What's your favorite gemstone?

[mystylady]

Mine is the Starlight Blue Zircon.

[Jasmine46]

I kind of like the limon quartz or blue chalcedony.

[beekeeper]

I am MADLY in love with Tanzanite, but only the darker colors.

Chrome Diopside and Tasvorite garnet are the runners up. I received a tsavorite garnet bracelet for Christmas that just knocked me off my feet!

Also, as inexpensive they are, I have always loved mozambique garnet and peridot.

[mystylady]

I like lemon quartz too. I have a few lemon quartz stones that were in the mixed faceted parcels I had purchased. When you get the gemstone parcels from JTV you get all these carats of gems in a baggie and it's up to you to know what they are and to sort them out. I still can't tell about some of the red stones. Beekeeper, Mozambique Garnet is AMAZING and hardly inexpensive anymore, same with Peridot, or at least the gem quality Peridot, which looks nothing like the junk you see in most retail shops. I bought a Mozambique Garnet kit which was 5 oval gems 7X5 mm, 5 ss pendant castings & 5 ss chains. The garnets are truly something else! I also LOVE Tanzanite but like you I only like the darker colors. I was fortunate enough to buy my investment Tanzanite stone back when it wouldn't take your breath away to look at the price...1.25 ct 7.5 X 7.5mm trillion, dark blue w/ pink flashes, for $249.90! That was back over 2 years ago. The same gem now goes for much much more, and is continuing to rise as the supply dwindles and the new color grading system that they're talking about gets put into place. I also love Chrome Diopside and Tsavorite... oh yeah and rubillite turmaline too!

[beekeeper]

I was lucky to get several tanzanite jewelry pieces and many loose gems a few years ago too. I would love to be covered from head to toe in tanzanite ... I just adore the color!! Odd, since I've never really been a blue/purple kinda girl ... I just think it looks FABulous with diamonds!

I've tried buying the mixed gem parcels twice ... both times I was extremely disapointed in the quality of gems I received. They were poorly cut, included, scratched, chipped ... junk IMO. They both went back.

I have been very lucky in my loose gem buys. I went crazy for a while buying Chrome Diopside and Spessartite garnet. I'm now looking for a fabulous Kunzite ... :-)

[mystylady]

Cool! You go Girl!
I was fortunate to get some beautiful gems in my parcels, definately worth keeping. The biggest is a twenty two carat Swiss Blue Topaz, pear shape...HUGE! I also had a 8x10 mm Madagascar Ruby verbally appraised for over $1,200! Well worth the price of the whole parcel if ya ask me, although I could never part with it! I now have 8 Tray 2's full, 1038 gems total, yes I counted them once!!! Unfortunatly I can't afford any more for a while so I just window shop and flip out because I can't buy anything! I do so love watching though. I have a LOT of stones that I still can't identify... the clear gems are the worst. I still can't tell Spinel from Garnet, stupid but true, so I may or may not have Spinel! I also have trouble with telling Tsavorite and Chrome Diopside apart, Kunzite and Morganite and I have an entire tray of assorted yellow hue stones that can't ALL be citrine, especially because they have different characteristics from one another, but WHAT ARE THEY I WONDER??? Heliodor? Precious Topaz? Tourmaline? AARRGH! Very frustrating.

[beekeeper]

I would have a hard time telling them apart too ... espeically all the yellow ones. I have a red zircon that I can't tell distinguish from a mozambique garnet. Glad you were lucky with your parcels ... that blue topaz sounds delightful, and perfect for a fabulous pendant! :-)

[mystylady]

Bee that's an easy one! Garnets are singularly refractive and Zircon is extremely doubly refractive. Do you have a loupe? When you look into a Zircon from the girdle facets, it looks fuzzy, like you can't focus on any one point where two facets meet... it looks like it's doubled. Garnet does not do that and you can look into one and see the back facets clearly and they don't look doubled. Zircons are so doubly refractive that you don't even need a loupe to see it. Also, Zircons will show big time "fire" or the colors of the rainbow especially when viewed in the sun. Garnets aren't as firey... does this make sense? LOL
OOOH a pendant! That would be one huge casting! The thing is monsterous!

