Kunzite anyone?

[SB621]

Hi All,

I''m looking at a pale pink Kunzite...I''m not very familar with the stone. Does anyone have opinions on them that would give me the red or green light?

 

[cellentani]

Kunzite can fade in sunlight, so you should only wear it at night.

 

[Barrett]

the evening stone...kunzite is not expensive as far as the pale and lighter colors are...you can find 20-30ct pale pinks for $20-$25 bucks a piece for eyeclean stones..most are commercial cut so expect to pay more for a good cut one..it''s really not a pricey stone as far as pale pink goes

 

[SB621]

Thanks for the insight....I didn''t realize it faded in the daylight....does it just fade to clear/white?

Thanks again!

 

[Barrett]

fades rather quickly in strong daylight..only evening wear

 

[ma re]

Date: 8/29/2009 11:44:45 PM
Author: amethystguy
the evening stone...kunzite is not expensive as far as the pale and lighter colors are...you can find 20-30ct pale pinks for $20-$25 bucks a piece for eyeclean stones..most are commercial cut so expect to pay more for a good cut one..it''s really not a pricey stone as far as pale pink goes

Just how pale are we talking about here? Never in my life have I seen kunzites go for a dollar per carat, not even in those "too good to be true" websites, and not even in completely washed out shades of pink (otherwise known as colorless

).

P. S. They can also look like THIS, but that''s something like one in a million piece.

 

[Roger Dery]

Hi Sarahbear621,
Even though Kunzite is known to fade in "strong daylight", not all Kunzite will fade, or will fade completely to a clear stone. I have several that have been with me for over 20 years and they are still holding their color. Though, they are not as rich in color as when I acquired them.

In addition, if worn in a ring, and if the top of the stone (the crown) is exposed, it will show wear over time. The wear (actually, the minor abrasions) will appear similar to how a Peridot or Tanzanite will appear with regular use.

As a gem cutter, I have refurbished the crowns on several Kunzites. They are a bit tricky to work on compared to most other gemstones. And so now, I know to not go out looking for them. Hope you find this a little helpful.

 

[Pandora II]

I have some and they are gorgeous - I do keep them in the dark though.

As far as wearing them goes... I personally wouldn''t as they are soft and have perfect cleavage in more than one direction. I suppose a pendant if I HAD to have one to wear and even then I would mentally prepare for breakage during setting.

 

[Barrett]

Hey Ma re I paid $20 for 250cts. of pale kunzites 20-30ct stones shipped directly to me from one of my dealers in pakistan..could not sell them to save my life..about 1 month ago I traded most of them to a buddy for some slabs and gave 1 to my neice, gave one to a mod on another board for her study collection..heck I might even have 1 or 2 stil laying around here..they were windowed pretty bad but clean and pink(pale)..heck i just sold on ebay 3 50ct. eyeclean pale pink kunzite pendants(not faceted but teardrop shaped cut and polished) for..one went for.99 cents, $1.04, and one $2.50..they were just tossed in as extra on a package I got..they have so much over there..i can only sell a facetgrade pale pink crystal from 100 grams(500cts.)-200 grams(1000cts.) for maybe at most..$25 dollars..more like $15-$18..pale pink facetgrade clean fully formed crystals..I have been through 16 kgs in the last 2 months and can''t seem to flip a nice profit on them at gem shows, online, or anywhere..the only ones I can flip well are the blues, the deep purples and the strong pinks but even so it''s not as much as you would think..of course buying them online from someone IN america you are going to pay a much higher price ever for pale..

 

[Barrett]

Hey Ma Re here are some kunzites..roughly 1000cts. here all for .50 cents a ct. VS quality..can probably get down to .40 cents a ct. too.
I don''t know the sizes but I am assuming 5-20ct+ sizes..

 

[Barrett]

sorry bad pic..hold on

 

[Barrett]

alright 3rd time is a charm..I uploaded picassa and am still trying to figure it out..i can''t just copy directly from my email pictures and use picassa or it leaves that x in the box..I got it now though

 

[ma re]

I understand that wholesale prices are always much lower than retail, but this is like 100 times lower than retail?! Am I missing something? Why are we paying these outrageous prices for gemstones than, if they''re worth so little? This info really gives some food for thought.

 

[chrono]

Am Guy,
That’s a really nice parcel. Very bright and sparkly pastel stones which you got for an equally nice price.

 

[Barrett]

oh I didn''t buy them but was offered them from my dude in pakistan..i am only getting a 36ct. one from him on the next order..i can''t sell kunzites..i tried

 

[chrono]

Date: 9/18/2009 8:49:58 AM
Author: amethystguy
oh I didn''t buy them but was offered them from my dude in pakistan..i am only getting a 36ct. one from him on the next order..i can''t sell kunzites..i tried

I see. Thanks for the information. I can understand them not selling well because I myself don’t buy any due to the fading issue.

 

[Barrett]

ya you are right about that..especially the real real good colored ones..those are light pink anyways but at that price you just switch the faded stone out for a new one..LOL

 

[LD]

I do wear my Kunzite but normally in the evening and I certainly keep them in the dark! I''ve had one that was highly saturated that over the course of a couple of years faded so that it was virtually colourless. It''s impossible to know which will fade and which won''t so it''s a bit of a lottery. The darker the Kunzite (typically) the more expensive.

This is my most prized Kunzite.

 

[LD]

These are some others I own. The ring (bottom left) is the one that has faded

You can see the difference in colour.

 

[cellentani]

LD, those are gorgeous kunzites - you rarely see such rich color like that!

 

[LD]

Thank you Cellantani. I do have some paler pink Kunzite that I bought when I first started collecting but now only buy the deeply saturated material but as you said, it''s not often you see it!

 

[chrono]

LD,
Your kunzites are lovely; sorry about the faded one. I''ll bet the colour was gorgeous and very rich years ago.

 

[Stone Hunter]

For me personally I wouldn''t buy Kunzite because of the softness, I would worry too much about it. And then the fading thing would worry me too. I''d rather not worry so much about my jewelry. But that''s just me.

WOW LD Thank you for sharing your collection with us! It is a wonderful collection.

 

[Barrett]

WOW..LD those are awesome..love that solid color..thanks for the pics

 

[mariedtiger]

I do love kunzite, it is wonderfully beautiful. But I would worry a lot about it as well.

LD what a jawdropping collection

! You must have nerves of steel to have had them all set! Thank you so much for sharing!

 

[LD]

Chrono - It was!!!!!!! It was a gorgeous highly saturated pink - now it only has a hint of a tint of pink

Congratulations by the way! You deserve it. I love reading your posts. xxx

AMGuy - Thank you.

MariedTiger & Stonehunter - The way I look at it is this: jewellery is meant to be worn. If something happens then it''s meant to be. It doesn''t mean I won''t be sad BUT mother nature gives us these wonderful gemstones and if I worried about the hardness or fading or inclusions in things, I''d end up only wearing diamonds! So I say if a gem speaks to me, I buy it and wear it! I''m careful with my Emeralds, Apatites, Kunzites etc etc but I LOVE wearing them!

 

[mariedtiger]

Date: 9/19/2009 1:44:26 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
The way I look at it is this: jewellery is meant to be worn. If something happens then it''s meant to be. It doesn''t mean I won''t be sad BUT mother nature gives us these wonderful gemstones and if I worried about the hardness or fading or inclusions in things, I''d end up only wearing diamonds!

Yay and hurray for this attitude LovingDiamonds, I agree!!!