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I want a glowey mehange spinel

theredspinel

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But I won't be getting it any time soon :-o

So I've been obsessing over the ones Yvonne has; in particular the one already set in a pendent with other stones.

What do people think of that mehange? It doesn't look glowey enough in my eyes but am I wrong?

I really don't want to link it here because I have a 1% hope of when I'm ready to buy it may still be for sale :whistle:
 

minousbijoux

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Can you at least post a pic? Many of us are, ahem, too lazy to peruse her site in hopes of figuring out which you mean. Okay, maybe its just me as I don't tend to look at her site...
 

chroman

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I think I know which one you are talking about.

I like the color, but I can't see much glow in the pics. Have you checked out the Mahenge's at Prima?

Now, speaking of glowly pink stones, theres a tourmaline on the Kosnar Gem Auctions FB group. Its crazy included, but oh the pink! Opening bid was like $45..
 

chrono

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I agree with the general opinion - nice colour but doesn't seem to glow.
 

lilmosun

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Laughing...reminds me that shortly after joining PS, my first "gotta have" was a mahenge spinel. There are so many incredible ones here at PS. :love:

I do find that Yvonne's pictures often don't do her stones justice but she doesn't mention neon/glow in her description. You might want to ask her if you really love the piece. Like others, I do like the color but it's not what I think of as neon pink. Do the inclusions would bother you?

Is what you are looking for have to be from Mahenge or can it be Burmese? (I think the stone chroman mentioned is actually a tourmaline - and there are some beautiful neon pink tourmalines as well).

As DDOC said, Mahenges come in different ranges of pink. My personal favorite is still my magenta/fuschia one while some prefer the look of the neon hot pink.

What I find most fascinating about my mahenge spinels is how they fluoresce in natural sunlight. They look radioactive with the bright neon glow. I have other stones that flouresce under UV light but not natural sunlight like a good mahenge does. That being said, I think the effect would be more noticeable in a ring than a pendant.
 

chroman

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Yeah limosun, it must have been good times back in the earlier days of Mahenge and Paraiba! Oh the stones we could have had (and not had to eat noodles every meal :)
 

Lisa Loves Shiny

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I think it will have a decent glow if it is the Mahenge I think it is and I think it will be beautiful. This material is mostly IMHO gone and there are few "glowy" Mahenges to be found. I would hate you to rule it out because it is being compared to the top stones back in the day.
 

theredspinel

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Thank you everyone for your responses!

So yes, I am open to any glowey (pink/red/hot pink stone) and mehange only comes to mind because it's all you hear over here haha. However I do like that it's higher up on good ol MOHS then tourmaline too (and usually a lighter/brighter pink).

Unfortunately I don't have Facebook (and too lazy to sign up) so I can't see that stone you're talking about!

I have been speaking to Yvonne about it and she will be sending me extra pics so....hopefully it is how I'm imagining it is. She has said it does glow so...

I really want it! I can't afford it this year, because I've already committed to 2 other projects so I'm desperately hoping it doesn't go!!!!
 

chroman

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lilmosun

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theredspinel|1476000961|4084981 said:
Thank you everyone for your responses!

So yes, I am open to any glowey (pink/red/hot pink stone) and mehange only comes to mind because it's all you hear over here haha. However I do like that it's higher up on good ol MOHS then tourmaline too (and usually a lighter/brighter pink).

Unfortunately I don't have Facebook (and too lazy to sign up) so I can't see that stone you're talking about!

I have been speaking to Yvonne about it and she will be sending me extra pics so....hopefully it is how I'm imagining it is. She has said it does glow so...

I really want it! I can't afford it this year, because I've already committed to 2 other projects so I'm desperately hoping it doesn't go!!!!

I hope everything turns out for you! It really is a pretty piece (and personally, the color is one I prefer for mahenges)
 

Arcadian

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Mine is VERY glowy (lots of silk), and its also red which can be rare for 2ct stones.

