Best place to buy a pair of matching loose small tsavorite garnets?

[Arthur Kennedy]

Hi, gang. I was wondering if anybody had some good ideas/experiences on places to buy a small pair (loose, not set) of nice quality vibrant tsavorite garnets I could use to make a pair of 2nd piercing accent studs? I was thinking 3.5mm to 4mm each size-wise. I've bought some REALLY nice stuff from Tandi H. on Instagram (desert Rose gems) in the past, but I was just curious about other options that might be slightly cheaper. any suggestions?

I'm also curious about the price difference between really nice Chrome Green tourmaline and tsavorite garnet--- both in the roughly 4 millimeter size range. Are the prices pretty similar? Or is chrome green a little cheaper? To me both of those gemstones look very similar.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I actually just happened to spot this pair the other day... color is super saturated... but I'm not sure about the tone (whether they'll be darker in person than what you're after).

Tsavorite Garnet 4mm Round Matched Pair 0.61ctw - 12YYQA

Matched Pair of Tsavorite Garnet 4mm Round 0.61ctw. The gemstone was mined in Tanzania and cut in Thailand.

www.jtv.com

With regard to tsavorite vs. chrome tourmaline, for me personally, tsav is the clear winner. I find tourm, in general, to have a more grassy, yellow-leaning hue. Fine tsav should be a pure green or even lean a touch blue. And while both can have an overly dark tone, I find that tsav is easier to find in a medium or medium-dark tone with vivid saturation.

Good luck!

 

[mayaINaU]

Hi, gang. I was wondering if anybody had some good ideas/experiences on places to buy a small pair (loose, not set) of nice quality vibrant tsavorite garnets I could use to make a pair of 2nd piercing accent studs? I was thinking 3.5mm to 4mm each size-wise. I've bought some REALLY nice stuff from Tandi H. on Instagram (desert Rose gems) in the past, but I was just curious about other options that might be slightly cheaper. any suggestions?

I'm also curious about the price difference between really nice Chrome Green tourmaline and tsavorite garnet--- both in the roughly 4 millimeter size range. Are the prices pretty similar? Or is chrome green a little cheaper? To me both of those gemstones look very similar.

I’ve seen that Cecile Raley often carries these, or could get them.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1359569742/

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1270034085/

 

[Arthur Kennedy]

I actually just happened to spot this pair the other day... color is super saturated... but I'm not sure about the tone (whether they'll be darker in person than what you're after).

Tsavorite Garnet 4mm Round Matched Pair 0.61ctw - 12YYQA

Matched Pair of Tsavorite Garnet 4mm Round 0.61ctw. The gemstone was mined in Tanzania and cut in Thailand.

www.jtv.com

With regard to tsavorite vs. chrome tourmaline, for me personally, tsav is the clear winner. I find tourm, in general, to have a more grassy, yellow-leaning hue. Fine tsav should be a pure green or even lean a touch blue. And while both can have an overly dark tone, I find that tsav is easier to find in a medium or medium-dark tone with vivid saturation.

Good luck!

Thanks! But these are significantly more expensive than I'm willing to spend (plus I've had mixed results ordering from JTV in the past). But even if these were cheaper I do think they would probably be darker than I'd like, honestly.

 

[Arthur Kennedy]

I’ve seen that Cecile Raley often carries these, or could get them.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1359569742/

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1270034085/

Thanks for the links! Yeah, I've seen these listed on Yvonne's Etsy site in the past. Her gems are always fantastic (I've purchased multiple times from her in the past, including a gorgeous little 6×4mm heated Ruby from Burma ). but these look a tad too dark. Plus my local jeweler has very nice earring settings at great prices, which is why I'm looking for loose gemstones to help bring down price.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Thanks for the links! Yeah, I've seen these listed on Yvonne's Etsy site in the past. Her gems are always fantastic (I've purchased multiple times from her in the past, including a gorgeous little 6×4mm heated Ruby from Burma ). but these look a tad too dark. Plus my local jeweler has very nice earring settings at great prices, which is why I'm looking for loose gemstones to help bring down price.

I'll keep my eyes peeled for something a bit lighter in tone, and maybe you can match your budget by going a little smaller, as you said. You may also want to ask Yvonne if she has something stashed away that meets your criteria. She doesn't always have everything listed because her inventory is quite extensive. Good luck!

 

[Arthur Kennedy]

I'll keep my eyes peeled for something a bit lighter in tone, and maybe you can match your budget by going a little smaller, as you said. You may also want to ask Yvonne if she has something stashed away that meets your criteria. She doesn't always have everything listed because her inventory is quite extensive. Good luck!

Thank you very much! And that's really good advice about checking with Yvonne on her unlisted stock (she's also a good person to get in touch with via email any time there's a big gem show ).

For vibrant vividly saturated tsavorite I probably would have to go down to 3.5 mm in order to bring price down significantly. I actually bought the nicest pair of 3.5 mm hot pink tourmaline from Yvonne about a year ago in a 3.5 mm size range and made studs out of 'em for my girlfriend. They look amazing in her 2nd piercings.

