Pepto bismol sapphire inclusions

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

Hello CS friends.

I have fallen in love with silky, cool-toned, light pink sapphires. I have also included spinels in the hunt. The Japanese refer to the color as "sakura" (cherry blossom), and I have seen stones that I like described as baby pink, light pink/purple, bubblegum, etc. etc.

My inspiration stone is this one - but this retailer only ships to Japan. *sigh* ...I asked them to make an exception. Nein.

I also liked this one - but it is far over budget and not as silky as I would like in a perfect world. So, also Nein. This one leans purple but I find the color very pleasant.

I found one that I love color-wise - it has a bit of color-zoning that doesn't bug me - I want a milky looking stone, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. That is more important than matching the color of my inspiration stone. This one has more orange and even blue...but I do loveeee the color.

My question is this - how unsightly are these black inclusions? I am waiting on measurements and the vendor is sharing videos of a different stone tomorrow that they said is cleaner.

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

@silkystarlight You have inspired me a bit here - I have always loved stones like this, and have quietly yearned for an ultra cutie-patootie pink one....soooooo here I am! Haha!!!

lovedogs · Feb 7, 2021

I looooove these milky/silky stones. I made a thread about them a while ago because I was trying to figure out how the heck to search for them (no luck, basically just need to stumble upon them Haha). Anything with this kind of "opalescent" effect makes me swoon. I dont mind the inclusions, but that's just me. I know for some people it would be a total deal breaker.

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

lovedogs said:
I looooove these milky/silky stones. I made a thread about them a while ago because I was trying to figure out how the heck to search for them (no luck, basically just need to stumble upon them Haha). Anything with this kind of "opalescent" effect makes me swoon. I dont mind the inclusions, but that's just me. I know for some people it would be a total deal breaker.

I have gotten searching down to a weird science but it’s super arduous. I’ve looked at HUNDREDS of photos and videos. I am happy to share ones I pass on!

***edit - I haven’t found hundreds - they seem quite rare honestly!

I can’t stop watching the videos which is usually a sign...

lovedogs · Feb 7, 2021

Cerulean said:
I have gotten searching down to a weird science but it’s super arduous. I’ve looked at HUNDREDS of photos and videos. I am happy to share ones I pass on!

***edit - I haven’t found hundreds - they seem quite rare honestly!

I can’t stop watching the videos which is usually a sign...

Yes please!! I'm on a buying ban (what else is new?) But might make an exception for an opalescent stone haha

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

lovedogs said:
Yes please!! I'm on a buying ban (what else is new?) But might make an exception for an opalescent stone haha

I mean, I’m on a ban too technically

Once I pick, I’ll share deets! I didn’t find too many, but...it can’t hurt to share!

silkystarlight · Feb 7, 2021

Cerulean said:
Hello CS friends.

I have fallen in love with silky, cool-toned, light pink sapphires. I have also included spinels in the hunt. The Japanese refer to the color as "sakura" (cherry blossom), and I have seen stones that I like described as baby pink, light pink/purple, bubblegum, etc. etc.

My inspiration stone is this one - but this retailer only ships to Japan. *sigh* ...I asked them to make an exception. Nein.

I also liked this one - but it is far over budget and not as silky as I would like in a perfect world. So, also Nein. This one leans purple but I find the color very pleasant.

I found one that I love color-wise - it has a bit of color-zoning that doesn't bug me - I want a milky looking stone, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. That is more important than matching the color of my inspiration stone. This one has more orange and even blue...but I do loveeee the color.

My question is this - how unsightly are these black inclusions? I am waiting on measurements and the vendor is sharing videos of a different stone tomorrow that they said is cleaner.

OMG.... that color!! That pink is absolutely gorgeous and I feel that the silkiness just kicks up the delicate feminine factor! Ugh that is one heck of a stone!

What a bummer that they don’t ship outside of Japan! I would totally understand if you wouldn’t, but would you consider a forwarding service? I actually just used one for shipping a dress in Canada over to the US. Had zero issues outside of a longer (but as-advertised so totally expected) shipping wait that was hard because I was SO impatient! Although I understand that dresses and gemstones are two totally different matters, as is shipping from basically one “neighbor” to another vs. across a whole ocean! But, if you loved that first stone enough and were willing to take that chance, I might look into it if the additional shipping/handling costs from a forwarding service wouldn’t burn your budget all too much! I had actually almost went to a Japanese forwarding service to get the limited edition Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch when it was a hot item last year (BIG nostalgia factor for me and basically would’ve been the only reason to get a Switch) buuut patience won out for me in the end and I was able to snag one at my local Best Buy like 6 months after I first started looking. But yeah! Forwarding services! Miiiight be worth it!

