Vendor pictures and owner pictures of PS stones

[Acinom]

I love that tourm JimmyMilla! Awesome colour and very unique!

2.02ct Rose de France amethyst from Jeff Davies. Slightly darker/more purple IRL compared to vendor pic but still gorgeous!

This stone looks lovely!! I love your pics even better. You have been quite a busy bee Ricezo!!

 

[Siameseroo]

Haha thanks Acinom! Yep I've definitely been busy buying stones, I need to slow down!!

 

[mochiko42]

14.11 ct chrysoprase from Marlborough, Australia
21.2 mm x 14.2 mm (x 7.3mm depth)
Purchased from lapicarey on Etsy.

Vendor pic:


My pics:
It was so hard to capture the right color of the stone using my camera! In real life,the stone is slightly lighter in tone and a slightly more bluish green seafoam color. Somehow, I haven't yet been able to see it glow as much in real life as on camera, but thus far I've only viewed it in ugly incandescant/office lighting However even in office lighting, it's a beauty.

 

[Acinom]

Your stone is amazing! I love the color of chrysoprase and yours is simply stunning. How will you set the stone?

 

[deskjockey]

gorgeous! I am very curious about that vendor, too, so glad to see a good purchase

 

[Siameseroo]

Wow that's beautiful! Loooking forward to seeing how you set it!

 

[mochiko42]

Thanks Acinom, deskjockey and ricezo

I took some photos, the first is in muted daylight by the window, the second is under "warm white" indoor lighting. I would say that they are quite representative of the actual color that I see.


I'm probably going to put it in a simple bezel pendant setting (yellow gold), it's rather large so I think it would go well on a long chain. Unfortunately, it probably won't be set for a while, along with the other stones that I have lying loose!

I would definitely order from lapicarey again, I'm on a real cabochon kick these days - love their translucency and glow!
By the way, lapicarey is Carey Robbins, I believe Barry also carries his pieces too. --> http://www.acstones.com/info/aboutothers.html
(Which was why I wasn't too worried about ordering from him!)

 

[minousbijoux]

Thanks Acinom, deskjockey and ricezo

I took some photos, the first is in muted daylight by the window, the second is under "warm white" indoor lighting. I would say that they are quite representative of the actual color that I see.


I'm probably going to put it in a simple bezel pendant setting (yellow gold), it's rather large so I think it would go well on a long chain. Unfortunately, it probably won't be set for a while, along with the other stones that I have lying loose!

I would definitely order from lapicarey again, I'm on a real cabochon kick these days - love their translucency and glow!
By the way, lapicarey is Carey Robbins, I believe Barry also carries his pieces too. --> http://www.acstones.com/info/aboutothers.html
(Which was why I wasn't too worried about ordering from him!)

Wow, Mochiko, that is stunning! A truly beautiful piece.

 

[Siameseroo]

2.75ct precious coral cab from the Tyrhennian Sea. Colour in Barry's pic is spot on - for some reason my camera makes it look a smidgen lighter.

 

[dk168]

mochiko42,

I am not a big fan of jades, however, I like that massive Chrysoprase of yours, thanks for sharing!

DK

 

[mochiko42]

OK, starting to work on my list for 2015 by crossing chrysoberyl off the list.

This is a 2.67 ct Chrysoberyl from Mastercut. Although the vendor description and pics portrayed it as eye clean, unfortunately from certain angles I can easily spot two brown needles and a transparent veil upon close inspection without a loupe (the former can be seen in my first photo). However, the color is gorgeous and the inclusions are not that obvious. I was a little disappointed that it was described as "eye-clean" though, when it is obviously not eye-clean. I realize that photographing chrysos can be tricky, but I had hoped that the text description would be more accurate... Still, I will be keeping it because the two brown inclusions are not directly under the table and the gem has a nice glow. Also, paying for both the shipping and return shipping costs is expensive ($35 each way) since I'm outside the US.

