Red Spinel

[tara3056]

It's a lovely spinel! The cut would bother me, but perhaps not much if it turned out that recutting it would lose too much weight. Whatever you decide to do, it's a great color!

Would you mind sharing the name of the vendor, now that you've bought it?

 

[cm366]

Hi tara, thanks for the comment! The vendor was Mattana Kongkarat of Upper Gems (not sure whether it's properly one word or two...)

 

[LD]

Do you mind if I'm honest?

The gem is much much darker than the vendor's photos. Also there is quite a bit of extinction going on (which I doubt would be resolved with a recut). I suspect it also blacks out (not totally) in some lighting conditions.

Are you ok with it being darker than the vendor's photos? I absolutely loved the colour in those photos but in yours it's a "normal" red spinel and (for me) doesn't have the impact that the vendor's photos suggested.

It is still a pretty gem and a great size so it's whether the colour screams and you and says "love me as much as I love you"!!!!

I hope you don't mind me being honest?

 

[cm366]

Hey LD! Nope, I welcome honest opinions I think part of the problem may still be my photos, as the stone is certainly brighter and less brickish in hand than these came out. It doesn't black out the way other red spinels I've handled have done, but it does deepen in low cool light almost like the African rubies I've seen, almost to a purplish-red... In full sun it's a bright and vibrant red, and indoors under our new CFLs it's still red but a little more pinkish. When you say you see extinction, would you mind reposting the photos with the extinct areas highlighted, or give me a little more detail on what you mean? I guess I'm thinking of big black swaths, which this definitely doesn't have...

I'll try to grab some more photos after the holidays - please, all, let me know what you're thinking and what kinds of shots/lighting you'd like me to try? I'm not feeling bad about the purchase and I'm planning to keep the stone regardless, as I like it and the price was more than right, but I'd love to get some constructive criticism....?

 

[chrono]

Cm,
The pictures posted and your description of the spinel couldn't be more different from each other. As LD mentioned, it looks brickish to red with varying levels of very dark areas that look like extinction. As you said, it could be poor lighting and photography though. As I'm on the phone, I am unable to circle these areas but they can be noted in all the pictures.

 

[LD]

I've taken the photos as you've suggested and have put rings around the extinction I see (that is quite extreme). I also can't believe I'm just about to say this (considering my ranting thread the other day) but I also see the "half/half" extinction. In this case, half of the stone is blacking out.

I understand what you're saying about your photos and know how difficult it can be to get an accurate replication. I have a stop light red spinel BUT BUT BUT the whole thing blacks out in certain lighting conditions and looks very dark indeed. The only reason I've kept it is because of the stop light colour but it'll never be set into a piece of jewellery. Photos below.

Hope this helps.

 

[minousbijoux]

It looks perhaps like several of your pics were taken with the lightsource at an extreme angle to one side, thus casting shadows across part of the stone (or this is wishful thinking on my part ). A really good judge is to take it out in daylight around lunch time - north facing if possible and get some pictures in direct sun or in indirect, diffused sun. I think such pics might put to bed some of the concerns that have been voiced. That will at least provide a benchmark...

 

[cm366]

Thanks gang! Am traveling at the moment and will be rushing around over the holidays but will take your advice and try for more photos ASAP. Many thanks for all the comments thus far!

 

[Arkteia]

The cut would not bother me on a beautiful red spinel. And what a splurge of colors!