Anywho as for if that other stone’s inclusions are too much... I don’t know, I think they could work! Funny enough those little inclusions remind me a lot of the cherry blossom flowers themselves...

I mean look at that! The little pollen bits with the petals as their background kind of remind me of the inclusions in that stone! (okay, you might have to squint a little.... but I’m sure you know what I’m getting at!

)

Cerulean said:
@silkystarlight You have inspired me a bit here - I have always loved stones like this, and have quietly yearned for an ultra cutie-patootie pink one....soooooo here I am! Haha!!!

Yeeess!! Go for it! Live out your silky-stone dream life!

We can be our own little band of shimmery silky gem collectors..... show the world what these special stones are made of! Glad I could inspire you to chase that dream!

Cerulean said:
I have gotten searching down to a weird science but it’s super arduous. I’ve looked at HUNDREDS of photos and videos. I am happy to share ones I pass on!

***edit - I haven’t found hundreds - they seem quite rare honestly!

I can’t stop watching the videos which is usually a sign...

Oh yeah, the searching is BRUTAL!! Definitely share whatever you find, I’d love to see!

And, that definitely sounds like a good sign!

lovedogs said:
I looooove these milky/silky stones. I made a thread about them a while ago because I was trying to figure out how the heck to search for them (no luck, basically just need to stumble upon them Haha). Anything with this kind of "opalescent" effect makes me swoon. I dont mind the inclusions, but that's just me. I know for some people it would be a total deal breaker.

Opalescent silky stones really are something special! And hey, others can leave them be... means there’s more for us!

Hivona · Feb 7, 2021

Finewater has this one but it might be too violet.

1.00 ct Violet Spinel

www.finewatergems.com

Rfisher · Feb 7, 2021

I truly think you won’t know about those peppered-in inclusions being bothersome and intolerable until you see in person. What might outweigh them being there. Whether it’s size, color, sleepiness or the fact your eyesight isn’t what it used to be.
I too love silky stones.
Leon’s milky blue spinel was always the ultimate ultimate for me.

This has a window - but wonder how visible/bothersome it would be.

https://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/spinel/sn12499aa/&930512007

I’ll follow your quest with interest

Edit
Oops-I didn’t catch the budget amount earlier

silkystarlight · Feb 7, 2021

I have some etsy options for your consideration although they are quite varied in terms of color, size, and shape

https://etsy.me/3rqpszG

https://etsy.me/3q0iMIi

https://etsy.me/3pZgJEx

https://etsy.me/3rwMm8Q

https://etsy.me/2MHScFA

Gemmax was very nice when I inquired about a sapphire of his (the trillion sapphire I shared on my erring post) and he was great about getting more pictures and videos for me!

Gloria27 · Feb 7, 2021

Security measure

www.ebay.co.uk

Sleepy Light pink Mahenge Spinels

idola · Feb 7, 2021

Cerulean said:
Hello CS friends.

I have fallen in love with silky, cool-toned, light pink sapphires. I have also included spinels in the hunt. The Japanese refer to the color as "sakura" (cherry blossom), and I have seen stones that I like described as baby pink, light pink/purple, bubblegum, etc. etc.

My inspiration stone is this one - but this retailer only ships to Japan. *sigh* ...I asked them to make an exception. Nein.

I also liked this one - but it is far over budget and not as silky as I would like in a perfect world. So, also Nein. This one leans purple but I find the color very pleasant.

I found one that I love color-wise - it has a bit of color-zoning that doesn't bug me - I want a milky looking stone, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. That is more important than matching the color of my inspiration stone. This one has more orange and even blue...but I do loveeee the color.

My question is this - how unsightly are these black inclusions? I am waiting on measurements and the vendor is sharing videos of a different stone tomorrow that they said is cleaner.

Kind of left field, but have you considered shipping the original stone to a proxy in Japan? It's very, very common practice as few Japanese sellers will ship abroad (especially with the heavy restrictions on where you can send most package types due to covid). If you're up for it, whiterabbit is an extremely easy to use proxy.

