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Tan is the man !:+)

As described, it looks very dark. As for the colour change, I hear that his stones aren't as nice and full as what is seen online from past PSers' experience. We'll have to wait and see if that's the case for yours or not. Colour changers are very hard to photograph so it is difficult to gauge accuracy.
 
That is incredibly dark. In the daylight it will be a very very very very dark green, verging on almost black. However, I bet the incandescent colour will be better (and lighter). This is a gem that will look better in the evenings (think Twilight meets Alexandrite)! :))

With any colour changer the value is in how pretty it looks in all lighting conditions.

I'd love to hear what you think when it arrives - always assume the worst and then when it arrives you may have a pleasant surprise! Good luck and you'll probably find this is a nightmare stone to photograph and the daylight colour you won't be able to capture at all!

Happy Christmas to you.
 
I never owned any alexandrite that dark and it will sure be interesting to see what it looks .

Thanks a lot for your feedbacks :+)I will definitely let you know when I receive it .

Merry Merry christmas to you !!!!!
 
I know next to nothing about Alexandrite as I defer to LD on that particular stone at all times. However, I will say that I do like Tan. I have purchased 2 gemstones from him and been pretty pleased both times. I think what I bought was much nicer in RL then his photos. they weren't top quality but worth what I paid so I was happy :appl: I hope you love your stone!
 
I like Tan - he's honest, and his videos usually represent the color of the stone nicely. I do think this alexandrite is too dark for my tastes, but you'll be able to judge for yourself when you see it. If I were serious about buying an alexandrite (bigger than the 4mm ones I have now), I'd go with LD's advice and choose one through Multicolour.
 
I received it yesterday and let me tell you that that I honestlty never knew that such Alexandrites existed .It goes from a gorgeous blue green color with a hint of purple in the daylight to a rich red color just like an almondine garnet at night.When I use an incandescent flashlight I can see a gorgeous intense purplish red color so strong my other certified "strong color change " alexandrites look like nothing in comparaison.

This is the first time that I am seeing an alexandrite literally turn RED through and through under incandescent light .
 
Also Tan told me that the reason why He sold it at a very good price was because the chinese are not that familiar with Alexandrite yet and that once they get ahold of them prices will go into a frenzy .
So for anyone who is interested in this gemstone this is a the time to consider buying them now before they become unattainable.
 
Wow sounds awesome! We are going to need pictures!
 
I am going to get a nice camera this weekend so I can share pictures.
 
Thank you guys .I am trying to describe it the best way I can .So basically there are 2 types od reds that are noticeable in this one .First there is the regular incandescent light in my living room which helps produce that almondine garnet red and my incandescent flashlight which produces another shade of red ( intense purplish red ) like a purplish red burma ruby.
Also when I turn the stone upside down there are flashes of "Siberian ametyst " kind of purple .That is one perplexing specimen in a good way :+) .I know it sounds crazy but I will have to get a camera to show it to you.
 
How awesome for you to have scored an alexandrite that you love with strong color change and high clarity for so little! I really look forward to seeing your pictures!! I love happy endings, squeeee! Your thread taught me something too: I knew there was chrysoberyl in Tanzania, but I didn't know there was alexandrite! - he noted on the listing that the stone is from Tanzania, and I just assumed it was a mistake. Live and learn!
 
Thanks honey :+)
Tanzania and I believe Madagascar have recently discovered some pockets of Alexandrite and some produce very high quality stones .I really think that some of them could truly rival the Russian ones( like this one )

You can check out his website regularly in case he brings new ones.
Tan actually has decent prices and he is not too greedy which I apreciate a lot :+)
 
I'm glad you like your alex but I need to add a word of caution here. If your gem is showing red then you MUST get it professionally assessed. Please be aware that seeing a red as you describe is exceptionally rare. Here's a link that shows you one of the best examples I've ever seen. You'll see that it looks very different from the red you describe and the garnet you've linked to (also, note the price!!!!!!):

http://www.alexandrite.net/gemstones/natural-alexandrite-oval-2-1-faceted_YAX488aa

Alexandrite has risen in price considerably in the past 5 years because production is limited and several of the mines are no longer producing. The time to buy was 10 years ago unfortunately as now prices are silly and one of my friends who is a gem dealer has said he hasn't been able to buy any for a number of years. Most of the stock on Multicolour.com is old stock as well. In terms of the Asian market, I doubt whether this has the appeal because it doesn't have the WOW factor in terms of colour. Most people would prefer an Emerald to get the green or a Ruby to get the red.
 