Some people must have sparkle and no silk at all. Multi color has this one:
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-373785808

Silky, low sparkle cut is NOT that great. But the color.... yeah i love this color. That will GLOW like nobody's business. That may not be what you want though...

They also have an 8ct stone but its extremely silky. If I made more money and had less responsibilities it would be mine :love:
 

katharath

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lilmosun|1476037016|4085104 said:
I would definitely ask about this one that Yvonne just posted:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/470735198/mahenge-spinel-chekker-cut-round-mahenge

Checker cuts aren't for everyone but it would be very hard to find this color/glow/size for the price :love: Admittedly, I was (am?) tempted but trying to tell myself that I have too many mahenges and should save for something I don't own :wall:

Not gonna lie, I wish I'd bought that one (looks like it's gone). I'm kind of kicking myself bc I could've got it if I'd gone for it when I saw it right after she listed it, but I made myself be responsible - I can't buy any stones right now as it's not in the budget. I hope the buyer loves it :)
 

theredspinel

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Hahaha I was just coming here to post about the chequerboard one!!!!

No I didn't buy it lol but I saw it as soon as it went up and went crazy over it! I was messaging back and forth with Yvonne and finally settled on the fact the black speck inclusions really really do bother me. I never knew I was one of those people :whistle:

I may or may not soon have some secret news of my own in this regard anyway... so :lol:
 

theredspinel

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I hope a pser brought the chequerboard, I'd love to see more pictures of it.

When I go through all the eye candy here I always think "I wish I came across that same mehange/tsav/mint/paraiba/etc, I wouldn't care that it's so included, I'd buy it for the colour..." but reality is when I am faced with that choice the inclusions really really bug me!!! I don't feel happy spending a large amount of money on an included stone even when it glows out of this world... why!

Oh I should say that level of inclusions; all my stones are included to some level so I can handle slight inclusions. I've got one tiny black speck in my little emerald (it's tiny and right on the edge) but it bugs the hell out of me! Maybe it's the type of inclusion too I guess....
 

chroman

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Oh wow.. What color for that price. :lickout: No wonder it went quick!!
 

lilmosun

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katharath|1476041228|4085126 said:
Not gonna lie, I wish I'd bought that one (looks like it's gone). I'm kind of kicking myself bc I could've got it if I'd gone for it when I saw it right after she listed it, but I made myself be responsible - I can't buy any stones right now as it's not in the budget. I hope the buyer loves it :)

Laughing...I was wondering if you were going to be the one to buy it as I waffled.

After going back/forth on it for 30 minutes or so, I decided to play the "if it was meant to be" game (something I often do when I see something I "want" but don't "need"). I posted the link here as I knew others were looking and then I put on a couple of my mahenge spinel rings on and went out for a few hours. If I still felt the urge to buy when I got back and it wasn't sold, I would buy it. Guess it wasn't meant to be :angel: Hopefully, it's as gorgeous in person and whoever grabbed it will be thrilled.
 

theredspinel

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Ok so... update.

Been speaking to Yvonne and she completely confirms the pendant I'm interested in has a strong neon glow. She sent me extra pics in which it does look glowey but not extremely glowey.

I also showed her pics I've saved of some of the great mehanges here...and asked her what it looks like in comparison to those. She said to her eye the one she has DOES look like those (eg think of chrono's iconic pear....). I've compared her pics side by side with those greats and on pictures they don't look the same.

But this IS just pictures. So I'm REALLY confused. This is a big purchase for me so I can't afford to get it wrong plus being in the UK I don't have the luxery of seeing it and returning it.

Going by Yvonne's words this is an extremely glowey eye clean stone.... should I just get it???

I need some advice :confused:
 

minousbijoux

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Can you post it here so we can know which you are referring to?
 

chroman

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Is there any chance that her pics just arnt capturing the full glow? How about asking if the pics are a good representation of the glow. If she says yes, and it still doesn't look like what you want, maybe post some pics here for the Mahenge owners to weigh in on?

