Opinions on spinel

[OTL]

A seller is offering these red spinels for sale which I'd like to add to my collection. They are in all similar sizes and she's offering them at similar price. I have my eyes on 1,2 and 3. To me No.1 is the pure red color, No.2 and 3 has a little pinkish tone in it. I would think No.1 is the best choice (value wise)in these 4 spinels, but I have to check if my choice is completely crazy?

They are Burma spinels, and are 1.2-1.3ct each

 

[chrono]

All have a certain amount of orange to them; I don't see any as pure red. Any pictures of the stones up close to check for clarity and cut issues? How about colour shifting indoors - any brown out or become more orange?

OTL,
Are you sure you really NEED one of these?

 

[OTL]

All have a certain amount of orange to them; I don't see any as pure red. Any pictures of the stones up close to check for clarity and cut issues? How about colour shifting indoors - any brown out or become more orange?

OTL,
Are you sure you really NEED one of these?

I know you are helping me with my crapping money behavior Thank you Chrono. But I actually don't Need any gemstone...I think nobody need it I mean it is not food or apartment. I have to admit I am still at the point where I can't pass by a good deal.
These spinels are less than $150/ct. For that color, and where it is from, how can I say no

Apparantly I have different angles when it comes to red spinels. To me No.2 and No.3 are a hint pinkish red, I can see that at the most highlighted spot of the stones.They are not as pinkish as the Mahenge spinels, but they are not on the orangish side. While No.1 is pure red. The very top spinel is definitely orangy red or a brownish red color especially where the highlighted spot is almost orangish yellow

 

[JewelFreak]

Maybe it's the difference in monitors, OTL, but I see no hot pinkish red in any of them. Maybe slightly more pink in #3 but so little, I'm not sure I'm not imagining it. Can you get additional photos? Me, myself & I wouldn't pull the trigger without seeing pics in other lights -- they all look like they might go more brown. I'm with you on passing up bargains, though -- sometimes have to yank my paw off the keyboard.

--- Laurie

 

[VapidLapid]

All have a certain amount of orange to them; I don't see any as pure red. Any pictures of the stones up close to check for clarity and cut issues? How about colour shifting indoors - any brown out or become more orange?

OTL,
Are you sure you really NEED one of these?

I know you are helping me with my crapping money behavior Thank you Chrono. But I actually don't Need any gemstone...I think nobody need it I mean it is not food or apartment. I have to admit I am still at the point where I can't pass by a good deal.
These spinels are less than $150/ct. For that color, and where it is from, how can I say no

Apparantly I have different angles when it comes to red spinels. To me No.2 and No.3 are a hint pinkish red, I can see that at the most highlighted spot of the stones.They are not as pinkish as the Mahenge spinels, but they are not on the orangish side. While No.1 is pure red. The very top spinel is definitely orangy red or a brownish red color especially where the highlighted spot is almost orangish yellow

Since you asked, the first thing you should do is ask yourself if you really even want another mediocre stone in your life. Since these stones are mediocre and don't make up for that in either size or cut I think that 150 a carat for them is 165 a carat wasted. I added some for the shipping and insurance you are going to pay. If you do this ten times in a year, rationalize spending a smaller purse on mediocre wares, then at the end of the year you are out $1650 and have nothing but a few lousy stones to unimpress anyone with. In time this will have a negative and snowballing effect on your self esteem. If you put that $150 aside every six weeks, then in a year you will be able to buy one very nice stone, with an impressive size. With that under your belt you can then do the same thing and save for a proper quality setting for that stone. You will never get to setting your mediocre stones because they will not be worthy of the setting investment. The question is not, "how can you say no " to these, but really, how can you even consider them a good idea?

 

[chrono]

Maybe it's the difference in monitors, OTL, but I see no hot pinkish red in any of them. Maybe slightly more pink in #3 but so little, I'm not sure I'm not imagining it. Can you get additional photos? Me, myself & I wouldn't pull the trigger without seeing pics in other lights -- they all look like they might go more brown.

I'm with JF on all the above. I don't see any hot pinkish red, no matter how hard I squint or contort my neck.

If you put that $150 aside every six weeks, then in a year you will be able to buy one very nice stone, with an impressive size. With that under your belt you can then do the same thing and save for a proper quality setting for that stone. You will never get to setting your mediocre stones because they will not be worthy of the setting investment.

I use this method to justify buying my more expensive stones as well. It's not that I have a boatload of money (I wish ), but I accumulate my funds until it is big enough to hunt down the right stone. With a bigger budget, the hunt is more exciting and the end result is more impressive with greater personal satisfaction. It will be a stone that is forever, or at least extremely difficult to part with. Having a larger budget does not preclude scoring a good deal.

 

[eac]

On the one hand, it's true, I'm not seeing any pinkish/pigeon-blood tones in those red spinels.

On the other hand, I have been looking around for red-touched-with-orange spinels myself lately (e-ring project) and those do look a lot nicer than many, many other stones out there. I like the size of 1, but 3 has the best color/flash in this picture.

