Where does these come from and how old could they be ?

[Crystallize]

Hi !
I was wondering if anyone here could help me perhaps.
I bought two rings yesterday, second hand from a person who didn't really know anything about them.

I was wondering if anyone knows what country they are made in and approx. how old they can be ?

The markings doesn't help much I'm afraid.

The one with the alexandrite only says 14K and the one with the citrine also says 14K inside a triangle.

How ever you can see that they are made by the same goldsmith, if you look from the side and probably approx. around the same time.

 

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[weldermark]

hi crystallize are you sure of the stones? if so alexandrite is a very cool stone to own as i have one that changes color in different light,i have also heard that it could be more expensive per carat than diamond,the citrine which also looks impressive and if gem quality would be very rare they come
from Brazil, Spain,Madagascar,USSR, some citrine has been passed off as topaz the stones you have look impressive,i don't know what you gave for them but they look swell,do you know the carats?
just my opinion don't ask a jeweler for a price,go to a reputable appraiser....be careful.


Mark

 

[Crystallize]

Yes, I know it's hard to believe about the alexandrite, but it does surely change color from clear gray/blue in outdoors light
to bright deep pink/red in yellow like crystal-chandelier light or candle light.

I think the carat is about 20CT in both of them, the alexandrite is about 20 x 10 mm and the citrine is 18 x 14 mm.

I didn't give a lot for them, as I said, the person I bought them from didn't really know anything about jewelry,
so I bought them like for the gold price only.

For me the rings are worth more than money, I was more curious about their background and age.

 

[upier]

my suggestion would be take them to a local jewler. but do not let them take the rings into the back room.

 

[Crystallize]

Thanks, even though that was the only advice I didn't want.

I'm not going to go and get them evaluated in a jewelers.
As they have no interest in telling me anything if I don't pay them for
it and I don't want to do that as I don't really want an evaluation.

Thats why I came here instead.

The citrine is really a good quality stone, just slightly brownish in the yellow color
and what I'm more fascinated by is the cutting. For such a big stone it has really many facets.

Here is some pictures of the color change in the alexandrite, even if it is very hard to get a picture with the
accurate color with my lousy web-cam?

- - - - - - -

 

[stoney56]

JMO, looks like HSN material. Best of luck.

 

[Boaz]

I've got serious doubts about this one. A 20 c. Alexandrite would be rare enough to be in the Smithsonian.There are other stones that 'color change."

 

[stoney56]

Boaz, I too thought that. Alexanderite should go to amethyst color under incandescent. One that size is probably simulated.

 

[ozzysdad]

The Alexandrite look's great, The Citrine, look's a bit more like Whiskey or Impearil Lemon Topaz? As for HSN, I doubt it.....I've seen that hallmark Diamond stamp before, Just don't remember where? I'd say that if you got them for gold price, you did great..... I don't think they are very old, Valuable YES......I jsut saw the other post's
and they could be right about the Alexandrite, See if you can find a good pic of "Watermellon Tourmaline" and compare it against that? You might use eBay as a reference....


? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? JMHO, ozzysdad....

 

[Crystallize]

Alexanderite should go to amethyst color under incandescent.

It does go deeper and deeper purple as the light gets more yellow but after the purple phace comes the pink phace.
If it is completely dark and you hold a small lighter a bit from it it almost goes ruby red with a little pink left in the sparkles.

I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't pretty sure, I have been buying jewelry for over 22 years (yes I'm over 40 now) and can spot a synthetic from a genuine.

Also in sunshine it (I saw it in sunshine for the first time today) it got very clear blue with sparks of pink,
really amazing though where neither it's genuine or synthetic.

I have very hard to imagine if you can do a stone like this synthetic.

How ever I noticed something right this evening, I think that the ring wasn't made for this particular stone in the first place.
I started feeling a little irritation in the skin under the ring and noticed that the back side of the stone is too deep.

