Hunt for center stone

[lujews]

Beautiful color. I love the spots of pink on the sides. So excited for you to see it in person.
Will be waiting for pictures!

 

[Scarlett1]

Thanks Lu
I have blown all the budget on the stone so will be waiting a long time to save for setting if it's a keeper (which I really hope it is )

 

[Scarlett1]

Hi all,
Well I purchased Brad's stone and it arrived yesterday. Unfortunately the colour just didn't suit my skin tone, just looked completely washed out. Have included some pics.Think I need to hunt for a warmer colour. I am thinking hot pink/bubblegum Sapphire or Mahenge Spinel.
I just wanted to add how fantastic Brad was. Will definitely purchase from him in the future. Top, top seller, fantastic service and super fast shipping. The stone too was accurate to photo's and description, just not for me

 

[peacechick]

That's too bad it turned out flesh toned on your skin. Agree that hot pink would add more contrast but hot pink sapphires i think will cost quite a bit. Alternatively, you could stay with a pale color but then go for an icy pink or lilac. That would not blend in.

 

[NKOTB]

Sorry the Brad stone didn't work out.

Jeff Davies has a pink/purple unheated sapphire that might work? http://www.ebay.com/itm/AIGS-CERTIFIED-UNHEATED-2-33ct-HOT-PURPLE-PINK-SAPPHIRE-WATCH-VIDEO-/370821304921?pt=Loose_Gemstones_1&hash=item5656ac1259#ht_1942wt_932

 

[NKOTB]

Gary at Finewater has some nice looking spinels: http://www.finewatergems.com/spinel.html

 

[digdeep]

As someone who has a light toned sapphire it really wasn't fair to judge it on my skin, as it did the same thing.....washed out. But, you'll never see the stone on your skin without a setting and therein is the missing piece. Yellow and white gold were no go's......but rose gold was perfect. Sometimes it's a balancing act and it is a lot easier with more vibrant color's that can fit in virtually 'any' metal. The next time be sure and put it with each of those metals if you have them. That process can give you a new perspective. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[GregS]

Gary at Finewater has some nice looking spinels: http://www.finewatergems.com/spinel.html

The shape and cut of the 2.66 ct one looks very nice.

 

[FrekeChild]

I have a similar colored spinel. Attaching a picture.

 

[Scarlett1]

As someone who has a light toned sapphire it really wasn't fair to judge it on my skin, as it did the same thing.....washed out. But, you'll never see the stone on your skin without a setting and therein is the missing piece. Yellow and white gold were no go's......but rose gold was perfect.:

thanks digdeep, I had planned on rose gold halo as a setting because I really think it brings out the best in that peachy colour. There were some other things with stone also that I didn't love so thought it best to return.
NKOTB, thanks for the link to Jeff Davies, that one is just too purple for me, think I'd prefer more pink. But am interested in some of
finewater ones.

The shape and cut of the 2.66 ct one looks very nice.

GregS, that is the one that stood out for me too, think I'll enquire about that.
FrekeChild that ring is beautiful and a beautiful setting too, but from seeing a peachy sapphire has made me want a warmer colour. Peacechick, I love icy pink sapphires, but again I'd worry that it wouldn't suit my skin tone.
What do you think of these ones.
The first is a ruby pinky red from Jeff Davies http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-56CT-AIGS-CERTIFIED-UNHEATED-RUBY-MOZAMBIQUE-WATCH-VIDEO-/370770780768?pt=Loose_Gemstones_1&hash=item5653a92260
The second is a deep red spinel http://www.ebay.com/itm/CERTIFIED-PREMIUM-CUSHION-CUT-2-50ct-RED-SPINEL-WATCH-VIDEO-/370766058386?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5653611392 also from Jeff Davies. Not really a red person but really liked these, especially the red spinell.
The third is hot pink spinel from gemfix http://www.gemfix.com/spinel.html 7th row first picture.
The last I think is my favourite. Absolutely adore this one from Swala Gems think of all of them, this is the colour I love the most. It is a bit out of my price range but willing to stretch for the right stone www.swalagemtraders.com/search-gems/detail.php?pid=2373&cPage=10&sort=&perpage=8&cat=&display1=1&display2=&display3=0&category=&variety=&key=&match=&indicate=&reserve_type=&pagefrom=newarrivals Wondering is it too big/deep for a 3 stone setting?
Appreciate your help,
Scarlett

 

[NKOTB]

I see a couple of Gary's spinels are reserved, are you considering them?

