Peachy stone like morganite but with good durability?

[should i be here]

Hi PSers,

CS noob here, wondering what kind of stone I should look for if I want a light peach (pink/orange mix) stone with good durability for everyday ring wear? I love the color and transparency of morganite, but know that it's not terribly strong.

I looked it up quickly, and it looks like my best bets are sapphire, chrysoberyl, topaz and spinel, in that ordeR?

I've looked at spinels, garnets and sunstones that come in these colors. Is there a type I should be looking for that won't break easily? I'm not terribly gentle with my hands. And size-wise, I'd like one that's maybe the equivalent of a 3ct diamond (or just under) - mine is 9.35mm? Thanks!

 

[should i be here]

Basically, I'd like something just like this (but this etsy seller is way too expensive):


http://www.etsy.com/transaction/53400996

 

[Pandora II]

Hi PSers,

CS noob here, wondering what kind of stone I should look for if I want a light peach (pink/orange mix) stone with good durability for everyday ring wear? I love the color and transparency of morganite, but know that it's not terribly strong.

I looked it up quickly, and it looks like my best bets are sapphire, chrysoberyl, topaz and spinel, in that ordeR?

I've looked at spinels, garnets and sunstones that come in these colors. Is there a type I should be looking for that won't break easily? I'm not terribly gentle with my hands. And size-wise, I'd like one that's maybe the equivalent of a 3ct diamond (or just under) - mine is 9.35mm? Thanks!

Chrysoberyl comes in greens and yellow-browns so unlikely to find anything peach like.

Topaz isn't a good choice if you're not gentle, nor is a garnet - if it's only for occasional wear you might get away with it.

Peachy colours are rare in spinel and likely to be expensive - you might find a pale pink though.

Peach sapphires will usually be classed as padparadascha so you should look for one of those. A 3ct will be $$$$ just to warn you, but sapphire is your best bet for daily wear. Also watch out for treatments like beryllium diffusion - if a peach sapphire is cheap there is a reason!

 

[T L]

Hi PSers,

CS noob here, wondering what kind of stone I should look for if I want a light peach (pink/orange mix) stone with good durability for everyday ring wear? I love the color and transparency of morganite, but know that it's not terribly strong.

I looked it up quickly, and it looks like my best bets are sapphire, chrysoberyl, topaz and spinel, in that ordeR?

I've looked at spinels, garnets and sunstones that come in these colors. Is there a type I should be looking for that won't break easily? I'm not terribly gentle with my hands. And size-wise, I'd like one that's maybe the equivalent of a 3ct diamond (or just under) - mine is 9.35mm? Thanks!

Spinels come in that color and are very durable gems. I would not buy a sapphire in that color, because some one will find a way to hugely mark it up by calling it a "padparadscha." Malaya garnets are very peachy, and sometimes have a little pink in them too. Garnets are not as durable as spinels.

Chrysoberyl tends to be a orangey to greenish yellow, so you won't find any peach/pink/orange combination in that gem, even though it's on your list.

I bought a spinel that color in the ring above. It was 2.5 carats and around $30 on ebay. If I had bought the same exact color in a sapphire, and no doubt it would probably be treated too (spinels are not commonly treated), it would be at least ten times as much $$$.

 

[should i be here]

Thanks for the help! I have been looking at gorgeous sapphires on planetarygems.com, but they're kinda expensive. I love padparaschas, but know I'll never be able to afford one.

Is there a 'beauty' difference between sapphires and spinels? I'm not sure what the difference would be visually.

Now scouring ebay...

 

[kas baby]

I would go with a spinel
I purchased a peachy/pink spinel from Gemart http://www.gemartservices.com/for-sale.html The color of mine is deeper than the one you posted, however it looks like he might have some that are lighter and have a bit of peach to them.

 

[pregcurious]

I love the ring you posted!

