Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-ring?

[monkeydogsundog]

Hello everyone,

I'm strongly considering a gray spinel for my e-ring. I have seen a few pieces made with them around here and they are really very exquisite. Could you all help me find a suitable specimen for my special occasion? My budget is around $600 for the stone.


Thanks in advance for any help...

 

[heididdl]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

http://thespinelsource.com/Gray_Blue_Spinel.html

 

[pregcurious]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

Wow, it's gone. MDSD, did you buy it?

 

[monkeydogsundog]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

Wow, it's gone. MDSD, did you buy it?

No, it was listed as already sold when I first saw the page.

 

[Rosebloom]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I love this one:
http://www.starruby.in/store/spinel/3-97-carat-sparkling-soft-greyish-blue-burmese-spinel-unheated

 

[monkeydogsundog]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I love this one:
http://www.starruby.in/store/spinel/3-97-carat-sparkling-soft-greyish-blue-burmese-spinel-unheated

For practicality's sake, I think 4 carats is probably going to be way too big for me on an every day basis. I think 1.5 carats in a solitaire is really the largest that I can wear without looking like I'm playing in mommy's jewelry drawer

That one is actually lighter in color than I was hoping for, and I gotta say that I'm wholly unimpressed by the cut.

It looks like a totally different color on the report photo that comes with it too - it looks really purple there to me? Or is that not meant to be representative of the actual stone?



I really this is a really specific request and there's probably not going to be much to choose from - I'm hoping that by starting early enough I might have enough time to find a stone that meets my needs. :/

 

[Rosebloom]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I'll throw out one more -
BEAUTIFUL 1.00CT CUSHION CUT STEEL BLUE SPINEL - CEYLON


http://bit.ly/13GimcM

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

That is too weird - I just typed out a long response and then it just went "poof" and was gone. Anyway, I'll start again, only I'll try and be brief!

Welcome! You are looking at a good time because while they are gaining in popularity, they are still available at fairly inexpensive prices. We have a resident expert in grey spinels and I'll see if I can get them to bounce over and give you some recommendations.

First, though, can you tell us a bit more - like dimensions of what you seek - do you know how you want to set it or how you want it to look on your finger? Are there particular shapes you seek? How about tone - are you drawn to lighter toned, more silver grey, or darker toned stones? Finally, since pure grey spinels are less common than those with some sort of modifier (like greenish, violetish, pinkish, bluish, etc.), is there a secondary color you'd like or prefer? Your answers will help us point you in the right direction a bit more.

 

[marymm]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

Dana over at MasterCutGems often has gray / platinum / silver spinel - I quickly checked his site just now but did not find any in stock - but I'd check with him to see if he has any rough that might fit your color and shape preferences.

I also checked the GemCal website which often has grey spinel (they call it platinum or silver) - nothing in a round right now - but again you might want to contact them directly to see if they might have anything fitting your requirements.

Good luck in your search!

 

[pregcurious]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

It sounds like a lurker bought it. Darn. I wish we had a private message system around here to avoid this.

In addition to Dana at Mastercutgems, you may want to contact Barry at www.acstones.com.. While I haven't seen him post gray spinels, he often posts pastel spinels with gray tone. His cutting is wonderful and he is very reasonably priced.

 

[FrekeChild]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I have 3 right now, but have had many more in the past. Can you give us a better idea of what you're looking for?

Round seems to be the shape of choice, any others?

More medium gray than silvery or dark? As Minous asked, what modifiers are you thinking? My grays tend to go more blue/purple, depending on the lighting.

You said 1.5cts, that's probably going to end up being around 7mm, depending on the cut, which is about the same size as a 1-1.5ct diamond.

Do you want precision faceted?

And what kind of setting are you looking at?

Hints for searching: Look for "silvery", "steely" etc descriptors. Ask cutters if they have any rough that would be suitable. I've gotten mine from Dan Stair, Barry Bridgestock, GemCal, and Jeff Davies. Dan and Barry were both custom cut for me.

