Looking at purchasing my first coloured stone- Very confused!

[Dannielle]

Hi everyone,

This is my first time posting in this section. I have been looking for a diamond RHR for a few months now, but I just haven''t found anything that spoke to me. Then last night I was browsing this board and saw LaurenThePartier''s breathtaking collection and my heart skipped a beat.

I think that I would love to get a coloured stone, however I am very uneducated knowing nothing about stones. After browsing around online last night I really like garnets, spinels, aquamarines and tanzanite.

I have a few questions and I''d really appreciate any advice

Can anyone tell me what price I should be expecting to pay and what I should be looking out for?

Where does everyone purchase their settings from? Are there any places online that sell coloured stones already set?

This is a stone I think is stunning. Is this good quality?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and answering some of my questions

 

[ma re]

I certainly am not an expert, but might be able to answer some of your questions or (more probable) raise a few dozen more in you

Colored stones are extremly broad area, and even people with years of experience find themselves without an answer to some questions. That''s why questions have to be as specific as possible, and some of yours are not.

For example, you say that you''d like gems of certain varieties and ask for price ranges, but you don''t specify sizes in question. Just like with diamonds, price per carat increases with size, so there''s no really good answer to this. Also, garnets and spinels come each in several varieties, some of which are much more expensive than others.

What you should be looking for - that''s diferent with every variety, which you''ll soon find out. For example, with aquamarines you should be looking for pretty much the same things as with blue diamonds - high clarity, as deep of a color as possible and (to an extent) a fine cut, cause quality of the cut is much more obvious in lightly colored materials. With tanzanite it''s almost the same, but the color has to be much deeper blue with a hint of purple. Both fall in the group of stones where high level of transparency is expected. With spinels or garnets criteria change with variety.

Spinel you asked about is a nice stone, but isn''t what would be described as top quality purple spinel. Of course, there''s no rule that states we should only buy top quality stones, so if you like it there''s no reason why you shouldn''t get it. THIS, however, is closer to top quality purple spinel.

So much for now, looking forward to more questions

 

[T L]

Date: 12/13/2008 3:06:29 AM
Author:Dannielle
Hi everyone,

This is my first time posting in this section. I have been looking for a diamond RHR for a few months now, but I just haven't found anything that spoke to me. Then last night I was browsing this board and saw LaurenThePartier's breathtaking collection and my heart skipped a beat.

I think that I would love to get a coloured stone, however I am very uneducated knowing nothing about stones. After browsing around online last night I really like garnets, spinels, aquamarines and tanzanite.

I have a few questions and I'd really appreciate any advice

Can anyone tell me what price I should be expecting to pay and what I should be looking out for?

Where does everyone purchase their settings from? Are there any places online that sell coloured stones already set?

This is a stone I think is stunning. Is this good quality?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and answering some of my questions

Ma Re gave a good overview. Here's what I have to add.

Of the four stone varieties you chose, I think garnets IMO, have the most to offer per price point. There are many kinds of varieties and they vary quite a bit in price, but it is possible to find a very beautiful and affordable garnet, unless money is not an object to you. Spinels, at least to me, have too much undesirable grey or brown in their modifiers, and the very good ones without those modifiers seem to be very expensive. However, I'm not a spinel expert, so I'm sure someone can guide you better on that. Aquamarines, in the last twenty years have become rare in medium to deep blue colors. Most of what you see is very light. That's fine if you like a lighter stone, but it is something to consider. Tanzanites are very overpriced right now, and very soft (not suitable for rings). If you do get a tanzanite, it's best to wear it in a pendant or earrings.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 12/13/2008 3:06:29 AM
Author:Dannielle
Hi everyone,

This is my first time posting in this section. I have been looking for a diamond RHR for a few months now, but I just haven''t found anything that spoke to me. Then last night I was browsing this board and saw LaurenThePartier''s breathtaking collection and my heart skipped a beat.

Welcome!

I think that I would love to get a coloured stone, however I am very uneducated knowing nothing about stones. After browsing around online last night I really like garnets, spinels, aquamarines and tanzanite.

I have a few questions and I''d really appreciate any advice

Can anyone tell me what price I should be expecting to pay and what I should be looking out for?

I can''t make a generalisation as to pricing. It varies wildly between species, within species, and even between vendors. As to what you should be looking for, my opinion is COLOUR. Other factors would be: suitability for use in jewellery (hardness, cleavage, etc.), clarity (my expectations change according to species), cut, rarity. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Primarily, it''s whether you love the stone or not.

Where does everyone purchase their settings from? Are there any places online that sell coloured stones already set?
I have a habit of leaving stones unset. They are so much fun to play with. At the top of the page, there is a thread listing vendors, some of who sell set stones. Do take a look.

This is a stone I think is stunning. Is this good quality?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and answering some of my questions