Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Help me choose the best one in these 3 red spinels plz!

H

Hahbowen

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 28, 2019
Messages
24
Hi everyone, this is my first post, glad to make new friends here. I'm currently looking to buy one of these red spinels. My preference is color > carat > inclusions > cut and shape.
Details:
- From left to right, 2.3 cts, 1.5 cts, 3cts
- All non heated, natural red spinel from Myanmar(according to seller)
Please advice me which one is the best in your opinion or tell me your favorite one! Thank you!
7.png 6.png 5.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: AV_
I like the smallest one in the middle for its colour, however, would need close up photos to assess the cut etc...

DK :))
 
I started to write why I didn't prefer one, but you asked for a preference. That would be the middle one. Some of the issues could be the photos and/or the lighting, so maybe you could get videos and some more photos.
 
I think the middle one is the most attractive as well. Please make sure to get a lab report; Lotus if in Asia, and AGL or GIA in N America.
 
I suggest you ask for photos with the stones on the hand. I have a red spinel. It looks quite different on a grey background, white background or a hand. It looks worst on white background. The one on the left seems to have the best colour. The one in the middle has the best transparency. All of them seem to have some reflection problem but has to see a video to be sure.
 
None actually. The first 2 are cut flat with no culet presumably owing to flat rough limitation.

The third looks a tad oily like it has been handled and not wiped off.
 
pwsg07 said:
I suggest you ask for photos with the stones on the hand. I have a red spinel. It looks quite different on a grey background, white background or a hand. It looks worst on white background. The one on the left seems to have the best colour. The one in the middle has the best transparency. All of them seem to have some reflection problem but has to see a video to be sure.
Click to expand...
Them on a model setting:
From left to right,
Capture+_2019-06-29-07-53-25.png Capture+_2019-06-29-07-47-12.png Capture+_2019-06-29-07-42-29.png
 
Do they come with a lab report? You need to find out of any have oil, or other treatments NOT heat.... red and hot pink Burma spinels can be oiled and filled with things like resins....
 
arkieb1 said:
Do they come with a lab report? You need to find out of any have oil, or other treatments NOT heat.... red and hot pink Burma spinels can be oiled and filled with things like resins....
Click to expand...
They have lab reports but not GIA AGL lotus. I'm gonna request a report from those 3. It's asking $5000/ct, is it reasonable in pricing if it's certified to be untreated natural spinel?
 
  • Like
Reactions: AV_
Hahbowen said:
They have lab reports but not GIA AGL lotus. I'm gonna request a report from those 3. It's asking $5000/ct, is it reasonable in pricing if it's certified to be untreated natural spinel?
Click to expand...
for 2+ carats, that price is fair, but the smaller one should be priced a little less, like $3000/ct
 
The 1.50 carat one should be way less than that, but yes they increase dramatically in price according to size.
 
$5000 per carat is high for me. Maybe this is the price they sell at the store. At Tucson, a beautiful 1.0xct red spinel I have seen is around $2700. At nomads, all the one carat red spinels are over $5000
 
arkieb1 said:
The 1.50 carat one should be way less than that, but yes they increase dramatically in price according to size.
Click to expand...
The 1.5 cts one is almost flawless though with only a few feathers inside.
 
Hahbowen said:
The 1.5 cts one is almost flawless though with only a few feathers inside.
Click to expand...
Feathers mean not flawless. Don't let the vendor fool you. Feathers interrupt the path of light, leading to poorer light return and less brilliancy.

Please tell me you've seen pictures of the stones in direct sunlight. A red spinel that's worth it will only look better, whereas direct sunlight will expose inclusions. I once beheld a ruby that looked perfect indoors but didn't photograph well outdoors because of the inclusions. That's a deal breaker for me.
 
