is gemselect legit? looking to do a custom e-ring!

[Faenyx]

My fiance and I are looking into making a custom e-ring for myself.
I really want a coloured stone, and was thinking of getting a sapphire from thenaturalsapphirecompany, but then I stumbled upon gemselect, and yeah, needles too say, i''ve fallen in love with their prices!. We''re not poor by any means, but I don''t want to spend thousands of dollars on a gemstone (no offense to those who do!), anyways with that, I also don''t really care if it''s been treated or not, and the ones i''m looking at are BE treated. That''s ok with me!

Has anyone here dealt with gemselect? are they legit? the prices seem so low, i''m wondering if it''s a scam or not.
I mean, they have little videos of the gems, so it''s not like doctored photos.. right?

These are the ones i''m currently lemming over.
http://www.gemselect.com/sapphire/sapphire-219663.php
http://www.gemselect.com/sapphire/sapphire-219617.php
http://www.gemselect.com/sapphire/sapphire-220611.php

And then we''re thinking a thin white gold setting, with diamonds down either side.

OH! and this!, not for a ring, but just to have. I think i''ve found my new favourite stone..
http://www.gemselect.com/strawberry-quartz/strawberry-quartz-217756.php

Thanks in advance for any replies!!

 

[T L]

They''re cheap because they''re beryllium heated. Essentially this is a form of dying the stone.

 

[Faenyx]

I''m perfectly OK with that, haha!
I''m just wondering if the site is legit, and their products are actually what is advertised. Know what I mean?

 

[movie zombie]

are you planning to upgrade your stone in the future?

an e-ring is special and the stones from this vendor are not "special".....do not expect the stones to look that good for that price.

have a look at precisiongems.com, acstones.com, or some other vendors. they are not high end but carry reasonable stones for a reasonable price.

i would accept heat treated but not the above mentioned "B" treatment.

mz

 

[Faenyx]

Possibly. I wouldn''t say NO to upgrading in the future, haha.

I actually have an e-ring right now (.25 carat diamond. I don''t remember the specs offhand)
But the way I want my wedding bands, this ring won''t work, so i''m just moving it to my right hand, and getting a "new" engagement ring.

The ones I linked look really nice in their little videos. How did they get them to look that pretty, if they don''t look like that in real life?

Oh also, is there anywhere online I can buy settings WITHOUT a loose stone with it? Everywhere I have looked, you can''t seem to just purchase a setting.

 

[Faenyx]

Oooh, I''ve fallen in love with this.
3.11 carat Morganite

Type: Morganite
Pieces: 2
Weight: 3.11 ct. total
Size: 8.41 x 7.94 x 4.52 mm (avg.)
Color: Light Pink
Shape: Trillion Portuguese Cut
Clarity: VS
Treatment: Heated
Origin: Afghanistan

I mean, for the price.. can''t go wrong. Even if it comes to me, not e-ring quality, I can resell it with my jewelery. (I make little jewelery on etsy, nothing special, maybe wrap some wire around it, attach it to braided hemp necklace..)

 

[karee888]

Date: 6/16/2009 10:02:47 PM
Author:Faenyx
My fiance and I are looking into making a custom e-ring for myself.

I really want a coloured stone, and was thinking of getting a sapphire from thenaturalsapphirecompany, but then I stumbled upon gemselect, and yeah, needles too say, i''ve fallen in love with their prices!. We''re not poor by any means, but I don''t want to spend thousands of dollars on a gemstone (no offense to those who do!), anyways with that, I also don''t really care if it''s been treated or not, and the ones i''m looking at are BE treated. That''s ok with me!


Has anyone here dealt with gemselect? are they legit? the prices seem so low, i''m wondering if it''s a scam or not.

I mean, they have little videos of the gems, so it''s not like doctored photos.. right?


These are the ones i''m currently lemming over.

http://www.gemselect.com/sapphire/sapphire-219663.php

http://www.gemselect.com/sapphire/sapphire-219617.php

http://www.gemselect.com/sapphire/sapphire-220611.php


And then we''re thinking a thin white gold setting, with diamonds down either side.


OH! and this!, not for a ring, but just to have. I think i''ve found my new favourite stone..

http://www.gemselect.com/strawberry-quartz/strawberry-quartz-217756.php


Thanks in advance for any replies!!

rick has some nice strawberry quartz --

SQ

 

[Faenyx]

this one, is so so beautiful.

