My new Vivid Green Muzo Emerald Ring

[Crimson]

Haha yes she lives near me. Used to live one block away (5 min walk) . Then I moved to a bigger house that was further away (3 train stops and a ten minute walk) so I made sure the house we bought had an extra bedroom especially for her. We have an 8 year age gap. I raised her and changed her nappies!

Is yours a jewelry addict? Mine is a jewelry addict to so it's really fun to have a partner in crime! I think she follows a zillion jewelry accounts on IG so she's always sending me pics of gems.

She sent me this recently and it just made me head over heels for a big glowy emerald one day!!!!

I really love that pear you posted. It is seriously sublime. To have that kind of color in a random snap is definitely something special!!!! Is your sister considering it?

So nice to have your sister so close by, @mellowyellowgirl Thank goodness my sister is not a jewellery addict or we would be in serious trouble! I have influenced several of my friends, though. My sister didn’t buy the pear, so it is still available
She bought a pendant - her first coloured stone piece - from Alexander. Before this, she usually wore diamonds and pearls.
The emerald in the pic from your sis looks so big and yummy. Reminds me of this enormous one (fr Alexander too).

 

[WhoaNelly]

My goodness—I missed this thread and I am sitting with my jaw open drooling. What an incredible collection! The colors, the sizes—I could get lost in your new emerald cabochon. Mmmmmmmm

 

[Crimson]

Thank you @WhoaNelly !
I still get drawn in I look at my own ring. too. Hard not to be distracted. Af few more pics for you!

 

[Crimson]

I received a gift that came in this lovely polka dot bag so I took some pics of Minerva with it.
Minerva also has a new friend - a watermelon tourmaline.

 

[Crimson]

Inspired by @FornasettiLover and @mellowyellowgirl on another thread,
I thought I would post pics of some of the (many) emeralds I looked at before getting Minerva, just for the record!
As mentioned earlier, I did some research before making my final decision since I didn’t know much about emeralds. The best way was to read and look at a lot of emeralds, to train my eye and know what is out there, for what price. These are all from Colombia

 

[Crimson]

Continuing from my last post, I wanted to know what emeralds from Zambia and Ethiopia (last pic) looked like.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Love the Ethiopian one! Is that the one in the last pic that you're wearing with the jadeite ring? It's a very fresh and attractive green!

Which ones are these @Crimson? They look a little dead in this shot.

 

[Crimson]

Love the Ethiopian one! Is that the one in the last pic that you're wearing with the jadeite ring? It's a very fresh and attractive green!

Which ones are these @Crimson? They look a little dead in this shot.

Yes, it is a bright and happy green, and it is a “no oil” stone!
The ring is by Caratell. Here is another of their pieces, a pendant.https://www.caratell.com/product-page/emerald-necklace
The owner of Caratell, Michael Koh, likes to hunt for rare and unusual stones.
i have attached a pic of a bixbite ring from Caratell. It is not for sale, as it belongs to Michael’s wife and co-founder.
Re: the loose stones, yes, not the best photo because the place wasn’t well lit. They are huge ones from Zambia.

 

[HockeyMama]

@Crimson these photos are amazing! That fist heart is divine and he last trillion is special but I love all the in between as well! Was hat one vendor? Should I reach out to Alexander Laut? I’m in the US but open to purchasing elsewhere, I suspect I will have to for this. Do you think the online folks (George Smith, Gem Factor and Bright Green) are good vendors? Frankly I would be happy to find a sister of a Minerva but I suspect your actual sister is ahead of me in line followed by a bunch of other people!

 

[Crimson]

@Crimson these photos are amazing! That fist heart is divine and he last trillion is special but I love all the in between as well! Was hat one vendor? Should I reach out to Alexander Laut? I’m in the US but open to purchasing elsewhere, I suspect I will have to for this. Do you think the online folks (George Smith, Gem Factor and Bright Green) are good vendors? Frankly I would be happy to find a sister of a Minerva but I suspect your actual sister is ahead of me in line followed by a bunch of other people!