[beekeeper]

Thanks mystylady! :-)

[pebbles]

I have an emerald and diamond ring that I love. When I wear it, I can't take my eyes off it. Also, my mother left me a very large deep dark purple amethyst set with diamonds. Everyone thinks it's a tanzanite, LOL. My most recent purchase is a Mexican fire opal which is a beauty. It's orange with green fire in it. It is set in sterling but I would like to re-set it in gold. I have other stones but these are my faves.

[mystylady]

Anytime Bee! ;}
Wow Pebbles those sound amazing, especially the emerald! I know exactly how it feels to not be able to take your eyes off of a certain gemstone! How powerful gems are! They can literally take your breath away, can't they? I have 8
"Tray 2's", which if you don't know, are rectangular boxes that each contain 50 foam filled gem jars with lids. You store or display your gems in the jars because the foam keeps them safe from scratching or chipping... a lot of gemstones really are not that durable... Tanzanite is only
6 - 6 1/2 on the Mohs hardness scale. Dust, believe it or not, is a 7, so dust will scratch a Tanzie! I can't understand putting a Tanzie in a ring that doesn't protect it from scratches or chips. Some settings have prongs that extend up to protect the gem, but not all. They never mention that part.
But what I was saying is I have over 1000 loose gemstones in 400 gem jars and guess what my fav thing to do is??? Yup! Play with them! I take them out, loupe them, study their inclusions, polish them, even lose them sometimes :(
I flung a color change garnet out of my tweezers and that puppy has eluded me over & over again. It kills me because I KNOW IT HAS TO BE HERE SOMEWHERE!!!!! Arrrrgggghh! You should have seen my poor livingroom the first month it happened; I was afraid to vacuum! Now I'm just resigned to the fact that it's gone. sigh. But I sure can relate to not being able to take your eyes off of a gem!

[pebbles]

I have bought a few unset stones but I prefer to wear them. I bought a canary yellow citrine for my daughter and I was shocked at the cost to set it in a ring. I could have bought one already set in gold for less than the setting alone. My paraiba is unset and I would love to have it in a ring. As you can see, I'm a ring person.

Thanks for the info on tanzanites. I had no idea they were so fragile. Mine is bezel set so I hope it is a bit safer than it would be in a prong setting.

I understand your love for your stones. You have a hobby in common with Elizabeth Taylor, LOL. She has some honking big stones to play with.

[mystylady]

Wow Pebbles you have a Paraiba? Tell me about it!!!
Bezel settings are good for Tanzanites. If you look at the ring flush from the side you should only see the rim of the bezel. If you can see the stone up over the top, be careful when you wear it :)
I bet 'ol Liz could fill a bathtub with her gems & take a gem bath! LOL could you IMAGINE??? I actually wish I could afford to take the GIA course (Gemological Institute of America) and become a Graduate Gemologist but it's In-Sane the price. I tried an online gemology school but it was just too hard without an actual teacher. I learned alot though, in the time I went. So now I just Read, Read, Read, which is all online school is anyway, right? I've had 18 books out from the library at once, all on gemstones!

[pebbles]

I got the Paraiba on Ebay. Sometimes you can find something special there because lots of people aren't that informed about unusual stones. I'm looking for a spessartite garnet now. One of the missed opportunities I had on Ebay was a rubelite necklace for under $50. I got outbid at the last second. I am still crying over that one, LOL.

Yes, I think that my Tanzanite setting is a good one. It is flat across. I bought in the Caribbean a couple of years ago and the jeweler said that he had designed the setting himself. It was more expensive than it would be now -- I think. The prices seem to have come down.

What do you think of Iolites? I have an Iolite ring and matching tennis bracelet. The color is almost the same as Tanzanite. The set was a gift and they're set in plat. over silver. I'm not happy about that. But it is a lovely set.

[beekeeper]

I have the Elizabeth Taylor book that details her jewelry ... fascinating book, FUN to look (DROOL) at!

I adore Iolite ... VERY similar in color to a good tanzanite. The big difference is that it will have a brown tint to it when you look it from the side, where the tanzie will be purple with red. I have a few loose Iolites ... but have seen some really gorgeous jewelry on JTV the past few months. It's so affordable ... :-)

[Garnet333]

That's a tough question, I love so many. I guess I would have to say I love tanzanite and sapphires.

[beekeeper]

Garnet ... have you had your tanzie bracelet made yet?

[Garnet333]

Nope Bee, the stones are still sitting in their respective boxes waiting for me to take them to the jeweler and make them into a fabulous bracelet. Maybe this spring I will get on it.