It might be worth it to try to have one recut for you, if you're interested in that!

 

[pregcurious]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I love this one:
http://www.starruby.in/store/spinel/3-97-carat-sparkling-soft-greyish-blue-burmese-spinel-unheated

The vendor's photos look funny.

 

[FrekeChild]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

Emerald, blue-ish
http://gemcal.com/steel-blue-spinel-octagon-1-96-cts-2463-5

Roval
http://gemcal.com/fancy-spinel-1-27-cts-2700

Flanders (octagon), lavender-y
http://gemcal.com/fancy-spinel-2-37-cts-2812

Recut?
http://www.etsy.com/listing/1074891...type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all

Yucky windowed pear
http://www.etsy.com/listing/4075643...type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all

Blue/violetish pear
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-362460604

Lavender-y oval, slight window, slight bowtie
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?963732128

Gray-blue roval, slight window
http://www.litnon.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=9096

Gray blue oval
http://www.finewatergems.com/spinel.html

Almost colorless lilac, portuguese
http://www.gemfix.com/spinel.html

Pastel blue (looks white to me!) cushion
http://www.swalagemtraders.com/search-gems/detail.php?pid=2082

Blue-gray round
http://www.swalagemtraders.com/search-gems/detail.php?pid=2196


I'm experiencing some issues with remembering other websites that could be potentially promising. I'll sleep on it, wake up at 3am with the answer and get back to you tomorrow!

 

[pregcurious]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

Freke, that is amazing!

 

[chrono]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I don't know how dark you want the gray to be but I caution you that if it is too dark, it will black out (look like a black stone) indoors. They also tend to throw off more sparkles the lighter it is.

 

[monkeydogsundog]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

That is too weird - I just typed out a long response and then it just went "poof" and was gone. Anyway, I'll start again, only I'll try and be brief!

Welcome! You are looking at a good time because while they are gaining in popularity, they are still available at fairly inexpensive prices. We have a resident expert in grey spinels and I'll see if I can get them to bounce over and give you some recommendations.

First, though, can you tell us a bit more - like dimensions of what you seek - do you know how you want to set it or how you want it to look on your finger? Are there particular shapes you seek? How about tone - are you drawn to lighter toned, more silver grey, or darker toned stones? Finally, since pure grey spinels are less common than those with some sort of modifier (like greenish, violetish, pinkish, bluish, etc.), is there a secondary color you'd like or prefer? Your answers will help us point you in the right direction a bit more.

Hello! I'm looking for a round solitaire type cut. I have no particular dimensions, I will be having the setting custom built. I like a hint of the violet modifier and a medium-light silvery gray

 

[monkeydogsundog]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I'm looking for a silvery to medium gray. A hint of violet is okay, but blue is not. I'm not sure about the setting yet, my fiancee will be having one built for me to fit the ring

I found this picture: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/colored-stone-e-rings-eyecandy.29435/page-43']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/colored-stone-e-rings-eyecandy.29435/page-43[/URL]

which I think would be the darkest I'd like for it to be. It is ok for it to be more violet than that.

This might be about the lightest I'd want: http://www.blujay.com/item/2-14-Carat-SI-Oval-Natural-Gray-Spinel-128A-20260300-2179330

It needs that very cool toned shade though

Precision faceted is best, I don't think I will be happy with an average cut stone.

I have 3 right now, but have had many more in the past. Can you give us a better idea of what you're looking for?

Round seems to be the shape of choice, any others?

More medium gray than silvery or dark? As Minous asked, what modifiers are you thinking? My grays tend to go more blue/purple, depending on the lighting.

You said 1.5cts, that's probably going to end up being around 7mm, depending on the cut, which is about the same size as a 1-1.5ct diamond.

Do you want precision faceted?

And what kind of setting are you looking at?

