Working With Color

As you all know, working with colored gems is my specialty.  I love figuring out which colors go together, come up with crazy combos, and matching them to the right metal.  And I often get the following response: "I would NEVER have come up with that combo."

Actually, coming up with the right color combination is not as hard as you think.  Here are some pointers for how to do it, followed by some of my own favorite pairings.

1. Start with beads, not gems.  All gems (or just about) come as beads too.  The colors are, nearly enough, the same.  Buy an inch or two of the various gem colors you like and mix them together on a piece of white paper or a white paper towel.  Add and subtract until it is right.

Before I moved to colored stones, I did beading for a good two years.  And putting together different colors what one of my favorite things to do.  A few combos were very surprising (kyanite and spessartite), others quite obvious (pink and purple sapphire).

Mixed Bead Layout

2. Combos of 3 colors work best when 2 colors are related.  Blue and purple are related but look boring together, so for a third color use something different, i.e. green or yellow.  When you use yellow and pink, add orange or red.

3. Combos of 2 colors should have some contrast.  So pink and a strong purple is nice, but lavender and purple is more boring.

4. Consider the metal when you do your layout.  I think the rules for metal are simple.  White gold is very neutral but doesn't bring out the color of a gem.  So if the gems themselves don't have much color the piece will look a bit washed out.  If the gem is very bright, white gold might be a good choice.  Yellow gold is not neutral at all and needs to be considered a separate color when you do your layout.  You have to think about whether or not yellow will go with your gem.  Rose gold seems to be a color enhancer but itself neutral.  It works well with lighter colors that need some "umph" but doesn't run interference.

I think that pinks work well with yellow gold but purples clash.  Blues are ok, greens are ok but some strong greens (i.e. emerald) can look a bit gaudy.  In general, yellow gold can make a piece look a bit gaudy and therefore cheap.  Son don't use too many different colors with yellow gold.  If you want a very bright piece with other colors, use white gold instead.  I use rose gold a lot because I want to enhance color without the piece looking gaudy.  Rose gold also goes with most skin tones.

5. Here are some of my own favorite color combos.

Color Combo	Gems
Pink, Yellow	Tourmaline, Spinel, Sapphire, Chrysoberyl
Pink, Yellow, Orange	Tourmaline, Spinel, Sapphire, Chrysoberyl, Mandarin Garnet, Citrine
Pink, Red, Yellow	Tourmaline, Spinel, Ruby, Sapphire, Chrysoberyl
Pink, Green	Pink and Green Tourmaline, Spinel, Mint Garnet, Tavorite
Green, Yellow	Tourmaline, Mint Garnet, Tsavorite, Sapphire, Chrysoberyl
Blue, Green	Zircon, Sapphire, Aqua, Tourmaline, Mint Garnet, Tsavorite
Blue, Green, Lavender	Zircon, Sapphire, Aqua, Tourmaline, Mint Garnet, Tsavorite, Tanzanite
Blue, Yellow	All Sapphire, Zircon and Yellow Sapphire
Dark and Light Blue, Yellow	Zircon and Sapphire or Kyanite, Chrysoberyl, Yellow Sapphire
Turqoise, Green	Apatite or Paraiba, Tourmaline, Mint Garnet
Pink and Purple	All Sapphire (Cold Colors), or Tanzanite

Tanzanite and Paraiba

Lavender and Blue Sapphire

Tourmaline, Chrysoberyl, Zircon

Sapphire, Burma Spinel

Sapphire, Burma Spinel, Chrysoberyl, Mandarin Garnet

Sapphire, Burma Spinel

Sapphire, Emerald, Zircon

Why have Mandarin Garnet, Tsavorite Garnet, and Mahenge Spinel Become so Expensive?

A couple of months ago, I saw a discussion on PriceScope about availability of Tsavorite and Mint Garnet, Mandarin and Spessartite Garnet, as well as Mahenge Spinel, all of which come from the same regions in Tanzania and Kenya.  As a vendor, I can’t post on PS – which is a good idea by the way – but the question was an interesting one so I want to post my two cents here on my blog.

