Green Garnet or Pink Spinel

[Maisie]

I originally planned on finding an Emerald for my new ring but I changed direction after some great advice. I decided to look into alternative green stones. I reached out to 3 cutters. 2 didn't have any suitable rough.

Jeff White has been really helpful and has some green Garnet in his inventory. I am interested in a step cut (I read on here that they aren't classed as Asschers?) and he has shown me the colour it would come out. The budget has increased to have Jeff cut the stone. I'm really happy with that!

I also enquired about a pink Spinel. I couldn't help myself! I saw Freke's ring!

Here are the colours that the stones would likely be. The green is light. I like it. The pink looks a bit purple/pink and I also like them a lot too. I'm not sure how they will look in real life. I live in the UK so it will be a bit of a carry on to have the stone sent to me first, just to send it right back to the US for setting. I will attach the initial drawing for the setting and the inspiration ring. It will be yellow gold.

Opinions very welcome!

 

[minousbijoux]

So is it a choice or are you getting them both? You can't go wrong on Jeff's cutting.

 

[dk168]

Hmmm, tough one with the Spinel as I have learnt that they can shift quite a bit in different lighting conditions.

How about asking Jeff for more pics or his opinion on the colour?

As for the term "Asscher Cut", I believe it has something to do with being diamonds only.

DK

 

[Maisie]

I wish I could have both! I am thinking Spinel for durability. I don't mind it shifting in colour. In fact I quite like the idea. I like the green Garnet but I feel it might be too light.

Would the Spinel be safer to bezel?

 

[dk168]

I am leaning towards the pink spinel myself, as I too have concerns that mint garnet may not be saturated enough for the effect you are trying to achieved.

Bezel setting will provide better protection for the edges of the stone, however, it will restrict the amount of light that can enter the stone from the sides, and can make it look less brilliant (the more experience CSers please correct me if I am wrong).

I bezel-set everything myself based on personal preference though.

BTW, I forgot to ask, have you asked Jeff if he could ship the stone directly to the jeweller that will be setting it for you?

DK

 

[BaileyC]

I'm new here, and I don't know about which stone would hold up better, but I like pink stones and yellow gold together a lot and I think that would look fantastic with the setting you included in your post.

 

[T L]

I originally planned on finding an Emerald for my new ring but I changed direction after some great advice. I decided to look into alternative green stones. I reached out to 3 cutters. 2 didn't have any suitable rough.

Jeff White has been really helpful and has some green Garnet in his inventory. I am interested in a step cut (I read on here that they aren't classed as Asschers?) and he has shown me the colour it would come out. The budget has increased to have Jeff cut the stone. I'm really happy with that!

I also enquired about a pink Spinel. I couldn't help myself! I saw Freke's ring!

Here are the colours that the stones would likely be. The green is light. I like it. The pink looks a bit purple/pink and I also like them a lot too. I'm not sure how they will look in real life. I live in the UK so it will be a bit of a carry on to have the stone sent to me first, just to send it right back to the US for setting. I will attach the initial drawing for the setting and the inspiration ring. It will be yellow gold.

Opinions very welcome!

Both will color shift a bit. The garnet may go more greyish in some lighting and the spinel will go more brownish. All stones are very well cut, but not very saturated. I think the stone with the most potential is the mint garnet round though because it's a round portuguese cut and mint garnets tend to be very brilliant when well cut.

If you want to bring out more of the saturation in the stone, setting it in rose gold would be best. You could also find pink sapphire melee (even diffused ones) and make a halo around the mint garnet. The halo would enhance the facet pattern, and the pink would enhance the green hue.

Some mint garnets are very light, but are more saturated. Here's a pink and mint garnet ring with more saturated stones to give you an idea. Although the garnet is not precision cut, it demonstrates that a light toned mint garnet can have more saturation. With Jeff's stones, you are paying primarily for his cutting.

 

[minousbijoux]

The color of the spinel will be easier to find in the future than the mint garnet (though I think you can do better than that very lightly saturated grossular garnet) since there seems to be a greater abundance of spinel of that shade of pink.

 

[Maisie]

I wanted a step cut. I don't want anything that will look grey though. I didn't think buying a coloured stone would be so hard! I think I have much to learn

I didn't think I would have to replace the stone at a later date either.

 

[pregcurious]

I would wait for a more saturated stones, and pass on the stones you have posted. The inspiration ring has a rich look, and all of these stones are washed out. The appeal of the ring to me is the high carat gold and saturated, glowing green.

Because you are doing a custom setting, you are not very restricted on exact size, so you should choose a stone based on its color first. Picking a stone based on it's precision cut first is going backwards. I would only do this if I had a setting that limited the size of the stone.

Have you seen this Zambian emerald at Mastercutgems? It is 2 carats and $570. It has eye visible inclusions, but if the color is right, I think I would put up with it because your budget seems to be tight.
http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=7941

What is your budget?

 

[dk168]

Maisie,

As seen on Jeff Davies' FB page today, a green EC 2.84ct Tourmaline:

https://www.facebook.com/jeffery.davies.9/photos/pcb.757725454346771/757725251013458/?type=1&theater

DK

 

[pregcurious]

Please make sure that the tourmaline has an open color and does not black out.

