More Mahenge spinel advice please?

[Upgradable]

Besides the fact that I need an intervention and placement in a 12 step program, would you examine and critique this stone? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330448739603

Here are Tan's words about it: "There is traces of Lavender glow and also fluorescent. The tone is medium dark and the saturation is moderate strong. Although traces of window the beauty of this gem still remain. Not too worry about the window."

 

[chrono]

Uppy,
I don’t know if you’ve considered these:
1. The stone is a little sleepy, even in the video.
2. The crown height is very low, almost flat so the stone isn’t going to be sparkly.
3. The face up colour looks fine in the picture but distinctively orange in the pavilion view.

 

[Upgradable]

I'm aware of the sleepy, lavender orange glow. It is not the crisp pink red variety, but I a small glowy stone that I like. Are there any other detractors?

 

[T L]

I think it's overpriced for one of Tan's Mahenges. I want strong saturation, not moderately strong, for that price and a crystal clear gem. I also see some brown in that video (dare I say it because no one else probably sees it ). Look at it through the pavillion, and you can see it better when it's rotating in the video. Tan might not see it.

Here it is side by side with a spinel I bought that was one of his most saturated. Do you see the brown? He might call it orange.

 

[brandy_z28]

2. The crown height is very low, almost flat so the stone isn’t going to be sparkly.quote]

The mahenge I had JKT set has very little crown as well and it did pose a bit of a problem/concern when bezel setting it. It looks recessed which is fine with me, I think she played that off nicely, but I wanted to mention that. For example, if you wanted to set that spinel in the katie style ring it wouldn't have the same look at all. If you're after the glow and not necessarily the sparkle I think it's a nice color and size. If you want some sparkle too, I'd pass on it.

 

[LD]

I've got to say that this stone was on my watch list for a while.

I like the general shape but the window is a bit distracting. Laying that aside because I could deal with the cutting, the orangeness (is that a word?) and price were what took it off my watchlist.

It's an intriguing stone actually and I can see why you'd be attracted to it. I'm not sure though that it'll perform and glitter/glow like other Mahenges.

If you do get it, you MUST post photos because this is one I'd love to see!

 

[Upgradable]

I think you guys have talked me back from the edge of the cliff.

Thanks.

 

[T L]

Uppy,
There is a stone on his website that while slightly smaller, has incredible neon pinkish red color, and is very clean. I'm a bit afrait to say which one due to someone snatching it, but it is around a couple hundred less than this one you're looking at above. My stone is very similar in color to the one I'm talking about, but I bought it because it was slightly sleepy so it was more affordable and it had older pricing. This is the link to my stone. I've posted photos of it before, and my jeweler is enamored with it as well as a Mahenge dealer I showed it too. It also has some blue in it. No eye visible inclusions, and it is slightly sleepy, but very slightly.

http://odysseygem.com/Gem_Shop/product_info.php?products_id=981

 

[Arkteia]

Honerstly, I stopped buying from Tan because the chryso that I bought from him was not saturated enough and if he says there is a small window, for sure, there is a window. I bought a couple of smaller spinels for earrings and think it would have made more sense to donate $$ to a charity. The writeoff should be more than the real price for his stones should have been. So if there is a stone for old price, non-windowed and saturated, snatch it and pray for TL. I have no time to browse thousands of spinels to find the perfect one and what I bought is not worthy a second look. Just overpriced. I think I entered this race too late. The prices have grown exponentially and it just makes no sense to continue. I just hope that the photo matches the real color because my spinels look washed out and pale. I shall post photographs of both "catches" in comparison to vendor's photos in a separate thread.

 

[T L]

Honerstly, I stopped buying from Tan because the chryso that I bought from him was not saturated enough and if he says there is a small window, for sure, there is a window. I bought a couple of smaller spinels for earrings and think it would have made more sense to donate $$ to a charity. The writeoff should be more than the real price for his stones should have been. So if there is a stone for old price, non-windowed and saturated, snatch it and pray for TL. I have no time to browse thousands of spinels to find the perfect one and what I bought is not worthy a second look. Just overpriced. I think I entered this race too late. The prices have grown exponentially and it just makes no sense to continue. I just hope that the photo matches the real color because my spinels look washed out and pale. I shall post photographs of both "catches" in comparison to vendor's photos in a separate thread.

Yes, Tan has lots of duds, I will concede to that, but sometimes, in the mix, you do find something wonderful, so I keep my eye out on his listings, and hope I get another winner. My return rate to many vendors is extremely high, but of all of them, I've kept Tan's stones more than any others. I will admit that I just cannot find the color for the prices I pay, anywhere else, and I've searched high and low. Precision cutting is not important enough for me to keep a gem, it must #1 have good color. These are the stones I have from Tan, and I've posted photos of most of these.

