Searching for Alexandrite

[qubitasaurus]

I would like to know what's the deal with this section of africagems :
https://www.africagems.com/calibrated-alexandrite-oval-gem.html

They offer "calibrated" alexandrite from Brazil in "GEM" quality which seems to be the best quality available.
The price is about half to a third of what they have in store for already cut alexandrite.

Do you think it's a good idea to buy from that section of their website ? Or should i forget about that option if i'm looking for a quality gem ?

Also, as a side question, which stone do you think is the best for my engagement ring from their regular section with a 12000€ budget ? And with a 8000€ budget ?

https://www.africagems.com/alexandrite1caratplus.html?page=0&s=newest

Trouble with the calibrated stones is that you are not looking at a picture of the actual stone you are buying. But rather a representation of what the vendor thinks is a typical stone from that parcle. There is always variation within the parcle, so the actual stone you recieve could look quite different from the photo.

Looking at it logically, why would a vendor list a stone which he believed would sell for > 8 k in the normal part of his website, for a tiny fraction of that amount under the heading calibrated stones? This vendor has a lot of experience and I think his father was also in the trade (I could be wrong here?), more or less he knows exactly what the items he is selling are worth and is very unlikely to price them at below market value.

He does run a tone of sales though, so you should look out for one of those.

 

[T L]

I agree with @qubitasaurus, but if I had to pick one on this page, it would be this, because all of them are way too dark in tone for me. I also like the cutting. It’s a bit small though. I would ask for a video of any stone you’re considering. At least he’s a reputable dealer, so returns should be easy.

http://www.africagems.com/emerald-alexandrite-g2k-855322.html

Also, for those prices, maybe you want to consider a fancy colored diamond? Even a subcarat one is incredibly beautiful, rare and always valuable.

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

Another option is color change garnet. I have a few that look very much like the video of the Alex that @TL pasted in this thread. Problem is that they are very dark irl, and I'm not sure I'll ever set them. I paid no where near the asking for the Alex, obviously.

After re-reading your original post I also will add my 2 cents and say I absolutely love my color "shift" sapphire in my avatar. She shifts from apple green to gray blue, to teal blue. I think being open to other color shift/change stones will allow for a stone with much larger presence than any of the Alex's we've seen in this thread. Now mind you, I fully admit that my jewelry taste tends to be borderline gaudy as my 16 year old daughter says. But I believe your budget should provide a truly "Wow" stone.

(Please ignore this advice if your taste is understated and classic.)

 

[cawacawa]

I agree with @qubitasaurus, but if I had to pick one on this page, it would be this, because all of them are way too dark in tone for me. I also like the cutting. It’s a bit small though. I would ask for a video of any stone you’re considering. At least he’s a reputable dealer, so returns should be easy.

http://www.africagems.com/emerald-alexandrite-g2k-855322.html

Also, for those prices, maybe you want to consider a fancy colored diamond? Even a subcarat one is incredibly beautiful, rare and always valuable.

Do you think all the alexandrites shown on africagems are too dark ? Or is it just the way he takes the pictures ? Do you also think all multicolour.com alexandrites are too dark ?

If that's the case, all alexandrites are too dark for you, except maybe very high quality ones, 30k$+ /ct ?

Another option is color change garnet. I have a few that look very much like the video of the Alex that @TL pasted in this thread. Problem is that they are very dark irl, and I'm not sure I'll ever set them. I paid no where near the asking for the Alex, obviously.

After re-reading your original post I also will add my 2 cents and say I absolutely love my color "shift" sapphire in my avatar. She shifts from apple green to gray blue, to teal blue. I think being open to other color shift/change stones will allow for a stone with much larger presence than any of the Alex's we've seen in this thread. Now mind you, I fully admit that my jewelry taste tends to be borderline gaudy as my 16 year old daughter says. But I believe your budget should provide a truly "Wow" stone.

(Please ignore this advice if your taste is understated and classic.)

I'm opened to color-change sapphires if the gem is absolutely gorgeous, which i haven't found yet.

But the alexandrite choice is linked to some piece of history we share together so i think it would really be the best thing if i can find a good one.
I don't know if it needs to be that big for an engagement ring.... I'm guessing a 6.5x4.5 stone would be enough ? So actually if the stone is that size but around 0.7-0.8ct it could work ?
What do you think about sizes ? Do i really need a 1.5ct gem with 8.5x6 dimensions for it to be noticeable on a ring ?
She has thin (size 49) fingers also, and i want it to be subtle and elegant, so i'm guessing the stone doesn't need to be massive actually.

