About the spinel enhancement.

[eos512]

I have bought a red spinel weighed 3.1ct. It is a used stone mounted before so that i get a very good price i think. It just comes back from IGI and the report says" some fractures contains an oily substance to impore the transparency and overal clarity". Anyone can give me an advice on this spinel? It is still not shipped yet so should i get a refund? anyone knows anything on the enhancement of the spinel? As far as i could see, the enhancement is not as often used as in tourmalines. What is this oily substance exactly? is it like those used in emerald?

P.S. is there a huge difference between the seller's pic and the report pic?

 

[chrono]

The lab brief does not state what type of oil is used (dyed or resin added) but it has clearly been oil treated the same way emeralds generally are. I've noticed oil treatment more prominent in certain garnets and tourmalines lately as well.

http://static.squarespace.com/static/509c23aee4b011ec832b1737/t/5106eb7ce4b0195ed62de82c/1359407996288/Spinel%20Treatments.pdf
(I hope the link works. It is a study conducted by AGL and in PDF format).

IGI isn't a premier lab recommended for coloured stones but based on their colour description, I would expect the spinel to look much darker than pictured in the hand shot. Given that spinels are generally untreated, my preference is for an untreated stone.

 

[T L]

Without a more in depth report, I don't think you can properly assess how invasive the treatment is. Emeralds typically have various levels of treatment, like none, faint, minor, moderate, and significant. I suspect the spinel has been clarity enhanced with an oil/resin composite, but I don't know for sure. They seem to be using clarity enhancement on gems like garnet, and tourmaline as well these days, which in the past, were not typically clarity enhanced.

Deep red, to me, also means "Dark red" so it might be a darker color than represented in the vendor photo. It looks dark on the report.

There are a bit too many unknowns for me to make a commitment on a purchase, especially if the stone will be difficult to return. The fact that its clarity enhanced would bug me as well, since spinels are typically not treated. Unless you paid very little, I wouldn't bother with it.

 

[eos512]

Without a more in depth report, I don't think you can properly assess how invasive the treatment is. Emeralds typically have various levels of treatment, like none, faint, minor, moderate, and significant. I suspect the spinel has been clarity enhanced with an oil/resin composite, but I don't know for sure. They seem to be using clarity enhancement on gems like garnet, and tourmaline as well these days, which in the past, were not typically clarity enhanced.

Deep red, to me, also means "Dark red" so it might be a darker color than represented in the vendor photo. It looks dark on the report.

There are a bit too many unknowns for me to make a commitment on a purchase, especially if the stone will be difficult to return. The fact that its clarity enhanced would bug me as well, since spinels are typically not treated. Unless you paid very little, I wouldn't bother with it.

I paid 800 in total which does not seem too much for a 3-ct-spinel but enough for me to hunt for a 3ct blue tourmaline. So thanks TL, I think I will ask for a refund and go for a blue tourmaline that has long haunted me.

 

[eos512]

The lab brief does not state what type of oil is used (dyed or resin added) but it has clearly been oil treated the same way emeralds generally are. I've noticed oil treatment more prominent in certain garnets and tourmalines lately as well.

http://static.squarespace.com/static/509c23aee4b011ec832b1737/t/5106eb7ce4b0195ed62de82c/1359407996288/Spinel%20Treatments.pdf
(I hope the link works. It is a study conducted by AGL and in PDF format).

IGI isn't a premier lab recommended for coloured stones but based on their colour description, I would expect the spinel to look much darker than pictured in the hand shot. Given that spinels are generally untreated, my preference is for an untreated stone.

Thanks Chrono, thanks for your sharing. I think I wont tolerate a treated spinel given the fact that the enhancement is very rare in spinels. So i should go for a refund. BTW can you help me to look at my new target? It is from jeff davis and it is exactly the color i m hunting for. How does 645 sounds for 2.29ct

 

[chrono]

I would caution that you ignore his pictures completely and only make your judgement based on his video. Even then, expect the tourmaline to be darker and grayer than what you see.

 

[eos512]

I would caution that you ignore his pictures completely and only make your judgement based on his video. Even then, expect the tourmaline to be darker and grayer than what you see.

I have check his vdo several times and it seems quite consistent with the picture in my eyes. Does Jeff have a bad reputation of the inconsistency of picture with the stone in real life?

 

[chrono]

It seems so lately from posts here on PS.

 

[eos512]

It seems so lately from posts here on PS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfN_z3zBlco&feature=youtu.be
Can you help me look at this? It seems quite close in my eyes
Thanks Chrono

 

[chrono]

Two main thing I noticed:
1. Very strong lighting used to the point the white cotton fluff looks stark white, so I suspect this tourmaline to be darker and grayer in hand.
2. The pointy end of the pear is dark, even with the strong light used, so expect this part to remain extinct most of the time.

In short, if you are hoping for the tourmaline to look like this all the time, you have to wear it to places with strong lighting only.

 

[eos512]

Two main thing I noticed:
1. Very strong lighting used to the point the white cotton fluff looks stark white, so I suspect this tourmaline to be darker and grayer in hand.
2. The pointy end of the pear is dark, even with the strong light used, so expect this part to remain extinct most of the time.

In short, if you are hoping for the tourmaline to look like this all the time, you have to wear it to places with strong lighting only.

Basically I am now collecting instead of wearing. Anyway thanks a lot of your close inspection for me. I just sent an email to Jeff and hope i can get some "Finger" pictures. In the meantime, do you have any recommendation for blue tourmaline, or more precisely "indicolite"

 

[chrono]

If treatment matters a lot to you, I would shy away from indicolite since there is no way to verify irradiation treatment at this point in time.
http://www.gemsociety.org/article/what-do-i-look-for-when-buying-indicolite-tourmaline/
http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM60/AM60_710.pdf

 

[pregcurious]

I have bought a red spinel weighed 3.1ct...is there a huge difference between the seller's pic and the report pic?

It seems there is a large difference.

Can you share with us the name of the vendor?