Purple Spinel-How do I know if it is the one?

[mayachel]

Hi there, thanks for looking! Though I've done a lot of lurking here, my purchases to date have been in smaller, less expensive colored stones.

I have been looking for the "perfect" purple spinel for about 3-4 years, and stumbled across this one today. It is more than I expected it to be, but that could be based on having looked at smaller specimens? My questions are:

What do you think of this stone?
What do you think of this stone knowing it is in the $240per carat range? Is this reasonable? It seems almost double the price per carat than a similar one from a different dealer, but that other one is smaller.

Description
3.08cts
9.4mmx7.4mmx5.8mm
Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

Faces up eye clean, GIA, Type 2 VSS
medium dark blue with purple, natural color zoning, unheated, untreated

 

[Pandora II]

The 'One' is the one that you have to have, can't possibly walk away from, makes your heart beat faster - or at least that is how I feel with any of my stone purchases whether they are $$$ or $. If I don't feel like that then I walk away.

Regarding price per carat, it increases exponentially with carat size (all other variables being equal).

Regarding this stone, it all depends on what shade you are looking for. If you want a colour that looks like a fine amethyst, or fine tanzanite or even a fine violet-blue sapphire then I would say that this is not the stone for you. If you are looking for something less saturated then this could be a good bet.

I'd ask for more photos as these aren't great (and look a bit odd regarding the background - I'd guess a fair amount of photoshopping has gone on here) - ask for ones with it on someone's hand and in a range of lighting.

 

[chrono]

Is this the right “perfect” shade of purple for you? I like what I see but if it’s not what you are looking for, then it’s not for you. As I don’t know the vendor and his/her trustworthiness, my advice will be limited. Check him out on Toolhaus if he’s not a PS recommended vendor. Read the shipping, return and refund policy. If all checks out well, get the stone to see it for yourself. I can’t tell if the picture has been tampered with or not, so additional pictures will prove nothing.

 

[T L]

I saw that stone being sold by a lapidary (it's precision cut) and denoted as a bicolor spinel or something akin to that (don't remember the exact verbiage). With spinels, you should always ask about the color change in various light sources, as some can turn mudddy or grey in some lighting, and that's usually an undesirable trait.

 

[mayachel]

This is excellent advice! Exactly the critique/education of what to look for and ask I needed.

Pandora-I especially appreciate the heads up on possible photoshopping, can you expand as to what makes you suspect it?

Chrono-I don't know this vendor either, it was found via a random google image search initially. They are based in CA, but have a terrible website. For example-there is no information on warranty/returns etc...I figured I'd wait till hearing what the PS crowd thought before initiating contact.

Tourmaline_lover-I'm glad you pointed out the lighting issues. I thought only some spinels changed color in different lights, so I will see how they respond with the request. Does the fact that it is being sold by a lapidary raise particular issues/concerns that I should be aware of? I admit having to google the word to understand context of it being stone work, if I understand correctly, it may not be cut but the seller? Although, I believe they claim to cut their loose stones, and specifically state they are not a "middle man".

 

[T L]

Does the fact that it is being sold by a lapidary raise particular issues/concerns that I should be aware of?

No. As with any seller of gems, they should just know their source very well, as there are a plethora of synthetics that can get into their rough or faceted parcel. This appears to have no inclusions, so that's my biggest concern, and I would like it tested by a lab to show that it's natural spinel.

 

[movie zombie]

how do you know if it is the one? it will tell you. it will speak to you. it will sing to you. you won't be able to get it out of your mind.

at that size, i'm surprised its not more per carat.

MoZo

 

[T L]

Above three carats, spinels tend to go up in price per carat than smaller stones with the same color and clarity.