mapplethorpe I am not...(more fried eggs)

[Arkteia]

A photo of my pendant with a spessartine from Pala

 

[Arkteia]

earrings...

 

[Arkteia]

More earrings...you can change posts for the ones with different stones...

 

[Arkteia]

another view of my earrings...

 

[Arkteia]

And another...

 

[Arkteia]

Back view of the ring...

 

[Arkteia]

LD, I do not think it is a fried egg...Maybe a flying saucer?

 

[Arkteia]

Another view of my pendant. The color of the stone is very nice, but for some reason it lacks sparkle of other, smaller, stones. Is it the cut? Or the size? Or just different material?

 

[ma re]

A wonderful set

I especially love the pendant honestly, those diamonds create such a striking, yet elegant, difference in texture. Just lovely!

 

[virgoruby]

They''re all lovely & definitely one-of-a-kind pieces.

Thanks for sharing your pics with us.

 

[Burberrygirl]

Wow, they are gorgeous! I really love the pendant and the fact that you can wear those earrings multiple ways!

 

[LD]

WOW Crasru - a full English breakfast!

What cool earrings! Such a clever design to be able to wear them in such a different way. Did you design those as well?

Now then, where''s the ketchup?

 

[chrono]

Interesting set! I love the fact that the main earring stone is interchangeable, which gives them more flexibility and chance to be worn often. As for your pendant, is the stone eye clean? Have you louped it? Sometimes spessartites have very fine inclusions that might affect the sparkle and brilliance that one normally expects. If not, it could be the cutting.

 

[MAC-W]

very unusual design - I Like

And love how the earrings are interchangeable

What is the ''background'' material - Mother of pearl?

 

[jcrow]

very unique and modern! and pretty.

 

[Circe]

Innovative and striking - I really like the use of the MoP!

 

[Arcadian]

I love this set. Its so funky and cool! Thanks for sharing the rest of the set

I can certainly see doing something with this in ammy!

-A

 

[Arkteia]

Date: 1/8/2010 8:22:14 AM
Author: Chrono
Interesting set! I love the fact that the main earring stone is interchangeable, which gives them more flexibility and chance to be worn often. As for your pendant, is the stone eye clean? Have you louped it? Sometimes spessartites have very fine inclusions that might affect the sparkle and brilliance that one normally expects. If not, it could be the cutting.

Chrono,

As usual, thank you for sharing your invaluable experience! And for your support.

I saw the inclusions under a microscope and I suspect that they are the reason for lack of brilliance. ( I did not comment on it in my postings, but all other spess. that I have been considerning for the project were very clean and brilliant - and I passed on them. I do feel that lack of inclusions may be, alas, indication of heat-treatment although vendors tell me otherwise. But when I browsed through books, "lacylike" inclusions were mentioned everywhere. To me, inclusions are desirable. Also, Pala's spessartite has vitreous luster but it is somewhat...fatty? (I know that they may be oiled but it idoes not feel like emerald's oil - I just do not know how to describe it). Other stones feel harder.
So there are some imperfections in this stone that set it aside. Since my quirk is absence of any treatment (except for heat in stones that simply do not come unheated) I bought it.

Recently I also bought a Namibian Mandarin orange spessartite from Marc Sarosi (I am going to post pictures of it). It is included - what saves it is precision cut. But the color is pure orange, spectral, stunning. The price is quite competitive and in general I am quite happy with the purchase. Marc's vault is not for low-budget (I'd say mid-range compared to other vendors) but he has good inventory and he delivers. But before I even saw the Namibian stone on the website, I was in communication with some vendors who offered me absolutely clean, basically IF, natural Namibian spessartines that had not been treated. To me, the price was astronomical ($ 2000/ct) even given the rarity and the cut so I passed on them (they were about 4.5 ct each).

The question I am raising here is, are there IF untreated Namibian spessartines in existence? Or is absence of inclusions an indication of heat-treatment? Since I almost ran into a situation of buying mildly thermally treated demantoids for the price of untreated stones (I had mentioned it in one of my prior postings) I am skeptical about too-perfect garnets. It is probably not an issue for pyropes or rhodolites but I would like to know the situation on higher end.

 

[chrono]

Spessartites are not treated at all; and definitely none are known to be heat treated. I’m afraid that for spessartites, inclusions are not desirable; eye clean stones are what everyone aims for. Loupe clean is asking too mucy of a spessartite. I’m sorry that you were not aware of this, which led you to such a purchase. $2000/ct for a top specimen is very expensive for a spessartite! I have a precision cut 5 ct spessartite cut by Jeff White with amazing colour and saturation for FAR less.

 

[Arkteia]

OK, thank you all for your support and comments. I understand that my collection and experience is in no way comparable with what you have, but you all are incredibly nice and knowledgeable and I hope I shall continue learning from you.

Now, I do not want to get the credit for what I have not done. I did not design the set - mine the idea to use a combination of MOP and bright gems. I asked the jeweller if he could design a ring from MOP with a stone in it and he showed me the MOP ring you see (he had it) - but without the spess. So with the ring, mine was just the idea of using it for my project and finding the stone.