Hints for searching: Look for "silvery", "steely" etc descriptors. Ask cutters if they have any rough that would be suitable. I've gotten mine from Dan Stair, Barry Bridgestock, GemCal, and Jeff Davies. Dan and Barry were both custom cut for me.

It might be worth it to try to have one recut for you, if you're interested in that!

 

[monkeydogsundog]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

#1 is too dark I think.

#2 is definitely a contender!

#3 is a pretty color but I wasn't planning on quite that lavender. Now I'm curious to see more photos.

I think the PERFECT piece would #2 with a hint of #3 in it. The rest all looked too blue to me

Emerald, blue-ish
http://gemcal.com/steel-blue-spinel-octagon-1-96-cts-2463-5

Roval
http://gemcal.com/fancy-spinel-1-27-cts-2700

Flanders (octagon), lavender-y
http://gemcal.com/fancy-spinel-2-37-cts-2812

Recut?
http://www.etsy.com/listing/1074891...type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all

Yucky windowed pear
http://www.etsy.com/listing/4075643...type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all

Blue/violetish pear
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-362460604

Lavender-y oval, slight window, slight bowtie
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?963732128

Gray-blue roval, slight window
http://www.litnon.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=9096

Gray blue oval
http://www.finewatergems.com/spinel.html

Almost colorless lilac, portuguese
http://www.gemfix.com/spinel.html

Pastel blue (looks white to me!) cushion
http://www.swalagemtraders.com/search-gems/detail.php?pid=2082

Blue-gray round
http://www.swalagemtraders.com/search-gems/detail.php?pid=2196


I'm experiencing some issues with remembering other websites that could be potentially promising. I'll sleep on it, wake up at 3am with the answer and get back to you tomorrow!

 

[monkeydogsundog]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I don't know how dark you want the gray to be but I caution you that if it is too dark, it will black out (look like a black stone) indoors. They also tend to throw off more sparkles the lighter it is.

I am not looking for a dark stone.

 

[chrono]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I found this picture: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/colored-stone-e-rings-eyecandy.29435/page-43']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/colored-stone-e-rings-eyecandy.29435/page-43[/URL]
which I think would be the darkest I'd like for it to be. It is ok for it to be more violet than that.
This might be about the lightest I'd want: http://www.blujay.com/item/2-14-Carat-SI-Oval-Natural-Gray-Spinel-128A-20260300-2179330

Both are actually more than medium in tone. Freke's is a medium dark which she says can end up quite a bit darker at times and I expect the Blujay stone to black out indoors. If you look at the body colour, it is a very dark stone. The lighter parts you are seeing is the body "flash".

 

[monkeydogsundog]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I found this picture: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/colored-stone-e-rings-eyecandy.29435/page-43']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/colored-stone-e-rings-eyecandy.29435/page-43[/URL]
which I think would be the darkest I'd like for it to be. It is ok for it to be more violet than that.
This might be about the lightest I'd want: http://www.blujay.com/item/2-14-Carat-SI-Oval-Natural-Gray-Spinel-128A-20260300-2179330

Both are actually more than medium in tone. Freke's is a medium dark which she says can end up quite a bit darker at times and I expect the Blujay stone to black out indoors. If you look at the body colour, it is a very dark stone. The lighter parts you are seeing is the body "flash".

I am not sure how to express my preferred level of 'light' or 'darkness' There's a small number of images on google image search for gray spinels. To me, I would describe the desired shade range as 'medium-light to medium'?

 

[chrono]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

That is the reason why I asked for pictures of what you feel is the right colour for you (doesn't matter if the stone is already sold or belongs to someone else) because your idea of what light or medium is might not really be light or medium. Seeing what you posted tells me that you actually want a medium dark gray at a minimum. Such a tone means you will see it become quite dark at times. Just an FYI as that is the nature of what it is. I would contact Barry at ACS and inquire if he has anything similar to what Freke owns since that is very close to what you are looking for. In addition, the precision faceting will do the spinel huge favours in terms of performance.

