your experience with multicolour.com?

[LoversKites]

Is it me or has the price for Alexandrite gone up in the past year? Aside from a few small Brazilian pears, I haven't seen any nice stones listed lately. I'd have to agree with Marlow, go for quality, not quantity.

I paid roughly $4k for my Alexandrite, it's a .92ct oval and I bought roughly 2 years ago from them (Multicolour). Prices really have gone up, I'm glad I got mine when I did.

I remember when MC had a number of fine stones like this up -- you're lucky!

 

[LD]

I don't feel like I can recommend an expensive alexandrite at all but what does everyone think about this one?
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/zx161ab/&930512007

It's hard to tell if it has a window and how bad it is because of the titled angle (not head on) -- I'd guess a rather small one, possibly acceptable. David describes the cut as good.
The colour change is strong and it seems to have that lovely Indian greenish blue colour, not dark either. The price is not as high as some of the stones brought up here at 3.5k for over 1ct.
What am I missing?

OP, if I were buying an alex with a 50k-100k budget I'd spend a long time looking, checking out alex at gem shows, contacting various vendors to understand what is available, and make an educated and confident purchase when the right stone comes along. The fun is in the chase

It's very similar to some that the OP linked to. Marginally better. It will have a window (lots of Alex is cut to maximise weight not beauty). Before commenting more on this I'd like to see a video only because of the cost.

 

[GregS]

I don't feel like I can recommend an expensive alexandrite at all but what does everyone think about this one?
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/zx161ab/&930512007

It's hard to tell if it has a window and how bad it is because of the titled angle (not head on) -- I'd guess a rather small one, possibly acceptable. David describes the cut as good.
The colour change is strong and it seems to have that lovely Indian greenish blue colour, not dark either. The price is not as high as some of the stones brought up here at 3.5k for over 1ct.
What am I missing?

OP, if I were buying an alex with a 50k-100k budget I'd spend a long time looking, checking out alex at gem shows, contacting various vendors to understand what is available, and make an educated and confident purchase when the right stone comes along. The fun is in the chase

It is shallow at approx. 50% depth, so the fact that it has a window doesn't surprise me, the color looks to be very nice though.

 

[Starzin]

With a budget of 100k you can buy an absolutely beautiful top class Alex. I would urge you to contact David at Multicolour, say you have a budget of up to $50k and see what he comes back with OR buy the one from AJS because that has promise. IF the colour change doesn't WOW you then AJS have a good returns policy. I would however say that in terms of expectations I would tone it down a notch with that stone because I'm convinced it's not as vibrant as the photos suggest. I suspect it looks very similar to mine (the one I posted earlier).

There's absolutely no point in buying a cheaper Alex because cheap Alex looks nothing like a good one. A good one will blow your mind. An average one will just make you go "ok, it changes colour and I like it".

This is a good option if you have not seen good alex in hand (and few of us have) because it's (seemingly) one of the best that's been found.

It's already been said many times that alex is camera shy, so since you have the funds buy this on approval so that you can see precisely what it looks like and have something with which to compare others.

ETA: Second choice: Marlow's suggestion

 

[dm-smith]

Basel world? I thought it's a show for watches only. Beside, I'm too old for 30 hours flight
I'm sorry guys, it may be hard to talk to "relic of the past" like me, but I've set my mind to buy a cheap alex first to test it. I don't mind to lose 1-3k in case I don't like the phenomenon

 

[Starzin]

Basel world? I thought it's a show for watches only. Beside, I'm too old for 30 hours flight
I'm sorry guys, it may be hard to talk to "relic of the past" like me, but I've set my mind to buy a cheap alex first to test it. I don't mind to lose 1-3k in case I don't like the phenomenon

Then you don't understand what the return policy means - it means that provided you return the gem within the stipulated time period, you can get a full refund. No questions asked. Different vendors have different policies.

PS recommended vendors don't charge a "restocking fee" which many ebay sellers do (can be 10-15%). OTOH I personally consider "minus the shipping fee" to be basically a restocking fee since one has paid shipping when buying and then paid shipping to return it. Just be fully informed.

