spinel or rubellite? please advise...

[snowflakeluvr]

I have fancied the idea of a large pink sapphire ring for a long time. Considering I have kids to feed

, I always thought that rubellite would be a good alternative for a ring(at least 8 cts.), halo setting, etc. So I have seen many GORGEOUS pink spinel pieces here. Is spinel hard and daily or almost daily wearable? Or is rubellite a better choice? I am a stay at home mom(goddess) and really don''t wear my jewelry around the house when I am doing my thing but I do believe in enjoying and wearing one''s jewelry, regardless of its value. I own a large pink tourmaline surrounded by diamonds which I used to wear as a rhr but my fingers are fatter and i haven''t had it sized up. It''s more of a salmon pink, and I would love a bright, vivid pink stone. Thoughts? Merci and Happy V Day to all.

 

[Indylady]

An 8 carat rubellite or spinel will be pretty expensive, and not necessarily less expensive than a sapphre. It also depends on the saturation of the stone and its color. A spinel is durable to wear daily. One good way to start this search would be to create a collage or color range of pinks that you favor; then take into consideration size, budget, and shape. If you're looking for a reasonably priced pink, I'd look into morganite or a rose quartz cab, or kunzite. An 8ct vivid pink is going to be quite the hunt.

ETA: I realize that sounded a bit pessimistic! Do a search for Chrono's 5ct Mahenge spinel, Boom's Mahenge's spinels, and Tourmaline Lover's rubellites. TL has a few large loose rubellites as well.

 

[T L]

LovingDiamonds has a large rubellite collection and she''s very familiar with the gem.

 

[T L]

Date: 2/14/2010 8:08:58 PM
Author:snowflakeluvr
I have fancied the idea of a large pink sapphire ring for a long time. Considering I have kids to feed

, I always thought that rubellite would be a good alternative for a ring(at least 8 cts.), halo setting, etc. So I have seen many GORGEOUS pink spinel pieces here. Is spinel hard and daily or almost daily wearable? Or is rubellite a better choice? I am a stay at home mom(goddess) and really don't wear my jewelry around the house when I am doing my thing but I do believe in enjoying and wearing one's jewelry, regardless of its value. I own a large pink tourmaline surrounded by diamonds which I used to wear as a rhr but my fingers are fatter and i haven't had it sized up. It's more of a salmon pink, and I would love a bright, vivid pink stone. Thoughts? Merci and Happy V Day to all.

A naturally colored hot pink or hot pinkish red tourmaline that holds it's color in various light sources, and is relatively clean (they're typically included) will be expensive in an 8 carat stone. Some hot pink or red tourmaline is irradiated and/or heated, so if you want an untreated stone, it can be expensive. A hot pinkish red spinel is also very expensive, and the price is even higher than that of tourmaline in similar colors. However, spinel is alway untreated (at least that I know of). Spinels are more durable than tourmaline and have a higher RI, so more brilliance, in particular if it's well cut. If you have children to feed, I recommend going with a small rubellite around 2 carats or so. AJSgems.com has some and they're highly reputable. If you want a hot pink spinel, Swalagemtraders.com has some, but they will probably be more expensive per carat. If a stone is vivid in color, you don't need a huge gem to make an impact.

 

[ma re]

Ditto to what TL said - if you want a reasonably large, reasonably affordable, vivid pink stone without having to break the bank, rubelite is your best bet. Hot pink sapphires and spinels in those sizes are quite rare, so they tend to cost a small fortune.

 

[chrono]

Any gemstone that is bright and vivid will be expensive. Throwing in a large size adds to its rarity and consequently, price goes up as well. Here’s the order of decreasing durability which also happens to be the same for price (decreases):

1. Pink sapphire = gorgeous pink, very durable and also the most expensive. Most likely to be heated or BE diffused. Something untreated is going to cost more than an arm and a leg.

2. Pink spinel = Mahenges does amazing pink/reds of awesome saturation, great for daily wear and is less expensive than sapphires, although still very expensive at 8 carats. Not treated at all, although you do have to watch out for synthetics. High RI also makes this a sparkler and eye catching stone.

3. Pink tourmaline/rubellite: Least expensive option but rare in such large sizes, not to mention, rubellite is typically included. Pink tourmalines and rubellite is now also commonly heated, then nuked. It is also not an everyday wear ring, and has lower RI than sapphire and spinel.

4. Morganite = Not an everyday wear ring either but definitely more budget friendly. However, it is usually not vivid and if you do find a vivid morganite, it will be very expensive.

5. Kunzite = Also not an everyday wear ring. I have seen a vivid Kunzite and those as with all stones, once the colour is vivid, price goes up exponentially. Kunzite is also known to fade when exposed to ultraviolet light over time.

 

[T L]

Morganite and kunzite never attain vivid hot pink status. The more saturated kunzites I've seen remind me of medium to light toned amethyst

Some mahenge spinels and pink sapphires can also produce Ultra Violet fluorescence which can increase their saturation level out in the sun.

