What do folks think of this Alexandrite?

[Pinkmartini87]

Thoughts on color change, clarity, price? Link below has a video also.

Rare Antique Russian Alexandrite Engagement Ring Ref: 728901

This antique 14K gold ring from the early 1900s features a very rare 0.81 carat Russian Alexandrite with prominent color change (90 to 100%). The quality […]

romanovrussia.com

 

[VividRed]

I don’t know anything about Alex but I trust AGL more than any other lab. If they say that color change is 90-100% and quality of the color change is excellent, you know it’s a fine stone.

Question is if you like the color of Alex in daylight. If you do, this looks like a very fine specimen.

I am not a big fan of oil though…

 

[DAF]

Wow! It's gorgeous.

 

[LD]

Oil is a horrible new(ish) treatment for Alex. I don’t know if it devalues the stone but I suspect so because all the Alex I have is natural and untreated. It makes me wonder what the clarity would be like without it.

The stone is under 1ct so shouldn’t be too expensive but I suspect it could be. I’m unfamiliar with the vendor. Do they have a good returns policy?

 

[LilAlex]

I own a Brazilian alex with a Gubelin report and that level of color change (my first post and the basis for my user name).

I am completely unfamiliar with oiling alex -- that would be a red flag. Especially since one of the great things about chrysoberyl for a ring is its hardness/toughness and general don't-worry-about-it nature.

New plus Russian origin is a red flag for me, but that's a separate issue.

I have not worked with this vendor but they are one of the seemingly bottomless wells of all-original antique gemstone jewelry of similar style. Maybe they have an amazing pipeline for very old, high-end treasures in perfect condition. Maybe not...

Alex is an unimpressive stone, visually. Totally cool, gemologically, though. I think it will mostly look gray in mixed light. A few folks here have alex they love. EDIT: I still have not mounted mine after many years since, again, it's more "Wow, cool" than "Wow, beautiful."

This one is also tiny. With no halo, how much will you even be able to appreciate it?

My bias is there are many better ways to spend that purchase-price.

 

[Pinkmartini87]

@VividRed @LD @LilAlex

Many thanks for your knowledge! I saw the oiled bit too and wasn’t sure what to make of it. I’ve not bought from this vendor although website states lifetime refund policy.

@LilAlex As always, you have a Hemingway-esque way with words (smart, cool, right to the point, and always served with a glint of great humor), I could not have said it better. You echoed some of my own opinions as well re stone and vendor. I think I’ll pass. Would love to see your Alex though if you care to share!

 

[E H]

These day more and more gems are being treated by oil. On sept hk show, i saw a lot of spinel, tourmaline (both paraiba and other), sapphire, alex being treated by oil. The price are much cheaper duh

i am not sure whether the market will consider them as acceptable treatment in near future tho

Cant comment on the russian origin. But it has very very fine cc. How important does the origin to you? At 10k/pct you can easily get yourself untreated alex from other origin with the same quality of color and cc.

 

[Bron357]

You need to see the Alexandrite in your normal lighting conditions.
The problem is that colour assessment is done at specified light wavelengths to be “daylight” and “incandescent“. However your “daylight” in real life depending on your location and the time of year, may not replicate the colour shown.
So the theory of colour change gems is fabulous, but the reality can be more miss than hit.
And as I’ve discovered, seeing the incandescent colour is rare because who lives by candlelight and all modern lights are LED / fluorescent/ low voltage whatever. So unless I turn off my electric lights and grab some candles, Im never seeing the purple/ red colour of my Alex.
And can I say that in ”mixed lighting” and fluorescent lighting the colour is just yucky.

 

[Pinkmartini87]

@E H Thanks for the valuable updates on oiling from recent shows, helpful for us who cannot travel presently. Yes, oiling to me esp for stones typically without significant clarity issues (sapphires, etc) is a red flag of possibly inferior quality.

@Bron357 As I recall, you have a beautiful alexandrite. Thank you for chiming in; yes, for me I would love to admire the stone as I go about day, and not just when huddled next to candlelight (I don’t even think I have candles handy!).

 

[LilAlex]

Would love to see your Alex though if you care to share!

