Opinions on this color please

[AmeliaG]

Following up on my previous mint garnet post, I'm looking for some mint garnet experts to give me some opinions of the color of these stones.

Backstory: A vendor has some rough material that he can cut some mint green garnet asschers from. I'm looking for a 5mm Asscher. He sent me pics of some stones that are cut from the same material my stone would be cut. The first photo shows a larger green Asscher - at 4.31 carats. I love the color but he warns that in 5mm the color will be lighter and less saturated. The second shows a 6mm brilliant cut from the same material - so closer to the size I'm looking for but its not an Asscher.

So what do you think the color of a 5mm Asscher from this material would be? It's hard for me to visualize - should I go for it or should I pass?

 

[AprilBaby]

Can't answer that question but the color is stunning!

 

[chamois]

I agree, absolutely spectacular colour, if that's the colour you'll get, I would go for it no question.

 

[T L]

The color on the smaller bottom stone is too washed out for my taste. I much more prefer the color on the asscher.

 

[minousbijoux]

The color on the smaller bottom stone is too washed out for my taste. I much more prefer the color on the asscher.

Same here.

 

[AmeliaG]

Thanks ladies. (sigh) TL and minousbijoux, I'm afraid I'm agreeing with you. 4 carat is way bigger than I want or can afford right now. I hadn't counted on the size affecting the color. This is from Jeff White; he's still looking for a sapphire for me but I'm running into the same problem of finding a 5mm stone that can display the color saturation I want.

 

[platinumrock]

I like both pale and saturated stones, so it depends on your preference.

If you're looking for presence, then the asscher provides that striking color.

If you want something more delicate then the brilliant cut will do.

 

[VapidLapid]

I have one that is 4.4 mm. It was cut by Roger Dery. You might give him a call. I dont know if he's left quite yet but he is going to tanzania this week and is likely to come back with green garnets. At least I hope he comes back with them!



you also might broaden your search for mali garnets. I just got a mali garnet asscher 5.3mm from gemfix that is brilliant greenish yellow like galliano and goes mint in incandescent.

 

[baby nurse]

I love the color of both but I'm really into pastels. I wouldn't hesitate to get one with the saturation of the brilliant.

 

[pregcurious]

I love the 4.31, and think the large one is nice but not quite a showstopper.

 

[VapidLapid]

I think the color in the 4.31 is a showstopper and I wouldn't settle. The right rough will turn up.

 

[jstarfireb]

I agree on the color, but would be interested to see a pic of the larger asscher in isolation. I wonder if our eyes are being tricked by seeing all the other stones and the contrasting pink in the pic.

Also, some might say 5mm is too small to appreciate the beauty of a step-cut stone. I have a 5mm asscher tanzanite and think the size is fine, but if you're used to larger stones or haven't seen a small asscher in person, you might be surprised by how tiny the steps are. You may want to save up for a bigger one (maybe 6-7mm) later instead of buying the 5mm stone now. Just a thought!

 

[SB621]

The color on the smaller bottom stone is too washed out for my taste. I much more prefer the color on the asscher.

I'm not an expert. I can only tell you if I like th color or not. To me I much more perfer the vibrant color of the asscher as TL pointed out, I think the other one is more washed out. However, if you are going for a mint look then the 2nd one is definitely in the mint category.

How do you feel about it?

 

[chrono]

The bigger stone has a lovely rich colour while the smaller one is very pale and washed out. With going with smaller sizes, it become more of a challenge to get something that is strongly coloured because the path that the light takes to reflect back to the eye is much shorter. Also, note that the smaller the stone, the more difficult it becomes to see the steps of an asscher.

 

[NKOTB]

Do you have to commit before it is cut? Many like or even prefer pastel colours, so I would think Jeff could find a buyer if you didn't like it after it was cut?

 

[chrono]

Do you have to commit before it is cut? Many like or even prefer pastel colours, so I would think Jeff could find a buyer if you didn't like it after it was cut?

Yes, if the stone is custom cut for a customer. There will be a forfeit of the deposit which is a certain percentage of the total price.

 

[pinkjewel]

check out Diamonds by Lauren website. He just listed a mint garnet cut by Roger Dery yesterday.

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

I have an Asscher-cut Tourmaline that I recently posted pictures of...

I am a tall lady and my ring size is 7
The 5 mm stone is reeeeeaaaallly stretching it for me in terms of small, personally....my opinion regarding the steps:
In turning the stone it catches the light and reflects the steps beautifully.
I was, however, pleasantly surprised at how pretty the cutting is
when magnified by my macro lens when taking pictures of it !!!!

Do you adore small stones? Many here do !!!!

Here are a couple pictures of my small Tourmaline, first in Macro mode, and then on my hand for perspective....
The hand pictures are a bit fuzzy but I like how it twinkles in the icky light of my bathroom

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

Oh, I forgot to add, I think the color of the 4.3 stone is sensational !!!!!

 

[AmeliaG]

Well since I was looking at mint garnets because its been hard to find a sapphire with the color saturation I wanted, the bottom one seems like settling twice - first for the stone and then for the color.

I love mint garnets and if there were one in hand with the right color, I'd grab it up in a minute, but if a sapphire of the right hue and saturation in the size I want was available, I'd grab that up first. The wait is killing me though.

I'm wondering if its a problem with the small size. I wanted a 5mm because it seemed like a decent small size - my hands are small, its not an 'important' ring, and my budget is small but if color saturation is going to be difficult to get in this size, I may need to re-think this. Although I have a small budget, its still not pocket change and the two things I don't want to sacrifice are saturation and cut. I thought going smaller in size would be enough sacrifice (not really a sacrifice, I like smaller stones) to get the saturation and cut I wanted but if size is affecting the saturation then its not going to work. I like medium to medium light tones but very saturated.

 

[kas baby]

I like the color of the first one you posted. Maybe you could go up a bit in size from 5mm and hopefully get something more saturated than the 2nd? Settling for one would be no fun,because then you run the risk of "If only it were..."
hope you find one you love!

 

[T L]

The color on the smaller bottom stone is too washed out for my taste. I much more prefer the color on the asscher.

I'm not an expert. I can only tell you if I like th color or not. To me I much more perfer the vibrant color of the asscher as TL pointed out, I think the other one is more washed out. However, if you are going for a mint look then the 2nd one is definitely in the mint category.

How do you feel about it?

Mint is actually a subjective description. I have a couple of saturated green garnets that I consider "mint" color, but you and others may not consider them mint.

To me, mint is a very slightly bluish green color with medium light to light tone.

I'm not saying I'm right and you're wrong, just trying to point out that "mint" is subjective.

In general, I think that when the OP asks for opinions on the color, I try to point out that the saturation on a stone, any stone, is less than another in question. In the end, the OP has to like it, but saturation of color determines it's desirability to many people. Of course, some people like less saturated stones, but that is typically not the norm (at least not in the trade).

 

[minmin001]

wow, what a lovely color~

 

[NKOTB]

Do you have to commit before it is cut? Many like or even prefer pastel colours, so I would think Jeff could find a buyer if you didn't like it after it was cut?

Yes, if the stone is custom cut for a customer. There will be a forfeit of the deposit which is a certain percentage of the total price.

Thanks, Chrono!

 

[natsplat]

I love that first mint asscher! And I'm not even a big asscher fan, but WOWsers