Help Me Find A Red Stone: A Red Spinel or A Ruby!

[AGBF]

I would like to find a red stone: a Burma red ruby or red spinel. I have a (nominally) red spinel, but I would like a larger stone, the size of the tanzanite in my tanzanite ring. I will post pictures of both my spinel ring (and its long story) and my tanzanite ring for anyone who wants to help me look.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/agbfs-spinel-is-set.27024/?hilit=juste']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/agbfs-spinel-is-set.27024/?hilit=juste[/URL]

I had an absolutely perfect, stoplight red, spinel but it had inclusions/ the start of internal fractures to which-according to Dick Hughes-the best red spinels from the Mogok track are prone. I was unsure if the ring would be sound. So I switched stones and ended up with a spinel that was not that stoplight red.

The original stone was a 1.78 Burmese spinel of approximately 7.5mm x 6.05mm x 5.1mm. It was described by two gemologists as being VVS clarity with a medium dark tone, vivid saturation, and a red hue.

Even if I still had this stone, I would now hhave liked to get a larger, oval one (the size of my daughter's opal, I think). My current ring seems more pink to me, however.

I plan to contact Richard Martin, but I have looked on-line, too. No one will be taking a sale from him if he suggests other places that I can look on-line or gives me advice on what to look for! Last time I used many vendors before one found me the right stone.

Thank you.

PS-Some of you have wondered how I would use my gift from Kaleigh. I hope to use it here. I may not have a lot of disposable income in the future since I am getting divorced.

Deb/AGBF


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[y2kitty]

I like this red spinel:
http://flawlessfacets.com/products-page/sold/1-69-carat-mahenge-spinel/

 

[VapidLapid]

http://www.wildfishgems.com/gemstones

http://www.naturalunheatedruby.com/

http://www.spectralgems.net/

http://flawlessfacets.com/products-page/

 

[chrono]

Deb,
I’m very sorry to hear about the divorce proceedings. As much as I’d love to help you spend that gift on a gorgeous red spinel or ruby, I don’t think PS rules (or the Admin, in any case) will allow it to be spent anywhere except at advertising PS vendors. I would love to be wrong in this case to allow myself a larger pool of vendors to find the right stone from.

 

[LD]

Deb - sorry to hear of your recent troubles. I hope you manage to find something lovely as a "coming out of this time" pressie!

In terms of finding a large (larger than 2ct I presume) stop light red spinel, oval cut, with great clarity, I have a horrible feeling that that's a little like the holy grail. Somewhere along the way, you may need to compromise. To find a stop light red spinel that holds its colour is a challenge - then to add in all the other factors - phew! I think that the more specialist vendors on PS may be able to help but I'm not sure a generic search is going to pull up what you want. It may be worth contacting those on the vendor's list and seeing what they have that they haven't advertised?

You also mentioned a Ruby? A 2ct Ruby in a wonderful red wouldn't be a problem BUT it depends on how you feel about treatments and the levels applied. Again a gorgeous 2ct Ruby may start hurting your pocket BUT it might be easier to find than a Spinel.

I can't wait to see what you get. Good luck in your search and if I see anything on my travels, I'll let you know.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Deb,
I’m very sorry to hear about the divorce proceedings. As much as I’d love to help you spend that gift on a gorgeous red spinel or ruby, I don’t think PS rules (or the Admin, in any case) will allow it to be spent anywhere except at advertising PS vendors. I would love to be wrong in this case to allow myself a larger pool of vendors to find the right stone from.

If I remember correctly, I think this was a personal gift from another PS member (Kaleigh), in which case I don't think PS has any power in limiting where that money is spent.

I don't have any leads, but looking forward to your search and wishing you the best of luck!

 

[y2kitty]

Deb,
I’m very sorry to hear about the divorce proceedings. As much as I’d love to help you spend that gift on a gorgeous red spinel or ruby, I don’t think PS rules (or the Admin, in any case) will allow it to be spent anywhere except at advertising PS vendors. I would love to be wrong in this case to allow myself a larger pool of vendors to find the right stone from.