 

[erinl]

I am definitely no expert, but I imagine number one is going to look pretty brown in real life. It looks like it has been photographed in the best light and if it were a pure red, I imagine it would be priced accordingly. Maybe I just haven't been lucky, but I just don't think there are many "deal" floating around anymore, especially with spinels.

 

[erinl]

sorry, double post!

 

[corundum_conundrum]

I would feel guilty about buying an unremarkable stone that I've not budgeted for. I would feel better about saving some money for a really special stone.

 

[OTL]

There is no direct strong lighting, and no photoshop. Seller said photos are taken indoor near window. The color is very pretty red, and it does not black out or brown out. I have more handshot photos of No.2, from my monitor, it is a very nice red color. Very saturated and I wouldn't say it is mediocre. So, maybe it is a monitor thing because I haven't seen a lot of this color on vendor's sites or here.

 

[VapidLapid]

"I think I impulse buy almost everyday "

" I am quiting...right after I pay the sapphire and the earrings and the cat's eye and the blue spinel and the cuprian that I just hit THE button today.... "

"All your kind suggestions should be helpful, but it haven't worked on me yet, I bought another 2 spinels last night.... "

"But I can't help myself, especially when it's a very good deal! How can you let go a good deal? OK, I surely do sound like crazy... "

OTL, please take a hiatus. I can enable with the best of them but it is not what you need, and it is not what you want. Even if you got a deal on a $150 dollar stone it would not be a good deal; it is a false economy.

 

[michellechan2211]

Don't get any of them if its JUST the deal you're looking for ;A; Budget, budget and budget.

If you keep on impulse buying, you would have to forgo (presumably) something else; if you're only eating into the budget for your video games, good for you. If you're eating into the budget for essentials, is it worth eating into that for a sparkly stone? Just something to think about.

 

[innerkitten]

Well for under $150 they aren't so bad. I think the colors are nice. Obviously you pay more for the more sought after reds and pinks.

 

[airplay355]

I don't think they're anything to write home about.

If you've gotten to the point where you ask "what do you think about these stones?" and everyone says "meh, they're alright" but you still want them and find ways to justify getting them (the price in this case), you should take a break.

 

[erinl]

Indirect light near a window is one of the better places to show a stone to its best advantage. I think it gives a similar effect to when you cup your hand over the stone ( I know, not a technical term!). I am curious about what the stone will look like in sunlight. It is kind of elongated and I fear it may have some half and half extinction in real life.

Have you thought about how you will set it? It looks a little elongated so it might not fit in standard settings.

I have some small blueish violet spinels and some small chrysoberyls. They are too small to set on their own, and they don't quite match as sidestones. Their colors are great, but I don't know what to do with them besides look at them. And they are about 500-600 dollars in total. I could apply that to a nice larger stone, and if I were to sell these secondhand, I wouldn't get what I paid. I also have a handful of learning stones I bought on ebay when I first found PS. They were all cheap, and hence not worthy of returning. However, they represent another couple hundred dollars and I cannot do anything with these, even sell them. So sitting in my closet is a whole bunch of little stones that added together could have almost bought that mahenge I hemmed and hawed about two years ago. Oh yes, and all the return shipping on the stones I have sent back could definitely cover that nice mahenge

OTL, if you want the stone or want to see what it looks like, go for it. I think since you mentioned some stress over impulsive purchases we all look at your post with that in mind. Believe me, I have to rein in my impulsive tendencies all the time!

 

[chrono]

I have some small blueish violet spinels and some small chrysoberyls. They are too small to set on their own, and they don't quite match as sidestones. Their colors are great, but I don't know what to do with them besides look at them.

Erin,
Have you considered setting them in a bracelet or necklace? They don't need to match perfectly in colour or shape either. I am thinking alternating violet and yellow/green is a nice casual colour combination. Their hardness and durability also make them a good choice as a bracelet.

 

[erinl]

Chrono--

Thanks for the suggestion! I have three spinel and three chrysoberyls-- I probably would need more for a bracelet! I have not yet set anything, as I keep buying stones instead of setting them--which is my own purchasing issue!

 

[ChrisA222]

Chrono and other experts...

Why, in OTLs newest/largest pic, does it appear that the center of the stone has much stronger color than the two ends (the short ends--which appear more pinkish). Is that a saturation issue? A cut issue?

It reminds me of a tourmaline, but Spinel is not dichroic..so shouldn't it be the same color on all axis.

As much as I have learned the past year or so--I still have a ways to go. My opinion is that the stone doesn't have ideal saturation-or we would see that better, redder color displayed throughout the whole stone. Am I right, wrong?

 

[LD]

I'm not going to say anything about whether you should buy or not because quite frankly, you're an adult and you have to make the decision whether it's right or wrong to spend money.

