What do you think?

[alene]

This is my first post in a while but I posted here briefly when looking for a diamond for my engagement ring. Now I get to get a “real” gemstone. I’ve always been intrigued by square emeralds/asschers, so I was pretty excited to find this one. It arrived today and it’s very pretty and surprisingly sparkly. I’m not sure how asscher-ish it is, but it was certainly not sold as a “true” asscher. What do you guys think? First a picture from the vendor''s site (customgemstones), which is much better than anything I got.

 

[alene]

Here''s the best I can do

 

[alene]

Another one

 

[alene]

Under a magnifying glass.

 

[alene]

One more closeup

 

[cellentani]

I''d just noticed that stone earlier today, lol! I think Dan''s description of the color is spot-on, and I can definitely see the green undertones much better in your photos than in his. You''re right that it doesn''t have the traditional asscher "windmills," but there''s still enough going on to be visually interesting. And I love the 9.8mm size!

But the most important thing is, what do you think of it?

 

[T L]

For an aqua, it's very washed out in color. Most of what you're paying is for the fancy precision cutting. Aqua that color shouldn't be more than $20/ct ordinarily. Many people like very light colored aqua in fancy precision cutting though, it adds sparkle and brilliance to the stone. Aqua is has a very low refractive index and doesn't disperse or bend light the way a diamond or higher RI stone does. If you're looking for a diamond substitute, you might want to try a higher RI stone, but if you're happy with it, that's all that counts. The cutting is very nice. Just know that pale aqua gets dirty really easily, and you always have to clean it to retain that sparkle.

 

[VapidLapid]

And your photos are better. In the vendor photo it looks lopsided and uneven.

 

[alene]

Thank you!

I really do like the stone and the color. I wanted a pale blue stone, so this one is perfect (I got it for less than the listed price). I guess I was kind of hoping for more "windmills", they do seem to go sort of halfway down but not all the way. I really like the cut though, it's defiinitely interesting. Good to know about keeping it clean! How do you clean aquas? I assume I should be using a toobrush like I do with diamonds? Oh and I shoul add, I"m definitey not looking for a diamond substitute, sparkle was not was I was mainly after, though it's nice to have too.

 

[T L]

I use a leather chamois on stones above a 7 or above in hardness like aqua. Once set, a soft toothbrush and soapy water, and pat dry with a soft towel. Make sure you set it such that you can easily clean the pavillion, that's where the stone tends to get glassy and blurry if you don't keep that part clean.

 

[dzop]

I think that''s really not an attractive stone. It''s almost completely unsaturated, is more grey than anything else, and has so little blue in it that I hardly can see how it qualifies as an aqua. It''s really more of a faint greenish-grey beryl. And it looks nothing like the picture.

 

[T L]

I just saw the price, and I think it''s very expensive for what it is, even for a precision cut gem. The size doesn''t justify the cost either because aquas are often large. I really think you can do better for the money.

 

[alene]

Hmm, it does look more green in pictures than in real life... So is this considered a "bad" color even if it''s a lighter stone I''m after? What I mean, can a stone be light but still more saturated, if it makes sense?

 

[T L]

Aquamarines are valued for their tone, and the lighter/paler the stone, the less valuable. To me, from the photos, this is a very washed out and pale aqua, and hence not a very valuable color. I apologize for the honesty, but you did ask for opinions. I could forgive it if you paid much less for it, but there's no way I would pay what he's asking for that stone. I do realize that some people like pale aqua, and that's fine, but pale aqua is not a valuable color for that gem. As for the grey that Dzop mentions, I see it too, and most aquas are afflicted with grey, even in darker tones.

 

[alene]

No, I appreciate the honesty! I still can return the stone so would rather here it now. Just looking at other aquas on this site, I do see prettier stones and I certainly don''t want to overpay. I think I may have to send it back and continue looking.

 

[T L]

If you''re set on a precision cut aqua, please also check out precisongem.com and acstones.com. They are fairly priced for aqua, and even if they have paler ones, I don''t see the price going to the moon. You can also contact them to see what they have in stock for you. Dan Stair recently sold a smaller pear shape that was much more saturated in color, but I''m not sure of the price. He seems to be very reasonably priced for his gems, so I''m unsure why this particular one is so expensive.

 

[VapidLapid]

peter torraca has a similarly cut light blue aqua available. I like his cutting far better too

http://torraca.net/gems/gems.php?spec=Aqu

 

[T L]

Vapid,
I''m sorry, I just can''t deal with paying $100/ct for a washed out aqua, as nice as the cutting is. JMO. I would want something a bit deeper in color for that money.

 

[chrono]

Others have correctly pointed out that in the gem market, a very light and pale coloured aquamarine isn’t highly valued. However, if you like it, it should not matter what others think. I agree with them though that a very pale and desaturated aquamarine should cost very little. Yes, a stone can still be light toned and very saturated but it might take longer to find and cost more since saturation is what counts for most gemstones.

 

[alene]

Thanks for the links! I will get in touch with them and see if they have what I''m looking for. I''m not set on aqua, I just want a precision cut, "asscher style", preferrably blue-ish stone. What else should I be looking at?

 

[VapidLapid]

tanzanite, spinel, tourmaline, topaz
bespoke gems may have what you want in a topaz

http://www.bespoke-gems.com/SacredGeometrics_MainFoyer.php

 

[T L]

Date: 4/23/2010 12:02:19 PM
Author: alene
Thanks for the links! I will get in touch with them and see if they have what I'm looking for. I'm not set on aqua, I just want a precision cut, 'asscher style', preferrably blue-ish stone. What else should I be looking at?

