Made first ever stone purchase. Grey spinel. Need help!

[Amistica]

Hello! First time poster, here... and needing advice! I just purchased my first loose gemstone. It should arrive any day now. Actually, my first real jewelry purchase, ever. And it is a stone for my engagement ring, to boot. So I'm pretty excited but nervous.

I, like many others, it appears, love frekechild's grey spinels, so that was my goal - to find a light grey/silver spinel.

My requirements are - for it to be LIGHT GREY in appearance as to make a great diamond substitute for an engagement ring. I want something light toned so that it goes with everything I wear, forever and ever. Next, I want a CUSHION. Preferably more rectangular than square. I also want an ANTIQUE cut (love love love good old golds August). And I was hoping for something in the 2.5 - 3 carat range.

I saw what I think I could settle on and love, on an etsy site. The owner is Julia, from Julia B Jewelry. And, she is an "approved" vender under the PS colored gem SETTING list.

So, first, here is the etsy listing, with pictures that would not have made me take a second look. It made me a tad nervous that I don't particularly like how it looks in the picture of it between her fingers. I am hoping it will be somewhat darker in a setting, not quite as see through looking. Anyone have any experience with this? Will it be darker in a setting? I know I said that I wanted light, but I don't want it to be see through feeling. It makes me worried that it will have too glassy of an appearance. Can spinels actually appear glassy if they are too light? I don't want that. It looks so much darker in the other pics.

www.etsy.com/listing/160804202/precision-cut-ceylon-gray-cushion-spinel

Anyways, it's the videos that captured me.

http://youtu.be/J1scNUdzWZY

and

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gHnmumA9T6c

So, while I wait for my stone to arrive, what can you fellow pricescopers tell me about what you think about it? What should I be looking for when it arrives? I did email her a few times. The first time was asking about the cut, and she said it was antique styled, with no design name. It that normal?

I also asked about receiving an AGL report, and she did not have a report on this stone, said it was already verified by the cutter that it was spinel........ and that unless it is a stone you are checking for treatment there is not really a need to send it to a lab. So that a report on a spinel is really unnecessary. Do you guys usually buy a report to go with your spinel?

I don't know how I am suppose to go about this. I kinda would like some verification about the stone, like are there inclusions? How refractive is it? Is it a good cut? I don't even know what a good cut looks like even if it was staring my right in the face, I'm afraid. I guess I am just trying to make sure it is a good purchase. Do I just bring it in to a gem store somewhere and have them glance at it for me? Basically, I really really really want people to look at these pics and videos and give me opinions and tell me what to do and what to look for when it arrives in a few days.

I also asked for the second video because I wanted to see what it looked like indoors, but the video doesn't look dark enough to get an idea what it would look like under just house lights, so I will check that out when it gets here.

I thank everyone in advance for helping me feel more comfortable and informed about a first, and very important, purchase. Much appreciated!

 

[GliderPoss]

I'm no expert but I will say that is a lovely stone! Julia is a well-known vendor so I think you can trust her. Spinel is not usually treated so prob no need to send it to a lab unless you would feel better about it. Thing to remember with grey spinels is they will often perform differently in different lights As you can see from the pics - sometimes it's pale silver, others dark gunmetal grey. How you choose to set this will impact upon the stone and it's colour so choose carefully. Looks a nice cut and clarity to me.

 

[sparkleismyfavcolor]

Welcome Amistica!

I definitely don't have answers to all of your questions because I'm fairly new at this too but just wanted to say that is a beautiful spinel, love the cut and the neat way it responds to light. It says it is precision cut so that is usually an excellent one. JuliaB is one of the recommended vendors here on PS, and I have seen lots of nice posts about her etsy store.

It seems common for stones to appear darker in a setting, can't say for sure if yours will. Maybe the "see through" feeling your getting is a tilt window? Others will be able to tell you more. I do see alot of kaleidoscope like reflection as opposed to seeing through it which I think is so pretty! I think it was a great idea to ask for another video, they often seem to give more info than just a picture can.