I purchased this untreated peach sapphire from Peter Torraca, and it was very reasonably priced because it has a feather/fracture. I would not have been able to afford one without an inclusion. If you like the color, perhaps you can ask him if he has any more material. It is a color shifter that turns bright pink in the evening under fluorescent light:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/catch-all-thread-talk-or-better-yet-show-us.118956/page-100']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/catch-all-thread-talk-or-better-yet-show-us.118956/page-100[/URL]

 

[chrono]

Corundum - the markup is going to be horrible, so I suggest staying away from this choice.
Chrysoberyl - does not come in the colour/shade you are looking for
Topaz - again, there is a markup for this colour (imperial)
Spinel - a good choice and certainly doable
Garnet - Not exactly an everyday wear stone but if worn with care and caution, a Malaya garnet might fit the bill
Sunstone - I do not suggest this as an everyday wear stone.

 

[should i be here]

Thanks for all the help, guys. Rats, I'd love a sapphire but I guess that goes into the uber-expensive Padparadscha territory. So it sounds like spinel is the best choice. Any good sources? I've checked a lot of the recommended sources from here but no real success.

How much would a well-cut 1ct light peach sapphire cost, do you think? I actually prefer it less saturated in color. I feel like it'd be strange if the stone cost less than the setting.

 

[T L]

Corundum - the markup is going to be horrible, so I suggest staying away from this choice.
Chrysoberyl - does not come in the colour/shade you are looking for
Topaz - again, there is a markup for this colour (imperial)
Spinel - a good choice and certainly doable
Garnet - Not exactly an everyday wear stone but if worn with care and caution, a Malaya garnet might fit the bill
Sunstone - I do not suggest this as an everyday wear stone.

I agree with the above, but I would also note that Spinel and Garnet have higher refractive indexes than the other choices, and that makes them more attractive as well (IMO).

A lot of pink/orange corundum is also treated to get it that color, which is also another turn off, besides the high markup.

 

[T L]

I actually prefer it less saturated in color. I feel like it'd be strange if the stone cost less than the setting.

Don't be. Spinels in that peachy color are a good buy right now. It's actually a very inexpensive color in most gems, with the exception of sapphires. That's because of the marketing hype of padparadschas. Fine padparadschas are nice, but many dealers like to catagorize even peachy stones as padparadschas, and mark them up big time.

Here's a nice large cushion and I would offer 50% of the BIN price. There's a video of it. Not sure why they see purple. At least the video gives you an idea of the color. This stone, if it were a sapphire and on a website like NSC, would be thousands of dollars.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-25-CT-VVS...119?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ae216844f

This is their completed listing of a stone that should still be available. They can relist it if you ask and tell them you want a BIN/Offer price. They will probably take $399 on it as it's their starting bid. I really like this one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-7-CT-NATU...019?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a69234fbb

 

[should i be here]

what do you think of this stone? I would want a well-cut stone with no window, and I like flower/Portuguese facets. Does this stone pass your standards?

http://www.ajsgem.com/gemstones/spinel/spinel-1.18-carats.html

 

[kas baby]

The color on my screen looks nice, I can't say about the faceting though, I don't have an eye for those things yet.

did you check out gemart yet? I know for a fact he has something close to what you're looking for. It's about halfway down this page http://www.gemartservices.com/for-sale.html in the "spinel, pink ovals" box in the middle column. He sent me extra pictures of these and I definitely think they would fit the bill. Just send them an e-mail saying which one you'd be interested in, they were very easy to work with when I bought a spinel from them.

ETA: here's a bigger pic http://www.gemartservices.com/img/for-sale/spi008.jpg

 

[T L]

what do you think of this stone? I would want a well-cut stone with no window, and I like flower/Portuguese facets. Does this stone pass your standards?

http://www.ajsgem.com/gemstones/spinel/spinel-1.18-carats.html

I prefer the second much larger cushion I posted above (you may have not seen it as we were posting at the same time).