Aqua, tourmaline are affordable stones that can be easily cut into decent size asschers. Spinels and sapphires can be blue, but spinels are difficult to find in light blue and are often very grey, and sapphires are pricey. I should mention that some people like grey in their gems, but it does decrease the value of the stone. Many people like greyish blue spinels because although they are grey, spinels, when well cut, offer fantastic luster and sparkle. They are affordable as well, but it might be difficult to find a light toned one that you can cut into an asscher.

Here's an example of an asscher spinel in a bluish purple color (it might color change to more purple though). It has a lot of grey, but it gives you an idea if you like it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-03ct-Top-Notch-Asscher-Natural-Purple-Tanzania-Spinel-/330388649191?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cecb2b4e7

 

[LD]

Alene - before you send it back, what do YOU think? Forget everybody else''s opinion for a minute. When you opened the packet and out popped the gem, did you go "oh wow I love it" or did you go "ummm not sure"? You should only keep a gem if you love it and what person A loves, person B will hate!

It''s not a true asscher cut (as it doesn''t have windmills at all) but you see a large number of Aquas cut into this modified asscher cut. I have one and it''s an interesting stone. It''s not a great Aqua by any stretch of the imagination but I like it because sometimes it looks blue, sometimes a silver grey and sometimes it has a hint of green!

Here''s a photo of mine and you can see it''s the same cut as yours. This is what yours might look like when set.

 

[DanielStair]

Hi Everyone,

I don''t often post on here, but in this case, I thought maybe I should comment as some of the other aquas I followed the links to looked even lighter to me and were quite a bit more money per carat. I''m all for people expressing their opinions, but after reading some of these comments, I''m kind of stunned by what people will say on this site.

My grandfather used to tell me, "If you don''t have anything nice to say, maybe you just shouldn''t say anything."

Thank you to those few who attempted to be fair, objective and demonstrate a little maturity.

To the others, I hope we never have any future dealings of any kind whatsoever.

--Dan

 

[T L]

If I came off sounding a bit harsh, I do apologize for that. The written word, often without expression, can often "sound" harsher than verbally stating something. My problem with the stone isn't the cutting, or the fact that it's an aqua, but the price per carat for the color.

Dan,
I did not link any stones except the asscher spinel, and spinels are priced differently than aquas per carat. I did recommend some vendors because in the past, they had deeper blue aquas for good pricing, as you do too. I guess I'm perplexed at why pale aqua has taken a steep rise in price per carat, so perhaps you can expand on that. I'm also basing my judgement on the photos and your photo, so IRL, it could be much darker. As a consumer forum, we have to sometimes give opinions, regardless of whether it sounds "nice" or not so nice. Again, I apologize if I came off sounding very harsh. It was not intentional.

ETA: If the OP loves the stone, he/she should keep it regardless of our opinions, but he/she did ask for opinions.

 

[T L]

You might want to see if this dealer has more material in aqua or some other light blue stone. This one is around $30/ct, and precision cut, however, it''s not an asscher, and it''s a natural light blue topaz, but it''s huge.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NATURAL-BLUE-TOPAZ-27-83cts-/370296225024?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Loose_Gemstones_1&hash=item56375ffd00

 

[dzop]

I'll be honest, Mr. Stair, I was mincing my words when I posted my reply in this thread.

Here are my more honest thoughts:

I was appalled that the stone the OP received, based on the photos she posted, bore so little a resemblance to the photo on your website. This isn't the first time people have observed that your photos are, shall we say, unrealistically favorable depictions of the stones at offer- see the vendor/customer photo comparison thread, where numerous posters posted photos from your site which were much, much more attractive than the actual stone.

I think you have a lot of chutzpah to:
(1) represent that photo as an accurate depiction of that stone
(2) charge $426 for washed out grey-green beryl
(3) when posters indicate that they don't like the stone, suggest that they are being unfair or impolitic by criticizing your wares.

I don't have any skin in this game; I'm not ITB, I'm not your competitor. In the interests of full disclosure, I was, a while ago, a purchaser of one of your stones which I thought bore little resemblence to its picture on your website, but the girl I was dating at the time loved grey stones and was happy with the stone anyway.

I don't doubt that you have many attractive stones for sale and that many of your customers are happy with your sales, but there's no reason this board should have to pretend that you don't sell a substantial number of stones with very unattractive colors.

Date: 4/23/2010 12:51:38 PM
Author: DanielStair
Hi Everyone,


I don't often post on here, but in this case, I thought maybe I should comment as some of the other aquas I followed the links to looked even lighter to me and were quite a bit more money per carat. I'm all for people expressing their opinions, but after reading some of these comments, I'm kind of stunned by what people will say on this site.


My grandfather used to tell me, 'If you don't have anything nice to say, maybe you just shouldn't say anything.'


Thank you to those few who attempted to be fair, objective and demonstrate a little maturity.


To the others, I hope we never have any future dealings of any kind whatsoever.


--Dan

 

[Barrett]

Wow..dan..a little defensive there are we? here is how it goes..you can put a asscher, cushion, or windmill cut, what have you, on a piece of dog doo doo..and guess what it still looks like crap..i don''t think anyone said anything bad about the cutting..which is what you control..just the color

 

[karpouzi]

To be fair, the OP did say she paid less than the asking price.

 

[Barrett]

Wow..$426??? whats the weight of the stone?