Opinon on 3 natural spinel and price

[DiamondDuck]

After searching for ruby of a bright red color (in this Pricescope thread), I realize that the color I want would not be possible outside of lab grown gem or 10k+ budget. So, I've turned to spinels, where bright red or pigeon blood red is more available. I've found 3 gems, and I want to know what else should I look for before buying (all 3 offers 72-hour refund). Price is total (not per carat).

Bright red with a bit of "pigeon blood" black spots, cushion 2.1ct, 7.5 x 7 x 5.3 mm, $4200

Red with tint of orange/purple, oval 3.1ct, 9.2 x 8.1 x 5.6 mm, $1400

Bright red, cushion 2.17ct, 7.6 x 6.8 x 5.2 mm, $1600

Option 3 looks quite good, but option 1 looks like a perfect color? What do you think about these gems and their prices?
Thanks!

 

[Bookwyrm]

I don't know much about spinels but the prices seem quite good to me for their bright, vivid colour. I think I can spot some inclusions in some of those spinels - do those bother you? I think spinels can be quite shifty, so even spinels that appear vivid/neon red outside can appear a bit orangy/brownish red (but still very sparkly) in warm indoors lighting - that's something I learnt recently and would keep in mind.
Have you looked at Higems? He has quite a large inventory of spinels, and I've heard PSers mention him quite a few times on here.

There is also a PSer named Landscape who is not a seller but a private collector, and I found his threads on spinels (like the one below) to be incredibly useful and insightful.

I hope you find your perfect spinel!

Thread 'Jedi spinel'

Dec 27, 2020

This thread is a 2.55ct Jedi spinel .A flame-red spinel as a contrast to show that the Jedi spinel has no dark side. Another contrast is between the Jedi spinel and the common pigeon blood red spinel.
Through comparison, we can see the characteristics of the real Jedi spinel: the color is very rich and bright pink-red or red, there is no dark field when viewed from multiple viewing angles, and the red color can be well in a dark environment.

2.55ct Jedi Spinel from Burma




Comparison of 2.55ct Jedi Spinel and 2ct...

• landscape
• Replies: 123
• Forum: Colored Gemstones

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[VividRed]

I don’t trust anything I see in those 3 videos. Oversaturated, over illuminated stones.

Ask for pictures in natural daylight, not indoor studio lights.

Also, what do you mean with “pigeon blood black spots”?

 

[DiamondDuck]

So in the 1st gem, it's red but there's some black spots inside the stone. Idk how to call it, but I know pigeon blood ruby has red color mixed with black spots, so I call it that.

what's the term to describe the color of the 1st gem?

 

[VividRed]

Stone 1 is orangy red.

Pigeon blood is very (VERY) slightly purplish red with vivid saturation and medium tone. Don’t know where you got the black spots from

 

[fredflintstone]

I don't see any oversaturation in those Spinel's. Most likely the stones were taken under tropical sunlight in Thailand or Vietnam. The closer to the equator the more vivid hot and warm colors look. The red color spectrum is stronger in tropical light. Just like if you live in a temperate zone your hot and warm colors will look more vivid in summer than winter.


I would ask to see them under artificial light. Preferable LED as much lighting anymore is LED but fluorescent too. Also, better focused videos showing the stone more highly magnified. Larger in the video so you can make out flaws in the stone and cutting.

The top stone looks to have a rather flat crown. I'm not in love with the cut. This will affect brilliance.

The second stone looks more brilliant but the video is terribly out of focus.

The third stone is my least favorite. It has clarity problems. I'd mark that stone off.

Remember, good red Spinel is expensive, even at source prices. Unless you find someone, who needs to unload a nice red Spinel, expect to pay at least $2000 (conservative) a carat for a 2 carat good quality stone and over $3000 a carat or more for a good quality stone over 3 carats.

I would look to Vietnam stones. They are cheaper at the moment, much more than Burma stones. You pay more for all types of Burma stone from Peridot to Ruby.

 

[toomuchB]

It is difficult to judge clarity based on those videos - too far away, low quality.
The first and last videos are against dark backgrounds which will make the color pop on camera in my experience.
If they are from the same seller I'd ask to see all of them next to each other against a more neutral background (light gray, white) and up closer.

 

[fredflintstone]

So in the 1st gem, it's red but there's some black spots inside the stone. Idk how to call it, but I know pigeon blood ruby has red color mixed with black spots, so I call it that.

what's the term to describe the color of the 1st gem?

You are seeing extinction in the stone, not black inclusions in the crystal. Dark areas are cause by poor cutting or overly deep cutting. But 99.9% of stones will show some to much more extinction. Also, a stone can look more extinct in one light than another. I've seen precision cut stone with extinction problems, especially in direct sunlight.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

You are seeing extinction in the stone, not black inclusions in the crystal. Dark areas are cause by poor cutting or overly deep cutting. But 99.9% of stones will show some to much more extinction. Also, a stone can look more extinct in one light than another. I've seen precision cut stone with extinction problems, especially in direct sunlight.

Here is the definitive information on extinction in all gem types (and more from an old but passed on friend of PriceScope):

Faceting limits

By Bruce L. HardingHolden, Massachusetts, USACopyright GIA Table of content Introduction Bezel-to-Table Rays Faceter`s Options Objectives Bezel-to-Bezel Rays Maximum Table Width Dead Center Th…

octonus.com

 

[Autumn in New England]

I agree that the first stone looks to have an overabundance of orange to be a true red... I'd say she's leaning more towards "flame" material. But these are all from the same seller, and he has this one priced the highest when it is the smallest. That tells me that the color may be better in person than what we're seeing. I also think I'm noticing one or more eye visible inclusions. The "black spots" are indeed extinction and not blemishes. Just going by these videos alone, I prefer the color of the second stone. But again, he has it priced way less per carat than the first, so there has to be a reason. I dislike the clarity of the third stone and would avoid it. Maybe ask the seller for a video with all the stones together (outside)?