Spinel is rarely treated, a nice plus as opposed to many other gemstones! You might just want to find a gemologist in your area to confirm it is natural as opposed to synthetic (although I would bet it is) and give you more technical info. If you call around, it's usually not hard to find a gemologist.

Good luck! I think it's beautiful, but only you can decide if it's "the one" when you see it in real life (and if it isn't, don't feel bad about sending it back!). If you love it, you can pretty much throw all the technical stuff out the window!

 

[FrekeChild]

I saw what I think I could settle on and love, on an etsy site. The owner is Julia, from Julia B Jewelry. And, she is an "approved" vender under the PS colored gem SETTING list.
Yes, she's under the setting list, but she also sells stones. We try to streamline the list, so she wouldn't be added twice to the list. Her primary business is as a jewelry designer, she is not a gem dealer.

So, first, here is the etsy listing, with pictures that would not have made me take a second look. It made me a tad nervous that I don't particularly like how it looks in the picture of it between her fingers. I am hoping it will be somewhat darker in a setting, not quite as see through looking. Anyone have any experience with this? Will it be darker in a setting?
You mean that you don't want it to be that light? Basically every stone darkens a little bit when set.

I know I said that I wanted light, but I don't want it to be see through feeling. It makes me worried that it will have too glassy of an appearance. Can spinels actually appear glassy if they are too light? I don't want that. It looks so much darker in the other pics.
Spinels have a high refractive index, so it's not going to look glassy and dead (I think you're talking about being colorless, rather than glassy - glassy connotes a "dead" appearance - not much sparkle). Tourmalines, topaz, quartz tend to look more "glassy" and don't have sparks of fire or rainbows on the facets. Glassy=lack of sparkle.

So, while I wait for my stone to arrive, what can you fellow pricescopers tell me about what you think about it?
It's pretty. I was pleasantly surprised with the gray spinel I bought from Julia.

What should I be looking for when it arrives?
If you like it. Seriously. Its as simple as that.

I did email her a few times. The first time was asking about the cut, and she said it was antique styled, with no design name. It that normal?
Yes. Most stone cuts aren't given names. Some cuts are combinations of different "named" cuts. Step cut pavilions with brilliant cut crowns, concave pavilions with step cut crowns, anything goes.

I also asked about receiving an AGL report, and she did not have a report on this stone, said it was already verified by the cutter that it was spinel........ and that unless it is a stone you are checking for treatment there is not really a need to send it to a lab. So that a report on a spinel is really unnecessary. Do you guys usually buy a report to go with your spinel?
No. You can send it to a lab if you want, but for spinel, especially gray ones, odds are good that it's natural. Gray in gemstones, is not traditionally desirable, so...a simple RI test should reveal that it is spinel, and any jeweler should be able to do that.

I don't know how I am suppose to go about this. I kinda would like some verification about the stone, like are there inclusions?
That's something that you'd have to ask the vendor on look at it with a loupe, and discern that for yourself.

How refractive is it?
It will probably be plenty fiery if that's what you're asking? When spinel is brought to a high polish, it can show lots of rainbows and fire.

Is it a good cut?
Looks nice to me. It's nicely proportioned, looks symmetrical, the facets are nice and chunky. I like it.

I don't even know what a good cut looks like even if it was staring my right in the face, I'm afraid. I guess I am just trying to make sure it is a good purchase. Do I just bring it in to a gem store somewhere and have them glance at it for me?
Hahaha! Sadly, no. If you even have any gem stores near you, I'd be surprised. You haven't mentioned a location, but odds are not good that you'll have a gem store near you. Even if you do, they will probably take it in and they will try to sell you on something of theirs instead. That's typically how these places work, unfortunately. An old local jeweler that I worked with had someone tell me that "all spinels are synthetic" and looked down on every single internet purchase. I didn't patronize that store after that. You can take it to a jewelry store to verify that it's a spinel, and maybe use their loupe, but I wouldn't expect them to be super friendly or accommodating unless you start talking about spending money there.

