Vendor pictures and owner pictures of PS stones

[IcePhoenix]

Zircon 1.21 cts - standard heat - Nigeria - 6 euros



Swiss blue topaz 8.14 cts - irradiated - Brazil - around 6 euros


Rose de France amethyst 2.99 cts - untreated - Brazil - around 18 euros


Seller: Jeff Davies (auction on Ebay)

 

[IcePhoenix]

View attachment 713148

I think I got 3 very nice stones considering the price I paid. They all sparkle like crazy especially the zircon (which is a peachy champagne colour)

 

[JackTrick]

From instagram @mvmgems. Green tourmaline and blue unheated umba sapphire.

Vendor pics:


And my own, in both light and shade.


I’m fairly pleased

 

[voce]

^Studio shot

^Diffused natural light

^Low light


^Low light with flash

^Indoor lighting

@elle_71125 @icy_jade yay, I don't need to get a yellow sapphire to satisfy my yellow urge.

Snatched this nice heliodore up for ~10% of what a sapphire of the same dimensions would cost.

 

[elle_71125]

^Studio shot

^Diffused natural light

^Low light


^Low light with flash

^Indoor lighting

@elle_71125 @icy_jade yay, I don't need to get a yellow sapphire to satisfy my yellow urge.

Snatched this nice heliodore up for ~10% of what a sapphire of the same dimensions would cost.

It looks gorgeous! I love how it looks in every one of your pics. Totally drool worthy.

 

[CSpan]

This is such a great thread

 

[CSpan]

Vendor pictures - Jupiter Gem
AIGS Pad.
I feel their pictures are pretty accurate

WANT! ....but seriously cannot afford so I will ogle yours for now.

 

[Adam95]

I find videos to be much better for color than images, especially with fair lighting.

 

[Adam95]

Dan Stair Jr. blue spinel
Shifts to pink/lavender in incandescent light. Darker than vendor picture but with lots of brilliance. Top image is vendor image.

I don't know what it is with most spinel and direct sun, they just get extinction all over.

 

[Adam95]

View attachment 713148

I think I got 3 very nice stones considering the price I paid. They all sparkle like crazy especially the zircon (which is a peachy champagne colour)

€6 is a steal for that zircon!

 

[remetau]

This is a 2.55 ct sapphire from Finewater Gems.

Gary's hand shot:



My hand shot. Back to south facing window not direct sun.



Indoor lighting:

 

[remetau]

This is a 4.12 ct sapphire from Masrtercut Gems.

Dana's pics:







My pictures using my phone. Inside south facing window behind me. No direct sun and overcast.



Indoor lighting.

 

[ShinyPink]

I recently purchased this topaz from Barry, hoping it was better than his photo. It's stunning!

 

[voce]

For the benefit of those looking for red spinels, here's what I bought from YunfanGems. Both sold to me as natural untreated, and were tested as such through AGL Gem Briefs. I set them both in black rhodium plated 14k WG.

Gem 1:


Gem 2:


Edit: FWIW neither of these are what I'd call pure red. Gem 1 has a bit of orange (hence vendor called it a flame spinel), and gem 2 is purplish, a kind of shade you might find in a rose (vendor called it wine-colored).

 

[derbygal]

@voce I loved the black rodium. It makes the red really stand out.

 

[voce]

@derbygal the vendor sent them in a black gem box, and I was feeling adventurous so wanted to try black rhodium.

 

[CSpan]

Tourmaline from Brad at the Gem Trader. I'd say fairly accurate color, his look a bit darker but once set I suspect they will be closer to that.




My photos. I haven't had a chance to snap them in natural light, just lousy indoor lighting. I want to open them but I'm afraid I'll chip or lose one.

 

[CSpan]

My first benitoite from MVM (Michelle Mai). I love her cutting and choice of stones.

I only have a video of hers which I can't upload but the stone is represented very accurately. Actually has much more fire in real life. Small but mighty.

My photo

 

[voce]

In the first two pictures under direct sunlight, the inclusions are very visible. The last picture, in indirect natural light, looks best. In sunlight it looks blue and in incandescent purple. However, for the life of me, I can't get the phone camera to capture the purple color. What looks purple to my eyes looks blue through the lens.

 

[CSpan]

Tourmaline from Brad at the Gem Trader. I'd say fairly accurate color, his look a bit darker but once set I suspect they will be closer to that.




My photos. I haven't had a chance to snap them in natural light, just lousy indoor lighting. I want to open them but I'm afraid I'll chip or lose one.

Outdoors. I can't wait to set these.

 

[CSpan]

I bought two stones from Yvonne at CRD. I had her set them, so I do not have loose photos but I think her photos are quite accurate. However, I think they look even better in person, not sure I capture that.

First up, benitoites





And the spinel, I was afraid it would have color zoning or maybe blackout but it is perfect even color in every light. I'm not sure why the photos show dark spots, to my eyes the color is even and a consistent petal pink.

 

[FL_Sol]

This is my first colored gem purchase. It’s from Finewater Gems.
It doesn’t look the color I expected it to by the vendor photos, it’s more purple in person, but it is still SO pretty I kept it. 1,2 & 5 are my photos.

 

[bklew707]

Gemfix sapphire:




My pics:
Outdoors shade - best "glowing" color


Outdoors sunlight

Indoors florescent

I may be wrong but it looks like this sapphire is listed still-did you buy and return it and if so may I ask what you didn’t like about it?