@FornasettiLover The heart and stones in between are from a well-regarded B2B dealer. I unabashedly asked the owner what he thought of Minerva (that time I hadn’t yet bought Minerva, but I had photos on my phone). The owner is Colombian, a second generation owner of the business. He has offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and Colombia. All the pieces that he showed me were above 5 carats. The pieces that I photographed were GRS Vivid Green but without the Old Mine, Muzo Green special appendix. He has large stones with the GRS special appendix but I promised him I would not share those photos. Nothing fishy, just that the stones are for famous clients or business partners who would not want photos of their stones on social media before they receive them. He is a delightful gentleman who is now very busy because demand is up! He has become a friend.
Alexander Laut has offices in Lisbon and Hong Kong. His jewellery is available at Neiman Marcus, but i’m not sure if there are emeralds there. His pieces are mostly enormous! I could ask Alexander for you if you like.
I haven’t bought fr Gemfactor or the other dealers you mentioned, I think with emeralds, just like jadeite, it is best to see them in person. I have bought spinels and tourmalines online but not emeralds, rubies or sapphires.
Here are some more pics from my emerald exploration!
The ones in the first pic are around 8.5 ct to 10ct each.
The others are smaller.

 

[HockeyMama]

@FornasettiLover The heart and stones in between are from a well-regarded B2B dealer. I unabashedly asked the owner what he thought of Minerva (that time I hadn’t yet bought Minerva, but I had photos on my phone). The owner is Colombian, a second generation owner of the business. He has offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and Colombia. All the pieces that he showed me were above 5 carats. The pieces that I photographed were GRS Vivid Green but without the Old Mine, Muzo Green special appendix. He has large stones with the GRS special appendix but I promised him I would not share those photos. Nothing fishy, just that the stones are for famous clients or business partners who would not want photos of their stones on social media before they receive them. He is a delightful gentleman who is now very busy because demand is up! He has become a friend.
Alexander Laut has offices in Lisbon and Hong Kong. His jewellery is available at Neiman Marcus, but i’m not sure if there are emeralds there. His pieces are mostly enormous! I could ask Alexander for you if you like.
I haven’t bought fr Gemfactor or the other dealers you mentioned, I think with emeralds, just like jadeite, it is best to see them in person. I have bought spinels and tourmalines online but not emeralds, rubies or sapphires.
Here are some more pics from my emerald exploration!
The ones in the first pic are around 8.5 ct to 10ct each.
The others are smaller.

From these photos I think i would be very happy with "vivid green". I only don't like the yellow greens. Forgive me, what is B2B?

I actually emailed Alexander about this one on his website. It's way too large for my hobbit like fingers but she's fantastic, and already has a name! I think I could go up to 5 carats, but I don't want this to turn into a cocktail ring. Although emerals are not every day I would like to see her on my hand often.

Living in the US I think my options are limited here, and am prepared to buy from overseas, but will heavily rely on this group when the time comes.

 

[HockeyMama]

@Crimson , I posted a vintage Cartier over on my thread that I'd love your opinion on.

 

[Crimson]

From these photos I think i would be very happy with "vivid green". I only don't like the yellow greens. Forgive me, what is B2B?

I actually emailed Alexander about this one on his website. It's way too large for my hobbit like fingers but she's fantastic, and already has a name! I think I could go up to 5 carats, but I don't want this to turn into a cocktail ring. Although emerals are not every day I would like to see her on my hand often.

Living in the US I think my options are limited here, and am prepared to buy from overseas, but will heavily rely on this group when the time comes.

@FornasettiLover B2B is Business to Business. He sells to others in the trade - gem dealers or jewellery houses, He very selectively sells directly to consumers. His stones are top quality, so a GRS Vivid Green, minor oil stone is still over 10K a carat.

I shall text Alexander about Esmeralda - see what he says. I find him honest in his assessment about his own gems. I don’t think the emerald in the pic looks that impressive, but it is hard to photograph emeralds.

I know what you mean about wearing the ring often! It would be a shame to just lock it away.

 

[Crimson]

Minerva’s day out with some friends. Such a sunny day!



Bread basket


Checking what’s on tap


A bit of strawberry shortcake.


Hanging around with another emerald…


… and jadeite.


Nuzzling with a bear. Thanks for viewing!
.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Love the updated pics of her!!!!

Beautiful vine ring with the marquis diamonds as well!!!!

 

[elle_71125]

Minerva’s day out with some friends. Such a sunny day!



Bread basket


Checking what’s on tap


A bit of strawberry shortcake.


Hanging around with another emerald…


… and jadeite.


Nuzzling with a bear. Thanks for viewing!
.

I love it! Minerva going on adventures. It could be a whole series.

 

[Crimson]

I love it! Minerva going on adventures. It could be a whole series.

Thanks, @elle_71125 I shall post more adventures!

Love the updated pics of her!!!!
Beautiful vine ring with the marquis diamonds as well!!!!

So glad you like the photos, @mellowyellowgirl.

Here is a Battle of the Emeralds pic, just for fun!
The emeralds are all Colombian with GRS reports but only Minerva has the Old Mine, Muzo Green appendix.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Looooooove them @Crimson

But Minerva still stands out the most.

