Blue spinel from Gene .. PICTURES!

[MommaChristine]

Forgive my horrific picture taking skills and my fingerprints!

1.91 ct
8.68 x 5.86 mm

It is a bit dark but I love it all the same - especially in the sunlight!

I have about 12 pictures and only know how to upload one at a time so patience, please!

 

[MommaChristine]

2 ..

 

[MommaChristine]

 

[MommaChristine]

 

[LaurenThePartier]

It''s beautiful! I just love Dan''s ovals!

Does yours have a faceted girdle, or a smooth one? Hard to tell from the pics.

 

[MommaChristine]

 

[MommaChristine]

 

[chrono]

Date: 1/29/2009 1:47:16 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier
It''s beautiful! I just love Dan''s ovals!

Does yours have a faceted girdle, or a smooth one? Hard to tell from the pics.

This isn''t Dan''s stone. Gene cut this one.

 

[mercoledi]

Pretty! Does it have mostly blue flashes? My blue has some pink flashes which I think is really neat. Looks like a very deep color. What are your plans for it?

 

[MommaChristine]

 

[MommaChristine]

 

[MommaChristine]

One more ..

 

[MommaChristine]

Lauren - Yes, it''s one of Gene''s and to be completely honest I have no idea about the girdle. How do I tell?! I''m still new at this!

mercoledi - It only has blue flashes .. it is a very deep color and it concerns me a little but the pretty blue fire it has in the sunlight makes up for it! I''m going to put it in this James Allen french cut pave setting and use it as a temporary engagement ring until we can afford an upgrade!

 

[mercoledi]

Oooh, my co-worker just bought that setting, it''s beautiful in person, sparkly and fresh and delicate! How fun!

 

[MommaChristine]

Is it?! That's great to know because I've never seen any of their pieces in real life! I figure I'll just put it on my right hand once we upgrade! Plus .. it might not be the best stone but it's triggered an addiction that I know is going to stick around .. so even if I end up taking it out of the setting, I'll still have the stone for my "collection!".

 

[chrono]

MC,
Please don''t take this the wrong way, okay? I love Gene and most of his stones too but this spinel looks really REALLY dark. Your pictures only show a bright light blue when the light source is very strong. If it only has blue flashes in the sun, then will you be happy wearing it on a cloudy/wintry day and seeing only a dark/black-ish stone? When I buy a gemstone, I want to be able to see its beautiful colour all the time, not just on a sunny day. A gemstone should not have to "work hard" to make the buyer''s heart sing.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 1/29/2009 2:05:33 PM
Author: Chrono
MC,
Please don''t take this the wrong way, okay? I love Gene and most of his stones too but this spinel looks really REALLY dark. Your pictures only show a bright light blue when the light source is very strong. If it only has blue flashes in the sun, then will you be happy wearing it on a cloudy/wintry day and seeing only a dark/black-ish stone? When I buy a gemstone, I want to be able to see its beautiful colour all the time, not just on a sunny day. A gemstone should not have to ''work hard'' to make the buyer''s heart sing.

I agree. There are plenty of stones out there in your price range which would not give you any concern.

I loved a stone recently but returned it because in some lighting, I didn''t like the color at all. It was a really tough call but if there is hesitations, really take some time to figure if you love it or not. What was your gut reaction when you unwrapped the package? If it was "this is way darker than I thought it would be" then reevaluate how you feel about the stone.

Although I do know that photos do not do gems justice most of the time!

 

[MommaChristine]

Oh no, don''t worry about hurting my feelings .. I love honest opinions! It is really dark but even when there''s no light it still has tealish flashes that I really like. It didn''t make my heart sing when I first saw it, but seeing it in the sunlight gave me hope. I just feel really, really bad returning something like this! It makes me feel like I''m telling the seller that it''s not good enough - does that make sense?! I''m also scared that if this turns out the be the one I ultimately want that it''ll be sold!

 

[chrono]

Don't feel bad about returns. I believe Gene mentioned on his website that this spinel is on the dark side. Most vendors are very understanding and know that colour is subjective, and Gene is no exception. Maybe you should play around with it for a few more days. Check it out at night when the light source is dimmest or on a cloudy day or indoors. Do you still love it? For me, my first impression is usually the truest one.

 

[T L]

Blue spinels tend to have a grey cast to them, and I appreciate Gene's honesty by stating that the stone is dark, and giving it a color rating on his website of 3. I really appreciate that he uses a grading scale like this, it helps the buyer identify color qualities. The top of his scale is 5, so the 3 tells me that it is around average color for a blue spinel.

A professional seller will not "get their feelings hurt" if you return it, as that would be "unprofessional" behavior, and Gene, and other cutters with fine reputations are beyond such things. I was recently not pleased with the color of a stone I received (not Gene's) and the cutter was very gracious about it after I made comments about the quality of color. To be successful in this business you need to take criticism and comments in a positive manner.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 1/29/2009 2:23:47 PM
Author: Chrono
Don''t feel bad about returns. I believe Gene mentioned on his website that this spinel is on the dark side. Most vendors are very understanding and know that colour is subjective, and Gene is no exception. Maybe you should play around with it for a few more days. Check it out at night when the light source is dimmest or on a cloudy day or indoors. Do you still love it? For me, my first impression is usually the truest one.

