umbalite on the site which I am also looking at, but not yet for the Mahenge.
Sure, in low light condition it goes darker, like all other colored gemstones but it goes deep red/burgundy, it doesn't lose color or turn brown and flat. The cut sure helps.

I suppose all of the deeper colored stones would go darker in low light conditions.

Else, I have to go light/pastel...which I am not sure I want to do.

 

[chroman]

The peachier stones will be more expensive than the pinker ones, and can still show some color shift.. This one is also an interesting color if you're thinking lighter:
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/2-93-carat-peach-mahenge-garnet/

 

[sapphiredream]

The peachier stones will be more expensive than the pinker ones, and can still show some color shift.. This one is also an interesting color if you're thinking lighter:
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/2-93-carat-peach-mahenge-garnet/

I am not one for peach, in general - so I would prefer pink anyway.

It looks like I am going to go either with a deep berry Mahenge or an Umbalite on Jeff Davies' site.

Based on videos, they look to me like they would perform about the same. Yet the Mahenge is significantly more expensive. If it is because of objective better performance IRL, I am willing to pay the premium. If it is just the Mahenge brand and its "rarity" - then the Umbelite is fine.

Any opinions about these two?

Mahenge
https://jefferydavies.com/gemstones/garnet/mj8202-mahenge-garnet-4-54ct/

or

Umbelite
https://jefferydavies.com/gemstones/garnet/dd9751-umbalite-4-96ct-2/

 

[chroman]

Often the pinker mahenge garnets can show a color shift to salmon under CFL's - its not the brown that some redder garnets show, but still can be dramatic.

And some umblites can show a color shift to purple, which can be pretty cool.

I'd ask JD about the color shifting tendencies of both, and maybe also ask for a hand shot that includes both of them?

From the photos, I'm leaning a bit more to the umbelite, but I'm also slightly wary that it will be darker than it looks in the pics.

 

[junebug17]

Not a expert, just going by what I like visually - I prefer the first stone, I like the color and shape better than the second. And I don’t know, the second is pretty deep and even if you think it will fit your setting maybe you should verify that.

 

[sapphiredream]

Not a expert, just going by what I like visually - I prefer the first stone, I like the color and shape better than the second. And I don’t know, the second is pretty deep and even if you think it will fit your setting maybe you should verify that.

Thank you June. In fact I already weeded-out the second stone in the originla post - too big.

Now the contenders are in a more recent post above.

 

[sapphiredream]

Often the pinker mahenge garnets can show a color shift to salmon under CFL's - its not the brown that some redder garnets show, but still can be dramatic.

And some umblites can show a color shift to purple, which can be pretty cool.

I'd ask JD about the color shifting tendencies of both, and maybe also ask for a hand shot that includes both of them?

From the photos, I'm leaning a bit more to the umbelite, but I'm also slightly wary that it will be darker than it looks in the pics.

In low light it certainly does get darker. All garnets that are not peachy light, almost diamond-like - will do that.
See here for the Umbalite:

I just wonder whether the Mahenge has something special that allows the stone to stay lighter in low light. I did not get a hand shot/low light shot for the Mahenge yet from JD (I requested it but still waiting) .
I just keep wondering why the significant difference in price between the Mahenge and the Umbalite?

Is it just the Mahenge cache/brand? Rarity of the Mahenge?
The fact that people prefer the stone to darken up in peach in low light as opposed to purple?
I mean, they will both turn darker anyway, right?
Or is it that the Mahenge won't?

I am ready to make the payment for the Umbelite but if the Mahenge is an objectively superior stone - visually - then I'd rather pay extra for the Mahenge. I already have some reservations about how a deeper-colored stone so large would look in my ring above, after replacing the crystal-light yellow beryl.

I do not want to go through the return process because well...international mess, etc.