My new Mahenge!

[Kim Bruun]

A few weeks back, I ordered a Mahenge spinel from AJS. It looked so yummy and neony on their site. But I was in for a disappointment. That neon pink was not what I saw in hand - under flourescent lights it showed a not very saturate vieux rose, shifting into a slightly warmer, but less pink colour under incandescent. Even under the best lighting conditions, it was never a clean, hot pink (sparkled nicely, though). They let me return it, but didn't really understand my disappointment (they insisted on describing it as neon).

I then saw a somewhat pricier Mahenge on The Gem Trader, and I absolutely loved the colour - I inquired, and Brad wrote me back, ensuring me that this one wouldn't go dusty rose on me. Now, I already had another ring project planned, but I decided to put that on the backburner a little longer to get this:



And I wasn't disappointed!

This one is under a UV lamp and with flash:



And this one is with flash under the gray, snowy Danish afternoon sky:



I suspect to get a truly accurate photo, I will need to wait till Spring and photograph it under a bright blue skye. I was very satisfied with how accurate Bradley's description was, though. It does pick up an orange modifier under yellow energy saving light (which he did not deny), but retains its saturation. I love it, and I love vendors who do not underestimate my colour sense.

 

[Kim Bruun]

One thing I've learned is that late autumn through winter is the perhaps the perfect time to buy gems - if it looks great under what little natural light there is here in Denmark in the dark winter days, it will probably look great under pretty much all lighting conditions.

The outdoor photo (I had placed the stone VERY delicately on a piece of wet granite) is perhaps not too flattering - partly because the stone's lustre is obscured by tiny drops of water. But I wanted to show it under different lighting conditions.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

That is just spectacular! WOW

 

[Kim Bruun]

Thank you, davi - I really like the ring in your avatar!

 

[wordie89]

Love those success stories, especially this time of year! gorgeous color !

 

[JewelFreak]

Loverly! Brad is great to work with, isn't he? I love his mis-matched pairs, have to get one someday. Anyway, great color in that mahenge. You're very close to the Winter Solstice -- parties coming, yes? -- so good outdoor light must be hard to come by! Denmark at the top of my list of very favorite countries & people.

--- Laurie

 

[Agneau]

Congratulations on your new spinel! I never knew about Mahenge spinels until I started reading the forums...
They are so pretty. I love the sleepy mahenge spinels so much I don't even know what to do with myself.

OT, Wordie is that a Soft Coated Wheaten in your avatar?

 

[Arkteia]

i want to congratulate you twice: 1) that you got a beautiful stone, and
2) that it looks well under Danish skies. Where I live, the skies are probably the same, so please accept my sympathy. i am so happy that your stone does not "betray" you.
i missed the stats, can you repeat them, please?

 

[Kim Bruun]

@ wordie89: Thank you - I really feel that a gem should be love at first sight!

@ JewelFreak: I definitely had a great experience with Brad at TGT. Two things I really appreciate about vendors: 1) They are able to hone in on my tastes. 2) They don't oversell a stone hoping that I am colour blind.

@ Agneau: Thanks! Seeing all the pretty Mahenges here made me think "I gotta have one of those!" Can I pull off pink? I think I can!

@ Arkteia: 1.39 carats, 8 x 5.9 mm. Which is plenty big for my hand - the colour doesn't make it less conspicuous, btw.! Thank you for your kind words - about my Mahenge as well as my native Denmark. As far as coloured stones go, you do need to turn to the rest of the world, and bear in mind that those winter days are short and gray - that purplish blue spinel I returned to Jeff Davies might very well have looked nice enough under the Thai sky!

 

[chrono]

Ah...I feel your pain with regards to the dready winter months. Hardly any sun and everything looks bleak and grey. But as you said, if the stone looks great then, it will look even better the rest of the year and practically everywhere else. You've got quite the Mahenge there. Brad is one of the few PS vendors who takes accurate pictures and follows up with a truthful description. He has even dissuaded me from more than a stone or two. As for AJS, perhaps it is the sunny weather or their photography but many have found that the saturation of the stone IRL is slightly toned down, so look for the most neon stone and adjust your expectation accordingly.

 

[Kim Bruun]

Thank you, Chrono! I would definitely rather have a vendor dissuade me and maybe point me in the right direction rather than having him argue in favour of the stone – that’s what I meant by some vendors being able to hone in on one’s taste. No doubt the AJS spinel looks better under sunny weather and perhaps closer to the Equator, but under my conditions, Brad’s stone was a much more saturate pink.

At JewelFreak: Whoops! I directed my thanks to your kind words to Arkteia – sorry! Guess, I should be keeping my bedtime rather than posting on Pricescope late at night!

 

[Arkteia]

(: so that your kind words to me are not lost, i have been to Copenhagen and loved it.

 

[airplay355]

I'm glad someone finally bought this so I won't be tempted any longer

 

[Laila619]

Just gorgeous! Love that color!

 

[laurakayp]

I think we may be stone twins! I finally got my first mahenge a couple of days ago. What will you do with yours? ring, pendent?

 

[JulieN]

very pretty!

 

[Kim Bruun]

Thanks, Arkteia - you're sweet.

@ laurakayp: I'm guessing a ring - but I'm a guy, and this is a very feminine colour, so I need to do some serious thinking (not to mention saving) first! I don't mind making a daring statement, but at the same time, I don't want it to look like I raided my mom's jewelry box!

@ airplay355: Happy to be of service!

@ JulieN & Laila619: Thanks!

 

[Jereni]

How lovely!!! I nabbed a Mahenge last month that was similar - love Mahenge spinels!

 

[chrono]

Sleepy Spinel set his very hot pink (and a good sized stone too) spinel in a man's ring so perhaps you can search for his ring thread for inspiration?

 

[Kim Bruun]

@ Jereni: Thank you - I do too!

@ Chrono: Thank you for the hint! It's always interesting to see what other men do with their coloured stones - and it's a difficult territory to tread when many of the colours you prefer are generally considered feminine.

 

[wordie89]

Agneau, sorry it took me so long to respond but yes, that's my Wheatie he was a sweetie. We lost him to cancer in October. Just a great companion.