There is NO risk involved with return and refund with a company as reputable as Multicolour (who spell their name right )

Read the Multicolour return policy here:
http://www.multicolour.com/help/policies/returns.html

 

[Starzin]

Oops... sorry I may be confusing the issue

Multicolour pear- $2,940 - 0.49ct
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax725ab/&930512007

AJSgem pear- $24k - 2.03ct
http://www.ajsgem.com/chrysoberyl/alexandrite/alexandrite-2.03-carats.html

AJSgem return policy-
http://www.ajsgem.com/return-policy

 

[LD]

The 0.49ct that Starzin has linked to above is beautiful. As you can see from the price, it's a good one. If you want a "cheaper" option then this is the one I'd go for.

Here's a video showing how an Alex changes colour. Unfortunately you can't see the green at all in this (a phenomena of this stone) but to give you an idea I was asked in a jewellers once if it was an Emerald. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgrd31hm62U

 

[the_mother_thing]

The 0.49ct that Starzin has linked to above is beautiful. As you can see from the price, it's a good one. If you want a "cheaper" option then this is the one I'd go for.

Here's a video showing how an Alex changes colour. Unfortunately you can't see the green at all in this (a phenomena of this stone) but to give you an idea I was asked in a jewellers once if it was an Emerald. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgrd31hm62U

Your Alex is so gushingly gorgeous!

Most light settings I am in are non-incandescent, and a couple people have asked if it was an emerald also. Then again, I have no other fellow gem-junkies in my circle or at work, so they pretty much only know the "big 3" (Ruby, sapphire, Emerald) in CSs. Most don't even know sapphires come in colors other than blue.

 

[LoversKites]

It's very similar to some that the OP linked to. Marginally better. It will have a window (lots of Alex is cut to maximise weight not beauty). Before commenting more on this I'd like to see a video only because of the cost.

It is shallow at approx. 50% depth, so the fact that it has a window doesn't surprise me, the color looks to be very nice though.

Thanks LD and Greg.

 

[T L]

Alexandrite is a fun stone to wear for people that have good ones. I have a cheap one, a little over a carat, and the color change is green to muddy eggplant, it's really ugly. I have it in the bank. I have a 20 pointer with excellent color change, but its too small, and included. I don't think I would get too excited about owning one, even with good color change, if it were a murky ugly stone. That's just me though.

 

[LD]

Alexandrite is a fun stone to wear for people that have good ones. I have a cheap one, a little over a carat, and the color change is green to muddy eggplant, it's really ugly. I have it in the bank. I have a 20 pointer with excellent color change, but its too small, and included. I don't think I would get too excited about owning one, even with good color change, if it were a murky ugly stone. That's just me though.

Wash your mouth out TL

 

[Marlow]

Alexandrite is a fun stone to wear for people that have good ones. I have a cheap one, a little over a carat, and the color change is green to muddy eggplant, it's really ugly. I have it in the bank. I have a 20 pointer with excellent color change, but its too small, and included. I don't think I would get too excited about owning one, even with good color change, if it were a murky ugly stone. That's just me though.

I agree with you - A real good one is awesome but they rest .... overpricest - I would spend the money for a nice cat eye or vanadium.

 

[alexah]

Finewater is having a sale on this Alexandrite, fwiw:

http://www.finewatergems.com/other-gemstones.html

 

[Starzin]

Finewater posterity shot -
1.02ct, 5.8 x 5.0 x 3.8mm, VVS clarity

Purchased in the gem markets of Sri Lanka, this nice alexandrite was a welcome addition to all the sapphires that I was seeing. Excellent green to purple color-change - its AGL report indicates a "strong" color change. The first two photos were taken in mixed studio lighting showing a bit of both colors, the last shows the bluish-green color in outdoor lighting (I could never capture the color indoors so I moved my photo studio outside!) A very rare stone and extremely clean for this material. Due to its value and desire to keep it above one carat it was left with a small window (which should close up nicely after setting) and the 8.5 Mohs hardness makes it an excellent choice for a daily wear ring. No treatments or enhancements as indicated in its AGL report.

