What do you guys think of these 2 teensy red spinel rounds?

[JackTrick]

Wow, really??? I wouldn't need a whole bag. But even 2 of those 4mm suckers at a $50 price point total would be a mind-blowing bargain! Unfortunately, I don't have a jeweler. Haha. And I'm not so sure red spinel would be something most Jewelers in Louisville, Kentucky have bunches of.

Louisville is a big city and spinel have exploded in terms of general knowledge and popularity. I think you might be surprised.

 

[matt_k]

Louisville is a big city and spinel have exploded in terms of general knowledge and popularity. I think you might be surprised.

I'm a fan of my adopted city (even though we have two of the worst congressmen in history serving simultaneously--- Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul ), definitely. But it's kind of a small big city overall. It wouldn't hurt to ask around, though. Thanks!

 

[lovedogs]

Re: treadmill: I have plenty of starving AND treadmill suffering I need to do, fo' sho! The first 15 or 16 months or so of the pandemic really put a hurtin' on me. I was eating my feelings like a mofo, don'tchaknow. Whew.

I tried to send you a message on loupe troop, but I can't tell if it sent. It glitched the first time. And then I tried a few more times . Let me know if you didn't get it, and I'll try again tomorrow. And thanks again!

I didnt get anything sometimes LT is pretty stupid, but try again and see what happens tomorrow.

 

[matt_k]

I didnt get anything sometimes LT is pretty stupid, but try again and see what happens tomorrow.

Ok, will do!

 

[T L]

You might be better off just letting your jeweler get these small stones for you. I see this kind of thing all over the place in Tucson, and you could buy the whole bag for what you are paying for 2 stones. 4 mm and smaller gems are very inexpensive, don't ask me how they do it, but many of these come out of India. Here's a photo I took a few years back in Tucson, this guy had hundreds of these bags of small stones, in all different sizes.

Lab created???

That’s certainly a major concern with red spinel, which may be why these bags are so cheap.

 

[T L]

Every so often, we get a newbie to colored gems that wants to make several immediate purchases. That’s why this thread is in place as a sticky at the top of this sub forum. Please read, as it is extremely informative and eye opening.

New to coloured gemstone buying? Read this first!

First of all welcome to our technicolour world! :wavey: If you've never bought coloured gemstones before, you're in for a real ride and I'm hoping that this thread may help you on your quest for your "special" one! One thing it's important to know .......... this part of PS is frequented by...

www.pricescope.com

 

[matt_k]

Lab created???

That’s certainly a major concern with red spinel, which may be why these bags are so cheap.

Oh, damn. That didn't even occur to me. yeah, I wonder if those suckers are actually real or lab created. with the increasing popularity of red spinel it's hard to believe you could get an entire bag of 3 or 4 mm stones that are 100% natural. But I sure WANT to believe it's possible.... and if anyone here has a reputable and generous jeweler willing to part with a couple of three or four millimeter red spinel for only $50 or $60 bucks please put me in touch with them, 'cuz I am sooooo down for it.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Wow, really??? I wouldn't need a whole bag. But even 2 of those 4mm suckers at a $50 price point total would be a mind-blowing bargain! Unfortunately, I don't have a jeweler. Haha. And I'm not so sure red spinel would be something most Jewelers in Louisville, Kentucky have bunches of.

Of course the jeweler wouldn't have these sitting in stock, but they would know where to get them. Most jewelers carry very little stock of loose stones, but have many connections and can get them in in a few days.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Lab created???

That’s certainly a major concern with red spinel, which may be why these bags are so cheap.

They are cheap because very small rough is cheap. This bag of small Korerupine rough will cut stones 1, 2, 3 mm. The price of the whole bag would be about the same as one 15 ct piece of rough. Certainly no US cutter is going to cut such small stones. These are purchased and sent out for cutting to cutting houses in Asia. People here work almost in an assembly line method, and for very low wages.

 

[PrecisionGem]

I see this kind of thing at the Tucson shows, and always marvel as how little someone is being paid to cut them. Notice the bags of blue topaz below the bigger stones.

 

[2Neesers]

Have you tried Sukrita at Aurelia Gems? I bought a 4mm pair of red spinel from her last year.