Basically, I really really really want people to look at these pics and videos and give me opinions and tell me what to do and what to look for when it arrives in a few days.
You need to make sure that you like the color, size and the cut. I'd take pictures and video and post lots of them for us once you get it. We can give you more feedback from that then. The most important piece of information is going to be your verbal description (see below).

One thing you should know is that gray spinels are incredibly difficult to photograph. Sometimes they can look absolutely colorless, and sometimes they can look black - they are temperamental and reflect the environment as well as changing in every single lighting situation. You can expect the stone to look completely black in bright direct lighting. I'd suggest looking at it in all kinds of different lighting situations - work, home, outside, at night, morning sunlight, midday sunlight, sunset sunlight, incandescent light, fluorescent light, etc, and expect it to look different in every single one.

When I bought my big gray OEC spinel from Julia, she sent me an additional like 10 pictures before she told me that it'd be better to just see it in real life and go from there.

So that's what I suggest to you. See it first!

 

[Amistica]

You guys are great, thank you. For me, it was a sort of therapy, typing out my thoughts. I have had a year to pick out what I wanted, and it took this long, with a lot of changing of my mind, going on. I do believe I am happy with what I am going with.

Having never bought jewelry before, especially online, reassurance that I am not wonkers for doing so is just what I needed. I look at this site, and it is a wealth of information, but information that I have never had to put into practice. After purchasing ( and no, it doesn't feel like panic or buyers remorse, she has an awesome 5 day return policy) I just started wondering even more about all these things talked about on ps. Like windows, and blacking out, and "oh, my, what am I doing? I know nothing about gems... sure hope I was as smart about it as I believed!"

So it is nice to hear others think it's pretty, as well I know beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but I am choosing this for a ring I will wear every day, so maybe I was just seeking some compliments... and hoping to learn a thing or two about my stone at the same time!

I will def post pics and vid when I get it, I can't wait.

One last thing. I think it may have sounded, at least from reading responses, that I asked about a report because of wanting to check for authenticity. Julia reacted the same way when asked about reports. I honestly just thought that was what one did when buying gemstones. I am actually surprised it is not. So, just buy from places you have heard good things about tends to be the norm, then? Just wondering. Maybe it's just diamonds where all the reports come in?

Sorry for sounding like a complete noob, but, well, if the shoe fits...

I have a very strong idea of what kind of setting I will want, and would love opinions on it once I am sure this is THE stone for me (fingers crossed, oh boy!). Basically, I want a double claw prong like Boston Jeff's, but maybe a different side (cathedral?) like the Sierra on white flash. We shall see!

Keep any thought and ideas coming, this makes my day having someone to hash this out with.

 

[JewelFreak]

Freke pretty much covered everything. I like it, especially in the 2nd video. The cutting looks okay to me, no criticisms from what I can see in the videos (the pic is no longer up). You don't need a lab report for this; it would be a waste of time & money. Spinels aren't treated & Julia would not sell a synthetic as real.

Freke was exactly right -- it's what you feel when you see it that counts. Look at it under all kinds of different lighting to see if you go for all its various "looks." It will not be as sparkly as a diamond, but you should see sparks from it. I predict you'll love it!

Please put up a ton of photos when it comes!

--- Laurie

 

[velouriaL]

I would get a report if I were spending more than, maybe, $500 on a stone that is commonly treated, synthesized, or simulation. For example, rubies are expensive, rare, treated in all sorts of ways, and lab-created. I would probably get a report on any ruby of value that I bought. But with gray spinel... well, what else would it be? Nothing really else looks like gray spinel. Although there are some rumblings about treated spinels, it's not quite happening yet, as I understand it. It's also not terribly expensive... although demand and therefore price is going up, gray spinel is not widely known or very expensive. Unless the stone is huge, you're paying mostly for cutting labor/what the market bears for something pretty. I'd probably be fine with no report. JMO, YMMV.

Cool stone!!!

