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Opinions on Georgian Burmese Spinel and rose cut diamond Ring

A

aussie1234

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 1, 2021
Messages
42
Hello

Opinions please on the quality and value of this 1.1 ct red spinel. I was looking for a ruby but found this and thought it quite striking, but I really know very little about their value. It is quite abraded but commensurate with age. It is 9ct gold and silver, unsure of tcw of rose cut diamonds.

What do you feel is a reasonable price for this piece? TIA

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*Bump*

Any help please. I am considering purchasing this now as a milestone gift for myself. They are asking around $1700 usd.
 
Also weigh ins on the surface abrasions welcome.
 
Hello there! Since time is of the essence, I will get right into it. These are difficult purchases to evaluate, because I can tell you really like the ring, especially since you're considering gifting it to yourself in commemoration of a milestone. So manners tell me to zip it. But the collector in me wants to be brutally honest. And since you're specifically asking for opinions, and this is a consumer forum, I will choose the latter.

The spinel is small, likely to be dark in person, poorly cut, and damaged. The ring is only 9k gold (and silver), and the diamonds are lackluster and wonky. Do you know the age? Is that a big selling point for you? I'm not an estate or vintage collector myself, so perhaps I'm not someone who puts enough value into that feature.

So, is it worth $1,700? To me, absolutely not. To someone else? Quite possibly. Are you that person? Only you can decide.

Hope I didn't dampen your enthusiasm, but I just think you can do so much better!
 
I do want brutally honest opinions yes! Thank you. I have just been looking for a beautiful red stone and have come up with nothing for a while now, I think I’m getting a little impatient. They said it’s Austrian and about 200 years old. Age is not really a factor to me, just beauty. I’d much rather a cleaner stone.

Unfortunately to return the ring would be a very expensive endeavour. I think my head wants to love it. The vendor was gushing about the beauty of this stone, being the best they’ve ever seen.
 
Oh honey, we've all been there, believe me!! More brutally honest feedback incoming: The vendor's statement that this is the best red spinel they've ever seen is either puffery or inexperience.

I'm also often skeptical about the age of many of these pieces. Is it truly Georgian or simply a later homage to that period? I am not literate enough in vintage jewels to be able to answer that question, so it makes me avoid them altogether. lol

In any event, if buying an antique is not of supreme importance to you, you're not specifically looking for spinel, and you like the deeper reds, here's my advice... go take a look at red garnet rings. You can have it all... beautiful color, brand new, and affordable.

Good luck!
 
I also feel the need to add... it wouldn't be some sacrilege for you to purchase this ring, if you truly love the look of it, and live happily ever after with it. Just something to also consider. =)2
 
After my buyers remorse with some of my diamond purchases I really wanted to love, I think I will have to pass for this price. Probably even if they came down in price? My problem is I have caviar taste on tinned tuna budget :(

I always had my heart set on ruby, I have looked at garnets but a top quality one seem so elusive.
 
aussie1234 said:
After my buyers remorse with some of my diamond purchases I really wanted to love, I think I will have to pass for this price. Probably even if they came down in price? My problem is I have caviar taste on tinned tuna budget :(

I always had my heart set on ruby, I have looked at garnets but a top quality one seem so elusive.
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We can all sympathize... the majority of us has tastes that far exceed our budgets. This is why I think a nice pyrope-almandine garnet could be a good fit. Are you only interested in finished rings or possibly a loose stone?
 
I think it’s Belle Epoque. Possibly French. Miligrain wasn’t done in the Georgian Period, I think.

I agree with the expert opinions above.

I’ve seen gorgeous Garnets and Rubellites in vintage rings. What is your budget and how vintage do you want? Come over to the Antiques Forum and cross post what you are looking for. Lot’s of people will keep an eye out.

Good luck!
 
LightBright said:
I think it’s Belle Epoque. Possibly French. Miligrain wasn’t done in the Georgian Period, I think.

I agree with the expert opinions above.

I’ve seen gorgeous Garnets and Rubellites in vintage rings. What is your budget and how vintage do you want? Come over to the Antiques Forum and cross post what you are looking for. Lot’s of people will keep an eye out.

Good luck!
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I started at around $500 aud, then $1000, now I’m looking up to $2000 aud lol. I’m not super fussed about vintage, but not the boring modern styles you see in every jewellery chain store.
 
