GIA

[christagan]

I am curious about GIA certification. It looks as though it's a reasonable price (less than $100) to have a stone evaluated. What is your experience when working with a jeweler who doesn't operate in GIA certified stones? Should one be more wary of the prices being set?

For example, you can find a ridiculously high variability in price points online for green grossular garnet - $100 up to $8000. Would you consider it reasonable for an uncertified 6-7mm round loose stone to be sold in the $2,000-2,500 range?

 

[chrono]

It all depends on the gem type and cost of gem. Certain spinel, tourmaline and garnet, I don't bother.

Green grossular - do you mean demantoid, tsavorite or just run of the mill green? How is the colouration? Clarity? All these considerations matter.

 

[christagan]

Tsav. 1.3 ct, $2200 for the stone. Shown with sample side stones. Wondering if it's worth looking at GIA stones instead. Hard to get a good shot of it.

 

[chrono]

Nice looking tsav. I guess it depends if you want to make sure it is untreated. It seems that oiling / resin treatment is under the radar (undisclosed). For a smaller stone, if you are in the USA, AGL Brief will be less expensive.

Do you need the peace of mind with regards to treatment?

 

[demantoidz]

The most expensive tsavs have a blue tinge and might reach that price in a round cut, but the one you're looking at appears to have a yellowish tinge (can't be certain from pics). At least it is not overly dark. As Chrono said to confirm lack of treatment a report from some respectable lab is an option. AIGS is usually cheaper than GIA if its near Thailand.

For price reference there are some 1-1.5cts here well under 2k and this seller is usually on the expensive side. Some already have GRS reports

Tsavorite Garnet: splendid natural clean Gem of vibrant green hue

Green Garnet Tsavorite is a worthy yet under-appreciated alternative for the glorious emerald, rapidly making up for lack of appreciation. This durable natural gemstone flaunts fiery green shades so pleasant to the human eye. Yavorskyy collection of Tsavorites boasts great clarity, splendid...

yavorskyy.com

However their only round cuts over 1ct are a bit included.

For example, you can find a ridiculously high variability in price points online for green grossular garnet - $100 up to $8000. Would you consider it reasonable for an uncertified 6-7mm round loose stone to be sold in the $2,000-2,500 range?

Whether its reasonable depends on the quality and what the seller bought the rough for/their markup. It depends less on whether or not it has a lab report, since that can usually be arranged for not much $. Does your seller not do any lab reports or just not GIA?

Here's a gorgeous round tsavorite sourced by Bruce Bridges himself. The listing is old so I don't think it is available anymore, but it was available second hand with a halo setting for 2k at 0.88ct/6mm.

Tsavorite + Diamond + Platinum Pendant | Loupe Troop

loupetroop.com

FWIW I was considering a garnet pair a couple years ago but did not go ahead with the purchase since the seller would not accept a return and refused to get a lab report despite being located pretty close to SSEF.

 

[christagan]

Yeah, getting good images with the iPhone is tough. This one doesn't have a cert, the last pic is in daylight outside, the others are indoor under a daylight lamp. He also showed us two slightly smaller stones, one was a much deeper green and one a bit closer to a peridot.

The jeweler indicated there is no cert or lab report but offered an appraisal done by AZ Gem Lab, or to return this one and keep looking if we want another round stone that is certified. Would prefer to rule out treatment. This is going to be a daily wear ring.

I do like this particular stone, I'm just worried about unnecessarily overpaying, but BF is ready to order this ring for me NOW, lol.

 

[chrono]

Unfortunately, no matter which way you look at it, tsavorite is not a daily wear ring. There was an old time poster who has a tsavorite as her e-ring. She took absolute care with it (aka did not wear it when doing housework, brought the jewellery box to store it safely when not wearing it) and still damaged the tsavorite.

 

[christagan]

Unfortunately, no matter which way you look at it, tsavorite is not a daily wear ring. There was an old time poster who has a tsavorite as her e-ring. She took absolute care with it (aka did not wear it when doing housework, brought the jewellery box to store it safely when not wearing it) and still damaged the tsavorite.

Sooo...back to the drawing board? I'm not a diamond girl so I don't know what else would be good for daily wear. I was defaulting to birthstone on this one.

 

[demantoidz]

Sooo...back to the drawing board? I'm not a diamond girl so I don't know what else would be good for daily wear. I was defaulting to birthstone on this one.

Spinel, chrysoberyl/alexandrite, ruby/sapphire, and taaffeite are 8+ on mohs scale of hardness, so they won't scratch as easily as softer stones like garnets. Not sure exactly how low you could go in hardness for everyday wear. If you want something green, sapphires come in teal blue/greens and chrysoberyl comes in greens too (usually with a yellow tinge).