 

[T L]

I wouldn't bother getting a lab report on a grey spinel. They usually synthesize other colors, and it's not cost effective to synthesize grey spinels.

 

[Amistica]

O.k., got it on the report. At the time I thought I was just doing my due diligence asking about one! I hope she wasn't too horribly offended when I asked about a report. Oops. Anyways, hopefully this link will show the pics for it.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/352899320773569691/

 

[Amistica]

O.k., got it on the report. At the time I thought I was just doing my due diligence asking about one! I hope she wasn't too horribly offended when I asked about a report. Oops. Anyways, hopefully this link will show the pics for it.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/352899320773569691/

 

[T L]

Since you asked us what we think of it, I will just ask if it is really precision cut from the rough, or a recut of a native cut stone. I think the $695 price tag is very high. You can get grey spinels for much less, but if you love it, then it may be worth it to you. Jeff Davies on ebay also carries grey spinels in full precision cuts, but for around $100 for similar sizes.

 

[woofmama]

I purchased a 2.69ct grey spinel cushion from Jeff Davies several months ago. It was in the high $400 range, I don't remember exactly what it cost. I also purchased a supernova lighter grey spinel from JuliaB a couple of months ago, it's over 2cts but don't recall exactly, it was priced in the high $400's. Both are very interesting stones. I haven't set either yet but plan to soon.

I have read on here that the prices had gone up on these stones. It doesn't surprise me, if you visit jeweler websites black and grey rosecut or rough diamonds are very popular right now, usually set in rose gold with halo's. I'm debating setting one of mine that way.

My stone from JuliaB is beautifully cut. I looked at the one you ordered multiple times. Interested to hear what you think when you get it

 

[FrekeChild]

Since you asked us what we think of it, I will just ask if it is really precision cut from the rough, or a recut of a native cut stone. I think the $695 price tag is very high. You can get grey spinels for much less, but if you love it, then it may be worth it to you. Jeff Davies on ebay also carries grey spinels in full precision cuts, but for around $100 for similar sizes.

TL, they are going up in price quite steeply, unfortunately. I keep my eye out for them, and the last one I was interested in was just over 3cts and the gem dealer (and I) thought it was reasonably priced at $900.

 

[Amistica]

Being new at this, I would not know about when it was cut how, nor do I understand the significance of it, lol! I would need all that explained to me. I really, actually know zip about gems. As far as the price, I dunno. Although finding a stone I loved for 100 would be awesome, I would feel slightly weird using a 100 dollar stone in my engagement ring. I know marking up the value of something so that you feel that the purchase is indeed perhaps that much better is a thing that is subconsciously installed in us in our society, sorta like the whole diamond thing.... but in this instance, it is working on me, cause I just don't think I could use a stone that only cost 100 in an engagement ring. Maybe perhaps hence why some of these grey spinels are being more marketed and targeted as great engagement ring alternatives and therefore, being able to command a little more money. Its a funny little world, isn't it?

 

[FrekeChild]

Being new at this, I would not know about when it was cut how, nor do I understand the significance of it, lol! I would need all that explained to me. I really, actually know zip about gems. As far as the price, I dunno. Although finding a stone I loved for 100 would be awesome, I would feel slightly weird using a 100 dollar stone in my engagement ring. I know marking up the value of something so that you feel that the purchase is indeed perhaps that much better is a thing that is subconsciously installed in us in our society, sorta like the whole diamond thing.... but in this instance, it is working on me, cause I just don't think I could use a stone that only cost 100 in an engagement ring. Maybe perhaps hence why some of these grey spinels are being more marketed and targeted as great engagement ring alternatives and therefore, being able to command a little more money. Its a funny little world, isn't it?

It is, indeed.

My spinel engagement stone cost $180, and was a blue color shift stone, 1.2cts. That was, I dunno, around 5ish years ago? So prices have gone up a bit since then. So, what was almost dirt cheap then would cost quite a bit more now!

Gem prices all around are going up like crazy right now. Sucks.

