More Alex Help, Please

[Andelain]

Hello again

I'm looking for a nice Alex, with good color change. I notice multicolour.com has lots of them, and there's one that caught my eye. How accurate are the colors in their pics from your experiences? The one I'm looking at is billed as having moderate to strong color change, and is from Tanzania. Is this a trustworthy seller?

 

[FrekeChild]

Yes, they are trustworthy. I'll let someone else come in and tell you more.

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ly-got-an-alexandrite-read-this-first.179784/

 

[minousbijoux]

Not only trustworthy, but the owner, David Weinberg, is considered one of the foremost experts on alexandrite. You might also want to contact them/him and ask opinions on various stones - I understand that he is extremely helpful.

 

[Andelain]

Not only trustworthy, but the owner, David Weinberg, is considered one of the foremost experts on alexandrite. You might also want to contact them/him and ask opinions on various stones - I understand that he is extremely helpful.

That's good to hear. Any thoughts on how accurate the color is in thier pics? i'm on the fence about posting the one I want, I'm afraid of it getting poached, but I want to get opinions. It's well into 4 figures on price.

 

[minousbijoux]

Among others, LD is quite knowledgeable about the stones as well as Multicolour. Let me see if I can have her stop around and give her thoughts....

 

[Andelain]

Among others, LD is quite knowledgeable about the stones as well as Multicolour. Let me see if I can have her stop around and give her thoughts....

That would be greatly appreciated, as is anyone else's help.

Here it is...

 

[minousbijoux]

I'll be honest and say that it is not my ideal for an alex, as it both colorways are kind of muddy, you know? But you are not the first one to love those colorways! If you like, you can contact me through one of my ancient listings on LT or DB and share more info and I can give you more thoughts, but I am out the door until much later today so I probably could not respond until tomorrow.

Again, the best would be to hear from LD, but it is Saturday and I'm sure she is out and about.

 

[Andelain]

I'll be honest and say that it is not my ideal for an alex, as it both colorways are kind of muddy, you know? But you are not the first one to love those colorways! If you like, you can contact me through one of my ancient listings on LT or DB and share more info and I can give you more thoughts, but I am out the door until much later today so I probably could not respond until tomorrow.

Again, the best would be to hear from LD, but it is Saturday and I'm sure she is out and about.

Message sent. I know the color isn't ideal, but it looks pretty good in the pics. The one with the really nice color that I saw cost 3 times as much

 

[LD]

I'm here!

Let me see if I can answer your questions!

1. Are Multicolour photographs accurate? They are about as accurate as you can get with Alex (which is a nightmare to photograph as you know). Will it be exactly as to what you'll see in real life? Maybe not - there will be differences. David does his best to depict the stones well but seriously it's an uphill task with no shoes on! So, use them as an indication only and more to look at cut and clarity.

2. Description - look at the description. Those are usually far more reliable. So, basically if David says "strong colour change" then it's probably a good done.

3. Now looking at the stone you've picked - I don't agree with Minou that it's muddy as it's got great clarity. The issue with it however is the colour. There is a lot of brown in both colourways. The green is a very olivey yellow brown green and the incandescent colourway is a sort of peachy brown. Typically these colours are not the higher priced ones. Having said that, for the size it's got great clarity and cut. However, you can see from the price and also the description on this one that it's not top grade and the moderate colour change brings the price down loads.

How do you feel about seeing brown in your stones? If you're not fussed about that then, just for the size/clarity it might be worth seeing. I've found several others but they're just over the 1ct mark for about $1000 less than the one you like that have much more promise. If you're interested I'm happy to link to them.

 

[LD]

Just found some photos so you can compare accuracy.

The incandescent colourway in David's photos is very accurate - as you can see from mine which matches it almost exactly.

However look at the green. In the one with the black background you can see the red/purple desperately trying to get through so it's not accurate and looks more green in real life. Now look at the second photograph - the incandescent is consistent again but the green looks totally different and actually is lighter than it is in real life.

 

[Andelain]

I'm here!

Let me see if I can answer your questions!

1. Are Multicolour photographs accurate? They are about as accurate as you can get with Alex (which is a nightmare to photograph as you know). Will it be exactly as to what you'll see in real life? Maybe not - there will be differences. David does his best to depict the stones well but seriously it's an uphill task with no shoes on! So, use them as an indication only and more to look at cut and clarity.

2. Description - look at the description. Those are usually far more reliable. So, basically if David says "strong colour change" then it's probably a good done.

3. Now looking at the stone you've picked - I don't agree with Minou that it's muddy as it's got great clarity. The issue with it however is the colour. There is a lot of brown in both colourways. The green is a very olivey yellow brown green and the incandescent colourway is a sort of peachy brown. Typically these colours are not the higher priced ones. Having said that, for the size it's got great clarity and cut. However, you can see from the price and also the description on this one that it's not top grade and the moderate colour change brings the price down loads.

