spinel envy

[brandy_z28]

I purchased this little guy from multicolour after seeing sleepyspinel''s gorgeous stone. I hadn''t seen anything like it and I came down with a bad case of spinel envy. This one is much smaller but it was affordable, for me.

Specs:

GIA Code: oR 4/5
Hue: orangy red
Tone: Medium light
Saturation: Strong
Clarity: Slightly included
Carat weight: 0.88 cts
Width: 5.10 mm
Length: 6.00 mm
Depth: 3.60 mm
Shape: Oval
Cut: Step cut
Treatments: None
Probable origin: Mahenge, Tanzania

First picture is from indoors, incandescent (I believe).

 

[brandy_z28]

window sill at work, belly up

 

[brandy_z28]

window sill at work again

 

[brandy_z28]

outdoors

 

[brandy_z28]

daylily

 

[brandy_z28]

oleander

 

[brandy_z28]

Hope this one isn''t too dark. It was taken at work with my iphone and it really shows off the orange that comes through much better than my camera was able to capture.

 

[chrono]

Brandy,
That Mahenge is a stunner.

I''m incredibly excited to see you purchased it. A beautiful glowing stone with intense colour and just the right amount of silk.

 

[T L]

Nice stone! Do you think it looked like the vendor pic?

Congratulations - no more spinel envy for you!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

That is gorgeous! It may be small but it is a stunner: nice glow and very pleasant colour.

 

[D&T]

such a gorgeous color saturation.

 

[sleepyspinel]

Hi brandy

I am so glad you''ve joined the club!!! You picked a very nicely colored stone. The saturation is good and it seems to not darken up even in the dimmer lit pictures, just like a good silky stone is supposed to do How do you plan on setting it??

I am happy that you were able to get one of your very own

Date: 6/16/2009 9:22:16 PM
Author: brandy_z28
window sill at work again

 

[mochi]

Oh I love it!

The color of that stone is just stunning!!

 

[Lovinggems]

Beautiful colour, I''m considering getting a spinel too.

 

[ma re]

A nice little strawberry! Really gorgeous!

 

[stepcutnut]

Very pretty! What a gorgeous color!!!

 

[princessplease]

Pretty!!!!!!

 

[brandy_z28]

Date: 6/16/2009 9:40:47 PM
Author: Chrono
Brandy,
That Mahenge is a stunner.

I''m incredibly excited to see you purchased it. A beautiful glowing stone with intense colour and just the right amount of silk.

Thanks Chrono! I wish I had 100 more of them, or a couple really big ones, especially for what I paid! I love my padparadscha e-ring but this spinel is very close to the same color(s) only way more intense! Would it be terrible if I switched the stones out? They''re basically the same size.

 

[brandy_z28]

Date: 6/16/2009 9:47:22 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Nice stone! Do you think it looked like the vendor pic?

Congratulations - no more spinel envy for you!

Thanks TL! The color was represented correctly in the photo but not the clarity. I was kind of nervous but went with their description of slightly included since the picture looked pretty cloudy. The photo didn't compare with other photos of stones on their site that were listed as lightly included. I was hoping that was just the silk and thank goodness it was.

I'm going to try to attach their picture here that I got from the PDF report.

ETA: Wow that was much bigger than I thought it would be, sorry!

 

[brandy_z28]

Thanks Lady Disdain, D&T, mochi, lovinggems, ma re, stepcutnut, and princessplease!

 

[brandy_z28]

Date: 6/16/2009 10:50:33 PM
Author: sleepyspinel
Hi brandy

I am so glad you''ve joined the club!!! You picked a very nicely colored stone. The saturation is good and it seems to not darken up even in the dimmer lit pictures, just like a good silky stone is supposed to do How do you plan on setting it??

I am happy that you were able to get one of your very own

Date: 6/16/2009 9:22:16 PM
Author: brandy_z28
window sill at work again

Thank you so much SS! I just couldn''t help myself when I saw your stone, it''s so gorgeous!

I''m undecided on a setting as of yet but was thinking of doing a 3 stone ring with baby demantoids or lime peridots. I wonder if I could do one of each since my son''s birthstone is peridot and my daughter''s is garnet?

Since demantoids have a higher RI I don''t know how that would work though...suggestions are more than welcome!

 

[sleepyspinel]

I like the idea of demantoids and if they are small, likely pretty affordable and in that size would make really nice side stones due to their dispersive quality. I think that mixing diamonds/diamond-like stones with the sleepy spinels really makes a nice contrast!

Date: 6/17/2009 11:51:32 AM
Author: brandy_z28

Thank you so much SS! I just couldn''t help myself when I saw your stone, it''s so gorgeous!

I''m undecided on a setting as of yet but was thinking of doing a 3 stone ring with baby demantoids or lime peridots. I wonder if I could do one of each since my son''s birthstone is peridot and my daughter''s is garnet?

Since demantoids have a higher RI I don''t know how that would work though...suggestions are more than welcome!

 

[Linda W]

brandy, you spinel is gorgeous, I love the color. I really glows. I love your idea on setting it too.

 

[stepcutnut]

Oooo I love the idea of setting you new lovely with demantoids!!! I think that would look fantastic

I must confess, SS-your sleeping beauties made me purchase a small sleepy spinel also

 

[partgypsy]

I like it!

 

[chrono]

I like the idea of placing contrasting demantoids with the spinel. The intense and dispersive green would make lovely sidestones for that Mahenge.

 

[brandy_z28]

Date: 6/17/2009 12:01:47 PM
Author: sleepyspinel
I like the idea of demantoids and if they are small, likely pretty affordable and in that size would make really nice side stones due to their dispersive quality. I think that mixing diamonds/diamond-like stones with the sleepy spinels really makes a nice contrast!

Date: 6/17/2009 11:51:32 AM
Author: brandy_z28

Thank you so much SS! I just couldn''t help myself when I saw your stone, it''s so gorgeous!

I''m undecided on a setting as of yet but was thinking of doing a 3 stone ring with baby demantoids or lime peridots. I wonder if I could do one of each since my son''s birthstone is peridot and my daughter''s is garnet?

Since demantoids have a higher RI I don''t know how that would work though...suggestions are more than welcome!

Thanks SS! I was thinking around 3mm rounds for the demantoids. So roughly half of the mm size of the spinel. So far from just looking around a little today they are available but finding a close to matching pair in the color I''m imagining might be a bit complicated. I have a few prospects though.

 

[brandy_z28]

Thank you Linda and part gypsy!

 

[brandy_z28]

Date: 6/17/2009 3:51:34 PM
Author: stepcutnut
Oooo I love the idea of setting you new lovely with demantoids!!! I think that would look fantastic

I must confess, SS-your sleeping beauties made me purchase a small sleepy spinel also

Thanks SCN!

Where is it?!?! Can we have pictures please?

 

[chrono]

Artcut has round demantoids but I think they might be too large.
What about www.awesomegems.com and Gemline?