 

[T L]

Since you asked us what we think of it, I will just ask if it is really precision cut from the rough, or a recut of a native cut stone. I think the $695 price tag is very high. You can get grey spinels for much less, but if you love it, then it may be worth it to you. Jeff Davies on ebay also carries grey spinels in full precision cuts, but for around $100 for similar sizes.

TL, they are going up in price quite steeply, unfortunately. I keep my eye out for them, and the last one I was interested in was just over 3cts and the gem dealer (and I) thought it was reasonably priced at $900.

Prices are all over the place is right. I bought a 2.4 ct pale grey spinel on ebay thinking it was more violet IRL (bad vendor photo) and it was $20. It was well cut, but more of a native cut though. I think grey spinel is a good gem to shop around on, but like I said to the OP, if she really loves the stone, then the price may be worth it.

 

[FrekeChild]

Since you asked us what we think of it, I will just ask if it is really precision cut from the rough, or a recut of a native cut stone. I think the $695 price tag is very high. You can get grey spinels for much less, but if you love it, then it may be worth it to you. Jeff Davies on ebay also carries grey spinels in full precision cuts, but for around $100 for similar sizes.

TL, they are going up in price quite steeply, unfortunately. I keep my eye out for them, and the last one I was interested in was just over 3cts and the gem dealer (and I) thought it was reasonably priced at $900.

Prices are all over the place is right. I bought a 2.4 ct pale grey spinel on ebay thinking it was more violet IRL (bad vendor photo) and it was $20. It was well cut, but more of a native cut though. I think grey spinel is a good gem to shop around on, but like I said to the OP, if she really loves the stone, then the price may be worth it.

Yup. They are kind of hit or miss. I ended up passing on the one I mentioned above, but it was really lovely - elongated cushion, light gray, very well cut (not precision) but ultimately smaller than I wanted. Reputable dealer in the midwest.

Jeff's are a bit hard to read - as I said, photographing gray stones is harder than green or orange stones (which are FAR from easy to photograph!) but I find that his gray stones are always darker in real life than in pictures. But he's pretty reliable for gray availability, and they are typically very nicely cut. The problem is the *saturation/tone* level. I don't know what else to call it, but you know what I mean. I always ask him too many questions, and drive him a little bit nutty. Oops.

I don't remember what the price was on this particular stone, but I find JB's prices to be fair. I keep looking at a gray oval that she has, and remembering that I'd like to set something this decade...

 

[chrono]

My requirements are - for it to be LIGHT GREY in appearance as to make a great diamond substitute for an engagement ring. I want something light toned so that it goes with everything I wear, forever and ever. Next, I want a CUSHION. Preferably more rectangular than square. I also want an ANTIQUE cut (love love love good old golds August). And I was hoping for something in the 2.5 - 3 carat range.
It depends on your expectations. It will never come close to a diamond as it just doesn't have a rainbow coloured dispersion but it is certainly a lot nicer looking than a white sapphire. Light coloured spinels also tend to be very shifty and you will often times get that darkness that you see in the video and photograph. Are you okay with that?

I saw what I think I could settle on and love, on an etsy site. The owner is Julia, from Julia B Jewelry. And, she is an "approved" vender under the PS colored gem SETTING list.
"Approved" only means that several PSers have had a good experience with the vendors on the list. There are some that I would never buy from even though they are on the list. Also, some vendors happen to fall into 2 or more categories in that list but in the interest of keeping the list streamlined, they are only listed once.