How do you feel about seeing brown in your stones? If you're not fussed about that then, just for the size/clarity it might be worth seeing. I've found several others but they're just over the 1ct mark for about $1000 less than the one you like that have much more promise. If you're interested I'm happy to link to them.

Please do link to them. Simolar stones from other vendors welcome, too. BTW, that stone is around 5 carats. I'm looking for a statement stone. Do you know which it is on his site? Do you think it's a good value for price for what it is?

And thank you very much.

 

[Andelain]

How do you feel about seeing brown in your stones? If you're not fussed about that then, just for the size/clarity it might be worth seeing. I've found several others but they're just over the 1ct mark for about $1000 less than the one you like that have much more promise. If you're interested I'm happy to link to them.

I don't mind seeing a but of browm, as long as that's not the predominate color. I'm also concerned about the stone not being too light or too dark. I have another Alex with great color change, but it's just too dark.

 

[Andelain]

Just found some photos so you can compare accuracy.

The incandescent colourway in David's photos is very accurate - as you can see from mine which matches it almost exactly.

However look at the green. In the one with the black background you can see the red/purple desperately trying to get through so it's not accurate and looks more green in real life. Now look at the second photograph - the incandescent is consistent again but the green looks totally different and actually is lighter than it is in real life.

I want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly, the top pic is yours? You're saying your eyes see more green in your stone than the top pics shows, so how does what you see compare to the bottom pic?

 

[LD]

I looked up the stone Andelain before commenting so realised it was over 5ct which is why I said that for a stone that size and that clean it's priced very well.

It depends what you're looking for. If you're looking for size rather than quality (and I don't mean that in a disrespectful way), then the 5ct is a good option.

Using the price for that one though, these are a little cheaper but MUCH smaller. However they show tons of promise:-

This is an ok stone. David's comments about it are accurate I think. This isn't my cup of tea (because of the colours but I'm just showing you options.
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-1453931138

This is the one I'd get. The downside is that it's a small fat pear with a big bum so won't face up big. However, the colourways in both lights is good and I suspect will be better in real life. This is a potential "investment" stone iykwim. This one probably won't lose its value.
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?1281220752

This one I would need to ask David about. It has potential but I'd want to know exactly how much the tip darkens out in real life. The daylight colour on this one I suspect will be gorgeous.
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-1698870590

This is one I'd like to see a video of. It has a slight silkiness but it's a good size and potentially a better colourway than the one you picked. However, it's expensive.
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?1942340861

This is a really strange one. It has a bow tie but that's because it has to be very shallow. It's only 0.75ct but it's over 7mm in length!!!!!
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?1824288082

What I would say is that David will often put stones together and video them for you. If there's any that appeal I would ask him to do that.

In terms of other vendors? I've never found anybody to have such good material as Multicolour and certainly not the inventory. If you're lucky you'll find the odd one here and there but quality will range from rubbish to occasional a brilliant one but you need to be in the right place at the right time to see it!

 

[LD]

Just found some photos so you can compare accuracy.

The incandescent colourway in David's photos is very accurate - as you can see from mine which matches it almost exactly.

However look at the green. In the one with the black background you can see the red/purple desperately trying to get through so it's not accurate and looks more green in real life. Now look at the second photograph - the incandescent is consistent again but the green looks totally different and actually is lighter than it is in real life.

I want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly, the top pic is yours? You're saying your eyes see more green in your stone than the top pics shows, so how does what you see compare to the bottom pic?

No. Look at the first photo - it has 3 sections. The two photos on the black background are from David and if you look closely at the one showing the green colourway you'll see it's not accurate because you can already see the purple desperately trying to get through. IRL my stone is quite green and this is not an accurate photo of the green colourway. The one directly underneath it, taken in the ring box is a photo I took of it.

The second photo has 2 photos on it. The green in this is too light for what I see IRL.

I've just found another photo David took of the green and this is more accurate. It's still not quite right because my eyes see a more deeper green rather than this grey/green but it's about as accurate as I've seen of the daylight colour.

 

[LD]

Ok found this photo. This is typically the green that you'll see in daylight. Unfortunately this stone had very little colour change (which is why it was much more easy to capture the green on camera.

 

[Andelain]

I looked up the stone Andelain before commenting so realised it was over 5ct which is why I said that for a stone that size and that clean it's priced very well.

It depends what you're looking for. If you're looking for size rather than quality (and I don't mean that in a disrespectful way), then the 5ct is a good option.

