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Red spinel

pregcurious

pregcurious

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
6,725
I just wanted to share my 2 ct red spinel from Bruce Bridges, who made purchasing a wonderful experience. The stone has been appraised by Martin Fuller, who judged it to be a red with slight purple to it. I originally wanted a red stone, and was scared off by all the ruby treatments. After seeing some fine Burmese rubies this weekend, I think this stone is a little dark in person and lacks the slight pinkness of some Burmese rubies that give them their punch. I've been told it's color and clarity is more like a Thai ruby.

I am looking for a 3 stone setting with side diamonds. I was thinking of an open bezel to protect the stone, and not darken it too much, but I am in love with Victor Canera's prong settings.

Anyone out there have an experience with red spinels who can share your wisdom? Any advice about setting it? I will be wearing it with the 2 mm eternity band below. The new setting does not have to be flush, but I would like the space to not be greater then 2 mm.

2.02ct_Red_Spinel.jpg

155PO18.jpg
 
I don't have much advice but I think a three stone ring would be lovely. I just purchased this 1.2 carat Burma red spinel and it is going to be set in a three stone WG ring with two 5.5 mm diamonds. I wanted the stone to complimented by diamonds and not overwhelmed.
red-burma-spinel-gemstone-spi-00365-l.jpg
 
Thanks, LisaRN. Mine is a Burmese also, and I love the color of your spinel. Please post your ring when you're done! Can I ask who is setting your ring?

I am so nervous about ruining the color of my stone. Is it normal to be this nervous about a setting?
 
Yes it is normal to be nervous. I have sent the stone to Amcor designs and am using a Unique settings mount. I really don't spend too much for my settings as I am obsessed with rings and it gets expensive. I actually had a red spinel chipped during setting recently. Lucky the jeweler was so nice about it and took full responsibility. He offered to buy me another stone which I did not think was necessary.He had the spinel repolished and it looks great.

I am nervous about my new ring because the jeweler I am using this time does not take responsibility for customer stones. He does great work so I am taking a deep breath and putting my faith in him. I really appreciate that you like the pink tone in some Burmese rubies. My daughter told me my red spinel was "kind of pink" and I took that as a negative. I really haven't seen any good Burmese rubies so I have nothing to compare my spinel too. It is red with some dark pink and it has a glow to it. In my world (Northeast Ohio) I could be wearing a piece of hard candy in a ring setting and my friends and co-workers would say "nice ring". lol
 
I think in the spinel world, top reddish pink Mahenges have made pink desirable in spinels and I like the glow. The Holy Grail of pigeon blood red (red with a very slight purple shade) is very hard to find in rubies or any red stone. When looking at rubies and spinels, my personal choice was to avoid anything with an orange or brown shade, but to each his/her own I guess. At the end of the day, I'm not sure how I did on color. Opinions?
 
I don't personally feel comfortable commenting on your spinel, but I will say to you and everyone else who is looking for a red spinel, I would avoid ones that look very "garnet-like." Nothing wrong with red garnets for those fans, but they certainly cost a lot less than a red spinel, and you don't want people mistaking your gem for a garnet. For me, and what I've seen, this Nomad piece is the pinnacle of color in red spinel, but I do understand that it's extremely rare and difficult to come by, and when you do, it's :$$): :$$): :$$):

Burmese spinels, from what I understand, have orange in them, and for some people, they are fond of that, and for others, it makes them look less like rubies, which is what fine red spinel is often compared too. This is more of a pinkish red color (it's Tanzanian). It does look just like a fine ruby IMHO.

9-52ct-spinel-b-e1bdd.jpg
 
Thanks, TL. Fortunately, my spinel does not have any orange. LisaRNs is also from Burma and does not appear to have any orange. The color assessement for mine is based on Martin Fuller's appraisal of it, and I trust him. He's very skilled and quite a gentleman. We saw the stone for the first time together, and it's on his appraisal that I bought the stone.

I've seen that Jeffrey Bilgore ring before and think it's beautiful. The stone, however, is much bigger than mine, otherwise I would consider that setting.

EDIT: To add Martin Fuller's appraisal comment.
 
pregcurious|1320696074|3056260 said:
Thanks, TL. Fortunately, my spinel does not have any orange. LisaRNs is also from Burma and does not appear to have any orange.

I've seen that Jeffrey Bilgore ring before and think it's beautiful. The stone, however, is much bigger than mine, otherwise I would consider that setting.
Click to expand...

You're welcome.
*sigh* - that ring heavenly!! TDF!

I think ABGF just had a red spinel set. You may want to look at her threads.
 
TL, here is another picture of my spinel. This was taken by the vendor, and is darker/more saturated in person. This must have been taken with lots of light. I trust your opinion on color, so please feel free to comment.

Interestingly, in the light in my office, it seems to really shine.

2.02spinel.jpg
 
pregcurious|1320696510|3056273 said:
TL, here is another picture of my spinel. This was taken by the vendor, and is slightly darker in person.. I trust your opinion on color, so please feel free to comment.
Click to expand...

I think it's very pretty, and I'm delighted to know it's not one of those stones that's super orange and very dark in tone. Very nice. :bigsmile:

Curious, does it have fluorescence? I love fluor on red spinels, as they tend to glow in the sun.
 