So, first, here is the etsy listing, with pictures that would not have made me take a second look. It made me a tad nervous that I don't particularly like how it looks in the picture of it between her fingers. I am hoping it will be somewhat darker in a setting, not quite as see through looking. Anyone have any experience with this? Will it be darker in a setting? I know I said that I wanted light, but I don't want it to be see through feeling. It makes me worried that it will have too glassy of an appearance. Can spinels actually appear glassy if they are too light? I don't want that. It looks so much darker in the other pics.
What is your concern with "how it looks between her fingers"? It will look like that at times. The vendor is being honest and upfront with how the stone looks. What do you mean by "see through looking"? I think there will be some areas where there is potential for you to see through the stone at times due to the chunky faceting, but it would be a small area of the stone at times and at certain angles only. It doesn't appear glassy in the video but I think it will look far more subdued indoors under halogen and fluorescent lighting. It's great that she showed the stone under various lighting in the video and it shows what I would expect. The spinel looks its best under strong natural diffused light (very bright and sparkly) and it becomes much darker and grayer when indoors. It also shows obstruction shadowing (the darkness or blackness) easily due to its light tone.

So, while I wait for my stone to arrive, what can you fellow pricescopers tell me about what you think about it? What should I be looking for when it arrives? I did email her a few times. The first time was asking about the cut, and she said it was antique styled, with no design name. It that normal?
Most coloured stones do not have a design because there are thousands of designs, hundreds just for a simple round shaped stone. It isn't really an antique design, per se, only that the faceting is chunkier, reminiscent of one.

I also asked about receiving an AGL report, and she did not have a report on this stone, said it was already verified by the cutter that it was spinel........ and that unless it is a stone you are checking for treatment there is not really a need to send it to a lab. So that a report on a spinel is really unnecessary. Do you guys usually buy a report to go with your spinel?
Most spinels are untreated and do not have many simulants. Based on the colouration, it is unlikely to be synthetic as well. At this point, all you need is only verification that it is indeed a spinel and a simple RI test takes care of that. The only time when I would get a lab report for spinel are for higher ticket items where the likelihood of treatment and synthetic is greater, such as top blue, top pink and top reds.

I don't know how I am suppose to go about this. I kinda would like some verification about the stone, like are there inclusions? How refractive is it? Is it a good cut? I don't even know what a good cut looks like even if it was staring my right in the face, I'm afraid. I guess I am just trying to make sure it is a good purchase. Do I just bring it in to a gem store somewhere and have them glance at it for me? Basically, I really really really want people to look at these pics and videos and give me opinions and tell me what to do and what to look for when it arrives in a few days.
Preference for cut style is personal. Although I like antique and chunky, this particular spinel doesn't appeal to me; I prefer a different antique cut design for spinel. However, given that you have a pretty tight requirement for size and colour, this might be the right stone for you. RI will be the same across the board for spinel and they are nice looking stones. It should be eye clean, as seen in the pictures and video.

I also asked for the second video because I wanted to see what it looked like indoors, but the video doesn't look dark enough to get an idea what it would look like under just house lights, so I will check that out when it gets here.

I thank everyone in advance for helping me feel more comfortable and informed about a first, and very important, purchase. Much appreciated!

 

[chrono]

Being new at this, I would not know about when it was cut how, nor do I understand the significance of it, lol! I would need all that explained to me. I really, actually know zip about gems. As far as the price, I dunno. Although finding a stone I loved for 100 would be awesome, I would feel slightly weird using a 100 dollar stone in my engagement ring. I know marking up the value of something so that you feel that the purchase is indeed perhaps that much better is a thing that is subconsciously installed in us in our society, sorta like the whole diamond thing.... but in this instance, it is working on me, cause I just don't think I could use a stone that only cost 100 in an engagement ring. Maybe perhaps hence why some of these grey spinels are being more marketed and targeted as great engagement ring alternatives and therefore, being able to command a little more money. Its a funny little world, isn't it?

You like what you like and if you happen to love a colour that most don't (which pricing would be based on market demand), then it is to your benefit that it costs less.

 

[JewelFreak]

I don't know what your budget is, but Gary Braun has a lovely lavender-gray spinel on his site, 3.76 ct, for 1500. It won't last long. I've been very tempted to snap it up myself, but if I'm EVER going to get anything set, I have to cool it.

http://www.finewatergems.com/spinel.html

 

[T L]

I don't know what your budget is, but Gary Braun has a lovely lavender-gray spinel on his site, 3.76 ct, for 1500. It won't last long. I've been very tempted to snap it up myself, but if I'm EVER going to get anything set, I have to cool it.

http://www.finewatergems.com/spinel.html

One should note that this gem is not precision cut though.

