Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a friend

[Coralfish]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

It's fun and harmless discussing this Sea but it really all is moot till you see your gemmologist on Saturday. Hopefully they are not charging you, as regardless of the outcome, as you are so attached to the provenance of this stone (understandably for sentimental reasons) then for total peace of mind beyond what any of us or even your GG can tell you, you are best off sending it to AGL for their ? $60 gem brief.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gia-misses-synthetic-alexandrite.175798/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gia-misses-synthetic-alexandrite.175798/[/URL]

Edited to say: just realised your carat size exceeds the 2.99 limit for alex for the gem brief. You will have to pay $140 plus shipping both ways. As some others are hinting it may be a waste of your money, but from your posts I don't think you will be able to put the matter psychologically to rest till you have 100% certainty

http://aglgemlab.com/pricelist/

 

[deskjockey]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

Where are you located? If you are located anywhere near NYC or Southern CA you might really consider having AGL or GIA look it over. RI will not differentiate synthetic from real.

But it could tell if it was corundum vs alex, right?

If the ring is 50 years old, I think a synthetic makes a lot of sense, wasn't it quite popular at that time?

Whatever it is I think real alexandrite would be out of the question - a piece that large would have been considered super valuable and a museum piece, even 50 years ago.

My vote is for manmade corundum.

 

[ennui]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

I also have 2 smaller stones that my grandpa faceted at some point in time prior to 2000 when he passed at age 97... I'm thinking they may be from India because the color is much lighter - almost a mint green in daylight and they turn to a very distint light pink (almost like a rose quartz with perfect pink color) in incandescent light. I figured I'll have him look at these, too... One is 1.85 ct and the other is 3.65ct

There is a gemstone called diaspore that changes color from pink to green.

 

[seababyisu]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

It's fun and harmless discussing this Sea but it really all is moot till you see your gemmologist on Saturday. Hopefully they are not charging you, as regardless of the outcome, as you are so attached to the provenance of this stone (understandably for sentimental reasons) then for total peace of mind beyond what any of us or even your GG can tell you, you are best off sending it to AGL for their ? $60 gem brief.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gia-misses-synthetic-alexandrite.175798/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gia-misses-synthetic-alexandrite.175798/[/URL]

Edited to say: just realised your carat size exceeds the 2.99 limit for alex for the gem brief. You will have to pay $140 plus shipping both ways. As some others are hinting it may be a waste of your money, but from your posts I don't think you will be able to put the matter psychologically to rest till you have 100% certainty

http://aglgemlab.com/pricelist/

Thanks, I appreciate the information... and yes, it may be worth it just so I can sleep again at night... I hated this ring as a child and I'm despising it a bit right now as an adult, too! LOL!

 

[seababyisu]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

I also have 2 smaller stones that my grandpa faceted at some point in time prior to 2000 when he passed at age 97... I'm thinking they may be from India because the color is much lighter - almost a mint green in daylight and they turn to a very distint light pink (almost like a rose quartz with perfect pink color) in incandescent light. I figured I'll have him look at these, too... One is 1.85 ct and the other is 3.65ct

There is a gemstone called diaspore that changes color from pink to green.

These are light purplish in fluorescent light, green in daylight, and pink in incandesent lighting

 

[pyramid]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

Would be good of course if it were real but seems the size alone means it can't be.

 

[Cognition]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

dude.. you keep "asking" questions to argue that your alex is natural. I know you really want to hear: congrats, you may possess millions dollar alex"

Unfortunately, you don't. if you are lucky, yours is this kind:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/227001192/alexandrite-nicholas-cultured

As I said before, there is a 0.0001% chance that your alex is natural. send it to AGL or Gubelin!!!

 

[PieAreSquared]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

Here's why it is almost assured to be vanadium doped synthetic corundum.

1. Alexandrite are naturally not large stones. 5 ct is already unusually large. 16 ct is unheard of. It means that the original material would like be nearly 50 ct! If something this large were found, you can bet it would have been huge news in the past, and is likely to still be talked about today.

2. Eye clean clarity. Again, alexandrite is typically not very clean. The larger it is, the less likely it is to be very clean. Add to the fact that you have a 16 ct eye clean alexandrite, makes it even more likely to be synthetic.

3. Perfect colouration and perfect change. This says it all. Even the most famous alexandrite isn't this big and doesn't have colouration like this and change like this. The only reason it looks so is because the pictures have been doctored up somewhat the same way FCD pictures are made to look more saturated and purer in hue for magazines.

4. The 50 year age is when synthetics were aplenty for alexandrite.

Ditto on all the above points. I've seen too many "old" super huge "alexandrites" in antique shops priced at <$100 to be a believer! Hope I'm wrong for your sake.

 

[iLander]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

If it's easy for AGL to tell it's a synthetic, they'll sometimes call you and save you the money.

