Jedi spinels - show and tell

[SparklePolo]

@SparklePolo, what is that blue gemstone? OMG, it is AMAZING! (As is the jedi, but who! the blue just grabbed me).

Thank you @woweezowee. It is a lab blue tanzanite that I bought on Ebay from a while back. It was inexpensive so I was surprised to see neon/glowy blue flashes coming out of this stone

 

[SparklePolo]

@SparklePolo Oh wow! It might be small but certainly packs a punch!
Gorgeous!

Thank you @Niffler75 it is quite mesmerizing to look at! I've been struggling with a setting for this little gem but still can't decide and my Pinterest wall is overflowing with inspirations

 

[Niffler75]

@SparklePolo Oooh, a potential project? Please share your ideas!

 

[lovedogs]

Thank you @woweezowee. It is a lab blue tanzanite that I bought on Ebay from a while back. It was inexpensive so I was surprised to see neon/glowy blue flashes coming out of this stone

Ummm WHERE DID YOI BUY IT? lol I adore it.

 

[SparklePolo]

@SparklePolo Oooh, a potential project? Please share your ideas!

Sure! I think it's due to the small size of the jedi spinel (5.84 x 4.82mm) that I'm having a tough time deciding what sort of setting would highlight its color and not get lost on the finger. I initially started with halos but wanted something unique:



Then I saw some beautiful spinel melee on Instagram in a similar color to mine, so I came up with the sketches below. The baby pink spinels are 2mm which I bought from CRD last year:



Also entertaining the idea of a 3-stone ring with maybe a thin halo all around:



I know, I'm all over the place and can't decide!! Any feedback/idea is appreciated

 

[SparklePolo]

Ummm WHERE DID YOI BUY IT? lol I adore it.

Here's the link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/11x9-mm-4-...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Enjoy. It's amazing how some lab stones can be so pretty (and affordable)

 

[JackTrick]

Another little parcel of spinels! The top and bottom ones are mansin.

In shade.


And light.

 

[arkieb1]

Some of the reds I've sold;

 

[Keeliamira]

Is this a Jedi spinel? I’m having difficulty figuring out what qualifies. I picked up this ring last week for super cheap thinking it had a typical mid century lab ruby in it. Based on inclusions, etc. (tiny graphite crystals, Two-phased inclusions, etc.) I think it’s a natural spinel. But where is the line between red spinel and Jedi? This one lights up in direct and indirect sunlight but I am just not well versed...

 

[Rfisher]

@SparklePolo


Do it!!!
Lol!

 

[voce]

I know, I'm all over the place and can't decide!! Any feedback/idea is appreciated

These two are my picks. If you already have a matched pair for the sidestones, go for the 3-stone design. If not, just go for the halo; it'll be wonderful, and I love the idea of different sized and colored melee!

 

[arkieb1]

Some of the newer ones, because they are flatter cuts and lack depth they are less saturated or intense in colour than some of my cut stones, unless you get them in sunlight or in bright overhead lighting (and then you really get a pop of colour) but they were still cut from neon "Jedi" material;

 

[voce]

Some of the newer ones, because they are flatter cuts and lack depth they are less saturated or intense in colour than some of my cut stones, unless you get them in sunlight or in bright overhead lighting (and then you really get a pop of colour) but they were still cut from neon "Jedi" material;

If I ever need square cuts of spinel, would you ever consider selling some of your stash so I can complete my project?

I'm afraid they won't be available on the market in a few years because some collectors hoard.

 

[arkieb1]

If I ever need square cuts of spinel, would you ever consider selling some of your stash so I can complete my project?

I'm afraid they won't be available on the market in a few years because some collectors hoard.

- well to be fair about the hoarding what I do is buy something when I find something larger or a better colour or a shape I want to make things out of I keep that, sometimes set it, or just keep it, and then sell the smaller examples and things I don't want to keep.... that is another reason a lot of things don't get set, the point is, that I'm working my way through upgrading a lot of things, the type of settings I go for are typically pretty expensive so for many things unless that is a "forever" stone then I don't see the point of setting it. I now own some pretty decent blue sapphires but it was and is a work in progress to get to the point I'm happy with the size and colour and origin of them.