Using the price for that one though, these are a little cheaper but MUCH smaller. However they show tons of promise:-

This is an ok stone. David's comments about it are accurate I think. This isn't my cup of tea (because of the colours but I'm just showing you options.
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-1453931138

This is the one I'd get. The downside is that it's a small fat pear with a big bum so won't face up big. However, the colourways in both lights is good and I suspect will be better in real life. This is a potential "investment" stone iykwim. This one probably won't lose its value.
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?1281220752

This one I would need to ask David about. It has potential but I'd want to know exactly how much the tip darkens out in real life. The daylight colour on this one I suspect will be gorgeous.
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-1698870590

This is one I'd like to see a video of. It has a slight silkiness but it's a good size and potentially a better colourway than the one you picked. However, it's expensive.
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?1942340861

This is a really strange one. It has a bow tie but that's because it has to be very shallow. It's only 0.75ct but it's over 7mm in length!!!!!
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?1824288082

What I would say is that David will often put stones together and video them for you. If there's any that appeal I would ask him to do that.

In terms of other vendors? I've never found anybody to have such good material as Multicolour and certainly not the inventory. If you're lucky you'll find the odd one here and there but quality will range from rubbish to occasional a brilliant one but you need to be in the right place at the right time to see it!

OK, good. Guess I was getting confused, so I asked to be sure. Wow, some real nice stones here. For what I want to do, I do need size. That rules out the smaller ones. And I might be lucky in that I much prefer the green on 'mine to the green on a couple of these. I can't stand teal, but love yellowish green.But the red on a couple of these.... wow. Especially on the .75. The 4 carat does have some nice color, but I can't swing $10k. With all that, are there any other vendors that might have what I'm looking for? I really appreciate you helping me here, you really know your Alex's

 

[Andelain]

No. Look at the first photo - it has 3 sections. The two photos on the black background are from David and if you look closely at the one showing the green colourway you'll see it's not accurate because you can already see the purple desperately trying to get through. IRL my stone is quite green and this is not an accurate photo of the green colourway. The one directly underneath it, taken in the ring box is a photo I took of it.

The second photo has 2 photos on it. The green in this is too light for what I see IRL.

I've just found another photo David took of the green and this is more accurate. It's still not quite right because my eyes see a more deeper green rather than this grey/green but it's about as accurate as I've seen of the daylight colour.

OK, I had it backward, sorry. Looking at this makes me thing the green on 'mine' might be even better than the pic. I read your write-up and saw that the green is very hard to get pics of.

 

[LD]

No. Look at the first photo - it has 3 sections. The two photos on the black background are from David and if you look closely at the one showing the green colourway you'll see it's not accurate because you can already see the purple desperately trying to get through. IRL my stone is quite green and this is not an accurate photo of the green colourway. The one directly underneath it, taken in the ring box is a photo I took of it.

The second photo has 2 photos on it. The green in this is too light for what I see IRL.

I've just found another photo David took of the green and this is more accurate. It's still not quite right because my eyes see a more deeper green rather than this grey/green but it's about as accurate as I've seen of the daylight colour.

OK, I had it backward, sorry. Looking at this makes me thing the green on 'mine' might be even better than the pic. I read your write-up and saw that the green is very hard to get pics of.

No what I'm saying is that the green will be impossible to photograph accurately. I suspect that the 5ct one you like will be a really yellow/brown green. If that's what you like then definitely go for it but seeing this much brown/yellow in an Alex brings the price whizzing down. However what you have lost in colour, you will have gained in size and clarity. If you need size for your project then this is a good one.

 

[Andelain]

No what I'm saying is that the green will be impossible to photograph accurately. I suspect that the 5ct one you like will be a really yellow/brown green. If that's what you like then definitely go for it but seeing this much brown/yellow in an Alex brings the price whizzing down. However what you have lost in colour, you will have gained in size and clarity. If you need size for your project then this is a good one.

OK, so you think the color will be worse then the pic? That's not good. I like the color I see, but don't want to see less green. I love the colr on this one, just wish it were larger. http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-1453931138

 

[LD]

No I'm not saying it's worse. What I'm saying is that it possibly won't be an accurate photo BUT ask David for a video.

I don't like to see brown in my gemstones and brown/yellow in an Alex is not for me. I need to see much more green. In terms of pricing, the more yellow/brown you see, the lower the price, which is brilliant if you don't mind seeing it because you'll get a great stone at a lower price. Does that make sense? Just don't forget the value in an alex is in the colour and strength of colour change.

So what I'm saying is that it's not for me but I can understand its appeal. The size is a real pull!

Ask David for a video and see if that helps.

 

[Andelain]

No I'm not saying it's worse. What I'm saying is that it possibly won't be an accurate photo BUT ask David for a video.

I don't like to see brown in my gemstones and brown/yellow in an Alex is not for me. I need to see much more green. In terms of pricing, the more yellow/brown you see, the lower the price, which is brilliant if you don't mind seeing it because you'll get a great stone at a lower price. Does that make sense? Just don't forget the value in an alex is in the colour and strength of colour change.