[beekeeper]

How exciting! Please do keep me updated on what you end up doing!

I have so many loose stones that I want to do something with ... I have such a hard time narrowing it down. Do I want rings? Earrings? Pendants? I heard Joan Rivers say that after her grandmother and mother had passed, she took all the diamonds from the different pieces of jewelry they had left her ... and made one fabulous pin out of them. I think it would be SO MUCH FUN to create a pin out of the many stones I have ... but good golly, where the heck do you start?!? The possibilities are ENDLESS!

[pebbles]

I think I would start with a good jeweler. Show him the stones and see what designs he comes up with.

[Garnet333]

I agree Pebbles. That's exactly what I did with my engagement ring. I wanted the Ceylon Sapphire and diamonds but didnt know how to put it all together to make a spectacular ring. Of course my jeweler did an awesome job and I am so happy with my engagement ring.

[mystylady]

Wow you lucked out big time on the Parieba! (sp?) You can't get them anywhere anymore besides the one in a million fluke the way you did unless you pay thousands of dollars! Congrats!!!!
My boss Louise went to an estate sale and purchased a HUGE Moissonite (sp??) ring set in Platinum for... $50.00!!! Can you IMAGINE??? I guess there's just folks out there who don't know what they have. I never run into them, however. LOL
I love love love Iolite! I made a 7X5 mm pendant from a gemmy oval that I have & you can hardly tear your eyes away from it! I also made the same pendant in Rubellite Tourmaline that's breathcatching. I love looking at my unset gems in the direct-through-the-window sunlight. Wow, I could play gems all day long!!

[beekeeper]

lol ... ME TOO mystylady, me too! I sit and look at them all the time. I'll be watching JTV or whichever shopping network when they are doing gem or jewelry shows ... and compare mine to what they are showing.

I have 5 Iolites; 3 ovals, 1 trillan and one emerald cut. I'm kind of in a phase right now ... LOVING anything in the emerald cut. I've recently bought a big EC Peridot, a good sized EC chrome Diopside and the Iolite. I used to be crazy about the square cushion ... now it's the EC. lol ... what will be next?!?

[mystylady]

I know what ya mean! I go through phases with what shapes I'm in love with at the moment too; right now I'm all about Portugese Rounds! Have fun finding them tho! I liked EC's alot better before I had to set one in a casting! GRRRRR!
Damn Bee you go girl! Did you buy all of your gems separately? That must have cost a fortune! You really should give the mixed facets another try... I know some of them DO get chipped, but most don't. They're not kidding when they say that inventory time is the best time to get your mixed faceted parcels! I don't know when the next one is, but they always tell us, ad nauseum!
I've gotten some monster gems in my kits... that huge Swiss Blue Pear, a 6+ ctw Morganite, 34 Iolites (I just counted them! 1/2 of them are smaller size stones but there are a few 7x5mm ovals, a 7mm round and a 10x8 mm pear!) There's a 15x7mm marquise Citrine and a 9x7mm pear shaped Pink Sapphire! It's "sleepy" though, doesn't have the clarity but still very nice! I could go on & on! The gems I purchased separately are: 3 oval platinum mystic topaz's, my 7.5x7.5mm trillion Tanzie, a 12mm Round snowflake cut white Topaz, a pair of Tanzanite Zandrites, which I LOST! and some other stones that I bought from Direct Shopping Network... 2 pairs of Starlight Blue Zircons, WOWZA, and two Phantasm cut gems, one a Pakistani Peridot, the other a Swiss Blue Topaz. Awesome!!! I could go on all day! Love it Love it Love it!

[beekeeper]

Yes, I have bought all of my loose stones separately. I just haven't had the good luck with parcels ... :-(

I have bought several on Ebay ... I have my fave gemstone sellers ... some really good deals out there!

I want a 20+ carat Citrine, probably pear shaped ... and I want to put it in a pendant, surrounded by diamonds. I may start gem shopping this week! :-)

I'm kind of liking Morganite lately ... saw a pretty ring last night on the Q ...

[mystylady]

Cool! That sounds like it's gonna look amazing! I wish I could show ya some of my gems... they really are something, some of them. I have a huge Morganite oval... a little on the lighter side but gemmy and beautiful like you wouldn't believe especially in the sun! :-0 that's how your face looks when you look at it LOL!