AureliaGems - Etsy

Shop Exotic Gemstones from East Africa by AureliaGems located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

www.etsy.com

Keep in mind that spinel in this color family are very hard to photograph and capture the color correctly, at least that it what I have found. It’s possible they’ll look like the photo in person, but they could be better or worse. I have precision cut reddish wine colored spinel that is beautiful in person, but the color looks very unattractive in every photo I have ever taken of it! If a seller has a decent return policy, it might worth ordering and getting the gem in your hands to see what you think of it in person.
edited to add: Sukrita has much more available than what’s listed in her Etsy site. You can message her through Etsy to see if she has what you’re looking for.

 

[matt_k]

Have you tried Sukrita at Aurelia Gems? I bought a 4mm pair of red spinel from her last year.

AureliaGems - Etsy

Shop Exotic Gemstones from East Africa by AureliaGems located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

www.etsy.com

Keep in mind that spinel in this color family are very hard to photograph and capture the color correctly, at least that it what I have found. It’s possible they’ll look like the photo in person, but they could be better or worse. I have precision cut reddish wine colored spinel that is beautiful in person, but the color looks very unattractive in every photo I have ever taken of it! If a seller has a decent return policy, it might worth ordering and getting the gem in your hands to see what you think of it in person.
edited to add: Sukrita has much more available than what’s listed in her Etsy site. You can message her through Etsy to see if she has what you’re looking for.

Thank you!

 

[matt_k]

Of course the jeweler wouldn't have these sitting in stock, but they would know where to get them. Most jewelers carry very little stock of loose stones, but have many connections and can get them in in a few days.

I followed your advice and contacted the most well-regarded jeweler in Louisville, and he is in the process of checking with his connections now about several different 3mm and 4 mm RBC accent stones for me (tourmaline, spinel, sapphire). Thanks so much for the tip! As you mentioned, he also believes the 3mm stones in particular can be obtained very inexpensively. I'm stoked!

 

[matt_k]

I didnt get anything sometimes LT is pretty stupid, but try again and see what happens tomorrow.

Welp, I tried a few other times to contact ya via loupe tool today, and each time I got a little message saying "something went wrong."

 

[lovedogs]

Welp, I tried a few other times to contact ya via loupe tool today, and each time I got a little message saying "something went wrong."

No worries. Maybe you can create a listing so I can try to reach out to you?

 

[qubitasaurus]

Red spinel in small sizes isnt hard to find, if you just take it slow you'll find a nice pair (probably at most price points, just the lower you go the longer you'll have to spend looking).

At the moment

Neon Pink/red Oval Spinel Pairs Loose Gems for a Custom Design - Etsy Singapore

Here are two pairs of neon pink/red faceted oval spinels. Ive owned these a long time, I believe they are Burmese in origin. They are very intense in color and quite brilliant. Choose the pair you want from the drop-down list. Pair A: These are a little more rounded in shape than the other pair.

www.etsy.com

And Ivy new york always has a ready supply

Spinel – must-have Gem of every contemporary connoisseur

Discover the Spinel gem, underestimated until recently. Enjoy its flickering colors of any tone your heart desires: neon pink, red, violet, pastel color, lavender, blue, or grey! Touch the mystery it is willing to impart mingling its purple with blue, tender pink with lilac – each one always...

yavorskyy.com

If you're feeling paitient and picky desertrose_gems will eventually list some probably at a cheaper rate, haydenfred gems and higems may also list some -- just have to be willing to wait (you could easily go 6-12 months for the right pair to pop up if you really are looking to get a bargain -- only trouble is that at this stage you've spent so much time checking every day so you can get them before they sell out, that it'll be cheaper in the long run just to buy from ivy new york.).

 

[shelovesinclusions]

I haven't purchased from here, but thought of your post when I was looking through this site. I *think* this is the company the IG Mr. Spinel runs.

泰国GSG矿业公司-全球优质尖晶石供应商

www.globalspinelgems.com

Note: I haven't worked with him before, but noticed the small reds. So it's just a suggestion, not a recommendation.

 

[qubitasaurus]

You might like to ask her if she has more or expects to get more at some stage.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSxZ3_bHZDt/

They appear to have sold out within 4 hours. So you have to tend to have to watch the stories in instagram to get a hint before they are posted.