Has anyone dealt with Gem Soul from Thailand?

[Uragem]

First post...be gentle.

Looking for a green sapphire for engagement ring. Began search for green amethyst only to find that it's a misnomer. So I've been searching for green quartz, demantoid garnet, chrysoberyl, tsavorite, and tourmeline. Somewhere along the line I came across PS and have been lurking for a while. I've discovered a bunch of gemstones that really rock my world (no pun intended) and I can feel a collection coming on, but for now must concentrate on engagement ring. The info below comes from Gem Soul in Thailand. This may not be the "best" color for green sapphire, but it's "my best" color. With this color in mind, should I be looking for a different kind of stone? Would anyone care to comment on the pic and info?

 

[gongli]

when i clicked on "visit my ebay shop" i was taken to starruby-in. the gemsoul website seems to run identically to the starruby.in website. i've corresponded with harshil of starruby and found him to be prompt and professional. never bought anything though, don't know if or how much the photos are photoshopped. prices are not bad on starruby, and with your stone it seems like a reasonable price. note the igi cert says only that its a natural (not synthetic) sapphire. it doesn't say anything about treatment or lack of treatment, and every stone on starruby seems to say no treatment on the webpage even when the cert (also shown on the webpage) says heated.

as for the color, if you like it, then great. here's some id look at also

http://mastercutgems.com/preview.php?cat=251&id=5898
http://mastercutgems.com/preview.php?cat=251&id=5210
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?350640326
http://simplysapphires.com/html/green.html
http://www.starruby.in/store/madagascar-sapphires/1-20-carat-unique-vivid-yellowish-green-sapphire-unheated

 

[milton333]

For an engagement ring, I'd want a precision cut stone, not a native cut stone. I'd contact reputable vendors to have them source a stone for you or cut one. In addition to what prior poster suggested, I'd reach out to:
www.whitesgems.com
www.precisiongem.com
www.acstones.com (overlook the dated website design

ETA: Even within categories of stone, there can be a variation of color. For example, on this page, the top and bottom Tsavorites show slightly different colors: http://www.precisiongem.com/Gemstones/Gemstones/Gemstones/tsavoriteGarnet.html

How would you describe your ideal color green? Apple green? Kelly green? Emerald green? Tones of yellow? Blue? Earthy/brown? That can help narrow it down.

Is this close? http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/804071.htm

Or darker?

In terms of durability for a ring that will have everyday wear, diamond is the hardest stone at 10 on the Mohs scale, with sapphires being 9. Spinel is an 8, and can come in green, though these seem to be rare. Emerald is about 7.5-8. Garnets and tourmalines are generally 7-7.5.

Here's a pretty green tourmaline: http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/TML023.htm
http://www.precisiongem.com/Gemstones/Gemstones/Gemstones/GreenTourmaline.html
http://www.precisiongem.com/Gemstones/Gemstones/Gemstones/ChromeTourmaline.html

I'm very partial to tsavorites, though I can't tell if this is darker than where you want to be.

 

[pregcurious]

I don't know anything about the vendor, but if you like that color, then a sapphire is a great stone for an engagement ring. It's hard and durable enough to be worn every day. Chrysoberyl is another stone, among the ones you've listed, that would also stand up to daily wear.

 

[chrono]

I am unfamiliar with the vendor so I will leave that any comments related to that to other posters.

As to selecting a gemstone for your e-ring:
1. Sapphires are a good choice. It is durable enough for everyday wear. Green sapphires are usually grayish and/or bluish or yellowish.
2. As you know, there's really no "green" amethyst. Plus the fact that it's not suited for an everyday wear ring, although it's inexpensive enough to replace easily unless a person is sentimentally attached to the original stone.
3. Demantoid garnet is NOT recommended as an everyday wear stone, especially in a ring. It's the softest of the garnet family.
4. Chrysoberyl doesn't come in a pure green. It usually has some degree of yellow mixed in, but the luster is wonderful and is durable enough as an everyday wear ring stone. Also, for those who dislike treatments, as far as I know, faceted chrysoberyls are not treated but cat's eye chrysoberyl are often so.
5. With extreme care, tsavorite might be worn as an everyday wear ring stone. It ranges from yellowish green to very slightly bluish green. Lots of brilliance and luster but is one of the more expensive gemstones. Also untreated.
6. I am not a fan of green tourmaline for many reasons: low RI, average durability which is fine for RHRs but not recommended for e-rings, the dreaded closed C-axis, tendency to extinction and more. Still, it's not an expensive stone, so it's good for those who are budget conscious.

 

[T L]

I will also say that you should not pay too much for green sapphires, as green is an unwanted color in sapphire, and I honestly think the one you picked out is really overpriced. I wouldn't pay more than $50 for it. Here's one that is discounted a great deal because there's green in it.

http://odysseygem.com/Gem_Shop/product_info.php?products_id=1802

There are also more green chrysoberyls, but they're very rare. I've seen odysseygem have one once, and it looked very green, but I think it sold. I would email him to ask him if he still has it though. There are also green chrysoberyl in the form of alexandrite, but they color change to purple in more incandescent lighting and are rare and expensive.

 

[LD]

For an engagement ring, I'd want a precision cut stone, not a native cut stone. I'd contact reputable vendors to have them source a stone for you or cut one.

I respectfully disagree. There are "native" stones and "native" stones. Some are quite beautiful and unrivalled in terms of colour. Sometimes the trade off in not having a perfect cut is sensational colour. I appreciate some people prefer precision cuts but others don't. It's a personal preference and the OP should buy what he/she finds appealing. If you look at the stone that TL has linked to, it's not precision cut (and laying aside the colour for a minute) might be considered "native". If you like a darker blue/green then that's a phenomenal bargain.