And I've bought up parcels of stones to get one particular stone I've had my eye on, then picked out the few I like or want to keep and eventually get around to selling the rest. I've been accused of being a vendor because of my name on IG and I've explained multiple times no, I'm not a vendor I'm a private collector that sometimes sells off stuff to pay for more stuff.

Yes sure, tell me what you are looking for (I'm on LT or IG) and if I have it, I'm happy to help. Keep in mind the flatter the stone the less intense the saturation - this is still technically "Jedi" material but it doesn't have the same look as the deeper more intense coloured "Jedi" in low lighting because of the flatter cut. However the good part is you get a larger stone visually and it costs less per carat spread wise because less is lost in the depth....

 

[voce]

@arkieb1 not looking for any Jedi spinel now; I've planned a number of projects I'd like to set first, and I think that's going to take me through next year budget wise, since I can't afford to set everything during this year.

I *am* looking for a set of well matched round Mahenge spinels around 3mm, and similar looking to this (bigger round in the lower left). I don't think the ones Yvonne has in her shop right now are saturated enough, and Brett Kosnar never answered me when I messaged him. Any idea where I would be able to get a set of 5?

 

[arkieb1]

@voce - Yvonne is probably your best bet. I have uncut Mahenge that would cut 3mms easily, but matching the colour perfectly would mean cutting a lot of it to that size.....

And I have cut rounds (melee various sizes) but they are Burmese, a more neon pink and different sizes to those.

 

[Niffler75]

@SparklePolo I agree with @voce and @Rfisher about the cluster. I do however also love the flower ring. It is extremely distinctive.
Great inspo pics, no wonder you are having a hard time deciding!

 

[SparklePolo]

@SparklePolo I agree with @voce and @Rfisher about the cluster. I do however also love the flower ring. It is extremely distinctive.
Great inspo pics, no wonder you are having a hard time deciding!

Thanks for your picks @voce @Rfisher @Niffler75. To what @Niffler75 said about the flower ring, one of these days I want to own a flower ring with graduating/ombre effect from center to outer petals, sort of like this:



Imagine the blue replaced with jedi spinel melee!

I will start my hunt and see which of the design I can achieve.

 

[Niffler75]

@SparklePolo Oooh imagine the central bright red spinel graduating into softer reds, pinks and blush baby pink. Stunning! And I love the structural 3D nature of the flower ring!

 

[deorwine]

@arkieb1 I'm looking for Jedi spinel! Though probably not the flatter cuts. Check your email

 

[voce]

But where is the line between red spinel and Jedi? This one lights up in direct and indirect sunlight but I am just not well versed...

I would say that Jedi spinel is 1) natural pinkish-red or reddish-pink (in other words, fluorescent) spinel from Burma and 2) bright looking in any lighting, no "darkness". As an example, I post a parcel of red spinels, most of which are not Jedi.



I'm not sure these spinels are of a single origin, but if they are Burmese, then the ones that show too much orange/brown are not Jedi. I would say (by inspection by my eye) there are at most 8 or so in this parcel of 57 that I would consider might be Jedi, if they are a Burmese origin. The majority of these red spinels has some darkness to them and don't light up the way Jedi spinel does.

 

[arkieb1]

I think it's more complicated than if they light up indoors or not, because the flat cuts I have don't do that particularly well yet I know they were cut from Jedi material, the deeper the cut the better any neon spinel will mostly look.

Cut non flat pieces of Jedi always look neon, the flatter pieces when you put them in sunlight or strong overhead lighting still have a brighter greater neon quality about them than non "Jedi" material. The term "Jedi" is an overused one - these days it is often given to any neon looking spinel.

Similarly just because a spinel comes from Mahenge, doesn't make it neon, some Mahenge spinel is very neon, some of it is not.

 

[woweezowee]

I'm super-stoked to be getting my own little faceted Jedi this week! I contacted Joe Henley and he had one which was ideal Jedi color and to my SHOCK, totally affordable to me. I was thinking I'd have to pay thousands for real Jedi color.

