What is the ''best'' color for Tourmaline & spinel?

[chictomato]

Hi There! Is this a great color for a blue spinel ? is it consider to be ''rare''? tksblue spinel

 

[chrono]

The best blue spinel is one that is not too dark and with very little gray. A top blue spinel has a blue that will be mistaken for a blue sapphire. This picture is fuzzy but is it a sapphire or is it a spinel?

 

[chrono]

The Mastercut spinel shows some green, which is an undesirable undertone for a blue spinel. It also shows a hint of gray. Nevertheless, it is still pretty for a blue spinel but not a top blue spinel.

This is a different blue spinel; a little smaller than the previous blue spinel.

 

[T L]

Date: 11/3/2009 10:51:34 AM
Author: Chrono

The Mastercut spinel shows some green, which is an undesirable undertone for a blue spinel. It also shows a hint of gray. Nevertheless, it is still pretty for a blue spinel but not a top blue spinel.

This is a different blue spinel; a little smaller than the previous blue spinel.

Man Chrono,
I''ve never seen blue spinels like that!

 

[chrono]

Thanks, TL.
Here’s a lighter toned cobalt blue spinel from the Gem Trader. I think it was sold a while back.

 

[chrono]

Here’s another great example of a very fine blue spinel. Unfortunately, I did not keep any information on where the stats of the stone and who it is from.

 

[AustenNut]

All That Glitters has a spinel at the top of this page that''s in the same color family.

I could have sworn that D&J also had a larger cobalt blue spinel, but now all they have is a pair of small matching rounds.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Has anyone ever bought anything from D&J?? Their stones look so tempting...but I'm trying to resist.

ETA: How is the quality of their cutting??? Some look like native cuts to me but they don't say.

 

[haagen_dazs]

Date: 10/9/2009 9:42:17 PM
Author: Richard M.
This 1.99 ct. gem -- which needs and will get a re-cut -- is a nearly perfect example of Flame Spinel color. These stones truly glow like fire and are probably my favorite spinel hue although it''s hard to choose just one. Some Flame Spinels are a bit more orange with the same ''neon'' glow.


Richard M. (Rick Martin)

hi rick
that is one very pretty stone you have!
when will it be recut?
what are you going to do with it and why does it need a recut?

 

[chrono]

Mark,
Rick’s stone needs a recut because it is very unsymmetrical. One side has an even cushion outline while the opposite end is rounded and more sharply angled. The table also looks to be possibly off centered. A recut will increase the value and also improve the appearance of the spinel.

 

[AustenNut]

Date: 11/4/2009 10:52:52 PM
Author: Stone Hunter
Has anyone ever bought anything from D&J?? Their stones look so tempting...but I''m trying to resist.


ETA: How is the quality of their cutting??? Some look like native cuts to me but they don''t say.

I''ve never bought from D&J so I can''t say anything about their quality. But on the left hand side they have "Gems Cut By Us" and then they have "Fine Gems" which are native cut, or at least cut by others. As far as their other categories, I''m not sure if they''re cut in-house or not.

 

[haagen_dazs]

Date: 11/5/2009 7:52:46 AM
Author: Chrono
Mark,

Rick’s stone needs a recut because it is very unsymmetrical. One side has an even cushion outline while the opposite end is rounded and more sharply angled. The table also looks to be possibly off centered. A recut will increase the value and also improve the appearance of the spinel.

chrono!! (whats your name?)
i really love that colour (and your spinel colour too)
i want to get something like that!!!!!!!
in a cushion shape!

 

[chrono]

Mark,
I am sorry to say I’m too private to share my real name online. Thank you for the compliment on my spinels. Unfortunately, finding a pure blue spinel requires patience and a certain amount of luck. I am a collector of blue, pink and red spinels so I’m always on the look out for nice ones. My first cobalt blue took several years of searching yet I found the 2nd cobalt blue barely a few weeks after finding the first. I am not fond of ovals, preferring cushions myself. However, a well coloured blue spinel isn’t easy to find so I cannot afford to be choosy about the shape.

 

[haagen_dazs]

hi chrono!
haha its alright about the name
i wasnt too clear in my post but yeah
actually i want a traffic red stop sign spinel.

 

[chrono]

Ah, sorry for misunderstanding. How large a red spinel are you looking for? These are now getting harder to find. 5 years ago, they are pretty inexpensive but I’ve seen prices soar today. Cushion red spinels are relatively easy to find, shape wise. I apologize for the horrible pictures. After shrinking the pictures, they now appear brownish red on my monitor.

 

[haagen_dazs]

hi chrono
silly me but i am starting to envision what my wedding band would look like. (men''s wedding band)
i know that not alot of men''s bands have gemstones in them, let along diamonds.
oh wells i like to be diferent (if its monetary and practically feasible)

some ideas would be a approx 3-4mm x 3-4mm cushion deep red stone (be it spinel or ruby) and a same size deep blue stone (spinel or blue sapphire)

ahh
and flanking each gemstone with a tiny same size cushion so it will be
diamond - red - diamond
and 180degrees on the opposite of the ring would be a
diamond - blue - diamond

that way if i want to stand out, i show the red side and the blue side faces the inside of the palm towards me and if i want to be low key i twist the ring 180 degrees and show the blue side while hiding the red side

lol
is that crazy or what?


ps
those are really pretty earrings!
dont mind me asking, how much do they cost for a setting like that?
how big are those red spinels?

 

[chrono]

Even men should be allowed to have dreams of what their wedding band will look like, so no, it’s not silly at all. Why should only women be allowed to have dream rings? I presume you are looking at something gypsy set (stone sits inside the metal as opposed to something prong set). That is certainly a very interesting design you have in mind. Very cool indeed. I guess my only concern is damage to the stones on the underside when you are gripping something hard (tools or whatever else). Of course, you wouldn’t be wearing such a gorgeous ring when doing such work, I hope. It’s not a crazy idea at all.

