Opinions on two Alexandrites?

[lapetitebaker]

Hi, all!

I've been pining after an Alexandrite ring for a little while and, after reading this super helpful thread, I've come to realize that my best bet is probably buying a loose stone and having it set how I'd like. My plan is to use whichever stone I find as the center stone for a simple dainty prong set three-stone ring.

I've been going back and forth between the two stones below for the past week or so. The first is 3.20 mm/0.150 cts and is noted on Multicolour as having a strong color change. The second is 4.30 mm/0.300 cts and is noted on Multicolour as having a moderate to strong color change. Both are in the size range I'm shooting for (3-5mm) and have the color palette I prefer for Alexes (no brown/orange/yellow tones).

I'm leaning toward the smaller of the two for its stronger overall color and color change, but I am concerned that it may appear too dark once set. Any thoughts?

 

[peacechick]

I would rule out the second one immediately because it has such a large window you’d be looking through it at your finger most of the time instead of at the color.

A question I would have for you is whether you have first tried buying a lab created alexandrite to know if it is right for you. I have one, and I realized quickly that I would actually never see the color change in my daily life as my home is lit by LED bulbs throughout (both warm and cool tones). The only time I get to see the color shift is if I go and turn on my candle warmer and stick my hand under the halogen bulb. Just some practical details for you to note. I mean, it’s not an obstacle if you also enjoy dining by candlelight!

 

[lapetitebaker]

I would rule out the second one immediately because it has such a large window you’d be looking through it at your finger most of the time instead of at the color.

A question I would have for you is whether you have first tried buying a lab created alexandrite to know if it is right for you. I have one, and I realized quickly that I would actually never see the color change in my daily life as my home is lit by LED bulbs throughout (both warm and cool tones). The only time I get to see the color shift is if I go and turn on my candle warmer and stick my hand under the halogen bulb. Just some practical details for you to note. I mean, it’s not an obstacle if you also enjoy dining by candlelight!

I do have a half-eternity band with some tiny Alexandrites and you’re absolutely right: the color change is rare with all the LEDs nowadays. I’ve tried to focus my search on stones that I like in their daylight and mixed states first with the incandescent color as more of a secondary filter with that in mind.

I’ve never been a big fan of lab-colored stones because they always seem to be a little too textbook perfect/ideal (i.e. high saturation, textbook ideal color(s), etc.) for my tastes. They're lovely, of course, but I like the quirkiness of their mined gem siblings for most applications.

 

[LilAlex]

I agree on ruling out the bottom one. The top one will appear darker than the photos and will look like the far right picture, mostly, imo.

Diameter of 3 mm is small to see much color in an alex under any circumstances (vs., say, a ruby). I think several of us have written about alex being way more cool (phenomenologically) than beautiful so I do not feel that they are a great "value" for jewelry. (For reference, I have a one-ct Hematita with a Gubelin "strong" color change that seems too small to do much with -- and for that price-point, I could have gotten a lovely and much larger spinel.)

 

[Autumn in New England]

Of the two, it's the first one hands down for me!