Alexandrite from mineral miners?

[Laurainthesky]

They will not resize a ring. He told me that he would ask their goldsmith who is a contractor whether it could be sized to 4 so that I know.

 

[lovedogs]

Do any of these have certificates? The first one looks very grey in the "blue" photos, so I expect it won't be an attractive color IRL

 

[Laurainthesky]

Do any of these have certificates? The first one looks very grey in the "blue" photos, so I expect it won't be an attractive color IRL

No certificates. Is that something I would make contingent to the sale?

 

[lovedogs]

No certificates. Is that something I would make contingent to the sale?

I would, yes. I would tell them to send to GIA (on your dime) and that you'll be entitled to a full refund if it's not natural alexandrite

 

[peacechick]

These are all simple solitaire bands with no pave, so there’s no reason why they or your jeweller can’t resize 2 sizes down. Are you happy with the design though?

 

[Laurainthesky]

Or I could shelve alexandrite and blow the budget on some super cool bicolor sapphire or tourmaline? The color change garnet I just bought will be lighter tone than what I have and prettier in a ring. While I am not super concerned with the settings, these particular settings are cheapies out of a Tripps catalog. I used to set my own gems with Tripps settings until I fired myself after chipping a stone. These rings could look cheap and underwhelming which some posters have been warning me about.

 

[Laurainthesky]

What I make should at least be more fun to wear than this nice little blue green tourmaline which competes for finger space.

 

[LD]

They don't look Brazilian but more Indian Alex. Of the 3, the last one has a bit more promise but the problem with Alex is that you need to see it in person. Is there a good returns policy? If yes then it may be worth getting for a look. The prices are high though but I think that might be where Alex is in the market at the moment. Another place to try if you're looking for a ring is https://www.davidwein.com/rings-jewelry.html

David is one of the owners of multicolour.com He is incredibly knowledgeable regarding Alex and so will be able to guide you to get the best gem for your budget.

 

[Laurainthesky]

They don't look Brazilian but more Indian Alex. Of the 3, the last one has a bit more promise but the problem with Alex is that you need to see it in person. Is there a good returns policy? If yes then it may be worth getting for a look. The prices are high though but I think that might be where Alex is in the market at the moment. Another place to try if you're looking for a ring is https://www.davidwein.com/rings-jewelry.html

David is one of the owners of multicolour.com He is incredibly knowledgeable regarding Alex and so will be able to guide you to get the best gem for your budget.

Yes good return. He thought my question about resizing was weird because I obviously have to inspect it first. He is located in California. These are lower prices than I've been finding. What are the major flaws with the others? I am still learning.

I had a frustrating exchange with David at multicolour detailed on my other alex thread. He was the first person I went to. My ring size is 4, so all the jewelry store was off limits to me. Then I found a beautiful, but included stone off his site. It took a week to learn he would not refund the setting if his people broke the stone. He could have just said it was a beautiful time bomb and I should choose something else. I will still order from him, but not for a big project.

 

[Bron357]

To be honest, unless you can find and affordable a great Alexandrite, it’s just not worth spending the money for anything else.
Alexandrites are very expensive, even when tiny, even when not great in terms of colour change and clarity.
The colour change is fascinating but the reality is you will rarely find anywhere with incandescent light and most often “mixed light sources” generate a rather insipid green/purple colour.
If you love colour change gems, consider garnet or sapphire. Again, not easy to find and still not cheap but better value for money in my opinion.
Otherwise buy a bi or even tri colour sapphire or tourmaline.

 

[Laurainthesky]

To be honest, unless you can find and affordable a great Alexandrite, it’s just not worth spending the money for anything else.
Alexandrites are very expensive, even when tiny, even when not great in terms of colour change and clarity.
The colour change is fascinating but the reality is you will rarely find anywhere with incandescent light and most often “mixed light sources” generate a rather insipid green/purple colour.
If you love colour change gems, consider garnet or sapphire. Again, not easy to find and still not cheap but better value for money in my opinion.
Otherwise buy a bi or even tri colour sapphire or

I bought this last week.

 

[LD]

Yes good return. He thought my question about resizing was weird because I obviously have to inspect it first. He is located in California. These are lower prices than I've been finding. What are the major flaws with the others? I am still learning.

I had a frustrating exchange with David at multicolour detailed on my other alex thread. He was the first person I went to. My ring size is 4, so all the jewelry store was off limits to me. Then I found a beautiful, but included stone off his site. It took a week to learn he would not refund the setting if his people broke the stone. He could have just said it was a beautiful time bomb and I should choose something else. I will still order from him, but not for a big project.

I have to be honest, I wouldn't buy an Alex from anybody other than him because he knows the market and knows his stones. I understand your frustration but he does make rings in a size 5. Wouldn't it be worth getting a 5 and having it resized locally? Look at this ring for example: https://www.davidwein.com/jewelry/a...nd-white-gold-ring-00113885/overview/139/10/0

 

[Laurainthesky]

I have to be honest, I wouldn't buy an Alex from anybody other than him because he knows the market and knows his stones. I understand your frustration but he does make rings in a size 5. Wouldn't it be worth getting a 5 and having it resized locally? Look at this ring for example: https://www.davidwein.com/jewelry/a...nd-white-gold-ring-00113885/overview/139/10/0

I honestly did not consider this. Although he did tell me that the rings could not be sized to 4, so maybe no jeweler could? I asked about 5 designs and 3 were sold out. I do appreciate your perspective!

 

[peacechick]

I honestly did not consider this. Although he did tell me that the rings could not be sized to 4, so maybe no jeweler could? I asked about 5 designs and 3 were sold out. I do appreciate your perspective!

I think LD is talking about David, not Mineral Miners.

 

[MjK1]

To be honest, unless you can find and affordable a great Alexandrite, it’s just not worth spending the money for anything else.
Alexandrites are very expensive, even when tiny, even when not great in terms of colour change and clarity.
The colour change is fascinating but the reality is you will rarely find anywhere with incandescent light and most often “mixed light sources” generate a rather insipid green/purple colour.
If you love colour change gems, consider garnet or sapphire. Again, not easy to find and still not cheap but better value for money in my opinion.
Otherwise buy a bi or even tri colour sapphire or tourmaline.

^ This. I bought a lab Alex and am saving for a color change garnet or sapphire.