They did that for me with a ruby that was removed from an 1880's piece of jewelry. So, yes, synthetics have been around FOREVER.

 

[katharath]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

Sorry for the pile on - it's just that being on these boards, we see an unbelievable amount of posts from people who come on with a scenario *exactly* like this. They are always hopeful that that they have a huge, natural, uncommonly clean, full color change alexandrite. In all of the posts I've seen personally (and although I've only been a member for 2+ years, I've see these posts quite often), I've never once seen any of these people actually have a big, natural alex. Literally never.

It would be lovely if yours was the first one, but it's incredibly unlikely. Good luck, hope you are able to satisfy your curiosity!

 

[partgypsy]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

I think at this point you have convinced yourself, and even probably what the gemologist says won't change your mind. For your peace of mind you should send it for a gem brief, where they have all the tools necessary to ID it.

 

[pyramid]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

It will be good when you hear what the gemologist tells you tomorrow but only the lab report is worth anything. I remember reading about a man who found an alexandrite in a part of his house he was demolishing inside the wall. Can't remember if it was on this board. I remember him getting all the same replies you have here. I really wondered as it was inside a wall and kind of hoped although never knew him that it would be real. He sent it to a lab and later posted that it was synthetic. Apparently a lot of them were made that way. We see a lot on this board finding antique rings with synthetic sapphire side stones and a few have posted large rubies which were synthetic in the end - so that was a common thing too.

 

[Marlow]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

What did the gemologist say???

Think we are still interested?

 

[jordyonbass]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

What did the gemologist say???

Think we are still interested?

+1

I'm watching keenly!!!

 

[ennui]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

+1 here, too.

 

[Marlow]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

What did the gemologist say???

Think we are still interested?

+1

I'm watching keenly!!!

Your avatar picture...

-Is it your tongue?? AUA

-Tongue of the cat ? ( bäah)

-How to survive in Australia?

or finally

who won??

 

[jordyonbass]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

What did the gemologist say???

Think we are still interested?

+1

I'm watching keenly!!!

Your avatar picture...

-Is it your tongue?? AUA

-Tongue of the cat ? ( bäah)

-How to survive in Australia?

or finally

who won??

Hahaha!! Fighting over a piece of lamb with the cat, he won and got the feed. Just part of Aussie lifestyle, competition with animals to survive

 

[Marlow]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

But you are not very successful.... - Honestly the cat is not a really big one...

Think the OP is now really rich!!!

 

[jordyonbass]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

I know he's only little Marlow, but he's the tough one out of my 2 cats. The bigger one is 14lb and gets his bum kicked all the time!

I agree, where is seababy? Rushing out to get an insurance policy and a security deposit box hopefully

 

[millniece_pinto]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

Alexandrite is a rare gemstone and having one that is 16 carat is even rarer; they are most commonly available in 2 carats or less.
To know if your stone is genuine, you can actually test the stone's colour- in daylight is will appear green and under incandescent light it will turn purplish-red.
If you do give it to an expert for certification, they will verify its authenticity by checking for inclusions etc under magnification; no drilling involved.

 

[LD]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

Duplicate

 

[LD]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

Alexandrite is a rare gemstone and having one that is 16 carat is even rarer; they are most commonly available in 2 carats or less.
To know if your stone is genuine, you can actually test the stone's colour- in daylight is will appear green and under incandescent light it will turn purplish-red.
If you do give it to an expert for certification, they will verify its authenticity by checking for inclusions etc under magnification; no drilling involved.

Sorry but this test doesn't prove anything. There are a number of gemstones that change colour in this colourway eg sapphire, garnet etc. "Genuine" cannot be tested by a colour change. Synthetic gemstones sometimes have the most wonderful colour change and they're not "genuine".

 

[LD]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

I think it is vanadium doped synthetic corundum - sorry!

100% correct. I'm afraid that your stone is highly unlikely to be an Alexandrite for the following reasons:

- You've described the stone as "aqua blue" in some lights in your first post. Alexandrite is NEVER EVER this colour.

- You've shown a daylight photo with a flame showing the colour change. This would be incredibly difficult for an Alex to do as what you've got there is mixed lighting. So this is another clue that your stone doesn't react correctly.

- The size and clarity make it almost certainly NOT an Alexandrite (sorry). Alex is a type II stone which means you should expect some inclusions. For a stone that size to be almost flawless it would represent one of the world's best finds in Alex terms.

If you get a chance, please read the post that I made a few years ago about whether you have an Alex or not. It might help shed some light.

Please be aware that tests done by a gemologist (other than at a lab) may not be sufficient to tell whether a stone is natural or not. I had one Alex that I was positive was synthetic. Each test I ran on it was the same as a natural Alex but I still had a feeling it was "wrong". I gave it to a gemologist friend who said it was natural (after running tests) but she trusted my instinct and so we sent it to a lab and sure enough it was a (very good) synthetic.

