Pigeon Blood Red

[Richard M.]

Date: 9/2/2005 12:17:29 AM
Author: glitterata
Are you talking about blue-blooded pigeons or the common, plebian type?

I try not to let class distinctions enter into my pigeon-bleeding. If there''s a blood color difference between the Brahmins and the Plebes, it will be important to the scientific aspect of the inquiry.

 

[Cave Keeper]

Date: 8/31/2005 9:47:37 PM
Author: Vincent Pardieu
About the pigeon thing while speaking with Burmese dealers, several told me that the term is in fact a kind of fake...
:
The fact is that ''Kho Twee'' is not really a typical burmese terminology term!
:
Trying to pin point the color of the best quality ruby from a possibly chinese style artistic term
:

I have not heard of Pigeon Blood Red being used as a color reference in Chinese painting.

More likely possiblity would be the use of the term by Burmese Chinese merchants. Very likely, it''s the Burmese Chinese traders who would be dealing with their Thai Chinese counterparts in the gemstone trade.

As for those who are afraid of the animal rights people, just go to one of those Chinese restaurants which live fish, live crab, live lobster and live prawn dishes. They are just as likely to offer live pigeon dishes. Ask them to do the execution of the live bird at your table.

 

[widget]

Hey, guys...could we get off the subject of pigeon blood, noses, nostrils, lineage, etc. for a moment?

I was really fascinated with Vincent's tale of merchants judging ruby color by using gold cups, and how gold effects the apparent color of a ruby vs. white metal.

So I tried...with only marginal sucess...to take two identical pictures of my now unmounted star ruby, one on a gold coin, the other on a quarter. Obviously the gold coin reflected back a lot more light through the stone than that poor old beat up quarter did. But I still think there is some discernable difference in the apparent color of the stone. Any thoughts?

widget

PS....I must confess I did this not only in the interest of "science", but because I love playing with and posting pics of my new baby!

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 9/2/2005 9:06:24 PM

I was really fascinated with Vincent''s tale of merchants judging ruby color by using gold cups, and how gold effects the apparent color of a ruby vs. white metal.

Widget, that''s one beautiful stone! I don''t blame you for using any excuse you can find to enjoy it. Thanks for sharing your images.

Anyone who sets stones knows the color of the setting can have a huge effect on a stone''s appearance. Your images show that very clearly. It''s always important when buying a transparent gem to see it against different colors of metal and in different kinds of lighting. The color of yellow gold can vary enormously from low-karat to high-karat, and various alloys have different colors even in the same karat. That doesn''t even cover colored golds like rose, green, grey, etc. White gold colors also vary depending on the alloy used and whether they''re rhodium plated.

Platinum also has slight color differences depending on the specific alloy used. Then there''s titanium and other specialty metals that are finding increasing use in certain kinds of jewelry. All have specific effects on gem colors.

I was amused recently when one of the jewelers I work with showed me a nearly 8 carat emerald cut diamond for which he was creating a platinum ring. The stone was pale yellow. Then I noticed he was constructing a 22-karat yellow gold inner seat for the stone at the customer''s request. It would be invisible after the diamond was set but would enhance its yellow color tremendously. The same principle works with various results on colored stones and is an important one to consider.

Richard M.

 

[Cave Keeper]

Thanks, Widget. That was a great shot showing what gold can do.

Too use gold is OK; to use tin-foil is not. Maybe we have been too hard on those tin-foil "cheats"; or, perhaps, times, they are a-changing? Portia, where are thou?

 

[gemnut]

Funny that you posted those pics with the ruby, widget - which is GORGEOUS BTW!

Ever since I read about the golden cups I''ve been comparing my Burmas next to various shades of gold I could find!

It''s kind of hard because my stones are already set, but I did notice that next to my 21K gold earrings the stones had a much warmer red color. Hmmmm.... maybe I''ll change my mind about Burmas and white gold

Or I MAY stick to my guns and convince the world that rubies are purple instead!

Gemnut

 

[Cave Keeper]

Date: 9/3/2005 11:07:12 AM
Author: gemnut

:
Or I MAY stick to my guns and convince the world that rubies are purple instead!

Gemnut

So, instead of using white gold or platinum, use gold for a pigeon blood red ruby.

In addition, replace those colorless diamonds surrounding a centerpiece ruby with fancy vivid canary yellow diamonds or golden hue yellow sapphires?

Similarly, do the same with sapphire.

Now, will the future price of tiny colorless diamonds head south?

 

[mogok]

Hi,
About Burmese love for both gold and gems, I just would like to show you an example. The stone is a very fine pink spinel which was cut to display a great brilliancy. I asked one of my friend in Mogok to make the stone set in a traditional Burmese ring by one of the oldest Mogok jeweller...
Here is the result:

The yellow from the gold has to my opinion give to the pink spinel some warmer aspect which is pleasant.

All the best,

 

[valeria101]

Did the experiment help with your decission, widget ?

Both look wonderful, really... that ruby holds it own no matter what, as much as the picture tells. But you have seen the real colors

 

[widget]

Author: valeria101

Did the experiment help with your decission, widget ?

It sure made me more interested in using YG in a ring, but I''m still not completely sure what I want to do.

I have an appointment with the designer Tuesday morning...hopefully she''ll help me settle on something...I''ll report back about that meeting later tuesday...I am anxious about this...I want to do it right. I hate that I''m not surer of what I want...

widget

 

[glitterata]

I love that ring, Vincent! What a beautiful stone and what beautiful workmanship.

 

[Cave Keeper]

Date: 9/2/2005 1:40:15 AM
Author: Richard M.

Date: 9/2/2005 12:17:29 AM

Author: glitterata

Are you talking about blue-blooded pigeons or the common, plebian type?

I try not to let class distinctions enter into my pigeon-bleeding. If there''s a blood color difference between the Brahmins and the Plebes, it will be important to the scientific aspect of the inquiry.

Now, where can we get hold of this blue-blooded Brahmin pigeon?
Would this be scarcer, larger, or even more delicious?