Oh LD you are such a smartie for getting them 5 years ago .That is Genius :+)
I think you should open a museum where you are at and I will be one of the first one to visit it :+)

It actually states in the certificate that the color change of this one is not just strong but prominent .I actually saw pictures of some of the best russian ones and also have jacket earrings with russian alexandrites and they look like nothing compared to this one .
I tried to find pictures of red alexandrites online and I can't find any color like this one .

I did buy some very good quality alexandrites from him that were just over a carat or under a carat with a strong color change for a much lower price that this price and with certificates from the AIGS like this one here and I have never been disappointed with him .


http://www.ebay.com/itm/0-79ct-Top-Notch-Uncommon-Oval-Color-Change-Alexandrite-/251201602134?ru=http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=251201602134&_rdc=1&nma=true&si=K94DXEZfi1U6%2BPi%2B12NNqsI%2F8C8%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
 
diamondhearts|1357686227|3350679 said:
Oh LD you are such a smartie for getting them 5 years ago .That is Genius :+)
I think you should open a museum where you are at and I will be one of the first one to visit it :+)

It actually states in the certificate that the color change of this one is not just strong but prominent .I actually saw pictures of some of the best russian ones and also have jacket earrings with russian alexandrites and they look like nothing compared to this one .
I tried to find pictures of red alexandrites online and I can't find any color like this one .

I did buy some very good quality alexandrites from him that were just over a carat or under a carat with a strong color change for a much lower price that this price and with certificates from the AIGS like this one here and I have never been disappointed with him .


http://www.ebay.com/itm/0-79ct-Top-Notch-Uncommon-Oval-Color-Change-Alexandrite-/251201602134?ru=http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=251201602134&_rdc=1&nma=true&si=K94DXEZfi1U6%2BPi%2B12NNqsI%2F8C8%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Click to expand...


Actually I started buying alex years ago (not 5) as I've loved this stone since I started collecting and it became one of the main stones that I bought. The one you've linked to is an ok Alex but not really special (sorry to disagree) - these are still reasonably easy to obtain which is good to somebody new to Alexandrite although the price has steadily increased over the past 5 years. Interestingly although I adore Alexandrite, most people don't. I don't know why - they just don't!

In terms of Russian Alexandrites? Please read up and then get a lab report for origin for your earrings. I think you'll find yours won't be from Russia. Nothing has come out of Russia since 1917. There is very little information about the amount produced from the Urals but I've read somewhere that it was likely to only be around 2000 kilo (rough - not faceted) and not Chrysoberyl. Very few dealers have ever seen Russian material. Please get your earrings to a lab to determine origin.

In terms of seeing red, I won't argue with you. I'm sure that the incandescent colour is good - and I said as much after seeing Tan's video but red? No. It's probably reddish purple at best and I hope it's nothing like the Garnet you linked to because that's incredibly brown. Some chrysoberyl has an orange/brown shift in incandescent lighting that is just horrible and looks like rust. I'm pretty sure yours isn't that from looking at Tan's video. You'll be able to photograph the night time indoor colour easily and in fact it will look much more vivid in your photos - this is a phenomenon of Alexandrite. The daylight colour will be a dark bottle green though I would think and will be impossible to photograph unless you are a wiz with the camera. Alex is valued on both colourways - daytime/evening.

Hope this helps and enjoy your new stone!
 
We are Totally going to need pics.

Seriously.

This means you! :bigsmile:

I'm interested to see, since I bought a color change garnet from Tan and the video showed a red to black stone. The RL change is beige to pale pink. I don't know how he did it, but the video wasn't right, and the pics were just as bad.
 
iLander: I am not surprised to hear this - to date, as far as I know, none of the frequent posters here who've bought color changers from Tan have been happy with them. Just as you experienced, the colors appear to be way off... :nono:
 
minousbijoux|1357705773|3350996 said:
iLander: I am not surprised to hear this - to date, as far as I know, none of the frequent posters here who've bought color changers from Tan have been happy with them. Just as you experienced, the colors appear to be way off... :nono:
Click to expand...

I agree and iLander I sympathise with you (but curiously I also sympathise with Tan). It's impossible (as I'm sure you've seen me bang on about before) to accurately photograph or video colour changers UNLESS you seriously manipulate photos. I'm not clever enough to do that which probably shows in my photos! What is VERY interesting is that I have a couple of really dreadful Alex that have NO colour change seen with the eye. None. Nada. Zip. They just stay daylight green at all times. However, when I photograph them, the photo shows them looking pinky/purple! I promise you, they never go like that IRL but the camera sees something that I don't!!!! I've posted photos of this before - let me know if you want me to start a new thread on it?

So that's why I never trust photos of Alex or colour changers in general unless I know the source. Tan does his best and he's great to work with but I think he also struggles with these too.
 
