i got a message from gary

[Arkteia]

This one shows the elongated form

 

[Arkteia]

My favorite "fork" for the stones...sorry they are so comfortable

 

[Arkteia]

let us see if this one looks better...
IRL it doesn''t have violet hue and red bliks are probably coming from the curved surgical clamp

 

[Arkteia]

I shall try to do better job tomorrow.
I do not know why I decided to take pictures with LESS light. I thought it could be a nice idea. It is hard to hold it because it is pretty small but I shall try to make pictures with light flowing through it. It is really beautiful. I do hope it is unheated, if it is, it is a real WOW! (I have a penchant for things blue). I shall certify it and then do a normal setting in diamonds.

 

[Arkteia]

Date: 3/9/2010 9:42:01 PM
Author: haagen_dazs

Date: 3/8/2010 3:05:49 AM
Author: crasru
OK let me try... this is Gary's picture before recut

the original shape does not seem to have a window
is there a reason you went for a recut?

Yes, I spoke to Gary and he said it was a native cut and that recutting it would probably improve the color and the brilliance. We were discussing a round cut but I did not want to lose 50% of the stone weight; he offered me this cut; said he would probably be able to retain 2/3 of the weight, and ended up losing 27%. But it improved the color and the saturation.
It is very, very blue now. Just what I would call ultramarine blue.
I hope GIA confirms that it is not heated...

I understand it now, about myself. I like colors that are pure, bright and have no secondaries. What I would call "primary colors". I wanted to look for unusual stones, but given the way I responded to this color I should probably look for something very bright, clean and strong. Spinel has the same quality. My orange spessartite, too. Now I very well understand what I should be looking for.

 

[chrono]

Crasru,
I hope you’ll give photography and the stone a second chance with daylight pictures. Sounds like you’ve decided to send the stone to GIA for verification?

 

[Arkteia]

Mda-a...I was in a horrible haste yesterday evening, and my photos look like blue undercooked potatoes! Which is NOT how this stone looks like.

I decided to send it to GIA because this time I was very keen on buying an unheated stone but I never saw such a saturated color without any secondaries in unheated stones, except for a couple of Kashmirs. Most of the stones I saw were quite "inky" or too light. This color is exactly what I want. I like StepGirl's or LonelySapphire's cuts more, but there was not much choice in my case and since the color is so great, I do not mind the cut at all. And it is pretty brilliant.

Problem is, I always used a jeweler to send stones to GIA because I am lazy and wanted to avoid the hassle; he did not charge me extra. Actually, I used to send them to AGTA till it closed. Now I want to do it myself, I think there should be no problem if I buy insurance for it. But how does one send them to GIA?

And is GIA better than AGL for colored stones? I'd surely send diamonds to GIA. As to colored stones, Gubelin is far and expensive. I also heard that they wanted items to be hand-delivered; it may not be true since I heard it from a European vendor who wanted to use a neighbor lab for certification.

 

[Arkteia]

But you know what is important? It was a good learning experience on what to buy. I should stop chasing something just because it is "in" or modern or even precision cut. Because ultimately I enjoy strong and clear colors. So I am not going to buy andalusite just because it is unusual. No lavender spinel because it has a grey modifier. No aquas. I can make exception for something with high brilliance but I am not going to go hunting for peridots either unless they have very strong apple-green color.

I''ve tracked your stones; it seems that you are applying the same principle which I plan to use, or am I wrong?

 

[chrono]

Well, in that case, does that mean more and better pictures are in store for us? I’m afraid I’m of no help about sending a stone off myself to a lab as I’ve always had the vendor send it on my behalf as the final sale condition. This webpage will answer all your questions pertaining to shipping method, fee and etc.
http://www.gia.edu/lab-reports-services/colored-stones/index.html

I am happy that you’ve not only purchased a very beautiful stone that meets your requirements but also learnt a lot during that process. I also buy what I like, not necessarily what’s in demand or precision cut. I also happen to like strongly saturated stones which automatically strikes a few gemstone varieties out of my list, with some exceptions. I do seek out some unusual stones like a star cabochon, a colour changer or a cat’s eye, but only because I love those properties.

 

[Arkteia]

Thank you, Chrono.

Looked at my pictures again...Arcadian, can you allow me to be your intern? I''ll do everything, clean the floors, take out garbage, what not, just let me learn from you! God knows why this camera refuses to cooperate!

And I still can not understand why my avatars come out lopsided. I make them 90x90 because when I make it a 100x100 PS refuses to accept it and I get a message that the size is too large. 90x90 is lopsided. One came out fine but was too dark and I had to discard it.

 

[LD]

Are you calmer now Crasru?

Look at it this way ........... would Gary et al, risk their reputation by selling you something it''s not????? I don''t think so.

However, even the very best gem dealers get caught out SO if this is a considered purchase I would most definitely send it to a lab for certification but before you do so, can you check that GIA do look for BE diffusion? The only reason I''m saying that is that only a few labs can do the testing. I''m pretty sure GIA do but you may want to check. Definitely send it off for peace of mind. That way you can REALLY relax!

 

[Arkteia]

Date: 3/10/2010 4:39:23 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Are you calmer now Crasru?

Look at it this way ........... would Gary et al, risk their reputation by selling you something it''s not????? I don''t think so.


