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red red wine...

Kelli

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 27, 2008
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I've recently rediscovered the delicious beauty of a nice red wine... I'm totally on a kick. Of course, every time I drink a glass, all I can think of is wanting a stone in that color. I know it's a lot more affordable and easier to come by than a true red, but I also know there's a fine line between a burgundy/merlot/old-fashioned-Christmas-red and the crappy brownish junk they sell in malls. How hard will it be to find one in a decent size (maybe 8-11 mm) that holds its color at least decently in most lighting? I don't want one that appears black in anything but direct sunlight.

Thanks in advance for your knowledge and help! :bigsmile:
 
I would think you could get some lovely garnets in this size, although the blacking out could be a problem. This one is 2.75ct, 10.5x7mm and $320.

Or a spinel? 2.05ct, 7.3 x 6.4mm, $340.

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Thanks guys!

The Barry oval is pretty, and I LOVE the cut, but I wish it was a little bigger. 8mm in a round I like, but an 8x6 oval seems a little smaller than I'm looking for since I'll probably put it in a solitaire setting with no extra frills.

That's kind of the same case with the spinel, although I do love the idea of a spinel since I don't have one yet. The pear is cool, but I like 'em a bit fatter.

The clearcutgems garnet I like, but it concerns me that that color changes drastically depending on the light source, which it says in the description. I have a Mali that does that. It's absolutely the most gorgeous fiery stone I've ever seen... standing with the sun to my back on a clear day. Otherwise it can look almost murky and swampy.

Some of those last ones I absolutely LOVED. Just my luck, those were the ones marked "SOLD." Also, it totally bugs me when the price isn't marked.

Sorry I'm so picky, but I think I learned that on this forum! :lol:
 
the nice thing is that you can compare color to the wine you're drinking!
win-win!
price is going to make a real difference on whether you get a black stone in certain light.
this is true whether it is a garnet or a spinel.
take your time and enjoy the wine: you'll find your stone sooner or later!
and pictures are just that. until you have a stone in your hand you won't know if its going to do what you want it to do.
your mali is a good example that stones don't always perform well in all light.
consider a red spess as well..........
 
There's also a mastercut spinel you may like:


All this eyecandy is making me thirsty, it's going to be red wine Wednesday when I get home this evening!
 

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I love that spinel.
 
I talked myself into buying this for myself, but there is another rhodolite garnet of similar color, apparently from the same lot of rough stones, for $50 less.
 
Go for Rubellite. They are Merlot/Shiraz colour. The only thing you need to make sure is that they don't brown out in incandescent lighting.

Deep red/burgundy garnets are lovely but actually the ones typically on the market are quite dark or brownish in tone. The ones in this thread I suspect won't be as rich looking in real life.
 
Your glass of red wine got me thinking...



Do these remind you of anything?

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carmen1|1381351130|3534896 said:
I love these colors - they look like candy! Wilds has some pretty rhodolite garnets (http://stores.ebay.com/Wilds-Global...9256419&_sid=1097483769&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322). Including several described as "wine red" :wink2:

I was wondering if anyone would end up posting these. I've been looking at these several times a day; the pear is probably exactly what I'm looking for, but it's a little more than I'd like to pay. Not that it isn't worth it, I'll just have a hard time justifying it when I know I can get something a little smaller that suits my preferences. Any opinions on it though from the experts?

I'm also really enjoying some of the master cut ones. Gonna keep looking until I find one I keep coming back to:)
 
Oh man. The master cut options were the last I could see when I posted this from my phone. Now I see there are more goodies to look at...
 
And more ideas too. Any pics of nicely colored rubellites? The ones I see usually look more pinkish.
 
Sapphiresal, those look yummy and familiar. Where are they from?
 
They're from acstones. The big one is 10mm and the other two are 8mm. The set is only $160.
 
Cool thanks. I think I want a faceted gem, but I am considering changing my mind if I can find a nice (and affordable) setting idea. I don't have any cabs yet and those are awesome!
 
