Is THIS the Bubblegum Ring?

[iLander]

Gene has a few new stones, that I found at the bottom of his blog page, and this one caught my eye.

Here's what he says about it:

Gem 1024 - Spessartite Garnet - 3.30 ct. This stone from Nigeria is cut in my Star 80 Design. The stone is from a newer pocket in Nigeria that is producing these deeper colored spessartites with a red modifier. The stones have very strong saturation but are more of burnt orange/red color than the Tanzanian stones. This one measures 9.14 mm point to point and 7.93 mm across the flats.

Color: 8
Clarity: 8
Brilliance: 5

BTW: does anybody know what stone it takes to get a 10 for brilliance on Gene's rating system?

 

[iLander]

Here's the pure red bubble gum machine ring that I'm trying to create in real stone, real gold.

This hunk of plastic is a very red stone. Will this spess be red?

How red does a spess get?

Anybody have any RL pix of their red spess?

Will it get dark and close up in low light like a lot of other garnets?

Gene said his stone picture is accurate for color.

I'm like a bulldog on this stupid ring, it's what originally made me seek out this forum.

Thank you all for your continued help on this one. . . I'm just about sick of it too. . .

 

[colorluvr]

Date: 6/21/2010 6:08:25 PM
Author: iLander
Here''s the pure red bubble gum machine ring that I''m trying to create in real stone, real gold.

This hunk of plastic is a very red stone. Will this spess be red?

How red does a spess get?

Anybody have any RL pix of their red spess?

Will it get dark and close up in low light like a lot of other garnets?

Gene said his stone picture is accurate for color.

I''m like a bulldog on this stupid ring, it''s what originally made me seek out this forum.

Thank you all for your continued help on this one. . . I''m just about sick of it too. . .

Pics of my 8mm cushion red spess... looks red most of the time, but has the orange flashes that they usually have
(which I actually like in a spess).

 

[PrecisionGem]

My brilliance rating is on a scale of 1 to 5.
All 3 scores, color, clarity and brilliance add up. The reason I only used 1 to 5 for brilliance so that it wouldn''t weigh in as heavy in the overall rating as the other 2.

 

[VapidLapid]

here is my spess. granted it is uncut, but it is quite red with a pronounced orange tone. I have a red malaya from gene, #369 that is slightly pinkish red. When people see it they think it is a ruby

 

[movie zombie]

spess comes in so many variations....and i like the redder variation a lot, especially this one cut by gene.

are you going to get it?

mz

 

[BWise]

Here is my 7.95ct orangy red spess.

 

[BWise]

Showing some flash - pardon the finger prints please. It was an ebay purchase in 2005 and I paid only $150 for it. It is native cut with a ''fat'' belly but no windows.

 

[cellentani]

Here''s my 5.28ct reddish-orange spess from Dan Stair, nearly 9mm.

 

[iLander]

Date: 6/21/2010 8:03:03 PM
Author: movie zombie
spess comes in so many variations....and i like the redder variation a lot, especially this one cut by gene.


are you going to get it?


mz

Yup, just got it via Paypal.

Thank you all for the encouraging pictures, this looks like a great stone species. I''ll let you know if it works for me.

Who already bought that wonderful lilac sapphire, anybody on PS?

 

[pocadot]

iLander, I was trying to get this up before you bought the spessy. Don''t know why it didn''t occur to me before, but the bubblegum ring reminds me a lot of my spessartite ring. It''s a deeper orange red - sorry if the pic isn''t too clear.

The stone is 10mm in size; don''t remember the carat weight as I bought it at a rock & gem convention when I was 12. I hope you love your spessartite!

 

[pocadot]

Date: 6/21/2010 8:59:34 PM
Author: pocadot
iLander, I was trying to get this up before you bought the spessy. Don''t know why it didn''t occur to me before, but the bubblegum ring reminds me a lot of my spessartite ring. It''s a deeper orange red - sorry if the pic isn''t too clear.


The stone is 10mm in size; don''t remember the carat weight as I bought it at a rock & gem convention when I was 12. I hope you love your spessartite!

Wow, sorry for the poor quality pic. I really have to learn how to use my husband''s camera!

Wish I could capture the flashes of fiery red orange that I see in incandescent light. It looks like it''s glowing.

 

[iLander]

Everybody keep posting pics, this is fun!

We should start RL pic threads for all kinds of species, it''s helpful to see stones in different lights.

@colorluvr, nice ring!

@gene, thanks for the clarification, was there ever a stone with full marks? What was it?