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

Rfisher said:
I truly think you won’t know about those peppered-in inclusions being bothersome and intolerable until you see in person. What might outweigh them being there. Whether it’s size, color, sleepiness or the fact your eyesight isn’t what it used to be.
I too love silky stones.
Leon’s milky blue spinel was always the ultimate ultimate for me.

This has a window - but wonder how visible/bothersome it would be.

https://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/spinel/sn12499aa/&930512007

I’ll follow your quest with interest

Edit
Oops-I didn’t catch the budget amount earlier

This is quite pretty, thanks for digging it up - and a great price for the size! Admittedly, price aside, I am a weird PSer in that I prefer gems that are smaller than that! I think 3 carats is my absolute max

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

idola said:
Kind of left field, but have you considered shipping the original stone to a proxy in Japan? It's very, very common practice as few Japanese sellers will ship abroad (especially with the heavy restrictions on where you can send most package types due to covid). If you're up for it, whiterabbit is an extremely easy to use proxy.

I didn’t even think about that or realize it was an option! I think the level of complexity does make a little nervous and the seller doesn’t use PayPal - which also makes me nervous! Thanks for the suggestion though!

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

Gloria27 said:
Security measure

www.ebay.co.uk

Sleepy Light pink Mahenge Spinels

Some of those are very pretty, thanks for sharing - admittedly the prices seem shockingly low - I wonder if I’m being overly suspicious?

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

silkystarlight said:
I have some etsy options for your consideration although they are quite varied in terms of color, size, and shape

https://etsy.me/3rqpszG

https://etsy.me/3q0iMIi

https://etsy.me/3pZgJEx

https://etsy.me/3rwMm8Q

https://etsy.me/2MHScFA

Gemmax was very nice when I inquired about a sapphire of his (the trillion sapphire I shared on my erring post) and he was great about getting more pictures and videos for me!

Ooooh thank you! Some of them are really pretty - admittedly the color peach looks terrible on me, some of these unfortunately are bit too peachy...

But good to know what is out there!

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

Hivona said:
Finewater has this one but it might be too violet.

1.00 ct Violet Spinel

1.00 ct Violet Spinel

www.finewatergems.com

Yes I saw that one - agree, too violet but very very pretty!

idola · Feb 7, 2021

Cerulean said:
I didn’t even think about that or realize it was an option! I think the level of complexity does make a little nervous and the seller doesn’t use PayPal - which also makes me nervous! Thanks for the suggestion though!

It does take a little while to get an account set up on whiterabbit or other proxies since the Japanese government requires ID verification for proxy shipping, but after that, the proxy service takes the payment (typically with paypal) so that you can avoid the seller requirements for Japanese credit cards and addresses only. Of course I understand if it's not your cup of tea, but I wanted to clarify in case anyone else is interested in buying gems from Japanese sellers without international shipping

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

silkystarlight said:
OMG.... that color!! That pink is absolutely gorgeous and I feel that the silkiness just kicks up the delicate feminine factor! Ugh that is one heck of a stone!

What a bummer that they don’t ship outside of Japan! I would totally understand if you wouldn’t, but would you consider a forwarding service? I actually just used one for shipping a dress in Canada over to the US. Had zero issues outside of a longer (but as-advertised so totally expected) shipping wait that was hard because I was SO impatient! Although I understand that dresses and gemstones are two totally different matters, as is shipping from basically one “neighbor” to another vs. across a whole ocean! But, if you loved that first stone enough and were willing to take that chance, I might look into it if the additional shipping/handling costs from a forwarding service wouldn’t burn your budget all too much! I had actually almost went to a Japanese forwarding service to get the limited edition Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch when it was a hot item last year (BIG nostalgia factor for me and basically would’ve been the only reason to get a Switch) buuut patience won out for me in the end and I was able to snag one at my local Best Buy like 6 months after I first started looking. But yeah! Forwarding services! Miiiight be worth it!

Anywho as for if that other stone’s inclusions are too much... I don’t know, I think they could work! Funny enough those little inclusions remind me a lot of the cherry blossom flowers themselves...

I mean look at that! The little pollen bits with the petals as their background kind of remind me of the inclusions in that stone! (okay, you might have to squint a little.... but I’m sure you know what I’m getting at! )

Yeeess!! Go for it! Live out your silky-stone dream life! We can be our own little band of shimmery silky gem collectors..... show the world what these special stones are made of! Glad I could inspire you to chase that dream!

Oh yeah, the searching is BRUTAL!! Definitely share whatever you find, I’d love to see!

And, that definitely sounds like a good sign!

Opalescent silky stones really are something special! And hey, others can leave them be... means there’s more for us!

So, I didn’t even know about courier services like that. Duh - of course that is a thing! Honestly the main dealbreaker for me with this vendor is they don’t take PayPal / Venmo - I was a victim of credit card fraud a little while ago and am too nervous to input my information directly in a website. It may be overly paranoid but....oh well!

And I love the analogy of the cherry blossom pollen bits, seriously!

I do keep looking at the videos *sigh*

And yes please! Team silky gems tehe

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

idola said:
It does take a little while to get an account set up on whiterabbit or other proxies since the Japanese government requires ID verification for proxy shipping, but after that, the proxy service takes the payment (typically with paypal) so that you can avoid the seller requirements for Japanese credit cards and addresses only. Of course I understand if it's not your cup of tea, but I wanted to clarify in case anyone else is interested in buying gems from Japanese sellers without international shipping

This is excellent to know, really. It might be something I set up in the future actually. It’s a really cool idea I knew nothing about. For now, my appetite for complexity might be too low but definitely good for other folks to know too!

Gloria27 · Feb 7, 2021

Cerulean said:
Some of those are very pretty, thanks for sharing - admittedly the prices seem shockingly low - I wonder if I’m being overly suspicious?

The guy is a serious seller, I've bought from him before (Garnet, Opal and Moissanite). He is a gem cutter.

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

Here are some I’m de

Gloria27 said:
The guy is a serious seller, I've bought from him before (Garnet, Opal and Moissanite). He is a gem cutter.

Awesome - thank you for reassuring me! I feel much better with the knowledge that you have happily bought from him!

ItsMainelyYou · Feb 7, 2021

For whatever reason I can't attach the other pictures I have of my little 1.3 carat sleepy pink spinel. It looks dark in this picture but it's close to what you're looking for and it was from super cheap Ebay about 5-6 yrs ago. Ten bucks or something. I don't mind inclusions as long as it doesn't detract from the stone, so I wouldn't worry about them! The only reason I haven't set it is it almost disappears on my skin tone. I'm ridiculously pink.

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

ItsMainelyYou said:
For whatever reason I can't attach the other pictures I have of my little 1.3 carat sleepy pink spinel. It looks dark in this picture but it's close to what you're looking for and it was from super cheap Ebay about 5-6 yrs ago. Ten bucks or something. I don't mind inclusions as long as it doesn't detract from the stone, so I wouldn't worry about them! The only reason I haven't set it is it almost disappears on my skin tone. I'm ridiculously pink.

Oooooh this is super pretty! I am ALSO very pink skinned - that is why I need some bluish / violet tones to any pink I get - peach just dissolves on me - pads would look ghastly!!! Thank god for that or I'd want a juicy pad and they are always well beyond my budget

ItsMainelyYou · Feb 7, 2021

These are some that I've found on Etsy. I always keep an eye out for budget savers.

Natural Unique Pink Spinel Oval Cut 1.68 Carat 7.70x6.55 - Etsy

Natural Pinkish Spinel No Treatments Origin : Ceylon Clarity : VS Transparent Shape : Oval Cut Weight : 1.68 Carats Dimensions Length : 7.70 mm Width : 6.55 mm Depth : 4.65 mm Video : https://youtu.be/xuZsa09cAtA With Gemstone Authenticity Confirmation. Worldwide Shipping.

www.etsy.com

Bubblegum Pink Spinel Mozambique 6x5mm 1.04ct Natural Loose - Etsy

A rare bubblegum pink Mozambique spinel. These unique spinels from Mozambique have a more silky or satin like appearance than most spinels mined elsewhere. Natural, oval / cushion hybrid cut pink spinel loose stone for jewelry supply and crafting. Gemstone: Spinel Cut: Oval / cushion hybird Color:

www.etsy.com

Light Pink Spinel Oval Shape Untreated Natural Loose Gemstone - Etsy

Like this gemstone? More of them in our shop => https://www.etsy.com/shop/EarthlingGemsShop?ref=seller-platform-mcnav&section_id=27246789 ------------------------------------------ Cute ligth pink spinel for jewelry making. Product code : PN1868 Cutting : Step cut Enhancement : No Treatment

www.etsy.com

Cerulean · Feb 7, 2021

Here are a few I am definitely passing on, either due to cut, cost, color or clarity for interested parties!

I think this one was my favorite...but not at all the color I am after at the moment!