Help Me Find A Red Stone: A Red Spinel or A Ruby!

[colormyworld]

A little to large and over budget but this looks to be the type of thing dreams are made of.


http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/spinel/sn8238aa/&1244716636

I could live with 8mm x 10mm, but coming up with $68,000 wouldn't be so easy! Unless I took my husband to the cleaners with my divorce. Oh. I forgot. We aren't rich. I guess that won't work. Darn!!!

Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

The stone is beyond my reach also but one day I hope to find that antique lamp with the three wishes.

 

[movie zombie]

Harriet, you're going to tucson for the show?!

Deb, ask richard or other prospective shoppers to read this thread. it might give them an idea of what the color is you prefer. also, if you have a book on gems, you could reference the page number for your shoppers.

MoZo

ps ah, Pala......those stones are certainly drool worthy.

 

[Indylady]

Hi Deb!

Red stones are a favorite of mine as well; looking for the 'right' one can certainly be a quest! I recently purchased two small Burmese rubies (just under 5mm each), one for my mom and one for myself, and they truly 'make my heart sing' as we say on the CS board. For this search, I wouldn't leave any stone, or vendor, unturned. Have you contacted Roger Dery? I mention him because he had a stunning nearly 5ct Burmese ruby in his inventory at the time of the thread I linked to below. There is a picture in the thread below, though it is almost certainly sold now, so it makes me wonder if he might have any more. I will also ask the vendor of my two rubies if he might have any larger rubies available (though I think I might have asked once before..). This certainly an exciting thread Deb!

Here's a link to a fairly recent ruby search just for reference [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-with-ruby-quest.131242/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-with-ruby-quest.131242/[/URL]

 

[AGBF]

Hi Deb!

Red stones are a favorite of mine as well; looking for the 'right' one can certainly be a quest! I recently purchased two small Burmese rubies (just under 5mm each), one for my mom and one for myself, and they truly 'make my heart sing' as we say on the CS board. For this search, I wouldn't leave any stone, or vendor, unturned. Have you contacted Roger Dery? I mention him because he had a stunning nearly 5ct Burmese ruby in his inventory at the time of the thread I linked to below. There is a picture in the thread below, though it is almost certainly sold now, so it makes me wonder if he might have any more. I will also ask the vendor of my two rubies if he might have any larger rubies available (though I think I might have asked once before..). This certainly an exciting thread Deb!

Here's a link to a fairly recent ruby search just for reference [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-with-ruby-quest.131242/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-with-ruby-quest.131242/[/URL]

IndyLady-I doubt that your vendor and a ruby would work for me because I want a "larger" stone (at least 9mm x 7mm) and I think, therefore, that I cannot afford a ruby, even a heat-treated one. I did, however, read and enjoy every word of the thread whose link you posted! Thank you so much for doing that. Seeing Flygirl's ruby was a real treat; it is the most wonderful red all the way through. I love to see vividly saturated stones that are photographed from all angles showing color "upside down".

Deb/AGBF


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[chrono]

Deb,
I’m so excited at the possibility of your shopping trip at Tucson via a buyer. It is going to open up your options greatly. Pictures speak a thousand words so email your buyer pictures of spinels or rubies that you would love to own. Don’t worry about the size or shape because he/she only needs to know exactly what colour you dream about. It will be what you want; it doesn’t matter that it’s not what others on PS prefer. Actually, the large window in Vincent’s spinel will be see-through. The colour is pinker in the center (which is the window). A window will never appear clear or white in coloured gemstones but the center will appear dead or lifeless in person, and the colour a LOT lighter in contrast to the outer edges.

CMW,
I hope it is only MC’s picture that is inaccurate. The description says R6/4 but the spinel looks very pink and not medium dark at all.

 

[Indylady]

Deb, I think that your budget could support a ruby, but--actually finding one is the hard part. It took me quite some time (at least a year) before I found the two rubies I have now. I had a 'starter' dark-ish Tanzanian ruby cut by Barry Bridgestock that I purchased around this time last year, which I lost recently. I had already purchased my new Burmese, so I was not too upset, though I do miss the cutting on Barry's ruby.

 

[Harriet]

Harriet, you're going to tucson for the show?!

Yes! My enabler, sorry, dealer, invited me. I'll be staying on for the mineral show this time.

 

[LD]

I hope it is only MC’s picture that is inaccurate. The description says R6/4 but the spinel looks very pink and not medium dark at all.

Chrono you're right (as usual). MC's photos of Mahenge's never really match up - based on my own experience. It's strange because all other stones I've had from David have been very true to the photograph/description. I guess his camera just doesn't like that particular colour (in the same way we are challenged with our Emeralds)!

