Thoughts on these alexandrites?

[robotsunfish]

I'm looking for to purchase an alexandrite for a ring. I don't mind if the stone is quite small, but I would like the stone to be eye clean and to have a strong color change. Here are some possible stones I've found online - please let me know if you have any input on the quality or value of these stones!

1: http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/alexandrite/yax825ak/&1244716636

2: https://www.gemsny.com/alexandrite/...ite-AL100642P/?sku=58063&type=#horizontalTab1

3: https://www.gemsny.com/alexandrite/0.28-Carat-Round-alexandrite-AL98057RD/?sku=58050&type=

4: https://www.gemsny.com/alexandrite/0.24-Carat-Square-alexandrite-AL99768SQ/?sku=58124&type=

5: https://www.gemsny.com/alexandrite/0.30-Carat-Round-alexandrite-AL98066RD/?sku=58080&type=

6: https://www.gemsny.com/alexandrite/0.34-Carat-Oval-alexandrite-AL99255AOV/?sku=71710&type=

7: https://www.gemsny.com/alexandrite/0.30-Carat-Round-alexandrite-AL98071RD/?sku=58096&type=

8: https://www.gemsny.com/alexandrite/0.43-Carat-Oval-alexandrite-AL99254BOV/?sku=73271&type=

9: https://www.gemsny.com/alexandrite/0.21-Carat-Square-alexandrite-AL99779SQ/?sku=58115&type=

In general, the stones on gemsny appear to have much better colors than the stones on multicolour. Are the photos on gemsny typically accurate?

Thanks!

 

[T L]

I would not get any of those gemsny stones without a major gem lab brief or report. Many of them scream synthetic to me. I also think the videos may be color enhanced.

Multicolour is reputable as far as alexandrite is concerned.

 

[Bron357]

The problem with buying Alexandrite on line is you have no idea if the photos / videos have been manipulated.
furthermore depending on where you live in the world and the season, your daylight colour can vary (and is extremely difficult to reproduce in a photo).
The incandescent colour is wholly dependent on the light source. Most indoor lights these days are LED so they don’t invoke the colour change.
this is my Alexandrite bracelet. The first photos are the Vendors, the second are mine.
the daylight colour is accurate between the photos (theirs and mine) and real life but the incandescent colour of the vendors photo I have never been able to generate. I have tried multiple light sources and I get purple, never a red tone. Its all well and good that the light wave length they use is ”xyz” but if you don’t have that type of light anywhere you’ll never get to see that colour.
provided the vendor offers a “no problem” return you can always purchase to make sure what you see with your own eyes is satisfactory.
And the Alexandrites in my bracelet are all around .35 carats each, so .20 carats is a small size.

 

[LilAlex]

GemsNY is fine, with honest photos, imo. Bought an inexpensive but precision-cut undersaturated sapphire a few years back that was at least as pretty as the fairly-conservative photos.

No alex, almost no matter how much you spend, will look like the photos on high-end vendors' sites. Go to the best jewelry store in your city or even on your whole coast and you will see five-figure alex rings (and not low five-figures) and none will knock your socks off like the vendor photos. For example, the Brazilian hematitas they sell are definitely cool with insane 100% color change but they are more of a novelty item (very dark) and are not well-suited to a woman's ring and, with a small size, tough to design into a man's ring. Ask me how I know!

There was even a thread here a few months back laughing at how awful the ones in the Smithsonian are. I assume mine will be inferior to the Smithsonian's.

 

[T L]

I took some photos of the Smithsonian alexandrites, and they didn’t allow light change so I only saw the incandescent color.

There was only one of them with a decent purple pink color, and I have no idea what the daylight color looked like. The others were muddy in color (browner).

Alexandrite can be a lovely gem, but fine material is being sold primarily to the Japanese, who will pay top dollar for it. The rest of the world is getting the “leftovers”

 

[Nick_G]

Assuming the GemsNY photos are accurate, the 3rd one on the OP's list is my favourite.

If they are natural I'd imagine they come from Hematita.

 

[robotsunfish]

Thanks all for the input! I do prefer to buy from the multicolour site, but I don't see very many stones under ~$3-4k that have strong color change and are eye clean. Not sure if I want to wait for more stones to pop up there, or try ordering from GemsNY...

 

[Anne111]

Thanks all for the input! I do prefer to buy from the multicolour site, but I don't see very many stones under ~$3-4k that have strong color change and are eye clean. Not sure if I want to wait for more stones to pop up there, or try ordering from GemsNY...

That is because the prices for such quality alexandrites are that high or higher and waiting won-t change it, on the contrary. I don-t think multicolor is known for over pricing. If gemsny sells cheaper than multicolor it is definetely a sign that something is wacky. multicolor is in Thailand, right? if gemsNY is in NY how could they sell cheaper than am Thai company with good reputation?

 

[LilAlex]

I took some photos of the Smithsonian alexandrites, and they didn’t allow light change so I only saw the incandescent color.

Sorry to throw stones! Yours was a lovely post but I don't think I'm gonna do better than the Smithsonian for anything. Similar to the disappointment with the Hope Diamond

Buying from overseas is no guarantee of getting better value. I've bought from Multicolour and from GemsNY and I thought the latter site had more accurate representation. You can review the GemsNY photos for yourself and see that they are not all knock-your-socks-off. Both vendors were easy to deal with and I would potentially buy from again. That said, I had much higher expectations for the "better" stone I bought from Multicolour than the very mid-range one I bought from GemsNY.

 

[T L]

Sorry to throw stones! Yours was a lovely post but I don't think I'm gonna do better than the Smithsonian for anything. Similar to the disappointment with the Hope Diamond

Buying from overseas is no guarantee of getting better value. I've bought from Multicolour and from GemsNY and I thought the latter site had more accurate representation. You can review the GemsNY photos for yourself and see that they are not all knock-your-socks-off. Both vendors were easy to deal with and I would potentially buy from again. That said, I had much higher expectations for the "better" stone I bought from Multicolour than the very mid-range one I bought from GemsNY.

The most amazing thing about the Smithsonian alexandrite was the fact they were enormous for this gem.

I simply do not trust the gemsny videos at all.

 

[new-beginning]

I have a small Alex from Multicolour, in my hand it is the same color as the photo on the sales listing.