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Sam82

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May 27, 2008
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I mentioned in another thread that I was looking for a purple sapphire. Now I think that I may be more interested in a spinel. It is less expensive and very pretty. I would like to hear from those who own spinel how it holds up to wear and tear. Also, is it very brilliant?

I''m hoping to find a 7mm purple spinel (round)

Thanks,

Sam
 
I am an avid spinel fan; there are good things and bad things about spinels.

Cons:
1. Notorious for extinction (darkening and turning blackish) in indoor lights
2. Many tend to have a gray or brown mask
3. Many do not hold their colour under all lighting conditions. However, some view this as a plus
4. Lots of ugly dead spinels out there

Pros:
1. Excellent dispersion
2. An excellent quality stone will blow your socks off (but might take a while to find)
3. Great pricing for the quality
4. Hardy and good enough for daily wear as long as you treat it well (no housework with it on)
5. Comes in a huge range of colours
6. No treatment!
 
Chrono,

thanks for the help. How would I go about finding a good stone?
 
How would I know a good stone? Should i just ask for a good one? I''m sorry to sound naive.
 
Ask for one with vivd colour, strong saturation, no/minimal window and very little extinction. They will usually provide at least a picture, and you can then post it here for opinions. Don't feel bad about asking; if you don't ask, you'll never know the answer.
2.gif
 
Just wanted to mention few others I like to browse.
Gemrite.com
gemfix.com
thegemtrader.com

I think a purple sapphire will be really different from a purple spinel. Both are special in their own way. Precision gem has a couple of lavender blue sapphires right now.
 
Wait til Freke gets here- she has some gorgeous ones.

I have one - and I LOVE it. It's a color-changer - goes from blue in sunlight to purple in incandescent light. Both shades are so beautiful, and the color change just fascinates me. I've only had it for a short while so I can't say to wear and tear, but they're supposed to be pretty durable. And it's very sparkly!

EDIT: And mine is from Barry (www.acstones.com)
 
Hi!

My ering is a spinel (1.2ct round from Barry Bridgestock) and I only got it in December. However, there isn''t a mark on it so far. It is blue with a magnificent color shift effect (IMHO). I love spinels. It''s my opinion that in this color range, nothing else really matches the spinel for sparkliness and dispersion.

One thing was that Barry and Barbara were concerned about me wearing it everyday. While spinel is very resistant to wear and tear, if you wear it everyday for many years, it''s going to show some wear. When I explained that after we got married, I''d probably only wear the ering on special occasions, they felt better about it.

Chrono gave some great advice and hit the nail on the head with her pros and cons.

This is a pic of my ering with my 5 other spinels (all from Dan Stair or Barry Bridgestock). Here is the link with several other pictures of my spinels in various lighting conditions (halogens, shadow, and cool daylight). If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I don''t currently have any purple spinels, but those are next on my list. (I have a thing for gray spinels--my gray round is a 7mm btw--so if you want to get any ideas about size, I''d be happy to take pics for you. Also, my ering is 6.5mm.)
IMG_3508%20freke.jpg


This is a pic I took today on my crappy camera phone of my spinel in fluorescent light. In real life it''s bright grapey purple under fluorescent light, in this picture it looks more violet. The color shift is hard to catch on a camera. It changes to different shades of blue in other lights, and it does sometimes go gray. But it''s always really sparkly.

c6e4b83e047e.jpeg
 
I love spinel. They are very brilliant stones. They will show wear over the years if you wear them every day.

Freke, your spinels are so awesome.
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Awww thanks Marcy! My fingers look weird in that cell phone pic...

Also for the OP, my ering thread, which has a lot more pics, and better shows the different personalities of my spinel! Freke''s Blue E-Bling!
 
Freke, I never get tired of looking at your collection..
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I am a spinel lover too and couldn''t agree more on what Chrono said about this moody gem species.

Have you checked out Tanzanite? It is very popular now and priced between spinel and sapphire. Gene just cut this yummy one, I wish I had money left!
 
I''ve never really noticed purple sapphires until these two that popped up recently.

This one is $18,000+ from Africa Gems that''s not too shabby

africa gems purple sapphire.jpg
 
And this one from Brad Payne at The Gem Trader is absolutely darling. I wish I''d seen it before it was sold, because I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat

the gem trader purple sapphire.gif
 
Date: 2/19/2009 1:18:00 AM
Author: Gailey
And this one from Brad Payne at The Gem Trader is absolutely darling. I wish I''d seen it before it was sold, because I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat
Click to expand...


Oh WOW
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If I could find a stone in that color, I''d be in heaven
 
Seriously BEG! That stone is amazing!
 
Since we''re talking about color shift. Check out the spinel at the bottom of this page. It seems to go from a deep purple to a brick red.
http://www.djraregems.com/colorchangegems.html
 
Thanks for all of the help and the great pictures. I feel like I have my work cut out for me.
 
Sam, we are certainly here to help. I think most everyone on the Colored Stones board enjoys the search for the perfect stone.
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Date: 2/19/2009 12:57:00 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Sam, we are certainly here to help. I think most everyone on the Colored Stones board enjoys the search for the perfect stone.
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Click to expand...

Definitely. Searching for the perfect stone, finding it, setting it, enjoying it, searching for the next perfect stone ...
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Date: 2/19/2009 1:10:22 AM
Author: yingh
I am a spinel lover too and couldn''t agree more on what Chrono said about this moody gem species.

Have you checked out Tanzanite? It is very popular now and priced between spinel and sapphire. Gene just cut this yummy one, I wish I had money left!
Click to expand...
Yingh,
While Tanzanites have lovely colour, it''s too soft for a ring. Some jewellers even refuse to set it in a ring.
 
Date: 2/19/2009 1:18:00 AM
Author: Gailey
And this one from Brad Payne at The Gem Trader is absolutely darling. I wish I''d seen it before it was sold, because I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat
Click to expand...
Wow, that''s a good example. That purple spinel has good colour and is very lively.
 
I love spinel. All I can say is, if you''re not sure on a stone, you''re probably better off to pass on it. As was mentioned, spinel can be exquisite, and it can be ho-hum for a variety of reasons. When you find a great gem, you''ll know instantly... it will be clear and lucid, and the color – whether pastel or deep in hue – will be vibrant and exciting to view. Take your time and be judicious in your gem scouting; truly great spinel is not inexpensive. It could be that some of the "less expensive" stones you will run across are really not up to par in terms of what you are going to be happy with. Just like sapphire, or any other colored gemstones, there IS a range in price and quality.
 
Great advice, Rockit.
 
Date: 2/20/2009 3:11:07 PM
Author: Rockit
I love spinel. All I can say is, if you''re not sure on a stone, you''re probably better off to pass on it. As was mentioned, spinel can be exquisite, and it can be ho-hum for a variety of reasons. When you find a great gem, you''ll know instantly... it will be clear and lucid, and the color – whether pastel or deep in hue – will be vibrant and exciting to view. Take your time and be judicious in your gem scouting; truly great spinel is not inexpensive. It could be that some of the ''less expensive'' stones you will run across are really not up to par in terms of what you are going to be happy with. Just like sapphire, or any other colored gemstones, there IS a range in price and quality.
Click to expand...
I agree with Rockit and have to stress the statement I highlighted in red. Many people think spinels are cheap gemstones and a lower cost replacement for sapphires but some spinels really aren''t. Extremely fine spinels can run $1k per carat and upwards.
 
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