I believe her gift from Kaleigh was cash so she is free to spend it wherever she chooses. Get to work Chrono!

 

[chrono]

Oh, well, that’s VERY good news indeed! I am definitely out of the loop but is it safe for me to assume the gift amounts to $1K? If so, then I don’t think it is possible to find a stoplight red spinel of 2 carats and upwards that does not turn muddy indoors, minimal extinction, is very clean and with vivid saturation. Such red spinels might be had years ago within $1K, but it has gone through the roof several years ago. The same is to be said of an untreated ruby with similar stats. However, with some compromise, it might be possible to find something.

Deb,
If something has to give, what would it be? If the gift amout is greater than $1K, it would be helpful to know the budget we have to work with.

 

[AGBF]

First, you are correct that my gift from Kaleigh was cash, but I intended to supplement it with money of my own. I do not have a firm

budget, but I think I would not want to spend much above 10K. Maybe I could stretch to 12. I do not see myself being in the 15-18K

range by any stretch of the imagination, let alone going to 20K, which was once my dream amount for a Burmese ruby! So, indeed,

something has to give! I did not know that one could not find a spinel in a large size with vivid saturation and a red color...even

though it is true that I searched long and hard for my much smaller stone the last time, using many specialists, so maybe I should have

gotten the clue that something was difficult!


Deb/AGBF


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[VapidLapid]

http://flawlessfacets.com/products-page/sold/4-85-carat-mahenge-spinel/

 

[AGBF]

http://flawlessfacets.com/products-page/sold/4-85-carat-mahenge-spinel/

Thanks for posting that, VapidLapid-

I can't let go of having an oval, however. Nor can I let go of the idea of a vivid red. That stone reminds me of the spinel I have now

(although the stone you posted is larger and cut differently); it has a pinkish tone to it (at least on the monitor). I really need a vivid

red, oval stone. I am hoping for Burmese!

Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[T L]

Is there such a thing as a vivid red spinel? I don't think any gem gets quite as vivid red as a fine Burmese ruby, and a one carat Burmese ruby that is heated, would be around $10K, and probably $15 to $20K for an unheated one. Red is the most expensive color in the gem world, so you might have to give and take and get something with less than vivid red saturation, or a pinkish red stone.

Africagems.com has some heated Burmese rubies. If you're going that route, make sure it has an AGL prestige report or a Swiss lab (GRS or SSEF) report to accompany it. Origin would be important on that report since Burmese stones are a premium.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

First, you are correct that my gift from Kaleigh was cash, but I intended to supplement it with money of my own. I do not have a firm

budget, but I think I would not want to spend much above 10K. Maybe I could stretch to 12. I do not see myself being in the 15-18K

range by any stretch of the imagination, let alone going to 20K, which was once my dream amount for a Burmese ruby! So, indeed,

something has to give! I did not know that one could not find a spinel in a large size with vivid saturation and a red color...even

though it is true that I searched long and hard for my much smaller stone the last time, using many specialists, so maybe I should have

gotten the clue that something was difficult!


Deb/AGBF


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

First, I am very sorry about the divorce proceedings.

You might want to contact a dealer who works with Pala Gems. When I was there a couple years ago, they had a tray full of red spinels. I cannot remember much of the details about them.

 

[Fly Girl]

With nice budget like yours, I'd check with Richard Wise to see what he has in stock. Here is a nice red oval 2.61 ct Burmese ruby.

http://www.rwwise.com/products/id%7C977

 

[T L]

With nice budget like yours, I'd check with Richard Wise to see what he has in stock. Here is a nice red oval 2.61 ct Burmese ruby.

http://www.rwwise.com/products/id%7C977

My gut feeling is that is tens of thousands of dollars, but she should contact RW to find out. It is also heated. Unsure if the OP wants a heated or untreated stone. Burmese ruby prices go up exponentially with each half carat jump in size, and this stone is over 2.5 carats.