Whilst I have no alexandrites, I find my colour change garnets impossible to photograph. One is green to purplish red, the other is blue green to reddish purple. I have only seen a handful of beautifully coloured alexandrites with good colour change with the price tag to match. Most are either overly dark and / or muddy.
 
Ah LD they came back as Russian and it was in a detailed report from the AGL so no worries there .

I think you were VERY smart at anticipating that Alexandrite prices would go to the roof and they did .I have seen some prices on some websites that are almost out of line .
And I am starting to get the impression that this will also be the case with the Masasi color change garnet which was discovered 2 years ago and which is already on its way to depletion . I really wish I liked them because the color change garnets have AMAZING color change ( some even better than a high quality alexandrite ) but they are single refractive so they don't sparkle like alexandrites .
The reason was I was pleasantly surprised with this alexandrite was because the deep red garnet color is actually so rare that the industry made it more of an exception than a rule .
I know ,I really don't understand either why most people are not that into them .This is definitely my favorite gemstone and I will continue to buy it .Nothing else from here on .

I just read in the Alexandrite section of a gemology book written by Renee Newman that it was just a myth that "Alexandrite is an emerald by day and a ruby by night " and that normally it shoud sound more like "Alexandrite is an emerald by day and an Amethyst by night"
I almost believed her until I saw that red garnet color .
It is also a gorgeous bluish green with a hint of purple in the daylight .I will get do my best to highlight this on the pictures.

And please if you can open new thread I would really appreciate .

Chrono aren't color change garnets expected to be deep in color for a greater color change?:+) Its because I have seen some of the darker ones ( just over 6 carat ) on TV (Gem shopping network ) fetching 40000$ plus.I know they are overpriced on there but still they seem to be the most valued ones.May be you should try alexandrites some time because they sparkle like heck ( even those with a lesser color change )

By the way I just found this beauty on ebay .A certified Russian necklace going for 1 200 000$ and here is the link

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MiraParis-Russian-Alexandrite-Diamond-Necklace-Set-/300640044707?pt=US_Fine_Jewelry&hash=item45ff8b06a3
 
I am thrilled that you have a great Alexandrite! I have one that turns absolutely red in incandescent light.....but sadly it is brownish green in daylight. Enjoy your gem and take lots of pictures. :)
 
Garnets have rather high RI and thus are actually very sparkly but if the tone is dark, then of course the stone isn't going to be sparkly because the light gets sucked in and doesn't come back out.

The more I read about your alexandrite, the more worried I am. If your alexandrite is truly red, I strongly suggest getting it checked out to be sure it isn't a synthetic or something else. The experts are correct that it is a myth for alexandrite to be ruby under incandescent lighting, either that or you are not interpreting the hue accurately.

And no, all colour change stones, including garnets are NOT expected to be deep in colour for a stronger change / shift. It only happens that many are dark and what better way to sell overly dark gems than to misinform the public that the deeper the colour, the stronger the change? TV gem shows are one of the least trusted source for coloured gemstones with many being of extremely low quality, high pricing and / or undisclosed treatment.

I have seen many alexandrites but found none to my liking except for less than 5 and those were going for $$$ even way back then at least 6 years ago. I refuse to accept overly dark tone, poor colour change and unsaturated colours.

I looked at the link shown on the alexandrite necklace and that only comes with an appraiser's paperwork, not a lab report. Do not be mistaken that that is an AGL lab report; it is an appraisal company by the name of AGL Gemmological Services. It also does not show the green colour-way, which is typically the lesser colour of the two. Not only that, I suspect the alexandrites are synthetic, based on the text description in the appraisal. It explicitly mentioned the word "created alexandrite" more than once, which also explains why they are absolutely inclusion free.
 
diamondhearts|1357795799|3351914 said:
Ah LD they came back as Russian and it was in a detailed report from the AGL so no worries there .


By the way I just found this beauty on ebay .A certified Russian necklace going for 1 200 000$ and here is the link

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MiraParis-Russian-Alexandrite-Diamond-Necklace-Set-/300640044707?pt=US_Fine_Jewelry&hash=item45ff8b06a3
Click to expand...


Diamondhearts I've asked you to post your AGL report stating that your earrings are Russian before and you haven't done so - please can you do it now?

I'm absolutely shocked that you think the necklace in the Ebay link is a Russian Alexandrite or even an Alexandrite. Please please please start doing some research because the information in your posts are so misinformed (and I mean no disrespect by that) but you're going to end up paying money for something worthless if you carry on like this. I'm sure you think you see "red" but you've now done some reading and even with experts telling you you won't see red, you're still saying you do! So, do you think so little of Tan that if he was holding such a gemstone he would have sold it for $1700? Tan is a respected gem buyer/dealer.