[beekeeper]

I'd LOVE to see your gem collection! Your morganite sounds fab. My largest stone is an amethyst ... I think it's about 12 carats, and deep gorgeous purple. I wish it was a tanzie! :-) Last night, saw Dawn selling a 32 carat tanzanite ... I about fell off my sandals! :-)

[Valentina]

I feel so boring next to everyone else in here. Ok, this will sound weird, but I don't really wear much color in my wardrobe (not that flashy) so I don't in my jewelry. I wear diamonds and occasionally pearls, always in a white metal. I do love garnets, but when they are cut very small and set in clusters. My sister has an antique piece like that set in rose gold. It's amazing, but wouldn't ever look right with my skintone.

[pebbles]

Do you have cool or warm skin tones? It sound like you are a "cool" person. I'll bet you would look good in aquamarines, sapphires or blue topaz. My daughter only likes small pieces and not too much color. She will wear diamonds, sapphires, and lots of amethysts which is her birthstone. I bought her a gorgeous canary yellow citrine ring and have never seen her wear it. :-<

[Valentina]

Cool, but I'm very (VERY) pale and tend go a bit pinky at time. I'm the girl who is so pale I have to wear 30 sunblock every time I leave the house because I will get burnt from just driving to Target. I'm just weird with colors. I don't really wear them in my wardrobe, either. I wear green, and once in a while deep red, but for the most part, black, ivory, camel, white. Nothing ever looks last season this way.

[beekeeper]

Valentina, I'm very pale like you too. PLUS, I had skin cancer a few years ago so I don't dare leave the house w/o good sun-block!

I think you sound (your dress/jewelry) very simiple, classic and chic! Nothing wrong with not wearing a lot of color! Diamonds and pearls ... sounds good to me! :-)

[mystylady]

Beekeeper: Now that's something that scares the pee pee out of me... skin cancer. You must have flipped. Where did you have it? I cringe whenever I think back to those days when I would spend hours baking in the sun... when I was young & oblivious. What was I thinking? Now I find myself looking suspiciously at every freckle; every zit. Scary. I'm in the middle between pale and somewhat olive, being Italian and all.

Valentina, you sound like a very classy lady... no need at all to think that you sound boring! Classy will NEVER go out of style! Do you or have you ever bought loose gems? It's something else, really! Just to hold them in your hand is such a thrill! I counted all my loose gemstones a few weeks ago and I have over 1,300 of them!! They're separated by color in 8 "tray 2's", which are black rectangular boxes that hold 50 gem jars each. Most of the jars have more than one stone, some having up to 10! I lined the inside of the box tops with white felt so I can empty a gem jar right in the lid and "play" to my heart's content! I'm such a gem geek, I know. I can't help it!!!

[beekeeper]

Mysty - you are correct, Valentina is one of the classiest we have here on the boards! SUCH a welcome addition IMO!

I had a melanoma on my ear ... thank goodness for the girl that does my hair, cuz she saw it and questioned it. I never would have seen it, and as we all know ... melanoma is one of the fastest spreading cancers. I had two surgeries ... but it's gone. I really did freak out ... I remember crying all the way home after my first dr appt when I found out ...

All better now, so WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN!!!!

[pebbles]

I have had basal cell cancer 3 times. It's not the most serious of the skin cancers but still worrisome. I go to the dermatologist twice a year for a complete screening and I advise it for everyone. Don't assume that only the areas of your skin that have been exposed to the sun are vulnerable. The cancer turned up on my waist and upper thigh in addition to my face.

I am very fair skinned and now I make sure that I am always wearing sun screen.
Valentina, I find that I can wear turquoise, purple including lavender and fuschia, and brown in addition to neutrals -- except for beige. I can't wear red, yellow and some blues. I always hold a garment up to my face at a mirror before buying anything. Anything too bright or too light won't work for me.

I had a hard time finding a blush that would work, too. Finally, L'Oreal's Match colors made a blush I could use. C3-4. It's sort of a tannish pink.

If your posts are boring, so are mine, LOL.

[Linda Lou]

Here's my latest acquistion, girls. Gotta a 1.25 ct. Kyanite, set in platinum over silver, off ShopNBC. You just cannot believe how much it looks like a Ceylone Sapphire! I love it. Only cost me $80 bucks too! Go to the Chuck Clemency line of NYC11 if you want to see the Kyanite.

