Looking for a big tsavorite

[distracts]

Ok I emailed most of the vendors on Bright Ice's thread, so hopefully I will hear back with some options and prices that will at least give me some idea!

 

[voce]

Have prices doubled in the past five years?

Bingo!

 

[lucida818]

Well if that's the case - I'll happily take it for the $5k MJO said on this thread that it was selling for, instead of the over $8k on Litnon.



I think this is the case. I don't know if I've ever tested my med or darker tsavorites but I do know all my mints fluoresce.



LOVE the color! That one looks more like what I'd call a mint tsavorite rather than straight-up.

Sorry to go off-topic, but @chrono and @Acinom and @TL and anyone else who knows paraibas, what do you think of this?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/719147...aiba-tourmaline?ref=shop_home_active_66&frs=1
Is the price totally insane? It looks glowy, is a good size, is from Brazil, has the AGL prestige report, so seems to tick all the boxes. I guess I want to know if I see it and love it, if I'm ok to proceed. I'm having a hard time finding price comps - some seem to be half the price and look the same but I don't know if the sellers are reputable, and some are twice the price but don't look anywhere near as good.

@lucida818 you bought a similar paraiba recently, iirc it was preloved, ehow does the price compare? If only I should be so lucky as to find a preloved ring with a great paraiba!

@distracts, I was indeed very lucky to find this ring (yes, entire ring not just the stone) @ an unbelievably good prize of under USD5k It came with cert from the most reputable local laboratory, no origin stated though. Certified Brazilian material is obviously calling for much higher price!

 

[qubitasaurus]

That's good to know. I guess I haven't seen a full prestige report then because I've just seen that kind and the one that's the regular report on the little card.



Thanks for the thread rec - I had searched PS for appropriate threads but that one wasn't one of the ones near the top/that I actually clicked.

I've combed what feels like the entire internet for price comps but the vast majority I am finding are nowhere near as saturated as this appears to be. (For instance, Paraiba International only has a few and they mostly don't look as good?) So I'm going to have to start emailing people and looking at instagram vendors and so on. You're right that I'm not sure I want to play the game of messaging people repeatedly and then getting it shipped over and sending it to a lab and risking it not being what is claimed, especially for the price paraibas go for, especially if they're vendors that PSers haven't already had good experiences with, and especially given the proliferation of decent-looking paraiba fakes which one has to be watching out for. If they're someone no PSers has bought from, that risk might be too high for me.



I've asked her to bring several others, yeah.

I really like the look of this paraiba on her pics and from experience I know her pics are usually quite accurate - but it might be just easier to stick with my previous plan of a tsavorite and a spinel because I know price comps for those and won't be second-guessing whether I overpaid!

It seems that in 2014 for her 2ct paraiba in the french cut ring, Acinom paid around $8.6k from Leon Mege, so half of this. Hers appears to be similar color and similar amount of inclusions. Have prices doubled in the past five years?

Yes the trouble is getting another data point where you have some kind of cross validation that it will look as good as the photos or can see it in advance. I believe most people have thought the paraibas they bought from Yvonne were better in real life, also you can see it before buying so really if it doesnt knock your socks off then you can just pass (for that price it should either be drop dead gorgeous or a skip).

I don't know how much acinom paid, I wouldnt like to speculate but it should probably be said that they seem to be rising steeply in price, and that the one yvonne is selling isnt windowed (and all things being equal looks therefore like a slightly better stone to me).

I think as long ss you dont wack your rings on everything, it makes sense to buy the paraiba as apposed to another spinel (you seem to have 2 already). But in real life I would be sorely tempted to blow the budget on a spectacular spinel -- so I am not the best person to offer advice there.

 

[MJO]

@MJO Dare I suggest a perfunctory 'For Sale' listting here... - in the interest of decorum. I see no difference; you well may.

The mint garnet is not mine. I mention the ones that are not mine

 

[ZestfullyBling]

Ok I emailed most of the vendors on Bright Ice's thread, so hopefully I will hear back with some options and prices that will at least give me some idea!

 

[ZestfullyBling]

Its only 3cts

8.10 mm x 9.20 mm x 5.7 mm
Weight 3.020 cts

 

[T L]

The MC one is very yellowish and windowed. It’s from MC so I bet it’s no bargain either despite its color and poor cutting.

 

[MJO]

Well if that's the case - I'll happily take it for the $5k MJO said on this thread that it was selling for, instead of the over $8k on Litnon.



I think this is the case. I don't know if I've ever tested my med or darker tsavorites but I do know all my mints fluoresce.



LOVE the color! That one looks more like what I'd call a mint tsavorite rather than straight-up.

Sorry to go off-topic, but @chrono and @Acinom and @TL and anyone else who knows paraibas, what do you think of this?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/719147...aiba-tourmaline?ref=shop_home_active_66&frs=1
Is the price totally insane? It looks glowy, is a good size, is from Brazil, has the AGL prestige report, so seems to tick all the boxes. I guess I want to know if I see it and love it, if I'm ok to proceed. I'm having a hard time finding price comps - some seem to be half the price and look the same but I don't know if the sellers are reputable, and some are twice the price but don't look anywhere near as good.

