Searching for Alexandrite

[Mrs_Strizzle]

There's lots of comments I haven't read, but wanted to post this "Alex" like color change sapphire that is cut in a OEC by a very highly regarded lapidary on the recommended vendor sticky. I bet it is so beautiful and leaves so much of your budget for the setting!

http://www.customgemstones.com/SAPPHIRE/sa1868.html

 

[cawacawa]

Thanks Mrs_Strizzle but it appears that they don't show the color change on the video ? I also only see one picture, but I'm on mobile so maybe it's on my end ? Also the gray tones are not really attractive to me in a color changing stone.

@LD since you bought often from David Wein could you confirm that what he sent me is indeed his real account ? And real email address ? (As I said in my last post I'm a bit worried)

**edited by moderator, please read our policies re: contact information on the forum**

 

[LD]

I have no reason to doubt it's not genuine. David has several different accounts. I can't remember how I've paid him in the past. I think it may have been direct through one of his websites but I can't remember and I haven't bought anything for ages. If you initially contacted him via his website then I'm pretty certain it's genuine. To be fair, if you buy a stone from any website and are doing a bank transfer you'll have these worries but it's not worth them getting a bad business reputation so go ahead and pull the trigger.

Please remove your email address from your last post. We're not allowed to do this on this forum and it's potentially really dangerous and asking for all sorts of different spam contacts.

 

[cawacawa]

Thanks for the reply @LD

I can't seem to remove it because I can't edit the post anymore.

 

[cawacawa]

I have received my alexandrite from David Wein. This one :

I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed because it is much darker in person, and the colors don't really match the pictures/video that I saw and that @LD qualified as a stunning color change.

I now understand why @LD said the true colors are impossible to photograph, because with my phone camera the colors are TOTALLY DIFFERENT from what I see. Sometimes the camera picks up a bright purple but my eyes see almost a black ball with some green reflections in it. It is very strange.

Maybe it's my inexperience of alexandrites talking, but after this experience, I am almost encline to think that Brazilian alexandrite is simply too dark for me.

The stone is too dark after all, and the color change isn't as striking as I thought it would be.

Sometimes the gem appears completely dark under some sunlight, like a black ball. We can sometimes see some mixed light effect, with reflections of green/blue and purple but it is very very subtle and doesn't quite fit what I had in mind.

I am currently leaning towards sending it back, although it seems that this type of Brazilian alexandrite is the best I can get.


I don't know what I should do, if I can find some lighter alexandrite somewhere else, if I should send it back, if I should buy a sapphire instead....I'm lost at the moment.

 

[T L]

To be honest, finding nice quality alexandrite is like finding a needle in a haystack. I don’t know if you’ll ever find anything that will satisfy you in your budget. I’m sorry to say. I hate to be blunt, but most Alexandrite are over priced ugly gems. LD got super lucky with hers.

Send it back, that’s way too much money to spend on a “black ball.” A sapphire would be a much better way to go. Or you could do a bypass with colors that are representative of the colorways in Alexandrite, like pink and green.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzDCGlUlZVL/?igshid=1u4f0quda9wxl

 

[cawacawa]

I'm looking for color change sapphire as well, but can't find really striking gems.
But I'm not willing to buy garnets, tanzanite, spinels or things like that, even representative of the alexandrite color.

Dont know where the good sapphire website sources are.

 

[AV_]

It may be that these dark stones are all that is left on the shelves. Yes, there are other stones... The secondary market for these things dos not seem to be quite so public.

There is no public pile of colored stones as there is of diamonds.

 

[T L]

I'm looking for color change sapphire as well, but can't find really striking gems.
But I'm not willing to buy garnets, tanzanite, spinels or things like that, even representative of the alexandrite color.

Dont know where the good sapphire website sources are.

I can see avoiding tanzanite as it’s a very soft and non durable gem, but why avoid garnet or spinel?

Many garnets are extremely beautiful and valuable, and spinel can be more pricey than most sapphires, depending on the quality. It’s also very durable. Spinel is even in the British crown jerwels.

 

[cawacawa]

Well to answer your question, the Alexandrite was linked to some special memory I share with my SO, so that meant a lot. But right now I'm hitting a wall in my search....Still looking though !

And I don't want to go for garnets or spinels because I want something truly special.

I've seen gorgeous spinels, it's not really the point. What I want is something really special that will be kept in the family for generations. As nice as spinels can be and how high their price can be, I don't think it's anything special... Just like ruby, emerald, and diamond for that matter.

Maybe a very nice colored diamond could fit what I want, but these cost way too much...

 

[T L]

Well to answer your question, the Alexandrite was linked to some special memory I share with my SO, so that meant a lot. But right now I'm hitting a wall in my search....Still looking though !

And I don't want to go for garnets or spinels because I want something truly special.

I've seen gorgeous spinels, it's not really the point. What I want is something really special that will be kept in the family for generations. As nice as spinels can be and how high their price can be, I don't think it's anything special... Just like ruby, emerald, and diamond for that matter.

Maybe a very nice colored diamond could fit what I want, but these cost way too much...

I guess your definition of “special” is not the same as mine. I think I’m still trying to figure your definition out, no offense.