[pebbles]

I had never heard of that stone, Linda Lou, so I looked it up on ebay. They had quite a few of them. It looks like a very pretty stone. I have a sapphire and diamond ring that belonged to my mother but it has those awful very dark blue-black sapphires.

[Hellfire]

My favorite stone is anything given to me.

Garnet, could you adopt me for your shopping sprees?

[mystylady]

Score Linda Lou! Kyanite is awesome, isn't it? Be careful cuz I think it may be on the "softer" side... hang on I'm gonna look it up in my gem book...Hmmm it's not in there! That's weird. I seem to remember Kyanite being a stone that was 7 or below on the Mohs... Now I've gotta know! Guess I'll be surfing over to the IGA! I'm surprised it wasn't in the Jewelry & Gemstone Buying Guide by Antoinette Matlins. I'll let ya know what I find out! Congrats on the super deal!

[mystylady]

Well that didn't take long! Linda Lou, I was right. Here's the info I found:

Kyanite - do not use metal tweezers. on the mohs hardness scale this gemstone is 4 - 5 in one direction and 6 - 7 1/2 at a 90 degree angle from the first, it has poor toughness and rough handling should be avoided.

So I wouldn't use your Kyanite as brass knuckles or anything! It's interesting that the stone has two different hardnesses, isn't it? I agree, it does look like a gem quality Sapphire! Very nice!

[hellokitty]

My birthstone is amethyst, so I am partial to that. I also like tanzanites, and pink sapphire. There are so many that I love to look at. Blue sapphires in a deep rich shade is so gorgeous and classic!

I don't know much about the less common stones, but I enjoy reading about them!

[mystylady]

You know, I knew NOTHING about gemstones until I purchased my first "mixed faceted gemstone parcel" on JTV back in 2004, and from then I was hooked! Not just on the gems but wanting to know more about them. I've found that the more you learn about gems, the more you want to learn more! I even went to the "Schoolofgemology.com" which is an actual online course to learn about gemstones, but I found it too hard to be "taught without a teacher" per se. I mean I can read books and school online is the very same thing only instead of turning a page you're "scrolling down". I need to raise my hand and say "but what about this...." and have a real human being there to answer. The turning point was actually holding the loose gems in my hand in a big pile and saying "Now What"?? OOH I Love it!

[beekeeper]

I like Hellfires comment! :-) As long as it's a genuine stone that is ... no man made for me (nose sticking up, just a little ...)

[mystylady]

LOL Bee my nose is right up there with yours, just a little ;-) Or maybe a lot!

[mystylady]

If you want to see a good gemstone show online, go to gemshopping.com and watch live. They've got an interactive show, not at all like JTV. Marvin is on tonight until 3:00am EST with Kurt and what a blast! Very VERY high end but then they'll throw in a "zinger" like Canary yellow Sapphires for $9.00! Usually every hour or so he'll announce that the first 5 or 6 callers will receive a free gemstone! I finally got through once and got a cabachon star Burmese Ruby! BTW it really helps if you have DSL or cable as opposed to dial up with the live viewing thing. But check it out! It's different, that's for sure! And if you call and request something they'll talk to you right over the air! They're on from 7:00pm to 3:00am EST M-F and 24 hours from Friday until Sunday at 3:00am. I really like Marvin's gemstone shows, like what's on now. Very fun!

[beekeeper]

Sounds fun Mysty - I'll have to check it out! Thanks! :-)

[hellokitty]

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mystylady:
You know, I knew NOTHING about gemstones until I purchased my first "mixed faceted gemstone parcel" on JTV back in 2004, and from then I was hooked! Not just on the gems but wanting to know more about them. I've found that the more you learn about gems, the more you want to learn more! I even went to the "Schoolofgemology.com" which is an actual online course to learn about gemstones, but I found it too hard to be "taught without a teacher" per se. I mean I can read books and school online is the very same thing only instead of turning a page you're "scrolling down". I need to raise my hand and say "but what about this...." and have a real human being there to answer. The turning point was actually holding the loose gems in my hand in a big pile and saying "Now What"?? OOH I Love it!
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Hi msyty - you ordered a package of loose mixed gemstones? That sounds so cool! Do you have them on display, or did you have them set for jewelry?