 

[monkeydogsundog]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

That is the reason why I asked for pictures of what you feel is the right colour for you (doesn't matter if the stone is already sold or belongs to someone else) because your idea of what light or medium is might not really be light or medium. Seeing what you posted tells me that you actually want a medium dark gray at a minimum. Such a tone means you will see it become quite dark at times. Just an FYI as that is the nature of what it is. I would contact Barry at ACS and inquire if he has anything similar to what Freke owns since that is very close to what you are looking for. In addition, the precision faceting will do the spinel huge favours in terms of performance.

I found this, I think this would be the lightest stone I'd consider:

http://www.gemfix.com/images/stones/spinel/spinel_278.jpg

 

[marymm]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I found this, I think this would be the lightest stone I'd consider:

http://www.gemfix.com/images/stones/spinel/spinel_278.jpg

If the GemFix spinel appeals to you in terms of color and face-up size, for only $40 over your $600 proposed budget I suggest finding a way to purchase it so you have the opportunity to examine it in person. Honestly, when you have specifics in mind in terms of color, shape and carat weight/face-up size, and you also want precision-cutting, it can be a real "needle in a haystack" type search to find exactly what you are seeking. GemFix is a reputable company with a reasonable return policy, and Andrew is an excellent lapidary - I am fond of silvery-gray spinels myself, and that GemFix stone looks to be an excellent performer.

 

[monkeydogsundog]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I found this, I think this would be the lightest stone I'd consider:

http://www.gemfix.com/images/stones/spinel/spinel_278.jpg

If the GemFix spinel appeals to you in terms of color and face-up size, for only $40 over your $600 proposed budget I suggest finding a way to purchase it so you have the opportunity to examine it in person. Honestly, when you have specifics in mind in terms of color, shape and carat weight/face-up size, and you also want precision-cutting, it can be a real "needle in a haystack" type search to find exactly what you are seeking. GemFix is a reputable company with a reasonable return policy, and Andrew is an excellent lapidary - I am fond of silvery-gray spinels myself, and that GemFix stone looks to be an excellent performer.

Thanks, I may do that. I'm not really confident that that stone is the one for me, it just feels okay enough at this point. I'm only really concerned about it being round and not ridiculously big looking on my hand. The carat weight and mm estimates are just a reflection of that size range. Color and well cut is the most important consideration. I'm going to have the setting made for it.

 

[marymm]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

Gotcha - if I may ask, what is your finger size?

Do you intend on wearing the ER every single day?

For comparison, have you tried on diamond (or other gemstone) rings to get an idea of whether you prefer the look and feel of a:
6mm (apx 0.80ct diamond),
6.5mm (apx 1.0ct diamond),
7mm (apx 1.25ct diamond), or
7.5mm (apx 1.5ct diamond)?
(above based on a round diamond)

For me personally, on my 6.75 finger, for an ER I wear everyday, I prefer the 6mm to 7mm range - for me, 7.5mm would be over-large and get in the way of my everyday life.... but there are plenty of people who are comfortable with wearing rocks 7.5mm and larger.

As grey spinels really cannot be found in bricks & mortar stores, you may also benefit from ordering a sample selection just to get a feel for for the color range and the performance - just make sure you purchase from vendors with no-risk return policies.

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

Monkey, I'm glad to see that Frekechild found you...she is the expert I was referring to and has had more experience with grey spinels than anyone I know.

Freke is largely responsible for my emerging love of grey spinels and I have learned a lot from her about what kind of grey (tone, cut, hue) will be conducive to those amazing splinters of color we all want to see. It seems to me that on the grey side of the stone, it is better to stay with the cool modifiers like violet, lavender, blue, etc. in order to see the greatest sparks. It feels to me like that Gemfix stone has too much warmth in it, sort of a reddish purple tint and I would steer clear. But I would love to hear what Freke says.