Thanks for the too-kind words above, @Pinkmartini87! What I lack in expertise I need to compensate for in distraction!

Here is mine, immortalized in my very first post. I think this is my single least-impressive gem or jewelry purchase and surely the fewest smiles per dollar. There was a good return policy but the "coolness" of it won over this childhood rock collector even if the beauty was disappointing.

My son still teases me about it. Much as the school bus is the standard unit of dinosaur length in kids' picture-books ("[Something]saurus was longer than three school buses"), this alex became our large unit of currency. If his friend's (big-spending) Dad got a new sports car and I casually asked what it cost, I might get the answer in alexandrites...

First the vendor shots (actually, the online wholesaler -- whom many will recognize -- so not really the vendor's fault):



You will be shocked (shocked!) to learn that it does not look like this IRL.

This is the Gubelin report -- retrieved online since this lives only in my memory and safe deposit box.



These are the IRL photos. The color-change is insane, as is the incandescent color. The cool-daylight color is so-so and I have to almost use averted vision to see the teal. These are quick-and-dirty photos; I did not go out of my way to achieve glamour-shot standards (so apologies for the low-res, smudgy stone, imperfect white-balance, etc., etc.)

 

[qubitasaurus]

No to an Alex with oil treatment, it is unnecessary to buy a stone that has been treated to that degree.

 

[Pinkmartini87]

Thanks for the too-kind words above, @Pinkmartini87! What I lack in expertise I need to compensate for in distraction!

Here is mine, immortalized in my very first post. I think this is my single least-impressive gem or jewelry purchase and surely the fewest smiles per dollar. There was a good return policy but the "coolness" of it won over this childhood rock collector even if the beauty was disappointing.

My son still teases me about it. Much as the school bus is the standard unit of dinosaur length in kids' picture-books ("[Something]saurus was longer than three school buses"), this alex became our large unit of currency. If his friend's (big-spending) Dad got a new sports car and I casually asked what it cost, I might get the answer in alexandrites...

First the vendor shots (actually, the online wholesaler -- whom many will recognize -- so not really the vendor's fault):



You will be shocked (shocked!) to learn that it does not look like this IRL.

This is the Gubelin report -- retrieved online since this lives only in my memory and safe deposit box.



These are the IRL photos. The color-change is insane, as is the incandescent color. The cool-daylight color is so-so and I have to almost use averted vision to see the teal. These are quick-and-dirty photos; I did not go out of my way to achieve glamour-shot standards (so apologies for the low-res, smudgy stone, imperfect white-balance, etc., etc.)

Thank you for the delightful story and the photos—there’s something so magical about a complete chameleon of a stone, to hold it in one’s hand admiring it: alchemy made tangible. I can see the coolness appeal for sure!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Thanks for the too-kind words above, @Pinkmartini87! What I lack in expertise I need to compensate for in distraction!

Here is mine, immortalized in my very first post. I think this is my single least-impressive gem or jewelry purchase and surely the fewest smiles per dollar. There was a good return policy but the "coolness" of it won over this childhood rock collector even if the beauty was disappointing.

My son still teases me about it. Much as the school bus is the standard unit of dinosaur length in kids' picture-books ("[Something]saurus was longer than three school buses"), this alex became our large unit of currency. If his friend's (big-spending) Dad got a new sports car and I casually asked what it cost, I might get the answer in alexandrites...

First the vendor shots (actually, the online wholesaler -- whom many will recognize -- so not really the vendor's fault):



You will be shocked (shocked!) to learn that it does not look like this IRL.

This is the Gubelin report -- retrieved online since this lives only in my memory and safe deposit box.



These are the IRL photos. The color-change is insane, as is the incandescent color. The cool-daylight color is so-so and I have to almost use averted vision to see the teal. These are quick-and-dirty photos; I did not go out of my way to achieve glamour-shot standards (so apologies for the low-res, smudgy stone, imperfect white-balance, etc., etc.)

I love that this one has some serious blue tones in daylight, as opposed to the usual muddy, grassy greens! That's a near 100% color change too.

I vote that this guy needs to be your next ring project in the very near future. Oh Gary...

 

[Voodoo Child]

Beautiful stone, but I don’t like the fact that it’s oiled. Alexandrite is a type two gemstone, so inclusions are to be expected. I’m wondering how bad this stone would look if it didn’t have oil?

