Please advise: pendants/enhancer with red stone - ruby or spinel?

[Rosa]

Date: 6/10/2008 1:00:30 AM
Author: FrekeChild
Um, if I''m to be honest I think all of them but especially the last two are lacking a bit. Those last two has windows and are pretty pink, one of the other one looks pretty included(third one up), I think another one is concave cut but kind of funky looking(4th up?), and the top two have windows too, it looks like. Having said all of that, I would pick the first one just because I like the color the most. But...color on a computer monitor can be VERY different from what it is in person.

FrekeChild - YES, of course I do want you to be honest! I picked these because they appeared to have the best combination of color, cut and size to my very untrained eye, and they are more or less within the budget that I set for a stone.

It is really interesting to get someone else''s opinion - for example, when you mentioned that the Palagems one looks included, they actually don''t list clarity, so that would be a question to be sure to ask. Are you talking about the stuff around 6 o''clock (pretending the oval is a clock-face?)

Also, with the apparent windows on some of the stones - first of all, I had to look up this term on pricescope''s forums and other places b/c I had never heard of it before. One site showed how it is possible to read printed matter through a window. I am confused though - are you able to flat-out tell a stone is windowed because of a large-ish table? Or are you suspecting it and I would have to get the stone and set it down on a newspaper, or something, in order to be sure?

Sorry for all the questions - but I am learning a ton here!

Whatever I eventually buy will have to pass 2 tests: 1 - do I like it when I see it in person? and if yes to 1, then 2 - does an independent appraiser see something that should send up a big fat red flag? (like, I LOVE the stone but it is actually artificial and not natural, or it has some kind of fracture that could affect durability, or whatnot)

Obviously, though, I want to find the best stone I can for the money before ordering something and paying to get it appraised!

SO DEFINITELY please, feel free to be honest! :-}

Thanks!

 

[FrekeChild]

Lol. Yay for honesty!

Yes I was talking about how there seems to be lots of *stuff* inside the stone around six o'clock and around it.

As for windows let me see if I can find some good examples.

Peridot with huge window
Here is a Peridot that is very very shallow. If you look at top two pics you'll see a big kind of blurry spot in the middle of the stone-in person you will be able to read through it. That is the window. Basically that is the result of poor cutting and it is essentially a part of a stone that has messed up facets that won't reflect any light-instead the light goes through the stone and out the bottom instead of being reflected back up at you. It's basically like a mostly flat piece of colored glass.

Peridot without window
See the difference here with the facets reflecting light back up at the camera? There isn't a big empty spot in the middle of the stone. You wouldn't be able to read through this stone.

Peridot with a smaller window
This one also has a window but it's not quite as bad at the other one (the other one is just BAD-I feel sorry for it).

The other thing you'll need to think about with an oval stone are bowties. That would be a bowtie looking dark spot on either side of the middle. It would run North-South when the stone is East West.
This topaz is a perfect example of a bowtie.
But it's only visible in the top picture. You see what I mean? I'm not sure what causes it, but it's certainly not reflecting any light (what makes it sparkle!) back at you.

Anyway. Those are two major things to look out for when you're browsing for stones. I had no idea what they were either, when I first came to PS. The window can happen in any cut, but I think the bowtie is exclusive to the oval and marquise cuts.

Guys, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!!!

 

[Kismet]

I like the gemsfromearth one and the pala one. I don''t think the gemsfromearth one is concave cut as the description says mixed brilliant-step cut. The AJS one looks like it might end up being a bit dark. The two from multicolour are a bit too pink and windowed for my taste.

 

[RevolutionGems]

I know I am a day late and a dollar short but here is a little more photoshop work for you. This would be super tasty!

 

[RevolutionGems]

Just a bump so Rosa can see the photoshopped enhancer thingy...

 

[Pandora II]

Of the last lot of stones you posted, the Pala one wins hands down for me.

My e-ring is from Pala and I''ve had other stones from there - they have quality pieces, and prices to match.