Thanks, TL. It does get darker though inside, and I am very worried about setting it. Especially because it has that purple tone (that I still can't see with my untrained eyes), I am so afraid of it looking garnety if I set it. The first picture is what it looks like indoors with no direct light. The 2nd picture is what it looks like if you set it up in a photo session with lots of lights. Does that make sense? I wanted a pigeon blood red and feel like I'm walking a very fine line with having that saturated color, but it not being too dark.

I have zero experience with colored stones and feel paralyzed. Do you have any advice about settings that don't darken stones as much as others?
 
pregcurious|1320696900|3056279 said:
Thanks, TL. It does get darker though inside, and I am very worried about setting it. Especially because it has that purple tone, I am so afraid of it looking garnety if I set it. I have zero experience with colored stones and feel paralyzed. Do you have any advice about settings that don't darken stones as much as others?

In a way, I think it's safer to buy pinky spinels because they will never look like garnets, but I really wanted pigeon blood red. I fee like I'm walking a fine line. The first picture is what it looks like indoors with no direct light. The 2nd picture is what it looks like if you set it up in a photo session with lots of lights. Does that make sense?
Click to expand...

To be honest, I prefer the second photo more than the first. I think a simple three stone ring would suffice. I would not halo or bezel it, and have an open gallery to let in as much light as possible.
 
Martin said it has fluorescence, but I've never tried to see it. It's also almost flawless under a loupe, so you can really see the crystal aspect of it also, which is what pushed me over the edge.

TL, that makes sense. I wanted a bezel to protect it, but I guess it's no good protecting it if doesn't look good.
 
Thanks, Love in Bloom. It's really hard to get a good picture.
 
HI:

Gorgeous! Can't wait to see how your is set!

cheers--Sharon
 
Thanks, Canuk!

If anyone wants to see ABGF's spinel, it is here: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-me-find-a-red-stone-a-red-spinel-or-a-ruby.155192/page-7']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-me-find-a-red-stone-a-red-spinel-or-a-ruby.155192/page-7[/URL]

Before reading that post, I didn't know that people could have such a different definition of red. I guess I was going for a range of reds that associate with untreated rubies (Thai or Burmese) in a spinel, that did not have the pink of a Mahenge. (I love Mahenge spinels in their own right.) I am happy with the actual color of mine, but think mine it is slightly too dark .
 
I have a monitor that is especially poorly calibrated for red, and if red looks well on my monitor, it is pretty darn good!
Your red looks fine, so I assume it is a pretty good stone.
 
Thank you crasu. The stone is definitely the red I wanted, but it is a little dark.

I am starting to think it might be partly due to it's depth. I've posted another picture that shows its pavilion (it is more saturated and darker in tone in real life, and is most like the 1st picture.) I would almost consider a recut to the pavilion to lighten the stone, but I can't stomach the risk. It took my several years to find a red oval (cushion was also an option) that was clean, 2 ct+, well cut (not wonky, no window). This was the best I've found, with the exception of a cherry ruby that looked kind of dead to me, and a silky stop light red that looked beautiful indoors, but started looking to milky to me in sunlight.

Overall, I found a lot of purplish and pinkish rubies, and orangey and pinky spinels. The Jeff Bilgore spinel TL posted is too pink for me, but I appreciate how bright red stones can look with a little pink.

2.02spinel_pav.jpg
 
I don't have the years of experience and knowledge of colored stones that many on this board do; however, I do know what I like when I see it.... And I definitely love the color of this spinel in every photo you posted. I think this is going to make one stunning right. I can't wait to see how it turns out!
 
Thanks Coco. Good luck finding your stone! It's an adventure.
 
If you feel it is a tad too dark for your daily enjoyment, have it set in a prong setting. In general, spinels are durable enough as everyday ring stones with the usual caveat of not wearing it to go rock climbing and etc. :tongue:
 
Thanks, Chrono. Did you ever see you ring in the WF calendar? They have a quote from you on that month.
 
pregcurious|1320889461|3058287 said:
Thanks, Chrono. Did you ever see you ring in the WF calendar? They have a quote from you on that month.
Click to expand...

Alas, I have not seen the calendar. Hope I didn't say anything embarrassing in the quote. :oops:
 
It was actually very nice. I will try to find it, but I might have put in a "safe" place, which means it is lost forever. I think it said something like: This was a great experience and I love my ring --Your-first-name Last-initial

On the poll, when you said you liked the double baguette setting, did you mean the 5 stone or 3 stone?
 
Was my real name used in the quote? :eek:

It is the 5 stone prong set baguette setting that I like.
 
Yes, but your last name was not printed. Only the initial of your last name. I won't post it here.

I like the 5 stone better also.
 
Thank you. I appreciate your understanding of the matter. It's a good thing the first name isn't really my real name either.
 
Chrono, if it is the lovely 5-ct red spinel pear, platinum set with 5 prongs in a halo of ACAs it is the July pic in Whiteflash's 2011calendar.

I just took a pic of it.
May I post it?
Shall I also post your quote? Of course I would crop out the stated name.
 
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