What do you think of this aquamarine?

[0-0-0]

Please be as critical as you can. I have a week to decide whether to keep it. The color is closest to the color in the picture by the window. Great cut, no hints of grey, but less saturated than the vendor picture suggests.

Vendor description of color:

This is a gorgeous Aquamarine that is perfectly eye-clean. Very slightly greenish hue, more so than in the pictures, but could probably be heated to pure blue. Personally, I can't imagine heating this stone. I think the color is perfect the way it is! It is the slightly greenish blue color of the tropical ocean (which, after all, is where Aquamarine got its name), and the perfect Princess Butterfly cut really enhances the stunning brilliance of the stone.

Vendor picture:


Face up in my hand in indoor lighting:


By the window:

 

[sphenequeen]

The color in the three pictures so different from one to the next. Have you seen it photographed in natural light? That might help you determine if you want to see it in person.

 

[faegrace]

thbmok ~

Are you kidding me?!?
If the color is indeed like the window shot, OMG!
The green component makes it absolutely lovely, to my eye.

~ faegrace

 

[0-0-0]

The color in the three pictures so different from one to the next. Have you seen it photographed in natural light? That might help you determine if you want to see it in person.

The last two pictures are taken by me. The actual color is closest to the color in picture taken by the window with natural light.

 

[0-0-0]

thbmok ~

Are you kidding me?!?
If the color is indeed like the window shot, OMG!
The green component makes it absolutely lovely, to my eye.

~ faegrace

The color is closest to the window shot, but slightly less saturated.

 

[VapidLapid]

It could be more saturated. It could be far far lighter. I think it is a good, fine color and saturation. Obviously not one of those amazing intense aquas which are the exception, not the standard. I love the green component. The cut is lovely; at first I thought it might be a john dyer.

 

[petit_bijou]

I'm definitely no expert, but I love it!

I just want to dive right into that picture of it in window light. I think my heart rate settled down just looking at the photo. I imagine it would be like getting to wear a little vacation around with you- whenever you get stressed, just peer into the stone!

 

[stargurl78]

I like it! I prefer aquas with a bit of green in them and I think the cut is beautiful. How do you feel about it?

 

[T L]

It is a medium light color for an aqua, but it has amazing cutting going for it, and I think it would look wonderful in a halo. Halos tend to really bring out the best in medium light and lighter toned stones IMO. If the price wasn't extremely expensive, I would keep it. I think it's very pretty. I have a very similar cut in a mint green beryl, and I haloed it, and it really brings out the best in that gem.

 

[blithesome71]

Aha! So you're the one who won the bidding?
That "firefly" cut looks exceptional. I like its nice greenish tinge to it.

 

[Pandora II]

Very nice - and I love aqua with green in them.

In fact I just don't get why people want them to be blue - for me they should look like the sea off the Maldives looks as seen from the air!

 

[0-0-0]

Thanks for the comments.

I think the color is nice. I just wish that there is more of it. The cut is certainly stunning. It sparkles even in dim lighting.

faegrace: Are the colors in the picture of your JW aqua true to life? That is truly yummy.

VapidLapid: According to the vendor it was cut by Stephen Kotlowski 2 decades ago.

petit_bijou: The color is certainly soothing to look at.

stargurl78: I think it's almost perfect, if only the color is more saturated. As it stands I'm not sure I'm happy enough with the color to set it.

TL: I did look at your green beryl for inspiration. Is USD120/carat reasonable? Did the halo help deepen or bring out more of the color of your stone?

blithesome71:

Pandora: That color would be perfect!

 

[chrono]

Not top colour, but still very pretty nonetheless. With the cutting, it's going to look very lively. The window picture shows a colour that is already head and shoulders over most aquamarines.

How does it look indoors? Does it ever get that "dead" colour as pictured or is that picture totally off for indoor colour?

 

[0-0-0]

The dark areas in the top half of the stone in my indoor picture is the reflection of my camera. The bottom half of the stone in my indoor picture is a good indication of what I see in terms of tone and saturation for the whole stone. I have warm lights indoors and it does look slightly more green indoors than it does by the window and in my window picture, but not as green as my indoor picture indicates.