I have five Mahenge spinels, and they are all glowy. I returned one to a non ebay and highly respected vendor that looked like a rhodolite and had weak fluor. I also returned two to another popular overseas vendor that also could not compare for the prices, and the saturation was not there.
An orange-pink spinel that if classified as a padparadscha sapphire, would be worth a lot more.
Three violet/blue spinels (several I returned, but the ones I do have do have great color). I doubt I will ever find another one like my 2.8 carat oval. I wear it every single day.
One neon chartreuse chrysoberyl that honestly, I think is radioactive it's so glowy.
A mint garnet that glows like a paraiba. I have returned too many mint and so-called mint stones to other non ebay and ebay vendors to know the difference.
A 2 carat tsavorite with very nice saturation, bluish secondary and great Portuguese cutting for a great price
A Portuguese cut pink spinel oval with great luster.
A sleepy pink spinel with a blue sheen like a moonstone.
A small 1 carat chrysoberyl with great saturation (it made me buy the bigger one).
A 2.65 carat sapphire pear.

Therefore, I defend Tan because I think he has some great stuff if you look hard enough, and for reasonable prices. However, I do understand the frustration that the prices are going up, and the selection is getting more nill. I just keep a lookout. Crasru, I'm sorry you've had disappointments with Tan.

 

[Arkteia]

Well...let me see how much it takes to ship stones back to Thailand. I did see one small pear-shaped chryso (a while ago) - and missed it. I wonder if It were you who bought it.

 

[T L]

Well...let me see how much it takes to ship stones back to Thailand. I did see one small pear-shaped chryso (a while ago) - and missed it. I wonder if It were you who bought it.

Not me, but I think Yingh bought a small pear, and she was disappointed in the color. Maybe that's the one you're thinking of. I have only seen two like mine on Tan's websites, my own and the other one now belongs to Chrono. It's her Portuguese cut trillion. She absolutely loves it from what she has said about it on Pricescope. My small one carat yellow is pretty neon too, but it's small.

 

[CharmyPoo]

I think you got lots of comments on the color but for me ... not loving the cut enough to pass.

 

[chictomato]

I was slowly reading thru all the comments.....than I click on the link. OMG!!! that seems really expensive Honestly, although I do not fancy pink spinel that much, but I am have seen some pretty ones in this forum with a much lower price tag attach.

 

[Arkteia]

Trust me...it will be windowed! The chryso I bought from Tan had a smaller window in picture but it was windowed in real life...actually resembled a soft pillow with a dimple in the middle left by a huge crockpot or something like it. Indy was nice enough yesterday to attach a post about a $ 10.00 spinel bought from Tan. In January. And we were criticising it, the color, the cut. Now, the same spinel would be easily sold for $ 140.00.

 

[BWise]

I will say pass it.

I bought this spinel from Tan recently:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230476064421&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

It has quite a window but reasonable sparkle. The color is nice without brown. Still much cheaper than the one you are considering. Just be patient and you will find your Mahenge.

 

[Lovinggems]

Uppy why not look at swalagemtraders? They have a lot of beautiful Mahenge spinels.

 

[T L]

Trust me...it will be windowed! The chryso I bought from Tan had a smaller window in picture but it was windowed in real life...actually resembled a soft pillow with a dimple in the middle left by a huge crockpot or something like it. Indy was nice enough yesterday to attach a post about a $ 10.00 spinel bought from Tan. In January. And we were criticising it, the color, the cut. Now, the same spinel would be easily sold for $ 140.00.

I have a 1.1 carat pear Mahenge spinel from Tan that I paid $22.50 for. The color is amazing and the cutting is great, no window, superb clarity and color, just one tiny feather if you look really hard through the pavillion. Any other vendor in the whole world would charge at least $400 for it. I won it on auction. I have no idea why some gems he puts on auction, and others he doesn't. My mint garnet is another example, I should have paid ten times what I paid. I have yet to see a color like it anywhere, at a huge gem show, on ebay, or any other vendor. Yes, there are a lot of duds, but after those two wins, and many others, I really keep my eye peeled to his listings.

I simply cannot find this color anywhere for the same price, if I can even find the color anywhere else. He may not be the best person for some gems, like sapphires, emeralds and rubies, for example, but some other gems, most definitely.

 

[LD]

I have to agree with TL that you can definitely get some wonderful bargains from Tan but I think you have to be able to "read" his videos and photos well. My recent Aqua and Spess purchases from him surprised me like I can't tell you! Both were bargain basement gemstones in terms of price but oooh la la, they are gorgeous!

On the other hand, I bought a sapphire that was a real dud and I paid lots more and even had it certified! It's just the luck of the game with him I'm afraid but his returns policy is superb so it's much less risky than buying elsewhere.

 

[colormyworld]

Not that it matters to some. I just wonder how long a vendor can sustain his or her business selling at a loss.

 

[Aoife]

Not that it matters to some. I just wonder how long a vendor can sustain his or her business selling at a loss.

I doubt Tan is selling at a loss, having looked at some of the recent prices stones have sold for. I think he's using the old but very successful loss-leader tactic, which is perfectly legitimate. He puts just enough fabulous deals out there to keep people looking and buying in the hope that the stone they buy might match the quality of TL's picks. Of course, not many buyers have the eye or judgment TL and some other PS's have, so they may very well end up paying more for lesser stones.

