Fair price for a spess garnet?

[MustangGal]

That was my theory too, not much it could be besides a spess with that bright orange color and inclusions. It was the only spess in the case, the other stones were topaz, peridot, tanzanite, red garnets, aqua, morganite, etc. Pretty run of the mill low end stones and not even in very large pieces or good colors. The spess really stood out. I'll see if I can get the big camera to cooperate tonight and get close ups of the inclusions.

 

[Marlow]

yes!!! what to see more pics

 

[MustangGal]

Here's the tag on the bottom. It came along with me to work today, my true test for gems is how they look in office lighting, since that's where I'll see them the most. Still a bright orange in cube-land.

 

[T L]

Here's the tag on the bottom. It came along with me to work today, my true test for gems is how they look in office lighting, since that's where I'll see them the most. Still a bright orange in cube-land.

I find the office fluorescent lighting really makes spessartite glow bright orange if you have a saturated gem.

 

[MustangGal]

It's brighter in person that the quick cell phone pic. Why are all my cameras black? It's really bright in the cube, and I can hardly see the tiny window. Now I'm on the hunt for a setting, would this be better off in yellow gold, or is it bright enough to not really matter what I put it in?

 

[T L]

It's brighter in person that the quick cell phone pic. Why are all my cameras black? It's really bright in the cube, and I can hardly see the tiny window. Now I'm on the hunt for a setting, would this be better off in yellow gold, or is it bright enough to not really matter what I put it in?

I find high karat yellow gold is great for spess, unless the saturation is really strong. I set my pure orange spess in white gold, but my other less saturated spessartites in yellow gold.

 

[T L]

I didn't say, take it to a lab. Take it to a Gemologist at a jewelry store, preferably a mom & pop store, as their more high end most the time, & have a gemologist on hand, before I'd buy anything else. Many will identify your stone for a modest fee, & that modest fee might be worth a lot, when considering buying from this vendor again.

There is also orange zircon that has silk in it, but that is much rarer than Mandarin Garnet in the same color. It could be Hessonite or Malaia Garnet. There is Sphalerite, but that is very doubtful. There is Spinel with silk that is orange, once again, I doubt it, very rare. Now, that would be quite a find! I'm not arguing price here. I'm just stating, before spending more money at the same vendor, who does not specialize in gems, have the orange stone checked out. Is that bad advice? I don't think so.

If the OP can find a gemologist that will do a quick check on it, I think that's fine. I don't think it's worth it to spend $60+ and S&H back and forth to AGL. Malaia is part spessartite I believe, so if its a garnet, no matter what kind, it's a nice stone. Sphalerite is highly doubtful. Very rare stone and extremely high RI, with lots of fire, although often times its very included. Yes, an orange spinel that color would be a nice find as much orange spinel is very brownish and dead looking, not the vibrant orange the OP is describing. Synthetic orange spinel is very clean and this has some inclusions.

If the OP does want to send it to AGL, or another gem lab, that's the OP's prerogative, but in this case, I don't think its worth it. I hate id'ing stones from photos, but it does scream spess at me.

 

[Marlow]

The gemologist in your jeweler store will use the same tools. Some are really "experts" - remember the sapphire with a window - " which is good course the light comes from the backside and helps the stone to sparkle!!! "

Again - maybe somebody is interested in - you can buy these tools for little money and believe me - a smartphone is much more difficult!!,
I am to stupid to upload pictures ( need help) here but can use these tools.

I think that a lab is very important for FCD or expensive gems which could be treated like Sapphires or others!! For highend gems or your insurance.

I would send a taaffeite to a lab if it big enough course you need expensive tools to seperate taaffeite and musgravite.
But I need no lab to check taaffeite/spinel. I need 2 minutes for that. Course it is easy!!

You post a lot on GO - you know the tutorial videos. They are excellent.

Citrine, fireopal, hessonite, sphalerite, zircon, clinohumite, glass, sapphire - none of them is a problem if you check a spessartine with these tools. So save your money.

But I respect you very much and had a lot of fun with your "stone of the day" - your are in the trade - think an customer with experience is much more fun to work with or not.

 

[T L]

Your just saying, for the most part, what I already said.

One more time. I am saying, because she said, she wanted to go & maybe buy more stones from this vendor, to have a in store gemologist look at the stone. I wouldn't want her to go spending hundreds of dollars with this source, before she knows she can trust the source. If they misidentified one stone, whether it is a mistake in her gain, or theirs, she needs to know. Why? Because if they misdiagnosed one stone, who is to say that all are not?

That is all. Done here.

Wish her the best, I truly do!

Sorry, I didn't catch that part about her wanting to buy more gems from the store. My mistake.

 

[Marlow]

It was not an advice to The OP - think she knows what to do and did a good job with this spessartine

This is my opinion about sending cheap ( below $ 500 ) gems to a lab or to check them with some tools.

 

[MustangGal]

I'm just going to give the rest of the gems a better look while I'm back there this weekend for a different item. I really doubt I'll be buying anything else, especially if I want to set the orange guy any time soon.

 

[endless_summer]

Whatever the stone may be - it looks like a great find, and an unbelievable price if it is a spess

 

[pregcurious]

Pretty stone.

 

[mariedtiger]

Your orange guy is wonderful, I'm enjoying the color and the story of finding it. Good catch!

 

[MustangGal]

Just bought this on ebay to be the "home for a while" ring. I'll probably keep it in there a few years or until something better comes along. But I couldn't pass a cute setting in my size and for the right dimension stone.

 

[T L]

Just bought this on ebay to be the "home for a while" ring. I'll probably keep it in there a few years or until something better comes along. But I couldn't pass a cute setting in my size and for the right dimension stone.

It will look nice in there with the yellow gold. Post pics when you set it.

 

[MustangGal]

Broke out the loupe and got some pics of the inclusions, I'm 99% confident in calling it a spess now. There are sugar inclusions all through it, just light enough that they don't show to the naked eye in most lighting.

I went back to the antique store today and gave a case a good look through, nothing else was worth even having them pull out. I think this spess was a fluke, not the seller's forte.