My example of "Colour is very personal"

[dk168]

Jeff White posted this 3.30ct EC Aquamarine on his FB page in the last 24h, and my immediate reaction was "too blue and too saturated".

No doubt many would love it, however, it is not for me (sorry Jeff).

Just to show colour is very personal.



DK

 

[missy]

Yes it is personal because I LOVE LOVE LOVE that blue.

True with diamonds as well. For some D is too white and for others G is just right while others prefer an L and it depends on what specific diamond we are looking at also...very subjective as is all beauty IMO. What is appealing to one may not be attractive at all to/for another.

Have I mentioned how much I love that blue?

 

[LoversKites]

That is a very blue aqua indeed. I like it a lot. Reminds me of a pool.

 

[dk168]

Yes missy you did!

As for diamonds, due to my preference for white metal, I stick to G/H and above.

It would be interesting to see how my mum's ? 2ct MRB compares to my E colour EC, now that I know what an E colour looks like.

She bought that RB ages ago, about the same time as the ruby diamond cluster and the imperial jade diamond double halo rings in the 70s. As I am not a huge fan of MRBs, I have not bothered to request for it to be "loaned" to me. However, I am hoping she would give it to me when I see her next later this year.

DK

 

[Siameseroo]

My example is purplish reddish plum and Merlot coloured stones with maybe a hint of brown. I love these colours as I find them very romantic and 'old world'. These stones are not trade ideal and are often rejected on this forum for lacking saturation but I love them!

 

[T L]

The Jeff White stone is actually very good color for an aqua per the trade, but my problem with that stone is it looks too much like blue topaz. I like aquas that are more a seafoam green color. For many years, a touch of green in an aqua was an undesirable trait, and many were heated to remove that component, but it's coming back in fashion again.

I guess that stone goes to show you that we all like what we like, whether it's a color highly prized or not.

 

[blingbunny10]

Ha, I also saw that yesterday, and couldn't get over how it looks like an irradiated topaz. Why spend the money on an aqua when it looks like a much cheaper treated stone? This is also why I don't buy amethyst colored stones that are pricey, regardless of precision cutting, etc. - everyone will just assume it's quartz, so I'd rather buy a nice amethyst and spend the bulk of the money somewhere else.

 

[T L]

This is also why I don't buy amethyst colored stones that are pricey, regardless of precision cutting, etc. - everyone will just assume it's quartz, so I'd rather buy a nice amethyst and spend the bulk of the money somewhere else.

LOL, flat purples don't do it for me for that very same reason either.

I love violets and bluish purples though, like tanzanite color. I have many spinels that look like tanzanites and since they're a beautiful color to me, so I don't mind when people think they're tanzanite. It's actually a compliment. Spinels are much more durable than tanzanite, so that is an additional plus to owing one. I won't buy a spinel that looks like a red family garnet though, because you can get a garnet for far less, and garnets are durable gems.

 

[Acinom]

My example is my U-V colored OEC. I love the old world, old lace feel about it. I also love CS with a hint of brown . Some browns are too similar to my skintone though.

I love the color of the aqua although I assumed it was a blue topaz.

 

[EvangelineG]

I saw that Aqua on FB too, but thought the same thing as others- very beautiful, but looks too much like a blue topaz to me to justify the price for top colour. I'd rather have a paler Aqua with a bit more green that reads as an aqua.

I'm still learning my own tastes, but I am finding I am drawn to a similar colour palette in gems that I am in clothing, home decor, art etc. Sometimes that meshes with trade ideals, but often not. My wallet is happy when it doesn't.

 

[LoversKites]

I get what some are saying about it resembling an irradiated topaz. I still like it the same though.

 

[lilmosun]

I love the color too. Aqua is my birthstone and softer pastel stones just don't look great on me...so I keep telling myself that I should save for one that does.

Funny on the why spend when you can buy one that looks the same cheaper...that could apply to a lot of things...why some buy CZ yet others will pay more for unheated. In my teens and 20's, my mother would urge me to go with white gold but I refused because if I paid for gold, I didn't want to confuse it with silver My mom actually does not care for my mahenge or paraiba rings - says they don't look natural.

 

[pregcurious]

I love that color, but I prefer it to have green for an aqua. (I am picky.)

 

[dk168]

Resemblance to a blue topaz aside, I prefer my aquas to be paler and more green.

DK

 

[Marlow]

I love this aquamarine - a perfect color in my opinion and I am quite sure it will not look like a topaze in real life....

 

[movie zombie]

over the ages the desired color for aqua has changed....currently, this is the coveted color...not mine but certainly what the high end market wants. I shudder to think what the price tag is for this aqua.....

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I love it! It is the color I desire.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Arcadian]

It does look like a blue topaz as mentioned. Its pretty but hmmm maybe if it were a different cut I could get into it.

 

[klewis]

Interesting to see the rough that I'm guessing this aqua has been cut from. It would be great to be able to view the cut stone alongside blue topaz to see how they might differ.