Mint Garnet

As one reader on PriceScope commented, it is certainly true that worldwide demand for these gems, especially demand in China, has grown exponentially.  This is particularly true for pink spinel, less so for Mandarin garnet, which is not as popular a color in the east.  Pink is considered he most popular at the moment (mainly in the form of tourmaline), then green and other colors, then oranges and yellow. 

Tsavorite 

It is also true that supplies, at least at the moment, are limited.  I say "at the moment" because as every gem dealer knows. one deposit gets used up, but another discovery may be around the corner.  Many areas around the Mozambique belt (Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique) are unexplored, and one never knows what turns up where.  The Mahenge valley has been sifted through fairly well from one end to another with the yield being small and lighter colored, Tsavorite production is down, by estimates, about 90%.

Pink Mahenge Spinel

Production, however, cannot strictly be measured in terms of availability.  Production can be down because of fuel and explosives or tool shortages as well.  Most African nations are poor, and depend on influx of foreign cash.  That cash, in turn, can vanish at a moment's notice if it is needed elsewhere, so from what I have heard, foreign investors familiar with local culture never simply pay up front.  They stay in the area and supervise production for the duration of the investment.  The following relevant story was related to me by my geologist friend Jochen Hintze.  A local had told him that there was a deposit of a particular gemstone that couldn't be mined because of a shortage of money.  So Jochen offered to invest but only if he was brought to the site to inspect it, stayed in the mine during production, and would receive 50% of the material that was found.  After some back and forth the terms were agreed to and he was taken to the location of the mine (many such locations are kept secret among locals).  The journey required a jeep and one day's travel.  When they arrived at the top of the mine shaft, Jochen was told that he could not go inside.  He asked why and was told that there was no fuel to start the compressors that push air into the mine, so there was a danger of suffocation.  Jochen was exasperated.  It would have been easy for him to just bring the fuel and pay for it.  But he didn't want to go back a second time, and so the deal fell through.  Whatever pretties are down in that mine, they are probably still there.

Tsavorite Mine, somewhere in Tanzania
(Photo courtesy of Jentsch-Mineralien)

Mahenge Spinel Mine, Tanzania
(Photo courtesy of Jentsch-Mineralien)

This story, I am told, is fairly typical for the production problems encountered in these regions.

Of particular interest is also the story of the Loliondo mines in Tanzania, which produce Spessartite as well as particularly strong and beautiful colors of Mandarin garnet (the more fanta colored version of spessartite).  When the gems were first discovered above ground (this is an area in which gems can be mined at the surface, so technically there is no "mine"), production was good.  At one point, a woman the locals call "six fingered mama" bought the rights to dig in the area, but the local tribe, the Masai, prevented her from exercising her rights.  Gunfights ensured and some people died.  As a result, the local government forbade any further mining in the area, and so there are no more Spessartites until further notice.  This has gone on for some time now, a couple of years at least, and there is only a little bit of illegal mining here and there.  Until the situation is resolved - if it is ever resolved - there will not be any Spessartite hitting the market.  Consequently, there is a crunch, and prices have shot up.

Lolindo Spessartite Mine, Tanzania
(Photo courtesy of Field Gemology)

If I May Say So Myself: What I Would Buy from My Shop

With my semi-annual 15% sale coming up on July 13^th, I thought I’d assemble a shortlist of my own favorite items, and why I’d recommend those for purchase.  I’m going to try to limit myself to three pieces from each of my favorite sections.