 

[FrekeChild]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I found this picture: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/colored-stone-e-rings-eyecandy.29435/page-43']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/colored-stone-e-rings-eyecandy.29435/page-43[/URL]
which I think would be the darkest I'd like for it to be. It is ok for it to be more violet than that.
This might be about the lightest I'd want: http://www.blujay.com/item/2-14-Carat-SI-Oval-Natural-Gray-Spinel-128A-20260300-2179330

Both are actually more than medium in tone. Freke's is a medium dark which she says can end up quite a bit darker at times and I expect the Blujay stone to black out indoors. If you look at the body colour, it is a very dark stone. The lighter parts you are seeing is the body "flash".

I'm attaching pictures of the stone in question - if you want to see it in action, you can very easily find my channel on youtube, and I actually recently uploaded several videos with the Earl Grey (my nickname for it) in it.

I don't think you are going to just happen across exactly what you're looking for, since it seems like you have something pretty specific in mind. I would probably start asking specific lapidaries to see what they can do for you. When I went through my ering stone search, I emailed:
Barry Bridgestock
Dan Stair
Peter Torraca
Jeff White
John B at GemRite
and more...

Since grey spinels are pretty cheap, and you have a reasonably big budget for it, I'd probably consider buying a stone and doing a recut. But I would check with the lapidaries I listed (and others like Michael E, Gary Braun, Dana etc) and see if they have any rough that might work for you. Sometimes dealers will just post a grey spinel, but they aren't exactly super desirable like the lavenders, hot pinks or blues, AND it seems as though a lot of people are looking for them right now, so they could get snapped up right away.

I can take more pictures of the ones I have later on if you like. I need to wait for my kiddo to go to sleep though - little fingers are no good for trying to photograph tiny rocks!

 

[monkeydogsundog]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

I found this picture: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/colored-stone-e-rings-eyecandy.29435/page-43']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/colored-stone-e-rings-eyecandy.29435/page-43[/URL]
which I think would be the darkest I'd like for it to be. It is ok for it to be more violet than that.
This might be about the lightest I'd want: http://www.blujay.com/item/2-14-Carat-SI-Oval-Natural-Gray-Spinel-128A-20260300-2179330

Both are actually more than medium in tone. Freke's is a medium dark which she says can end up quite a bit darker at times and I expect the Blujay stone to black out indoors. If you look at the body colour, it is a very dark stone. The lighter parts you are seeing is the body "flash".

I'm attaching pictures of the stone in question - if you want to see it in action, you can very easily find my channel on youtube, and I actually recently uploaded several videos with the Earl Grey (my nickname for it) in it.

I don't think you are going to just happen across exactly what you're looking for, since it seems like you have something pretty specific in mind. I would probably start asking specific lapidaries to see what they can do for you. When I went through my ering stone search, I emailed:
Barry Bridgestock
Dan Stair
Peter Torraca
Jeff White
John B at GemRite
and more...

Since grey spinels are pretty cheap, and you have a reasonably big budget for it, I'd probably consider buying a stone and doing a recut. But I would check with the lapidaries I listed (and others like Michael E, Gary Braun, Dana etc) and see if they have any rough that might work for you. Sometimes dealers will just post a grey spinel, but they aren't exactly super desirable like the lavenders, hot pinks or blues, AND it seems as though a lot of people are looking for them right now, so they could get snapped up right away.

I can take more pictures of the ones I have later on if you like. I need to wait for my kiddo to go to sleep though - little fingers are no good for trying to photograph tiny rocks!

Thanks I just heard back from Barry who says he does not have the rough to cut any more. I will begin to email the rest...

I would love to see ones that you have available.

 

[chrono]

Re: Hello! Can you all help me find a gray spinel for my e-r

Jeff Davies had a 6 mm round and precision cut for only $45. I would definitely contact him to see what else he has available.