 

[Arthur Kennedy]

I'll keep my eyes peeled for something a bit lighter in tone, and maybe you can match your budget by going a little smaller, as you said. You may also want to ask Yvonne if she has something stashed away that meets your criteria. She doesn't always have everything listed because her inventory is quite extensive. Good luck!

Could I get your opinion on this pair of mildly fluorescent tsavorite garnets from Kenya? I actually love the pictures, and I've bought from this seller before ( she has excellent stuff). But what do you know about fluorescent tsavorite? These suckers are actually pretty big, and a significantly better price than most high quality non-fluorescent tsavorite that I've seen. Is the price drop in connection to the fluorescence? And the fact that these are a bit lighter in color than most regular non-fluorescent tsavorite?

 

[Arthur Kennedy]

Could I get your opinion on this pair of mildly fluorescent tsavorite garnets from Kenya? I actually love the pictures, and I've bought from this seller before ( she has excellent stuff). But what do you know about fluorescent tsavorite? These suckers are actually pretty big, and a significantly better price than most high quality non-fluorescent tsavorite that I've seen. Is the price drop in connection to the fluorescence? And the fact that these are a bit lighter in color than most regular non-fluorescent tsavorite?

When I asked if these were similar to a lighter Chrome Green tourmaline or a Colombian emerald with sort of a lighter color/saturation (kinda like a light-medium "intense" Colombian emerald with mild blue undertones) the seller wrote:

"Yes.

Somewhere between lighter chrome tourmaline and Colombian emerald
If they had a baby!"

I love that description so much! Anyway, after talking with her apparently fluorescent tsavorite is EXTREMELY rare in the market. like, almost non-existent. So that actually makes me want these puppies even more. As I mentioned, the seller is awesome and transparent. And she has great taste. She said the cutting is excellent. With neon vivid color. I think I'm gonna pull the trigger before someone else beats me to a punch.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Could I get your opinion on this pair of mildly fluorescent tsavorite garnets from Kenya? I actually love the pictures, and I've bought from this seller before ( she has excellent stuff). But what do you know about fluorescent tsavorite? These suckers are actually pretty big, and a significantly better price than most high quality non-fluorescent tsavorite that I've seen. Is the price drop in connection to the fluorescence? And the fact that these are a bit lighter in color than most regular non-fluorescent tsavorite?

It is my understanding that tsavs from the Merelani Hills of Tanzania often fluoresce. I don't *think* it affects the price one way or the other. The only thing I could see causing a significant decrease in value would be if the material has, say, strong red fluoresce which muddies the color in daylight.

So these are lovely stones, but IMO, we're sort of heading into mint garnet territory. I don't think they're particularly saturated and the tone is too light for my tastes. But as we always say around these parts, color is subjective and this may be the exact shade you're after!

 

[minousbijoux]

I couldn't agree with @Autumn in New England more! I would say these definitely qualify as Mint and not the darker toned grossulars known as tsavs. And for what its worth, mints quite often have that bright, neonish quality to them because they are lighter toned

 

[Arthur Kennedy]

It is my understanding that tsavs from the Merelani Hills of Tanzania often fluoresce. I don't *think* it affects the price one way or the other. The only thing I could see causing a significant decrease in value would be if the material has, say, strong red fluoresce which muddies the color in daylight.

So these are lovely stones, but IMO, we're sort of heading into mint garnet territory. I don't think they're particularly saturated and the tone is too light for my tastes. But as we always say around these parts, color is subjective and this may be the exact shade you're after!

Thanks so much for your feedback! I really appreciate it. These fluorescent tsavorite garnets are actually VERY rare (this variety currently has almost zero market presence, apparently) and from Kenya. They have a medium tone but a vivid neon green color. Kind of a grass green in natural light and they go a tiny bit darker indoors (but I was told they are never outright dark under any lighting sources, which is a big plus for me). You're right, though: regular non-fluorescent tsavorite garnets are definitely a darker green color with a darker tone. The current (comparatively) low price for this pair is due to the rareness and/or a complete lack of information on Kenyan fluorescent tsavorite. I'm told these are very bright and lively, and the relatively unknown factor adds to the coolness in my opinion. Now that I went ahead and bought the stones I can give the name of the seller (I was afraid somebody else might nab 'em if I blabbed the source ). It's Tandi H. of desert Rose gems. I'm sure many of you on this site are familiar with her. In my opinion, she has excellent taste when it comes to color AND cut. Her and Yvonne of Cecilia Ray designs are the livin' shiz as far as I'm concerned, and they are both wonderfully transparent.

So worst case scenario, I now have a nice big pair of first piercing studs (4.9 mm each ) in a very interesting color/variety if fluorescent tsavorite Garnet from Kenya stays niche..... and if this variety catches on I grabbed a pair early before prices skyrocket. Win-win either way.


