my spinel dilemma - need help!

[kt]

Many of you saw my pink spinel that I got that had the bubble in the table - and while I LOVED the color, it breaks my heart but I am sending it back - it was just too obvious for me. Even my DH could see it and he NEVER comments on my stuff!

So i'm back to looking for a spinel for my unplated-white-gold-ring from DanielM on Etsy, and i'm also back to considering lavender/purple, in addition to the original pink. (My daughter's birthstone is amethyst so I was thinking a medium-light spinel could be a good stand-in!). Would love your opinion on these two stones; Caren thinks an oval could work in the design as well as a cushion so I can always ask the CADS to be modified. I'm including a pic of the ring, too.

Stats:
purple lavender oval is 7 x 5.8 x 4.8 (1.55 ct) ("medium-light purple, nicer in person than shown" - does not go grey in incandescent)
pink cushion is 6.6 x 5.8 (1.5 ct) (a bit lighter/less saturated than my original pink stone, but smaller)

Or, I could see if dana could find some rough that's close in color to the original pink and cut something?
THANKS!

 

[SB621]

I personally like the second stone better but is is hard to tell with those pictures.

If your heart is set on the first color though (the one you returned) I would keep looking or asking Dana if he can cut something for you. I think you will love the ring that much more if you don't rush it and really find a color that you love in it.

 

[Aoife]

I think spinels in the lighter colors are notoriously hard to evaluate from photos. The first one looks slightly grey, and the second one slightly brownish. In reality, they may look totally different from their photos. The first one you posted is very reasonably priced, I'm not sure about the second--could you get them both in and take a look side by side?

 

[kt]

They are both priced about the same, and my original intent was to find something in the medium-light range when I first started this project - I wasn't even considering the pink I got until I saw the stone! I can easily get the purple one shipped to me to look at, but the pink one not so much - it's about $20 just in shipping, then to ship it back if I don't like it. I think with the purple, in addition to the color (which I really really like in the photo at the moment) i'm just wondering if the oval shape would work, so I have an email out to Caren @ Daniel M to get her opinion as well.

 

[Aoife]

They are both priced about the same, and my original intent was to find something in the medium-light range when I first started this project - I wasn't even considering the pink I got until I saw the stone! I can easily get the purple one shipped to me to look at, but the pink one not so much - it's about $20 just in shipping, then to ship it back if I don't like it. I think with the purple, in addition to the color (which I really really like in the photo at the moment) i'm just wondering if the oval shape would work, so I have an email out to Caren @ Daniel M to get her opinion as well.

The lavender one is a fat oval, so it seems to me as though it would work. Personally, I'd be inclined to take a look at it IRL if it is in the general tone and color you had in mind originally.

 

[kt]

Oh god I think I must be crazy but here I was packing up my little stone to send back when I decided to look at it again...and now I don't know if I should send it back!!!!! I am wondering if I can have it sent to caren to have her try it out in the setting and see if the semi-bezel would be enough to "hide" the bubble, and get an extension on the return policy. Has anyone ever done this before??? So torn as to what to do!!!! I must be nuts.

 

[pregcurious]

Hmm, it sounds like you really like the color of the original pink stone. I think you should go for what you really want, and that sounds like pink, eye clean, cushion. I think if you wait for the right stone to come, you will be happier in the long run.

It might help to write your thoughts down so have your reasoning on paper for the next time to avoid impulse buys. I've started doing this for the ring project I am working on, and it helped me straighten out my feelings and thoughts on what I do and don't like over a long period of time.

 

[kt]

Definitely not a bad idea! I think what's making this especially hard is that I originally was looking for something lighter to go with the white metal and then when this arrived, it was so beautiful it blew me away - in essence, a great "mistake" since I was expecting something much lighter. I really now want to keep it, especially if the inclusion can be masked. Dang.

 

[chrono]

I don't like both stones, especially compared to your original Litnon spinel. The saturation seems lacking in these pictures.