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Help with Garnet search...

K

kehvN

Rough_Rock
Trade
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
5
Hello all,

It's been 2+ years since I've been on PS. I used the valuable information on this forum when purchasing my wife's engagement ring.

So here I am at my 2nd anniversary (next week) and would like to get her a garnet. (Just so happens to be our new little boy's birthstone and a common 2nd anniversary gift - win, win).

I'm open to all colors but have been drifting towards the greens (tsavorite, mostly). But, I'm not stuck on green.

What does everyone suggest for a single loose stone, to be set in a ring? I'd like to keep it between $500-1000.

What to look for? Where to look? Maybe you have the perfect thing???

Thanks all!
 
I just want to say THANK YOU for asking about a garnet instead of a sapphire. It seems the colored stones forum should be renamed the "sapphire forum." :loopy: :lol:

Well, sapphire (I meant to say GARNET) comes in a myriad of colors. I think it's probably easier to get a decent tsavorite right now than a decent orange spessartite. That's the only exotic color of garnet I can think of right now since my brain is on sapphires and corundum. Not a fan of malaya garnets as they typically go brown in sunlight. Some rhodolites can be very beautiful, but they are also hard to come by.

I'm sure someone else will be able to chime in with more helpful information.
 
green would be refreshing after all the blue sapphire threads!

i think getting a good tsav in that price range may be do-able but would take a bit of time. you want to see green, not flashes of green. great tsav goes for more........
 
AGREE with TL... THANKS for asking about something other than sapphire.

I think a tsavorite would be lovely and relatively easy to find within your budget. Unfortunately, I don't have much input on what makes up a great tsavorite.

Is your budget of 500-1000 just for the stone, or the completed project?
 
Peter Torraca has a couple of nice mint garnets on his site currently: http://torraca.net/gems.php?search=recent&for=recent

If you look on the right hand side of his site, you can follow the link to his Flickr page, which has a beautiful new cushion mint garnet that is available and within budget (you can contact Peter directly about it, even though it's not on his website yet). There is also a new yellow grossular in a round cut that is very nice, if your wife likes yellow. The yellows are cheaper than greens, so if 500-1000 is the budget for the whole project, then that might be the way to go.

If 500-1000 is the budget for just the stone, and the mints are too pale or you're not into yellows, Gene at Precision Gem might have some tsavorite rough left. He has listed some beautiful rounds in that price range in the last couple of months.

Barry Bridgestock often has some nice Tanga and Umbalite garnets.

Any thoughts on size preference? Shape?
 
:appl: Yeah - thank you for not asking about a sapphire! Like others I was beginning to think this should be called the sapphire forum!

Okay, let's help the search along a bit. What colours are favourites - that'll help significantly?. Garnets come in lots of colours so narrowing it down will help. Personally I like Tsavs (green) but you've said they're not top of your list so how about Umbalites/Rhodolites (deep purple/pink/reds) and of course the elusive Spessartites (fanta orange)? Some are easier to find than others. Colour change garnets can be phenomenal but are an acquired taste. You get green/red ones, champagne/pink, brown/red etc etc.
 
I love tsavorites, and I'm not sure what size you're hoping for, as someone who generally gravitates towards larger stones, I've found that even smaller tsavs can really pack a punch. I've also found that what trade often considers top color is actually a bit too dark for me and beneficially, the price/carat is often less. My favorite tsavs are a well-saturated green with a faint blue undertone, and are very glowy, even in low light.

I also like spessartites, but as TL inferred, the fanta Namibians are hard to find. I've seen lots of Nigerian, but they tend towards brownish orange, and I've seen a decent selection of Loliondos - blazing color (slightly more yellow than fanta, but close), but they have the typical sugar inclusions.

Rhodolites can also be lovely, but as I like bright stones, the majority are too dark for my taste, and I've had some that black out in sunlight. Having said that though, you might be more tolerant of darker tones, so please don't let my aesthetic dictate what you enjoy.

I'm not sure if you prefer precision cut, or if decent native cut is acceptable, but I'd start asking around as many vendors have just returned from Tucson, and may have replenished their supply. Of the 3 types, I would expect rhodolite to be the most budget friendly, but I certainly think it's possible to find the other 2 in your price range, depending on size. As an example, the tsavorite in my pendant is .85ct, 5.75mm, and was well under your lower limit of $500.

IMG_0381a.JPG
 
See... Such a great forum with some good insight. I just had a birthstone conversation with my wife which ended with "garnets are red."

Seems she's pretty set on red. (At least for this first one.)

I'm looking at that budget for the stone only.
 
BTW, if you're curious about spessartites, that's one in MovieZombie's avatar. It's luscious! Most are very brown.
 
Does your wife like antique jewelry? If so I'd recommend looking at Victorian pieces with Bohemian garnets.
 