Neither that stone or this one is precision cut, but you will be paying a much higher premium on precision cut gems. At least both stones have no windows. I thought you wanted a cushion, but you are picking out an oval.

Look on ebay at the following

"pink spinel"
"peach spinel"
"padparadcha spinel"

And you'll come up with moe options. Ebay is the best place to get the best prices on peachy spinels as most people do not buy peach spinels, and they are usually stones that sellers pass off for the least amount of money. I picked the above seller because he is top rated on ebay.

ETA: To give you an idea on the ridiculous mark up on peachy corundum, here's a 3.5 carat cushion (roughly the same size as the spinels I posted above).

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Padparadscha/PA34/Cushion/stoneid=PA34

 

[should i be here]

Thanks TL! I totally missed your post, but VERY informative! Haha, I'm actually happy to think the thing I want is the cheapest because it's usually the opposite. Great to know ebay is a decent place to buy peach spinels. Just for my own knowledge, is there a reason you prefer the spinel you posted over the cheap one I did? Size, color, cut? I'm just wondering why the prices may be so different since they both look good to my noob eyes.

Kas Baby, the Vatche Swan is my e-ring! Good choice

 

[should i be here]

ETA: To give you an idea on the ridiculous mark up on peachy corundum, here's a 3.5 carat cushion (roughly the same size as the spinels I posted above).

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Padparadscha/PA34/Cushion/stoneid=PA34

HOLY...

 

[T L]

Thanks TL! I totally missed your post, but VERY informative! Haha, I'm actually happy to think the thing I want is the cheapest because it's usually the opposite. Great to know ebay is a decent place to buy peach spinels. Just for my own knowledge, is there a reason you prefer the spinel you posted over the cheap one I did? Size, color, cut? I'm just wondering why the prices may be so different since they both look good to my noob eyes.

Kas Baby, the Vatche Swan is my e-ring! Good choice

I personally love high crowns on spinels, and I love cushion shapes over ovals. I also prefer larger gems and the ajsgems one you posted is too small for my taste. I also have no 3D view of the ajsgems stone so I can't see if it has a high crown. I also think the ajsgems one is a bit too brown vs peachy pink orange like the second one I posted. You'll get a lot of sparkle with that stone. It's very pretty and delicate in color, but not so desaturated it looks brown.

I really love that second stone I posted as a pink/orange gem, and again, if NSC were selling it and if it were corundum, you would have to mortgage your house.

ETA: The price on the one I posted is $399 because it's over 3 carats. Spinels tend to jump up a lot in price over 3 carats, and the one you picked out is only around 1 carat and very small.

 

[should i be here]

Haha strange, maybe its our screens, but both the ones you posted look pink-purple to me.

I should probably look at small(er) stones because I want to halo it but don't want to overshadow my e-ring (9.35mm diamond solitaire). I looked for "peach spinel" and "orange spinel" on ebay, but I'm jsut seeing a bunch of badly-cut windowed stones . Will bite the bullet and check out the million listings for "pink spinel."

 

[pregcurious]

Not all vendors overprice peach sapphires. As a point of reference for peach sapphires from other vendors, I bought the untreated Umba sapphire above for less than $350, and it's a 1 carat precision cut by Peter Torraca (www.torraca.net). Peter's cutting is beautiful.

The rose gold halo setting is really beautiful. When you set it, please let us know because I am thinking of also doing a custom set in rose gold.

 

[T L]

The Peter Torraca peach sapphire looks a lot like malaya garnet to me.

If you like that color, you can try a peach sapphire, but I think malayas will be more readily available and they are always untreated (as far as I know). Barry Bridgestock (acstones.com) and Gene Flannigan (precisiongems.com) often cut them.

You can also do a seach on ebay for

"malaya garnet"
"imperial garnet"

and you might find one.

They often tend to shift to a more brown color in some lighting though.

 

[should i be here]

Preg, is yours set? would love to see it if it is.

