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Thoughts on this Hessonite Garnet?

Polyhex

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 18, 2003
Messages
550
I'm considering this garnet stone. It's almost 10 cts and offered at $30 per carat. I am a novice colored gem collector, so all advice is appreciated. This is from a vendor I have never purchased from before, and returns would be difficult. Either a few of the facets have tiny dings on them or there is dust on the stone. It's included but I like the visual effect of the inclusions.

Outdoor photos:
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Indoor photos, it's a little bit more brown indoors:

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Rfisher

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 19, 2013
Messages
5,487
I’d pull the trigger and be ok with no ability to return if it looked like that smouldering ember. :love: Don’t know if I’d need to live near the equator like Thailand is, for that to happen?
Or it’d just close up and be a dark hole like they usually are.
 

Polyhex

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 18, 2003
Messages
550
What does the pavilion look like?

No expert but I see somewhat strong brownish 2nd tone.

You are right there is a brown / orange color on the pavilion visible when the gem is deeply tilted to the side. Face up and with shallow tilt the gem is red.

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DauphineMucha

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 13, 2010
Messages
386
Are you ok with that color/look?

I wonder if this the color you see mostly when it’s isn’t scintillating...maybe others could comment?
 
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Polyhex

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 18, 2003
Messages
550
Are you ok with that color/look?

I wonder if this the color you see mostly when it’s isn’t scintillating...maybe others could comment?

I would not buy it for my personal taste if it was the brownish pale orange color most of the time. However it's acceptable if I see that only upon tllt. The same video showed the flaming red color face up and on shallow tilt.

I guess I am wondering, is the brownish orange zone actually required to make this burning ember flaming red color in hessonite? The few stones I have found that look like this have the brownish orange underneath on the pavilion. If that's required to make this beautiful color in a natural but inexpensive material then I will probably buy the stone.

Shallow tilt:
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Little bit further and the hints of brownish orange start peeking in:
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Polyhex

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 18, 2003
Messages
550
I’d pull the trigger and be ok with no ability to return if it looked like that smouldering ember. :love: Don’t know if I’d need to live near the equator like Thailand is, for that to happen?
Or it’d just close up and be a dark hole like they usually are.

Ha ha, that's what I feel like!! Just trying to get a sanity check since I am a novice and have never bought from this vendor before.

I bought this citrine from him but it won't arrive for some time and it was super inexpensive so I am not out much if there's a problem with it.

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Polyhex

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 18, 2003
Messages
550
The garnet is color accurate from the photos but had some damage on the facet joins and I think will probably get recut. The citrine from the same vendor is perfect.

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ItsMainelyYou

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 27, 2014
Messages
4,756
It's a beautiful amber fire color in the sun and if the citrine looked like the vendor promised then I would go for it. I expect it will darken down only a tiny bit in our latitude.
 

fredflintstone

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 18, 2020
Messages
930
Nice hessonite. Price is right. Microscopic sugar inclusions are a dead give away for hessonite, and this stone has them. Some Hessonites have less, and some more.



Sri Lanka produces some exceptionally fine mandarin orange hessonite. Worth the buy if you run across it.
 

Cerulean

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 13, 2019
Messages
5,077
May I ask where you got the hessonite from? I am looking to buy one!
 
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