 

[Marlow]

A difficult stone imo!

A bit over 1 ct - 2500 $ - clean, nice cushion shape and a good cutting. The color change is strong but both colors are greyish.

But try to make a picture of an alexandrite! Really a difficult stone.

 

[digdeep]

I posted this earlier in this thread. He has changed the photo's as there was one that showed the green/blue better, changed the price, and verified the window situation......I still think it's a stone you'd have to see to know what's there. As Marlow said (and everyone who has one as well) they are camera shy most of the time.........I'd (still) be looking at this one if I was interested in an alex.

 

[Starzin]

I posted this earlier in this thread. He has changed the photo's as there was one that showed the green/blue better, changed the price, and verified the window situation......I still think it's a stone you'd have to see to know what's there. As Marlow said (and everyone who has one as well) they are camera shy most of the time.........I'd (still) be looking at this one if I was interested in an alex.

I thought I was having a ""senior moment" when I saw these pix - thanks for verifying I wasn't!

 

[digdeep]

LOL...........you have those too?

 

[dm-smith]

Just got back from hk jewelery & gem fair, I can't believe that none of the gem dealer has any 1ct+ alex other than the yellow-brown alex. this is 12 hours flight for nothing

about this gem http://www.finewatergems.com/other-gemstones.html
Dont you think it's a brown-light purple color change? The I wonder what's the intention behind photographing this stone at that angle during daylight. How about the price? Do you think it's a competitive, fair, or overprice? Anyone has some experience of buying alex or other stones from this seller? How's it? How about the AGL cert? is it reliable?

P.S. Is it that hard to take a pic of an alex?

 

[Marlow]

Just got back from hk jewelery & gem fair, I can't believe that none of the gem dealer has any 1ct+ alex other than the yellow-brown alex. this is 12 hours flight for nothing

about this gem http://www.finewatergems.com/other-gemstones.html
Dont you think it's a brown-light purple color change? The I wonder what's the intention behind photographing this stone at that angle during daylight. How about the price? Do you think it's a competitive, fair, or overprice? Anyone has some experience of buying alex or other stones from this seller? How's it? How about the AGL cert? is it reliable?

P.S. Is it that hard to take a pic of an alex?

Yes - I have a big problem with green stones ( tsavos, alex) - I don''t post pictures here course they look terrible. The CC is a problem too!

The finewatergems alex is interessting but you have to see it in real life!!

And don't expect that the Multicolorgems alex you post are better than the stone you have seen in HK. Unfortunately!!!

 

[Marlow]

OK - I post my Alexandrite here - I use a Nikon Coolpix 880 - no fotoshopping!

This is what my camera see...

First picture daylight ( we have a rainy day).

Left 3 alexandrite from Sri Lanka ( I purchased them from Dr. Schmetzer - the cutting is so la la )
The pear is a 0,30 ct alex from India - top daylight color but weak change - (in the pic the change is better??)
A small oval from brazil - the daylight color is similar to Sri Lanka or India - but here I have a full CC.

The stone on the right is a typical alex from Tanzania - a paler yellowish green and a weak change to a pinkish orange.



This is the incandescent color - I used a 40 W classic bulb - close to torch light!!! THE CHANGE IS NOT SO GOOD IN REAL!!

 

[LD]

Marlow - would you mind if I disagreed with you about Tanzanian material please? The pear I posted above (of mine) is from Tanzania and couldn't be further away from the colours you've explained that yours has. x

DM-Smith - sorry about your wasted flight but unfortunately I'm not surprised in the least. This just reinforces I'm afraid what we've been saying about the lack of good quality (or even good) Alex on the market.

In terms of the one from Finewater - that gem is pretty in terms of cut (for an Alex) but although this is described as a strong colour change (and I appreciate that's also what the lab said), to me, this appears to have a change that's weak in terms of colour (although most of the stone may change). Bearing in mind that the incandescent colour is EASY to capture by photograph, I would assume that the colour shown in the photos is accurate. If that's the case I wouldn't buy this. Again, strength of "vivid" colour in both colourways is desirable.