One thing to be aware of with red garnets is that many " black out" in certain light conditions. A lot of folks on this forum have had great success purchasing red garnets, and they can show you great examples. However, I have not been so lucky. I have a few and while they are absolutely gorgeous and a deep, saturated perfect red most of the time, put them in fluorescent light and they go darkish/brownish/yuckish. I admit that I have gotten pickier the more I've collected, but please keep this in mind when buying if you think it could bother you.

FWIW, I recommend Merelani Mint garnets and Mali garnets, because good Mint garnets seem to have an almost metallic glow and the Mali garnets have amazing scintillation.

Good luck!
 
Thank you all again for more information...

Here's what I like from the links posted:

http://rough2refinedgemstones.com/?page_id=201 - The fancy shape rhodolite
http://topnotchfaceting.com/section/235924_Garnet.html - "Stargate" for a ring, "Sundial" for earrings
http://acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=2913 - Really like this as well, wife's e-ring is an emerald cut diamond so I did the connection


I think the antique bohemian garnet angle is a good idea as well. There's quite a bit of unique items out there but my question is who/what are trustworthy sources for these pieces? Here are some that are interesting:

http://www.auntjudysattic.com/product_detail_JWY27.htm
http://www.auntjudysattic.com/product_detail_JWY162.htm
http://www.auntjudysattic.com/product_detail_JWY73.htm
http://www.auntjudysattic.com/product_detail_JWY205.htm
http://www.auntjudysattic.com/product_detail_JWY209.htm

As you can see... I'm pretty open to different ideas.
 
Here I go again, and I hope you know that I have only good intentions. I don't consider Bohemian garnet red. I consider them dark and dull. If your wife indicated that she wanted a red garnet, you might want to doublecheck whether Bohemian garnets would fulfill her wishes.

I have to say that I really, really don't like Bohemian garnets. They may have once been popular, and there is clearly a whole group of lovers of antique Boho garnet jewelry. But go to any gem show or bead store, and strands of cheap, dark, Bohemian looking garnet is every where. Hopefully, I'm one end of the extreme and others will weigh in to support you, but I say this just in case your wife wouldn't like them either.
 
actually, i agree that your wife needs to verify a desire for a bohemium garnet....i've seen very few that i like....i did indicate one above. but i don't own any and probably won't, either. most are set in at best 10k gold...which in my book isn't "real". i'd be looking at rhodies and/or red spess if it were for me. and i'd stay away from pyrope garnets as they tend to to very very dark as well.
 
Yes, those Victorian/Bohemian garnet pieces require a specific taste in mind. People either love them or hate them. I'm not a fan, but I don't like brownish red garnets. Wouldn't mind if it were studded with neon pink and blue green stones though! :naughty:
 
TL|1328915880|3123590 said:
Wouldn't mind if it were studded with neon pink and blue green stones though! :naughty:
Click to expand...

Right there with you.
 
I pretty much came to the same conclusion. Although interesting, they certainly aren't 2nd anniversary worthy to me.

Right now it's between the emerald cut single stone or the "sundial" pair I linked above.
 
If you're looking at acstones.com, go ahead and click on the "ask Barry" link. He's so friendly and it's very easy to communicate with him. His pictures are generally great re: color, but don't convey how lively the stones can be.

I own a "Tanga" Rhodolite garnet. 90% of the time, I love it. It's sort of a wine color, red with pink and purple tones to it. It looks great in natural light, incandescent light, and the flourescent lighting at work. It turns brownish under CFL lighting at home at night, however. Now, that brownish red is pretty standard for what you see of "maul" garnets, so if your wife is expecting the typical red garnet that you see everywhere, probably she'll be fine with that. It doesn't really bother me, but it is like the blue spectrum has been leached from the stone, and that blue is what gives it a very rich, complex wine-y color that I love.

I will also say that you typically get better results by looking for a garnet that has at most medium, maybe "medium to medium/dark" as a saturation description. Dark is likely to just be a bit of a "black hole." IMO, when the site calls a stone "suitable for a man's ring," that's a clue that this may be too dark - I'd contact the vendor and ask for an honest assessment. IMO, you're likely to find that this http://acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=4002 looks better than this http://acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=2913 Pinkish red is a good place to be with a garnet.
 
good advice, milton.....and i agree re your assessment re color of the two you linked to....but that emerald cut, well, i'm a sucker for emerald cuts......would be nice to see the two IRL together.
 
I'm so pleased a few have uttered warnings about Bohemian Garnets. Not something I think you should aim for!

Love the emerald cut from Barry. Very pretty.
 
I love vintage Victorian Bohemian garnets. They are a special collector's taste I think. they have a special vintage air about them. I know they are dark, but they do sparkle in the sunlight. You should check if this is something your wife would like, otherwise go for the rhodolite (more raspberry color). Love the links people have posted. Garnet is my favorite gemstone. I'll check out all the links too! :wavey:
 
Our anniversary is today (yeah, the gift is gonna be way late but she already got some flowers, oops).

I'm going with the sundial pair and the emerald stone set in the pendant. It should be a nice ear ring/ necklace combo.

I'll try to post pictures when I receive everything!
 
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