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Just scooped up this aquamarine

A

ascari_2

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Aug 13, 2012
Messages
186
The color really caught my eye and I just had to get it. Don't have it in hand yet, but presuming the seller used actual pics of the stone, it should be a looker. Time to start planning for wifey's bday. I am thinking a three-stone ring with two 1/2ct cushion diamonds on the sides set in white gold. Could be an interesting combination.

aqua1.jpg
 
That's a pretty aqua, I like the green tint. Out of curiosity, is it unheated? I've read that usually they're only heated to try to get the blue color, so greener aquas are usually all natural. It looks very nice and clean, what size is it?

I think white gold sounds like a good idea. I had a small aqua set in yellow gold once and I really didn't like the way the yellow gold made the aqua look in certain lighting. (Although I had another aqua also set in YG that looked great - so I guess it depends a lot on the gem and the setting). I think the WG idea is good though. Have fun with your project, congrats on your gem :)
 
Thank you. I was specifically looking for that seafoam-ish hue and really liked how this one looked in the pictures. According to the seller, it is natural and untreated, and from what I heard you are correct in that treatment of aquas is usually performed to enhance the blue. But I won't know until I get the stone in hand (and find time to run it over to a gemologist).

As for the size it's a 3.5+ct measuring 10.76 x 8.35 x 5.84 mm. That seems like a decent size for a nice ring. The idea would be to have it be the center of attention but not overpowering, and having the two side stones complement and bring out its color.
 
Heating seems not to affect pricing for aquamarines. I would certainly wait until the stone arrived to decide on the metal colour since my concern is that it will "lose" its colour and appear too grayish in white gold. I think rose or even yellow might be a better choice.
 
It sounds like a good sized gem, I think it will look beautiful as a ring. I do agree with Chrono that you should wait until you have it in hand before deciding on a metal choice, but I'm not sure if I agree with a yellow or rose gold choice. It may look great with WG. As I said, I've had aquas set in yellow gold that looked gorgeous, but one didn't at all. The YG reflected in the stone and made it look very odd and unattractive in certain lighting. It really depends a lot on the gem.

I love that color aqua though. I really enjoy the greener aquas, I think you made a great choice.
 
And I should add that I don't actually like WG much, rose and yellow are my favorites by far. So I'm not biased against them ;). I was just not very happy with how one of my aquas looked set in YG.
 
Well I received the stone in the mail today and unfortunately I have to say that I have a sneaking suspicion that what is in the picture and what I have in my hand is not the same thing. First of all, the color is slightly off. I know this is a touchy point since the digital camera and the monitor can distort actual colors. But the bigger issue is the actual cut of the stone. It's like looking through a window (my guess is it's way too deep). Unless a digital camera can capture something that a naked eye can't see, the way that the bottom facets are reflected through the stone in the picture is nothing like what i see in front of me. In fact, looking through the top and varying the stone through a pretty wide viewing angle, I cannot see the center line where the two sides on the bottom meet. Oh well. Now I just have to go through the hassle of returning this thing.

On a related note, can anyone recommend a trusted gem stone seller?

Thanks
 
The large tilt window is apparent in the first and only picture you showed. Aquamarine has low refractive index and tend to do this very easily. Granted, the cut isn't that great in the first place, which doesn't help. Being too deep isn't the reason. It's all about having the right angle combinations. There is a vetted list in the sticky thread, which is one of the first four in CS. Some are better cut than others. You still have to know what you are seeing.
 
Chrono|1368149708|3443724 said:
The large tilt window is apparent in the first and only picture you showed. Aquamarine has low refractive index and tend to do this very easily. Granted, the cut isn't that great in the first place, which doesn't help. Being too deep isn't the reason. It's all about having the right angle combinations. There is a vetted list in the sticky thread, which is one of the first four in CS. Some are better cut than others. You still have to know what you are seeing.
Click to expand...

What I meant was that the stone was too deep for the angles to line up correctly, but yes you are completely correct.