 

[LilAlex]

I vote that this guy needs to be your next ring project in the very near future. Oh Gary...

I would love to but I don't quite know how to do it. I like a thicker (taller?) ring and I would probably set this E/W and it's only 5mm on the short side. And I bezel-set everything so there is not much extra canvas to hide behind the picture frame, so to speak. And it's on the dark side to begin with.

I was thinking about prong-setting in black rhodium (plating) but that's not really my look. And by that I mean that I don't really have a look, let alone a "cool" black ring look. And I generally like a more streamlined/monolithic look for my rings so prongs would disrupt the flow. I guess I could do a skinny white-metal ring and stack it with my wedding band .

 

[Starstruck8]

It's not so easy to bezel a smaller stone and make it look proportionate. Maybe a pinky ring?

Not a bezel, but it frames a smaller stone (CC garnet):


Tourmaline, Torrington emerald (open sides), emerald


Some bezel inspos:

 

[Autumn in New England]

I would love to but I don't quite know how to do it. I like a thicker (taller?) ring and I would probably set this E/W and it's only 5mm on the short side. And I bezel-set everything so there is not much extra canvas to hide behind the picture frame, so to speak. And it's on the dark side to begin with.

I was thinking about prong-setting in black rhodium (plating) but that's not really my look. And by that I mean that I don't really have a look, let alone a "cool" black ring look. And I generally like a more streamlined/monolithic look for my rings so prongs would disrupt the flow. I guess I could do a skinny white-metal ring and stack it with my wedding band .

These are all valid points, and I definitely understand your trepidation, but this guy is almost 7x5mm. I don't think that's small for an emerald-cut alex at all! So if bezeling is what you're into, I feel like you could address that with the jeweler (as in, I want it secure, but let's not cover too much real estate). And as much as I LOVE the look of black rhodium, until they find a way to solidly cast it, I have to pass. I just can't stand the maintenance. In all honesty, that's why I stopped buying plated white gold and just go with platinum now. In any event, I bet this project would come together more smoothly than you'd think, if working with the right jeweler. For instance, DK, as much as I adore him, isn't very collaborative. Inken, on the other hand, is very much so (as you know). You had a specific aesthetic in mind when you created your spinel ring with Gary. So maybe you just need to brainstorm this one a bit more, and see what comes to you. I just loved that whole dragonfly motif sooo much, that I selfishly want to see what you do next.

 

[Autumn in New England]

It's not so easy to bezel a smaller stone and make it look proportionate. Maybe a pinky ring?

Not a bezel, but it frames a smaller stone (CC garnet):


Tourmaline, Torrington emerald (open sides), emerald

That middle design (a partial bezel) might be a good compromise!

 

[LilAlex]

Tourmaline, Torrington emerald (open sides), emerald

I assume these are from your collection? You have such great taste and style!

I agree with you and @Autumn in New England that the smaller one here could be perfect. The "exposed flanks" make me a little uneasy. Do you recall the stone dimensions and finger size? I love the look of the almost-bevel that carries the long-facet lines around the ring. I have tried to do this with my E/W-mounted step cuts.

A pinkie-ring wouldn't cut it for me -- I have long, skinny fingers. When I type, I am constantly asked by clients if I play piano. I answer "no," but am thinking, "If you were actually paying attention, you'd notice that I can't even type let alone play piano."

And as much as I LOVE the look of black rhodium, until they find a way to solidly cast it, I have to pass

This is good to know! It was on my list of maybes from before I knew much about this stuff and what you say of course makes sense -- why would it be any harder than the plain ol' rhodium that I know is not durable?

...but this guy is almost 7x5mm. I don't think that's small for an emerald-cut alex at all!

Good to hear that perspective. "Dollars-per-pound," it feels small. I usually like a 10x8mm -- but then again, I have never done this with corundum or diamond.

I'm going to try to get some better photos of it.

I think you're right. If I don't do something with it, it will eventually just get sold for pennies on the dollar or kept as a generational "cautionary tale" about (one of) Dad's follies.