 

[VapidLapid]

Well I really like it and think you should keep it, but you know better what's right for you. Please let us know if you return it and where it came from so that those who have fallen for it here might stand a chance of getting it

 

[stargurl78]

stargurl78: I think it's almost perfect, if only the color is more saturated. As it stands I'm not sure I'm happy enough with the color to set it.

Hmm... while I think it is very pretty, if you are having doubts about the saturation, then maybe it is best not to set it. I recently was trying to decide between 2 aquas and one was too small (and had a bad tilt window) and the other was perfect size and I loved the cut, but was simply lacking in color. So, thanks to the advice of some very helpful PSers, I decided not to use either aqua for my ring project. You don't want to set it and then wish you would have held out for a stone you liked better.

However, if the stone will darken a bit once set, then you might be in luck. I would take it to a few stores and try it in some settings to see how it affects the color/saturation.

 

[sapphirecats]

I think it's a very interesting stone, what with the different shades of blue/green it shows in different lights/positioning. Should make it always interesting, beautiful to look at!

 

[0-0-0]

I will name the vendor once I'm past the return period. I'm still on the fence on what to do with the stone.

I had no idea how difficult it is to photograph colored stones before this. Here's my second attempt at more accurate pictures. The color is still incredibly difficult to capture. It is slightly more blue than the following pictures indicate. The color in my original window picture is still closest to the actual color.

In terms of color, the stone looks its best under natural daylight and its worst under fluorescent lamps. The blue is most noticeable in natural daylight. The stone throws a crazy amount of fire under spotlights, the cut is absolutely amazing. Under warm fluorescent lamps the color looks somewhat washed out.

The dark spots in the face up views of the stone are reflections of my camera. They make the stone look darker overall than it actually is. The side views are more accurate for tone and saturation.

Again, please be as critical as you can with your comments. Thanks!

Under morning daylight:




Under spotlights:


Under warm fluorescent lamps:

 

[faegrace]

thbmok ~

Yes, Jeff's photos are spot-on. It's very blue. I was actually very, very surprised when I received it because his photos are the truest to life I've had. I've seen some shots of that Santa Maria aqua (mastergoldcraft on Etsy) and it resembles a sapphire to my eye. Interesting to say the least, the range of colors in "aqua."

How are you feeling today about yours?

~ faegrace

 

[0-0-0]

I may have to ask Jeff to cut me one

 

[T L]

TL: I did look at your green beryl for inspiration. Is USD120/carat reasonable? Did the halo help deepen or bring out more of the color of your stone?

If the stone were not precision cut, I think $50/ct would be reasonable, but I think $120 is a fair reasonable price to pay on a precision cut aqua, with great polish (people always forget about the polish), with medium light tone and medium saturation, which this one appears to have. It is not top gem, but it isn't one of those pale lifeless aquas you see at the mall stores either. In a true retail environment, someone might charge you upwards of $300/ct, so I think it's a very fair price. That's why I don't pay retail.

Halos, in the right color metal, almost always help deepen the tone, which also can sometimes enhance color, and lovely facet patterns, which this one has. They also help to lessen the appearance of dead color through tilt windows, which beryl is prone to. I think the halo on my mint beryl did the job. Put a ring of foil around it, and see if that makes the color deepen.

 

[jezebelle]

I'm no expert, but I've always loved gemstones and aqua is one of my favorites...the cut, color, clarity, and size of this gem are just stunning. The slight hint of green makes it all the more ocean-y.

 

[0-0-0]

Well I really like it and think you should keep it, but you know better what's right for you. Please let us know if you return it and where it came from so that those who have fallen for it here might stand a chance of getting it

It's on its way back to Technofacet.

 

[blithesome71]

It's on its way back to Technofacet.

Why?

I'm sure you'll find your "right"Aqua someday. Best wishes

 

[PrecisionGem]

TL: I did look at your green beryl for inspiration. Is USD120/carat reasonable? Did the halo help deepen or bring out more of the color of your stone?

