Garnet cutter recommendation please

[zhuzhu]

Hi All!

I have a granet ring that looks so sleepy. The garnet color is a saturated deep wine color and in most conditions it looks almost black because of lack of facet reflection. SInce this stone is inexpensive, i was wondering if I can find someone to recut it for< $50?

I have never had a gem rect done so any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Z

 

[pocadot]

Date: 6/5/2010 7:13:52 PM
Author:zhuzhu
Hi All!


I have a granet ring that looks so sleepy. The garnet color is a saturated deep wine color and in most conditions it looks almost black because of lack of facet reflection. SInce this stone is inexpensive, i was wondering if I can find someone to recut it for< $50?


I have never had a gem rect done so any feedback is greatly appreciated!


Z

Hi zhuzhu - For your recutting, I would ask Andrew Gulij at gemfix.com. I''ve never used his recutting services before, but I have bought from him. He is very professional, and his work is excellent. I don''t know how much he charges for recutting though. He is currently attending the AGTA GemFair and will be back on Monday.

 

[T L]

I would inquire with Jerry Newman of Gemart Services. He cut my Afghan tourmaline rough for a very affordable price. Send him a note with a photo and the dimensions of your stone, and he can perhaps give you a rough estimate. Samples of his cutting are on this website, and he''s a top notch facetor. My Afghan tourmaline has the most complex cutting of any of my precision faceted gems. It''s incredible.

http://www.gemartservices.com/about.htm

 

[zhuzhu]

I love Gemart Services''s web site. Thank you so much ladies!! Once finished I will be sure to report back!

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 6/5/2010 7:13:52 PM
Author:zhuzhu
The garnet color is a saturated deep wine color and in most conditions it looks almost black because of lack of facet reflection.

I would suggest making sure that the cutter knows what your expectations are and perhaps even provide them a picture of the stone prior to recutting. The problem with dark garnets,(or any other dark stone, sapphire, tourmaline, etc), is that they often can NOT be made appreciably better without being made much smaller. The reason for this is that when looking at a stone you will always have areas in which your surroundings are reflected and other areas which reflect the main bright light source. In light stones you will be able to see reflections from even dark areas in your surroundings and so get some sense of transparency and color even though the reflections aren''t bright. In dark stones all you get are areas of bright reflection and the rest of the stone will remain dark regardless of how well it''s cut. A good way to judge whether a stone is too dark is to place it table down on a piece of printed white paper. If you can read the print through it, the body color is acceptable to you and the depth of the stone is sufficient, then it''s a good candidate for a recut. If any of these requirements isn''t met, then I''d pick another stone.

 

[zhuzhu]

Date: 6/6/2010 12:46:22 PM
Author: Michael_E

Date: 6/5/2010 7:13:52 PM

Author:zhuzhu

The garnet color is a saturated deep wine color and in most conditions it looks almost black because of lack of facet reflection.

I would suggest making sure that the cutter knows what your expectations are and perhaps even provide them a picture of the stone prior to recutting. The problem with dark garnets,(or any other dark stone, sapphire, tourmaline, etc), is that they often can NOT be made appreciably better without being made much smaller. The reason for this is that when looking at a stone you will always have areas in which your surroundings are reflected and other areas which reflect the main bright light source. In light stones you will be able to see reflections from even dark areas in your surroundings and so get some sense of transparency and color even though the reflections aren''t bright. In dark stones all you get are areas of bright reflection and the rest of the stone will remain dark regardless of how well it''s cut. A good way to judge whether a stone is too dark is to place it table down on a piece of printed white paper. If you can read the print through it, the body color is acceptable to you and the depth of the stone is sufficient, then it''s a good candidate for a recut. If any of these requirements isn''t met, then I''d pick another stone.

Thank you very much Michael. I will go take a look and take some pictures to post soon. If you don''t mind please come back to take a look at them and let me know if they are a go.

 

[jstarfireb]

If you''re not set on Gemfix yet, I know Michael E and Bob Kast have both done recuts for PSers here, and the results have looked really nice.

 

[zhuzhu]

I am back!

Here is a pic containing a garnet and modavite rings I would like to recut to look like the ruby and tourmaline rings on the left. Of course I know the color hues are different but I hope the recut can result in improved brilliance and liveliness.

 

[zhuzhu]

Here are a few more with differing views of the stones.
I thank you so much for suggestions and feedback!

 

[T L]

Well,
You really can''t change the color that dramatically on them just by cutting them. The garnet will still be brownish red and the tourmaline a dark olive.

 

[VapidLapid]

True that.

 

[Michael_E]

The only way to change the color of a stone is to reduce it''s size in one or all directions. The moldavite has an extremely low refractive index and so can''t be improved much since even a slight tilt will cause a dark tilt window, though you''d probably notice it being lighter with a less deep pavilion. The garnet has a nice body color...not sure where you''re seeing brown in there TL, looks like deep purplish red to me. I''m not sure if a recut would help it much either, since it looks like it may be a bit silky. I think that would be better cut in a barion style, which requires a fairly deep stone and so that stone would end up getting smaller in it''s face up dimensions. The downside is that recutting an entire stone can be significantly more expensive than it''s original cost if you''re buying inexpensive stones off E-bay or at a gem show. It seems that people fell bad when they put more into a recut than the stone cost originally, but if you get a good clean stone which can be recut with small loss in weight it can actually be a pretty good buy. For instance, if that moldavite was a tourmaline or better yet a garnet, then a recut would definitely be well worth doing.

 

[PrecisionGem]

I wouldn''t recut the garnet. All that''s going to happen is you will spend money getting it out of the setting, spend more having it recut, and it will still be dark.

Actually for a garnet, I don''t think it looks that dark. It will never look like the ruby. Your''e seeing the red of the ruby, not because of the cutting but because of the color of the stone.

 

[zhuzhu]

Even though the verdict is disappointing and the cost-benefit analysis disapproves, I am SO GRATEFUL to hear your feedback and professional assessments. You have help saved me from the hassle and likely disappointing result.
THANK YOU!!!