Need some opinion on this rhodolite garnet

[cookies]

I totally want this Winfield's Passion ring. The center stone is a 4.44ct Rubellite Tourmaline cut by Richard Homer, which I could not really afford at this point. Thus I have been looking for an alternative stone that would look very similar and just as good in that setting.



What do you think of this 12mmx8.9mm Rhodolite Garnet at D&J Rare Gems? It was cut by John and the photo was taken by Donna. I like the deep red color, but am not sure if it will look too dark in real life. The description says it is eye clean, in medium-dark pinkish red, and in round flower brilliant cut. I was thinking maybe a re-cut by Richard will make it brighter? My budget for re-cutting is ~$1K.

 

[chrono]

I am unsure how much a recut will help; most rhodolites have a tendency to be dark in the first place and this seems to be very common as the size of the stone increases. If you do a search on PS, there have been many threads on this recently. My main concern with any rhodolite is whether (and how badly) it will black out under low light condition.

 

[cookies]

I am unsure how much a recut will help; most rhodolites have a tendency to be dark in the first place and this seems to be very common as the size of the stone increases. If you do a search on PS, there have been many threads on this recently. My main concern with any rhodolite is whether (and how badly) it will black out under low light condition.

I went through some old threads and it seems the consensus is to pick light-medium pinkish red, not medium-dark or dark, as once set, it will become darker.

So it seems like I should either ask for more photos or just order it to see in person. They have a 30-day return policy. Not sure which way is better; their site says "Due to the recent increase in the frivolous requests for additional images and certificates we now require a $100 US non-refundable deposit prior to filling these requests. The deposit will be applied towards the purchase price of the gem."

 

[chrono]

I’m sure the shipping back and forth will cost far less than $100 photography fee should you need to return the stone, so I’d rather go that route if you are still interested in that particular rubellite. Personally, I find it too dark for my taste.

 

[movie zombie]

Personally, I find it too dark for my taste.

agreed.

i'd go further and say don't expect a red garnet to perform as a red tourmaline. they are very different creatures. perhaps you might want to save $ and get what you really want in the first place.....you might always feel you've settled for less otherwise. the money spent on shipping, returns, and a recut adds up and could be applied to a stone you really do desire.

MoZo

 

[T L]

That's not a fine color for a rhodolite and looks very dark to me. Lots of extinction and very little of the purplish pink I would expect to see in a fine rhodolite.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

What do you think of this 12mmx8.9mm Rhodolite Garnet at D&J Rare Gems? It was cut by John and the photo was taken by Donna. I like the deep red color, but am not sure if it will look too dark in real life. The description says it is eye clean, in medium-dark pinkish red, and in round flower brilliant cut. I was thinking maybe a re-cut by Richard will make it brighter? My budget for re-cutting is ~$1K.

I would put the recut budget towards getting an excellent stone to start with, instead of risking a recut.

 

[Michael_E]

That rhodolite could be made brighter by making the pavilion shallower. I'm sure that the original cut as done to get the best weight return on the rough as well as to make the color more red than pink. Re-cutting a stone like that as a concave cut will not make it brighter. Concave cutting could possible make a dark stone brighter, but only if the number of pavilion facets was increased dramatically and even then I doubt if you'd see a dramatic increase in brightness.

I kind of got a chuckle about the comments regarding garnets getting overly dark in low lighting...any dark stone is too dark for low lighting. Sapphire, garnet, tourmaline or anything else that starts off dark is going to end up MUCH darker in low light conditions. You can't have it all in any stone that is in this price range and so it shouldn't be something that is considered a detriment, it's just what you get in the low to moderate price ranges. That's why really expensive stones are really expensive.

 

[chrono]

Michael,
What the other posters (and myself) are trying to say is that most rhodolites are dark to begin with, so obviously they are going to get darker when the lighting condition is low. Not only that, most rhodolites show a good amount of extinction which is another caution we wanted to advice. Not all dark stones are going to show this characteristic though.