If the stone were not precision cut, I think $50/ct would be reasonable, but I think $120 is a fair reasonable price to pay on a precision cut aqua, with great polish (people always forget about the polish), with medium light tone and medium saturation, which this one appears to have. It is not top gem, but it isn't one of those pale lifeless aquas you see at the mall stores either. In a true retail environment, someone might charge you upwards of $300/ct, so I think it's a very fair price. That's why I don't pay retail.

You couldn't buy the rough to cut that stone and sell it for $50 per ct. Not in todays Aqua market. You have to take the price of you rough and multiply it by 4 to arrive at a break even point. So for this stone to sell for $50 per ct. the rough would have to sell for $12.50 per ct. That isn't going to happen, not at that size, color or clarity, and that would be if one were cutting it and selling it for no profit. $120 is a very good price per ct for that stone.

 

[T L]

TL: I did look at your green beryl for inspiration. Is USD120/carat reasonable? Did the halo help deepen or bring out more of the color of your stone?

If the stone were not precision cut, I think $50/ct would be reasonable, but I think $120 is a fair reasonable price to pay on a precision cut aqua, with great polish (people always forget about the polish), with medium light tone and medium saturation, which this one appears to have. It is not top gem, but it isn't one of those pale lifeless aquas you see at the mall stores either. In a true retail environment, someone might charge you upwards of $300/ct, so I think it's a very fair price. That's why I don't pay retail.

You couldn't buy the rough to cut that stone and sell it for $50 per ct. Not in todays Aqua market. You have to take the price of you rough and multiply it by 4 to arrive at a break even point. So for this stone to sell for $50 per ct. the rough would have to sell for $12.50 per ct. That isn't going to happen, not at that size, color or clarity, and that would be if one were cutting it and selling it for no profit. $120 is a very good price per ct for that stone.

Aqua must have really gone up in price then. There was a time I could buy large cut and polished stones for $50/ct in a medium light tone like that (not precision cut, but large and cut nonetheless). I was able to buy large clean rough for very little too. Well, I'll defer to you, as you know more about those things than I do.

 

[0-0-0]

Thanks for the insights, Gene and TL.

blithesome71, I decided to return it as the color was lighter / less saturated than my preferences. Jeff has a piece of aqua rough that looks promising, so we'll see how that works out.

 

[T L]

Well, as I always say, you should never spend money on something you're not completely happy with, as that money can go to better use.

 

[mastercutgems]

I really have to agree with Gene on this one...

Good aquamarine is getting almost impossible to find; you can find the somewhat goshenite stuff at 4 to 12 dollars a carat; but even 16 years ago the Mozambique Santa Maria Africana was over 20 dollars a carat in less than 10 ct. rough... The Namibian fine blue-green was 12 dollars a carat in crystal form about 6 years ago and it is now hard to get at all and it is almost 20 a carat for the good stuff.

So many other fine gem rough is going out the roof like good ole oil prices...

I do not know if it is the material is getting harder to find; or they are holding on to it for more money??? And this is from the source not 4 middle men in the cash loop.

I have always found that when they find something they move it rather modestly priced to pay back their mining investments; then after that is done the prices go up. So I think all of us cutters try to stay on the cutting edge of the new finds to get decent prices and then stick it back to see how the markets respond to the new stone and if it becomes popular we may be able to get our money back and a modest profit???

But good aqua is not cheap at all... Neither is good spinel, garnet, sapphire, etc. If you could find the double blue untreated aqua it will be in the 40 dollar a carat in the rough for a 1+ gram size rough... It makes it hard to buy and sell when you know most people do not know how rare it really is now or what we have to pay before it is even cut... I will have to admit that most of the cutters on this forum hold their prices down as low as they can and I respect people like Gene that sells a very fine product, well executed , and at a price that I would have to consider true wholesale... Bravo Gene I you for your talents, and for keeping your prices in line with what normal people can afford...

Most respectfully;

Dana

 

[PrecisionGem]

Don't applaud me Dana, it's just a matter of having a "real job" too. I'm not supporting my family off the gemstones, the gemstones just support my gem addiction.

The other thing about buying rough, for every stone that once cut, meets your expectations for it, there are 3 others that didn't. Or you end up buying a parcel to get a few nice stones. A cutter ends up with hundreds of stones that they will most likely never cut, yet paid for. SO this needs to be factored into the selling price too.