@vapidlapid, cool rough! It''s nice enough to keep as is, without faceting.

@MZ, just got it, we''ll see how it turns out, cross your fingers

@yingh, Lovely stone! Very nice

@cellentani, I love a big square stone, they''re a problem for me . . .

@ Pocadot, you''re right, you DO have the bubble gum ring! Isn''t it just fun? I hope to have one of my own soon. Collecting gems AND rock n roll? At 12? I suspect you have good stories . . .

 

[pocadot]

Date: 6/21/2010 9:16:01 PM
Author: iLander
Everybody keep posting pics, this is fun!

We should start RL pic threads for all kinds of species, it''s helpful to see stones in different lights.


@colorluvr, nice ring!


@gene, thanks for the clarification, was there ever a stone with full marks? What was it?


@vapidlapid, cool rough! It''s nice enough to keep as is, without faceting.


@MZ, just got it, we''ll see how it turns out, cross your fingers


@yingh, Lovely stone! Very nice


@cellentani, I love a big square stone, they''re a problem for me . . .


@ Pocadot, you''re right, you DO have the bubble gum ring! Isn''t it just fun? I hope to have one of my own soon. Collecting gems AND rock n roll? At 12? I suspect you have good stories . . .

If I could ever find a rock & roll AND gem convention combined I would think that I''d died and gone to heaven! Haha, I only wish my stories were that good! When I said rock, I meant the mineral kind

I will ask my husband to teach me how to better use his camera so you can get preview shots of your very own bubblegum ring! My spessartite is a real performer and exhibits fiery orange flashes- people notice it''s color from across the room. I suspect yours will be the same or better! I hope this is the one

 

[virgoruby]

Date: 6/21/2010 8:52:00 PM
Author: iLander

Date: 6/21/2010 8:03:03 PM

Author: movie zombie

spess comes in so many variations....and i like the redder variation a lot, especially this one cut by gene.

are you going to get it?

mz

Yup, just got it via Paypal.

Thank you all for the encouraging pictures, this looks like a great stone species. I''ll let you know if it works for me.

Who already bought that wonderful lilac sapphire, anybody on PS?

That would be me! I am sooo excited about my latest purchase, I can''t wait to receive it, though I''d have to wait for at least a week until it reaches me..
Your spess looks great - I hope it lives up to your expectations.

Btw, I got an umbalite garnet from Gene a few months ago.. I love the frosted star effect & the colour is a bit more red IRL than the pic.

 

[iLander]

OMG, VigotRuby, that is a beautiful sapphire! What a wonderful color, I've only seen one lilac sapphire before, and that was on Richard Homer's site.

(For everybody that is just joining us, I'm talking about the sapphire that is still posted on Gene's site, not the pic in VigorRuby's post)

That is a beauty, you've GOT to start a thread on it!

How did you manage to sneak in on that one, I check Gene's site all the time? That's okay, all my funds are committed elsewhere . . .

I usually don't like fancy sapphires, because I think the same color (orange, dark purple) can be attained with cheaper stones, but this is a unique color. I can't think of another stone that achieves that exact lilac!

Excellent choice, make sure you show us!

 

[pocadot]

Hey iLander, just wanted to let you know that I''m trying really hard to capture a good pic of my ring. I''ve never tried so hard to take a picture of anything before this

I would post another pic, but they wouldn''t make you excited to receive your spessartite. I''ll keep trying though. I can tell your stone and your ring will look gorgeous!

 

[iLander]

That''s so nice Pocadot! Thank you, I would love to see more photos!

You know, I STILL go to gumball machines and buy stupid little things? I still buy the occasional plastic "stoned" ring . . . I have a collection of those flat little animal erasers on my computer monitor. . .

I''m glad I have kids to cover for me.

Shhhhh . . . . don''t tell anybody . . . . .LOL!

 

[pocadot]

Date: 6/22/2010 9:55:46 PM
Author: iLander



That''s so nice Pocadot! Thank you, I would love to see more photos!

You know, I STILL go to gumball machines and buy stupid little things? I still buy the occasional plastic ''stoned'' ring . . . I have a collection of those flat little animal erasers on my computer monitor. . .


I''m glad I have kids to cover for me.


Shhhhh . . . . don''t tell anybody . . . . .LOL!

Haha, at least you have kids as a cover! I buy little trinkets all the time, and have no excuse. Guess I''ve always been a kid at heart too. In fact, one day I aspire to make a ring pop gem ring (half kidding/half not)! Can you imagine how much bling that would be?

