Twenty five $200 stones or one $5000 one?

[TravelingGal]

Assuming you had the money (and it needed to be spent on colored gems) and were buying all at once, which would you choose?

Settings are not to be bought with the money. Only stones.

 

[Kismet]

I''d totally go for quantity over quality. I like variety in my gemstones.

 

[E B]

I wouldn''t know what to do with five gemstones, let alone twenty five! I''ll take the $5000 stone.

 

[diamondringlover]

I would take the $5000 stone

 

[TravelingGal]

$5000 stone for me too.

 

[RNgemlover]

met too, 5000.00 stone

 

[mercoledi]

I would lose/destroy a 5K stone. Can I pick which 25?

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/3/2009 5:50:22 PM
Author: mercoledi
I would lose/destroy a 5K stone. Can I pick which 25?

Yup!

 

[oldmancoyote]

Can I have $6720? I know exactly which stone to spend it on...

(even if I can''t - no doubt, go for the single quality stone)

 

[Rhea]

25 - variety is the spice of life, or so they say.

I love your questions today TGal. You''re going very DF on us!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I''d take quantity. Because I know that even if I got a $5000 stone, I would STILL keep buying more stones - try to save my wallet somehow....

Plus I''d never be able to decide on one stone.

 

[FrekeChild]

Good question. I think it depends on the stones...most of my stones are of the $100-$150 variety. If I could have 10 $500 maybe...I like variety too...

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/3/2009 5:54:19 PM
Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl
I''d take quantity. Because I know that even if I got a $5000 stone, I would STILL keep buying more stones - try to save my wallet somehow....

Plus I''d never be able to decide on one stone.

No one said you couldn''t buy more stones.

But you have $5000 at THIS moment you need to spend on stones.

 

[E B]

Date: 3/3/2009 5:52:39 PM
Author: oldmancoyote
Can I have $6720? I know exactly which stone to spend it on...


(even if I can''t - no doubt, go for the single quality stone)

Oooh, which one?

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/3/2009 5:53:27 PM
Author: Addy
25 - variety is the spice of life, or so they say.

I love your questions today TGal. You''re going very DF on us!

Ha, I''m nowhere as random as he is, and my questions are not asked to cause trouble!

 

[secondhandnews]

I''d have to go with the $5000 stone since I would then only need to come up with the funds for one setting rather than 25 settings. I know that sounds rather practical and dull doesn''t it? Still I''d prefer the $5000 stone.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/3/2009 6:00:04 PM
Author: secondhandnews
I''d have to go with the $5000 stone since I would then only need to come up with the funds for one setting rather than 25 settings. I know that sounds rather practical and dull doesn''t it? Still I''d prefer the $5000 stone.

That''s part of the reason I said no settings. Although some prefer to collect and keep them loose.

I''m asking partly because I see a lot of people by stones here and there and amass some lovely collections. I''m wondering if given the opportunity to have the money and need to spend it all at once, would they still buy the more cost effective stones. Do any of you who are buying the cheaper (and by cheaper, I am only talking about price because a lot of these stones are gorgeous and many undervalued) stones look at your collection and think, for the money I spent, I could have bought a more expensive stone?

I definitely don''t look at my stone and think, for the price of this, I could have had 10 stones complete in settings! I like just having one, special stone. A lot of it also has to do with the fact I am lazy and couldn''t find it in me to set a bunch of stones. I am not enough of a collector to have them sitting around loose.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 3/3/2009 5:56:12 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 3/3/2009 5:54:19 PM

Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl

I'd take quantity. Because I know that even if I got a $5000 stone, I would STILL keep buying more stones - try to save my wallet somehow....

Plus I'd never be able to decide on one stone.

No one said you couldn't buy more stones.

But you have $5000 at THIS moment you need to spend on stones.

Shh...I'm trying to trick myself!

More likely, if I had $5000 to spend, I'd go on a serious spree. I'd be on so many different gem sites, and on each one I'm sure I'd find at least one that I'd want to buy, and at the end, I'd be so confused!

EDIT: Of course we all know the correct answer is BOTH - spend $5000 on one of those options, and since that $5000 is KIND of like free money, just spend an extra $5000 on the other option!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/3/2009 6:09:06 PM
Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl

Date: 3/3/2009 5:56:12 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 3/3/2009 5:54:19 PM

Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl

I''d take quantity. Because I know that even if I got a $5000 stone, I would STILL keep buying more stones - try to save my wallet somehow....