I highly suggest searching ebay for grey spinels.

They can be found with the search terms, "titanium or silver or grey or gray" in front of the word spinel.

 

[Amistica]

Chrono - my concern with how it looked between her fingers was just that I thought I read somewhere on here that placing the gem on your hand gives a true sense of what the gem would look like on you, so to always ask to see a hand shot. I just thought it looked a little see through to the skin, and I didn't know if that was to be expected or not. That's why I wondered if it was too light for me. Plus, it didn't seem to have the sparkle that was in the video, but then, of course it is only a pic, which can only do so much. That's why I asked questions here, to learn what to look for, and how, so I just feel a bit more educated about trying to put together a ring for the first time : )

My tight requirements are only what I imagine in my head, having never seen a spinel IRL, and so I am open to other suggestions . The trouble is, I have a hard time envisioning what others already know. Like size. The one that is coming in the mail says 2 carat, 7.5 mm x 7.5mm. Having never worn jewelry, I've been cutting out little pieces of paper and sticking it on top of my finger to try and envision that, lol.

The other day I went to some mall jewelry stores, asking to see what they had that was 7.5 mm X 7.5 mm that weighed roughly 2 carats (since spinel and diamond are relatively close for weight and for ease of trying to get them to understand) to get a better sense of a rock on a setting, and how it felt on my finger, but they looked at me like I was crazy. And when I told them I wanted a spinel (because of course they were like "don't you want a diamond?!" as if there was something seriously wrong with me) - the reaction at each store, save one salesman at one store, was "what's a spinel?". So they were very unhelpful, as they kept trying to throw sales pitches on me and trying to get me to want a diamond, and telling me I was crazy ordering online "but what if something BREAKS!?" - uhm, I'd get it fixed..... It was a really unenjoyable time and I walked away having learnt nothing.

 

[FrekeChild]

I don't know what your budget is, but Gary Braun has a lovely lavender-gray spinel on his site, 3.76 ct, for 1500. It won't last long. I've been very tempted to snap it up myself, but if I'm EVER going to get anything set, I have to cool it.

http://www.finewatergems.com/spinel.html

One should note that this gem is not precision cut though.

I highly suggest searching ebay for grey spinels.

They can be found with the search terms, "titanium or silver or grey or gray" in front of the word spinel.

Gary recut it....

Found on my October 2013 trip to Mandalay, this fine spinel was recut to better proportions and resulted in this beautiful lavender-gray gemstone. A perfectly calibrated size for easy setting. Clean, bright, and unusual.

 

[T L]

I don't know what your budget is, but Gary Braun has a lovely lavender-gray spinel on his site, 3.76 ct, for 1500. It won't last long. I've been very tempted to snap it up myself, but if I'm EVER going to get anything set, I have to cool it.

http://www.finewatergems.com/spinel.html

One should note that this gem is not precision cut though.

I highly suggest searching ebay for grey spinels.

They can be found with the search terms, "titanium or silver or grey or gray" in front of the word spinel.

Gary recut it....

Found on my October 2013 trip to Mandalay, this fine spinel was recut to better proportions and resulted in this beautiful lavender-gray gemstone. A perfectly calibrated size for easy setting. Clean, bright, and unusual.

Yes, but a recut isn't necessarily a full precision cut. Closing a window or making a few facet changes doesn't make it a precision cut, does it? Did he perform a full recut on it?????

 

[chrono]

Unfortunately, I agree with you this particular cut design isn't forgiving with this spinel and being so very light in tone just exacerbates it. It could be that you won't be bothered by this when you see it in person or you might. In the video, the stone is held up by the ring holder and was in sufficiently strong lighting so it reflected metal back. There will be many times when you will not be in the ideal light condition and that's when there will be far less sparkly and flashy, so the colour is all there is aka hand shot and other static photographs. Perhaps it is best for you to see several spinels in person to see how they behave. They are incredibly shifty and sometimes behave in unexpected ways.