The pendant was also in existence, but it was hollow. In fact, it looked nice as it was, and would have looked even better with the round spess. but by the end, I was just exhausted and did not feel good about paying for another round spessartine. I like Pala''s stone and they also offered upgrading it should I want to, so I am just going with it for now. The "holes" between the stone and the setting are not noticeable IRL.

With the earrings - these did not look well. They were pieces of MOP + small diamond in the bottom. Nice and modern, but colorless diamond and white MOP created no contrast. The jeweller wanted to bezel set the spess.s and make a clasp in the back, but I thought that posts would be more interesting, easier to make and offer versatility.

I am not a designer. I have designs in mind but I have to collaborate with someone on them because I draw like a child. Basically, I have to dras what I want in the air and then someone has to draw it for me. But I have a decent sense of color. Is it OK to post opaque stones as long as they are not minerals?

LD, and ketchup is the price I paid for the project because in the course of looking for spessartines I bought some other, more pircey, stones.

And last thing - I found out that if my stones are fit for a set, but slightly different in color, combining them with MOP, black lip or diorite helps mask the differences.

 

[chrono]

Crasru,
You are much too harsh on yourself. And yes, anything with colour will be appreciated here. Opaque stones (cabochon, star, moonstones, opal and the like) and even minerals are welcome. Heck, we are always desperate for pictures.

 

[Arkteia]

Crono,

Is Jeff White's spessartine Namibian?

So far I have seen Namibian stones only at Richard Homer's and Marc Sarosi's websites. Both stones are included; both have striking orange color. As to Namibian stones, well, they are nice but would usually have reddish, yellowish or brownish secondary.

Pala has good inventory and they are very flexible. The only problem is their website - you basically have to "second guess" the color. This is the situation when you have to go to what they recommend you!

And the end to the story? When my project was finished, I was offered a huge 12-ct IF Nigerain spessartine of exceptional brightness and color, but I had already invested into the project and did not want to buy more spess.

Is it only my problem, or a situation typical for the industry? I have noticed that several dealers have offered me not-so-good material from the start, and with my lack of experience I bought it from them. But once it happens, I am never going to work with this person again. This is exactly the moment when the merchant would be back with better stones and better prices! I am afraid that a couple of gem dealers have lost me as a client because they made a mistake at the beginning.

 

[LD]

Crasru - I agree with Chrono that you are being far too hard on yourself. Most of us on this part of the forum are simply collectors, not professionals in any way, and over the years we will all admit to making horrendous mistakes. With mistakes come knowledge and this forum is a wealth of information. If ever you are considering a purchase (small, large) don''t hesitate to ask questions. There will always be somebody who knows the answer.

I agree with Chrono also in that Spess isn''t normally treated. Now of course, treatments are being developed and applied all the time in new weird and wonderful ways so treatments should never be discounted but if you''re buying from a reputable company such as Pala they should be able to fully disclosure what, if any, enhancements have been applied.

 

[Arkteia]

I hope I did not create wrong impression. Pala is very honest about its stones and even allows additional time to obtain certificates for their stones. If you are way past inspection time, they still can exchange or upgrade the stone. I expect that any decent merchant should offer return/upgrade options but have not had any firsthand experience on it.

 

[chrono]

Mine is a Loliondo, from the recent Tanzanian spessartite strike which is now dried out. I don’t buy according to origin but by the beauty of each individual stone. If the stone happens to have the luxury of the famous origin, it’s even better but I don’t purposely seek out, say a blue sapphire from Kashmir or a ruby from Burma. Namibian spessartites are also typically very small (1 ct or so) and many have eye visible inclusions, although they are known to have the purest orange so far. I have seen some Nigerian which look amazing and with very little yellow or brown, but yes, it can be a difficult search for those.

Are you at a location where return shipping to Pala is easy? When I am interested in a particular Pala stone, I always go to my favourite vendor who not only charges the least markup but also is experienced at reading the true colour of the stone from their photograph. Pala’s description is usually more accurate than their picture and the stones also photograph much lighter than the real thing. At least this is what I was told early last year, by said vendor.

Do you mind sharing who those vendors who treated you so badly are? I, too, do not wish to give my business to such people.

 

[T L]

Date: 1/8/2010 11:53:08 AM
Author: Chrono
Spessartites are not treated at all; and definitely none are known to be heat treated. I’m afraid that for spessartites, inclusions are not desirable; eye clean stones are what everyone aims for. Loupe clean is asking too mucy of a spessartite. I’m sorry that you were not aware of this, which led you to such a purchase. $2000/ct for a top specimen is very expensive for a spessartite! I have a precision cut 5 ct spessartite cut by Jeff White with amazing colour and saturation for FAR less.

Chrono,
Your stone is worth a lot more now than what you paid for it. For a stone above 4 carats, clean, and top color, I can easily see $2K/ct these days. The price rises exponentially above 4 carats for these stones, and they are rarely large, clean and vivid.