I am not sure what you mean by a large tilt window, but what I can tell you is that if I put the stone on its side, I cannot see any of the facets that are closer to the center. Instead I just see straight through it like the center is cut out. This is not what I was expecting from the photo. BTW, the seller only had two photos (second one being of the back of the stone).
 
Sadly, what you are seeing is normal and expected for most coloured stones. This is called a tilt window, where you can see through it from an angle. How easily seen this is and at what angle will depend partially on the cut but mostly on the RI of the material. Aquamarine is notorious for this. True window (straight down view perpendicular to the table) is what counts, not a tilt window.
 
Chrono|1368150659|3443746 said:
Sadly, what you are seeing is normal and expected for most coloured stones. This is called a tilt window, where you can see through it from an angle. How easily seen this is and at what angle will depend partially on the cut but mostly on the RI of the material. Aquamarine is notorious for this. True window (straight down view perpendicular to the table) is what counts, not a tilt window.
Click to expand...

I guess the issue that I have is that regardless of whether I am looking at a 60 degree angle from the right, 60 degree angle from the left, 90 degrees (perpendicular to the table) straight down, or anything in between, I cannot see the facets closer to the center and nor can I get the stone to look like the stone in the pic. It just looks like a window. Are you saying this is still normal and expected given the photo above?
 
When I went to the gem show a few months back I'd say roughly 9 out of 10 Aquamarines there had an obvious window.

I recently picked up an unheated round Aquamarine with a hint of green in the 1 carat range from Dan Stair. Upon receiving the stone I was extremely pleased with the cut and color. I had set with diamonds in Argentium silver for my mother (a March baby). I've bought a 4+ carat Aqua from Multicolour that had a slight window, but the strong blue topaz like color makes up for it.

That's my experience with Aquamarine's. I'd suggest looking at Multicolour's selection, they have a lot of Aqua's at good prices.

Here's a picture of my mom's ring, just because. =)

il_570xn_433753723_hsk5_1.jpg
 
In a well cut aqua, you should not see a window looking straight down. When at an angle, expect to see a tilt window. The angle at which one starts to see the tilt window will depend on the cut, as will the size of the tilt window. The stone is photographed at a slight tilt, hence I see a fairly large tilt window. Since it isn't straight on, I cannot tell if there is a true window or not. If the window closes up or becomes less apparent on the back of the hand or in the setting, this is generally acceptable for aquas.
 
Ooooo :shock: looks nice.

Thanks for the tip. I'll check them out.
 
Chrono|1368152215|3443780 said:
In a well cut aqua, you should not see a window looking straight down. When at an angle, expect to see a tilt window. The angle at which one starts to see the tilt window will depend on the cut, as will the size of the tilt window. The stone is photographed at a slight tilt, hence I see a fairly large tilt window. Since it isn't straight on, I cannot tell if there is a true window or not. If the window closes up or becomes less apparent on the back of the hand or in the setting, this is generally acceptable for aquas.
Click to expand...


Chrono, I completely understand what you are saying. But why would the seller be able to capture an image with what appears to be a majority of facets reflecting while I cannot see anything similar no matter how I twist or turn the stone.
 
The camera can trick us better than our eyes. In a controlled environment and setup, you'll be amazed at the flaws a good camera setup can hide, hence CSers often ask for hand shots and extra pictures taken in a specific manner.
 
Chrono|1368152669|3443794 said:
The camera can trick us better than our eyes. In a controlled environment and setup, you'll be amazed at the flaws a good camera setup can hide, hence CSers often ask for hand shots and extra pictures taken in a specific manner.
Click to expand...

Good point. Oh well, live and learn. I guess the hunt for a seafoamish aqua continues.
 
As much as I like the vast inventory of MC, most of their cuts are lacking. Pricing is excellent though and with patience, there are decently cut stones hiding in there somewhere.
 
Based on gut feeling (and experience of looking at photos of gemstones) and recognising the seller, I'm not convinced the stone will be as saturated as it appears in the photo and, as Chrono has explained, it will have an obvious tilt window (often seen in paler gems). A tilt window is NOT an issue unless it's so obvious that it detracts from the stone. Having said that, there's no substitute for a pair of eyes so if the colour is appealing to you in the photo then it's definitely worth getting for a look.