But if she says the pics don't look the same as what she sees by eye, then you have a better gauge of the photos accuracy.

This one is smaller and more expensive per ct, but might be another option (how do you feel about the pendent? Are you buying it for the spinel, or do you love the setting too?)
http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/gemstones/?sku=5304

I get being shy about posting pics on case someone grabs the piece. So to send up some chaff as distraction for those folks, heres some more yummie glowy pink tourmaline:
http://m.ebay.com/itm/201371793295?_mwBanner=1
http://m.ebay.com/itm/201524403853?_mwBanner=1
http://m.ebay.com/itm/201358070794?_mwBanner=1
 

theredspinel

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Ok so she says she can't get the colour and glow exactly right with her pics, she has sent me edited ones and said they're a smidge better but still not completely representative of what she sees.

Minou I am *desperate* to just post the pics here (especially her better ones in direct sunlight) so I can get proper opinions on the exact stone (rather then general advice trying to guide me lol) but I'm scared (really scared and I'm not usually..) that a lurker will grab it.. especially as I'm saying she's saying it's super glowey etc. If I was in the US I'd order it in a heartbeat to check it out and return if I didn't like it....

Chroman I do like the setting.... its not something I'd normally go for but I'm finding my tastes are evolving somewhat now, plus I love variety anyway!

I've realised from arcadians post.... The difference between having silk to make it glow....or having no silk and having a lot of brilliance...

Plus I think saturation is something I'm after (when I compare it to the greats on here). So what's better to have, silk (thus glow) or clarity (thus brilliance)?

Edited to add: LOL at your chaff Chroman :lol: why are you tempting me???!
 

chrono

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A strongly saturated Mahenge spinel will have the glow AND brilliance without eye visible silk.

Secondly, don't forget to ask about colour shifting. I've seen many become strongly orange indoors. Some people like it but I wanted something that holds the red-pink better.
 

rainydaze

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I'm not sure this will be of any help, but I have seen this neon spinel in person and it seriously glows...like a traffic light! I re-read your posts but I don't see specifics on size, shape, or budget. The color is beyond anything I have ver seen in person, but it does have a sizable window... and no certification (they have offered to send a stone to GIA for me, so that may be possible). I don't know what their shipping to the UK is, nor their return policy for UK customers. Oh, and they had no problem switching out the setting for me when I asked, although I'm not sure if they will sell it loose (didn't ask).

Still, it's such an eye-popping stone that I have always hoped someone might love it. :D

https://www.etsy.com/listing/255856913/living-stone-rare-vibrant-red-spinel?ga_search_query=living+spinel&ref=shop_items_search_1

Here it is on my size 7.25 finger.... (the first photo from their site is what my eyes saw though, really neon!)

img_12930.jpg

img_12931.jpg
 

chroman

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Given the logistics of returns, and that (I think) you are a returning customer of hers, would it be worth asking if she would consider a refundable down payment as a hold on the piece for some period? The you can make sure its what you want without the pressure of a lurker grabbing it.

Also, would any of our resident mahenge experts be willing to look at pics over private communcations? That would elliminate the need to publically post photos, though it would require additional logistics.
 

DDOC

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Personally I always find the glow of Mahenge hard to photograph, it never really shows through.
The cut is also incredibly important, a lot of stones are cut along the same lines as Sapphire, but it really should be faceted more like a diamond to maximise brilliance.

Below is a pic of some of my personal Spinels, the pink radiant cut in the middle is Mahenge and is really bright in the hand. It actually gets brighter in shadow, like its lit from inside.
The second picture is a closer view.
You can see the stones that have the premium cutting really have life.

I prefer the softer pinks of the other pear shapes usually, they look more like a pink Diamond

_38438.jpg

imgp0080.jpg

imgp0175.jpg
 
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