Vendor description:
Origin: Sri Lanka
Weight: 2.675 carat
Size: 7.5 mm
Clarity: eye clean
Cut: round brilliant
Color: silky neon lemon green
Treatment: none - natural
Note: Dana Reynolds re-cut the pavilion on this previously windowed gem. This gem is a true neon and glows from across the room.

Vendor photo:

My photos:

 

[chrono]

Michiko,
Other than the generous clarity grading, how do you find the colour description? Spot on, close enough or quite different? Also, your pictures show a silkier chrysoberyl whereas the vendor's picture shows a very clear stone.

 

[minousbijoux]

Michiko,
Other than the generous clarity grading, how do you find the colour description? Spot on, close enough or quite different? Also, your pictures show a silkier chrysoberyl whereas the vendor's picture shows a very clear stone.

I was noticing the same thing

 

[mochiko42]

Michiko,
Other than the generous clarity grading, how do you find the colour description? Spot on, close enough or quite different? Also, your pictures show a silkier chrysoberyl whereas the vendor's picture shows a very clear stone.

I was noticing the same thing

Hi Chrono and minous!

Yes, the stone is a bit silky but nowhere near as silky as suggested in my photos. In real life, it only shows a touch of silk.
The vendor description stated that it was a silky but neon stone. I find the vendor description to be quite accurate except for the clarity issue. There was a second vendor photo that showed the silk, that I didn't include in my original post. Here it is:


Still, Mastercut has a 100% refund policy, so I can't say much. It's just my misfortune to be outside the US so each refund costs me $70 in shipping fees. (But not Mastercut's fault).

I will be a little more cautious in ordering in future. I reached out to Dana and he said that Rachelle is doing some of the listing write ups now, and that they are still in the transition phase, so this one may have slipped through the cracks. (We did agree on the definition of eye-clean, which is visible from 30cm (12").) I did ask for more information about two chrysos they had listed (one of which is this one) about two weeks ago, but never received a reply (maybe due to the holidays), so I decided to just go ahead and order. I guess I need to learn patience!!

Going off on a tangent, I seem to be having bad luck with some PS vendors lately in terms of receiving responses to enquiries/requests for quotation. I'll just chalk it up to the holiday season, but I do get confused when I see other PSers seem to have no problem receiving responses from some vendors....I realize some vendors are small family businesses vs others that are big companies, but still...

 

[chrono]

Michiko,
I appreciate your response to my questions. I understand that it isn't easy to purchase online, moreso when the vendor is in a different country. As always, if you don't get a response after a few days, don't hesitate to send a second email. It's easy to "lose" or forget an email during the busy holiday season.

 

[mochiko42]

2.75ct precious coral cab from the Tyrhennian Sea. Colour in Barry's pic is spot on - for some reason my camera makes it look a smidgen lighter.

Somehow, this reminds of the ochre-orange color of the walls of the palace of Knossos in Crete.. goodness... that Mediterranean feeling!! Do you have plans to set this yet?

 

[Siameseroo]

2.75ct precious coral cab from the Tyrhennian Sea. Colour in Barry's pic is spot on - for some reason my camera makes it look a smidgen lighter.

Somehow, this reminds of the ochre-orange color of the walls of the palace of Knossos in Crete.. goodness... that Mediterranean feeling!! Do you have plans to set this yet?

Thanks Mochiko, it's a beautiful colour and reminds me of European holidays too! I gave it to my mum as part of her Christmas present so the setting is completely upto her! We have very different taste in jewellery, I think she will take it with her to Thailand later this year for her jeweller to set into a chunky silver ring.

As an avid scuba diver I was initially hesitant about purchasing precious coral but I did a lot of research and Barry gave me lots of information about the provenance and fishing methods used so I am comfortable with the purchase.

 

[mochiko42]

2.75ct precious coral cab from the Tyrhennian Sea. Colour in Barry's pic is spot on - for some reason my camera makes it look a smidgen lighter.