 

[Maisie]

Maisie,

As seen on Jeff Davies' FB page today, a green EC 2.84ct Tourmaline:

https://www.facebook.com/jeffery.davies.9/photos/pcb.757725454346771/757725251013458/?type=1&theater

DK

I think someone said you shouldn't bezel a tourmaline? Its very pretty though. Dare I say its too big.... is there such a thing on PS lol!

 

[Maisie]

I would wait for a more saturated stones, and pass on the stones you have posted. The inspiration ring has a rich look, and all of these stones are washed out. The appeal of the ring to me is the high carat gold and saturated, glowing green.

Because you are doing a custom setting, you are not very restricted on exact size, so you should choose a stone based on its color first. Picking a stone based on it's precision cut first is going backwards. I would only do this if I had a setting that limited the size of the stone.

Have you seen this Zambian emerald at Mastercutgems? It is 2 carats and $570. It has eye visible inclusions, but if the color is right, I think I would put up with it because your budget seems to be tight.
http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=7941

What is your budget?

My budget for the centre stone is around $1200. I am hoping for around a 7mm stone. I feel that the colour of the emerald you showed me is too dull for the look I am going for. Thank you though!

 

[T L]

The color of the spinel will be easier to find in the future than the mint garnet (though I think you can do better than that very lightly saturated grossular garnet) since there seems to be a greater abundance of spinel of that shade of pink.

primagemsusa.com still has better mint garnet than those Jeff White stones. He negotiates on price, and doesn't list all his stock on his site, so ask him for something with your specifications (price, size, shape, color).

Some are cut well too.

 

[chrono]

If you don't want a stone that is strongly gray or brown, it is best to go with a very saturated stone over something that is light. I suspect that the two choices Jeff showed may not fit the bill although they are superbly cut. Tourmaline and garnet can be safely bezeled IF the bench is experienced with setting coloured stones.

 

[Maisie]

Thank you very much for the great advice. I am going to think about what to do next.

I am about to drive 200 miles to hopefully see my grandson born!!

 

[T L]

Thank you very much for the great advice. I am going to think about what to do next.

I am about to drive 200 miles to hopefully see my grandson born!! :appl:

Congratulations!

 

[pregcurious]

Good luck!

Okay, now that I know your price range is higher, I can recommend this stone. I think I read somewhere that Gemfix will not send stones above a certain value ($1000?) to the UK, but perhaps you can talk to them as this is very close:

http://www.gemfix.com/emerald.html

 

[chrono]

Congrats on a new grandbaby!

 

[dk168]

Dare I say its too big.... is there such a thing on PS lol!

IMHO, it is about personal taste and preferences, and big is not always beautiful to me.

DK

 

[InToTheMystic]

Maisie,

As seen on Jeff Davies' FB page today, a green EC 2.84ct Tourmaline:

https://www.facebook.com/jeffery.davies.9/photos/pcb.757725454346771/757725251013458/?type=1&theater

DK

I think someone said you shouldn't bezel a tourmaline? Its very pretty though. Dare I say its too big.... is there such a thing on PS lol!

As Chrono said, you absolutely can bezel a tourmaline as long as you have a jeweller with experience in setting soft stones. My e-ring tourmaline is bezelled in platinum.

 

[katharath]

I love this thread bc my two very favorite gems are mint garnets and pink spinel . (My current favorite ring is in my avatar and that's what the gems are).

I've owned a decent amount of each type of gem (probably at least 10 of each, though most of them have been in the smaller range with the largest in the 2-3 ct range), in varying shades of both types. Speaking of both gem types: in my personal experience (although I don't know if this is always true; but it has been for me) - while the more saturated mints and spinels are preferable to many for the deeper color, one thing that I really like about the less saturated spinels and mints is that they tend to show a LOT more dispersion, which I personally love. The most dispersive mints I've owned have been lighter in saturation, BUT the trade off is that in a more saturated mint you get this gorgeous glow. My most saturated mint has a glow to it that is almost paraiba like. And I've noticed the exact same thing in spinels. My deeply saturated mahenge pinks and reds really have no dispersion, (though also an incredible glowy look), but my much lighter pinks and lavenders have a ton. So that may give you something to consider as well.

I second the recommendations to check with Prima gems, as I've bought a ton of gems via Prima and Yvonne Raley (who deals with Prima quite a lot).

As far as the gems you posted on your original post, I think I like them both about the same, though perhaps leaning a bit towards the garnet. That's mainly bc I do like the lighter green garnets, not just the more deeply saturated ones (for the above reasons). If you must choose just one now, I think I've seen prices go up much more on green garnets than pink spinels over the last couple of years. Both have increased, but really only mahenge spinels are crazy prices (and keep going up from what I've seen). I'd think it might be better to get the green garnet now and get a pink spinel later. Pricing on typical Tanzanian pink spinels isn't that bad and hopefully will stay that way.

Although I haven't kept up with pricing as stringently over the last 6 months or so - if I've said anything in here that seems incorrect, please correct me

 

[katharath]

Just wanted to add about shifting - the Tanzanian pink spinels I've owned tend to shift more than the green garnets. I've had some insanely crazy pink shifters that are all over the place.

 

[athenaworth]

I vote for the garnet. With Jeff's cutting, I bet it would sparkle like mad!

 

[pregcurious]

In another thread, I posted pics of mint garnets with good color from Prima:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/update-intergem-feb-2015.210891/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/update-intergem-feb-2015.210891/[/URL]