[mystylady]

Hi Kitty! My first parcel was 200 carats, the second was 300, the third... all in all over 1,300 stones, not counting the individual ones I've ordered.
Some I've made into jewelry (like the Rubellite Tourmaline pendant that I'm wearing now), some I gave away "just because", and the rest are safe in their little gem jars in my room! I wish I had someplace cool to display them! I'd love to go into business and sell them, maybe at an art fair. The only problem would be actually parting with them!!! They're like my babies! LOL

[pebbles]

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mystylady:
Hi Kitty! My first parcel was 200 carats, the second was 300, the third... all in all over 1,300 stones, not counting the individual ones I've ordered.
Some I've made into jewelry (like the Rubellite Tourmaline pendant that I'm wearing now), some I gave away "just because", and the rest are safe in their little gem jars in my room! I wish I had someplace cool to display them! I'd love to go into business and sell them, maybe at an art fair. The only problem would be actually parting with them!!! They're like my babies! LOL
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Maybe there is a jeweler who would be interested in buying them from you or maybe you could go into business with one. I think it would be fun to see stones you selected go into a beautiful piece of jewelry.

[mystylady]

You know, more than once I tried bringing some of my gems to a jeweler and every time they weren't interested. I think they're used to buying in "bulk" or something. Needless to say I was surprised and more than a little miffed at the rejection-y way they acted. A yucky feeling to say the least. After a few times I decided that my gems were too good for those yahoos anyway! Pfffttt on them!

[beekeeper]

If you're looking to sell them, you can always go to Ebay ... but it's flooded with gems too.

[mystylady]

I KNOW! I should buy some from there but it sounds too good to be true, some of the deals. Are they? At least JTV doesn't put cabs or synthetics in.
Tonight Cheryl had 1000 (!) carats of mixed facets! I don't know how they can only charge $1,399.99 for them. You'd need like 6 "Tray 2's" to hold them all. Oh my!
Didja hear that they stopped adding accent sized stones to their parcels? I wonder what size a stone has to be to be considered a "solitaire"?

[beekeeper]

That's good ... the parcels I bought were almost ALL accent sized stones! BUNCH OF JUNK!

I'd say that 2mm and below would be considered accent sized.

[mystylady]

Ew, really? That IS small! Are you sure it's not bigger than that? What the heck would you do with a 2 mm stone? I mean outside of replacing a missing stone in a setting? Provided that the stone YOU have matches the stone you need to replace, that is. If the gems all come out of a big barrel, wouldn't the smaller, accent sized stones slip to the bottom of the barrel? Maybe they scraped up from the bottom for yours, Bee! :-(
I would have been PISSED!

[beekeeper]

I was pissed ... each time the parcels were junk. I have noticed that when they now sell parcels, the stones are all very good sized. I'm thinking about trying it again ... but I'm just so darned nervous! I don't want to get in trouble for returning everything ... lol ... I can't help it though ... I'm a picky girl!

[mystylady]

Oh I definately would, Bee! They're second to none in that department and wouldn't think twice if you returned it! Wait for a "free shipping" day! Then you'd have ABSOLUTELY nothing to lose! Let me know how it turns out!
BTW, it's completely OK to be picky, especially about your gems!

[beekeeper]

There was a 20 carat parcel last night ... for about $30. I had the phone in my hand ... was dialing ... then chickened out! DANG! Maybe this weekend ...

[francesca]

A to Z, I am an equal opportunity gem hound! All I ask is that they sparkle. :^ )

[jewelfreak]

I just ordered an awesome iolite ring from JTV, unfortuantely, it has three black spots and a brown spot in it. Do you know if this is typical for iolite? I've been checking my gemstone books, but so far no info. Do any of your stones have this?

[francesca]

I know that the brown is more noticeable in a stone that hasn't been cut properly. The angles of the facets and the orientation determine the best blue/violet. The black spots would likely be visible inclusions. Often times these are "hidden" behind the prongs or gallery of the setting.

[pebbles]

I have an iolite ring and a tennis bracelet. The stones are all beautifully clear with no spots. The stones in the bracelet could pass for tanzanites.