Somehow, this reminds of the ochre-orange color of the walls of the palace of Knossos in Crete.. goodness... that Mediterranean feeling!! Do you have plans to set this yet?

Thanks Mochiko, it's a beautiful colour and reminds me of European holidays too! I gave it to my mum as part of her Christmas present so the setting is completely upto her! We have very different taste in jewellery, I think she will take it with her to Thailand later this year for her jeweller to set into a chunky silver ring.

As an avid scuba diver I was initially hesitant about purchasing precious coral but I did a lot of research and Barry gave me lots of information about the provenance and fishing methods used so I am comfortable with the purchase.

That's very interesting. I know all our pretty things always have an environmental price - but then again, everything we do or consume has an environmental footprint, whether you're growing wheat or mining for gems. I don't dive, but used to live in a fishing village, it seems that trawling and destructive fishing methods (people used to use dynamite to fish until it was banned here) is much worse for the sea bed than any small-scale coral harvesting, at least in my part of the world. I didn't think about that aspect of your mum's coral cab but how thoughtful of you to do your research and to take it in mind. Not everyone would. I hope your mum will enjoy her coral cab as one of the beauties created by the natural world.

 

[Siameseroo]

That's very interesting. I know all our pretty things always have an environmental price - but then again, everything we do or consume has an environmental footprint, whether you're growing wheat or mining for gems. I don't dive, but used to live in a fishing village, it seems that trawling and destructive fishing methods (people used to use dynamite to fish until it was banned here) is much worse for the sea bed than any small-scale coral harvesting, at least in my part of the world. I didn't think about that aspect of your mum's coral cab but how thoughtful of you to do your research and to take it in mind. Not everyone would. I hope your mum will enjoy her coral cab as one of the beauties created by the natural world.

Thanks Mochiko! I feel very strongly about environmental sustainability, unfortunately in some parts of the world coral is harvested with dredges which drag across the ocean floor taking everything in their path. Thankfully in other parts of the world, there is greater regulation to preserve coral, quotas, permits, bans on the use of dredges etc.

PS I love your chryso! I think it looks much nicer in your pics compared to the vendors.

 

[evergreen]

After seeing some nice things about him on the board, I bought two inexpensive stones from Ross Sedawie of sedagems.com -- his communication was terrific and shipping was very fast (Australia to US), and photos were reasonably-to-very accurate. Allowing for the fact he uses a standardized setup with bright but diffuse flattering lighting, my own photos come reasonably close! The biggest differences are that the emerald is clearer than I would have thought from his photos, and the sapphire is more affected with a bit of extinction than I'd anticipated. Still, can't complain, for the prices I paid -- and he is VERY customer-service-focused and was quite concerned that the sapphire wasn't quite as dynamic as I'd hoped; he very kindly reminded me of his money-back guarantee but I think it'll grow on me (I keep seeing flashes of a color I absolutely adore, so that's reason enough!).

2.14ct Colombian emerald, 8x8x6mm, light cedarwood oil only
Knew it was lighter than trade ideal when I bought it, and it turned out to be less yellow in tone than his photos (and light bluish green IS my favorite color for emeralds, so, pleased with that!)
Vendor photo:

My photo (indoors, indirect natural light) -- sorry it's so tilted, but the color and clarity are accurate!




0.96ct Ceylon sapphire, 6.03x5.40x3.7mm, heated (came with a GCI certificate, and although I don't know if that's a terribly useful thing in the educated market I'm happy to have extra documentation!)
Vendor photo:

My photo (indoors, indirect natural light; emerald came along for the ride)


And, in direct sunlight, I do get the same effect with the sapphire (tilted here).


Importantly, he was terrific via email and very concerned with my satisfaction, despite this being a decidedly low-budget purchase from his stock. I'd definitely buy from him again. I think the photos gave me enough of an idea what to expect that I'd be at low risk for having to pay for return shipping back to Australia, anyway.