On the prices, I''ve been quoted a price by a jeweller and then seen the same price mentioned on here that has come a different route for the same stone. Don''t know if that is because they have a set price or not - I''d doubt it.

Vendors I have used and recommend are Wink Jones and Richard Martin.

Personally I''d spend some time working out the colour you like, the shape you like and the size you want and then get the stone sourced rather tha trying to find such an important piece yourself.

 

[Rosa]

Date: 6/10/2008 2:49:44 AM
Author: FrekeChild

As for windows let me see if I can find some good examples.


Peridot with huge window

Here is a Peridot that is very very shallow. If you look at top two pics you''ll see a big kind of blurry spot in the middle of the stone-in person you will be able to read through it. That is the window. Basically that is the result of poor cutting and it is essentially a part of a stone that has messed up facets that won''t reflect any light-instead the light goes through the stone and out the bottom instead of being reflected back up at you. It''s basically like a mostly flat piece of colored glass.


Peridot without window

See the difference here with the facets reflecting light back up at the camera? There isn''t a big empty spot in the middle of the stone. You wouldn''t be able to read through this stone.


Peridot with a smaller window

This one also has a window but it''s not quite as bad at the other one (the other one is just BAD-I feel sorry for it).


The other thing you''ll need to think about with an oval stone are bowties. That would be a bowtie looking dark spot on either side of the middle. It would run North-South when the stone is East West.

This topaz is a perfect example of a bowtie.

But it''s only visible in the top picture. You see what I mean? I''m not sure what causes it, but it''s certainly not reflecting any light (what makes it sparkle!) back at you.


Anyway. Those are two major things to look out for when you''re browsing for stones. I had no idea what they were either, when I first came to PS. The window can happen in any cut, but I think the bowtie is exclusive to the oval and marquise cuts.


Guys, feel free to correct me if I''m wrong!!!

FrekeChild, thank you so much. Those are very helpful examples - are you a teacher by any chance? This week was crazy at work so I didn''t have a chance to look at any more stones - but I just started reviewing some of the sites I have bookmarked and it is amazing how many stones seem to suffer from the cut problems you describe.

I *still* have not gotten a chance to go in person to shop around the diamond district. So many places are closed on weekends so I really want to go during a weekday and try to look at some stones in person, but that requires getting off work or a truly extended "lunch hour".

I know from walking around there in the past that some of the booths have a lot more colored gemstones whereas others only have diamonds.

Meanwhile, I''ll keep looking online and if I find something, will post it for everyone''s comments.

 

[Rosa]

Date: 6/12/2008 1:26:06 PM
Author: Revolution
Just a bump so Rosa can see the photoshopped enhancer thingy...

Jeff, I love it! Your photoshop skills are impressive!

 

[Rosa]

Date: 6/12/2008 5:16:27 PM
Author: Pandora II
Of the last lot of stones you posted, the Pala one wins hands down for me.


My e-ring is from Pala and I''ve had other stones from there - they have quality pieces, and prices to match.


On the prices, I''ve been quoted a price by a jeweller and then seen the same price mentioned on here that has come a different route for the same stone. Don''t know if that is because they have a set price or not - I''d doubt it.


Vendors I have used and recommend are Wink Jones and Richard Martin.


Personally I''d spend some time working out the colour you like, the shape you like and the size you want and then get the stone sourced rather tha trying to find such an important piece yourself.

Pandora, your ring is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! So the center stone is from Pala? That is good to know. I will eventually almost certainly contact a few of the people mentioned here to source the stone, but I really like to learn about stones and jewelry and want to be as informed as possible beforehand.

I have a lot of time b/c the pearls have to be restrung and I don''t actually want to request any stones until I have them in hand ( not until next month, probably!) Also, my father told me the clasp is "decorative" (not sure what he means by that, my dad is not that into jewelry!) so I also want to see the decoration on the clasp first before making a final decision on the stone and pendant style.