 

[T L]

Date: 6/16/2009 11:23:27 PM
Author: Faenyx
Possibly. I wouldn''t say NO to upgrading in the future, haha.

I actually have an e-ring right now (.25 carat diamond. I don''t remember the specs offhand)
But the way I want my wedding bands, this ring won''t work, so i''m just moving it to my right hand, and getting a ''new'' engagement ring.

The ones I linked look really nice in their little videos. How did they get them to look that pretty, if they don''t look like that in real life?

Oh also, is there anywhere online I can buy settings WITHOUT a loose stone with it? Everywhere I have looked, you can''t seem to just purchase a setting.

Videos, not just still photos, can be enhanced.

 

[karee888]

Date: 6/17/2009 12:11:31 AM
Author: Faenyx
this one, is so so beautiful.

i agree!!! i have one of my own that will be on the way soon...it is FABULOUS!! and rick is pretty cool

 

[movie zombie]

re the morganite: it has a window even my short round body could walk through and the color saturation leaves a lot to be desired.

however, the strawberry quartz [eta: the one from art cut gems] is a winner in my book but would be a very different....even by my standards....e-ring. go for it.

mz

ps its your $ to spend and your eye the stone and eventually the e-ring will have to please.

 

[Moh 10]

Legit?

Well, when they write, . . .

". When given as a gift it enhances love and tunes your psyches to one another. Also, it has been used to banish envy and jealousy as well as promote fidelity in marriage."

. . .

they MUST be legit.

 

[Gypsy]

I''ve bought from them. And yes, even at those prices you can go VERY VERY wrong. Just say no. You get what you pay for. If you want something pretty that is relatively cheap and aren''t picky about your treatments go to a local Intergem or Gem Faire (google them to see if there are any due in your area) at least there you can see the stones in your hand. A lot of the dealers don''t have the best quality at the gem shows, but you can get lucky, you can negotiate with them and there is a lot of selection. And I''d take my chances with them rather than gemselect any day of the week.

For what you get, gemselects prices are actually HIGH. Trust me.

 

[Gypsy]

multicolour.com also has some decent stones. Though you have to sift out the good from the bad.

And Dutton''s Diamonds has some nice gems. And he is a great guy. So is Rick Martin at Art Cut Gems. All three of these have very reasonable prices, and some lovely items.

 

[Gypsy]

As for settings with out centers. Yes. they are called semi mounts. There are a few ebay dealers that are relatively good and inexpesive for these.

Lord of the Gem Rings and Lan.Bo4 are two that come to mind. Or you can just do an ebay search for "semi mount"

 

[Gypsy]

Since you like trillions:

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-271129314 .. can''t tell if its windowed but it''s got potential.

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-2096933856 pretty

 

[chrono]

Everyone has given excellent advice. Even if I prefer the unusual or don’t want to spend a lot of money on an e-ring, I’d still pick something natural out of the ground as nature made it. I don’t like BE treated stones. For the budget conscious, I like Gary Dutton at www.diamondexpert.com

 

[arjunajane]

I had a very good experience with Gemselect - you can search on my name for the details, or I can elaborate further if you like.
They were fast, honest and flexible..their CS was really good, quick and polite.

In the end, I did return the two Cabs I bought, but that was nothing to do with my satisfaction with them or the company - I just decided to go a different route.
They let me return even though I was a week or so outside the period, and were really quick with the refund.

So to answer your question, yes the company is legit and quite good imho.

I would def. doublecheck on more valuable gems and ones known for being treated etc, but they appear quite transparent with that stuff.

I am actually thinking about getting a violet spinel from them atm - I''ve wanted one for ages and can''t seem to source one from the US cutters. I may get a big clean one from G.S and try to have someone re-cut it

 

[MustangGal]

I bought an amethyst and a citrine from gemselect last year, and the stones looked pretty much like the pictures. They were only $10 stones, so no big money spent.

Sounds like you need to figure out what you want first, maybe go to a few jewelers and try lots of colors and shapes, and then come back and look online some more. They can all look pretty in pictures, but won''t all look good on your hand.

 

[hoofbeats95]

Date: 6/17/2009 12:20:57 AM
Author: movie zombie
re the morganite: it has a window even my short round body could walk through

Oh geesh! I spit my soda all over my keyboard!

