Mastercut gems rocktober sale!

[chatoyancy]

Thoughts on this spinel? Would it be too dark when set?

I think it’s lovely. I have have heard that putting a halo around a stone will make it look darker, so I wouldn’t do that.

 

[chatoyancy]

So, new items have been added to the sale... I have now officially spent the bling budget for the year in the past two weeks! (I have a bigger purchase in the works too )

Picked up the following as well, now I have to stop . 1.83ct unheated tanzanite, 1.23ct mahenge garnet.

I have been eyeing that tanzanite for a while. It looks so pretty! What do you want to do with it?

 

[chatoyancy]

I picked up a few stones, waiting for them to be shipped to me still! My cousin is having her first baby in January so in particular I've been hunting for red garnets for her. Then of course I saw some other stones that caught my eyes I was really tempted to buy one of the star sapphires but had to contain myself. Now to figure out how I'm going to use these!

3.26ct Nigerian Red Spessartite

3.62 Rhodesian Rhodolite

1.74ct Afghanistan Tourmaline

4.77ct Pakistan Peridot Pair

.875 and .625 Ruby pairs

You picked up a lot of lovelies! That’s sweet of you to buy stones for your sister. That Afghan tourmaline looks almost identical to the one I bought from Mastercut gems a little over a year ago.

 

[Stone Hunter]

I hope the tanzanite is close to the pictures, I know it's not the industry favoured colour, but I prefer the "peacock" sort of colouring of the unheated stones.

Dana's description of the garnet is that the colour is "vivid pink", so I'm curious what colour it is IRL. There was a hand shot in the original listing that looked more pink.

As for finding the new listings, I've been doing the same as you! They seem to be in reverse order of the Gem ID number, so unless they are completely new to the site they show up in random order. I haven't found any other way to sort the listings, unfortunately!

I think the “hand shots” look closer to the color I see when I look at Dana’s stones in person. Just my opinion. HTH

 

[clumberlove]

I have been eyeing that tanzanite for a while. It looks so pretty! What do you want to do with it?

I'm thinking a ring for the tanzanite, it's so pretty I want to look at it! I know they're a bit soft for regular wear so I might do a halo to give it some protection. Need to save up for a while though, so I'll have time to think about it.

 

[Chasiu]

I almost bought that tourmaline, but I had to restrain myself! It was in my cart for a while. It is a dangerous sale they are having . I'm sure your friend will love that garnet, fingers crossed the baby arrives in January! Otherwise I guess you'll just have to keep it and do some more gem shopping

Oh no, I'll just have to shop some more

You picked up a lot of lovelies! That’s sweet of you to buy stones for your sister. That Afghan tourmaline looks almost identical to the one I bought from Mastercut gems a little over a year ago.

I have a couple other tiny tourmalines from Mastercut, I'm hoping that one of them is close in color to this larger one so I can maybe make a necklace or ring out of them!

Can't wait until they arrive tomorrow

 

[strawrose]

I need to stop browsing pricescope. I recently bought blue zircon earrings... argh

Of course, I don’t mind the inclusions. The real question is if it’s safe enough to set into a pendant?

Oh well, it’s mine.

 

[chatoyancy]

I'm thinking a ring for the tanzanite, it's so pretty I want to look at it! I know they're a bit soft for regular wear so I might do a halo to give it some protection. Need to save up for a while though, so I'll have time to think about it.

I have a heated tanzanite in a ring. I’m just careful about when and where I wear it. I love it. My mom gave it to me. My husband gave me a pendant with a diamond and tanzanite as a push present. I love it, but I can’t see it when I’m wearing it. I think a ring is a great idea. Your lovely garnet looks a lot like a red zircon.

 

[chatoyancy]

Oh no, I'll just have to shop some more



I have a couple other tiny tourmalines from Mastercut, I'm hoping that one of them is close in color to this larger one so I can maybe make a necklace or ring out of them!

Can't wait until they arrive tomorrow

That will be pretty. Show and tell when you get them!

