Light pink spinel or tourmaline??? Where to buy?

[Aussie_Doll]

Hi!

I am new here and on the search for a light pink coloured gemstone. I love the look of pink tourmalines and pink spinels, but I want a very light pink colour... is there another gemstone I should look at? I am looking for a round, about 1ct - 1.25ct. I am not too hard on my rings and I do baby them so having a 'hard' stone isn't important, but I want one that has quite a bit of fire/ sparkle.

Where should I start looking? I don't want anything heat or colour treated, just a lovely light sparkly pink! This is to go in a halo setting

Thanks...
Aussie_Doll x

 

[NKOTB]

K9 is selling a pretty spinel that fits that exact description - look at the bottom of page 3 on the PS Preloved board.

 

[pregcurious]

If you want fire/sparkle, I would go for a spinel without a window. They have a high refractive index that makes them very sparkly. Spinels have a hardness of 7 Mohs, and if you are careful with your rings and put it in a halo, it should be okay for daily wear. In a light pink color, they are not very expensive, so you can replace it without much cost if it gets damaged.

You want to get one in a standard calibrated size so you can use a stock ring setting. Otherwise, you may have to go custom, and that may get expensive.

 

[Aussie_Doll]

Great,
Thanks!!!

 

[T L]

Vancegems has some of the nicest light pink tourmaline I have ever seen, and without the dreaded brownish orange color shift that most material has. They're website is vancegems.com and they're out of the East coast of the United States. Bill Vance is a lapidary, and he has access to some really nice tourmaline, but he sells mostly at gem shows. You can call him to find out if he has any decent material without orange/brown color shift.

 

[Aussie_Doll]

This is the kind of colour I am aiming for.... (hope this pic works, I am such a noob!) LOL




Also, what cut is best and shows the most sparkle? I like the look of the Portuguese cut, but have no idea if it is 'good' or not.

Can you rhodium dip white gold in rose gold? The setting I have is white gold with white diamonds, but I love white diamonds, rose gold and pink stones together <3

 

[Pandora II]

I've never seen rhodium plating other than white - I don't think Rhodium can be turned other colours (it's a metal in it's own right).

If it's a ring you don't intend to wear all the time and you can baby it, then pink topaz could be a good option - it sparkles like crazy.

Round brilliants will always give the most sparkle of any cut. I have a special liking for cushions personally.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

If you want fire/sparkle, I would go for a spinel without a window. They have a high refractive index that makes them very sparkly. Spinels have a hardness of 7 Mohs, and if you are careful with your rings and put it in a halo, it should be okay for daily wear. In a light pink color, they are not very expensive, so you can replace it without much cost if it gets damaged.

You want to get one in a standard calibrated size so you can use a stock ring setting. Otherwise, you may have to go custom, and that may get expensive.

I thought spinels had a Mohs hardness of 8 and tourmalines a 7 to 7.5. Have I heard wrong?

 

[T L]

If you want fire/sparkle, I would go for a spinel without a window. They have a high refractive index that makes them very sparkly. Spinels have a hardness of 7 Mohs, and if you are careful with your rings and put it in a halo, it should be okay for daily wear. In a light pink color, they are not very expensive, so you can replace it without much cost if it gets damaged.

You want to get one in a standard calibrated size so you can use a stock ring setting. Otherwise, you may have to go custom, and that may get expensive.

I thought spinels had a Mohs hardness of 8 and tourmalines a 7 to 7.5. Have I heard wrong?

Lisa,
You are correct, spinels do have a Moh's of 8, and tourmalines are a 7. Spinels are also a lot more durable, as tourmalines tend to easily chip, even more so than other stones with the same Mohs hardness, like some garnets.

 

[T L]

This is the kind of colour I am aiming for.... (hope this pic works, I am such a noob!) LOL




Also, what cut is best and shows the most sparkle? I like the look of the Portuguese cut, but have no idea if it is 'good' or not.

Can you rhodium dip white gold in rose gold? The setting I have is white gold with white diamonds, but I love white diamonds, rose gold and pink stones together <3

I would not plate a metal in rose gold, as it will eventually wear off. I would cast a piece that was solid rose gold and white gold together.

 

[talamasca]

Jerry has some very light pinks:

http://www.gemartservices.com/for-sale.html

 

[pregcurious]

I thought spinels had a Mohs hardness of 8 and tourmalines a 7 to 7.5. Have I heard wrong?

Sorry, I meant to type 8. In any case, spinels should be fine for everyday wear, and give a sparkle if they are cut correctly. In light pink, they're also well priced.

 

[stargurl78]

K9 is selling a pretty spinel that fits that exact description - look at the bottom of page 3 on the PS Preloved board.

I think that stone is a great suggestion (I think its on the first page now though...)