DM-Smith - it's virtually impossible to capture the true green of an Alex on camera without some degree of photoshopping (which I don't do). If you want to understand why I think there's a tutorial somewhere on the multicolour website that explains why.

These are a few of my Alex rings and I've taken the photo outside on a normal bright day with no adjustments to the camera - just point and shoot. You'll see that most of these don't look green. However, in real life they are green and this is what I see with my eyes!

 

[Marlow]

I have to be more exact!!!

First - you will find exc. alexandrite in Russia, Brazil, Sri Lanka AND Tanzania - you are right.

My stone ( from Tan ) is in my opinion typical for many Tanzania alex offered by vendors like multicolorgems or Tan.
This is absolutey o.k. course they have a fair prize!

Which light do use course you say that the incandescent light color is easy to picture? I have a problem to show the real color .

My picture ( daylight ) come very close to the real color - I was really surprised !! Cloudy day around 11 am.

 

[T L]

Just got back from hk jewelery & gem fair, I can't believe that none of the gem dealer has any 1ct+ alex other than the yellow-brown alex. this is 12 hours flight for nothing

Yellow to brown "alex" is NOT alex, but color shifting chrysoberyl, which I warned earlier in this thread, that many dealers try to pass off as real alexandrite. It's not.

 

[dm-smith]

OK - I post my Alexandrite here - I use a Nikon Coolpix 880 - no fotoshopping!

This is what my camera see...

First picture daylight ( we have a rainy day).

Left 3 alexandrite from Sri Lanka ( I purchased them from Dr. Schmetzer - the cutting is so la la )
The pear is a 0,30 ct alex from India - top daylight color but weak change - (in the pic the change is better??)
A small oval from brazil - the daylight color is similar to Sri Lanka or India - but here I have a full CC.

The stone on the right is a typical alex from Tanzania - a paler yellowish green and a weak change to a pinkish orange.



This is the incandescent color - I used a 40 W classic bulb - close to torch light!!! THE CHANGE IS NOT SO GOOD IN REAL!!

Honestly, I don't mind to have an alex similar to your right most stone, as long as the color under sunlight is beautiful, and it change to a nice orange color

Marlow - would you mind if I disagreed with you about Tanzanian material please? The pear I posted above (of mine) is from Tanzania and couldn't be further away from the colours you've explained that yours has. x

DM-Smith - sorry about your wasted flight but unfortunately I'm not surprised in the least. This just reinforces I'm afraid what we've been saying about the lack of good quality (or even good) Alex on the market.

In terms of the one from Finewater - that gem is pretty in terms of cut (for an Alex) but although this is described as a strong colour change (and I appreciate that's also what the lab said), to me, this appears to have a change that's weak in terms of colour (although most of the stone may change). Bearing in mind that the incandescent colour is EASY to capture by photograph, I would assume that the colour shown in the photos is accurate. If that's the case I wouldn't buy this. Again, strength of "vivid" colour in both colourways is desirable.

DM-Smith - it's virtually impossible to capture the true green of an Alex on camera without some degree of photoshopping (which I don't do). If you want to understand why I think there's a tutorial somewhere on the multicolour website that explains why.

These are a few of my Alex rings and I've taken the photo outside on a normal bright day with no adjustments to the camera - just point and shoot. You'll see that most of these don't look green. However, in real life they are green and this is what I see with my eyes!

That's some nice collection u got there Do you think finewater photoshoped that picture? So you are saying that the stone has a strong color change, but the vividness of the stone under incandescent light is bad. can you approximate the gia color code for the color under incandescent light? PR3/1? PR4/1? What do you think about the price? is it overprice?

Honestly, I feel like stepping into some unknown alex world

 

[digdeep]

dm---you are getting a lot of feedback/opinions here on Alex. Any colored stone is best seen in person to determine if you like it. You can weed stones out by looking at online photo's......color, cut, Price. But you can rarely guarantee what you get is exactly what you saw in a photo. These stones sparkle and throw color........the photo only catches a split second of the action.