Of course, if you want absolutely clarity as to what it is, if you're in the US, please send to AGL for a lab report.

 

[seababyisu]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

What did the gemologist say???

Think we are still interested?

Well, good news and bad news... the bad news is that the giant stone in the ring is not alexandrite. It's almost certainly untreated color-change sapphire (I can live with that,) according to a GIA certified gemologist who examined it earlier this week. The good news is, I have two brilliant round-cut stones that were confirmed to be the real deal, natural alexandrite with a strong color change from a mint-green in daylight to a very pure baby pink (almost like a flawless rose quartz with intense color) in incandescent light. One stone was determined to be 3.61 ct and the other, 1.85 ct. My paternal grandpa faceted them (not sure at what point in his career) but he passed in 2001. I guess now I need to find a good auction or something for them...

Thank you to all of the enthusiasts who offered constructive advice and opinions. I see only a few were bordering on rude or snarky... It warms my heart to see so many other gem and rock enthusiast out there, as my dad was a very passionate gemologist before his passing in 1997. If he'd still been alive, he would have been able to put my curiosities about my mother's ring to rest for sure.

For any other interested parties, I have several other gemstones and various minerals/rocks that I am trying to have identified. They are mostly all smaller in size (5-6 ct or smaller) and have been mixed up over the years and missing the labels my grandfather had put on them. Some are topaz, sapphire, emerald, ruby, garnet, aquamarine, peridot, smoky quartz, amethyst, obsidian, turquoise, and God knows what else... and I found a loose label for padparadscha... but I have no idea if that stone is admidst the others.

 

[LD]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

What did the gemologist say???

Think we are still interested?

Well, good news and bad news... the bad news is that the giant stone in the ring is not alexandrite. It's almost certainly untreated color-change sapphire (I can live with that,) according to a GIA certified gemologist who examined it earlier this week. The good news is, I have two brilliant round-cut stones that were confirmed to be the real deal, natural alexandrite with a strong color change from a mint-green in daylight to a very pure baby pink (almost like a flawless rose quartz with intense color) in incandescent light. One stone was determined to be 3.61 ct and the other, 1.85 ct. My paternal grandpa faceted them (not sure at what point in his career) but he passed in 2001. I guess now I need to find a good auction or something for them...

Thank you to all of the enthusiasts who offered constructive advice and opinions. I see only a few were bordering on rude or snarky... It warms my heart to see so many other gem and rock enthusiast out there, as my dad was a very passionate gemologist before his passing in 1997. If he'd still been alive, he would have been able to put my curiosities about my mother's ring to rest for sure.

For any other interested parties, I have several other gemstones and various minerals/rocks that I am trying to have identified. They are mostly all smaller in size (5-6 ct or smaller) and have been mixed up over the years and missing the labels my grandfather had put on them. Some are topaz, sapphire, emerald, ruby, garnet, aquamarine, peridot, smoky quartz, amethyst, obsidian, turquoise, and God knows what else... and I found a loose label for padparadscha... but I have no idea if that stone is admidst the others.

Sounds like you've potentially got some lovely stones there. I'm sure if you post them, we can give you a "gut feel" ID on most of them to give you a head start - but of course it'll only be a gut feel because testing really is the only way to go. The Padparadscha should be an easy spot amongst them.

A word of caution though - stones (unless high end) very rarely can be sold for what you would buy them for. The re-sale value of most stones is heartbreakingly low Having said that I'm sure you're attached to some of them because of the connection to your Dad and you might not want to sell anyway.

 

[pyramid]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

Thank you for coming back to tell us seababyisu. I was hoping all the remarks didn't put you off. Great that you have two alexandrites and at least you know now about the 16 carat, it must still have a some value too being sapphire.

 

[Marlow]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

What did the gemologist say???

Think we are still interested?

Well, good news and bad news... the bad news is that the giant stone in the ring is not alexandrite. It's almost certainly untreated color-change sapphire (I can live with that,) according to a GIA certified gemologist who examined it earlier this week. The good news is, I have two brilliant round-cut stones that were confirmed to be the real deal, natural alexandrite with a strong color change from a mint-green in daylight to a very pure baby pink (almost like a flawless rose quartz with intense color) in incandescent light. One stone was determined to be 3.61 ct and the other, 1.85 ct. My paternal grandpa faceted them (not sure at what point in his career) but he passed in 2001. I guess now I need to find a good auction or something for them...

Thank you to all of the enthusiasts who offered constructive advice and opinions. I see only a few were bordering on rude or snarky... It warms my heart to see so many other gem and rock enthusiast out there, as my dad was a very passionate gemologist before his passing in 1997. If he'd still been alive, he would have been able to put my curiosities about my mother's ring to rest for sure.