Look at what you've missed and the clues in that joke of an Ebay advert:

1. The "appraisal" is not done by AGL and I presume is just a company set up to use a similar name to scam people.
2. The "appraisal" at least has the decency to say that the Alexandrite is CREATED ie not real!
3. Apparently this has been "certified by a museum" - errrrr, so the Seller's name is also the name of the museum i.e. International Museum Mira Paris!
4. The piece is appraised by the "museum" at $1million! OMG that is just toooooooooo funny! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I am VERY pleased that you're happy with your stone. Very pleased.
 
LD|1357822432|3351999 said:
diamondhearts|1357795799|3351914 said:
Ah LD they came back as Russian and it was in a detailed report from the AGL so no worries there .


By the way I just found this beauty on ebay .A certified Russian necklace going for 1 200 000$ and here is the link

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MiraParis-Russian-Alexandrite-Diamond-Necklace-Set-/300640044707?pt=US_Fine_Jewelry&hash=item45ff8b06a3
Click to expand...


Diamondhearts I've asked you to post your AGL report stating that your earrings are Russian before and you haven't done so - please can you do it now?

Also, you SERIOUSLY think that's a Russian Alexandrite necklace in the Ebay link????????
Click to expand...

What is so scary in the ebay link is that the jewelry appraisal company is called "AGL" but this is not the same AGL that is the highly reputable lab in NYC that was founded by Cap Beasley. That's a huge cause of confusion and very disconcerting. The real AGL in NYC also does not do appraisals, they're merely an independent gemological lab that states if the stone is natural, treated, etc. . .

ETA: Here is a link to the real AGL lab, and the owner, Chris Smith, is well known and highly respected in the trade. He recently evaluated all the important Liz Taylor pieces that went up for auction in 2011.

http://www.aglgemlab.com/
 
The true AGL website and what their memos (not certificates, there IS a difference) look like. Labs do not certify anything. Labs do not do appraisals or put any valuation of the gem / jewellery.
http://www.aglgemlab.com
http://www.aglgemlab.com/services

I thought so many things were misleading in the eBay listing from the name of the appraisal company to the name of the vendor itself.

ftsample-t.jpg

shortsample1.jpg

longsample1.jpg
 
garnets have AMAZING color change ( some even better than a high quality alexandrite ) but they are single refractive so they don't sparkle like alexandrites .

This isn't true...being single vs double refractive doesn't mean that it has less "sparkle"...be that brilliance (reflected white light) or dispersion (spectral color flash).

Example...Diamonds! They are Single-Refractive and quite "sparkly".

Someone more qualified can probably give you a more detailed explanation of single vs double refraction...so Ill leave that to them...but I wanted to point out not to assume single refractive stones are less sparkly.

Edit: I wanted to add that I've heard JTV hosts saying stuff like that...although I cannot remember if they were saying single refractive gems are sparklier than double, or the reverse. They will say just about anything to sell gems. The other day, their (irradiated, by the way) Cor-de-Rosa Morganite was being compared to Pink Diamond. They were praising its outstanding brilliance...and, if you look up the brilliance for Morganite (Beryl) it is among the lowest of gems, due to its low RI. Its the second time I've heard JTV praising Morganite for exceptional brilliance! Uh...no.
 
OP I'm still waiting for pictures of your red diamond. You started that thread 2 years ago... :wacko:
 
You mean this thread Anonymous?

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-first-diamond-a-pure-red-0-25ct-vs-princess.155377/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-first-diamond-a-pure-red-0-25ct-vs-princess.155377/[/URL]

Diamondhearts - I'm pretty sure that your alexandrite jackets were sold on Ebay around August last year (shown in your thread below) and if I remember correctly they were under $100? They didn't have lab reports with them and they weren't being sold as "Russian". The reason I remember this is because I saw the advert and wondered if they were synthetic. As I've said to you before, for those who've been collecting alex for a while, statements of "Russian" alex have us running in the opposite direction, because it's just about impossible.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/here-is-a-sample-of-my-collection.180255/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/here-is-a-sample-of-my-collection.180255/[/URL]

Please don't get suckered in by claims of red diamonds and Russian alexandrite - there are lots of unscrupulous sellers and then those who are simply misinformed. On this forum (as I'm sure you know) we try to help the consumer and share our experience as to what is/isn't possible or likely. Of course, we get it wrong BUT we're always happy to be proved wrong! I would be delighted for you if you proved me wrong and posted the AGL report.
 
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