 

[T L]

@cawacawa ,
I expressed my feelings on this gem species on the prior page of this thread.

 

[cawacawa]

@cawacawa ,
I expressed my feelings on this gem species on the prior page of this thread.

Do you mean that the statement i made is correct ? And that you think only the highest priced alexandrite is worth buying ?

 

[T L]

Do you mean that the statement i made is correct ? And that you think only the highest priced alexandrite is worth buying ?

I do think some alexandrite is worth buying, but not the qualities I’ve seen thus far at these prices.

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

Do you think all the alexandrites shown on africagems are too dark ? Or is it just the way he takes the pictures ? Do

I'm opened to color-change sapphires if the gem is absolutely gorgeous, which i haven't found yet.

But the alexandrite choice is linked to some piece of history we share together so i think it would really be the best thing if i can find a good one.
I don't know if it needs to be that big for an engagement ring.... I'm guessing a 6.5x4.5 stone would be enough ? So actually if the stone is that size but around 0.7-0.8ct it could work ?
What do you think about sizes ? Do i really need a 1.5ct gem with 8.5x6 dimensions for it to be noticeable on a ring ?
She has thin (size 49) fingers also, and i want it to be subtle and elegant, so i'm guessing the stone doesn't need to be massive actually.

I think it's wonderful that you are searching for a stone that represents a shared history together! That will make the engagement ring even more special.

As for the stone size, that definitely is a personal preference. She does have dainty fingers, which definitely helps. You know your beloved and her tastes, as well as what is the social norm where you live. Its different everywhere. Where I live, everyone gets engaged with a diamond, the bigger the better. Most of my friends and family are very surprised I choose to wear my sapphire instead of my diamond because no one else here would do that. They consider it a status thing. Please ignore my reference to the size of the stone. I think I was a bit out of line and certainly did not intend on making this more complicated or stressful than it is.

 

[cawacawa]

You're not making it complicated don't worry about it ! I am just genuinely wondering about sizes, and if a 6x4,5 stone would be too small.

Do you guys know if this vendor is affiliated with africagems.com ?

https://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/g...e=&color=&minct=&maxct=&min=&max=&sku=&page=1

The exact same alexandrites are listed on both websites, but about 15% less expensive on pearlsmanjeweler.

 

[T L]

Looks like the same gems in Africagems site.

I found this vendor who specializes in alexandrite and emerald. I have no idea about them, or if they sell to the public, but they have a big selection of Brazilian material.

https://instagram.com/abc_gems?igshid=8njkg1lzp9q5

 

[cawacawa]

Yes it's the same gems, so maybe they work together ? But why would it be so much cheaper on this website ?

Thanks for this link to a Brazilian alexandrite vendor, I asked about what they have in stock, but after looking through their Instagram, I don't know if I will be interested, as the alex they're showing seems to be very dark actually, you probably are thinking the same, considering your taste.

 

[T L]

Yes it's the same gems, so maybe they work together ? But why would it be so much cheaper on this website ?

Thanks for this link to a Brazilian alexandrite vendor, I asked about what they have in stock, but after looking through their Instagram, I don't know if I will be interested, as the alex they're showing seems to be very dark actually, you probably are thinking the same, considering your taste.

I think both Africagems and this vendor have dark gems, but it can’t hurt to ask them if they have something lighter in your price range. Most vendors have way more stock than they show online.

 

[qubitasaurus]

You're not making it complicated don't worry about it ! I am just genuinely wondering about sizes, and if a 6x4,5 stone would be too small.

Do you guys know if this vendor is affiliated with africagems.com ?

https://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/g...e=&color=&minct=&maxct=&min=&max=&sku=&page=1

The exact same alexandrites are listed on both websites, but about 15% less expensive on pearlsmanjeweler.

The vendor is actually Gem2000 a large whole sale distributor, whoes inventory is being listed on two different sites (africagems and pearlmans).

 

[LD]

Oooooooooooooooo I do love a good thread on Alex! Hello Cawacawa!

Firstly let me tell you that if the stones from AfricaGems look anything like their photos I would be amazed. They are highly manipulated to show a colour that I suspect they don't have. As TL has mentioned, it is incredibly difficult to photograph Alexandrite. In fact it's near impossible. I am not dissing Africagems btw because nearly all sellers of Alex have to adapt their photos to give you a feeling of what they see in real life but can't capture on camera. However, there's manipulating a photo and then there's manipulating a photo! Trying to photograph both the green and purple is like trying to see the Northern Lights from Australia!