Edit: completely missed the post where you have said that you've already got it for a look! Doh! Sorry!
 
Hey OP :wavey:

if you look through some of my older threads I had a small asscher cut tourmaline that was actually very similar in color to this one- at least to my eyes. I set it in WG and he completely washed out ;( It was around 5mm though so relaly tiny compared to your massive aqua- however I would definitely wait to see it and figure out how to set it. I saw a gorgeous aqua ring the other day sent in WG but with YG prongs and basket. It was stunning and didn't wash out the color at all!
 
Ascari,
You might want to consider precision cut stones for an aquamarine. Beryl benefits greatly from excellent faceting.
 
LD: The see-through-window effect is pretty substantial. Maybe I am just being picky after getting an AGS ideal diamond just not too long ago. But if I am going to potentially accent the stone with a couple of 0.5ct diamonds on the sides, I'd rather spend a little more and get a beautiful aqua. No point of spending the money on everything but the center and deciding to go cheap with the main stone.

Sarahbear: I did see your aqua before and thought it had a beautiful seafoam hue. To me, the seller's photo looked pretty close to what you had in your pic. With that said, the stone is more green than it appears in the photo. It looks like there is more yellow and less blue which adds to the green look and detracts from the seafoam color. Nonetheless, I like the stone's color as it is. The wifey said that she likes green in general, so greenish hue would work. Still, if I can locate a stone which looks like the photo that would be close to ideal.

Chrono: Pardon my ignorance, but when you say "precision cut" are you referring to a particular style of a cut, or are these stones cut by someone in particular.
 
My definition of precision cut jives with the explanation in the link. It's not a particular style or by a particular person. It is about the polish, symmetry and selecting the precise angle combination specifically for that rough / stone to maximize its brilliance. Many posters fresh from the diamond world tend to be drawn to precision cutting initially until they gain more experience and understand that cut emphasis in coloured stones, whilst important, takes a back seat to colour.
http://www.osirisgems.com/precision_cutting
 
Chrono|1368244144|3444704 said:
My definition of precision cut jives with the explanation in the link. It's not a particular style or by a particular person. It is about the polish, symmetry and selecting the precise angle combination specifically for that rough / stone to maximize its brilliance. Many posters fresh from the diamond world tend to be drawn to precision cutting initially until they gain more experience and understand that cut emphasis in coloured stones, whilst important, takes a back seat to colour.
http://www.osirisgems.com/precision_cutting
Click to expand...

Ahh, yes, pretty much what I thought. Problem is how does one trust that an advertised "precision cut" really is just that.
 
1. You can tell by looking at it. Facets, meet points, angles, polish, shape, etc.
2. Buy from a trusted and vetted lapidary.
3. Ask here.

Honestly, the picture in your first post shows a blatant window, so I'm not surprised that what you've got in hand is windowed.

ETA: pictures

aqua1_window.jpg

_6226.jpg
 
Chrono: Thanks for the list. Certainly something that will come in handy.

Freke: Yes, now that I have the stone in hand I can see how the windows match up. Still it's not as bad in the picture as it is in actuality. As for the second pic, is the left example also supposed to have a center window? If so, I must be missing it.
 
The example on the right is badly windowed.
The example on the left isn't. It isn't precision cut but is still very well cut.
 
Chrono|1368247273|3444738 said:
The example on the right is badly windowed.
The example on the left isn't. It isn't precision cut but is still very well cut.
Click to expand...
Oops. Sorry. Thanks for posting this Chrono! I have another image somewhere that has it typed out underneath.


...must go find that image...
 
Can you post some pictures? Aqua this color isn't the norm, because this color typically means it's unheated. People usually like to burn off the green and want the blue. If it's still reasonably close to being the same color, and you like the color, it might be worth hanging onto, and maybe getting the pavilion touched up by a trusted recutter.
 
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