Opinion on this CS

[agapitor]

Given my previous ebay purchase faux pas I am now looking at colored stones with much trepidation. I found this Rhodolite Garnet and was hoping hoping to get your opinion.

http://www.ajsgem.com/garnet/rhodolite-garnet/rhodolite-garnet-2.48-carats.html

The vendor is one of the vendors listed in PS so I'm assuming it's a reputable one. thank you.

 

[StonieGrl]

Hi agapitor:

Actually, the vendor list is a compliation of vendors, not APPROVED vendors, or vendors we like per se.

If the search capacity is working well here, you can look at vendors on past threads. You will see certain vendors who have an unblemished record of fine customer service, vendors who have a spotty history, and vendors who have certain quirks only you can decide if they are okay with you.

In my case, I buy stones from Barry Bridgestock, acs gemstones, Gene Flanigan precision gems, Andrew Gulij at gemfix, and I have bought from Dan/Cynthia Stair. Good experiences from all of them, some great stones.

 

[Arcadian]

I have bought from AJS in the past. Rung and Arnold are very good people to work with. I purchased my mahenge spinel from them, and I absolutely love it. it was spot on for color. The tourmaline from them did miss the mark as far as my expectations, but it was easy to return it.

Both are very communicative and I would have no issues buying from them again. I'm looking on their site for other stuff all the time (shame on me )


Now on to that stone. I would worry it would be too dark in the middle however, its also best that you send them a message if you have any questions about a particular stone you have in mind.

They disclose stone treatments, and if you want a independent lab cert, they can get it for you (its an extra cost though)

I think that any vendor will have an issue when it comes to color because they can't always account for what type of screens a potential customer has. So do engage them if you're interested in something. I have almost always gotten emails back in 24-48 hours.

-A

 

[agapitor]

Hi agapitor:

Actually, the vendor list is a compliation of vendors, not APPROVED vendors, or vendors we like per se.

In my case, I buy stones from Barry Bridgestock, acs gemstones, Gene Flanigan precision gems, Andrew Gulij at gemfix, and I have bought from Dan/Cynthia Stair. Good experiences from all of them, some great stones.

I have bought from AJS in the past. Rung and Arnold are very good people to work with. I purchased my mahenge spinel from them, and I absolutely love it. it was spot on for color. The tourmaline from them did miss the mark as far as my expectations, but it was easy to return it.

Both are very communicative and I would have no issues buying from them again. I'm looking on their site for other stuff all the time (shame on me )


Thank you both for the valuable information. I've only contacted Jeff White for a future sapphire ring that I'm saving up for. Honestly though, I am slightly embarrassed to contact vendors because right now I'm just looking for an inexpensive stone to get me started. I have this perception that if the vendor cuts a specific stone just for you, the stone will likely be over my budget. Am I wrong?

Also, since I'm so inexperienced with buying CS I don't really even know what is a good quality. Do I just look at the color and think.. well that's pretty. That's probably another reason I'm hesitant to disturb these vendors by contacting them.. I don't really know what I want. Do I just tell them, I have $50 what can I get for that or would they just laugh and hang up

How did everyone get started on their CS kick? I started on PS in search of opinions and information on a diamond. It seems to me to looking at CS is just a whole different ball game.

 

[StonieGrl]

Everyone starts somewhere money-wise with their CS and cost does not always equate to your happiness upon receipt/setting

Try Barry's site, he has some fab stuff under $200 and also under $100. acs gemstones. He also has great tutorials about gems, give them a look-see.

 

[Arcadian]

Everyone starts somewhere money-wise with their CS and cost does not always equate to your happiness upon receipt/setting

Try Barry's site, he has some fab stuff under $200 and also under $100. acs gemstones. He also has great tutorials about gems, give them a look-see.

That first statement is soooooo true. I've picked up really lovely stones for 15 bucks and up. Its all about what you learn while you're here.

And don't feel like you can't talk to any of the cutters on here. Many of them are more then happy to speak with you on what you're looking for and at what price range.

Gene recently had a stone on his website that was 99 bucks. I wanted that stone but I was too late (darn it!!)


-A

 

[Largosmom]

Getting that first stone is the hardest. If you don't have a loupe magnifier, you may want to get one of those first. It's fun to look inside the stones, and the less expensive ones have more things to look at even if you cannot see them without the loupe. I recommend looking at www.mastercutgems.com,, or maybe www.acstones.com and find something inexpensive that looks interesting and go for it. Use the contact form and request information on the stone...don't be afraid to tell them that you are new to CS and are interested in learning more. Don't be afraid to provide a budget...you may be surprised, but often a small discount will be offered, and they'll tell you more about the stone. My first couple of stones were in the $50 range.