I find that David from Multicolour (who is an expert in Alex) is truthful about what he has and his stones are priced accordingly. He also has a website where he sells pre-made jewellery that you may want to look at. If you look at my avatar you'll see one of mine that I bought from him many many years ago and designed the setting with him. This is just over 3.5ct and I have no idea how much it would cost now. I bought a ton of Alex before people really liked it so managed to get some lovely specimens. https://www.davidwein.com/rings-jewelry.html

In your original post, you posted examples of the colour change you wanted which was a fairly light green to a browny orange. These Alex are must less sought after and so are cheaper to buy. What every collector is looking for is emerald green in daylight (mine have been mistaken for Emeralds in a jewellery shop!) and a pinky purple in incandescent light.

Looking at the one you liked in the video on Instagram - I'm not 100% certain that's a natural Alex. It has some telltale worrying signs for me and I think it may be a synthetic.

Things to be super wary of: (1) if the stone is large and clean. Stones over 1ct tend to have at least some inclusions. There are exceptions but this is a good rule of thumb (2) cut - if you want a precision cut, Alex may not be the stone for you. Sometimes weight is preserved on excellent material but cut is compromised (3) colour change - the better it is, the more desireable and the more expensive. (4) ALWAYS get a stone with a lab report. Most of the bigger labs are fine.

If you post links to any stones you like, I'd be happy to go through them and comment. Hope that helps x

 

[LD]

You're not making it complicated don't worry about it ! I am just genuinely wondering about sizes, and if a 6x4,5 stone would be too small.

Do you guys know if this vendor is affiliated with africagems.com ?

https://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/g...e=&color=&minct=&maxct=&min=&max=&sku=&page=1

The exact same alexandrites are listed on both websites, but about 15% less expensive on pearlsmanjeweler.

If you click on a stone on the website linked to above, then click on the lab report, you'll be able to see the difference in colour from the manipulated photos! I suspect that the lab report is more representational of what the stone will look like BUT perhaps not that good either!

 

[LD]

Of the ones in your first post my favourites are:

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax798aa/&930512007 - this is because the daylight colour is good but perhaps a little dark and not quite green enough. It doesn't have any grey and the incandescent colour is lovely but again dark. However, some ladies don't like hearts so the cut is against this one - but a heart shape in an Alex is rare! I think I would want to talk to David about this stone because it looks dark but it may not do in real life.

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax860aa/&930512007 I really really like this one. The daytime colour may be a little dark but the incandescent colour is to die for! This is a smaller stone though so that might put you off. Again, I think I would speak to David for his opinion.

 

[T L]

LD,
Your 3.5 ct stone belongs in a museum near the Hooker emerald and the Hope Diamond. It’s not too dark, has great cutting, great color change and is huge! It’s probably one if the most valuable and rare stones ever to grace this forum. You’re so lucky to have it.

 

[LD]

LD,
Your 3.5 ct stone belongs in a museum near the Hooker emerald and the Hope Diamond. It’s not too dark, has great cutting, great color change and is huge! It’s probably one if the most valuable and rare stones ever to grace this forum. You’re so lucky to have it.

Awwwww TL thank you. I know it's not to everybody's taste but hey, I like to buck the trend! xxx

 

[cawacawa]

Thank you LD for participating in this thread, I was hoping you'd find your way there !

Oooooooooooooooo I do love a good thread on Alex! Hello Cawacawa!

Firstly let me tell you that if the stones from AfricaGems look anything like their photos I would be amazed. They are highly manipulated to show a colour that I suspect they don't have. As TL has mentioned, it is incredibly difficult to photograph Alexandrite. In fact it's near impossible. I am not dissing Africagems btw because nearly all sellers of Alex have to adapt their photos to give you a feeling of what they see in real life but can't capture on camera. However, there's manipulating a photo and then there's manipulating a photo! Trying to photograph both the green and purple is like trying to see the Northern Lights from Australia!

I didn't suspect that ! I would have thought a seller as reputable would not manipulate the photos. As qubitasaurus said earlier in this thread, their stock is actually from Gem2000 and you can see some videos of some stones there :
https://www.gem2000.com/search-results.php?gsi_request={"onlyPhotos":false,"onlyCert":false,"GemItemNumber":"","GemType":"ALEXANDRITE","GemColor":"Any","GemShape":"Any","GemQuantity":"Any","GemWeightMin":"","GemWeightMax":"","GemPriceMin":"","GemPriceMax":"","MultiItems":"null"}

The colors seem to match, but maybe the videos are manipulated as well, I wouldn't be able to tell honestly.

