sapphire vs. spinel (PINK)

[Kem]

I am looking for pink stones, round or oval between 1 and 2 carats, to go in an e-ring with a diamond halo. If I want a sort of hot pink (anywhere from cotton candy-magenta) but definitely an eye-catching pink, is it better to go with sapphire or spinel, cost considerations aside? I don''t care so much about heat treating, as long as the stone keeps its color. What I want is the most durable stone with the best pink color that is also, and this is the key difference between the two as far as I can tell from other posts, the "sparkliest." I feel like spinel might look so good in pictures because it is a controlled setting, but they will not look so stunning on my finger. I admit I don''t care so much how valuable or rare the stone is- what I care most is how pretty the ring looks to me on a daily basis when I look down at my hand. Getting engaged in general is so exciting I just want to feel a little of that same excitement every time I see my ring. Any advice?

By the way, I know this would be better to do in person but it is very hard to find spinel and nice pink sapphires in jewelry stores near me and I don''t have the budget to get them shipped and returned to compare them, at least until I am deciding between a final couple of stones.

 

[marcy]

I think you would be happy with either a spinel or a sapphire; I have both and can''t say one performs are better than the other. Sapphires are my favorite gemstone and I absolutely love spinels. Generally spinels are not treated. I''ll be anxious to see what you end up purchasing.

 

[simplysplendid]

Hi, i think both sapphires and spinels are lovely. I am very into spinels lately. Recently I contacted Richard Homer and this is a pink oval spinel which I gave a miss because I wanted a round baby pink spinel. You might want to try contacting Rich to see if this piece is still available, I think it is a gorgeous pink.

 

[Kem]

thank you for your advice... at the moment i am leaning toward sapphire, partially because my boyfriend and I are having a sort of pink vs. blue debate (and this is on top of the diamond vs. colored stone argument, haha). and now that one of you mentioned Richard Homer I have entirely new questions about concave cut stones vs. traditionally cut stones! ahh, i feel like I can never make up my mind. And I have all these people telling me that I "deserve more" in a ring that is supposed to symbolize lasting love and so on, when it is ME that wants the color in the first place! simplysplendid, what do you think about Richard Homer''s cutting? Is it much more brilliant? I want my ring to look engagement-like, if that makes sense, and beautiful enough to stop some of the questions about whether I deserve a real diamond.

 

[simplysplendid]

Hi, I think Richard Homer''s cut are beautiful. You can visit his website concavegems.com to see some of his gems and also search up his name on the forums. You will find a lot of positive feedback on his work. I think he has a lot more gemstones that are not posted on the website so you might want to email him. As for spinel, there are some forum members with beautiful spinels as their e-ring too, so do keep your options open. Do keep us posted on what you get..

 

[Kem]

I have some other quick questions if anyone knows...what does it mean that a spinel does not "keep its color" as well as a sapphire in bad lighting. does it look whiter or something? also, is it true it is more sparkly and has more life than a sapphire in any light, or just "good light"? I think next to diamonds I would like the stone that will "hold it''s own" more. Also, I know it is technically not as hard as a sapphire. Is it more likely to be scratched or chipped or is it really not that different? this is going to be an everyday piece of jewelry. I ask these questions because the pink color of spinel is looking SO beautiful to me in some of the pictures i''m seeing.

 

[colormyworld]

Hi Kem.

Red & pink spinels look slightly less saturated in natural and fluoescent light. This type of lighting also brings out any orange hues the stone my have. Pink sapphires typicaly turn more purple in the same lighting conditions.

It is true spinels are more sparkly than sapphires. They will show more fire because of the higher dispersion in spinels.

 

[poshpepper]

I do not know much about spinels, but just wanted to say that a sapphire will "hold its own" next to diamonds. I have a yellow sapphire as my ering center stone and it has a lot of fire. Here is a link to a thread that shows off how well my sapphire "fires". Sapphire FIRE

G/L with your search.

 

[Kem]

poshpepper, your ring is absolutely gorgeous! You are right about the fire, and the setting is beautiful as well. it makes me feel better about my choice to avoid concve faceting, your stone just shows so much life. if you wouldn''t mind, where did you find that setting? i was looking at the ritani halo, but i am thinking i might like the look of something a little more substantial and yours shows off your sapphire so well. it really is stunning, IMO.

 

[Catmom]

I must admit up front that I am a sapphire lover but just wanted to say that sapphires can be very sparkly and firey when cut traditionally. When cut right they have this inner glow that you just can''t beat IMHO.