 

[T L]

For an engagement ring, I'd want a precision cut stone, not a native cut stone. I'd contact reputable vendors to have them source a stone for you or cut one.

I respectfully disagree. There are "native" stones and "native" stones. Some are quite beautiful and unrivalled in terms of colour. Sometimes the trade off in not having a perfect cut is sensational colour. I appreciate some people prefer precision cuts but others don't. It's a personal preference and the OP should buy what he/she finds appealing. If you look at the stone that TL has linked to, it's not precision cut (and laying aside the colour for a minute) might be considered "native". If you like a darker blue/green then that's a phenomenal bargain.

I agree, if I only limited my search to precision cut gems, I wouldn't have some of the fabulous colored gems I own now. That being said, I also wouldn't want an e-ring that was cut so horribly that it was an atrocity to look at. However, I think there is a good amount of non-precision cut gems that are quite beautiful, and while perhaps the facet meets aren't perfect, I think they can be quite lovely, especially if they have fine color.

 

[Uragem]

Thank you to all! Milton, the Jeff White stone is gorgeous, but I think sold. Looking at the precision cuts was an eye opener, what a difference! And I thought the prices on them were very doable. I never would have thought I could afford it. I keep changing my mind. I saw a knock down fabulous garnet somewhere in these forums and now I can't find the pic to save my life! I loved the setting. I adore yellow diamonds, but that's my champagne taste...on a generic beer pocketbook. I really wanted that pale grayish green that are called green amethyst by the chain stores. Is it possible to find that color in a sapphire or spinel? I may need to rethink the color if not. I have a thing for color change stones, but the ones I tend to go for are always rediculously out of my budget (champagne anyone?)

Anyway, to get my mind off of stones, which are quickly becoming an obsession, I thought I'd check out LOGR because I keep seeing them popping up with regard to settings. Am I missing something? Are they using blood diamonds? How can they possibly keep prices so low? Are they going to get into my wallet somewhere else (sizing, changing to 18K, etc)? I'm really caught off guard - in my head I keep hearing " if it seems to good to be true...and you get what you pay for..." Are the sidestones horrible? I am blown away at the prices. Thought I'd check in with you all before I get too excited. I'm bracing myself, so don't hold back!

 

[milton333]

Uragem, yes, those stones are sold already, but it's an example of what Jeff can do, and you can contact him to cut something that interests you.

LOGR is located in China. The settings are cast, and labor costs are very low. There can be some variability in terms of the quality of the small diamonds. Costs to upgrade those diamonds to VS clarity, to customize metals, and to change the size are pretty reasonable, and still put these settings below what you'd find in the U.S. If you deal with them, it's worth telling them that this is for an engagement ring, the quality may be a bit better. IMO, the quality is comparable to many mall store offerings, but people have had a wide range of experiences.

Speaking of the mall, I know that you can buy ShaneCo settings only, and there are a number of sources for halo-style settings with arguably less risk than the Chinese ebay dealers.

You'll want to buy your stone first before getting the setting, but if you have an idea of the cut of center stone you're looking for (round, cushion, oval, etc.), you may want to focus your stone search on standard sizes. For example, a 1 ct round diamond is almost 6.5 mm in diameter, so there's lots of 6.5 mm settings out there.

Here are some ShaneCo halo settings: http://www.shaneco.com/Catalog/Default.aspx?O=Site&C0=111&C111=112&C112=3&ST=Halo&P=1

Here's a reasonable price for a halo look: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/-18k-White-Gold-Pave-Set-Diamond-Engagement-Ring.html

Not specifically halos, but diamond accent settings:
http://idjewelryonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=42_43&products_id=10025&cType=ER
http://idjewelryonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=42_43&products_id=10028&cType=ER
http://idjewelryonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=42_44&products_id=10114&cType=ER

http://idjewelryonline.com/eringitems.php?cPath=42_47&page=1&sort=2a

 

[harshilzaveri]

This is Harshil Zaveri from StarRuby.in / GemSoul.com replying.

@Uragem - slight correction - we are based in Mumbai (India), not Thailand. Sapphires exist in almost all shades of the spectrum - including green. So it is not a misnomer. About the IGI certificate, since this is a low value stone, we have use the mini-certificate service of IGI which only identifies the stone (and if in case it is found to be heated, a comment saying "enhanced" is provided). For unheated stones, they just put a comment saying "Natural Inclusion Pattern" in their mini-certificates. This report can be converted to a full report which will clearly mention "No Indication of Treatment".

@gongli - We also own gemsoul.com which is intended to sell semi-precious gemstones in the near future. However, for the time being the same stones listed on starruby.in are also being listed on gemsoul.com. About your comment regarding certification, we sell only unheated/untreated stones. Not a single stone listed on our store is heated. None of the stones listed for sale have a certificate saying "heated". This might have been an oversight on your part

Thanks & regards,
Harshil Zaveri

 

[Uragem]

To Milton333 - thank you so much for the setting suggestions! I'm not sure why, but I just discovered your post today! My apologies, didn't want you to think I was ungrateful!

 

[Uragem]

Hello Harshil Zaveri, and thank you for your response and clarification! Just to clear up a misunderstanding, the misnomer was "green amethyst", not "green sapphire".

 

[harshilzaveri]

Hello Harshil Zaveri, and thank you for your response and clarification! Just to clear up a misunderstanding, the misnomer was "green amethyst", not "green sapphire".

Sorry my bad!