Here are some heated Burmese stones with prices listed from Africagems.com to give you an idea of price points on these stones. They are very expensive just for heated material.
http://www.africagems.com/burmarubies.html

 

[AGBF]

Is there such a thing as a vivid red spinel? I don't think any gem gets quite as vivid red as a fine Burmese ruby, and a one carat Burmese ruby that is heated, would be around $10K, and probably $15 to $20K for an unheated one. Red is the most expensive color in the gem world, so you might have to give and take and get something with less than vivid red saturation, or a pinkish red stone.

Yes, there is such a thing as a vivid red spinel. I will not argue about whether it is as vivid a red as a fine Burmese ruby! Somewhere in the archives is a discussion by some experts (I sat on the sidelines) that took place about the light and reflection and refraction in rubies versus spinels when I was buying my first red spinel! I forget what was said since I really didn't understand it, but I may be able to find the discussion. It is possible that you took part in it!

Deb/AGBF


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[T L]

Is there such a thing as a vivid red spinel? I don't think any gem gets quite as vivid red as a fine Burmese ruby, and a one carat Burmese ruby that is heated, would be around $10K, and probably $15 to $20K for an unheated one. Red is the most expensive color in the gem world, so you might have to give and take and get something with less than vivid red saturation, or a pinkish red stone.

Yes, there is such a thing as a vivid red spinel. I will not argue about whether it is as vivid a red as a fine Burmese ruby! Somewhere in the archives is a discussion by some experts (I sat on the sidelines) that took place about the light and reflection and refraction in rubies versus spinels when I was buying my first red spinel! I forget what was said since I really didn't understand it, but I may be able to find the discussion. It is possible that you took part in it!

Deb/AGBF


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

Thanks Deb, I have never seen a red spinel as vivid as a fine red Burmese ruby in person or online. I would love to one day though. I think it also depends on how one person perceives vivid red. For me, that is always going to be Burmese ruby. For example, to me, the Black Prince Ruby (a spinel ) is not vivid red, although many people perceive it to be. If there is a photo of a stone that you could provide in this thread of the ideal color you're looking for, that would help us search for you. I think using terms like "vivid red" are speculative, and based on what the individual perceives.

 

[VapidLapid]

http://www.preciousgemstones.com/1642buspfs.html

 

[AGBF]

First, you are correct that my gift from Kaleigh was cash, but I intended to supplement it with money of my own. I do not have a firm

budget, but I think I would not want to spend much above 10K. Maybe I could stretch to 12. I do not see myself being in the 15-18K

range by any stretch of the imagination, let alone going to 20K, which was once my dream amount for a Burmese ruby! So, indeed,

something has to give! I did not know that one could not find a spinel in a large size with vivid saturation and a red color...even

though it is true that I searched long and hard for my much smaller stone the last time, using many specialists, so maybe I should have

gotten the clue that something was difficult!


Deb/AGBF

First, I am very sorry about the divorce proceedings.

You might want to contact a dealer who works with Pala Gems. When I was there a couple years ago, they had a tray full of red spinels. I cannot remember much of the details about them.

My first red spinel-the beautiful one that cracked (or whatever it did)-came from Pala. Dick Hughes was with them then and I asked him to sign off on it just because we were on-line friends and I loved his book! He was one of the two gemologists who looked at my first spinel, the one with the "vivid red saturation"!

Deb/AGBF


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[VapidLapid]

Oh Im such a twit sometimes. I always thought agbf were the strings on your cello until now when I saw your signature.

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

http://flawlessfacets.com/products-page/sold/4-85-carat-mahenge-spinel/

Thanks for posting that, VapidLapid-

I can't let go of having an oval, however. Nor can I let go of the idea of a vivid red. That stone reminds me of the spinel I have now

(although the stone you posted is larger and cut differently); it has a pinkish tone to it (at least on the monitor). I really need a vivid

red, oval stone. I am hoping for Burmese!

Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

Hi Deb,

The stone does not have pink in it. It is bright stop light red. It is in Australia now with the owner but he has it for sale. It was half of a 30 carat crystal of which the other section was cut in an oval.

 

[AGBF]

http://flawlessfacets.com/products-page/sold/4-85-carat-mahenge-spinel/

Thanks for posting that, VapidLapid-

I can't let go of having an oval, however. Nor can I let go of the idea of a vivid red. That stone reminds me of the spinel I have now

(although the stone you posted is larger and cut differently); it has a pinkish tone to it (at least on the monitor). I really need a vivid

red, oval stone. I am hoping for Burmese!

Deb

Hi Deb,

The stone does not have pink in it. It is bright stop light red. It is in Australia now with the owner but he has it for sale. It was half of a 30 carat crystal of which the other section was cut in an oval.

Jim!!! I have to ask! Where is the oval?

Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[VapidLapid]

Must it be burma?

http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/13381

 

[AGBF]

Must it be burma?

http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/13381

Thanks, Vapidlapid-There are no real "musts". I would prefer an oval to a cushion cut, though. I would also like a bigger stone. I already have a stone in a size similar to this, although it is a spinel, not a ruby. I wanted to get a larger, red oval this time. It may be my last time to buy a large, red, oval stone.

Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[VapidLapid]

I dont suppose you live in China or someplace that is not part of the embargo?
Would that suite of a dozen red spinels on preciousgemstone.com suit you? I think that set in a necklace could have a bigger impact than a single ring.

 

[movie zombie]

ah, stop light red! lovely....and expensive.

richarad wise sent out an e-mail last week telling recipients that he is available to act as a "buyer" while at the tucson gem show. given you've got a good budget and he has a good eye, why not contact him and see what he can find for you?

was it Widget that had that stop light red spinel that was a nice size and drop dead gorgeous? how i envied her color gem stone collection.......sigh.

MoZo

ps deb, sent you a personal e-mail assuming you've still got the same e-mail account......sorry about the divorce action.

 

[AGBF]

was it Widget that had that stop light red spinel that was a nice size and drop dead gorgeous? how i envied her color gem stone collection.......sigh.

MZ-widget has the finest stones around...she has far better colored gems than I do. But I think you are thinking of me when you think of a stop light red spinel. I had one, then returned it to Pala Gems because it was compromised. The spinel now in its place, although Pala claims it is comparable, is not-in my opinion-comparable.

PS-Thank you both for the e-mail (which I am assuming I will get) and the suggestion about Richard Wise.

Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[movie zombie]

um, i thought it was a stone someone had had for years......drop dead gorgeous stop light red.....no extinction.....no flashes of light peaking out from a dark abyss....sigh.

too bad you had to return the one you had....but if it was compromised and couldn't be set, well, time to move on. it might take a while but i'm betting you find what you're looking for! you have great taste in color stones and jewelry!

MoZo

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

[/quote]

Hi Deb,

The stone does not have pink in it. It is bright stop light red. It is in Australia now with the owner but he has it for sale. It was half of a 30 carat crystal of which the other section was cut in an oval.[/quote]


Jim!!! I have to ask! Where is the oval?

Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend[/quote]

I will put it up on the site later this evening. The shots of it are...well there is a reason I send stones to Jeff Hunt to photograph. I might have to have this sent to him to photograph as well. It deserves a great photo.

 

[AGBF]

I don't know how often you check this forum, Jim. (And I will have to be away from it a bit myself, driving my daughter 30 miles away to the psychiatrist and back through a winter storm.) I just wanted to know who owned the oval and if it was for sale! Not that I wouldn't want to look anyway, even if it were way out of my league. I always want to look!

Deb/AGBF


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend