Opinions on this stone, please.

[JLW05]

Below are photos of a 1.41 antique cushion tsavorite. I have posted photos of this stone before but requested new photos under different lighting conditions. One photo was taken with a DSLR camera and two with a point and shoot with and without the flash under natural lighting). I would like blunt appraisals -color, cut, hue, tone, saturation, etc. I try hard but my experience and eye are just too limited. I am wondering, does the cut looks less than square?, am I seeing extinction or shadows in the first photo? I am assuming the white spots I am seeing in the second photo are reflections from the flash? I know that green stones can be difficult to photograph. I was told by the vendor that the stone will be darker in person.
When I first began my search some months back, I suppose I was like many newbies and didn't realize how difficult and how much time it can actually take to find a stone - I do now. Also, it seems like some vendors have not been able to procure decent quality tsavorite lately.

 

[emmmme]

Photographing a gemstone with flash will never produce an accurate photo, so you should disregard that one altogether.

Aside from that I can't add much. Good luck in your search!

 

[OTL]

What do you mean less than a square? That looks like a cushion cut to me. Color looks decent, can't judge inclusion/window based on the photo though.

 

[chrono]

The first picture is of little help because of the angle of the stone. Any darkening seen is likely to be normal due to the angle light hits the stone and goes through it. This is why a straight on photo like the third is best to evaluate colour and cut. The second picture should be disregarded as the flash distorts the colour our eyes will normally see. Thus, we are left only with the third picture, which isn't particularly useful either because there is no reference background or light to compare to.

The most accurate way to photograph the stone is a combination of picture 1 and 3. A hand shot but it has to be straight on like in picture 3. Based on what you currently show, the tsavorite looks well cut. The tone looks to be medium and saturation falls in the medium to strong range. I'm not seeing any blue modifier though, if that's what you want. How much darker is it in person?

What are the measurements of the tsavorite? Anything under a ratio of 1.02 is considered square.

 

[JLW05]

I thought perhaps the stone looked a bit lopsided but I guess that was just due to the angle the photo was taken at. The stone measures 6.5mm x 6.25mm and my pendant is 6.5mm square. I can post it again for reference. The stone is indeed medium and while I do prefer a medium-dark, I have had four very reputable vendors e-mail me and say that either the rough is too expensive or the quality they are encountering was poor. One vendor informed me that he would be looking for tsavs in Tucson and I contacted him the other day and he told me that what he saw there underwhelmed him. The stone I posted does not have the blue modifier that I find ideal -the vendor said I would have better luck finding a blue modifier in a darker stone. He also said that a darker stone will be less open. I am a bit embarrassed by my ignorance but I really don't know what that means.
I will ask the vendor for one more shot taken as you suggested, Chrono, and I will post that. I am most anxious for brutal honesty and then if the feedback is generally positive, I will have the stone sent to me for a five day evaluation.
Again, your opinions are greatly appreciated.

 

[chrono]

It is true that good tsavorites seem to be extremely difficult to find and when found, they are very expensive today. It is also true that a darker toned tsavorite is more likely to show a blue modifier and have a tendency to "close up". Basically, it means that it will get super dark or black out under certain lighting conditions. I've seen several medium toned tsavorites with a surprisingly strong blue modifier (but not really strong per se, just strong for a tsavorite) so I know they exist. They are getting more difficult to find though. Hopefully our comments will be honest without the brutal part.

 

[JLW05]

Thank you for the explanation, Chrono. Much appreciated.
I requested another picture as you suggested - hand shot, natural lighting, straight on and hopefully that photo will provide more information.

 

[pregcurious]

JLW05, I think I am familiar with this vendor. Are his initials BB? I am sure you are aware that he is one of the world's experts on tsavorites. I bought the stone in my avatar from him with less than optimal shots, but with a written description, and a verbal description over the phone. As you've seen on Pricescope, it is very difficult to get accurate photos, and very few vendors can provide such. If it is the vendor I am thinking of, he deals mostly with the trade. I personally trust this vendor, and would go by his written/verbal description in addition to any photos you receive. However, that is only my experience, and I was comfortable communicating with him.

From the 3rd photo, the stone looks symmetrical, but you can also ask him to comment about the cut, including symmetry.

If you have your heart set on a blue modifier, and he says it does not have one, then you might want to ask him to contact you if he finds one that fits your specs.

 

[JLW05]

Yes, his initials are indeed BB. He has been very responsive and pleasant. While I would love a stone with a blue modifier, I am going to keep an open mind. I do know that vendor photographs do not always reflect a stone and a common comment on this forum is how much better the stone being photographed looks in person.

 

[pregcurious]

I don't believe this applies to BB, but it's common for stones to be worse than the vendor pic. I feel like the last few people who have been buying blue sapphires have had a rough time.

I only bought 1 stone from BB, but the stone was better in person. I hope it is also in your case.

 

[tara3056]

JLW05, I am almost certain this is one of the tsavorites Bruce sent me to view when I was searching for my ring stone. I compared the last macro pic you posted to the one he attached to one of his emails to me, and they are dead-on twins. So I think he's had this one sitting around for 6+ months. The carat weight and approximate measurements also match with what I was given.

So, seeing as how I'm 99% sure I've seen this one in person, I can tell you that it's definitely a medium-toned tsav and there is no hint of blue to it. If anything, it leaned a little yellowish. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, if that's what this is. (I also felt it was a bit overpriced, at least based on the price I was quoted back then. That said, the price of tsav has just kept going up, so perhaps that's unfair for me to say.)

I recall the cut being fine, but it was too light and too grassy for my personal preference.

 

[JLW05]

Tara, sounds like the same stone to me.
If I wanted a stone for a ring, I would be able to be flexible about size and/or shape so that I could get a stone that meets all of my criteria and I would be happy to work on other projects during the wait. However, I already have this pendant and I have my heart set on placing a tsavorite in it. Being that I need a very specific size, I am so very limited and then I have to factor in cut, color, etc., etc. Sometimes I think that I might as well find that needle in the haystack! I have the pendant for months now and have put a lot of feelers out with only two bites. One was the stone I returned and this is the second. So....I can just tuck the pendant away, be very patient and hope that my ideal tsavorite will pop up down the line, I can set the pendant with a different type of stone altogether or I can consider the stone we are talking about and hope that after seeing another photo or seeing it in person it might call to me.
I am afraid that the tsavorite seems a bit light for my taste but was hoping that it is darker in person. As for price, I too think that the stone is on the high priced side but it does seem that prices for tsavorites keep escalating.
I did reach out to the vendor you suggested and hopefully they will be getting back to me so keep your fingers crossed.