Plus I''d never be able to decide on one stone.

No one said you couldn''t buy more stones.

But you have $5000 at THIS moment you need to spend on stones.

Shh...I''m trying to trick myself!

More likely, if I had $5000 to spend, I''d go on a serious spree. I''d be on so many different gem sites, and on each one I''m sure I''d find at least one that I''d want to buy, and at the end, I''d be so confused!

EDIT: Of course we all know the correct answer is BOTH - spend $5000 on one of those options, and since that $5000 is KIND of like free money, just spend an extra $5000 on the other option!

Nope nope! It''s YOUR money. No one has given it to you. But you have it all at once and I''m holding a gun to your head and saying you need to spend it on gemstones!

 

[Rhea]

Date: 3/3/2009 5:56:49 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 3/3/2009 5:53:27 PM

Author: Addy

25 - variety is the spice of life, or so they say.


I love your questions today TGal. You''re going very DF on us!

Ha, I''m nowhere as random as he is, and my questions are not asked to cause trouble!

But you are frying all of our brains! We all have questions about the rules (spending $6000 vs $5000) and want to compromise to do 10 x $500.

 

[mercoledi]

Date: 3/3/2009 6:08:21 PM
Author: TravelingGal


I'm asking partly because I see a lot of people by stones here and there and amass some lovely collections. I'm wondering if given the opportunity to have the money and need to spend it all at once, would they still buy the more cost effective stones. Do any of you who are buying the cheaper (and by cheaper, I am only talking about price because a lot of these stones are gorgeous and many undervalued) stones look at your collection and think, for the money I spent, I could have bought a more expensive stone?

Nope. I don't even think gee wiz, I guess I did have the cash to set a few, or buy new sweaters, or have a nice dinner. I like the stones I've bought and consider them to have value rather than cost. I haven't yet met the stone that would make me spend 5K on it. ( I have however met the ring)

Now diamonds, I could spend 5k on one stone. Colored gems? Maybe I don't know enough yet. Or maybe I'm just cheap. I saw some amazing sapphires at the last GTG, but they didn't scream 'Own me!'. I also don't love silky stones like rubies and velvety sapphs. They just don't do it for me. Luck me I guess.

ETA: I definitely look at my closet full of $30 shoes and thing man, I could have a few pairs of reallly great kicks if I showed a little more restraint. *shrugs*

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/3/2009 6:13:52 PM
Author: Addy

Date: 3/3/2009 5:56:49 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 3/3/2009 5:53:27 PM

Author: Addy

25 - variety is the spice of life, or so they say.


I love your questions today TGal. You''re going very DF on us!

Ha, I''m nowhere as random as he is, and my questions are not asked to cause trouble!

But you are frying all of our brains! We all have questions about the rules (spending $6000 vs $5000) and want to compromise to do 10 x $500.

lol...in simple terms, quality or quantity?

It''s hard to put it that way because all of the more economic stones I''ve seen here are gorgeous quality. So perhaps it''s really quantity or rarity? And even rare is such a tricky term, as price is dictated by market, not rarity all the time, it seems.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 3/3/2009 6:17:34 PM
Author: mercoledi

Date: 3/3/2009 6:08:21 PM
Author: TravelingGal
I''m asking partly because I see a lot of people by stones here and there and amass some lovely collections. I''m wondering if given the opportunity to have the money and need to spend it all at once, would they still buy the more cost effective stones. Do any of you who are buying the cheaper (and by cheaper, I am only talking about price because a lot of these stones are gorgeous and many undervalued) stones look at your collection and think, for the money I spent, I could have bought a more expensive stone?

Nope. I don''t even think gee wiz, I guess I did have the cash to set a few, or buy new sweaters, or have a nice dinner. I like the stones I''ve bought and consider them to have value rather than cost. I haven''t yet met the stone that would make me spend 5K on it. ( I have however met the ring)

Now diamonds, I could spend 5k on one stone. Colored gems? Maybe I don''t know enough yet. Or maybe I''m just cheap. I saw some amazing sapphires at the last GTG, but they didn''t scream ''Own me!''. I also don''t love silky stones like rubies and velvety sapphs. They just don''t do it for me. Luck me I guess.