Thanks about the earrings. The spinels are 1 ct each and measures 5.5 x 5.5 mm. I think the setting was around $200 to $300 but the price of gold has also gone up exponentially since I had them made. They are designed so that the spinels are interchangeable with other gemstones. They are also not the usual basket setting; I wanted it to be as open as possible so that as much of the stone is exposed as possible.

 

[haagen_dazs]

example of men''s wedding band

hi Chrono
Not a gypsy ring but
Here is an example of what I would like
The cushion gemstone will sit where the diamond sits and 2 cushion diamonds on the left and right.
180 degrees opposite, the same thing

i don think stones will get damaged or fall out else all the ladies eternity 360degree bead set/pave/channel stones will be facing massive problems


i think that interchangeable idea is fantastic

 

[chrono]

Yes, it’s exactly as I imagined in my mind. It’s going to be lovely yet masculine. No, I’m not concerned about stones falling out but I do know that the ladies who wear full eternity rings are extremely careful with what they do with their hands.

 

[haagen_dazs]

Date: 11/6/2009 3:12:34 PM
Author: Chrono
Yes, it’s exactly as I imagined in my mind. It’s going to be lovely yet masculine.

ah good point to note about being careful

now time to hunt for a red and blue stone
is 3-4mm x 3-4mm kind of small to be produced?
cutters tend to cut round or trillions for small weight stones
anyways if you see something let me know

 

[chrono]

Not at all; in fact, I don’t foresee any issues with getting those sizes. The only thing is that you may have to request it to be cut from a cutter or contact the vendor as they may not advertise such sized stones. I would not say a cutter will cut round or trillion just because they are smaller. Remember that a cutter will also try to minimize carat weight loss in addition to all the other equations he has to consider. If you see a round or trillion, it is because the rough lent itself to that shape. I will keep my eye out for a red and blue cushion of 3 mm to 4 mm. If it is a sapphire, I presume you prefer untreated?

 

[LD]

Rick - what a stunning Spinel.

I''ve been looking for one like that forever!

All - I''m pretty sure a forum member (Lorelei? LTP?) has the most amazing blue spinel. When she posted it I thought it was a Tanzanite and couldn''t believe it was a Spinel. I hope who ever is the owner reads this thread and puts up a photo. It was truly amazing.

 

[haagen_dazs]

Date: 11/6/2009 4:01:19 PM
Author: Chrono
If it is a sapphire, I presume you prefer untreated?

actually not necessarily
i read so much and after pondering on it, i dont mind heated stones at all.
i am really all for the colour and heated can be cheaper which would work well for the wallet

i actually went to NSC this past tuesday and i saw this stone in person
OHHH MY GODDDDDDD
if i were a woman, i would have bought it
it was way more red than pink
heated 2.44ct


oh and i saw and played with this
this size could actually work in a men's ring
beautiful red
0.86 ruby
mabe i should up my choices to 5mmx 5mm too
=p
lol

 

[chrono]

That pink (red?) sapphire is way too expensive, even for a treated stone, not to mention the pretty large window but that ruby...I sure wouldn't mind that even though it is small.

 

[haagen_dazs]

Date: 11/6/2009 10:32:26 PM
Author: Chrono
That pink (red?) sapphire is way too expensive, even for a treated stone, not to mention the pretty large window but that ruby...I sure wouldn''t mind that even though it is small.

hi chrono

well normally i know that if you can see through the stone and see and image (eg newspaper print) then a window is present
since the background is white, there is nothing distinct to see

how do you tell conclusively that there is a window?
is detecting a window similar to finding a region without the lack of faceting reflection ?

 

[chrono]

Date: 11/7/2009 12:26:02 AM
Author: haagen_dazs

Date: 11/6/2009 10:32:26 PM
Author: Chrono
That pink (red?) sapphire is way too expensive, even for a treated stone, not to mention the pretty large window but that ruby...I sure wouldn''t mind that even though it is small.

hi chrono

well normally i know that if you can see through the stone and see and image (eg newspaper print) then a window is present
since the background is white, there is nothing distinct to see

how do you tell conclusively that there is a window?
is detecting a window similar to finding a region without the lack of faceting reflection ?

Absolutely; you should not be able to see the background through the stone but instead see the faceting of the stone reflected back to the eye.

 

[haagen_dazs]

chrono
since you were giving comments on my ring idea
i realized that i am limited by the depth of the coloured stone if i want the table of the gemstone to sit somewhat flush with the ring (similar to the cartier ring link i posted before)

which means that the gemstone has to be pretty small right?


i wonder what is the profile of wedding bands...
its only about 2-3mm only...

 

[chrono]

I do not know the thickness of the band; 2 to 3 mm in height only? In that case, you have two options.
Option 1: have the part with the stones a little thicker but it will probably detract from the overall look and might be too uncomfortable to wear.
Option 2: have the stones smaller so it’ll fit within the 3 mm depth.

 

[haagen_dazs]

Date: 11/9/2009 8:48:21 AM
Author: Chrono

Option 2: have the stones smaller so it’ll fit within the 3 mm depth.

hmm argh i think this is going to be a limiting criteria as i move forward in my search for stuff...
argh
too bad i am a guy and i cannot enjoy those big chucky stones =p

 

[chrono]

I’ve seen some guys do rings with prongs and others have the stone set with a fancy design that holds the stone up higher to accommodate a larger stone. I recall seeing Ed Bristol share a dragon ring set with a sizeable alexandrite, and it is a man’s ring.