However, even the very best gem dealers get caught out SO if this is a considered purchase I would most definitely send it to a lab for certification but before you do so, can you check that GIA do look for BE diffusion? The only reason I''m saying that is that only a few labs can do the testing. I''m pretty sure GIA do but you may want to check. Definitely send it off for peace of mind. That way you can REALLY relax!

Calm but curious. In fact, I walked into a major jewelry store today and asked to show me a few treated and untreated sapphires. No way to tell unless you know!

And Gary would never risk his reputation at all. None of our vendors would. It is just that I like the color so much that each time I look at it, I think, "it can not be real". That is why I have to have it checked. Price-wise it is below the level where I would absolutely insist on GIA cert. but since I am anxious...

BTW this is the second stone I am buying from Gary that I like.

 

[T L]

I know the AGL can, and they are my preference for colored gems. I prefer the GIA for diamonds and colored diamonds. AGL has different lab reports, and the prestige report also gives a lowdown on color grading, and origin. It might be worth it to send it there so you can have an idea of how much it will appraise for and for insurance purposes. With that report, a competent appraiser can give a true value.

It's really difficult to tell from your fuzzy photos, but it looks to have a nice color.

 

[Arcadian]

The color looks really lovely!

crasru, you''ll get the hang of the whole picture thing. I will take hundreds of pictures and come out with like 10 that are ok...lol practice makes perfect in this case. and when you''re shooting pics of something small like a stone...welll...

Learn how to best focus your camera without any camera shake is the most importan thing, learn to read natural light. 10am-noon light is amazing and some of the best light. 3pm -6pm is also good but usually only in the after DST has taken affect...lol

I''m glad you found your gem path! We all have one, mine is a bit murkier than others

But if we all liked the same thing, it would be big trouble for sure!


-A

 

[innerkitten]

Wow big difference after the re cut. Looks great. I need to read the rest of the posts to learn more about this stone.

 

[gemgirl]

It''s a gorgeous rich royal blue. I love it. I think it was well worth losing a tiny bit of stone weight during the recut. It''s lovely now.

 

[Arkteia]

Date: 3/10/2010 10:04:37 PM
Author: Arcadian
The color looks really lovely!

crasru, you'll get the hang of the whole picture thing. I will take hundreds of pictures and come out with like 10 that are ok...lol practice makes perfect in this case. and when you're shooting pics of something small like a stone...welll...

Learn how to best focus your camera without any camera shake is the most importan thing, learn to read natural light. 10am-noon light is amazing and some of the best light. 3pm -6pm is also good but usually only in the after DST has taken affect...lol

I'm glad you found your gem path! We all have one, mine is a bit murkier than others

But if we all liked the same thing, it would be big trouble for sure!


-A

Without the shakes...Well, I used the tripold but my hands were still shaking which was unusual for me. Either I was wired on too much coffee by the end of the day (addiction!) or simply in awe of the stone. It is slender and hence difficult to hold - I wanted to use a smaller, much nicer pincers (these surgical instruments sure come in handy!) but the stone kept on sliding out. These ones are ugly but they do hold any stone without damaging it (they were made for soft body tissues).

Light is the main thing, but people forget where I live. I found out my friend has experience with colored gem photography - maybe I shall ask her to help.

Of interest, yesterday I walked into this upscale jeweler's house. And the sapphires for sale were spectacular. They showed me the one from Kashmir and then I pulled out mine to compare and the colors were very simiilar although their stone was bigger and thicker (4.7 cts). It had a window, though.

They had a 50% sale and were pushing me to buy it. I am very glad that I have read Richard Wise's answer to my question and finally resolved this issue for myself. Best Kashmir stones have been mined out, like best Russian alexandrites. Just because a stone comes out of Kashmir mines and is priced accordingly does not automatically imply it has the best color in the world. I remember 3 postings made here by this guy, forgot his name, who was buying sapphires directly from the mine. At that time it sounded like a fantastic story which I did not believe but now I understand that buying it directly from the Kasmir mines does not iautomatically mply best quality.

That store had many nice sapphires on display, but I definitely could not tell heated from unheated ones. I think it is really difficult without proper testing. Nothing against Gary, since I have already seen that stones of similar color exist. I am going to certify it for myself, like I did with my demantoid to exclude any possibility of it being heated.

I am planning to set this one in a more traditional way.

 

[chrono]

Crasru,
Will it be easier if you use a tripod but place the sapphire on a flat surface (don’t hold it at all) so that you completely eliminate the possibility of a blurry picture? And since you are doing indoor photography, you’ll probably need stronger or additional lighting.

 

[Arkteia]

I had the same problem with the spinel - it rolls to the side, because it is not round. Unless I make a "hole" to hold it but then the light won''t go through. I shall see what I can do. Thanks you for your advice, Chrono.

 

[chrono]

I have photographed ovals and pears with no issues. For the oval, have the longer part’s girdle and culet touch the flat surface so it will not roll around. Adjust your lighting to allow light to be evenly distributed. For indoor photography, I do this by the window so I can use a combination of both indoor and outdoor lighting. The picture below was taken indoors very early in the morning using the method I mentioned earlier. It is blurry because I don’t have a tripod to keep my hands still.

 

[Arkteia]

Wonderful! Are these your blue spinel and your cobaltospinel?

 

[chrono]

Date: 3/12/2010 12:56:13 AM
Author: crasru
Wonderful! Are these your blue spinel and your cobaltospinel?

Correct but no extra points for guessing which is the cobalt and which is the regular blue spinel.