OK I'm on it. You're a good and terrible influence. In mixed light, it's probably not worlds different from a dark gray spinel (and I am much more of a light-gray spinel fan) -- but it has a weird, almost metallic-looking luster and random flashes of purple and teal.

 

[Starstruck8]

I assume these are from your collection? You have such great taste and style!

I agree with you and @Autumn in New England that the smaller one here could be perfect. The "exposed flanks" make me a little uneasy. Do you recall the stone dimensions and finger size? I love the look of the almost-bevel that carries the long-facet lines around the ring. I have tried to do this with my E/W-mounted step cuts.

Yes, all are mine, except for last block which are inspos.

Stone size 7.9x6.3mm, ring size R+1/2 Aussie, 9 US.

 

[LilAlex]

OK, on with my continued thread-jacking. And with apologies to @Pinkmartini87, whom I scared away from alexandrite.

These are photos with a "brand-new-to-me" c2016 DSLR and a 100mm f/2.8 macro lens. All were shot in RAW. RAW is always undersaturated and low contrast. The "depth of field" is super-shallow -- even stopped down to f/9 and f/13 like these shots. All were with tripod and 2-second-delayed shutter release (slow shutter speed for the smaller aperture).

The cool-light (teal) views oversell the color. The hue is correct but it is a much more fleeting appearance. This is about as good as it can possibly look, imo, and it is quite dark. The incandescent (purple) views seriously undersell it. It is dark but an intense reddish-purple. All in all, it has a dark, almost iridescent quality as if it were marcasite or bismuth (and I know those are opaque metals). It is not like any other transparent gems I have seen in person.

The sensor loved to show the teal (better than my eye when I peeked around the viewfinder) but it really struggled to show me the obvious purple; it was the complete opposite by eye. I rolled my eyes a little when some PSers posted about their troubles capturing alexandrite colors but I get it now -- the struggle is real.

Note that these are not the identical vantage-points. In the cool view, I am shooting a little "up her dress" as it were (stone is tilted away from me). I just saw the color in the viewfinder and fired away. In the warm views -- although the color was super-obvious to my eye -- I had to position the lens more directly on top of the stone to begin to capture it.

This is the cool light view -- under a Goodwill-find daylight fluorescent designed to combat S.A.D. but it's pretty close to the GIA OttLite (which was another Goodwill find but spouse stole that for her desk lamp.)

Below is the "as-shot" view in RAW with no mods:




Below is the color-temperature-corrected view, which is nearly identical (meaning there is not much of a color cast to the original image). I did not bother to adjust the saturation since I think it already oversells the prominence of the hue although the color is correct. And by that I mean I am usually just seeing flashes around the thinner edges.




Below is the as-shot-in-RAW warm (incandescent) view -- 100W halogen bulb in an "architect's" articulating desk lamp with the window blinds closed:




Below is the color-temperature-corrected image of the same shot, to remove the warm/yellow-brown color-cast (there was no other manipulation between these two photos):




Last, below is an attempt to make it look a little more like what the eye sees -- it is very vivid and grape-y and a little redder pulling toward magenta -- but there is not enough red in the original image to effectively boost the red channel and highlight it. And maybe it's just the superimposition of the warm ambient light that, in my brain, adds the red to the purple. Who knows?




So -- I guess these are not miles from the vendor photos after all but the teal view oversells the stone and the purple view undersells it. The purple is by far the most striking and I will seldom see that except by a roaring fire, old-school flashlight, or a handful of places that don't mind wasting energy.

 

[Autumn in New England]

OK, on with my continued thread-jacking. And with apologies to @Pinkmartini87, whom I scared away from alexandrite.

These are photos with a "brand-new-to-me" c2016 DSLR and a 100mm f/2.8 macro lens. All were shot in RAW. RAW is always undersaturated and low contrast. The "depth of field" is super-shallow -- even stopped down to f/9 and f/13 like these shots. All were with tripod and 2-second-delayed shutter release (slow shutter speed for the smaller aperture).

The cool-light (teal) views oversell the color. The hue is correct but it is a much more fleeting appearance. This is about as good as it can possibly look, imo, and it is quite dark. The incandescent (purple) views seriously undersell it. It is dark but an intense reddish-purple. All in all, it has a dark, almost iridescent quality as if it were marcasite or bismuth (and I know those are opaque metals). It is not like any other transparent gems I have seen in person.