I find that David from Multicolour (who is an expert in Alex) is truthful about what he has and his stones are priced accordingly. He also has a website where he sells pre-made jewellery that you may want to look at. If you look at my avatar you'll see one of mine that I bought from him many many years ago and designed the setting with him. This is just over 3.5ct and I have no idea how much it would cost now. I bought a ton of Alex before people really liked it so managed to get some lovely specimens. https://www.davidwein.com/rings-jewelry.html

I would like to buy the stone first then mount it on a custom ring, and I already talked to David about it, he agreed to discuss custom design for the ring after I buy the stone and approve of it.
I actually talked to him about this stone that you mentionned from my original post :
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax860aa/&930512007

For the moment, this is the one i'm most interested in. The heart one you linked is also nice, but seems more included and windowed ?

In your original post, you posted examples of the colour change you wanted which was a fairly light green to a browny orange. These Alex are must less sought after and so are cheaper to buy. What every collector is looking for is emerald green in daylight (mine have been mistaken for Emeralds in a jewellery shop!) and a pinky purple in incandescent light.

That was actually the color change I wasn't looking for, and I agree with you on that.

So basically for the moment, I noticed mostly these :

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax860aa/&930512007
https://www.africagems.com/alexandrite-oval-0-72-201810466.html
https://www.africagems.com/alexandrite-oval-0-74-201810468.html

What I would love to find is a 1ct stone with this kind of color change :
http://mayerandwatt.com/images/page...2.58cts_TTSXS_bothlights_Horizontal_small.jpg

This is a 2.58ct stone from Mayer and Watt, which is well beyond my budget.

And what do you think about sizes to mount an alexandrite stone ?
I don't know if it needs to be that big for an engagement ring.... I'm guessing a 6.5x4.5 stone would be enough ? So actually if the stone is that size but around 0.7-0.8ct it could work ?
Do i really need a 1.5ct gem with 8.5x6 dimensions for it to be noticeable on a ring ?
She has thin (size 49) fingers also, and i want it to be subtle and elegant, so i'm guessing the stone doesn't need to be massive actually.

Thank you for your help, and to all the people in this thread so far who have been very helpful !

 

[T L]

You could do alexandrite melee around the center stone to make it look larger. Those tend to be much more affordable.

 

[AV_]

.

WWW

WWW

& something else:

WWW

 

[T L]

Is it just me, or do these darker Brazilian alexandrites have a somewhat metallic luster, sort of like a cuprite. It’s interesting. It’s probably due to their extreme hardness.

 

[cawacawa]

On the website AV_ just linked, they have alexandrite "mined in Russia" ?? How is that even possible, for such a low price ? The color change seems almost non-existent though, so they're just Russian mined chrysoberyl ?
https://gemkeepers.com/search?type=...descending&pf_t_stone_origin=TagOrigin:Russia

 

[AV_]

@cawacawa Dunno... What you see is what I see; I do not understand not few of their items, but the world is large & demand must exist.

 

[T L]

@cawacawa Dunno... What you see is what I see; I do not understand not few of their items, but the world is large & demand must exist.

I looked at a few of those they’re nothing more than green chrysoberyl. The color change is non existent.

 

[AV_]

The 1.32 - WWW

 

[Nosean]

On the website AV_ just linked, they have alexandrite "mined in Russia" ?? How is that even possible, for such a low price ? The color change seems almost non-existent though, so they're just Russian mined chrysoberyl ?
https://gemkeepers.com/search?type=...descending&pf_t_stone_origin=TagOrigin:Russia

I really doubt that they are russian alexandrites - looks like the lower material from India with nice daylight color, good clarity but faint CC.

One reason why I avoid IGI reports in colored stones and Diamonds.

The alexandrite from the russian source show a better change even with a lighter color and never this clarity in „larger“ sizes (0,30ct and more).

Very misleading and not the only vendor doing this.

 

[cawacawa]

The 1.32 - WWW

Nice find AV_ ! I contacted the vendor for additionnal pictures/video and the GIA report.

If you have some more good finds like this one I would definitely be interested !

@Nosean I didn't know IGI reports weren't actually solid. So basically only stick to GIA, AGL, Gubelin reports...

 

[icy_jade]

Was browsing alexandrite after seeing OP’s post and thought this preloved ring looks good. No idea if the pic is accurate or not. Just sharing pics.

 

[cawacawa]

Thanks @icy_jade, very beautiful stone ! Did you find it on a chinese website ? Are you fluent in mandarin ?