I have Jedi baguettes measuring 2 x 2.8mm plus 2.5mm rounds and 2 mm rounds from Yvonne. I *just* bought the 2 mm rounds and they are much more pink than my 2.5mm rounds that I've gotten over the years from her, but boy do they glow! I posted a pic with the baguettes and 2 mm lined up on my finger ... I was all set to get a half or 3/4 eternity band but then the larger specimen came along -- on Star Wars day (May 4), no less! -- so I'm trying to figure out which I want to get made first. Hmmmm.....

Regarding the term Jedi spinel, according to Vlad Yarvoskyy, the only spinel that can actually be termed Jedi must come from one specific place (text emphasis is mine):

Only one special hill in the legendary mining area of Mogok produces this material with the gem quality samples being very scarce, as always with Spinel. A fine Mansin Spinel over one carat is extremely rare and desired by connoisseurs, while there’s still quite a number of tiny little stones with poor quality and yet shines it’s signature glowing red color nonetheless. Lab reports mostly describe this color as "vibrant pinkish-red", sometimes varying to "neon red" and "hot pink" as well. Whenever we talk about Jedi Spinels, we refer exactly to the Red Spinel from the Mansin mine.

But let us not confuse Mansin Spinel with Namya Spinel (also known as Naya or Nanya). It is actually Namya Spinel that gave original inspiration for the name Jedi, but the production of Namya mine in the Northern Burma was so desperately small that there wasn’t enough stones to create the market for it. A fine gem quality Spinel with Namya origin on the report is beyond valuable, and we could literally count these stones on one hand. Namya Spinel remains a legend on its own, and connoisseurs covet it by its own name. The characters of Spinels from Mansin and Namya are indeed very similar, and the color is supreme in both cases, but let us leave Namya Spinel to those who collect historical artefacts and certified origins. For the rest of us we still have a handful of Jedi Spinels from Mansin. Say Jedi - think Mansin!

Here's my little slice of Jedi heaven with an ETA of Saturday:



And here's my baby spinel and the ring style I want made. Not that this photo was taken at night in ambient lighting from one 60-watt lamp.

 

[lovedogs]

I'm super-stoked to be getting my own little faceted Jedi this week! I contacted Joe Henley and he had one which was ideal Jedi color and to my SHOCK, totally affordable to me. I was thinking I'd have to pay thousands for real Jedi color.

I have Jedi baguettes measuring 2 x 2.8mm plus 2.5mm rounds and 2 mm rounds from Yvonne. I *just* bought the 2 mm rounds and they are much more pink than my 2.5mm rounds that I've gotten over the years from her, but boy do they glow! I posted a pic with the baguettes and 2 mm lined up on my finger ... I was all set to get a half or 3/4 eternity band but then the larger specimen came along -- on Star Wars day (May 4), no less! -- so I'm trying to figure out which I want to get made first. Hmmmm.....

Regarding the term Jedi spinel, according to Vlad Yarvoskyy, the only spinel that can actually be termed Jedi must come from one specific place (text emphasis is mine):



Here's my little slice of Jedi heaven with an ETA of Saturday:



And here's my baby spinel and the ring style I want made. Not that this photo was taken at night in ambient lighting from one 60-watt lamp.

Joe is amazing, I love him!

 

[woweezowee]

Joe is amazing, I love him!

He is a great dude with great stuff! I think it would be amazing to tag along on one of his rough-buying overseas journeys.

 

[Minnie99]

It's no secret I'm a spinel hoarder - purchased as "old Material" red Jedi from a gem show in Hong Kong end of last year they are flattish almost carre type cuts;


And new Jedi Crystals I purchased the latter half of last year, I'll hopefully get around to getting some cut this year (they should make some nice angel or rough crystal cuts with the top only faceted and maybe some other cuts) shown under two different lighting sources they look hot neon pink in brighter lighting and neon reddish pink in lower light;

 

[Minnie99]

Are you selling your Jedi spinel ?

 

[Pennyc]

Hi everyone

My second Jedi spinel arrived today. Its colour was not as good as my first but it was a bargain.

I have taken a few pics

White lights

Yellow Lights

UV lights

Day light

 

[Pennyc]

@arkieb1 your collections are gorgeous. I have come back to the thread several times to view them.

 

[Minnie99]

Where did you buy them from? How big and the price per carat ?