 

[T L]

I don't know if that's a camera shadow, but there seems to be a lot of extinction in the middle of the stone. As for the color, it's not exceptional by any means, and you can find that quality all over ebay for much less.

 

[agapitor]

Getting that first stone is the hardest. If you don't have a loupe magnifier, you may want to get one of those first. It's fun to look inside the stones, and the less expensive ones have more things to look at even if you cannot see them without the loupe. I recommend looking at www.mastercutgems.com,,, or maybe www.acstones.com and find something inexpensive that looks interesting and go for it. Use the contact form and request information on the stone...don't be afraid to tell them that you are new to CS and are interested in learning more. Don't be afraid to provide a budget...you may be surprised, but often a small discount will be offered, and they'll tell you more about the stone. My first couple of stones were in the $50 range.

Thank for you for this advice.. I think I'll go for it and give them a call and give them a budget as per your suggestion. I'm heading to the store today to get a loupe magnifier!!

Thanks everyone for all your help as always, PSers have provided me with more than enough information and resources to enable my growing love for all things shiny.

Just a side note, my 6 year old son borrowed a book from his library and it was called fossils and rocks. I am enjoying reading it since there's parts about gems.. wouldn't it be lovely if my son shared my love for them.

 

[agapitor]

Can anybody recommend a good place to buy a loupe magnifier.?

 

[Largosmom]

I purchased one at a local jeweler, and another from a rock and gem shop. I just searched both amazon and ebay and numerous options came up. From what I've read (and discovered from the 3 I have now...), a darker body, inside is better for viewing and it should have the word "triplet" on it, it uses three lenses in order to properly focus the stone at 10x...other than that, a larger viewer size is easier to use. They run from a few dollars up...I bought one at about $30 from the local shop, another for about $25 at the rock shop that also has a regular led light and a UV led, which is kind of cool for looking at stones with fluorescense, and a third with a white body came with a couple of other tools, I like that one the least.

This looks like the one with the UV light...wow, google brought some up far higher in price, maybe it was $30 at the rock shop. The lens is fairly large.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...fff5807&itemid=370365927893&ff4=263602_263622

For general tools, www.riogrande.com and www.ottofrei.com have been recommended by others, including my local goldsmith/jeweler to me.

Here's riogrande's list of basic triplet loupe's. The two listed for $15.95 look like good candidates, that's what I'm describing. They are both 18mm wide on the lens.
http://www.riogrande.com/MemberArea/SearchPage.aspx?page=GRID&category|cat_1246|2858=Triplet+Loupes

 

[agapitor]

I purchased one at a local jeweler, and another from a rock and gem shop. I just searched both amazon and ebay and numerous options came up. From what I've read (and discovered from the 3 I have now...), a darker body, inside is better for viewing and it should have the word "triplet" on it, it uses three lenses in order to properly focus the stone at 10x...other than that, a larger viewer size is easier to use. They run from a few dollars up...I bought one at about $30 from the local shop, another for about $25 at the rock shop that also has a regular led light and a UV led, which is kind of cool for looking at stones with fluorescense, and a third with a white body came with a couple of other tools, I like that one the least.

This looks like the one with the UV light...wow, google brought some up far higher in price, maybe it was $30 at the rock shop. The lens is fairly large.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...fff5807&itemid=370365927893&ff4=263602_263622

For general tools, www.riogrande.com and www.ottofrei.com have been recommended by others, including my local goldsmith/jeweler to me.

Here's riogrande's list of basic triplet loupe's. The two listed for $15.95 look like good candidates, that's what I'm describing. They are both 18mm wide on the lens.
http://www.riogrande.com/MemberArea/SearchPage.aspx?page=GRID&category|cat_1246|2858=Triplet+Loupes

Thank you largosmom. I just purchased one off of ebay. You'd think I learned my lesson from my previous ebay experience. But the vendor has a 100% feedback and is located a few minutes away from my brother in law.

 

[Largosmom]

Just be sure to clean your jewelry before taking a look at them! Good soak in warm water and a baby tooth brush (they are quite soft). Otherwise you will think . I have some small microfiber cloths for cleaning glasses, and some that are more velvety in texture. The velvety ones work well on loose stones.

Laura