[mystylady]

That's typical of lower grade Iolites, Jewel. I'd send it back but request another one in it's place. And if you're not completely satisfied with what you get, send it back again!!! I had to send my Tanzie back 3 times before I was happy with the one I got! Actually, the one I ordered was a 7.5x7.5mm Trillion, 1.25 carat and the first two times it wasn't even 1 carat and barely 7 mm. I was pissed to say the least! It was only 249.99 back then, a bargain today, but a lot of money to me and I was determined. They were wonderful about it and did not make me feel bad at all. I'm usually not one to complain, but damn! I just wanted what they said I was ordering!
Some of my Iolites have the black dots and the brown spots too but they came in parcels that had more good stones than bad. Altogether I have over 40 Iolites and most of them are clean, so the chances are good that if you return the ring for another one you'll get something that you like. Iolite is usually not an included gem. I'd be willing to bet money that the ring that they originally showed had ZERO inclusions, right??? I don't know why they show a flawless stone on the air but send out an included one. Bad.
I would definatly exchange it, and tell them that you want them to pay the shipping, which I did too (they did) and don't settle for anything less. Good luck!

[mystylady]

Oh my garsh JTV is showing my absolute FAVORITE gem right now... Starlight Blue Zircon! It's stunning!
Too bad they're showing a 10k white gold semi-mount to put it in :P
IMHO Starlight blue deserves NOTHING LESS than 14K... better yet, Platinum.
Oh the agony of not being able to order.... I'm DYING here! lol

[beekeeper]

lol ... poor thing! Was it a loose stone or already set? I have a blue zircon, but it's a bit dark ... not the light vibrant color that I think you are talking about. It was on sale ... sigh ...

I adore Iolite! I have a few in different cuts, but my fave is the emerald cut stone, about 1.5 carats. Bought it off of Ebay ...

Pebbles, I'll bet your bracelet is pretty! If I purchased an iolite and it came with spots, it would go back immediately!

[mystylady]

It was a loose stone. Starlight Blue Zircon has that Pareiba or Apatite-y blue, not like Ceylon Sapphire blue.

I love Iolite too! I have some beautiful Iolites that I've made into a pendant and two 6x4mm ovals that I'm going to make into earrings... maybe later tonight? I've been rallying between making Iolite or Rubellite earrings.... maybe I'll make them out of the Rubellites because I sold the Iolite pendant I made. I could make earrings to match the Rubellite pendant that I made... hmmmm!

I'm watching "Gemstones With Marvin" on the computer (Gem Shopping Network) but he show's jewelry too. He just showed a HEART SHAPED EMERALD Pendant that looked so clean it was like Tsavorite! How often do you see heart shaped Emeralds??? <wwwwwwwwwOW!)
Like I said before, GSN is Very high end... more eye candy than buy candy!

[francesca]

Sadly, only eye-candy on my budget. :' (

But man, if you could afford it, the values are AWESOME!

[Fezmydoodle]

My favorite is Tsavorite, followed by kunzite and rubellite.

[mystylady]

Fantastic Fav's! Tsavorite is drop-dead georgeous, isn't it? It's totally natural... no treatments whatsoever!! Rubellite Tourmaline is among my top 5 favorites of all time! I have a Rubellite that I made a pendant out of and I wear it almost every day.
Do you have any loose stones?

[Fezmydoodle]

Yes, I have a number of loose Tsavorites, but only one over 1 carat. I have a Kunzite ring and large studs, but no Rubellite jewelry/stones yet. What is your pendant like? Did you set it yourself?

By the way, my username comes from my black lab-poodle mix pup, Fez. He's a crazy, but devoted boy!

[francesca]

Welcome Fez! :' ) Tsavorites are glorious.


Your pup sounds adorable. :' )

[mystylady]

Sweet! We had a poodle/lab mix too, HER name was Chariie! She lived to be 17! She was all black too except she had one white toe! lol
Your Kunzites sound beautiful! I have a few but are less than 5mm, not much I can do with them except admire them! Came in a mixed gem parcel. I made the pendant myself with a snap tite casting, 7x5mm oval. I love tourmaline! I don't favor opals, my birthstone, but I'm thrilled that tourmaline is my birthstone alternative! I have a few smaller and one very nice, clean Tsavorite, a 6x4mm oval that I don't know what I'm going to do with yet... maybe a ring? I tend to be hard on my rings and I'd hate for something to happen to the stone. I have 8 "tray 2"'s full of loose gems that I've collected over the years. I'm learning more and more about them every day! I'd love to go to school and get my colored gemstone certification... someday! For now I'm content to read read and read some more! I'm a Library Hound!