 

[Harriet]

Interesting. I've never dealt with Multicolour. For those who have, is his grading or phototaking more accurate?
As for photographing red/pink vs. green stones, I can't capture the latter but I can capture the former.

 

[AGBF]

A little to large and over budget but this looks to be the type of thing dreams are made of.


http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/spinel/sn8238aa/&1244716636

I could live with 8mm x 10mm, but coming up with $68,000 wouldn't be so easy! Unless I took my husband to the cleaners with my divorce. Oh. I forgot. We aren't rich. I guess that won't work. Darn!!!

Deb

The stone is beyond my reach also but one day I hope to find that antique lamp with the three wishes.

I probably should have mentioned that, although this is a stone of which dreams are made, it is the wrong color for me! I really

want everyone who reads this thread to know that I am looking for a red stone, not a pink one!

Deb/AGBF


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[T L]

This is one of the reddest stones I've ever seen on PS, probably the reddest. It is a heated 1.5 carat Burmese ruby from Africagems. I apologize as I do not remember the owner of this stone, or the thread where I saved the photo from. Please note that the UV fluor of fine Burmese rubies intensifies their color in sunlight, as in this photograph. UV fluor is something to be aware of and whatever stone you do end up getting should have strong red fluorescence IMHO.

 

[movie zombie]

looks to to have some orange going on, TL.

Mozo

ps not a bad thing.

 

[Upgradable]

Have you seen this? http://www.multicolour.com/gp/auto.pdf/2/SN10107ab/MULTICOLOUR_SN10107ab.pdf

 

[T L]

looks to to have some orange going on, TL.

Mozo

ps not a bad thing.

On my monitor, I see no orange.

 

[movie zombie]

[quote="Harriet|1295626828|2828738Yes! My enabler, sorry, dealer, invited me. I'll be staying on for the mineral show this time.[/quote]

LOL: sounds more like a pusher....we all know that color stones are "addictive"!

MoZo

ps I expect a detailed report!

eta: TL, therein lies the problem: i don't have your monitor. and you don't have mine. once again internet pictures are not sufficient for defining or describing color.

deb, any progress with richard or other potential buyers as regards the color you're looking for?

 

[T L]

eta: TL, therein lies the problem: i don't have your monitor. and you don't have mine. once again internet pictures are not sufficient for defining or describing color.

You're right, but unfortunately, that's all we have to convey color on this board. Color is also very subjective when viewing a stone IRL as well.

 

[Indylady]

TL, That would be Race's ruby. The link to the thread is posted earlier on this page (assuming my post doesn't end up on the next page).

It was graded as H(a) by GRS. This link http://www.gemresearch.ch/treatment.htm says that H(a) means 'minor' fissure healing with or without borax residues. I am a little confused on the topic..

Does H(a) mean that a ruby with this grade has been subjected to fissure healing?

Here's the definition of what H(a) means taken from the GRS site http://www.gemresearch.ch/atreat.htm..

"Clarity and/or color are enhanced by heat. The applied type of enhancement for the ruby or sapphire under consideration is, according to the opinion of GemResearch), considered a permanent enhancement. Extremely small residues of glass-like materials present in cavities or as isolated, extremely small residues in fissures affecting the weight of the gemstone less than approximately 0.001 carat, A - type Treatmentsuch as present in the ruby or sapphire under consideration are, according to the opinion of GRS GemResearch Swisslab, permanent enhancements. Enhancements such as Type A are considered permanent and will always be mentioned on the front page of the report."

So--H(a). Does that mean 'traditional' heat, as traditional heat treatment does enhance color, or does it mean the ruby has been subject to fissure healing? (Please excuse me for the thread-jack!)

 

[LD]

looks to to have some orange going on, TL.

Mozo

ps not a bad thing.

On my monitor, I see no orange.

I don't see orange but I do see quite a lot of pink - I would think that's due to the fluor. This picture looks like it's been taken in strong sunlight and therefore the fluor is probably responsble for the neon quality I'd think!

Interestingly, I know my large marquise Ruby has fluor but I've never worn it in strong sunlight - I can't wait for the summer now!

 

[T L]

Indy,
Sounds like it has minor filling treatment, but don't quote me on that. I never buy rubies, although I would desire an untreated fine Burmese ruby more than any other stone in the world right now outside of a very rare FCD (dream on TL )

Thank you for finding the thread and bringing that up. Corundum is subjected to so many different kinds of treatment levels, and I hope Race paid a fair price for the ruby based on this particular treatment.

 

[LD]

TL, That would be Race's ruby. The link to the thread is posted earlier on this page (assuming my post doesn't end up on the next page).