 

[Faenyx]

WOW, wasn''t expecting so many replies over night! I appreciate them ALL, truly.

I definitely am looking for a trillion cut, preferably light pink, a greenish-blue, or a green (but not a "forest green" you usually see sapphires in). Kind of particular, which is why gemselect stood out to me, they''ve been the only company i''ve seen thus far, that have had ALL three!.

I think i''m going to go ahead & buy them, I mean. For the money, like I said, if they don''t turn out to be e-ring worthy, I can re-work them into custom jewelery for my site.

I did find the semi-mount (thanks for the clarification!) that I want, it''s from thenaturalsapphirecompany, i''ve had my eye on it for a few years now, i''m sure I could find it cheaper elsewhere, but i''m going to go with them for it. They''re made per order to the specs of my stone. BUT if the gemselect stones don''t work out, i''m most likely going to go to TNSC for my stone in the end.

Oooh, looking through multicolour, i''ve found one or two I like.
this one especially.
Not a sapphire, but that''s OK.
and this kunzite: click

Touching on a few other comments made. Movie zombie: I actually like the light saturation of the morganite, it''s this barely light pink, which I really like. Not colourless, but not in-your-face bright pink either!

Moh 10: Haha, yeah. Playing up their company a bit, eh?. Ah well

Gypsy: I''m going to look up some gem faire''s in my city, see if we have any/or if any are coming.

arjunajane: THANK YOU!, i''m happy to have a response like that!. If I do for sure order from them, I will be certain to come back here & relay my experience for you all

MustangGal: I am definitely set on the shape, I want a trillion. As for colour, I''d be happy with any of the ones I''ve listed, or a padparadscha, which i''ve found one or two so far. But yes, online will almost always look different than real life.

 

[Gypsy]

Honey, look up "windows" to see what we mean. Both the stones you posted from multicolor were windowed. SO I''m thinking that with a little extra research you could train your eyes to spot gem cutting flaws.

 

[chrono]

Both stones appear light in saturation but appears to fit what you like. They both also have small windows that should close up once set.

FYI,
Kunzite is also known as the night stone because repeated exposure to UV will eventually fade it into a colourless stone. As far as I know, the colour will not return and there is no known method to get the colour back.

 

[Gypsy]

Here are some pretty trillions. Problem is most are too soft for everyday ring stones.

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?2092362075

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?2143098068 (thinking of this one myself for a pendant, it''s a beauty).

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?2085687625

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?909214523

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?1089145970

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-1547775132

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?1467660176

 

[Faenyx]

Ahh OK, so I should be looking for stones, with smaller windows?, because bigger windows mean less brilliance.. I think.

I''m home sick from work with a ridiculous head cold, forgive my ignorance, heh. I appreciate the help you''re all giving me! (and teaching me!)

Like the morganite I posted, you can see right through the middle, kind of.. right?

This stone I like, seems to have more "fire" on the inside. Is the window OK on this one?

 

[chrono]

A window is where the stone has been cut too shallow to allow the light to bounce back to the eye; it leaks straight through therefore you will see your skin or whatever might be underneath the stone. It is a dead spot where there is no colour. The second stone (green blue) stone appears to also have a good sized window which the vendor tried to hide by turning the stone sideways. The darker colour also helps mask the window a little unleess you know what to look for.

 

[Faenyx]

Oooh ok. Gotcha.
Did any of the ones I listed, have an OK window?

My current diamond has a fairly large window, but it''s still ridiculously sparkly & brilliant. Hmm. Maybe i''m not understanding as well, heh.

I guess i''ll keep reading!

 

[chrono]

When a stone is windowed, the only part that sparkles would be the edges. In diamonds (high reflective index), you will get more sparkle than a coloured gemstone. I am afraid all the stones you posted have a large window with the exception of the cabochon.

 

[Gypsy]

Diamonds have a high refractive index so ... it''s different. Here see if you can see what DT is talking about when you compare the peridot to the citrine in the pics in her thread:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/concave-with-tilt-window.117939/

 

[Faenyx]

Ahh alright.

Ok so i''m looking hard at the citrine & peridot. In the first two pictures, I can see the difference, and the window. In the 2nd picture, you can clearly see right through it. I don''t see any difference in the 3rd set of photos though (the comparative shot). Le sigh