The sensor loved to show the teal (better than my eye when I peeked around the viewfinder) but it really struggled to show me the obvious purple; it was the complete opposite by eye. I rolled my eyes a little when some PSers posted about their troubles capturing alexandrite colors but I get it now -- the struggle is real.

Note that these are not the identical vantage-points. In the cool view, I am shooting a little "up her dress" as it were (stone is tilted away from me). I just saw the color in the viewfinder and fired away. In the warm views -- although the color was super-obvious to my eye -- I had to position the lens more directly on top of the stone to begin to capture it.

This is the cool light view -- under a Goodwill-find daylight fluorescent designed to combat S.A.D. but it's pretty close to the GIA OttLite (which was another Goodwill find but spouse stole that for her desk lamp.)

Below is the "as-shot" view in RAW with no mods:




Below is the color-temperature-corrected view, which is nearly identical (meaning there is not much of a color cast to the original image). I did not bother to adjust the saturation since I think it already oversells the prominence of the hue although the color is correct. And by that I mean I am usually just seeing flashes around the thinner edges.




Below is the as-shot-in-RAW warm (incandescent) view -- 100W halogen bulb in an "architect's" articulating desk lamp with the window blinds closed:




Below is the color-temperature-corrected image of the same shot, to remove the warm/yellow-brown color-cast (there was no other manipulation between these two photos):




Last, below is an attempt to make it look a little more like what the eye sees -- it is very vivid and grape-y and a little redder pulling toward magenta -- but there is not enough red in the original image to effectively boost the red channel and highlight it. And maybe it's just the superimposition of the warm ambient light that, in my brain, adds the red to the purple. Who knows?




So -- I guess these are not miles from the vendor photos after all but the teal view oversells the stone and the purple view undersells it. The purple is by far the most striking and I will seldom see that except by a roaring fire, old-school flashlight, or a handful of places that don't mind wasting energy.

I've never been a big alex fan (though I am a big LilAlex fan) for the reasons you mentioned earlier. But, man, this stone just looks phenomenal to my eyeballs. If that rich teal is what you're actually seeing in daylight, I'm sold. And not only is the color change dramatic, but it's actually a really pleasing color. I sincerely hope you do set it some day. Hey perhaps your posts have actually encouraged OP!

 

[toomuchB]

@LilAlex What a stunning alexandrite, I hope you find a way to enjoy it more.
If you recall or look back at my CC garnet photos (my only thread), I can imagine you might cringe at the amateurishness, lack of white balance, and the fact that I did post some 'glamour'/the best shots I could get (and explicitly stated so).
I am no photography person but I've been inspired to look more into it. I know there have been discussions on this forum about proper photography, and I might revisit those, learn and apply. I wish I could capture the colors of my stone more accurately - though its not like I majorly misrepresented what I was seeing in my thread. The strangest feeling was the camera picking up pink when I was seeing violet or grayish blue in daylight.
Apologies about the threadjack OP. I know too little about Russian alexandrite to add any meaningful input.

 

[Bron357]

Can relate @LilAlex .
Alexandrites are fascinating gems but..…..
My wee Alex is 7 x 5 and way too small for my taste. So I found a diamond cluster ring and put it in that.
It has very good colour change but most modern lights dont allow it to show the best “daylight” colour. I like it’s daylight winter colour (Australia) best. I rarely see the incandescent colour unless I want to get out the candles and turn the others off.
My Alex bracelet however has better daylight colour in natural lighting. It’s not as purple red though in incandescent. I believe the bracelet is Brazilian Alex and the wee one Russian.

 

[Bron357]

And the gems I dream are Alexandrite. Wouldn’t it be nice ha ha
Not sure what they are, but interesting.
alongside my Alex bracelet.

 

[LilAlex]

If that rich teal is what you're actually seeing in daylight, I'm sold.