 

[colormyworld]

LOL

 

[Upgradable]

I already have two amazingly beautiful mahenges from Tan, one sleepy hot pink and the other a crisply stunning hot pinkish red, so I certainly am not lacking! I also have two small ovals that are currently being set by Michael E into dangle earrings.

Three of these were super bargains, the other was a very fair price for the beautiful stone that it is! My problem is I just can't stop! I agree that Tan's prices have gone up significantly recently. He/she(?) started out with many $1 auctions and the higher quality stones at a very good set price.

Now, I've got quite a taste for the bait, and it is harder to be discerning.

 

[T L]

The reason I'm touting Tan is that I think he has good connections and can get his rough at decent prices with less middlemen than your average vendor. I hope he gets more, especially when it's it's not the rainy season in Tanzania (bad for mining), and can offer us more great gems, at fair prices. Don't forget that he is very willing to also get a lab report for ANY gem, and he offers a large selection of labs to choose from. Now that's honest business. Many people will look at his material and say "it's ebay rubbish." However, the quality of some of his top notch material speaks for itself as far as I'm concerned.

Here's the $22.50 pink Mahenge pear with a yellow diamond I was considering setting it with. The color and quality, for the prices, speaks for itself. I normally would never pair something so cheap with a yellow diamond, but I felt the quality is up there. I'm not saying this is top end, top quality Mahenge material, but it has no brown, very crystal, and has nice cutting, and it ws $22.50

I have other more remarkable stones from him, this is just one example.

 

[Harriet]

Not that it matters to some. I just wonder how long a vendor can sustain his or her business selling at a loss.

I doubt Tan is selling at a loss, having looked at some of the recent prices stones have sold for. I think he's using the old but very successful loss-leader tactic, which is perfectly legitimate. He puts just enough fabulous deals out there to keep people looking and buying in the hope that the stone they buy might match the quality of TL's picks. Of course, not many buyers have the eye or judgment TL and some other PS's have, so they may very well end up paying more for lesser stones.

It is likely that he is buying parcels of stones, rather than individual ones. It is cheaper that way. Parcels frequently have 'eyes' and 'dogs,' which would explain his range of prices.

 

[Arkteia]

Not that it matters to some. I just wonder how long a vendor can sustain his or her business selling at a loss.

I doubt Tan is selling at a loss, having looked at some of the recent prices stones have sold for. I think he's using the old but very successful loss-leader tactic, which is perfectly legitimate. He puts just enough fabulous deals out there to keep people looking and buying in the hope that the stone they buy might match the quality of TL's picks. Of course, not many buyers have the eye or judgment TL and some other PS's have, so they may very well end up paying more for lesser stones.

I think you hit the nail on the head! I think he now started dumping not-so-good stones at not-so-low prices. I have mentioned my chryso... as to pair of lavender spinels, first, they are not lavender, and second, they are so bright that it raises concerns. I think I am going to return them. Or exchange. In general, I feel safer buying from our vendors although I agree that his prices on Mahenge are pretty competitive.

 

[chrono]

I’m quite sure Tan buys in parcels and as such is able to offer competitive prices (on some items) and thus sells both some very nice gems and duds. So far, I’ve been very fortunate to not receive any duds but I also take my time to scrutinize his videos and ask him many questions, in addition to waiting for the right stone to show up. I’ve only purchased 2 stones from him so far and am still puzzled by his pricing structure. Some stones seem terribly expensive while others seem to be bargains for the quality offered.

 

[T L]

I've purchased duds from Tan before, but now he knows my ultra sensitivity to grey (due to my returns) and he's very up front with answering my questions about saturation and grey or brown in gems. I think that helps, and sometimes a vendor has to get to know a buyer to understand their likes and dislikes. I will say returns were no hassle, even though shipping to Thailand isn't cheap or fun. Out of many gems, I only returned three, and they were all blue spinels. My return rate with Tan is probably 20%, while with other vendors, it can be 75%, even with asking the appropriate questions. One popular non-ebay vendor has even threatened not to sell me anything without a restocking fee I've returned so much to them.

 

[Upgradable]

I've purchased duds from Tan before, but now he knows my ultra sensitivity to grey (due to my returns) and he's very up front with answering my questions about saturation and grey or brown in gems. I think that helps, and sometimes a vendor has to get to know a buyer to understand their likes and dislikes. I will say returns were no hassle, even though shipping to Thailand isn't cheap or fun. Out of many gems, I only returned three, and they were all blue spinels. My return rate with Tan is probably 20%, while with other vendors, it can be 75%, even with asking the appropriate questions. One popular non-ebay vendor has even threatened not to sell me anything without a restocking fee I've returned so much to them.

It's tough when you get a 'rep' like some of us have! My jeweler always notes 'Picky Customer' on the bottom of my bench tickets!