So what I'm saying is that it's not for me but I can understand its appeal. The size is a real pull!

Ask David for a video and see if that helps.

OK, that makes sense. I agree, I like a lot of green, but hate any blue in my green, so I can be hard to please.

Are there any other vendors I can look at for a nice stone? I want to stay north of 2.5 carats, preferable over 4.

 

[FrekeChild]

Lol Andelain! You will find that liking yellow-green around here is lonely! Much like me and greys....

 

[Andelain]

Lol Andelain! You will find that liking yellow-green around here is lonely! Much like me and greys....

I know!

It makes it hard to shop for reen Tourmaline, because so many have blue overtones.

 

[minousbijoux]

Now looking at the stone you've picked - I don't agree with Minou that it's muddy as it's got great clarity. The issue with it however is the colour. There is a lot of brown in both colourways. The green is a very olivey yellow brown green and the incandescent colourway is a sort of peachy brown. Typically these colours are not the higher priced ones.
How do you feel about seeing brown in your stones? If you're not fussed about that then, just for the size/clarity it might be worth seeing. I've found several others but they're just over the 1ct mark for about $1000 less than the one you like that have much more promise. If you're interested I'm happy to link to them.

Exactly what I was trying to say by calling it muddy. Sorry, as I ended up confusing things by trying to avoid the word brown...

 

[minousbijoux]

Wow, just finished reading. LD went above and beyond, the little stinker!

I'm not one to ask for guidance because I like the teal green in alex - apparently the opposite of you. The fact that you want a big one makes your task somewhat easier, in that most 5+ ct stones will be so astronomically priced as to price themselves out of the running. I would suggest asking David as LD has suggested. You are lucky that you don't mind some brown and you prefer a yellowy green. But do make sure you get one with a strong color change by asking David.

And no, unfortunately, there really is no other place that I can think of that has the excellent pricing and diversity that Multicolour has.

Andelain: are you involved in any of the FB gem groups? You could always ask there. If you are interested, you can go to FB and look up "Fine Faceted Gems" and it should return a number of groups for you to join. This is a good starting point to ask about leads on other alex vendors. Just be careful and do your due diligence on whatever vendors you consider.

 

[Andelain]

Wow, just finished reading. LD went above and beyond, the little stinker!

I'm not one to ask for guidance because I like the teal green in alex - apparently the opposite of you. The fact that you want a big one makes your task somewhat easier, in that most 5+ ct stones will be so astronomically priced as to price themselves out of the running. I would suggest asking David as LD has suggested. You are lucky that you don't mind some brown and you prefer a yellowy green. But do make sure you get one with a strong color change by asking David.

And no, unfortunately, there really is no other place that I can think of that has the excellent pricing and diversity that Multicolour has.

Andelain: are you involved in any of the FB gem groups? You could always ask there. If you are interested, you can go to FB and look up "Fine Faceted Gems" and it should return a number of groups for you to join. This is a good starting point to ask about leads on other alex vendors. Just be careful and do your due diligence on whatever vendors you consider.

I did ask for a video, hopefully I get that soon. As for the FB groups, all I found is the sales group and the auction group. Should I be looking for another group?

 

[minousbijoux]

Wow, just finished reading. LD went above and beyond, the little stinker!

I'm not one to ask for guidance because I like the teal green in alex - apparently the opposite of you. The fact that you want a big one makes your task somewhat easier, in that most 5+ ct stones will be so astronomically priced as to price themselves out of the running. I would suggest asking David as LD has suggested. You are lucky that you don't mind some brown and you prefer a yellowy green. But do make sure you get one with a strong color change by asking David.

And no, unfortunately, there really is no other place that I can think of that has the excellent pricing and diversity that Multicolour has.

Andelain: are you involved in any of the FB gem groups? You could always ask there. If you are interested, you can go to FB and look up "Fine Faceted Gems" and it should return a number of groups for you to join. This is a good starting point to ask about leads on other alex vendors. Just be careful and do your due diligence on whatever vendors you consider.

I did ask for a video, hopefully I get that soon. As for the FB groups, all I found is the sales group and the auction group. Should I be looking for another group?

No, the sales group was the group I was referring to. If you put out a general request there, you might get leads. The people that I know in the group are helpful and since everyone has a love of gemology and stones, will be happy to help you - though I honestly don't know that there are other vendors as well known and as highly thought of as David at Multicolour. You just never know, though.

 

[GregS]

I bought my Alexandrite from Multicolour and if you want an Alexandrite they are the way to go.

 

[chrono]

MC seems to have a fairly large inventory for alexandrites and that's who I would go to if I wanted one as well. In terms of colour, it seems like this suits your wants very well. A video is the next step to confirm colouration since alexandrites don't photograph well.