Hahbowen said:
They have lab reports but not GIA AGL lotus. I'm gonna request a report from those 3. It's asking $5000/ct, is it reasonable in pricing if it's certified to be untreated natural spinel?
Click to expand...
Red spinel prices are exceedingly high these days. I’ve seen prices as high as tens of thousands per carat depending on the quality. I actually think $5k/ct is in line with what I’ve seen, even on stones less than 2 carats.

By the way, are the stones sleepy or hazy looking due to microscopic silk? The smallest one looks very sleepy. You don’t want stones too sleepy as they can be more translucent than transparent. A little silk is fine.
 
T L said:
Red spinel prices are exceedingly high these days. I’ve seen prices as high as tens of thousands per carat depending on the quality. I actually think $5k/ct is in line with what I’ve seen, even on stones less than 2 carats.

By the way, are the stones sleepy or hazy looking due to microscopic silk? The smallest one looks very sleepy. You don’t want stones too sleepy as they can be more translucent than transparent. A little silk is fine.
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot for your valuable input. Could you please show me an example of not sleepy red spinel? I have no idea what to look. Thanks!
 
The mine permits have expired for the gem mines in Burma and none are expected to be auctioned off until next year or even later.

This has led to a price explosion in the local market and probably for Burmese stock overseas too.

No. These are not ideal cut nor extremely sparkly from the photos so imho do not warrant us5k/ct.
 
A6A290F3-291A-442E-B15D-EAD8BD91B08C.jpeg
I’ve seen huge price increases on sleepy spinels too. It’s getting like rubies, even sleepy stones are high priced. I think a little silk is a good thing actually, as long as there’s still sparkle. This spinel has a tiny bit of silk, but it does not impede transparency. It actually helps reduce extinction. You just don’t want translucent stones.
 
I don't think any of these stones are worth 5k/carat. You can find better and brighter red spinels for less per carat. But they won't be large, since the really vivid ones are often smaller stones
 
lovedogs said:
I don't think any of these stones are worth 5k/carat. You can find better and brighter red spinels for less per carat. But they won't be large, since the really vivid ones are often smaller stones
Click to expand...
I wanted a ~2cts for pendant center stone, so 1 ct is a bit small. It's just very very for a stone to be perfect in both color and size... I wouldn't be able to afford even i could find one...
 
Burmesedaze said:
The mine permits have expired for the gem mines in Burma and none are expected to be auctioned off until next year or even later.

This has led to a price explosion in the local market and probably for Burmese stock overseas too.

No. These are not ideal cut nor extremely sparkly from the photos so imho do not warrant us5k/ct.
Click to expand...
I'm currently negotiating the price. I'm choosing the one to the left for us$8000 or ~$3500/ct. Good deal or not? Thanks for the input!
 
The one to the right, the oval, is my least favorite. Too brown. It’s also translucent, too sleepy.
 
T L said:
The one to the right, the oval, is my least favorite. Too brown. It’s also translucent, too sleepy.
Click to expand...
Sorry my mistake. I meant to the left.
 
Hahbowen said:
I'm currently negotiating the price. I'm choosing the one to the left for us$8000 or ~$3500/ct. Good deal or not? Thanks for the input!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't consider paying that much for something that isn't perfect. 8k is a TON of money
 
voce said:
Feathers mean not flawless. Don't let the vendor fool you. Feathers interrupt the path of light, leading to poorer light return and less brilliancy.

Please tell me you've seen pictures of the stones in direct sunlight. A red spinel that's worth it will only look better, whereas direct sunlight will expose inclusions. I once beheld a ruby that looked perfect indoors but didn't photograph well outdoors because of the inclusions. That's a deal breaker for me.
Click to expand...
How do they look under flashlight? Thanks for the input.
Again, left to right
Capture+_2019-06-29-14-23-37.png
Capture+_2019-06-29-14-23-11.png Capture+_2019-06-29-14-22-45.png
 
Honestly I would not buy any of these, they look too muddy and brownish. Also, no solid report for that sort of price is a bad idea anyway.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP

Featured Topics

Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top