Start a conversation with Finewater if you have any interest in that gem. I've never heard he photoshop's his stones and in fact, some people have had pleasant surprises when they get gems because they are brighter than expected. Is this going to be like JoCo's pear Alex??......most likely not. Could it be a decent Alex.......yes. But you said you had no problem tossing 3K at your first Alex. This would be the one I would order-- to see if my eye's liked it-- if those words came off my keyboard.

Even if you can afford it, always check return policies as that is an option everyone who orders online has had to do at one time or another. No one but you can decide what your eye likes............you will get other people's views in the meantime.

AGL is a certificate many people buy to accompany their gems..........

 

[Marlow]

OK - I post my Alexandrite here - I use a Nikon Coolpix 880 - no fotoshopping!

This is what my camera see...

First picture daylight ( we have a rainy day).

Left 3 alexandrite from Sri Lanka ( I purchased them from Dr. Schmetzer - the cutting is so la la )
The pear is a 0,30 ct alex from India - top daylight color but weak change - (in the pic the change is better??)
A small oval from brazil - the daylight color is similar to Sri Lanka or India - but here I have a full CC.

The stone on the right is a typical alex from Tanzania - a paler yellowish green and a weak change to a pinkish orange.



This is the incandescent color - I used a 40 W classic bulb - close to torch light!!! THE CHANGE IS NOT SO GOOD IN REAL!!

Honestly, I don't mind to have an alex similar to your right most stone, as long as the color under sunlight is beautiful, and it change to a nice orange color



I hope I understand it correctly - the stone on the right has a similar quality like some of the alex you choose on MC.

Weight is 0,82 ct - cost around 100$ and I doubt you will like an alexandrite like this - neither the daylight nor the incandescent color is really beautiful. But the price was fair - so what .

My advice - buy the 0,49 ct pear - I am sure it is a top stone - worth the money.

My pear is 0,30 ct - the oval right 0,82 ct - so you can imagine - you have enough budget so this amount is no problem for you.
If you like it your quest can go on - if not forget it course you will not find a larger and better one.

The Finewater stone - to be honest - I use a cheap old camera - my pictures are snapshots and really no good quality but Finewater is a professional vendor - if these picture are accurate forget this stone!! The stone looks gray both in daylight and incandescent light. This is my personal opinion. If the stone is better why these pic?

 

[dm-smith]

dm---you are getting a lot of feedback/opinions here on Alex. Any colored stone is best seen in person to determine if you like it. You can weed stones out by looking at online photo's......color, cut, Price. But you can rarely guarantee what you get is exactly what you saw in a photo. These stones sparkle and throw color........the photo only catches a split second of the action.

Start a conversation with Finewater if you have any interest in that gem. I've never heard he photoshop's his stones and in fact, some people have had pleasant surprises when they get gems because they are brighter than expected. Is this going to be like JoCo's pear Alex??......most likely not. Could it be a decent Alex.......yes. But you said you had no problem tossing 3K at your first Alex. This would be the one I would order-- to see if my eye's liked it-- if those words came off my keyboard.

Even if you can afford it, always check return policies as that is an option everyone who orders online has had to do at one time or another. No one but you can decide what your eye likes............you will get other people's views in the meantime.

AGL is a certificate many people buy to accompany their gems..........

Is AGL is reliable lab? I was told that any certificate other than GIA, SSEF, and Gubelin require a second thought.

Right now, I'm stuck between these option:
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/alexandrite/yax391aa/&1244716636
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/alexandrite/ax10143aa/&930512007
http://www.finewatergems.com/other-gemstones.html

 

[T L]

Is AGL is reliable lab? I was told that any certificate other than GIA, SSEF, and Gubelin require a second thought.

Who told you that?? AGL is the premier lab for colored stones in the world, and the most thorough, if you get a top of the line prestige report. For an inexpensive alexandrite, an AGL gem brief would suffice.

A lot of vendors don't like to use AGL because they don't use fancy and ridiculous acronyms to describe gem color like GRS does, or its simply not feasible for them to do so because AGL is located in the United States (NYC).

AGL has also discovered treatments on gems that many of these other reputable gem labs have missed. By no means is any gem lab perfect, but AGL has a top notch reputation.