I'd love a peach sapphire, but it sounds like it's out of reach. I'll keep searching for spinels, at the worst, there's the $59 one I posted. Garnets I think I might break, but I love the colors.

 

[T L]

Is there a certain size stone you're looking for?

 

[should i be here]

I think 1-1.5ct? I'd like to be just slightly bigger than the ring I posted.

ETA: cushion or oval shape preferred. I'm currently on page 17 of 40 search results on Ebay.

 

[pregcurious]

I believe that TL is referring to purplish red Sapphire currently in Peter's website. This is _not_ what I was recommending. If you like the color of the peach from Peter that I posted above in this thread (not on his website), you can just call him and ask if he has more of the same rough to cut a stone for you. It is peach in daylight and a very pretty pink in the evening under fluorescent lights. His pictures are pretty accurate for color, but you can also ask him for a verbal description.

The peach sapphire I posted above is on the back burner for at least a year because I'm working on a setting for another stone.

 

[T L]

I think 1-1.5ct? I'd like to be just slightly bigger than the ring I posted.

ETA: cushion or oval shape preferred. I'm currently on page 17 of 40 search results on Ebay.

Well, then I don't think you'll be paying more than $50 on ebay for such dimensions. A precision cutter may charge at least three times as much for the same size and color in a spinel, but it's worth it to many people. IMHO, I think you'll get the most for your money with a spinel in terms of durability, RI, and color, as well as the fact they still remain untreated (as far as I know).

 

[T L]

I believe that TL is referring to purplish red Sapphire currently in Peter's website. This is _not_ what I was recommending. If you like the color of the peach from Peter that I posted above in this thread (not on his website), you can just call him and ask if he has more of the same rough to cut a stone for you. It is peach in daylight and a very pretty pink in the evening under fluorescent lights. His pictures are pretty accurate for color, but you can also ask him for a verbal description.

The peach sapphire I posted above is on the back burner for at least a year because I'm working on a setting for another stone.

No, I didn't even go to PT's website, I was referring to the photo you posted in this thread. Your stone looks very much like an "imperial" malaya garnet. That is not an insult to you, as mayalas are very desirable gems to people looking for "peachy" color.

As an example, here's a beautiful malaya garnet:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-bb-malaya-garnet.143356/

Sapphires are more durable though.

 

[should i be here]

Thanks TL, love this site, it's such a treasure trove of info.

So I know that unheated sapphires are the most valuable, but it seems like just about every sapphire is at least heat-treated. Is that really bad?

 

[T L]

Thanks TL, love this site, it's such a treasure trove of info.

So I know that unheated sapphires are the most valuable, but it seems like just about every sapphire is at least heat-treated. Is that really bad?

Heat treatment can mean two things.

The stone undergoes heat only and nothing else

The stone undergoes heat and has chemicals bonded to it to change the color.

I can tolerate the first scenario but not the second, and often a highly reputable lab needs to be used to tell the difference.

Instead of dealing with lab reports and that extra cost, I rather just go for a spinel.

 

[pregcurious]

Thanks TL, I didn't take any offense. I just wanted to emphasize to the OP that the prices for NSC are not indicative of the entire trade, and that there may be a sapphire which could fit in her budget. I have a red spinel myself, so I have nothing against spinels. It might also be difficult for the OP to judge any ebay stone (sapphire or spinel). The setting in rose gold will cost a few hundred dollars at least, so I would personally prefer to get a stone from a vendor I trust.

The AJS and Gemart stones are very pretty!

 

[JewelFreak]

Tourmalines also come in that lovely color, though they are not as durable as spinels. I bought a stunning neon peachy/copper tourmaline, which I haven't set yet because gold is too high , from Westview Gems -- he has a barion-cut one sort of similar on his site now. Doesn't mention treatment but you could ask.

http://www.westviewgems.com/Detail.aspx?InventoryCode=1643169