You know, although ruby, spinel, diamond and emerald are not as rare as people think, the finest qualities in those gems are very rare and “special,” or the Queen wouldn’t be wearing them, and the wealthy of the world wouldn’t be bidding millions on them. They are heirloom and investment quality gems.

Just my two cents

 

[voce]

I was hoping you'd find one that you liked. Now I'm discouraged as well, and I guess I had better not look for alexandrites. They are so rare that probably all the good ones are bought already by people like LD *cough* *cough* *cough*

 

[T L]

I was hoping you'd find one that you liked. Now I'm discouraged as well, and I guess I had better not look for alexandrites. They are so rare that probably all the good ones are bought already by people like LD *cough* *cough* *cough*

The Japanese market is evidently buying all the best ones. Fine alexandrite is hard to come by even if there was no hot competition on the market, but who can blame vendors who want to sell their best material to people willing to pay $$$$$$$.

 

[cawacawa]

I'm back to square one with the alexandrite search now....

Do you guys have any good sources for it ? Maybe even in the asian markets that would ship to Europe ?

 

[Bron357]

I’m the eBay guru.
While it might seem a bit scary to shop there, this seller has 3,440 feedback, 100% positive.
That is impressive!
This is a great day colour, a light clear green, changing to purple red under incandescent. It has a GRS lab report which is one of the best.
At 1.68 carats it’s an impressive size and price, best part, $4,000 US.
Have a look, item no 283425741645 plus there’s a video.

 

[cawacawa]

Thanks @Bron357
I've checked out this vendor named jharnagems already. But he doesn't seem to have good alex in his store. The one you linked for instance displays a huge window and the color change isn't striking from what I see in the video. Also I'm not sure why you said that GRS reports are reliable because the pictures on it always seem to be complete oversaturated bs.

But yea i'm also checking out ebay regularly, nothing good pops up there from what I've seen so far unfortunately... Just a website full of overpriced second rate gems.

 

[Bron357]

Thanks @Bron357
I've checked out this vendor named jharnagems already. But he doesn't seem to have good alex in his store. The one you linked for instance displays a huge window and the color change isn't striking from what I see in the video. Also I'm not sure why you said that GRS reports are reliable because the pictures on it always seem to be complete oversaturated bs.

But yea i'm also checking out ebay regularly, nothing good pops up there from what I've seen so far unfortunately... Just a website full of overpriced second rate gems.

GRS is definitely one of the best labs. The problem with Alexandrite is that it photographs differently to what your eyes see. I think their photos are done at specific (studio artificial) light frequencies but where you live and the time of year affects the colour perception. Such a tricky gem.
The studio photos (incandescent) of my Alexandrite bracelet I can’t replicate here in Australia.

 

[cawacawa]

Your bracelet looks very "natural" because the colors are realistic for Alexandrite. On the other hand, the studio photo of the bracelet appears to have a very high dosage of warm colors, too much to seem natural. And to see almost a red in the incandescent aspect of alex looks very fishy to me everytime, seems like a pretty solid indicator that the pic is either photoshopped, or the artificial light they're using is completely unnatural and unrealistic. You know, like those pics some vendors take under direct pure UV light or something similar that make alexandrite appear a very bright oversaturated pink.


I have noticed this one that seems decent : https://www.bestingems.com/products...alexandrite-oval-831x709x493mm-228-carat.html

But I'm afraid it might be still too dark. Also the colors are not particularly beautiful. What do you guys think ?

 

[T L]

The price is suspiciously too low for a 2+ carat gem. I suspect another “black ball.” It looks really dark to me.

 

[T L]

Here’s the GIA photo of the colorways. Although it has good color change, it’s certainly not the lovely purple displayed on the vendor site.

 

[cawacawa]

Yea you're right. But also I was basing my remarks on that GIA picture, which is usually more accurate than the vendor's photo. And for a GIA report picture, it actually looks pretty good, and not that dark, so I was surprised. I'm not sure what to think, but yea all in all if I buy it I'm pretty sure it will be another black hole....

 

[T L]

Yea you're right. But also I was basing my remarks on that GIA picture, which is usually more accurate than the vendor's photo. And for a GIA report picture, it actually looks pretty good, and not that dark, so I was surprised. I'm not sure what to think, but yea all in all if I buy it I'm pretty sure it will be another black hole....

Did you see the vendor’s hand shots??? The stone looked so blackish in them.

 

[cawacawa]

Yea a lot of extinction unfortunately...

Honestly I don't know where else to look anymore. Seems like I've talked to every possible supplier.

Maybe people on this forum know other trusted vendors that I don't know of.

 

[T L]

Yea a lot of extinction unfortunately...

Honestly I don't know where else to look anymore. Seems like I've talked to every possible supplier.

Maybe people on this forum know other trusted vendors that I don't know of.

Win the lottery and move to Japan
In the meantime, I think you’ll have more luck with padparadcha. Even gem dealers who have trade access to the best gems, can’t get a hold of decent alexandrite these days.

 

[LD]

I have received my alexandrite from David Wein. This one :

I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed because it is much darker in person, and the colors don't really match the pictures/video that I saw and that @LD qualified as a stunning color change.