 

[PrecisionGem]

$1K sounds very expensive for a recut. A 4-5 ct Rhodolite with excellent cutting and excellent color shouldn't cost $1000.

 

[movie zombie]

That rhodolite could be made brighter by making the pavilion shallower. I'm sure that the original cut as done to get the best weight return on the rough as well as to make the color more red than pink. Re-cutting a stone like that as a concave cut will not make it brighter. Concave cutting could possible make a dark stone brighter, but only if the number of pavilion facets was increased dramatically and even then I doubt if you'd see a dramatic increase in brightness.

I kind of got a chuckle about the comments regarding garnets getting overly dark in low lighting...any dark stone is too dark for low lighting. Sapphire, garnet, tourmaline or anything else that starts off dark is going to end up MUCH darker in low light conditions. You can't have it all in any stone that is in this price range and so it shouldn't be something that is considered a detriment, it's just what you get in the low to moderate price ranges. That's why really expensive stones are really expensive.

ain't that the truth?!

MoZo

 

[T L]

$1K sounds very expensive for a recut. A 4-5 ct Rhodolite with excellent cutting and excellent color shouldn't cost $1000.

Gene,
Not everyone has your great pricing. I have seen very nice colored rhodolites above 5 carats for $1K. The retail world is full of high pricing, but I think with rhodolite, that is one stone you can afford to shop around on. I have a 5 carat rhodolite that color, it was $20. It's very pretty and I should set it one of these days, but it's not what I would call top top top material. I got it from Ruffysdad and he has some low priced, but very pretty garnet material. He cut the stone himself, high antique crown and small table, very nice gem.

 

[T L]

You can't have it all in any stone that is in this price range and so it shouldn't be something that is considered a detriment, it's just what you get in the low to moderate price ranges. That's why really expensive stones are really expensive.

I agree with this for rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and alexandrites, and perhaps some other stones. I do not agree with this comment on all gems. Some gems are very beautiful, but undervalued, so you can still get some great deals. The prices may rise as well in the future.

 

[cookies]

Just want to clarify -- I don't have much idea about how much a re-cut usually costs. Maybe a few hundred? $1K is just the maximum I am willing to pay for an excellent re-cut.

 

[T L]

Just want to clarify -- I don't have much idea about how much a re-cut usually costs. Maybe a few hundred? $1K is just the maximum I am willing to pay for an excellent re-cut.

A fancy designer/cutter with a "name" may charge a lot more than someone who also cuts well, but doesn't have a big name in the industry. So that's something to consider. I know that some recuts are around $150 to $200 for an average size stone, but that's from someone that doesn't have a big name. For example, Richard Homer has a big name in the trade, as well as John Dyer. Both are very famous lapidaries.

 

[movie zombie]

Just want to clarify -- I don't have much idea about how much a re-cut usually costs. Maybe a few hundred? $1K is just the maximum I am willing to pay for an excellent re-cut.

add what you're willing to pay for a re-cut to the actual stone and you'll see a marked difference in the quality of stone.

MoZo

ps there is no guarantee a recut is going to get what you want....its still playing a game of chance.

 

[Michael_E]

Not only that, most rhodolites show a good amount of extinction which is another caution we wanted to advice. Not all dark stones are going to show this characteristic though.

Chrono,
I wasn't going to comment again on this thread, but I have never seen a dark toned stone of any variety which didn't show a good amount of extinction under low light conditions. Perhaps you could let me know what stones don't do this ?

 

[colormyworld]

Not only that, most rhodolites show a good amount of extinction which is another caution we wanted to advice. Not all dark stones are going to show this characteristic though.

Chrono,
I wasn't going to comment again on this thread, but I have never seen a dark toned stone of any variety which didn't show a good amount of extinction under low light conditions. Perhaps you could let me know what stones don't do this ?

Good question Micheal. I also wonder who "we" is. Kinda sounds as if the response was from a group.

 

[Largosmom]

Well you know, some of Chrono's jewelry has somewhat attained a life of it's own so "we" is appropriate in this case.