What Was Your First Coloured Gemstone Purchase

[Wyntery]

I was looking through my small inventory a couple of days ago and came across the first coloured gemstone I ever purchased, a pretty little pink/red tourmaline (I won't call it rubellite). I was surprised how well I did with that purchase back in 2007. The colour is great, the cut isn't too bad and it's a decent size, it only has a tiny inclusion that I really have to look for and I think I paid $18 for it at the time. So my question, what was your first coloured gemstone purchase? Do you still have it? Would you still be happy with it today? Pictures please!

 

[FrekeChild]

7.41ct Barry Bridgestock Supernova Oval "Silver" Topaz.

I had it made into a necklace and I wore it for my wedding. I also bought a smaller topaz and set them both with a tourmaline baguette.

I'm really glad I picked a decent stone for my first starter stone, and that I didn't set all of the small starter stones I bought afterward when I was just trying things out. I had a lot of small garnets, sapphires, tourmalines, etc etc etc, and I probably would have set all of them if given the opportunity, but I'm glad I resisted the urge.

 

[Edward Bristol]

I swapped my pocket knife against a white sapphire crystal with a boy of my age (like 7 years or so) in Sri Lanka.

It was a full grown crystal the size of my finger (those days). We did the deal secretly so our parents would not know, but my father confiscated it later. It now hangs around his third’s wife neck.

That crystal was what hocked me on gems.

 

[SB621]

My first precision cut was a purple/ reddish spinel from Rick at Art Cut Gems. It was gorgeous and I set it into a heavy LOGR ring. I sold it last year to pay for my diamond upgrade. One of two transactions that I have extreme seller's remorse over. In this case the buyer was rather rude to me so that also didnt' help.

 

[JewelFreak]

Ha! Wish Ed had let me trade my pocket knife for my first purchase -- which was a beautiful green tourm from him! I still have it -- haven't set it because it's smaller than I want to use in a ring, but every time I think of selling it, I can't -- it's just such a pleasure to look at. More saturated than the 1st photo & more blue in it than the 2nd:

 

[ChrisA222]

My first colored stone was a parcel that I bought as a group on eBay. An Amethyst, Citrine, and a beautiful blue Sapphire. Thought it was an amazing deal from a new seller. Of course everything was fake. In fact, 13 out of 16 of the first eBay Sapphires I bought at first turned out to be fake. I had them all sent to a friend of mine who is a gemologist, and she welcomed the chance to "practice", so she didn't charge me....The funny thing is that the Sapphire was set in my Mothers first engagement ring and given to my sister, who didn't mind at all that the stone was lab created. I want to have that stone switched out, but she simply doesn't care that its not from the ground. We are so different, my sister and I.....

As for all those fakes...you have to learn somehow! Since over the last three years I've probably bought and sold (or traded) 300-400 gems, I've been able to "see" stones a lot better than I would have otherwise.

 

[OreoRosies86]

I was 12. I purchased an amethyst and a rose quartz at a rock and gem store called something like "The Old Mine" out in Arizona.

I never did anything with them and they weren't precision cut, but it was fun going through all the boxes of minerals and gems. I also got a little pick and a loupe from them.

 

[Kelinas]

Mine was a 1.2 ct 6.5mm orangey-red spinel from Dana.

It slightly shifted to a purpley red indoors.

had it set in yellow gold via DanielM.

Loved it, had it stolen though.

 

[wordie89]

LOL Edward, what a great story to tell.
I bought my first colored stone a few years ago. Ebay seller. 3+ carat fat bellied dark orange garnet pear he called Mandarin. I think I paid about $70. Now that I've looked more and followed price scope I think I'd like to get it recut to lighten it but it's not a priority.



The picture shows it lighter than it is.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

My first was a color shift chrysoberyl which I still have. A nice yellow/ green oval that shifts to an orange pink. Later I moved on to Alexandrites without much success. Then I took a right to Touurmaline Lane, made a left on Sapphire Boulevard, and ended up on Spinel Avenue.

 

[FrekeChild]

I lied to you guys. Technically I picked out my first gemstone at 17, because I won this awful coin thing at a debutante ball type event. (It's a long story.) Anyway, won the hideous coin necklace, and asked them to trade it in for something I'd like. I got a sapphire, looks black in most lighting, but when a strong light hits it, YOWZA. My dad had no idea why the smaller of the two blue stones I was looking at was twice as expensive...

Recently I bought it's big color changing brother, but it still doesn't have the in your face blue that my little sapphire has.

 

[deskjockey]

Well, technically this was purchased for me, rather than being a purchase of my own, but I did pick it out. I finally got some decent pics at home, but have to upload them still (I rarely have time to do that stuff). It's a 6.5 mm blue-green montana sapphire, sometimes it goes a little greyish (in an ocean-y sort of way, which I like), but it has great sparkle in just about any light, and outside it just screams at you Probably not the most perfect stone in the world, but perfect for me (I like things that have some slight flaws/imperfections or aren't "ideal" but have personality and depth. Make sense? heh)! I can't seem to upload my picture (probably because I'm on a super old browser I can't update), but here's a link to one of the vendor ones:

Blue-Green Sparkly Stone

(hope that works)

Plan is for a little halo e-ring. I should probably start a thread asking for help about that, because there are so many possibilities out there. I brought it to a local jeweler, and realized it looked best in a little halo, but the guy at the store really put my off and I'm hesitant about trying any others, though one of the jewelers in the recommended-dealer thread is reasonably close to me, so maybe I could just go there.

Then I can start on my "real" garnet collection (I've bought a few garnet bracelets and things over the years, but searching for a stone recently has opened my eyes to the full range of possibilities, so I want to get a few. And a nicer Topaz than what I currently have in my birthstone ring) . Stumbling onto PS has really ruined me, I was never a jewelry sort of girl but now I want ALL THE SHINY THINGS!!!!

 

[Xrisus]

Richard Homer Paprika Spessartite that I made into a pendant for my wife.

 

[Wyntery]

Whoa! That spess, as a first purchase? Puts my little tourmaline in the shade.

 

[chrono]

I don't recall my first purchase but it was sold a while back. It was very small and not particularly attractive. Some of you did great for a first stone!

 

[chloeishere]

It was a small color-shift Umba sapphire from Dan Stair. Barion cushion triangle, 5.5 mm. It's very light, but shifts from a light icy blue to a light lavender-pink.

I bought it with the intention of setting it in one of Patrick Irla's hydrangea settings (with two three-petal hydrangea blossoms), it was so perfect since hydrangeas change color from blue to pink depending on the pH of the soil-- but right before I contacted him to get it set he stopped taking outside stones. I've looked for other settings, but nothing is as perfect as that, so it sits in a drawer and waits for inspiration (and funds-- I have ideas, but not much in the way of disposable money right now).