The thing that concerns me with the photos you have is that they're taken in sunlight and you can see by the colour of the skin that the tone is warmer and the saturation is boosted. Which means the red you see in the photos isn't the red you'll see in real life. Furthermore, even though I don't own any spinels (aside from some melee and that doesn't really count) and have no personal observations, I keep reading over and over about other people's experiences with spinels being shifty stones. Pinks going salmon, violets and blues going grey, and reds going brown.

It's very important when buying online to have photos in all different lights, so that you can better shape your expectations about what the piece will look like in real life. Shopping just by vendor photos in studio light/sunlight is often a recipe for disappointment. You can afford to take the risk when you have an easy and carefree return process, but if you're buying intentionally, overseas, dealing with customs, paying duties and taxes, then it's a bit more complicated.
 
LightBright said:
I think it’s Belle Epoque. Possibly French. Miligrain wasn’t done in the Georgian Period, I think.

I agree with the expert opinions above.

I’ve seen gorgeous Garnets and Rubellites in vintage rings. What is your budget and how vintage do you want? Come over to the Antiques Forum and cross post what you are looking for. Lot’s of people will keep an eye out.

Good luck!
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I did another post in another forum and it was removed
 
Avondale said:
The thing that concerns me with the photos you have is that they're taken in sunlight and you can see by the colour of the skin that the tone is warmer and the saturation is boosted. Which means the red you see in the photos isn't the red you'll see in real life. Furthermore, even though I don't own any spinels (aside from some melee and that doesn't really count) and have no personal observations, I keep reading over and over about other people's experiences with spinels being shifty stones. Pinks going salmon, violets and blues going grey, and reds going brown.

It's very important when buying online to have photos in all different lights, so that you can better shape your expectations about what the piece will look like in real life. Shopping just by vendor photos in studio light/sunlight is often a recipe for disappointment. You can afford to take the risk when you have an easy and carefree return process, but if you're buying intentionally, overseas, dealing with customs, paying duties and taxes, then it's a bit more complicated.
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Excellent advice - very helpful. I hadn’t picked up the colour enhancement.
 
LightBright said:
This is from RealReal. It is antique Spinel. I do not think that TRR color enhances stones in photos. In my experience, the photos are very accurate for color. However, it’s a little above your budget.

www.therealreal.com

Platinum 1.00ct Spinel & Diamond Ring

600 Platinum & 900 Platinum. Featuring 1.00 Carat Faceted Oval Spinel.
www.therealreal.com www.therealreal.com
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Gorgeous ring. Notes say heavily abraded. Would this concern you?
 
I can't speak to the abrasions but I can say that I have never had a jewelry purchase from TRR look worse in person than it does in the photos. Not that I have bought a ton, but my experience has always been that the photos are unflattering.
 
newtojewels said:
I can't speak to the abrasions but I can say that I have never had a jewelry purchase from TRR look worse in person than it does in the photos. Not that I have bought a ton, but my experience has always been that the photos are unflattering.
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True but when you look close up at the pictures, you do see a bit of nicks. And it looks like that the OP is in Australia so if she wasn’t thrilled, it might be complicated in terms of returns. I actually love this ring and it’s been in my watchlist for a long time. But I would have the luxury of sending it back if I didn’t like it.
 
Mreader said:
True but when you look close up at the pictures, you do see a bit of nicks. And it looks like that the OP is in Australia so if she wasn’t thrilled, it might be complicated in terms of returns. I actually love this ring and it’s been in my watchlist for a long time. But I would have the luxury of sending it back if I didn’t like it.
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Oh darn, I totally forgot they're in Australia. New plan! Someone here buys it, checks it out, returns it, then OP buys it!
 
Spinels can be polished. Just saying.
 
I forgot OP was in OZ (that rhymes), so I was mostly browsing US sellers. But since you mentioned ruby as your first choice, I figured it wouldn't hurt to include this piece I found...

The ruby is listed as untreated Mozambique. For this price, of course, it's going to be on the smaller side (half carat), but the color and clarity look great. What caught my eye was that, although this is a modern piece, the larger pear diamonds are rose cut. So that would give you a bit of the antique vibe. Just something to consider if you like the style.

Click.
 
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