 

[PreRaphaelite]

Ack! I've never bought colored stones before but these are so pretty. What do you all think? $89 for Pinky Orangy sapphires, 3mm

 

[Hivona]

These are the 3 gems I purchased shown in different crummy light through out my apartment. Orange garnet, purple spinel, silvery/mint tourmaline. The garnet & tourmaline I had been watching since spring time! The spinel was an impulse purchase but I really like it. It has a traditional faceted pavilion but a smooth buff top! Overall, I’m really happy with these gems! I find Dana’s photos some of the best for showing what a gem looks like in real life as opposed to perfect glamour shots. These gems look pretty much exactly as the website photos.

 

[MidModMin]

@Hivona I like the garnet! The cut looks really nice. I eyed a few for a long time but didn't end up pulling the trigger and bought a gray spinel instead.

Is it straight orange or the garnet that was described as the "unusual color" garnet from Umba Valley?

 

[Hivona]

@Hivona I like the garnet! The cut looks really nice. I eyed a few for a long time but didn't end up pulling the trigger and bought a gray spinel instead.

Is it straight orange or the garnet that was described as the "unusual color" garnet from Umba Valley?

It was the one described as unusual color. It is quite orange but maybe a brown modifier. I’m still not very good at modifiers. It is really sparkly and bright. For comparison here is another garnet I recently purchased from another vendor that is orangy but darker tone I think. The smaller one is the master cut gem. I might like it better because it’s brighter.

 

[chatoyancy]

Ack! I've never bought colored stones before but these are so pretty. What do you all think? $89 for Pinky Orangy sapphires, 3mm

Those are very pretty. Are you going to have a bracelet made?

 

[chatoyancy]

These are the 3 gems I purchased shown in different crummy light through out my apartment. Orange garnet, purple spinel, silvery/mint tourmaline. The garnet & tourmaline I had been watching since spring time! The spinel was an impulse purchase but I really like it. It has a traditional faceted pavilion but a smooth buff top! Overall, I’m really happy with these gems! I find Dana’s photos some of the best for showing what a gem looks like in real life as opposed to perfect glamour shots. These gems look pretty much exactly as the website photos.

These are pretty. I love the colors. I find Dana’s photos accurate as well.

 

[Stone Hunter]

It was the one described as unusual color. It is quite orange but maybe a brown modifier. I’m still not very good at modifiers. It is really sparkly and bright. For comparison here is another garnet I recently purchased from another vendor that is orangy but darker tone I think. The smaller one is the master cut gem. I might like it better because it’s brighter.

Those would be nice in a pendant with diamonds....

 

[Arcadian]

I need to stop browsing pricescope. I recently bought blue zircon earrings... argh

Of course, I don’t mind the inclusions. The real question is if it’s safe enough to set into a pendant?

Oh well, it’s mine.

As a pendant? Absolutely! I think it would be really lovely as a pendant!

 

[PreRaphaelite]

Those are very pretty. Are you going to have a bracelet made?

No idea!

 

[chatoyancy]

I need to stop browsing pricescope. I recently bought blue zircon earrings... argh

Of course, I don’t mind the inclusions. The real question is if it’s safe enough to set into a pendant?

Oh well, it’s mine.

I love your jolly rancher!

 

[strawrose]

Thanks you two! It’s my first purchase from a stone vendor.

 

[chatoyancy]

Thanks you two! It’s my first purchase from a stone vendor.

It’s lovely. Rubellites are so difficult to find these days. Dana always has cool gems no one else has.

 

[MidModMin]

@Hivona Very pretty! I like the cut of it a lot. It does look very bright and I agree that those would make for a very pretty pendant.

