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How to find the best purple spinel???

A

amethystdreamer

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 20, 2014
Messages
7
I need help. PLEASE...looking for a purple spinel for an engagement ring. I am new to this stone but think it is beautiful. I would love a round or cushion cut around 3 carats. How do I tell if the color saturation and can you recommend a gem dealer. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I keep seeing this website and there are so many savvy gem owners on here. I am impressed and look forward to hearing from you!
 
Finding a purple spinel above 3 carats will be difficult. Have you searched all the vendors on the "recommended vendors" list that is stickied?

Also, could you post the color you are looking for?

There is an oval here. I know you are looking for a round or cushion, but this is over 3 carats, and is priced at $995. If you are interested in it, you may want to have it sent to you to see it in person.
http://www.gemfix.com/spinel.html
It might be dark in hand, but it's best to judge in person.

Have you seen spinels in person? They can look icy. If you are looking for something warmer, you may want to open your search to sapphires.

spinel_12.jpg
 
OTL said:
It's going to be really difficult to find a 3ct nice purple spinel that isn't greyish or dark...
Click to expand...

OP, if you can post some photos of the color purple you're looking for, that will help us recommend some gems.
 
I'm a little flexible with the color. I have seen some purple with bluish and some purple pinkish that I like. I mostly want to make sure the color is deeply saturated and doesn't look like an amethyst. I am looking for something unique...

Thank you for your answers and willingness to help me!
 
What are you opinions of the two stones suggested. We want to help and we need feedback.

Also, have you looked for stones at all the vendors listed in the stickied thread?
 
When you say "deeply saturated" do you mean intensely bright color, like there is a lot of coloring agent in the stone, or do you mean the stone's tone - that is, how dark it is?

I ask because you'll have more luck finding a darker in tone stone than one with super high saturation. As the other responders have indicated, the vast majority of cool colored spinels have an icy look or slightly greyish cast to them, meaning not intense saturation.
 
The stone you posted looks to have a large window; I would keep looking.

pregcurious said:
What are you opinions of the two stones suggested. We want to help and we need feedback.

Also, have you looked for stones at all the vendors listed in the stickied thread?
Click to expand...
+1 This would be the place to start. Did you see anything on any of these vendors' sites that you liked?

amethystdreamer said:
I have seen some purple with bluish and some purple pinkish that I like.
Click to expand...
Could you post photos of these? That will help us get an idea (many of us are visual people).

What mm size (not carat size) are you looking for? Budget? Timeline? All this information helps us know where to focus our search.
 
I also like this one...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-87-Ct-Pur...355?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27e5adfc6b

and this one..

http://www.gemselect.com/spinel/spinel-364439.php

By icy, do you mean due to the cut like crushed ice? I am so new to this, I am not sure about some of the terms. I just know I want it to be a top quality stone that looks beautifully purple. I don't mean to be vague, I just saw spinels for the first time a few days ago while looking for a purple alternative to diamonds and am fascinated by them and love that they are unique. I am confused by how some are just a few hundred dollars and some are thousands for what look to be comparable stones??

I will look for the list you are talking about.
 
By icy we mean that they can have a colder look, slighly grayish cast... they're not as "soft" or velvety as sapphires can be.

The different price can be a function of how nice the gem is, how much the rough cost, whether it's precision cut and by whom, if the lapidary needs to maintain a storefront, how much the market wants to spend... lots of things. :)

Different people have different ideas on what "purple" means, which is why we need more details on what your ideal purple is. We also need to know your budget - there's a stone for every budget, and knowing budget helps us narrow down recommendations.
 
amethystdreamer|1403290020|3697393 said:
I also like this one...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-87-Ct-Pur...355?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27e5adfc6b

By icy, do you mean due to the cut like crushed ice? I am so new to this, I am not sure about some of the terms. I just know I want it to be a top quality stone that looks beautifully purple. I don't mean to be vague, I just saw spinels for the first time a few days ago while looking for a purple alternative to diamonds and am fascinated by them and love that they are unique. I am confused by how some are just a few hundred dollars and some are thousands for what look to be comparable stones??
Click to expand...
There are many different factors that go into pricing for gemstones. Color (saturation, hue and tone), cutting, size, shape, etc all factor into prices.

Icy does not mean looking like crushed ice. It's more of the addition of gray to a stone. Adding a couple of pictures, one with spinel, one with a similarly toned sapphire.

_19366.jpg

_19367.jpg
 
If someone can point me in the right direction to find the list of vendors, that would be great! I would love to find an 8 or 9mm stone and as far as budget, I am willing to pay up to a thousand, but only because the stone is worth it and not because of the other factors like markup and storefront. I want to be a savvy shopper and get the most for my money! Not unusual, I know, and with some stones I completely understand what I am looking for but this spinel has me spinning...

Thank you for clarifying the icy description! In those two pics, I like the spinel better.



http://www.africagems.com/cushion-purple-spinel-g2k-92583189.html

http://gemcal.com/opera-mauve-fancy-spinel-5-14-cts-2533

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPINEL-Natu...243?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51be79b13b

I know these are different sizes, etc, but I don't understand the huge discrepency in prices???
 
amethystdreamer|1403290020|3697393 said:
I also like this one...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-87-Ct-Pur...355?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27e5adfc6b

and this one..

http://www.gemselect.com/spinel/spinel-364439.php
Click to expand...