 

[Rfisher]

I think Finewater’s pics are spot on, from what I see IRL

 

[tbmills813]

I purchased 3 padparadscha sapphires from Ed Bristol of Wild Fish Gems last July and have been meaning to leave this long overdue review of my experience, which was fantastic.

Having been bitten by the gemstone bug (sapphires in particular) but knowing nothing about the trade, I set out to research what makes them rare and valuable, or the reverse. I started under the assumption that sapphires were either real (directly from the earth) or fake (glass or other cheap synthetic) and nothing in between. It didn't take me long, however, to discover it was this in between (heat treated) category that the vast majority of sapphires belonged to. My view of gemstones coming directly from the earth, and taking millions of years to develop their unique characteristics is what drew me to them in the first place. To me, and this is just my opinion, any treatment that enhances the characteristics of a gemstone, whether color or clarity, makes it no different than one grown in a lab or made of glass when it comes to my appreciation and enjoyment of it.

So, I needed to find a reputable online dealer of untreated colored gemstones. Sounds easy but this turned out to be much more difficult than I'd imagined. I did find 2 or 3, but it was the informal and personal style of Wild Fish Gems' descriptions and photos that drew me to them. The best way I can describe the difference between them and the other websites I found is that with WFG it feels like going to a gem market in Thailand where you get all the sights sounds and smells and the other sites are like going to a sterile jewelry store in the mall and dealing with a salesperson. I'm sure it's not for everyone, but the former is exactly the experience I was looking for.

With that said, I was still quite skeptical of buying something so expensive, but that could so easily be faked, from someone overseas who I've never met. Ed was extremely patient with me and could sense my wariness. We sent many emails back and forth for weeks. He always answered my questions thoroughly and truthfully, and was never pushy about trying to close the deal. This is in addition to the fact that he has so much invaluable info on his website that I couldn't find anywhere else on the internet. Ed is a writer and it shows. His articles and blog posts on WFG read like a journal that has been kept by someone in the trade for many many years as opposed to an SEO marketing firm trying to trick the google algorithm.

On top of all that, Ed stacked multiple discounts for me to the point that he realized he had stacked more than he intended to but didn't renege on what he had previously offered. So I got an amazing deal. Shipping and delivery was easy and surprisingly quick. The pads I ordered are exactly what I was expecting but I'll let you be your own judge of the photos below. Thanks Ed!

I ordered one matched pair and one single. Here are the descriptions that were given on WFG:

Pair: Padparadscha purists demanded exclusive rights for Sri Lanka to produce these rare orange-pink Sapphires, but they have given up a while ago (me included). Nevertheless Ceylon pads raise more funds than others, while Africans get a discount. These two here get another discount for their tone, MD65, which is borderline to the ideal light to medium shade preferred in pads (LM40 to MD60). That said, we do have a perfectly matching pair of orange pink Sapphires, certified unheated, free of inclusions and merrily sparkling in any light. Suitable for understated studs, or as extras for a big show in the same color class, or in wild contrast with, say, green.

Single: Twenty-five points of flawless unheated padparadscha sapphire. Precious in all sizes and shapes but especially in round. As-good-as-possible traditional hand-cut in this size. Quality-check for our three-NOs: no window, no treatment, no inclusions. Full brilliancy, closing in on 100%, just as the main image shows. See hue and tone best in side- and back-images, there undistorted by frontal luster, clearly visible is the famous melange of pink and orange. As rare as colored diamond but not yet as expensive. Add a diamond halo to fill a bigger ladies' ring. Ignore color in handshot.

WFG photos:


Can't find the single on WFG anymore but this was the main image,
I photoed it myself from the info sheet that was mailed with the stone:



My Photos (all taken in natural daylight and not enhanced at all):






image of single under magnification (yellow color due to lights on magnifier):

 

[T L]

From instagram @mvmgems. Green tourmaline and blue unheated umba sapphire.

Vendor pics:


And my own, in both light and shade.


I’m fairly pleased ❤

The sapphire reminds of a benitoite, a beautiful blue stone. They’re often cut that way because their natural crystal formation is that shape as well. The tourmaline is gorgeous as well.

 

[Lilith112]

I finally found my dream padparadscha sapphire!!!!

2.21ct, untreated, USD2500; described by Lotus Lab as a "rich saturation, medium-light pinkish orange pad from Sri Lanka:

Vendor picture:





My pictures:





I adore the color! So vibrant and sparkly with lovely lustre! In my opinion, vendor color is spot on. The pad does have some bubbles near the bottom, but it doesn't detract from the color imo.

 

[icy_jade]

I finally found my dream padparadscha sapphire!!!!

2.21ct, untreated, USD2500; described by Lotus Lab as a "rich saturation, medium-light pinkish orange pad from Sri Lanka:

Vendor picture:





My pictures:





I adore the color! So vibrant and sparkly with lovely lustre! In my opinion, vendor color is spot on. The pad does have some bubbles near the bottom, but it doesn't detract from the color imo.

It makes me wonder about the blue sapphire on the extreme left. Do you have any details about the stone?

 

[Lilith112]

It makes me wonder about the blue sapphire on the extreme left. Do you have any details about the stone?

Let me ask the vendor!

 

[Lilith112]

It makes me wonder about the blue sapphire on the extreme left. Do you have any details about the stone?

So it's 4ct, unheated, Madagscar-origin..but already sold since this video/picture was taken.