 

[snowflakeluvr]

Thanks to all-I appreciate the feedback and knowledge. I want a "durable" stone that will delight my eyes and wallet, so I will start looking at sites and stones. All of your jewelry is just lovely and I consider this my favorite get-away(from kids).
Have a great day all

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

I think the biggest thing you need to consider is what is expensive? While one person may think 2 to 3 grand for a stone that size, if not more, is expensive, another person may not. Know your budget and what you really want to see what you can get. I know many people who wear tourmaline daily and it holds up well. If you were working in a field where your hands got beat up I would tell you not to buy it but being that you wear it out and about you should be fine.

 

[glitterkitter]

Hi snowflakeluvr!

I''m new here, but I hope that you don''t mind if I chime in!

I love a hot pink stone myself and a total lover of spinel. But also another good stone I like is zircon ( diamond cut ) and you can get it in some amazing pink colors, like blush pink. Just thought I would through that out there. . . and you can usually find them at terrific price points.

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

Pink zircon is a stunning stone when cut right like glitterkitter said. Lots of brilliance and a nice pink color that is very vibrant.

 

[T L]

Date: 2/15/2010 10:24:01 AM
Author: snowflakeluvr
Thanks to all-I appreciate the feedback and knowledge. I want a ''durable'' stone that will delight my eyes and wallet, so I will start looking at sites and stones. All of your jewelry is just lovely and I consider this my favorite get-away(from kids).
Have a great day all

Since I can''t really go on vacation, or do anything fun on my own time, I thought I was the only one who felf this way. LOL!!

 

[LD]

Rubellite - should not be hot pink. It should be "ruby" like - so more red. Typically a purple/red is what you''d want so I''m not sure that will come in the colour you''re looking for. An 8ct Rubellite of good quality will actually be very expensive (sorry). There is a debate about when does a pink tourmaline become a Rubellite and for me (and this is my personal opinion based on my own experience) is that a Rubellite will be much more red AND will hold its colour in all lighting situations. If it goes more brown looking under incandescent lighting I, personally, wouldn''t call that a Rubellite and would say it was a Tourmaline.

Pink Tourmaline - I know that you''ve had one of these already but it might be easier to source than a Rubellite. Good ones with a nice pink colour will also hold their colour but don''t forget to evaluate it in incandescent lighting.

Spinel - if you steer away from the hot hot hot pinks and look for a lovely medium pink that could be an option and will be less costly. Whether you can find an 8ct one is another matter.

What you would be able to find is a coated Topaz. The pinks can be hot hot hot!!! For an 8ct stone, this will probably be the easiest to find of them all.

Morganite (not good for an everyday ring) you can find in a peach/salmon/pink and might be able to get an 8ct one.

Kunzite is normally a paler pink AND isn''t suitable for an everyday ring AND there is the issuing of fading AND the hotter pink colour the more the $.

Hope that''s helped and I hope you post whatever lovely you buy!

 

[Gailey]

Snowflakeluvr,

an 8ct haloed ring is going to be a pretty big ring. Have you given any thought to what shape you want? What kind of dimensions are you looking for? Have you a budget in mind for the stone?

Can you post an example of the type of pink you would like (doesn't have to be a gem). Out of interest, what size of ring do you wear?

There is plenty of saturated morganite out there, mostly treated. I heard that Tucson was awash with it last year. I haven't heard whether or not it was as prolific this year.

 

[snowflakeluvr]

Well, I am picturing an oval cut or an emerald cut, halo with diamonds stye ring, nothing out of the ordinary.I wear a 7.25ish(7 squeezes my finger, 7.25 moves around, which is sad since my original wedding band was a 5 3/4, anyhoo, I digress...) I am thinking a couple of thousand for a stone, same for a setting, so maybe several thousand overall??? I dunno, but it''s been a mental project for some time, and we will see how the economy goes this year. I tend to be fickle, then I see something HERE and it''s like, okay, I''ll take THAT and THAT and one of THOSE....but I think this is a do-able budget wise ring and I think it would be fun to scout out stones ''till I find "the one". thanks all! off to watch the Olympics for a little cuz my house is finally still

 

[Gailey]

Something like this perhaps:

Africa Gems Ring

 

[FrekeChild]

I currently have a 7.4ct pink tourm asscher in my possession, and it is HUGE. I don't know that I could wear an 8ct anything as a ring for more than a couple of hours much less as an everyday ring....

As everyone else said, you start getting up to that size, and everything is going to start getting pretty expensive. Except maybe white topaz....

ETA: I wear a size 6. So it's not like my fingers are tiny either...and if you'd like me to post a shot of it on my hand, I can take one.

 

[ma re]

Check out gemstone.org and in particular their "gem by gem" section, cause it might help you choose which shade of color and gemstone variety you''ll go for. They also have an image library of some very nice loose stones, categorized by name.

 

[chrono]

Here’s some information I found from searching the net that might give you some idea how far your budget will stretch. All the stones are of very fine vivid saturation:
9.9 ct red Mahenge from Swala = $50K
8.33 ct red Mahenge from Swala = $42K
6.9 ct red Mahenge from Swala = $34K
9 ct reddish pink rubellite from Paraiba International = $4K

 

[Stone Hunter]

WOW Chrono vivid stones are expensive in larger sizes. I guess I knew that but you''ve really illustrated it! WOW

OP good luck in your search, have fun with it.