Any chance you are going to the Hong Kong show to relax? I love your pics.

I used to go to Singapore once a year, every year but alas I was very young and wasn't into gems back then. Oh the fun I would have now!!!

 

[Crimson]

@mellowyellowgirl Aww, thank you I wish I were in Hong Kong.
I am just back from a work conference. I would have flown directly to Hong Kong from there, but my relatives from the US are in town.
Yes, Singapore has such a high concentration of jewellery stores, it is easy to see, touch and feel lots of gems, if you ever come to Singapore again, please let me know!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

@mellowyellowgirl Aww, thank you I wish I were in Hong Kong.
I am just back from a work conference. I would have flown directly to Hong Kong from there, but my relatives from the US are in town.
Yes, Singapore has such a high concentration of jewellery stores, it is easy to see, touch and feel lots of gems, if you ever come to Singapore again, please let me know!

I WILL be back!!! The last time I went was in 2018. I think we will stop by when we go to Vietnam. Singapore is my happy place to stop by because it's different to my home Sydney but I feel as comfortable there as I am meandering around Sydney.

I had a big gem adventure with Asiatique the last time I was in Singapore!!!!! I bought a lovely pink sapphire ring priced as heated but then it turned out to be unheated lol!!!! Score!!!

If you ever come to Sydney you must tell me too and we'll meet up!!!!

 

[Crimson]

Wow, @mellowyellowgirl thar is the best kind of gem surprise! My next trip is to the UK (mostly London) and then US (North East). I am making a list of gem stores, exhibitions, events, and auction houses to visit.

 

[Crimson]

Minerva loves to read

She also likes to party

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Wow, @mellowyellowgirl thar is the best kind of gem surprise! My next trip is to the UK (mostly London) and then US (North East). I am making a list of gem stores, exhibitions, events, and auction houses to visit.

Definitely piiiiiiiics when you go!!!!!!

 

[Crimson]

@mellowyellowgirl meant to ask you about Vietnam. I have been but before I became gem crazy. Have you been to the gem markets or mines there? Must be amazing!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

@mellowyellowgirl meant to ask you about Vietnam. I have been but before I became gem crazy. Have you been to the gem markets or mines there? Must be amazing!

Was very young and very poor so I went to the mall in Saigon and bought a topaz ring and pendant. They sawed off the bottom of the ring stone because it wouldn't fit into the setting lol. Oh it would make PSers weep in horror. Actually I'm not even sure if it's topaz. It was garishly blue. I've since donated it to my mum to scrap the gold and buy snacks for various relatives.

 

[Crimson]

Was very young and very poor so I went to the mall in Saigon and bought a topaz ring and pendant. They sawed off the bottom of the ring stone because it wouldn't fit into the setting lol. Oh it would make PSers weep in horror. Actually I'm not even sure if it's topaz. It was garishly blue. I've since donated it to my mum to scrap the gold and buy snacks for various relatives.

What a story! Thanks for sharing, dear @mellowyellowgirl . You have come a long way!

 

[Crimson]

I didn’t take Minerva with me to London. After checking in, I made a beeline for Hatton Garden, which is studded with jewelry stores. I found these vintage emeralds, some of which are over 100 years old. It’s heartening that these beautiful Colombian emeralds have stood the test of time.
Speaking of standing the test of time, I’ve added a photo of the refurbished, big Ben. It is all gilded and shiny. It reminds me of jewelry!

 

[Crimson]

Continuing my London gem adventures… I visited a lovely store called Blue Angel.
The emerald and gold cross belongs to the owner. They were very nice and let me take photos despite the “No photography” signs in the windows.

 

[Starstruck8]

Continuing my London gem adventures… I visited a lovely store called Blue Angel.
The emerald and gold cross belongs to the owner. They were very nice and let me take photos despite the “No photography” signs in the windows.

Crikey! Look at that necklace! So many matched emeralds.

The cross is my idea of how emeralds and gold should look. Does it have a story?

 

[Crimson]

Crikey! Look at that necklace! So many matched emeralds.

The cross is my idea of how emeralds and gold should look. Does it have a story?

@Starstruck8 Yes, those emeralds on the necklace weren’t small either!
The cross is my favourite piece there. It has both radiance and warmth.
I didn’t hear the full story, but from what I understand, the owner is not Catholic/ Christian. That makes it even more intriguing. I think he just loves the design of historic emerald pieces - as do I.
There are two old churches just 100 m away — one is St Etheldreda’s, dating from 1250 — so maybe he was inspired