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Purple spinel

purplemelody

purplemelody

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 31, 2010
Messages
72
I have been wanting a purple spinel ever since I saw babynurse's posted here: http://www.pricescope.com/forum/col...better-yet-show-us-t118956-1680.html#p2626905, and I have emailed Barry to see if he might have any roughs but to no avail. Then I found this purple spinel:
sp1327.jpg
Description is slightly grayish undertone under certain lighting, but has good dispersion. What do you think? Would the colour be comparable to babynurse's, which I love? The vendor specified in the website that they don't take extra pictures of stones ... so I'd like to ask for your advices.

Thanks in advance. :)
 
IMO its going to be hard to compare a picture with a picture, especially when the stone was taken in different lighting conditions. If you like it, I would ask what the return policy is. If you're concerned at all about it being gray in certain lights, then its probably worth you to keep the search going.

-A
 
I recognize the lapidary based on the picture; he has a decent return policy so you might want to double check it. Looks like this is something you might want to see in person to decide. Another way to make a fair guess is to send BN’s spinel picture to the lapidary and ask if the two are similar.
 
That's true, I forgot about the different lightings. I'll send him an email with BN's spinel picture and see what he says. Thanks Chrono and Arcadian! :)
 
Mine has gray as well. I think it's difficult to find spinel without it. I really can't tell from the picture whether they look similar but I would definitely recommend looking at the stone in person. If you're not happy with it, you can return it.

Good luck!
 
I recognize the photography, and the key with this vendor is to carefully read the written description. If the photo seems different than the description, the description is more accurate. It's a good idea to email him, he will answer your questions completely and accurately. I hope this stone turns out to be the right one for you!
 
If the cutter is who I think he is (not Barry), I bought one blue spinel from him. When I asked about grey I got the answer in they style of the Delphic Oracle and obviously interpreted it the wrong way. In reality, it turns grey in daylight. I kept it; it is bright and well-matches a pink round spinel I got from Tan (I wish I could obtain another one, but no such luck). Overall, I feel OK about the stone but I'd advise you to be very straightforward in your questions.
 
Looking at the photo of your gem and BN's lovely spinel the two look remarkably similar. Since this colour appeals to you (and this colour inherently has a grey tone) then get it for a look! It will most definitely show some grey and be a colder looking gem rather than a red/violet that has more warmth. If you love this look then it will look great set into white gold! I hope it lives up to expectations.
 
I think that one will be too grey despite the fine cutting. He has an oval that I think would be more to your liking. Also he has been cutting a lot of these lavenderish spinel lately so you could just keep checking back. I got one from him a while ago and it is quite lovely, but I do remember holding off for just the right one. Maybe you could ask him to ship both the round and the oval for you to compare?
 
Thanks to everyone for your advice!
I went ahead and bought the stone, it arrived today.
I am a little disappointed because the stone looks quite dark. The gray didn't really bother me a lot as it makes the stone look quite mysterious, but it is so dark that I don't see much purple in it. It might be the rainy/cloudy weather today ... I want to take another look at it when there's some sunlight and then decide if I'd going to keep it or not. :(

Photo0373s_0.jpg
Photo0374s.jpg
 
If you don't like it on first glance, return it. It's not a very good spinel from your description. You should see purple, not only dark areas and grey.
 
Definitely looks darker than the pic. Does it sparkle? I second TL if you don't love it return it.
 
Thirded: If you don't love it, send it back.

I'm guessing that's one of Dan's stones (his photography is indeed distinctive). In my experience his stones in real life are frequently darker than shown in the photographs. Not always, but it's true as a general rule, especially with the spinels. That said, I've gotten several really pretty spinels from him, including a pinkish lavender 6mm round that is a really lively stone with better dispersion than any other spinel I own.

Have you tried asking him to cut something like babynurse's stone? He seems to have a fair amount of purple/lavender spinel on hand, and he's really easy to work with.
 
Treenbean|1288976810|2755942 said:
Definitely looks darker than the pic. Does it sparkle? I second TL if you don't love it return it.
Click to expand...

Maybe what you want is a "violet" spinel as opposed to a purple one. I have one that was called "purple / grape" and it is pretty dark, but the one I got that was called "violet hue" may be closer to the color you are looking for.
 
send it back
 
Sorry that it's not the stone for you. I'd return it and if you like dealing with him, how about asking if he has something lighter in tone?
 
Pretty dark & I don't see much brilliance. Ditto everybody else -- send it back unless it really charms you. There are more out there.

--- laurie
 
Thank you, I think I'm going to send Dan an email to return this stone unfortunately. It's really a pity it didn't turn out, he did warn me it's not as intense purple as Babynurse's, I was really crossing my fingers that the spinel'd be perfect! I guess the search continues ...

Treenbeen, thanks for the recommendations! But how can view it at Gemcal's website?
 
Treenbean|1289002618|2756367 said:
Did the links not work for you? If not got to Gemcals website and look under fancy colored spinels.


http://www.gemcal.com/splash
Click to expand...

The website is asking me to enter username and password. Is it a members only website? :confused:
 
purplemelody|1288995438|2756264 said:
Thank you, I think I'm going to send Dan an email to return this stone unfortunately. It's really a pity it didn't turn out, he did warn me it's not as intense purple as Babynurse's, I was really crossing my fingers that the spinel'd be perfect! I guess the search continues ...

Treenbeen, thanks for the recommendations! But how can view it at Gemcal's website?
Click to expand...

Sometimes you have to go through a few duds before you find that beautiful gem. I disliked spinels for the longest time because I thought they were extinct grey things, and I never understood the fascination here on PS, or otherwise. I bought spinels in the past only to be sourly disappointed. Then, I bought a spinel that made my jaw drop, and I realized, "wow, they can actually be pretty :shock: "

Well, I think I have about a zillion spinels in my collection since then, and one of my very favorite stones is in a ring I wear every day. It's a violet spinel. Don't give up, you'll eventually find that perfect spinel. ;))
 
Thanks TL :)
I think I would wait and keep searching! The purple/lavender spinel search continues ....
 
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