It was graded as H(a) by GRS. This link http://www.gemresearch.ch/treatment.htm says that H(a) means 'minor' fissure healing with or without borax residues. I am a little confused on the topic..

Does H(a) mean that a ruby with this grade has been subjected to fissure healing?

Here's the definition of what H(a) means taken from the GRS site http://www.gemresearch.ch/atreat.htm...

"Clarity and/or color are enhanced by heat. The applied type of enhancement for the ruby or sapphire under consideration is, according to the opinion of GemResearch), considered a permanent enhancement. Extremely small residues of glass-like materials present in cavities or as isolated, extremely small residues in fissures affecting the weight of the gemstone less than approximately 0.001 carat, A - type Treatmentsuch as present in the ruby or sapphire under consideration are, according to the opinion of GRS GemResearch Swisslab, permanent enhancements. Enhancements such as Type A are considered permanent and will always be mentioned on the front page of the report."

So--H(a). Does that mean 'traditional' heat, as traditional heat treatment does enhance color, or does it mean the ruby has been subject to fissure healing? (Please excuse me for the thread-jack!)

Indy I'm pretty sure that means that it's had some form of clarity enhanced albeit very minor. So it's not just traditional heat. It's heat + minor enhancement. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[T L]

LD,
I do see pink as well, but to be honest, every red family stone I've ever seen has some pink or some orange. However, fine Burmese rubies have this neon quality to them, that I think is without equal from what I have personally seen. I have yet to see a red family spinel that equals the neon quality of a fine Burmese. Perhaps they do exist, but again, I have not seen any.

 

[AGBF]

Have you seen this? http://www.multicolour.com/gp/auto.pdf/2/SN10107ab/MULTICOLOUR_SN10107ab.pdf

I had not seen it, uppy, and the weird thing is that...on my monitor...the secondary color I see is not the orange that is mentioned, but pink! The stone looks quite pink, in fact!!!

I am getting very scared about ever finding the correct red!

Deb/AGBF


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[AGBF]

Have you seen this? http://www.multicolour.com/gp/auto.pdf/2/SN10107ab/MULTICOLOUR_SN10107ab.pdf

I had not seen it, uppy, and the weird thing is that...on my monitor...the secondary color I see is not the orange that is mentioned, but pink! The stone looks quite pink, in fact!!!

I am getting very scared about ever finding the correct red!

Deb/AGBF

Maybe I am just reacting to the stone being only a medium tone, not a medium dark tone? Or not being saturated enough? Maybe, in other words, it looks pink to me because it doesn't have enough color?

Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[LD]

Have you seen this? http://www.multicolour.com/gp/auto.pdf/2/SN10107ab/MULTICOLOUR_SN10107ab.pdf

I had not seen it, uppy, and the weird thing is that...on my monitor...the secondary color I see is not the orange that is mentioned, but pink! The stone looks quite pink, in fact!!!

I am getting very scared about ever finding the correct red!

Deb/AGBF


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

Deb - we were talking about the photo that TL posted of the Ruby not the Spinel in the Multicolour link!

DOH Slaps head! Were you referring to MC's grading of the spinel?????

 

[Harriet]

Deb,
My $0.02. Stick with a spinel (as red as possible, right?). Your budget is healthy, but won't yield a ruby of the size you want. Also, you won't have to get into the hoary issue of treatments.

 

[T L]

I agree with Harriet that a spinel is the way to go if you want to avoid treatments (just be sure it's not synthetic as there are many fine red synthetics out there). I also think that when evaluating a red stone, you should be keenly aware not just of fluorescence, which can enhance the color, but extinction. Here are two rubies side by side, one extinct and one not as extinct, and the glow in the one that is not extinct is much more evident. Ignore the color in both pictures, as one is clearly too pink and the other too orange, but I just wanted to show them as a representation of extinction. Therefore, color is only one aspect of what you want to look for if you want a "hot glowing stop light red" stone.

The ruby above (Race's ruby) is clearly not an extinct stone, and has a glow about it, which I think is important when looking for any red stone. In some stones, microscopic silk or inclusions help enhance the color by eliminating this extinction and giving even spread of color without dark voids. Some spinels have this quality as well.

 

[Indylady]

My vendor passed along three rubies. Let me know if you think any are interesting and I'll pass along the vendor.

 

[Indylady]

The vendor is John Tolliver with Simply Sapphires, but they aren't listed on his site.

 

[Indylady]

They can all be sent to GIA. If you like any, feel free to shoot him an email. I think my favorite of the three is the last one.

 

[Indylady]

Thank you TL and LD for the comments on the H(a) grading. I always wondered but never started a thread.