Ditto.

I returned a pad to Jeff White. It was fantastically cut, but it was not the color I wanted. But BOY was it tough to make that decision. First of all, I hadn''t seen a pad cut like that on PS in...well, ever! If I sent it back, would I regret it? But it was a fair penny to spend on something that wasn''t right for me. In fact, ANY amount of pennies spent on something you don''t love is too much.

Jeff said it best when he sent me an email, cautioning me not to "try and love a stone." He said that he is happiest when the stone finds it''s perfect owner, so I would think that Gene would also want his customers to be completely happy.

Put it away for a few hours and pull it out in incandescent light...what is your gut feeling? Go with it.

 

[MommaChristine]

It''s such a hard decision! The more I look at it - the more I love it. I really DON''T want to return it because I feel like it would be good for something, I''m just not sure it''s best for an engagement ring stone. It''s hard for me to describe the way it is, besides it being dark, because I can''t seem to take an accurate picture. It has flashes and sparkle even in a room with no light that I like .. it''s almost like seeing it face up makes it a lot lighter because of the cut. Does that make sense? I tried taking a picture to show .. I took this in spot where there''s no light anywhere near it, though there was the flash. No matter what kind of light it''s in it still shows these flashes .. though obviously more in the light.

I feel silly .. like I''m defending this spinel! Does that mean I should keep it?! Ha!

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 1/29/2009 2:54:21 PM
Author: MommaChristine
It's such a hard decision! The more I look at it - the more I love it. I really DON'T want to return it because I feel like it would be good for something, I'm just not sure it's best for an engagement ring stone. It's hard for me to describe the way it is, besides it being dark, because I can't seem to take an accurate picture. It has flashes and sparkle even in a room with no light that I like .. it's almost like seeing it face up makes it a lot lighter because of the cut. Does that make sense? I tried taking a picture to show .. I took this in spot where there's no light anywhere near it, though there was the flash. No matter what kind of light it's in it still shows these flashes .. though obviously more in the light.


I feel silly .. like I'm defending this spinel! Does that mean I should keep it?! Ha!

If you love it, keep it!

Plus, you have a few days to decide--which is always good.

 

[cushioncutnut]

Isn''t it ridiculously hard to take pictures of gemstones??? But from what I can see, it looks lovely!

 

[chrono]

There''s always a right hand ring, anniversary ring, birthday ring, xmas present ring, and the list goes on.

 

[Catmom]

If you have a few days before you have to return it I would keep it and play with it in all sorts of lighting situations. Sometimes after the first blush of excitement wears off I can feel differently about stones. If you feel the same after a few days then hey you''ve found your spinel! I do think the cut looks lovely.

 

[omieluv]

Date: 1/29/2009 3:13:25 PM
Author: Chrono
There''s always a right hand ring, anniversary ring, birthday ring, xmas present ring, and the list goes on.

Yup!

 

[FrekeChild]

I''m going to be exceedingly honest here (this is NOT meant to be harsh or mean AT ALL) and say that while I love blue spinels, I am glad I didn''t get this one for my ering. I think it is pretty, but very dark, and whoever said that it only seems to have flashes of light when it''s in strong light is right on. With the stone that I got for my ering, no it doesn''t look spectacular in all lighting conditions, but it always sparkles and has light reflecting back out of it.

I have had my heart sing at stones before (my new gray spinel and my pink spinel from Dan) and I can tell from what you''re saying that your heart isn''t singing.

When I got my ering, my heart didn''t sing either, but the first time I saw it in strong light it dazzled me with it''s brilliance. And when I saw it in cool daylight it sang to me because it was suddenly and unexpectedly an amazing unexplainable blue color. And then seeing it in fluorescent light and turning bright purple--I was shocked that it suddenly looked like a quiet amethyst and matched my notebook cover. Now my heart still doesn''t sing, but it swells and I am completely fascinated with it''s personality and character. It is exactly what I wanted.

I would hold onto it for a couple of days. I felt bad returning a blue spinel that Dan had cut specially for me, but I knew he had another buyer waiting in the wings for it, so it didn''t represent a loss for him. But that stone wasn''t for me. Period. So look at it in all kinds of lighting--carry it around with you where ever you go for the next few days (in a safe and secure spot-like a zipper pocket in your purse) and look at it. And also consider that it will darken slightly when it''s set. Even if this isn''t your forever ring, it''s still something special that you will be wearing for a while. You didn''t settle for the man, why should you settle for the stone?

I think you can find something that you''ll like better. Even if it doesn''t make your heart sing, it might at least make it beat a little faster.

 

[tlh]

It looks like a rip blueberry! I love the color!

 

[AmberGretchen]

I think if it speaks to you, and you think it would make you happy to look at it on your finger every day, then you should keep it, and only you know if that''s the case