Forget about carat weight for now because the size will be dependent on cut. Absolutely forget about the word spinel when talking to most brick and mortar places unless you want them to stare at you like you just sprouted a second head. Draw out 7.5 x 7.5 mm on a sheet of paper, cut it out and there you go! (Which is what you've already done).

 

[chrono]

I agree that the Finewater gray spinel was tweaked to fix major issues but it's not precision cut in my book. There is little symmetry of faceting and pattern.

 

[FrekeChild]

Chrono - my concern with how it looked between her fingers was just that I thought I read somewhere on here that placing the gem on your hand gives a true sense of what the gem would look like on you, so to always ask to see a hand shot. I just thought it looked a little see through to the skin, and I didn't know if that was to be expected or not. That's why I wondered if it was too light for me. Plus, it didn't seem to have the sparkle that was in the video, but then, of course it is only a pic, which can only do so much. That's why I asked questions here, to learn what to look for, and how, so I just feel a bit more educated about trying to put together a ring for the first time : )

My tight requirements are only what I imagine in my head, having never seen a spinel IRL, and so I am open to other suggestions . The trouble is, I have a hard time envisioning what others already know. Like size. The one that is coming in the mail says 2 carat, 7.5 mm x 7.5mm. Having never worn jewelry, I've been cutting out little pieces of paper and sticking it on top of my finger to try and envision that, lol.

The other day I went to some mall jewelry stores, asking to see what they had that was 7.5 mm X 7.5 mm that weighed roughly 2 carats (since spinel and diamond are relatively close for weight and for ease of trying to get them to understand) to get a better sense of a rock on a setting, and how it felt on my finger, but they looked at me like I was crazy. And when I told them I wanted a spinel (because of course they were like "don't you want a diamond?!" as if there was something seriously wrong with me) - the reaction at each store, save one salesman at one store, was "what's a spinel?". So they were very unhelpful, as they kept trying to throw sales pitches on me and trying to get me to want a diamond, and telling me I was crazy ordering online "but what if something BREAKS!?" - uhm, I'd get it fixed..... It was a really unenjoyable time and I walked away having learnt nothing.

Sadly, I'm not surprised at your experience. Mine was similar when I went into a few stores talking about colored stones.

When I moved, I went into a mom & pop store here and encountered some "What's spinel?" action from the sales people, and from the owners I got, "We haven't seen spinels in YEARS." THAT changed in short order, seeing as how they have since seen at least 15 of mine. Lol.

I'm a bit confused about the color of stone you're looking for, because you said you want a light gray, but you keep talking about this stone being too light?

Also, do you mean "see through" as in "colorless"? As in, whiteish like a colorless diamond? Or something else?

 

[chrono]

I am making assumptions here but I think the OP wants a diamond alternative, colourless and dispersive but also with minimal to no tilt window, which she has described as too light or see though.

 

[FrekeChild]

I agree that the Finewater gray spinel was tweaked to fix major issues but it's not precision cut in my book. There is so symmetry of faceting and pattern.

Have you seen it before the recut?

Ok, so this brings up a point - when does a stone become precision cut? If you've seen Jean-Noel Soni's stones, they typically have very little symmetry at all....but I absolutely consider him to be a precision cutter, in fact, one of the best out there. Jerry Newman recut my Mahenge spinel, but only the pavilion, the crown was untouched. I consider it to be precision cut. So, where is that line?

The Finewater spinel isn't gray enough for me, so I wouldn't consider it.

 

[FrekeChild]

I am making assumptions here but I think the OP wants a diamond alternative, colourless and dispersive but also with minimal to no tilt window, which she has described as too light or see though.

That's not what it sounds like to me. It sounds to me like she's not looking for colorless at all, and WANTS the gray body color. I'm guessing a light-medium to medium gray, since she has mentioned above being concerned about some of the pictures of the Julia stone being "too light".