But that's the thing -- as I tried to point out, it's not really what I see in daylight. First, I need the coolest of cool light -- not even overcast skies but actual full sunshine shade/shadow to see the teal. And even then, this (below) is closer to what I see (meaning it's mostly some flashes around the edges like the "top" part of that photo above):




The stone is never full-on teal. The sensor is so much more sensitive to green than purple. Maybe that's why all the alexandrites for sale (e.g., on Lang, where they know how to take photos) always show the "green" side and almost never the purple. And when they do show the purple, it's a meh grayish flavor.

I am no photography person but I've been inspired to look more into it. I know there have been discussions on this forum about proper photography, and I might revisit those, learn and apply.

I know what you mean. I got myself into some hot water with a few posters when I first joined and started pontificating about color accuracy in photos. But sometimes -- either because of sensor response that differs from that of the eye or stone properties that may not translate well into a still image -- the most technically "accurate" photo may not be the most faithful depiction of what the gem truly looks like. (Perfect example above: my RAW image of this alexandrite showing teal in daylight is better than you will ever see it even though there is no in-camera enhancement like you would see if you were shooting jpegs or shooting with your phone.)

And the fact that my RAW image is a knock-out says a lot because it shouldn't be. If you saw my vacation photos in RAW -- before I tweak them -- you would think we visit the dreariest places on earth and only on rainy days. So I need to quickly edit them to conform with what I remember (which, by the way, does not mean every sunset is crimson and magenta and every sky is royal blue).

I used to howl if a vendor posted a photo that was not properly white-balanced but I now know it is much more important to have a trusted vendor say "Ignore the rest of the photo and everything you know about image manipulation; this is what the gem actually looks like!" I would never accept that from an eBay or IG rando but I would from many of the sellers favored here. Sometimes I have this kind of conversation with Inken -- as in "It's a little more vivid than the photos show it but perhaps not quite as vivid as the video..." There is just no way to make the perfect image.

So I am no less of a purest but I am more tolerant of what it takes to present a faithful depiction.

Phones photos are fine for some things but you can't edit them in any meaningful way. (You can apply a zillion filters but your phone has already decided what you really want and has thrown the rest of the detail away to limit file size.) One kid is a film photographer and she loathes her latest-gen iPhone because everything has that hyper-real, oversaturated, almost-CGI look. And you can't fix it in "post."

My Alex bracelet however has better daylight colour in natural lighting. It’s not as purple red though in incandescent. I believe the bracelet is Brazilian Alex and the wee one Russian.

Yes, your bracelet came to mind when I mentioned that some posters have had good luck! It is absolutely lovely!

 

[Pinkmartini87]

@LilAlex

If this thread somehow contributes even a tiny bit to you ultimately deciding to set your beautiful Alexandrite, it will be my proudest thread to date!

Here’s hoping you get to admire it daily on your hand!

 

[Autumn in New England]

@LilAlex

If this thread somehow contributes even a tiny bit to you ultimately deciding to set your beautiful Alexandrite, it will be my proudest thread to date!

Here’s hoping you get to admire it daily on your hand!

 

[LilAlex]

Wait what just happened here, @Pinkmartini87 and @Autumn in New England?

How did my thread jack get me to this? Well, at least the OP is in on the ruse.

If I make this ring, it's just gonna look like a lump of coal until I either: 1) sit by the fire; or 2) stand in the shade on a beautiful sunny day. I guess it would just be my beach-and-camping ring. I'll hang it on a hook in the garage with the rest of the gear.

The "tone" of the stone is so different from any metal I can use that it will just look like a black eye. But I guess it could work in matte platinum.

Channeling @smitcompton's thread, I went back to the AfricaGems site -- where I bought this from Marc five years ago -- and the prices on the "vivid" Hematita alexandrites now are just nuts. Several multiples of what I paid for this one. (Marc was great to work with, btw, and had a solid return policy that I never pulled the trigger on.) There used to be dozens and dozens of them (so I could carefully pick this step cut just over one ct) but only a handful now. Not sure what the pandemic did to the pipeline...

 

[Avondale]

I'm gonna join the crowd that's of the opinion this stone deserves to be set. Okay, so it's pretty dark in daylight, but there's a beauty to that as well, you know? To a nice, dark tone, a saturated colour that provides bright flashes, it almost seems like it's so dark because there's so much of it. It adds depth. Sure, it's not an open colour, but it's beautiful in its own, different way.