It comes out for over a millimeter from the back side of the ring, see here:

Also when I got the ring, the stone wasn't perfectly set in the ring, it rattled a little.
I fixed that but could it be that the stone has been switched from another stone and set in this ring at some later point ?

It would explain somethings though...

Well, thanks for all the wise word all anyway,

..since what ever, I will keep the ring and it will brighten my days as long as I live?

 

[Crystallize]

See if you can find a good pic of "Watermelon Tourmaline" and compare it against that? You might use eBay as a reference....
? ? JMHO, ozzysdad....

I have kind of continued the investigation and just did that what you said and now at least I can be sure that it is not a Watermelon Tourmaline,
I found this pictures among others but they are mostly the same.

My stone is not two colored as such, it just switches colors.

 

[stoney56]

You sound like you have done a lot of research but you might try http://www.jewelplus.com/gemstone_some.html

 

[Crystallize]

Well, yes, I have alot of free time anyways *lol*

But I also found this.

and that it does look a lot a like them, well, perhaps not as purple in normal light but
I also found that it does come out more purple when it is photographed that in real life.

The thing was that I didn't' think they could create such a significant color change synthetically,
but obviously it is possible.

So to the conclusion, it is most probably synthetic.?

 

[stoney56]

Irrigardless, you didn't get hurt in the least for the price. So wear them proudly and enjoy your new found treasures. HH

 

[Crystallize]

Hm, why do people think money is everything?

... and well, of course, no, I only paid 500 sek or what would be $85 in US money for it,
($65 for the citrine/Topaz ring, still think it's a citrine though, just because it's still just a bit too yellow to be a Topaz IRL)
so regardless it was a incredible bargain.?

But I found this today.

This Synthetic Alexandrite is clean, well cut, calibrated and the color change is wonderful, from a blue green to an amethyst purple - just like much of the natural material coming from Brazil and other places. A 5x7mm oval (see above) which weighs approximately 1ct costs only $200, whereas if this gemstone were a Natural Alexandrite with the same good cutting, color change, clarity and size, one would expect to pay up to approximately $10,000 retail. In order to determine whether an Alexandrite of this type is natural or synthetic, a lab should be consulted where the gemstone can be examined with the proper equipment.

Here: http://atggems.homestead.com/files/Alexandrite.htm

And note "blue green to an amethyst purple"

My stone goes far beyond that, it really goes to bright pink/red in the right light.

So can anyone really tell the real difference between a synthetic and a natural Alexandrite ??

 

[stoney56]

Nobody said that money is everything-it's just a tool like your computer. Here's a little more about the synthetic http://www.jewelry-plus.com/SyntheticAlexandrite.htm
I'm not a gemologist but I also have a similar stone that was given to me, but it has a needle inclusion running through it. One jeweler tokk a 3 second look at it, said it was synthetic and offered a fast$25. BTW-still have it.

 

[Crystallize]

Well, I found a more detailed description of how you can spot a synthetic from a natural here: http://www.khazargems.com/color_change_gems.asp

And there it said that also synthetics can have inclusions.

... look out for large carat weight with few, if any inclusions.

I can't find any immediate inclusions in my stone, so at least it's eye clean, but I would need to take a closer look in brighter daylight.
I'll check it out tomorrow.

How ever, it just have to be a synthetic, but I still find it captivating never the less and the color-change is amazing,
even more than I have seen in any pictures on the Internet.

Except for one small diversion, it's more of gray/blue than green/blue.
I know colors are subjective but at least I think so

 

[stoney56]

Mine as well. WIll dig it out and see if I can post a pic. Got it locked away.

 

[Wild Boulder Bill]

Color is so deceptive.. When I was in spain I bought a beautiful aquamarine that was about the size of your stones. The color and looks in Colorado would definitly indicate a topaz. Our Citrine seems to be more yellow. But because of the impurities that the gems mix with hues change. I've never seen a cut quite like that in large stones. They are quite unique thanks for sharing them with us.


Wild Boulder