@lucida818 you bought a similar paraiba recently, iirc it was preloved, ehow does the price compare? If only I should be so lucky as to find a preloved ring with a great paraiba!

The mint garnet on Litnon is not mine and I never owned it. I do know Michael very well and do send people to him if he has something I know someone is looking for. The same as everyone else here is doing or no o e would answer any threads. I am not mentioning any stones I own or have owned except the ones in my collection and have not said anything about selling them. I have sold stones to other venders as well. I mentioned this stone and not you had it because I know if you were interested I could talk to Micheal and get it for what I said.

 

[distracts]

Yes the trouble is getting another data point where you have some kind of cross validation that it will look as good as the photos or can see it in advance. I believe most people have thought the paraibas they bought from Yvonne were better in real life, also you can see it before buying so really if it doesnt knock your socks off then you can just pass (for that price it should either be drop dead gorgeous or a skip).

I don't know how much acinom paid, I wouldnt like to speculate but it should probably be said that they seem to be rising steeply in price, and that the one yvonne is selling isnt windowed (and all things being equal looks therefore like a slightly better stone to me).

I think as long ss you dont wack your rings on everything, it makes sense to buy the paraiba as apposed to another spinel (you seem to have 2 already). But in real life I would be sorely tempted to blow the budget on a spectacular spinel -- so I am not the best person to offer advice there.

lol I have a LOT more than two spinels... just two 2+ ct ones I may have a spinel problem!

Acinom had said in the Bright Ice thread the per-carat price she paid for her paraiba, so that's where I got that number.

@distracts, I was indeed very lucky to find this ring (yes, entire ring not just the stone) @ an unbelievably good prize of under USD5k It came with cert from the most reputable local laboratory, no origin stated though. Certified Brazilian material is obviously calling for much higher price!

That's so incredibly lucky!

I got an email back from Lee Collins Gems - they only sell to people in the trade, which I am not

 

[Stone Hunter]

My trillion tsavorite is a light to medium grassy green color and it glows like crazy Likewise, I also prefer this color range in tsavs. This piece remains one of my very favorite rings from CRD.

STUNNING!

 

[Starfacet]

Threadjack! @distracts, are you still in the Dallas area?

 

[PrecisionGem]

Don't put a lot of stock on the photo's of tsavorite. I have found that green stones, especially tsavorite, emerald and Chrome Tourmaline to be very hard to photograph. Green never shows correctly. I have tried several different camera manufactures, and non can capture the color correctly.

 

[suzanne2]

Someone mentioned Phoenix and her tsavorite. It's now mine, all mine!
I believe she purchased it from Nomads at a gem show. It's 2.89cts.

 

[voce]

Someone mentioned Phoenix and her tsavorite. It's now mine, all mine!
I believe she purchased it from Nomads at a gem show. It's 2.89cts.

@suzanne2, your tsavorite is among the most beautiful that I have ever seen, and certainly the biggest one of that lot. Thanks for showing us again.

 

[Nosean]

I believe (don’t know for sure) that it’s only the minty garnets from a certain location that have fluorescence. My mints fluoresce, my dark tsavorites do not.

Kuranze (Kenia) produces very fine stones with red LW fluorescence. They have a higher Uvarovite content and low iron so fluorescence is not quenched. I have two small round stones (0,59 ct and 0,67 ct) - it is the best green I have seen in tsavorite so far. Impossible to show in a picture.

 

[elle_71125]

Someone mentioned Phoenix and her tsavorite. It's now mine, all mine!
I believe she purchased it from Nomads at a gem show. It's 2.89cts.

You kill me lady! I have such envy for your gigantic (by my standards) tsavorite. You need to come show it off more.

 

[elle_71125]

This one is a mint garnet but very sizable and has a beautiful color so I figured I’d put it up just in case.
https://loupetroop.com/listings/loo...garnet-concave-cut-by-gene-precisiongem;26408




Here’s a couple tsavs from Africa Gems:
https://www.africagems.com/tsavorite-oval-3-03-20189857.html



https://www.africagems.com/tsavorite-cushion-3-03-201810122.html



And this guy from gemfix
https://gemfix.com/gems/tsavorite-21-253

 

[elle_71125]

Oh, and if you see Yvonne’s paraiba in person, dear lord, please take pics! I’m dying to see this one but it’s so far outside my budget it’s killing me! Take pity on me and share pics.

 

[distracts]

Threadjack! @distracts, are you still in the Dallas area?

Yes I am!

Oh, and if you see Yvonne’s paraiba in person, dear lord, please take pics! I’m dying to see this one but it’s so far outside my budget it’s killing me! Take pity on me and share pics.

Hehehe ...

I've gotten a few more emails back and between those and rampantly clicking the "inquire about pricing" button on 2-3 ct paraiba rings on every website I can find, it seems like a lot of people are currently charging $15-22k per carat for cleaner, glowy, saturated ~2 ct paraibas. I have found ONE that is similar looking for less money. So unless people have other secret sources, this is the pricing.