Thanks again for your input! It was greatly appreciated.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Thanks so much for your feedback! I really appreciate it. These fluorescent tsavorite garnets are actually VERY rare (this variety currently has almost zero market presence, apparently) and from Kenya. They have a medium tone but a vivid neon green color. Kind of a grass green in natural light and they go a tiny bit darker indoors (but I was told they are never outright dark under any lighting sources, which is a big plus for me). You're right, though: regular non-fluorescent tsavorite garnets are definitely a darker green color with a darker tone. The current (comparatively) low price for this pair is due to the rareness and/or a complete lack of information on Kenyan fluorescent tsavorite. I'm told these are very bright and lively, and the relatively unknown factor adds to the coolness in my opinion. Now that I went ahead and bought the stones I can give the name of the seller (I was afraid somebody else might nab 'em if I blabbed the source ). It's Tandi H. of desert Rose gems. I'm sure many of you on this site are familiar with her. In my opinion, she has excellent taste when it comes to color AND cut. Her and Yvonne of Cecilia Ray designs are the livin' shiz as far as I'm concerned, and they are both wonderfully transparent.

So worst case scenario, I now have a nice big pair of first piercing studs (4.9 mm each ) in a very interesting color/variety if fluorescent tsavorite Garnet from Kenya stays niche..... and if this variety catches on I grabbed a pair early before prices skyrocket. Win-win either way.


Thanks again for your input! It was greatly appreciated.

I hope you love them!!

 

[Arthur Kennedy]

I hope you love them!!

Me, too! But if I'm not happy with them in person I can return 'em for full store credit (and Tandi always has awesome stuff, so I won't have any problem spending the store credit on something else if necessary).

 

[Arthur Kennedy]

It is my understanding that tsavs from the Merelani Hills of Tanzania often fluoresce. I don't *think* it affects the price one way or the other. The only thing I could see causing a significant decrease in value would be if the material has, say, strong red fluoresce which muddies the color in daylight.

So these are lovely stones, but IMO, we're sort of heading into mint garnet territory. I don't think they're particularly saturated and the tone is too light for my tastes. But as we always say around these parts, color is subjective and this may be the exact shade you're after!

It turns out you were 100% on the money about the color being too light. Very nice cut and size, but the color was too soft/light in person. So I'm sending 'em back for store credit. Tandi always has great stuff, and I already found a pair of gorgeous 5 mm grape garnets on her Instagram account (desert Rose gems), plus I'll have $150 left to go toward something else. I'm leaning in the direction of a pair of 3.5mm to 4mm neon orange spessarite garnets to be used as 2nd piercing accent studs.

Thanks again for your valuable input! You clearly know your stuff.

 

[Autumn in New England]

It turns out you were 100% on the money about the color being too light. Very nice cut and size, but the color was too soft/light in person. So I'm sending 'em back for store credit. Tandi always has great stuff, and I already found a pair of gorgeous 5 mm grape garnets on her Instagram account (desert Rose gems), plus I'll have $150 left to go toward something else. I'm leaning in the direction of a pair of 3.5mm to 4mm neon orange spessarite garnets to be used as 2nd piercing accent studs.

Thanks again for your valuable input! You clearly know your stuff.

It comes from my own failures! lol I am a BIG grape garnet (and spess) fan, so it sounds like a win-win. Good luck!

 

[Arthur Kennedy]

It comes from my own failures! lol I am a BIG grape garnet (and spess) fan, so it sounds like a win-win. Good luck!

Thanks a million! Fer realzies.


Oh, and speaking of New England, my ex-wife and I briefly lived in West Haven Connecticut during the summer and fall of 1996. I loved it! The food was excellent (especially the seafood, plus an AMAZING pizza place called Izzo's that I still fantasize about to this day ). And I love how quick it was to get to many other areas in New England. For instance, Northampton Massachusetts was only an hour drive away.... and I would go there to visit the comic book museum pretty often (one of the guys who created the teenage mutant Ninja turtles used to have a comic book museum in Northampton ), as well as stopping to eat at an excellent Indian restaurant whose name I can't remember. Plus I have extremely fond memories of a longer trip we took to Bangor Maine which included a lobster lunch with an easy view of the working waterfront.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Thanks a million! Fer realzies.


Oh, and speaking of New England, my ex-wife and I briefly lived in West Haven Connecticut during the summer and fall of 1996. I loved it! The food was excellent (especially the seafood, plus an AMAZING pizza place called Izzo's that I still fantasize about to this day ). And I love how quick it was to get to many other areas in New England. For instance, Northampton Massachusetts was only an hour drive away.... and I would go there to visit the comic book museum pretty often (one of the guys who created the teenage mutant Ninja turtles used to have a comic book museum in Northampton ), as well as stopping to eat at an excellent Indian restaurant whose name I can't remember. Plus I have extremely fond memories of a longer trip we took to Bangor Maine which included a lobster lunch with an easy view of the working waterfront.

It is indeed very central, which is one of my favorite parts about living here. I haven't been to Izzo's, but Frank Pepe's in New Haven is quite popular. Now you're making me hungry!