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Help me find an aquamarine

Sizzle

Brilliant_Rock
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Jul 4, 2007
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I'm looking for a pale princess cut aquamarine that will fit my current mount. It needs to be around 8mm. This will be my first colored stone and I don't know where to begin
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Sizzle|1333802978|3165615 said:
I'm looking for a pale princess cut aquamarine that will fit my current mount. It needs to be around 8mm. This will be my first colored stone and I don't know where to begin

There's a list of reputable vendors at the top of this page. Not sure what tone you're looking for, light or dark, but with aqua, tone is important, as darker toned material is more expensive. It's rare to find saturated material, and I've never seen a super saturated aqua except in a photo maybe a few times (who knows what they looked like IRL). Aquamarine is quite abundant, so I would start looking on ebay for "princess cut aqua" and then check if the seller has good ratings on toolhaus.org, and if they're a "top rated" seller. You could also go with one of the lapidaries as well, but the price point may be higher since they perform precision cutting, which sells for a premium

Jeff White (whitesgems.com), Gene (precisiongem.com), Lisa Elser (I forget her website, sorry!), Roger Dery, are ones that come to mind for precision cut princess aquas, but I'm sure others will mention more. Check the vendor list sticky at the top of this forum for the websites.
 

Chicago Girl

Shiny_Rock
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May 9, 2011
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Not to thread jack, and sorry if this is such a newbie question - but are the precision gem cutters stones noticeably better than other stones you might find online?
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Chicago Girl|1333901636|3166199 said:
Not to thread jack, and sorry if this is such a newbie question - but are the precision gem cutters stones noticeably better than other stones you might find online?

Precision lapidaries are known for cutting stones to a fine luster, polish, with perfect, or near perfect facet meets. This will give back as much light return as possible from the stone, if the lapidary did it right. Do I personally think their stones are better as far as other qualities like saturation of color? Well, in my opinion, I don't. I think you can find gorgeous colored gems that are not precision cut, just like you can find precision cut stones that are quite lacking in saturation. I have found some amazing colored gems via searching and hunting online and at gem shows. There are some people that require having a precision cut in a gem more than anything else, and for them, precision cutting is a must.

With a gemstone, you need to sum up all the variables, and decide which one, or which combination of variables, is most important to you.

Some variables are
Saturation of color
Tone
Hue
Size of stone
Shape of stone
Precision cut or native cut (some native cuts are very acceptable and some are horrible)
hardness and durability
Refractive Index
Luster
Treatment
Rarity
Origin
Clarity and type of inclusions

For me, saturation is most important, and then tone. For some people it might be precision faceting, or the shape. It depends on you.
 

Sizzle

Brilliant_Rock
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Jul 4, 2007
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Ummm I just want a pretty one! LOL this will turn into quite the research project!
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
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First off, having a mm size requirements makes it a more difficult search but not impossible. The other thing is budget. If you have a big budget, then you have more leeway. The definitely of pretty can also be subjective. What is pretty to a person might not be pretty to another. The fact that you are looking for a pale aquamarine means your chances of finding one is good. However, you have set a greater limitation on it being a princess cut. Very few aquas are cut in this shape; you may have to request to have a stone cut because of this.
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Chicago Girl|1333901636|3166199 said:
Not to thread jack, and sorry if this is such a newbie question - but are the precision gem cutters stones noticeably better than other stones you might find online?

Noticeably better? Not necessarily. If the colour is good, then yes, a precision cut stone is likely to look nicer. If the colour is not there to begin with, the improvement gained by superior cutting can only go so far.
 

Enerchi

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Oct 4, 2011
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http://www.gemfix.com/aquamarine.html
3rd row, first on left - its 7.5mm - you said "around 8mm" so not sure if this would work.
(I just got an email from them over the w/e so I've been referring to this site a fair bit on the last few days! :D )

http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=6492 8.1mm trillion (I don't think you specified shape, did you?)

http://www.diamondbistro.com/category/236/Aquamarine/listings/25210/Bob-Kast-192ct-blue-8mm-round-Aquamarine.html


Maybe some of the above might interest you...

(oops!!! now I see you mentioned PRINCESS cut ---- so sorry :oops: )
 

Sizzle

Brilliant_Rock
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Jul 4, 2007
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1,304
Thanks for the replies.. At least I have someplace to start.. Yes, I'm trying to fit the stone into my current "x prong style" mount so pricess only.. unless you think a cushion could fit???
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
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It might be able to accommodate a square cushion. Do you have a picture of the setting?
 

erinl

Brilliant_Rock
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Jan 22, 2011
Messages
747
I bought a very pretty, pale aquamarine from Bob Kast about a year ago. You may want to contact him about available rough?

Also, if it is the pale blue color you are after and are not limited yourself to aquas, Dough Menadue at bespoke gems has some very pretty natural blue topaz. Of course you will be paying a high premium for his cutting skills. But topaz is hardier than aqua for a more frequently worn ring.
 
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