Lavender spinel

[mellowyellowgirl]

Yes! Ms. Krause has officially taken possession.

Woooohooooo!!!! Can’t wait to see it!!!

 

[toomuchB]

I'm so excited to see the progress/result. You are fast with your projects! Though it did take a while to find the perfect spinel iirc.
Do you often find that once you find the right stone, the setting comes to you quickly?

and @mellowyellowgirl this post you made in a different thread has not left my memory
As someone who agonizes I also find others' processes interesting esp when they are fast and decisive.

I’m dreadful! I have this almost factory assembly line approach to setting! I hop onto Google and an hour later the CAD person receives their instructions.

I really love reading about how other people get to their designs and their thought processes.

 

[Catmom]

I took some more pix... it was after 6p on the US east coast, so take that for what it's worth. I really couldn't ask for more out of the color. It's exactly what I was after all this time. I suppose that's why I took a risk... I just felt it in my gut.

Natural (indirect) light in the middle of the room:





In front of the window, but still indirect:



Dim natural light:



Caught this weird shot and figured I should share it too (the stone sort of "closed" when backlit near the window):



Direct sun (cleaned it with a tissue beforehand and forgot to remove the fiber specks... the stone doesn't have any "sugar"):





Indoor lighting (you can see how she shifts pinkish... cheeky girl):

Fabulous color!

 

[Autumn in New England]

I'm so excited to see the progress/result. You are fast with your projects! Though it did take a while to find the perfect spinel iirc.
Do you often find that once you find the right stone, the setting comes to you quickly?

and @mellowyellowgirl this post you made in a different thread has not left my memory
As someone who agonizes I also find others' processes interesting esp when they are fast and decisive.

Sometimes I have the design worked out before the stone even gets here! lol And then it's especially disappointing if the gem doesn't work out. But yes, I'd say 90% of the time, it's almost immediate. Then 5% of the time, it requires a few tweaks, and another 5% of the time, I hem and haw for weeks. I had a tough time with my red spinel design, for instance, because I have very specific side stones (in different sizes) I want to use, and it was difficult deciding how to make them work. That was supposed to be next, BTW. But this one bumped up to the front of the queue, as Inken and I happened to be discussing something else, and she so generously offered.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Sometimes I have the design worked out before the stone even gets here! lol And then it's especially disappointing if the gem doesn't work out.

This is me!!! I do have to dash onto Google if I end up with a weird shape but I usually have a stash of designs saved for all shapes. Hehe mainly Harry Winston because I can never afford the real thing so it’s a small piece of happiness to have a design inspired by that Candy range.

Do you ever end to with repeated shapes (different type of stones and colours but the same shape) and want to tear your hair out?

I did Squirtle, then when I bought Bulbasaur, I actually groaned at the idea of having to set the same shape stone again.

Took me 48 hours to send a picture to the CAD person! That is very slow by my standards!

 

[kah42]

This is going to be spectacular! I LOVE your taste in jewelry. Please share lots of pictures when you get it

 

[Autumn in New England]

This is me!!! I do have to dash onto Google if I end up with a weird shape but I usually have a stash of designs saved for all shapes. Hehe mainly Harry Winston because I can never afford the real thing so it’s a small piece of happiness to have a design inspired by that Candy range.

Do you ever end to with repeated shapes (different type of stones and colours but the same shape) and want to tear your hair out?

I did Squirtle, then when I bought Bulbasaur, I actually groaned at the idea of having to set the same shape stone again.

Took me 48 hours to send a picture to the CAD person! That is very slow by my standards!

I try so hard not to repeat shapes! I like to have a decent smattering of all different ones. But color always wins out... so I have a dreadful amount of ovals. It takes effort to come up with ways to make them all look unique, and sometimes I fail. But, like you, I also have an entire inspo folder! I bet many of us do!!

 

[Autumn in New England]

This is going to be spectacular! I LOVE your taste in jewelry. Please share lots of pictures when you get it

Thank you!! I hope so.

 

[voce]

Yes! Ms. Krause has officially taken possession.

So excited you're moving forward on this project. Love the inspiration and the stones you've selected with Inken.

 

[Autumn in New England]

So excited you're moving forward on this project. Love the inspiration and the stones you've selected with Inken.

Thank you for the encouragement, my friend!

 

[elle_71125]

Your spinel is just bonkers! It is the absolute perfect shade of lavender (that I too have been looking for, for years). It looks absolutely gorgeous in all of your pics. Just wow! I freaking love your setting idea for her too. Those perfect little flowers with purple FCDs, oh man, this ring is going to be epic!

Ps. Love your name for her too, Violet Pearegarde.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Your spinel is just bonkers! It is the absolute perfect shade of lavender (that I too have been looking for, for years). It looks absolutely gorgeous in all of your pics. Just wow! I freaking love your setting idea for her too. Those perfect little flowers with purple FCDs, oh man, this ring is going to be epic!

Ps. Love your name for her too, Violet Pearegarde.

I love your taste in jewels, so that's high praise!

Want to know my tips for finding the lavender spinel of your dreams? And they're fairly obvious, but I thought it may be worth mentioning.

First, don't bother with any origin other than Vietnam. There are always exceptions, but my experience has been that, no matter how great they may look in vendor photos, they will disappoint in person (the blue-based colors lean gray in daylight and the pink-based colors lean brown). And not all Vietnam stones are winners either, this we know. But you have a much better chance of finding a stone that holds its color in daylight. As we all know, Vietnam stones carry a premium, so prepare for that.

Second, within reason and while still exercising caution, don't be afraid to go to the source. Just do your homework. A lot of these stones don't make it to market, because they're in such high demand in Asia, and they have immense buying power.

Good luck in your search! Maybe when you find your perfect stone, she can have lunch with Miss Pearegarde.

 

[Dr_Diesel]

Hello all,

Maybe about 5 years ago, I attempted, in earnest, to source a lavender spinel. It didn't seem to matter how much I spent or from whom I purchased the material, the stone would look great in photos, videos, and indoors. But as soon as we ventured into natural light, she'd become a corpse. I just could not find a stone that did not gray out and become "steely" in daylight. So I started thinking that was just the nature of the beast and gave up. I ultimately went with a "periwinkle" sapphire instead, and called it a day.

Flash forward to the past week, and a dealer friend found a stone from Vietnam that she felt was noteworthy. It's around 2.5ct., eye clean, and supposedly has no gray in daylight. I also wanted a pear shape (for a specific design I was planning), so that's an added bonus. It comes with a Lotus cert. But the price! I'm not one to show sticker shock, but I am without a doubt feeling it here. Would I be a lunatic to pay $8,500 for this gem? Are people really paying these prices for a light purple spinel under 3ct.?

Autumn

P.S. This is not the dealer's pricing. It's a non-negotiable price she was quoted from her Bangkok connection, plus her usual finder's fee. So she has no control over it.

Have you spoken with any of the spinel vendors on IG that are based in Vietnam?

While it is true that Luc Yen Lavender spinel has been on the rise over the past few years - and is not easy to come by - $3400/ct is awfully high for what Bangkok vendors would call "2ct size."

2 years ago in Bangkok, I turned down a piece near that size (2.2ct cushion) because I felt $900 was too high for what it was.

The colored gem market in Bangkok has gone bonkers in the past 2 years and seems to be in the throes of a near delusional Narrative-driven economy. May people are simply walking away at shows and abandoning certain varieties of colored gems altogether because of it. I actually see higher asking prices in Bangkok than in the US sometimes.

I'm wondering if you might have better luck with someone based in Vietnam.

If you can't find an alternative, you have the $8500 to spare (and the additional funds for making it into a jewel), and you're sure you won't experience buyers remorse, then go for it. Just be sure to look out for yourself!

 

[Autumn in New England]

The colored gem market in Bangkok has gone bonkers in the past 2 years and seems to be in the throes of a near delusional Narrative-driven economy. May people are simply walking away at shows and abandoning certain varieties of colored gems altogether because of it. I actually see higher asking prices in Bangkok than in the US sometimes.

My feelings exactly! Thank you for confirming what many of us suspected. This was good advice too, because I did end up buying a stone directly from a VN vendor, and I think I did pretty well.

 

[Dr_Diesel]

I took some more pix... it was after 6p on the US east coast, so take that for what it's worth. I really couldn't ask for more out of the color. It's exactly what I was after all this time. I suppose that's why I took a risk... I just felt it in my gut.

Natural (indirect) light in the middle of the room:





In front of the window, but still indirect:



Dim natural light:



Caught this weird shot and figured I should share it too (the stone sort of "closed" when backlit near the window):



Direct sun (cleaned it with a tissue beforehand and forgot to remove the fiber specks... the stone doesn't have any "sugar"):





Indoor lighting (you can see how she shifts pinkish... cheeky girl):

Sorry my last post was asynchronous!

I kept reading....and now that is a gorgeous, beautifully saturated stone!

Congratulations!!!

 

[Dr_Diesel]

My feelings exactly! Thank you for confirming what many of us suspected. This was good advice too, because I did end up buying a stone directly from a VN vendor, and I think I did pretty well.

It's actually kind of funny. I've been to a few shows and I have a few friends who are vendors, so I sometimes hang out with them at their booths....and what I've noticed is that the people doing most of the buying are other vendors! They just keep repeating the same story of "prices going up" and try to scavenge everything they can....which does, in fact, drive prices up. On the other hand, most of the consumer-level patrons at these shows (myself included) just end up walking away.

Still, sometimes we have a unicorn that we cannot rest until it is captured...and it seems you have found yours! Congratulations once again!!!

 

[Autumn in New England]

It's actually kind of funny. I've been to a few shows and I have a few friends who are vendors, so I sometimes hang out with them at their booths....and what I've noticed is that the people doing most of the buying are other vendors! They just keep repeating the same story of "prices going up" and try to scavenge everything they can....which does, in fact, drive prices up. On the other hand, most of the consumer-level patrons at these shows (myself included) just end up walking away.

Still, sometimes we have a unicorn that we cannot rest until it is captured...and it seems you have found yours! Congratulations once again!!!

I'm glad to hear folks are walking away... I think we're all prepared to pay premiums for fine, rare gems, especially if a particular origin produces exceptional quality material you can't find elsewhere. But as you said, it's becoming a little preposterous. Anyway, thank you for the insight and encouragement!!

 

[Crimson]

When you figure it out, @T L, please share your knowledge with me. Actually, @Crimson, would you ever consider a crash course thread on this topic? How to buy jade in general, but specifically lavender?

Sorry, @Autumn in New England I missed this, I was away for a while — a particularly intense time at work. The discussions in this thread (esp with you, @mellowyellowgirl @toomuchB @LilAlex )inspired me to buy two pieces of Lavender jadeite. In the past I steered clear of it because much of the material is known to “die in the light”(见光死). I’ll start a jadeite criteria thread, compiling what I have posted in various threads, and I’ll people to contribute

 

[Autumn in New England]

Sorry, @Autumn in New England I missed this, I was away for a while — a particularly intense time at work. The discussions in this thread (esp with you, @mellowyellowgirl @toomuchB @LilAlex )inspired me to buy two pieces of Lavender jadeite. In the past I steered clear of it because much of the material is known to “die in the light”(见光死). I’ll start a jadeite criteria thread, compiling what I have posted in various threads, and I’ll people to contribute

I'm so looking forward to this! And seeing your new pieces!!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

lol This is what we came up with for the design... so the FCDs will be set in the flower accents. I feel like after you sit with a stone for a while, the right look will come to you. And I think this one perfectly suits Miss Violet Pearegarde. I must admit, I'm rather excited about this project.

It would have looked boss to have all purple FCDs in the design, but they were $30k+/ct. So the halo will be white diamonds, of course. And we're doing 4 claw prongs instead of the v-prong.

oh that is sooooo pretty
the world needs more pretty

 

[Autumn in New England]

We're moving right along...

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

I haven't kept up with this post for a while, so when I saw the photos of your spinel, I gasped all over again. So beautiful, so unique. You can't get over it.

 

[CBianco]

We're moving right along...

Oooooh it's going to be spectacular!!

 

[Autumn in New England]

I haven't kept up with this post for a while, so when I saw the photos of your spinel, I gasped all over again. So beautiful, so unique. You can't get over it.

Mother nature paints with quite a palette!

Oooooh it's going to be spectacular!!

I hope so! Thank you!!

 

[Mooshi]

OMG those side flowers, I die. They are going to look AMAZING with the fcd purples in the center. I cannot wait to see this masterpiece!!!!!!

 

[Autumn in New England]

OMG those side flowers, I die. They are going to look AMAZING with the fcd purples in the center. I cannot wait to see this masterpiece!!!!!!

Inken and her team worked quite diligently to bring my floral vision to life (it was trickier than it looks and went through several iterations). But she perfected every petal, so I'm really excited to see the final result. Thank you so much for the very kind words of encouragement!!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Here's the SMTB thread for anyone interested! Thank you all for following along on this (long-awaited) journey!!

Lavender Spinel Ring from Enhoerning Jewelry

Hi all, Some of you may have been following my thread over in CS, but I thought I'd start a new one here to share the finished ring! Just look how cleverly Inken crafted the woven basket and plate under the culet to disguise the small window. Is she something else or what? Best eye in the...

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