 

[distracts]

 

[Starfacet]

Yes I am!

Me too! My email is on LT under the Other tab if you ever want to hit me up for a GTG!

 

[distracts]

These come from prima... the color of the cushion is Extreme. I wanted a bigger one but once I saw that color, it was the basis for comparison of everything... not sure that the right color is coming across in these pics bc they were quick snaps in bad lighting. Then I got a larger, slightly included, less well-cut and well-colored pear tsavorite that I think will be good for a pendant, and that pair of grayish lavender spinels. The ones I’ve ordered online I’ve never liked but sorting through them in person let me pick out ones that were more silvery instead of more plum.

 

[chroman]

The cushion!! Nom nom nom

 

[elle_71125]

Sweet Jesus!

 

[elle_71125]

These come from prima... the color of the cushion is Extreme. I wanted a bigger one but once I saw that color, it was the basis for comparison of everything... not sure that the right color is coming across in these pics bc they were quick snaps in bad lighting. Then I got a larger, slightly included, less well-cut and well-colored pear tsavorite that I think will be good for a pendant, and that pair of grayish lavender spinels. The ones I’ve ordered online I’ve never liked but sorting through them in person let me pick out ones that were more silvery instead of more plum.

I definitely prefer the cushion out of the two tsavs.

 

[Sungura]

And you just drop these here - with not even a word or an emoji??!!!

That cushion is da bomb. Can’t wait to see more pics.

Edited to add: It’s dreadfully hot right now in the city. I hope looking at those cool greens and blues makes up for it.

 

[elle_71125]

Here's one from GranGem on Etsy. A little over budget (currently on sale for $11,895 - down from just under $14k).
https://www.etsy.com/listing/275818...p-color-neon?ref=shop_home_feat_3&pro=1&frs=1

 

[distracts]

And you just drop these here - with not even a word or an emoji??!!!

That cushion is da bomb. Can’t wait to see more pics.

haha I was posting from my phone while on the go... otherwise y'all would have to wait for them! I'm so busy when I'm here I wasn't sure if I would have any time until Thursday.

The pear was this one, which was my second favorite of hers, but it's not as saturated as the oval. In person it was a tad bit less similar to the oval than my pictures show. I liked it a lot on its own, the problem was that when I put it by the oval, the oval was so much more wow. https://www.etsy.com/listing/723590...h_query=paraiba&ref=shop_items_search_1&frs=1

Having seen a handful of her gems, I definitely think the etsy pictures are pretty accurate. I've always thought that when buying from her before but there's really nothing quite like seeing a bunch of things in person to really show it. So none of the stones I saw were really surprising - pretty much just like what they were like online.

She also had a bunch of emeralds she brought back from Columbia... some really amazing colors in there. No pics though because what my phone camera saw was too different than what my eyes saw... they were very vivid greens but my pictures make them look pastel.

I had intended to get a big and more expensive tsavorite (as evidenced by this thread's title and starting post, which really took a turn offtopic) but it's just as well really that I encountered the paraiba since the tsavorites I ended up liking most weren't that expensive compared to what I thought I'd be spending, and I could get two whereas if I went with one of the ones I had liked online I could have only gotten one, and not the paraiba. I know the grass-green pear isn't everyone's jam but it was the first one I saw in the tray and I went "ooh!" and even though intellectually I know it's not the best.... it makes me happy. And the color on the other is outstanding so I couldn’t leave it behind.

 

[elle_71125]

haha I was posting from my phone while on the go... otherwise y'all would have to wait for them! I'm so busy when I'm here I wasn't sure if I would have any time until Thursday.

The pear was this one, which was my second favorite of hers, but it's not as saturated as the oval. In person it was a tad bit less similar to the oval than my pictures show. I liked it a lot on its own, the problem was that when I put it by the oval, the oval was so much more wow. https://www.etsy.com/listing/723590...h_query=paraiba&ref=shop_items_search_1&frs=1

Having seen a handful of her gems, I definitely think the etsy pictures are pretty accurate. I've always thought that when buying from her before but there's really nothing quite like seeing a bunch of things in person to really show it. So none of the stones I saw were really surprising - pretty much just like what they were like online.

She also had a bunch of emeralds she brought back from Columbia... some really amazing colors in there. No pics though because what my phone camera saw was too different than what my eyes saw... they were very vivid greens but my pictures make them look pastel.

I had intended to get a big and more expensive tsavorite (as evidenced by this thread's title and starting post, which really took a turn offtopic) but it's just as well really that I encountered the paraiba since the tsavorites I ended up liking most weren't that expensive compared to what I thought I'd be spending, and I could get two whereas if I went with one of the ones I had liked online I could have only gotten one, and not the paraiba. I know the grass-green pear isn't everyone's jam but it was the first one I saw in the tray and I went "ooh!" and even though intellectually I know it's not the best.... it makes me happy. And the color on the other is outstanding so I couldn’t leave it behind.

Does this mean you are buying the paraiba then???