Here is my latest attempt, still a poor one. Sad thing is that even though my husband has a nice DSLR, the lighting in my condo is so poor that we had to revert to using his camera phone.

I originally purchased the stone (well, my parents bought it for me b/c I was only 12), then had it set in the most basic gold setting I could find. It was my first big acquisition as a "gem collector", so I have a special connection to it! I love it even more now that it somewhat resembles a bubblegum ring!

 

[iLander]

THAT''S IT! Thats the bubble gum ring! Oh, I hope mine turns out as well as yours!

Your''s is 10 mm, I wonder if mine will be big enough at 8mm-ish.

Your parents were awesome to get you that. That''s one thing I like about jewelry, it tends to stay around for years and holds memories a lot longer than say clothes, or shoes, or even most furniture. I have my great grandmother''s ring and it''s over 100 years old. If I didn''t have that, I would have no connection to her.

Of course, with really bad jewelry it works the other way too. My grandmother''s bracelet is a perfect example; biggest hunk of aquamarine-colored glass you ever saw. And its got a Window I could hang curtains on. Not so fond memories of grandma. . . just kidding . . . mostly. . .

You want a ring pop ring, like the one Mariah Carey''s husband made her? I think he totally missed the boat by doing it in pink sapphire, that didn''t look like candy to me. I would have done it in grapey amethyst, it would have been way more fun. Or cherry rubies, with their money!

I think being grown up is WAAAAYYYY boring. I''ve been grown up for a while and I have yet to see any benefit . . .

 

[pocadot]

Oh man! You mean Mariah Carey already has one? That made me want one a little bit less

I was thinking of a less flamboyant stone, one that I could buy on the cheap in that large size. I''m thinking ~20mm or so. Perhaps something within the quartz family would work? Here''s the Lucie Campbell ring that inspired the whole ring pop idea: http://luciecampbell.com/otherrings/index.php?psort=&cat=&page_num=1&id=349
Would not go with tourmaline though because one, it would be crazy expensive, and two, a stone that big and brightly colored is way too flamboyant for my taste.

Your 8mm will be the perfect size! It looks like the bubblegum ring you were wearing earlier in this thread was ~8mm or so. I always thought my 10mm was just a little bit too big, just to let you know.

My husband laughs because I keep a mm ruler right next to the computer to judge the sizes of the stones I''m considering buying online, and to get an idea of their size as a RHR. When I hold the ruler up to my right ring finger, he knows I''m up to no good!

 

[virgoruby]

Date: 6/22/2010 8:17:20 AM
Author: iLander


OMG, VigotRuby, that is a beautiful sapphire! What a wonderful color, I''ve only seen one lilac sapphire before, and that was on Richard Homer''s site.


(For everybody that is just joining us, I''m talking about the sapphire that is still posted on Gene''s site, not the pic in VigorRuby''s post)



That is a beauty, you''ve GOT to start a thread on it!


How did you manage to sneak in on that one, I check Gene''s site all the time? That''s okay, all my funds are committed elsewhere . . .


I usually don''t like fancy sapphires, because I think the same color (orange, dark purple) can be attained with cheaper stones, but this is a unique color. I can''t think of another stone that achieves that exact lilac!


Excellent choice, make sure you show us!

Thanks for your kind words iLander! I''ll definitely take pics when I get it. I hope you''re going to post lots of pics of your spess too.

 

[iLander]

Date: 6/22/2010 11:33:44 PM
Author: pocadot
Oh man! You mean Mariah Carey already has one? That made me want one a little bit less

I was thinking of a less flamboyant stone, one that I could buy on the cheap in that large size. I''m thinking ~20mm or so. Perhaps something within the quartz family would work? Here''s the Lucie Campbell ring that inspired the whole ring pop idea: http://luciecampbell.com/otherrings/index.php?psort=&cat=&page_num=1&id=349

Would not go with tourmaline though because one, it would be crazy expensive, and two, a stone that big and brightly colored is way too flamboyant for my taste.

Your 8mm will be the perfect size! It looks like the bubblegum ring you were wearing earlier in this thread was ~8mm or so. I always thought my 10mm was just a little bit too big, just to let you know.


My husband laughs because I keep a mm ruler right next to the computer to judge the sizes of the stones I''m considering buying online, and to get an idea of their size as a RHR. When I hold the ruler up to my right ring finger, he knows I''m up to no good!

Wow, I never saw Lucie Campbell''s stuff before! That is some serious bling, it''s actually almost too much even for me! You might ask Dana at Mastercut Gems for a price on cutting you a whopper amethyst, I read on his site he has a ton of rough (I thought he said 1,000 carats!) and his prices are usually pretty good, compared to other people. It''s setting it that looks hard, though.

i know, I have a ruler too! Also, a bunch of my existing rings with little tape bits with the stone size written on them. You can try googling carat to millimeter size chart too, a bunch of sites have them and when you print them out, it will help you visualize.

You haven''t seen Mariah''s ring (she rubs me the wrong way too)? I''ll start a thread and you (and everybody else) can see how strange it really is . . .

 

[Fly Girl]

You know, iLander, I think I'm starting to get it. In fact, I already own a Bubblegum ring. However, I always thought of it as my dentist office ring. My dentist would give the kids a trinket after each successful visit, and often it was a cheap ring. I still remember how shocked my little boy was when he found out it wasn't a real ruby in his ring ("We need to call the dentist right away and tell him, Mommy! He thinks this is really a ruby.") There were tears in my eyes, I was laughing so hard. My poor child was soooo confused.

Anyhow, this ring is a very nice red garnet from Gemrite Link set in a LOGR rose gold setting. (Personally, I think the LOGR rose gold should be called orange gold). When I picked the ring up at the jeweler after having the stone set all I could think of was the cheap copper toy rings from the dentist.

Thanks to you, iLander, I will now wear it proudly!

 

[iLander]

Date: 6/23/2010 9:26:40 AM
Author: Fly Girl
You know, iLander, I think I'm starting to get it. In fact, I already own a Bubblegum ring. However, I always thought of it as my dentist office ring. My dentist would give the kids a trinket after each successful visit, and often it was a cheap ring. I still remember how shocked my little boy was when he found out it wasn't a real ruby in his ring ('We need to call the dentist right away and tell him, Mommy! He thinks this is really a ruby.') There were tears in my eyes, I was laughing so hard. My poor child was soooo confused.


Anyhow, this ring is a very nice red garnet from Gemrite Link set in a LOGR rose gold setting. (Personally, I think the LOGR rose gold should be called orange gold). When I picked the ring up at the jeweler after having the stone set all I could think of was the cheap copper toy rings from the dentist.


Thanks to you, iLander, I will now wear it proudly!

You go girl! What a great dentist! I would have gone to mine more often as a kid, but all I got was a toothbrush

Bubblegum rings are more of a philosphy; why does jewelry need to be SO serious? I like to have casual things for everyday.

Also, I like to enjoy a stone and it's color, and a color solitaire (also a thread here somewhere) is a great way to do it. Yours is lovely!

Plus it makes me feel like a kid again, which is totally the whole idea!

 

[pocadot]

Thanks so much for referring me to Dana! I''m not usually drawn to amethyst, but that color blew me away! Can''t believe it''s unheated! That would make a wonderful grape ring pop ring

Speaking about food/nostalgic toy inspired rings, one of the items on my must have list is an andalusite. It looks just like a coca-cola gummy! I guess this is what happens when you''re both a gem lover and a foodie.

 

[Rockit]

iLander, I like your spessartite choice. I have some orangey red spessartite and it always appears hot, red and fiery... like burning embers. Hope your stone works out for you.

 

[iLander]

This has not been a good day for me stone-wise . . .

Gene''s description was 100% accurate: orangey red.

Beautiful stone, amazing cut, if that was the material color I was looking for, I would have been delighted.

Too orange for me, back it went. I emailed Gene and he was completely understanding and professional. . .

But it''s not the bubblegum ring

Sigh . . . .

 

[pocadot]

Date: 6/25/2010 7:27:02 PM
Author: iLander



This has not been a good day for me stone-wise . . .

Gene''s description was 100% accurate: orangey red.


Beautiful stone, amazing cut, if that was the material color I was looking for, I would have been delighted.


Too orange for me, back it went. I emailed Gene and he was completely understanding and professional. . .


But it''s not the bubblegum ring

Sigh . . . .

Thanks for the update iLander. I''m sorry that the spessartite didn''t work out for you.

I guess when it''s the right one, you''ll know right away. Please keep us posted!

 

[pocadot]

Hey iLander, I was just checking out some of Uli''s new offerings on osirisgems.com. I don''t know if you''re willing to try for another spessartite, but this one appears much redder than the one you had originally posted:

http://cgi.ebay.com/deep-red-SPESSARTINE-1-97cts-/370402246986?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item563db1c14a#ht_780wt_1138

I don''t know if that is smaller than your ideal, but it looks like a lush and gorgeous red!