ETA: I definitely look at my closet full of $30 shoes and thing man, I could have a few pairs of reallly great kicks if I showed a little more restraint. *shrugs*

Now see Merco is speaking my language. If we were talking about shoes...I could probably find 25 pairs at $200(or even 50 pairs at $100) remarkably easily. With $5000....it''s so much harder. I''d have to find the RIGHT stone at the right time, and that''s a lot less likely.

Hmmm....futher thought is needed. How about 5 $1,000 stones?

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/3/2009 6:29:16 PM
Author: FrekeChild

Date: 3/3/2009 6:17:34 PM
Author: mercoledi

Date: 3/3/2009 6:08:21 PM
Author: TravelingGal
I''m asking partly because I see a lot of people by stones here and there and amass some lovely collections. I''m wondering if given the opportunity to have the money and need to spend it all at once, would they still buy the more cost effective stones. Do any of you who are buying the cheaper (and by cheaper, I am only talking about price because a lot of these stones are gorgeous and many undervalued) stones look at your collection and think, for the money I spent, I could have bought a more expensive stone?

Nope. I don''t even think gee wiz, I guess I did have the cash to set a few, or buy new sweaters, or have a nice dinner. I like the stones I''ve bought and consider them to have value rather than cost. I haven''t yet met the stone that would make me spend 5K on it. ( I have however met the ring)

Now diamonds, I could spend 5k on one stone. Colored gems? Maybe I don''t know enough yet. Or maybe I''m just cheap. I saw some amazing sapphires at the last GTG, but they didn''t scream ''Own me!''. I also don''t love silky stones like rubies and velvety sapphs. They just don''t do it for me. Luck me I guess.

ETA: I definitely look at my closet full of $30 shoes and thing man, I could have a few pairs of reallly great kicks if I showed a little more restraint. *shrugs*

Now see Merco is speaking my language. If we were talking about shoes...I could probably find 25 pairs at $200(or even 50 pairs at $100) remarkably easily. With $5000....it''s so much harder. I''d have to find the RIGHT stone at the right time, and that''s a lot less likely.

Hmmm....futher thought is needed. How about 5 $1,000 stones?

Nope.

But you can do 10 $500....

 

[FrekeChild]

10 $500 it is then!!!!

 

[Selkie]

OK, then I''d do the 10 $500 in a heartbeat. I''m into variety as well, and the $500 would allow for some high quality, albeit smaller stones.

 

[Selkie]

I''ll take...
http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=56&idproduct=2096
and http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=57&idproduct=2608
and http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=141&idproduct=2683
and http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/5767
and http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/2316
and http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/7235

for a start!

 

[movie zombie]

not even a point to ponder for me: $5k stone. prefer quality over quantity when it comes to this issue.

mz

 

[icekid]

This is such a fabulous question, because this is something that I''ve noticed very much so about myself lately! At the beginning of my gemstone obsession, I was more willing to buy something that was a nice stone, at a reasonable price (of course, I also have more in the budget now which helps quite a lot). And to be sure, there are many stones that are quite undervalued dollar-wise for their beauty and rarity. But as I''ve continued on this gem path, I''ve become much, much more selective about what I end up buying. I''d rather have the super high quality stone that absolutely sings every time I look at it, instead of a whole collection of stones that I merely find nice. Plus, you can''t possibly enjoy them all at once anyway!

I''ve actually noticed this pattern in some other collectors as well, though it''s not surprising. Often more knowledge = more picky. Isn''t that what pricescope is all about?

(Of course, *now* I like to think about the fabulous gem I could have bought with the money that went into my engagement ring

)

Oh and if we''re picking rings, I''ve had the biggest crush on this one for the longest time, though it''s over our 5k budget

http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=449 Those demantoids...

I can only imagine what it looks like in person. Miss Harriet, do you happen to have seen this one? If not, would you check it out for me?

 

[coatimundi_org]

T-gal--C'mon! What's up with all the tough choices today??

ok ok, I definitely prefer quality over quantity, but most of the stones I desire do not cost 5k. I'm a garnet lover and I don't need them to be over 3 carats, so...that's my answer. haHA!

But...if I'm going to play within your parameters. Gimme the 5k stone please.