LD|1381368075|3535066 said:
Go for Rubellite. They are Merlot/Shiraz colour. The only thing you need to make sure is that they don't brown out in incandescent lighting.

Deep red/burgundy garnets are lovely but actually the ones typically on the market are quite dark or brownish in tone. The ones in this thread I suspect won't be as rich looking in real life.

Was just about to say exactly this, but LD said it perfectly. :))

Just beware of drinking the red wine as you compare it to stones...we've had more than a few members come on here the morning after to report that they may have just gone on a wine-fueled buying frenzy the night before...ebay seems to be a frequent haunt of those of us - er, I mean those - who have done some late night buzzed shopping. :twirl:
 
Haha! That is totally something I would do!

Does anyone have a picture of one of these wine-colored tourmalines? The ones I see are usually more pink.
 
Oh wow that's a perfect thread for me! Thanks!
 
Well, for better or worse, I bought this: http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=6416

I kept coming back to it and I was worried it would disappear with the attention his sale is getting and with Christmas being sort of around the corner (I thought maybe there'd be some other dorks who liked to sport red stones for Christmas and might not be able to afford rubies and spinels :lol: ).

I don't expect it to glow red as a more expensive stone would, but it is in all other ways up my alley and in the size and price range I was looking for- not to mention returnable just in case. I'll probably even put it in a sterling silver Stuller setting and satisfy my itch while keeping it good and cheap. Thanks for the help everyone.

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I would wait on setting ideas until after you have it in hand. I expect this garnet to look darker in person and possibly black out indoors.
 
That Mastercut garnet was my second choice. Indeed it may not be perfect in lower light but I bet it is better than most garnets and the color is winelike. Looking forward to my stone from the same batch.
 
I agree with both of you. I won't order anything until I have it in hand for the reasons mentioned. On the other hand, it DOES look better to me than most other garnets, at least by the picture. The handshot was what won me over in the end. I know it's no glowing stoplight red, but it looks a great deal better than anything I've had yet.

Also, it does help that when I look at my wine, the overall body color is dark but flashes red when the light hits it. I kind of like the look- AS LONG AS there are plentiful flashes of red coming from it. I also kind of like the look of a dark red sparkly stone with black clothes or black fingernails. Like kind of gothy but not over the top. I guess we'll see:

I hope we're both happy with our stones, boerumbiddy:)
 
Wow, that Tanzanian garnet certainly loves incandescent light! I just opened the package and so haven't had it out in the sun yet but I am very impressed! It does get a little drab in fluorescent light (but then so do I) but I think that is part of the color-change aspect of this particular stone. I am a very happy first-time customer of Mastercut.
 
Like Chrono I think that the garnet you've ordered may be quite a bit darker than the photos suggest. Having said that, you need to have it in hand and give it a workout in all lighting conditions.

You asked to see a Rubellite - I don't buy stones any more because I'm bored of them (can't believe I said that) but here's some I own to give you an idea of what you can find.

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Wow, thanks LD. Those are beautiful and HUGE; I love them! For some reason my searches have never brought me to rubellites like that.

As for the garnet I bought... Boerumbiddy I'm glad you are liking yours, and that was some LIGHTNING fast shipping. I kind of feel like I know what to expect- that I'll be pretty excited with it under my kitchen spotlights and the lights in my bathroom, I'll LOVE it in the sunlight, and I'll think it's just ok in my car or other low light. Honestly, even my ideal cut diamond does that. It blacks out if the lighting is too bright, and if there's not enough light it pretty much sits there like a white cirle and doesn't do anything. I think the reason I'm ok with buying stones that aren't perfect is that I've never actually seen a stone that looks awesome in all scenarios. I'm sure they exist, but I have a feeling I can't afford them.

With the wine colored thing I think the dark with flashes of red will suit me just fine, but if the flashes aren't there I'll send it back and look elsewhere, probably more at rubellites this time.
 
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