 

[T L]

Date: 1/8/2010 11:38:04 AM
Author: crasru

Date: 1/8/2010 8:22:14 AM
Author: Chrono
Interesting set! I love the fact that the main earring stone is interchangeable, which gives them more flexibility and chance to be worn often. As for your pendant, is the stone eye clean? Have you louped it? Sometimes spessartites have very fine inclusions that might affect the sparkle and brilliance that one normally expects. If not, it could be the cutting.

Chrono,

As usual, thank you for sharing your invaluable experience! And for your support.

I saw the inclusions under a microscope and I suspect that they are the reason for lack of brilliance. ( I did not comment on it in my postings, but all other spess. that I have been considerning for the project were very clean and brilliant - and I passed on them. I do feel that lack of inclusions may be, alas, indication of heat-treatment although vendors tell me otherwise. But when I browsed through books, 'lacylike' inclusions were mentioned everywhere. To me, inclusions are desirable. Also, Pala's spessartite has vitreous luster but it is somewhat...fatty? (I know that they may be oiled but it idoes not feel like emerald's oil - I just do not know how to describe it). Other stones feel harder.
So there are some imperfections in this stone that set it aside. Since my quirk is absence of any treatment (except for heat in stones that simply do not come unheated) I bought it.

Recently I also bought a Namibian Mandarin orange spessartite from Marc Sarosi (I am going to post pictures of it). It is included - what saves it is precision cut. But the color is pure orange, spectral, stunning. The price is quite competitive and in general I am quite happy with the purchase. Marc's vault is not for low-budget (I'd say mid-range compared to other vendors) but he has good inventory and he delivers. But before I even saw the Namibian stone on the website, I was in communication with some vendors who offered me absolutely clean, basically IF, natural Namibian spessartines that had not been treated. To me, the price was astronomical ($ 2000/ct) even given the rarity and the cut so I passed on them (they were about 4.5 ct each).

The question I am raising here is, are there IF untreated Namibian spessartines in existence? Or is absence of inclusions an indication of heat-treatment? Since I almost ran into a situation of buying mildly thermally treated demantoids for the price of untreated stones (I had mentioned it in one of my prior postings) I am skeptical about too-perfect garnets. It is probably not an issue for pyropes or rhodolites but I would like to know the situation on higher end.

I have a Fanta orange spessartite. I bought it many years ago and it was in a parcel of very included stones. It was the cleanest one by far, and it has the most faint sleepiness, but you wouldn't notice it unless you held it next to a very crystal stone. In fact, I never noticed it until I held iit next to a Nigerian spessartite of exceptional crystal and IF clarity. My suspicion is my stone is Namibian (they tend to have some sleepiness) but I cannot prove it. It has one wispy veil of a Namibian stone, some maganese spots only visible with a loupe, but other than that, it's clean. Therefore, I suspect that there are very clean Namibian stones, but ones that are IF and over four carats, of exceptional vivid orange color, would command $2K/ct AT LEAST.

I also have a Tanzanian spess and a Nigerian one. The Tanzanian is more yellow and the Nigerian one is more brown, but you wouldn't notice the undertones that much unless you place it next to the one I suspect is Namibian. It's pretty vivid. That being said, a fine stone is a fine stone regardless of origin.

Here's a picture of my three spessarites for reference. Nigerian on the left, and Tanzanian on the right. 3.5, 4 and 6.16 carats respectively.

As for garnets undergoing treatment, the only one I know of is demantoid which can be heated. Otherwise, garnets are not treated (at least to my existing knowledge).

 

[Arkteia]

You know what? I like the one that you suspect is Namibian but I also like the Tanzanian one! Is this the strike that has died out? I wanted to buy something from that strike but waited to hear opinions of other people. Too late, I guess.

In fact, they all are great and the Nigerian one sparkles a lot. Fun to look at them.

 

[Arkteia]

Date: 1/8/2010 8:22:14 AM
Author: Chrono
Interesting set! I love the fact that the main earring stone is interchangeable, which gives them more flexibility and chance to be worn often. As for your pendant, is the stone eye clean? Have you louped it? Sometimes spessartites have very fine inclusions that might affect the sparkle and brilliance that one normally expects. If not, it could be the cutting.

You know, Chrono - hopefully, you will not be too unhappy if I do not give out their names. They are not I-net vendors.

First, they are reputable people and good jewellers.
Second, it is their bread and butter. I saw too many places going out of business and I believe that the way to keep prices lower is to keep more people in, to create competition - it is a very competitive business.
Third, part of it might have been my fault. Gem store is a place where you need to bargain, and I hate bargaining. Also, I expressed too much interest in these stones - that is exactly what you should not do! The moment they got a message I was considering other options - the prices went down. Unlike Arcadian, I also came unprepared.

I doubt you shall buy from them because they own small businesses. One of them is straight across the street from the place where I used to work. And I suspect it is going to go out of business pretty soon.

The only chain store that treated me badly is worth mentioning, and it is Ultra Diamonds. One of these days I shall post a saga about it.

How common is it for a GIA-certified diamond to have no lazer inscription on it?

 

[Arkteia]

I still feel sorry, Chrono, but I try not to speak ill of anyone, and it is very hard for me to fire people. It is self-disclosure but...you see, I believe in karma.