 

[Acinom]

Some comparison pics:

 

[Acinom]

Yet more...
I would say that the glamour pic and handshot by Gene are quite accurate

Handshots here: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/precision-gem-meets-victor-canera.209907/#post-3819383#p3819383']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/precision-gem-meets-victor-canera.209907/#post-3819383#p3819383[/URL]

 

[mbakercad]

Zircon from Jeff Davies. In reality the stone looks quite similar to the vendor pic by Jeff.
The stone is what I had been hoping for, but better.

I want to learn more about this setting. Can someone please contact me with any information. This is exactly what I'm looking for, thanks!

MD

 

[minousbijoux]

Zircon from Jeff Davies. In reality the stone looks quite similar to the vendor pic by Jeff.
The stone is what I had been hoping for, but better.

I want to learn more about this setting. Can someone please contact me with any information. This is exactly what I'm looking for, thanks!

MD

Hi and welcome. There is no mechanism for contacting members here. Your best bet is to start a thread and ask your questions, as many members will likely come along and respond. It appears that the setting you like was made by Victor Canera and acinom provided the zircon stone purchased from Jeff Davies. This might help you also:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/list-of-vendors-for-reference.208782/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/list-of-vendors-for-reference.208782/[/URL]

 

[Acinom]

Zircon from Jeff Davies. In reality the stone looks quite similar to the vendor pic by Jeff.
The stone is what I had been hoping for, but better.

I want to learn more about this setting. Can someone please contact me with any information. This is exactly what I'm looking for, thanks!

MD

Thank you Minous
Mbakercad: this is indeed my setting made by Victor: www.victorcanera.com
Here is my thread so you can see more views: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/asscher-zircon-ring-dipped-in-diamond-sugar-by-victor-canera.203638/page-2']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/asscher-zircon-ring-dipped-in-diamond-sugar-by-victor-canera.203638/page-2[/URL]

It's a three sided pave platinum setting. Single cut diamonds were used as melee and the stones are bright cut set. Do you already have a color stone or diamond you would like to set? If you love the setting you could ask Victor for a quote. He is a very nice and professional guy.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

3.6 carat purplish/red spinel from Tan. I had a gut feeling that the stone would look much better than the picture and appear eye clean. He listed it as VS2 and the inclusions are only seen under the loupe.

I think it is perfect because I wanted a richly colored reddish purple spinel without grey or brown, that didn't black out and keeps it's color in low and bright light.

 

[Acinom]

3.6 carat purplish/red spinel from Tan. I had a gut feeling that the stone would look much better than the picture and appear eye clean. He listed it as VS2 and the inclusions are only seen under the loupe.

I think it is perfect because I wanted a richly colored reddish purple spinel without grey or brown, that didn't black out and keeps it's color in low and bright light.

It looks like candy

 

[Siameseroo]

Gorgeous Lisa!

 

[dk168]

Posted elsewhere already about being disappointed with this precision cut 6mm round Spinel, as it looked orangey brown to me in real life, after falling in love with it based on the vendor's pic and video:

Vendor's pic:


My pic:


I returned the inexpensive stone and received a full refund.

DK

 

[mbakercad]

Zircon from Jeff Davies. In reality the stone looks quite similar to the vendor pic by Jeff.
The stone is what I had been hoping for, but better.

I want to learn more about this setting. Can someone please contact me with any information. This is exactly what I'm looking for, thanks!

MD

Hi and welcome. There is no mechanism for contacting members here. Your best bet is to start a thread and ask your questions, as many members will likely come along and respond. It appears that the setting you like was made by Victor Canera and acinom provided the zircon stone purchased from Jeff Davies. This might help you also:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/list-of-vendors-for-reference.208782/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/list-of-vendors-for-reference.208782/[/URL]

I have contacted Victor Canera. Thank you for taking the time to reply.