 

[Scarlett1]

Ha no flies on you NKOTB .
Yes I contacted Gary regarding them, he is actualy away at moment but said he'd send addition pics when he returns.
What do you think?

 

[peacechick]

All of them are pretty but I see why you like the Swala one, it really pops. Might want to see a front facing pic though, I don't know what being deep really means. The shape I think is called a roval- not a conventional shape, but you are having your ring custom made so you should ask your jeweler what she thinks about having it as a 3-stone. What sizes are the side stones?

 

[GregS]

While Jeff Davies is a great guy to deal with, I don't care for either one of the stones he has. I agree with you that the nicest of the bunch is the Swala stone. I still think that 2.66 ct. one you reserved has serious potential, I love the view through the table, the lay out of the pavilion facets are right up my alley. The only thing that concerns me about it is the possibility of a lot of extinction, but seeing it in person and/or a couple more pictures should reveal whether that'll be an issue or not.

 

[chrono]

AIGS ruby: Much too purplish pink for me to consider this a ruby. On the plus side, it is untreated and relatively clean.
Cushion red spinel: Looks like it shifts from purplish to orangish, so I'm not sure if you'll like this shift. This particular spinel may have large areas of extinction as well.
Gemfix pink spinel: Cut is superb but the colour doesn't appear as hot in the hand picture.
Swala pink spinel: It could have slight cut issues and I don't know how apparent the inclusions across the table is in person. Would definitely request additional hand shots, and take their shipping / return policy into consideration.

What is your finger size? I considered setting a 10 x 8 mm stone with 2 smaller sidestones so it is doable but it also depends on your finger size and design.

 

[Scarlett1]

Peacechick, wasn't sure what a bit deep meant either. The other stones I'm using are round 4.5mm diamonds, one of which is the stone from my original solitaire engagement ring. Have been put off a bit from purchasing from Swala due to no return option.
GregS, the 2.66 one I reserved is the one I'm seriously considering. Gary said it is a more hot pink irl which is what I'm after and I love the cut. How can you tell if a stone has alot of extinction, would a White background pic determine this? Or could I ask Gary, what type of question should I ask?
Chrono, my hands are huge big man hands so my ring size is fairly large. I'm not sure what American equivalent is, I'm about 58mm so perhaps a 9 I think? Am going for a simple 3 stone design bit with a possible halo on center depending on the stone I get.
Thanks for your time,
Scarlett

 

[NKOTB]

The hand shots will show you better, but I doubt that stone will have a lot of extinction, given that Gary tweaked it. The other one you reserved looks like it has a tilt window, though. Both are a nice colour.

I, too, have been put off buying from Swala based on the shipping/returns policies.

 

[chrono]

The 2.66 ct pink spinel from Finewater looks a bit pale-ish, comparable to GemFix's pink spinel. Gary noted that it is better saturated in person but I don't know how much stronger it looks in person. I don't know if Gary will provide additional hand shots but if interested and shipping isn't problematic, this might be the next step for you. This will also settle your question with regards to extinction. Do ask about colour shifting - how well does it hold its colour under fluorescent lighting (how much orange or brown indoors) and if this spinel reacts to UV.
I've seen precision cut stones with major windowing so I would necessarily say that a such type of stones are safe from a lot of extinction. Sometimes, it isn't even due to cut but due to the material itself, so I would judge it on a case by case basis.

With a rectangular stone and size 9, I think you can pull off a 3 stone easily.

 

[lujews]

sorry the sapphire did not work out.
It looks so much more pink on your skin! I wonder if i will have the same issues... my skin is very pale!

 

[Scarlett1]

Well I got some extra photo's from Gary of the spinels I was interested in, not quite the colour I was after ( Chrono you were right, the 2.66 one was a bit palish) so still searching. Lujew, I'd say if your skin is pale there is less chance of it washing out
This Jeff Davies stone was recommended by atheaworth (hope you don't mind me posting it) on another thread (op has gone with another stone) and would love some opinions.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151759791199357&set=a.396576624356.176127.848899356&type=3&theater
Does it have alot of extinction or is it colour banded ( don't know if that the right term sorry) ?
Thanks again,
Scarlett

 

[chrono]

Is there any video of the stone? There is a slight bowtie down the middle (the dark band) in that picture but I prefer to see a video to better assess the colour and cut. Sometimes certain minor faults can be forgiven if the stone has other very good attributes.

 

[Scarlett1]

Chrono,
The link I posted had a video of the stone but the stone has since been removed from the page, I presume it must have sold.