I now understand why @LD said the true colors are impossible to photograph, because with my phone camera the colors are TOTALLY DIFFERENT from what I see. Sometimes the camera picks up a bright purple but my eyes see almost a black ball with some green reflections in it. It is very strange.

Maybe it's my inexperience of alexandrites talking, but after this experience, I am almost encline to think that Brazilian alexandrite is simply too dark for me.

The stone is too dark after all, and the color change isn't as striking as I thought it would be.

Sometimes the gem appears completely dark under some sunlight, like a black ball. We can sometimes see some mixed light effect, with reflections of green/blue and purple but it is very very subtle and doesn't quite fit what I had in mind.

I am currently leaning towards sending it back, although it seems that this type of Brazilian alexandrite is the best I can get.


I don't know what I should do, if I can find some lighter alexandrite somewhere else, if I should send it back, if I should buy a sapphire instead....I'm lost at the moment.

Sorry to hear you're disappointed. You should never see a black colour in an Alexandrite. Never! I think the best course of action is to call David and tell him why you're unhappy with the gem. Tell him exactly what you're looking for (now you know what you want) and let him suggest an Alex for you. I've got all my photos on another laptop but I'll post a photo later that shows you some of my Alex on my hand that I managed to capture the green - it's still not accurate for some of the stones (and as you now know how difficult it is to photograph you'll appreciate the struggle) but you should honestly see a gorgeous very obvious green. Not black. Not grey. Not brown. Just green.

BTW look at Alex from all localities. I've found some Indian Alex have the most gorgeous daylight green. Tell David you have a budget of $X and you want the best colour changing stone (with a green daylight and purple incandescent colourway) from any locality and any size.

 

[new-beginning]

perhaps consider a decent but on the small side diamond as a center stone and alex as side stones or a halo - it might be easier to find alex in a small size. Someone mentioned Yvonne Raley having access to alex - she is one of the trusted vendors and might have the small stones you could use as side stones or in a halo.

 

[Jadec]

Hi people,

Newbie here. I'm looking to buy an Alexandrite stone for an engagement ring and i've browsed pretty much all the internet for it, but can't find a lot of good pieces. I guess this is normal considering how scarce it is.

I'm looking in my city as well (Paris, France) but so far have found only 2 stones, and they were not to my liking.

I looked through the whole list of recommended sellers on this forum, one by one. I won't buy any stone without a lab certificate, and i don't really trust unknown labs. So basically my search has led me so far to these pieces :

https://skyjems.ca/collections/alexandrite/products/giaax0009
https://skyjems.ca/collections/alexandrite/products/giaax0010
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax798aa/&930512007
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax852ad/&930512007
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax852ac/&930512007
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax860aa/&930512007
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax861aa/&930512007

Which deal do you think is the most interesting ?
I can't really find any other trusted website with trusted certificates. I've seen some other alexandrites elsewhere but they either were way too expensive, not trusted, or not what i'm looking for.

For example, here you can see the shades of alexandrites that i'm not looking for :

https://www.ajsgem.com/alexandrite-gemstone-chrysoberyl-2046340425.html?weight[min]=&weight[max]=&sell_price[min]=&sell_price[max]=&sort_by=sell_price&sort_order=DESC&items_per_page=45

Can you help me find something, maybe ? Some tips for a newbie ?

Also, I've started looking into color changing sapphires because they are kinda what i'm looking for and less expensive than alex, although still quite pricey.

Thank you guys.

I don't understand how people get those blue or red photos no.matter where i take photos of mine even in the sun like this where its very blue-green the photo always comes out purple??

 

[cawacawa]

Sorry to hear you're disappointed. You should never see a black colour in an Alexandrite. Never! I think the best course of action is to call David and tell him why you're unhappy with the gem. Tell him exactly what you're looking for (now you know what you want) and let him suggest an Alex for you. I've got all my photos on another laptop but I'll post a photo later that shows you some of my Alex on my hand that I managed to capture the green - it's still not accurate for some of the stones (and as you now know how difficult it is to photograph you'll appreciate the struggle) but you should honestly see a gorgeous very obvious green. Not black. Not grey. Not brown. Just green.

BTW look at Alex from all localities. I've found some Indian Alex have the most gorgeous daylight green. Tell David you have a budget of $X and you want the best colour changing stone (with a green daylight and purple incandescent colourway) from any locality and any size.

Tbh David isn't going to help me anymore. I've looked at every stone he has, several times. All he has is brazilian and sri lanka alex, almost all of them are way too dark, and nothing in his inventory is getting renewed. Seems like a dead end on that side.

I'm actively looking for more suppliers. Contacted already probably every american one, found some new ones in Antwerp, but for now they're only offering me low quality alex.

 

[voce]

Please with @LD to sell you one? Sorry your search has been for naught.

 

[cawacawa]

Please with @LD to sell you one? Sorry your search has been for naught.

I don't think @LD would sell me one from her personal collection...But maybe someone will come by and give me a tip on a good source for alexandrite, I don't know... I'm still hoping for something.

Right now all my leads are cold.