Quick advice on Heliodor needed!

[GliderPoss]

Hello everyone,

As my prior post mention - I''''ve recently lost my enagement ring (

) but on the bright side - I am allowed to plan and design a new one. I want all sunny yellow theme so have been looking for a suitable yellow stone that looks similar to a yellow diamond. I know nothing is quite the same but thats fine with me as obviously our budget will not allow for that.

I have spotted this one: which according to my gemstone dictionary has a hardness of 7.5-8. I am quite gentle on my rings so will this be ok? We have a really strict budget (turned out I couldn''t claim it on our insurance

) so am happy to settle for a stone that is not perfect. I have looked at many sapphires but seem to find only very smaller pale ones in our price range not that really sunny golden colour that I''m looking for. Any help, suggestions? Heidi Klum''s ring is my inspiration.

Thanks so much.

 

[ma re]

In terms of durability, heliodor can work as an e-ring stone if you''re gentle with it, just like many other stones. Yellow sapphires can indeed be beautiful, but the less costly ones (and especially very vibrant ones) are often highly treated. Natural ones rarely occur in more saturated shades and are more of a buttery yellow, in most cases. Chrysoberyl can also be yellow, but it''s shade is often either greenish (kind of like peridot) or brownish, which is rarely attractive IMO. Of course, nice ones can be found, but it takes time and patience. If you''re on a budget you should probably skip imperial topaz, eventhough they can be some of the most beautiful yellow gems - they can cost anywhere from a thousand dollars per carat and up. You might (but not very likely) find a nice yellow tourmaline within your budget, but they''re often very much like chrysoberyls in terms of color - and the best ones are costly. If you''re OK with not having a very large stone, spessartite can look very much like a diamond. Malaya garnet can also be found in the shades of yellow, but not as vibrant or as sparkly as a spess, and mali garnet is a really brilliant greenish yellow stone. You rightly spotted heliodors as they''re one of the most affordable yellows and can be really nice. The one from your link has a bit of a brownish yellow color IMO (which is not considered ideal), but if that''s the exact shade you''re after, then go for it. You can also check out citrines, eventhough they''re a bit softer, but with care they can last quite some time. Not to mention they''re really affordable.

But if you''d like something that looks a lot like a diamond, it''s probably best to stick with garnets and sapphires. Zircons can look great too, but need a bit more care due to possible chipping.

Hope this helps.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

The stone you liked is very nice. Too nice, in fact. It is significantly below cost. And, while it is possible to find bargains on e-bay, I distrust very cheap thai sellers (too many undisclosed treatments, fake stones etc).

Would you mind sharing your budget? Perhaps we can find something.

 

[T L]

I actually heard good things about that seller although I have never purchased anything from him. He's out of Vietnam, and I was browsing some of his stones last night. He charges a lot for his nicer things, so I tend to think that the heliodor is probably your typical average color. It also isn't the best cut stone, and if a stone doesn't have great color to rely on, you probably need to get one that's well cut.

Yellow stones tend to suffer from a secondary brown modifier so if I was to go for a yellow stone, I would try to find one with more of a green secondary. However, some people love the brown modifier because it gives the stone a "golden" color. However, I tend to go for the more neon yellow stones, like Mochi's crysoberyl for example. Just a matter of taste I guess and something I wanted to point out.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

If you are ok with that seller, have you seen this yellow (over 5cts, though!): http://cgi.ebay.com/5-34ct-Unheat-Vietnam-Heliodor-Yellow-Beryl-070210_W0QQitemZ380079579800QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item587e822298&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A2%7C294%3A50

 

[GliderPoss]

Wow,

Thanks for all your extremely helpful advice. I really appreciate it.

I am now a tad concerned with the brown modifier however it does seem to give a nice golden colour due to this so maybe its not too bad!?

My budget for the stone is about $AU500 which is about $US350 so that is quite minimal. I would ideally like a sapphire due to hardness and don''t mind if its heat treated so perhaps you could point me in the right direction?

I like emerald and radiant cuts and would like about 1ct or more. I have looked at the vendors in this thread but cannot seem to find exactly what I want. Am happy to wait though - I have no timeline.

Thanks again.

 

[chrono]

For a good stone on a tight budget, I like to browse Gary's inventory:
www.diamondexpert.com
He also carries more gemstones than what is listed on his website.

 

[GliderPoss]

Ok,

So didn''t get the heliodor mentioned above due to brown modifier but how about these stones???:

Yellow pear

or this one: Another yellow pear

Really struggling to find princess/emerald cut/radient cut yellow stones!!!?

Thanks again for your advice.

 

[ma re]

Of the two pears, the first one is better, since the color of the second one is really pale and washed out.

So, I figure now that you''re after a lighter shade of slightly orangy yellow, right? Would you like something like THIS? It''s not a typical color for this type of stone, but I think you might like the shade. I know it''s not the shape you''re after and that it''s got some brown to it, but I don''t think that it takes away from the stone. It''s also very well cut and probably gives off a lot of sparkle.

 

[Dandi]

Hi HotPozzum, I wasn''t sure if you liked cushions but this is a yellow sapphire whose colour sounds yum:

http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=2602

 

[GliderPoss]

Ma Re - that is a gorgeous stone! Maybe a tad browner/oranger than I was looking for but I have no idea you could get yellow garnets so now I''ll look in that section too! Thanks so much!

DandiAndi - Thank you also for your suggestion, although I do love cushions my sister has one so I am trying to be different/unique. Thanks anyway!

I have bought a nice 2ct radiant cut Danburite from Multicolour to see if I like that, if not I''ll go ahead with my search for the perfect yellow stone.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

If you really want a sapphire, I found this.

Caveat: it is "slightly brownish yellow" and has a slight window (I have a feeling it will close when set).

 

[T L]

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/mali_garnet/xma152bh/&930512007

No brown, no treatment, a secondary green modifier, and a lot of sparkle since it's a garnet, and it's cheap! It might be a tad bit too green, but I love it!! I don't trust most yellow sapphires in the marketplace due to many of them being diffused and badly cut. I would only get one with a cert indicating no treatment from a reputable lab, unless you don't care.

 

[Fly Girl]

Here is a nice sized yellow mali garnet from Art Cut Gems for $169. You will love the sparkle.

Rick writes: "Mali garnet, a fiery new gem garnet from Mali in west Africa, became a special favorite of mine several years ago. It’s a member of the grossular garnet species (which gives us Tsavorite) and contains varying amounts of the andradite species too. It’s the andradite that gives these gems their special dispersive “kick.” This stone has medium yellowish, very slightly green body color and it throws strong rainbow dispersion colors in bright lighting. It’s nearly loupe clean and measures approx. 6.2 x 8.3 x 4.4 mm. Very good cut, no window or other faults; a wonderful gem. (All uses, N)"

 

[chrono]

Of the 2 you posted, the first one is better than the second. The second pear is too pale and washed out.

 

[cinnamon013]

HotPozzum - are you still looking for a heliodor?

What about http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=29&idproduct=2544

Per vendor:
BE-1796 Heliodore(J) 7.22 ct. 12x10.8 Victoria cushion[Gec] This member of the beryl family is a bright yellow with a hint of gold with no brownish or greenish undertones. Flawless at 10x, from Brazil. BB

 

[T L]

I''d go for a Mali garnet without any brown modifier. The heliodor will not sparkle as much.

 

[cinnamon013]

Date: 5/27/2009 4:43:06 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
I''d go for a Mali garnet without any brown modifier. The heliodor will not sparkle as much.

I wondered about that too. But since he said there were no brown undertones, I thought this one could be a thought. A mali would be lovely!