For any other interested parties, I have several other gemstones and various minerals/rocks that I am trying to have identified. They are mostly all smaller in size (5-6 ct or smaller) and have been mixed up over the years and missing the labels my grandfather had put on them. Some are topaz, sapphire, emerald, ruby, garnet, aquamarine, peridot, smoky quartz, amethyst, obsidian, turquoise, and God knows what else... and I found a loose label for padparadscha... but I have no idea if that stone is admidst the others.

I have several questions...

almost certainly....

u n t r e a t e d colorchange sapphire...

Why "almost certainly... " it is not an alexandrite so what is it - to seperate an alex from a ( natural or synthetic) CC sapphire an experienced GG needs 1 minute ( If you want me to explane how to do it tell me - normally my threads about using gemological tool have no feedback here so I stopped posting here)

Your ring is old - 50 years and more - so it is an old Verneuil synthetic vanadium doped corundum ( synthetic course there is a natural counterpart - corundum - GGG is "man-made" course there is no natural counterpart - we are talking about rhe mineral not the variety!)

Next was Chatham ( Flux) around 1958 starting with ruby...

Synthetic alexandrite first around 1975...

You ask for answers but then you don't believe, "almost certainly" means you still believe it could be an alex???

And untreated CC sapphire - does it mean the GG is not able to tell you whether it is natural or synthetic but he can see whether it is treated or not... doesn't make sense!

Btw. - natural vanadium bearing sapphire with a ( quite ) similar CC exist but in this size and clarity a sensation like a similar sized alex.

The ONLY chance that such a stone will not part of an article or publication would be if the same person digged it, cut it and hide it.

Maybe I will start a threat about alexandrite and historical sources. In my opinion a jeweler around 1950 could buy an old pre communism alexandrite from Russia ( never this size) or an Alexandrite from Sri Lanka - otherwise only a few from Brazil.

Not an indian, brazilian ( Malacacheta or later Hematita) or african ( Tanzania, Rhodesia or Madagascar) alexandrite....

No CC garnet, no CC sapphire except extremely rare stones from Mogok or Sri Lanka....

 

[mtsapphirelovingannie]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

What did the gemologist say???

Think we are still interested?

Well, good news and bad news... the bad news is that the giant stone in the ring is not alexandrite. It's almost certainly untreated color-change sapphire (I can live with that,) according to a GIA certified gemologist who examined it earlier this week. The good news is, I have two brilliant round-cut stones that were confirmed to be the real deal, natural alexandrite with a strong color change from a mint-green in daylight to a very pure baby pink (almost like a flawless rose quartz with intense color) in incandescent light. One stone was determined to be 3.61 ct and the other, 1.85 ct. My paternal grandpa faceted them (not sure at what point in his career) but he passed in 2001. I guess now I need to find a good auction or something for them...

Thank you to all of the enthusiasts who offered constructive advice and opinions. I see only a few were bordering on rude or snarky... It warms my heart to see so many other gem and rock enthusiast out there, as my dad was a very passionate gemologist before his passing in 1997. If he'd still been alive, he would have been able to put my curiosities about my mother's ring to rest for sure.

For any other interested parties, I have several other gemstones and various minerals/rocks that I am trying to have identified. They are mostly all smaller in size (5-6 ct or smaller) and have been mixed up over the years and missing the labels my grandfather had put on them. Some are topaz, sapphire, emerald, ruby, garnet, aquamarine, peridot, smoky quartz, amethyst, obsidian, turquoise, and God knows what else... and I found a loose label for padparadscha... but I have no idea if that stone is admidst the others.

Thank you for providing an update! Good luck identifying the other gems.

 

[chrono]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

The bad news isn't bad news to the posters here because we were sure that it isn't alexandrite. Did the gemmologist say whether the sapphire is natural or synthetic? I would think that if he/she is able to determine its untreated status, he/she should be able to tell you whether it is natural or synthetic, first and foremost, because the colour isn't correct for a natural colour change sapphire either.

 

[seababyisu]

Re: Mom said this was from a chunk of alexandrite from a fri

Sounds like you've potentially got some lovely stones there. I'm sure if you post them, we can give you a "gut feel" ID on most of them to give you a head start - but of course it'll only be a gut feel because testing really is the only way to go. The Padparadscha should be an easy spot amongst them.

A word of caution though - stones (unless high end) very rarely can be sold for what you would buy them for. The re-sale value of most stones is heartbreakingly low Having said that I'm sure you're attached to some of them because of the connection to your Dad and you might not want to sell anyway.

Thank you! I may try photographing some of them to post on here, then. I really appreciate the information and advice. Any tips on how to go about photographing the alexandrite stones or even video taping them? I tried both, but my canon powershot with or without the flash just doesn't do the job.