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General opinions about color changing stones

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Elirock

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 4, 2014
Messages
12
I'm looking for the most suitable color changing stone price, availability, and color wise. I have a lower budget and colour changing gems are tricky. I know about alexandrite but it is too expensive. Any ideas for other gems and vendors (other than those on the vendor's thread)? Thanks.

Fyi, I'm new here, hi all.
 
Colour changing Garnet?

Not sure how they compare with Alexandrite though.

DK :))
 
There are some colour shifting Malaya garnet, blue to purple sapphire (will be expensive), green to yellow chrysoberyl and certain spinels. Some spinels are notorious shifters but isn't sold or advertised as such so it might take some digging through stones to get what you want. Colour change garnets (blue to red variety) tends to be darkish and getting expensive these days. What's your budget and how durable does it need to be?
 
There are color changing sapphires as well. Is there a color variation you're interested in? e.g. Blue to purple, green to red, etc?
 
Maybe you could get a color "shifter" instead of a color changer. Often color changers turn to some less desirable color in one lighting vs. another. A color shifter is a stone that shifts to a stone nearby on the spectrum, so blue to violet, yellow to green, red to orange, etc. . .
A color changer goes from one color far away on the spectrum, like green to red.

It is often the latter that costs big money when trying to find a stone that changes to a pleasant saturation in all kinds of light sources.

So when people mention color change sapphires, they'e really color shifters because they often go from reddish purple to pink, or blue to violet, but the colorways are still very pleasant. Many blue spinels shift as well, although they often lack the saturation of a nice sapphire.

Alexandrite, color change garnet (some, not all), are color changers, and even nice color change garnets are very expensive. One also has to highly consider tone when looking at these stones as well, because often they can be so dark, that the saturation is also often lacking.

A nice color change alexandrite will be very expensive unless you find a very small stone (like half a carat or less). You could go that way as well.
 
If hardness isn't an issue then colour change fluorite is an option.

If your budget is tight synthetic alexandrite or corundum would work but we aren't allowed to discuss synthetics here. But it is an option.
 
Thanks for the help, hardness isn't an issue, I just want a gemstone to look pretty, not to wear.
Budget is under 150$ the less the better, atleast 6mm, I don't mind color shifting but a strong one, not yellow to bright yellow for example.
Are there other soft color changing gems out there that can be found for a good price?
 
This CC garnet just sold a few days ago for $81, maybe you could try contacting the seller to see if he has any more in a slightly larger size?

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I bought a tan to pink color change Garnet on ebay (I think it was Odyssey Gem). Dramatic change, about $200.
 
I love CCGs but for jewels????

Many have a beautiful color and the other color is sometimes really ugly.

Or they are dark.

I would go for Malaya garnets - some have a nice color shift with attrative colors - try Multicolorgems.
 
Mochiko, thanks for the suggestion but I'm not fond of the green shade.

And thanks for the other replies. I'll think about my options.
 
Has potential -- it's not described as dark which is good: http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-721701306
Not saturated but for some reason I am just fond of it: http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?1632244354
But both under 6mm

ETA: Imo a fluorite is the best option since hardness is not an issue. It's a very classic mineral. There may be other soft collector's gems that have a colour change or shift that I don't know of.

Marlow said:
I love CCGs but for jewels????

Many have a beautiful color and the other color is sometimes really ugly.

Or they are dark.

I would go for Malaya garnets - some have a nice color shift with attrative colors - try Multicolorgems.
Click to expand...

What is a good colour shift in malayas? I've read they often shift to brown.
 
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