The spinels are NOT pinkish. They are orangeish red. In fact the stone you've numbered 1, is perhaps the most orange of the 3 (ignoring the top one). The latest photo is very pretty BUT Erinl has hit the nail on the head - the lighting used is the most flattering. I suspect it will look entirely different outside. For the price however, it's a nice spinel but it's not exceptional.

 

[chrono]

Sorry for the threadjack to Erin.
Erin, 6 stones is enough for a bracelet if the stones aren't too tiny. Some decorative metal links will take care of the empty spaces. Either that or somehow you can combine all 6 into some sort of a cluster pendant, perhaps flower-like or geometric art deco-ish. If arranged properly, despite the shape and size difference, it can turn out to be an eye catching piece.

Chris, I'm guessing the colouration difference seen at the ends could be due to the cut. The ends are also naturally thinner than the center so it is normal for it to show a lighter tone (pink is a light toned red) than the center when the light hits it just right.

LD, I'm with you on what I see on my monitor. Very little pink and Spinel 1 shows the strongest amount of orange out of the 3. My concern with such an orangish stone is that it will brown out under indoor lighting.

 

[OTL]

"I think I impulse buy almost everyday "

" I am quiting...right after I pay the sapphire and the earrings and the cat's eye and the blue spinel and the cuprian that I just hit THE button today.... "

"All your kind suggestions should be helpful, but it haven't worked on me yet, I bought another 2 spinels last night.... "

"But I can't help myself, especially when it's a very good deal! How can you let go a good deal? OK, I surely do sound like crazy... "

OTL, please take a hiatus. I can enable with the best of them but it is not what you need, and it is not what you want. Even if you got a deal on a $150 dollar stone it would not be a good deal; it is a false economy.

VL, I know what I have said. You don't have to copy and paste it from another thread to stress it. It could be possible that everybody whining a little bit about their purchasing behavior. I saw a lot of people just couldn't resist the beauty of a White stone, a BB stone, who probably don't need them too. But at the end of the day, still think it is a good buy. Please don't take it too serious

 

[OTL]

Chrono and other experts...

Why, in OTLs newest/largest pic, does it appear that the center of the stone has much stronger color than the two ends (the short ends--which appear more pinkish). Is that a saturation issue? A cut issue?

It reminds me of a tourmaline, but Spinel is not dichroic..so shouldn't it be the same color on all axis.

As much as I have learned the past year or so--I still have a ways to go. My opinion is that the stone doesn't have ideal saturation-or we would see that better, redder color displayed throughout the whole stone. Am I right, wrong?

It could be the cutting is a little thin on the two ends, so because pink is a lighter saturated red, the pinkish color is showing at the two ends. I think the color is evenly saturated though. It is just the cutting, since it is small, only 1.3ct, yet it is a 8x5 face up size, so it does not have the precision proportion. Yet makes it an ideal size for a ring.

 

[OTL]

I'm not going to say anything about whether you should buy or not because quite frankly, you're an adult and you have to make the decision whether it's right or wrong to spend money.

The spinels are NOT pinkish. They are orangeish red. In fact the stone you've numbered 1, is perhaps the most orange of the 3 (ignoring the top one). The latest photo is very pretty BUT Erinl has hit the nail on the head - the lighting used is the most flattering. I suspect it will look entirely different outside. For the price however, it's a nice spinel but it's not exceptional.

I think when it comes to red spinel's color, I have different opinions with most PSers here. I don't mind it, since I will be the one who actually see the stone in person. That's all that matters. Well, still appreciate all your opinions. Thanks for always answering my question

 

[minousbijoux]

I'm not going to say anything about whether you should buy or not because quite frankly, you're an adult and you have to make the decision whether it's right or wrong to spend money.

The spinels are NOT pinkish. They are orangeish red. In fact the stone you've numbered 1, is perhaps the most orange of the 3 (ignoring the top one). The latest photo is very pretty BUT Erinl has hit the nail on the head - the lighting used is the most flattering. I suspect it will look entirely different outside. For the price however, it's a nice spinel but it's not exceptional.

I think when it comes to red spinel's color, I have different opinions with most PSers here. I don't mind it, since I will be the one who actually see the stone in person. That's all that matters. Well, still appreciate all your opinions. Thanks for always answering my question

OTL: to be honest, I'm not sure why you post here asking us questions. It doesn't seem like you agree with us, and it certainly doesn't seem to phase you when people here tell you that the color we see is different than the color you see, or that the stone is mediocre at best. I would urge you to buy the stone in a heartbeat if it were a good deal and a gorgeous stone, but those just aren't. Keep looking - you'll find more to spend you money on tomorrow!

 

[ChrisA222]

Here is an easy way to put it..OTL...

Ask yourself.."why is this Red Spinel only $150?"

You are not 'new' enough to not know what Red Spinels, of good quality, range as far as prices. Im not going to tell you to stop spending your money...that is your choice, I get that. But...try to make the purchases that you DO make, on stones that are more deserving.

Very rarely with stones such as Red Spinels (of good or fine quality) "bargains".