 

[clumberlove]

They have arrived! Along with a gift from Dana

Top to bottom :
Mahenge garnet 1.23ct 6.1mm
Unheated tanzanite 1.83ct 7.5mm
Tourmaline (gift!) 1.79ct 9.5 x 7mm
Star sapphire 11.35ct 12 x 11.2mm
Electric Swiss topaz 8.14ct 10 x 14mm

 

[lovedogs]

They have arrived! Along with a gift from Dana

Top to bottom :
Mahenge garnet 1.23ct 6.1mm
Unheated tanzanite 1.83ct 7.5mm
Tourmaline (gift!) 1.79ct 9.5 x 7mm
Star sapphire 11.35ct 12 x 11.2mm
Electric Swiss topaz 8.14ct 10 x 14mm

Beautiful!!! I was totally eyeing the electric blue topaz. Love all of them!

 

[strawrose]

They have arrived! Along with a gift from Dana

Top to bottom :
Mahenge garnet 1.23ct 6.1mm
Unheated tanzanite 1.83ct 7.5mm
Tourmaline (gift!) 1.79ct 9.5 x 7mm
Star sapphire 11.35ct 12 x 11.2mm
Electric Swiss topaz 8.14ct 10 x 14mm

Now I’m excited! They look just as pretty as in their pictures.

 

[clumberlove]

Now I’m excited! They look just as pretty as in their pictures.

Yes, I think Dana's pictures are pretty accurate. I'm officially on a stone buying ban now until I get this lot set!

 

[chatoyancy]

They have arrived! Along with a gift from Dana

Top to bottom :
Mahenge garnet 1.23ct 6.1mm
Unheated tanzanite 1.83ct 7.5mm
Tourmaline (gift!) 1.79ct 9.5 x 7mm
Star sapphire 11.35ct 12 x 11.2mm
Electric Swiss topaz 8.14ct 10 x 14mm

Those are all so pretty!! The unheated tanzanite is my favorite.

 

[Vogue]

My final haul, followed by a question:



Amethyst, tourmaline, and blue zircon. The tourmaline is a lot more red than the photos suggested, and looks pretty dark under incandescent light, so I'll be sending it back. The zircon is perfect and will make a wonderful gift! As for the amethyst...I'm torn.





As you can (probably?) see, there's a fairly significant inclusion on the bottom. This was fairly represented in both the photos and the gem description, but I felt I needed to see it for myself. Now I've seen it, and I'm wondering, can it be covered by a bezel? The color is everything I wanted and more, I'm a big fan of the shape and cut, and the clarity is lovely. It was also pretty darn cheap ($119 for nearly 6 carats--you get what you pay for!). I've been coveting a dramatic ring set in something like CVB ID's "Isadora" style. If the inclusions can be covered up, this would be perfect. If they can't, I'll never be able to un-see them.

What do PSers think?

Edit: Although I took another look at the tourmaline, and all of a sudden thought, "It looks like a rose!" And my thinking changed completely? Does that ever happen to you??

 

[strawrose]

My final haul, followed by a question:



Amethyst, tourmaline, and blue zircon. The tourmaline is a lot more red than the photos suggested, and looks pretty dark under incandescent light, so I'll be sending it back. The zircon is perfect and will make a wonderful gift! As for the amethyst...I'm torn.





As you can (probably?) see, there's a fairly significant inclusion on the bottom. This was fairly represented in both the photos and the gem description, but I felt I needed to see it for myself. Now I've seen it, and I'm wondering, can it be covered by a bezel? The color is everything I wanted and more, I'm a big fan of the shape and cut, and the clarity is lovely. It was also pretty darn cheap ($119 for nearly 6 carats--you get what you pay for!). I've been coveting a dramatic ring set in something like CVB ID's "Isadora" style. If the inclusions can be covered up, this would be perfect. If they can't, I'll never be able to un-see them.

What do PSers think?

Edit: Although I took another look at the tourmaline, and all of a sudden thought, "It looks like a rose!" And my thinking changed completely? Does that ever happen to you??

They are very pretty. Haha... I get that feeling after cleaning dirty jewelry. “Was this always this ugly? ... never mind.”

I’m currently dealing with USPS misplacing packages...

 

[MissyBeaucoup]

@Vogue I love your tourmaline. I’m glad the deep rose color spoke to you in a different light. I think tourmalines like sunlight. Enjoy your new finds!