 

[pregcurious]

Does aqua have a glow like emerald? Might it look different from topaz in person?

 

[T L]

Does aqua have a glow like emerald? Might it look different from topaz in person?

No, aqua looks nothing like an emerald, even though they're both beryls. Aqua reminds me more of quartz.

 

[minousbijoux]

Love the color, but would settle for a topaz in that color and save my money for a greener aqua like others have mentioned.

 

[klewis]

Does aqua have a glow like emerald? Might it look different from topaz in person?

No, aqua looks nothing like an emerald, even though they're both beryls. Aqua reminds me more of quartz.

Hi TL. How you would describe quartz? I ask this because I'm going to have some aqua cut and I thought an emerald cut would suit aqua, not only because of the crystal structure of beryl but I assumed all beryl would be glowy or satiny and therefore suit an EC.

edited to add - Perhaps the better question would be do you think there is a particular cut that suits aqua?

 

[Lovinggems]

Speaking of emerald, this piece of rough is stunning, it belonged to Jeff White.

 

[movie zombie]

HI:

I love it! It is the color I desire.

cheers--Sharon

break out the big $$$$$, Sharon!


it certainly is the cut I covet.....

 

[GregS]

That's an in incredible Aquamarine, amazing color.

 

[T L]

Does aqua have a glow like emerald? Might it look different from topaz in person?

No, aqua looks nothing like an emerald, even though they're both beryls. Aqua reminds me more of quartz.

Hi TL. How you would describe quartz? I ask this because I'm going to have some aqua cut and I thought an emerald cut would suit aqua, not only because of the crystal structure of beryl but I assumed all beryl would be glowy or satiny and therefore suit an EC.

edited to add - Perhaps the better question would be do you think there is a particular cut that suits aqua?

When I say it reminds me of quartz, I mean that to me, it looks similar in the way it handles light. Both are very clear, transparent gems usually, and both have low RI's. Fine emerald often has inclusions that break of the light in such a way that they have a satiny glow about them. I'm speaking of fine deeply saturated emerald.

So although Amethyst is a quartz and Aqua is a beryl, and both have different color, I think they handle light in a similar fashion. I hope that helps to explain what I mean. For example, a golden heliodor will look very similar to a golden citrine. Most people will not be able to tell them apart.

Low RI gems like tourmaline, quartz and beryls (except fine emerald, because they're ALL about color), seem to benefit from a small table and high crown. I'm not a lapidary, but a lapidary once told me that. It helps to reduce tilt windows. I often don't care for step cuts because they're such low RI stones that windows seem to prevail in those types of cuts, but many people love them as asschers it seems.

 

[klewis]

Does aqua have a glow like emerald? Might it look different from topaz in person?

No, aqua looks nothing like an emerald, even though they're both beryls. Aqua reminds me more of quartz.

Hi TL. How you would describe quartz? I ask this because I'm going to have some aqua cut and I thought an emerald cut would suit aqua, not only because of the crystal structure of beryl but I assumed all beryl would be glowy or satiny and therefore suit an EC.

edited to add - Perhaps the better question would be do you think there is a particular cut that suits aqua?

When I say it reminds me of quartz, I mean that to me, it looks similar in the way it handles light. Both are very clear, transparent gems usually, and both have low RI's. Fine emerald often has inclusions that break of the light in such a way that they have a satiny glow about them. I'm speaking of fine deeply saturated emerald.

So although Amethyst is a quartz and Aqua is a beryl, and both have different color, I think they handle light in a similar fashion. I hope that helps to explain what I mean. For example, a golden heliodor will look very similar to a golden citrine. Most people will not be able to tell them apart.

Low RI gems like tourmaline, quartz and beryls (except fine emerald, because they're ALL about color), seem to benefit from a small table and high crown. I'm not a lapidary, but a lapidary once told me that. It helps to reduce tilt windows. I often don't care for step cuts because they're such low RI stones that windows seem to prevail in those types of cuts, but many people love them as asschers it seems.

Thanks for explaining, TL. I can visualise what you say about the inclusions breaking the light and creating the glowy effect in emerald - similar perhaps to the fine inclusions in Kashmire sapphire creating its velvety appearance.

I love the colour of this Jeff White aqua, it's much brighter than some of the Santa Maria type aquas which often look too sombre.

 

[cokitty]

Jeff White posted this 3.30ct EC Aquamarine on his FB page in the last 24h, and my immediate reaction was "too blue and too saturated".

No doubt many would love it, however, it is not for me (sorry Jeff).

Just to show colour is very personal.



DK

Ha! I was thinking I would like it is it was a bit more blue, and more saturated. I like rich saturated colors, they are lovely to me. Though I ought to own some bias here, as my favorite aquamarine I own is both a deeper blue much more saturated than the one you posted. Blue is a wonderful color there is something for everyone.