Based on the 2 stones you referenced, it looks like you want a stone with medium saturation, and dark tone. It seems like you like a decent about of grey, which will make looking for a spinel much easier because these tend to be grey. In person, I think both of these stones will look quite dark.
 
amethystdreamer|1403293110|3697421 said:
Thank you so much for the link to the list! I'm slowly making my way through it.

I love, love love this stone, but only members can get the price..

http://www.palagems.com/php/db_search.php?action=gemresults&actionType=advanced&Gem_Type=Spinel&greater_less=&Total_Weight=&weight_low=&weight_high=&Shape_Cut=&length=&width=&Gem_Variety=Purple&No_of_Pieces=&inventory_number=&submit=Find+All+Matches

#20762 3.29 ct cushion
Click to expand...

A trade member (i.e., a jeweler) can get the price for you. You can email Pala and they can suggest jewelers near you who can get you prices and bring in stones from Pala on what is called a memo. Jewelers can be sent stones on a memo, which means they have X number of days to inspect the stone and send it back. After that number of days, the jeweler owns the stone and must pay for it.

Several of us have contacted Pala (me included.) They will respond to you promptly.

#20762 3.29 ct cushion has top color. It has good saturation, and medium tone (not dark). This will be much more expensive than any of the stones we have posted on this thread. Still, you should find out the price. If you do, please tell us what the price is as many of us are curious and you will be able to contribute to our knowledge.

Please consider asking if it has a window. The stone is tilted in the picture, so it is not possible to tell, but based on the depth (dimensions stated in the listing), I am guessing it has a window.
 
TL, I love your stones.
 
Welcome and good luck on your search! When you have a specific gemstone in mind, the thrill of the hunt can be so much fun! (a little frustrating too, but tons of fun!)
Def read the thread about buying colored gemstones that Frekechild posted above, it has tons of great info, and just looking through the vendor's sites will give you an idea of the wide array of gemstones available (and the wide array of prices, as you've already seen). All the variables that go into the perfect gemstone not including personal preference can be mind-boggling, but you're def on the right track. I would recommend as you've already done, posting pics of the gemstones you're drawn to so the pros here can give you the pros and cons they see, and you can learn more from them.

You'll def want to see the stones in real life, pics usually either look better or worse than the real thing, it's hard to get a spot-on pic. I originally wanted a dark purple spinel or sapphire too, but when I saw them in real life the darker ones were often too dark for me and surprisingly to me I ended up preferring a bit lighter stone. I ended up going with sapphire because it was warmer as others have mentioned and the darker spinels I saw had a grey or even brown cast to them I didn't like (I actually ordered the one posted first here from gemfix, was lovely and brilliant in direct lighting but then just went brown/black and dead when it wasn't in the direct light so I sent it back.) but you can't really judge from pictures, you have to spend some time with different stones in various lighting and in sample settings too to really see what you love. I'm hoping next to get a lighter colored spinel! =)

As you saw africagems is pricey, but they have a really easy return policy (no shipping costs either way) so if you have the means you could order several stones to look at and then if one is a keeper you could send the rest back. They also seem to have a deal every month, this month is 10% off all gemstones so that helps too. You can also check out the precision cutter's sites, their prices are usually very reasonable but it just depends on the final quality of the gemstone. Ebay's prices are all over the place, just like the quality of the vendors there. If you're savvy, you can get a good deal!
 
I can't thank you all enough for your help. I will definitely continue my search and it's comforting to know there is a place I can get precious advice. I will check on the Pala website about jewelers near me and will keep in mind about the darker stones looking even darker in person as I definitely want to be able to tell it's purple. I will post anything I find out and stones for consideration.


Thank you again! :D
 
Here's another really pretty purple spinel in a ring. I think it's good to look at various examples to see what you like best. I also think you want to avoid anything overly extinct (dark), because purple spinels can be very dark like a black hole (all light goes in, but practically none comes back out). You don't want one that you require huge lights on to see a few flashes here and there. The hue and saturation are very personal, and some people like grayer gems, and some not as much. It depends on your taste.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-purple-spinel-and-diamond-ring-with-a-visit-from-my-oec-e-ring.64728/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-purple-spinel-and-diamond-ring-with-a-visit-from-my-oec-e-ring.64728/[/URL]

file.jpg

What I like about the above image is the beautiful luster a well cut spinel can take on. I think you definitely should ask any dealer what the tone is (lightness or darkness), and I would go for medium to medium light tones. Medium dark can be a bit too dark, and forget darker tones than that. I would also ask about color shifts in natural vs. artificial/fluorescent lighting situations. If you work in an office all day and are under fluorescent lighting, then you want your gem to obviously be beautiful under those conditions, although it would be nice if the color shift is pleasant to you in all situations.

Good luck.
 
spinelring5.jpgoecspinelring4.jpg

Just wanted to share my purple OEC spinel from Julia B. It's more of a medium plummy purple rather than blue or lavender purple and way more purple & saturated in tone than in the photos. She has some very nice spinels especially if you like chunky cuts. :))
 
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