What is your signature stone?

[Upgradable]

Do you have a favorite type and color of gemstone? Not just sapphire in a variety of colors, but specific type and color?

I'm a ruby girl. Expensive taste, empty wallet.

 

[kenny]

Diamonds in natural pure Red, Green and Blue please.

 

[Upgradable]

Kenny, I'm head over heels for your green european cut diamond! Have never seen a more beautiful stone!

 

[kenny]

Aww shucks. Thanks.

 

[NKOTB]

I'm a sucker for pink-red spinels and blue-green tourms. I would add violet-blue sapphire or spinel to those but haven't found the perfect one within my budget. Old cut diamonds of any colour. Never seen a green one before, though - off to check THAT out!!!

Some of my favourite stones that I own, though, fall outside of these - two mint garnets and a rubellite. But similar colour scheme.

 

[FrekeChild]

Blue spinels.

 

[innerkitten]

I don't know if I have a signature stone but I'm very drawn to garnets ( all colors ).

 

[txgreeneyes]

Diamonds, dark blue sapphires, and dark red garnets.

I don't own a spinel, but they are definitely on my list! Never heard of them until I came to PS.

My husband said he's going to block PS so I'll stop getting ideas.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

Diamonds and pink/red spinels. I think certain gemstones "call" to you. I think I could have bought a great ruby for all I have spent on spinels. But I never buy rubies.......I just buy spinels.

 

[tara3056]

Pink-red spinels and Tsavorite garnets for me!

 

[Jereni]

This is SUCH a fun question.

Starting out, I would have said garnet. But I've now purchased 5 and only loved 1 of them (Gene's). I feel they are so easy to misrepresent in photos and often come out darker than you might think. Or at least, it's been a problem for my novice eyes.

I'm tempted to say sapphire because its my birthstone, but I'm not partial to any particular color or type.

In truth, for reason, I seem to be the most obsessed with pink/red stones. I own three pink rings, have 2 in the works, and am currently dreaming of an oval rubellite tourmaline.... yum.

 

[marcy]

Sapphires, pink and blue.

 

[Lula]

Blue, green, and yellow stones of all shapes and types (species?). I admire all the orange, red, peach and pink stones on CS, but can't wear those colors -- too much ruddiness in my skin. So I live vicariously though all of you!

 

[distracts]

Green garnets. If I had the budget, I'd buy them ALL. They're just so... green. gah that is the most obvious thing to say about them but it's why I like them. Emeralds are a different kind of green, and while I can definitely appreciate it, and would love to own a fine emerald someday, green garnets just seem so vivacious in comparison. I dunno. There's something about them that makes them so that I like every single one that I see, no matter what is right or wrong with it. No matter the color, the cut, or the inclusions. With almost anything else, I can find reasons to reject stones, but when faced with a green garnet my brain just dies and goes into Prettyville, where everything is green and sparkly. I can see myself in fifty years living like a dragon, surrounding myself with piles and piles of green gems.

(I do also adore blue sapphires, but when faced with a poor quality blue sapphire or a poor quality green garnet, I find the garnet more attractive, and that's why I picked that. And of course if I could only pick one stone in the world to have, it would be my engagement ring sapphire, because something about it just really spoke to me the first time I saw it and it hasn't yet stopped speaking to me. Metaphorically, not literally. I do not think my rock literally talks.)

 

[FrekeChild]

Lol distracts. I think a good few of us probably talk to our stones, but I don't think any of us will admit to it...

"Now stay there and don't move. We need to get good pictures for Pricescope."

 

[meredeth11]

Orange gems would be the first choose of mine.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Probably garnets and spinels.

 

[chrono]

Red spinel - vivid, pure red hue and with a medium dark tone, basically the perfect holy grail red spinel. Doesn't mean I don't like looking at other spinels but a pure red tugs something deep within me. I love cobalt blues too but red wins every time.

 

[Catmom]

Blue sapphires all the way!

ETA: although the right color tanzanite also hits that sweet spot

 

[SB621]

Med green emeralds or tsavs and blue sapphires (think DB's lovely leon) that is a medium color with a slight purble undertone.

 

[LD]

I have a particular colour purple that I can't EVER walk away from. EVER. It's the holy grail of colours for me!

Apart from that, I'm like a magpie and gravitate towards most vivid gemstones, colour changers and anything with strong fluorescence (in any species). Interestingly, all of the stones that I've had an unexpected "OMG" moment have all turned out to have strong fluor.

 

[minousbijoux]

Green garnets. If I had the budget, I'd buy them ALL. They're just so... green. gah that is the most obvious thing to say about them but it's why I like them. Emeralds are a different kind of green, and while I can definitely appreciate it, and would love to own a fine emerald someday, green garnets just seem so vivacious in comparison. I dunno. There's something about them that makes them so that I like every single one that I see, no matter what is right or wrong with it. No matter the color, the cut, or the inclusions. With almost anything else, I can find reasons to reject stones, but when faced with a green garnet my brain just dies and goes into Prettyville, where everything is green and sparkly. I can see myself in fifty years living like a dragon, surrounding myself with piles and piles of green gems.

(I do also adore blue sapphires, but when faced with a poor quality blue sapphire or a poor quality green garnet, I find the garnet more attractive, and that's why I picked that. And of course if I could only pick one stone in the world to have, it would be my engagement ring sapphire, because something about it just really spoke to me the first time I saw it and it hasn't yet stopped speaking to me. Metaphorically, not literally. I do not think my rock literally talks.)

This is the sweetest love letter to gemstones, ever! distracts, I loved this!

 

[packrat]

I like yellows. Not so much neon yellows, more buttery yellows. And greens. I miss the green barry I sold.

 

[Rosebloom]

I have a particular colour purple that I can't EVER walk away from. EVER. It's the holy grail of colours for me!

Apart from that, I'm like a magpie and gravitate towards most vivid gemstones, colour changers and anything with strong fluorescence (in any species). Interestingly, all of the stones that I've had an unexpected "OMG" moment have all turned out to have strong fluor.

LD could you share an example of your favorite purple stone? I'd love to see the shade you covet.

 

[GliderPoss]

I guess I'm an Australian Parti-sapphire girl at heart. I also really love rubies/red spinel but keep coming back to those beautiful (& cheap!) blue/yellow/green sapphires - each one is completely unique and mostly untreated too!

 

[Barrett]

Easy for the amguy who has a cornucopia of signature stones

~Gem silica
Hard to beat that paraiba blue


~Welo crystal opal especially when faceted.
"There are worlds in an opal."-Astrid Alauda."


The rare vivid blue spinel from Luc yen///the "jedi" spinel. Harriet has one

 

[Barrett]

and you can't beat the best blue in the gem and mineral worlds.....kashmir sapphire of the finest, most vivid color, won't come close to hauyne and it's neon blue


The soft subtle color of a good rhodochrosite


and of course the great paraiba blue



my last one is not a color or stone but an animal...this dog is so damn cute I figured i would toss ole Boo back into the mix

 

[LD]

OMG Jason - your post represents EXACTLY what I love (including Boo who's the cutest dog in the whole world)!

 

[chrono]

Barrett,
If you had to pare down to one (signature stone is singular ), which would be the one for you? It's difficult but you don't have a choice.

 

[colorluvr]

I obviously don't have one favorite color or type of stone as you can tell by looking in my jewelry or gem box.

I seem to want "one of each", however, the color of a perfect paraiba tourmaline(which of course I don't have) would probably be my favorite color (both in gemstones and that color in general). As far as my favorite stone that I currently own, it would have to be my red Mahenge spinel. I'm with Chono in that there is nothing quite like it. Red is certainly not my favorite color on it's own, as I gravitate toward fuchsia/purple tones (not light pink) and green/turquoise/aqua colors, but a perfect red spinel, is well, perfect - lol.

The sad thing about them is they almost never look as good in a picture as they do in real life.

If I could afford "really nice ones" I'd have sapphires and spinels in every color, but alas, that's never going to happen.