opinions on Bob Kast tourmaline

[kayla.tastikk]

I know the pictures are pretty crappy, but he says it''s a lot brighter in person. After reading some threads about him, it seems his pictures are notoriously bad, and I know it''s not huge, but I''m new and don''t quite know what I like, so this seems appropriate.

What''s with the white spot in the middle? Is that from the cutlet? The cut seems really nice overall, but I''m still not confident enough in my knowledge to buy without consulting y''all >.<

 

[Barrett]

yea..linking certain sites is not allowed..i have made that mistake before...umm..why don''t you copy and paste a pic of it and just put his name under it as credit..is that okay or acceptable to do that?

 

[packrat]

Kayla, I did what amguy suggested when I was asking opinions on one of Bob''s stones and it was ok to do that.

 

[Ella]

Yes, it is completely fine to upload the pictures directly to the forums. But any allusion to what vendor or where the stone can be found for sale will be removed in order to protect the privacy and security of our members.

Sorry for any inconvenience!

 

[kayla.tastikk]

Here''s one picture, he says this one shows the closest color, and I''ll do another that shows the faceting the best.

 

[kayla.tastikk]

Better faceting detail.

 

[packrat]

That''s the one I asked about hehe! I''m wondering tho, the forum attached to where this stone is being sold, I was under the impression someone from there bought it. It was listed again right after she had it set, so I''m a little confused by that. Still, it''s pretty!

 

[kayla.tastikk]

Oh, and it''s 7.4mm and 1.47 carats.

 

[kayla.tastikk]

Packrat- I messaged him tonight, so I''ll see what he says.

What about the white dot in the second picture?

 

[packrat]

I think it''s just a trick of the light-I don''t recall seeing it in the pictures after it was set. If it''s back up for sale, what are you going to do w/it?

 

[kayla.tastikk]

I was thinking a ring in yellow gold. Not sure through who though. What would you have done?

ETA: Any ideas where I could find something else in a similar color if this is in fact gone?

 

[Barrett]

I had seen the stone before..i really like it..i don''t think his pics are bad at all and that color I really really like..it''s such a unique color..sweet stone

 

[kayla.tastikk]

I meant that they were crappy by his own admission. He says on the listing that the pictures don''t really capture the stone well at all. Any ideas about where I could find a similar one if this one is indeed gone? It doesn''t even necessarily have to be a tourmaline. I just love the color.

 

[Kunzite]

Curious. Like packrat I was confused because I thought that stone was long sold and set and then it was listed again.

 

[T L]

If it is sold, ask Bob if he has more rough.

 

[kayla.tastikk]

I''ll update y''all when he responds. And if it''s gone I''ll make sure to ask about more rough. Thanks for the suggestion TL.

 

[kelpie]

Bob cuts beautiful stones and sells them at ridiculously low prices. However, don''t expect the same service you get with other cutters. The price reflects this. I was working with him on a project when he just stopped all communications when the previous email was something like "I''ll show you the rough first thing tomorrow". Another time on ebay he sent me the wrong stone, he said he would make it up to me and never did anything else. Fortunately I enjoy the stone he sent though it looks like it has a large crack or inclusion so I have no plans to set it. I don''t mean to knock him at all, he is a nice guy and I know he must earn pennies an hour cutting the beautiful stones he does. Just be prepared that he is not the most organized or responsive (guilty here too). I continue to buy from him because his work is great.

 

[kayla.tastikk]

Thanks for the honestly kelpie- if the stone is gone, and there is no rough, do you have any suggestions for a stone with comparable color and a similar price?

 

[oddoneout]

Great cut and unusual colour.

 

[chrono]

That white spot looks to be a facet reflection and not an inclusion, although Bob should be able to answer your question definitively. Since this one is already sold, your best bet is to ask Bob to get more of this material as I don’t think it will be difficult for him to source more of it.

 

[Arkteia]

I am not asking for the thread. But if I want to use Bob's services to RECUT the stone, is it allowable to ask here how he can be reached?
Forget it. I googled his name. I suspect it is not a big deal, since other PS-ers mentioned his good cutting.

 

[kayla.tastikk]

His website is bobkast.com but he''s selling his stones on a forum that we can''t link to. There''s contact info on his website.

 

[packrat]

Kayla, I was going to put it in a yg setting w/wg fishtail prong head, but I like the idea of all yg better. It looks prettier in Bob''s pictures than in the other pictures I saw-it''s still pretty in those, I just thought it would look different than it did I guess. ''Course, I don''t know what the lighting was in the other pics either. Never hurts to look at the stone yourself!

 

[kayla.tastikk]

Got an email from Bob, it was still available! It''s now on its way to my front porch! it should get here about the same time my two from multicolour do, so you can definitely expect pictures