Of course my own favorite shop sections are the gems, and my favorite stones these days are mint garnet and Mahenge spinel.  But there are other, less appreciated gems that I think would make good investments:

1.  The Mahenge ruby pear shape: the pocket from which that came was small, and while mining in Mahenge has been going on for over 10 years, no ruby had ever been found there.  The gem is a total novelty (there were a few more pieces but they all wandered off to another person who has a stake in the mine and they went overseas, so none came to the U.S market).  The quality stands up to good to fine quality rubies from elsewhere, the inclusions are to be expected, but because of them the little guy turned out not to be so photogenic.  Still, the investment grade is extremely high.  And he is much more beautiful in person: Mahenge Ruby

2.  The neon green Tsavorite oval: again, the best out of the bunch, the color is on the border of the blueish neon mint – a hair darker than the finest mints, so it was “upgraded” to Tsavorite.  The gem is extraordinarily bright for a Tsav: Neon Tsavorite

3.  The color change garnet: mining has slowed and fewer and fewer pieces are available: Color Change Garnet

Other recommendations are anything certified unheated sapphire, and the magenta red cushion spinel since that color is totally finished.

From my ring section, I would pick:

1.  The Mandarin Garnet and Burma Spinel cocktail ring.  It makes such a statement, it is beautifully set, the Mandarin is strongly saturated, and I used my best Burma spinels – I used so many that I almost killed my parcel, and that is a parcel I had waited for for 2 years! Cocktail Ring

2.  The Art Deco style ring with Mahenge Spinel and Mint garnet.  The gems are unusual, the color combo amazing.  I kind of feel that that ring style has been under-appreciated.  I wear it all the time, I love that I can combine different colors and millgrain patterns.  I know everyone wants a big center stone in their ring, but this style is so very versatile. Art Deco Ring

3.  The Victorian inspired scalloped ring with the strongly colored pink tourmaline and Mahenge spinels.  I love both the design and the colors.  The tourmaline is a very nice piece.  The ring is substantial yet very comfy to wear – it doesn’t stick out very high and yet makes a statement.  I gave it a test drive and got quite a few compliments. Scalloped Ring

The other rings I personally like are the ones with the petal designs.  Any the five stone hexagon/octagon ring.

Pendants:

1. My own personal favorite is the aqua gotham pendant in rose gold.  I almost didn't list that one.  The aqua is stunning (several people thought it was a blue topaz because the coloring is so good).  And the hand engraving can be enjoyed with the naked eye but also holds up under the loupe.  Since that is the original piece (before casting) you are getting a real little work of art. Gotham Pendant

2. Design wise my favorite is the three hex pendant, and another one with two kite danglies that I am going to list this coming week (rose gold with Burmese spinels).  Again, I love that I can do different color combos. Hexagon Pendant

3. I personally also really love the pillow pendant that I listed, and I like that particular style.  I love edgy, squarish looks, lots of colors, and antique designs with a modern twist. Pillow Pendant

And again, I love the petal styles, but mostly the ones with the larger center. 

Earrings (I’ll group these together):

1. The sapphire dangly earrings with the four petal flowers.  A superb setting job, and the fat pears on the bottom are totally unique (untreated as well).  One of a kind. Sapphire Dangly Earrings

2. The gotham earrings.  Love the style, love the color, love love love the engraving.  I’m on a kick lately, I wish every single item of mine was engraved.  Poor Alex (alexhandengraving.com), he’s going to get a lot of my stuff, and he is a very busy guy.  Smaller engraved pendant and engraved Gotham ring are coming soon. Gotham Earrings

3. The little mint studs (and the mint danglies).  I have to say, if you’re not buying these up you are asleep at the wheel.  The little calibrated mints are specialty cuts, they were done with some leftover rough and I am already running out of my parcel.  People bought them like mad, both from me and my supplier (he was supposed to save me some from his parcels but he came back from the first show, where he didn’t even put them out, and they were bought upon request).  One more parcel is being cut, then that may be it.  I am first bidder on it (mint addict that I am) but I can’t promise anything.  I’ve been waiting for 2mm sizes for 2 months already!  The thing is that the tiny sizes are super wasteful to cut out of the material, so nobody likes to do it.  The color is juicy.

Mint Garnet Danglies

Mint Garnet Hexagon Studs

What is your favorite item and why?  Put your comment below, I'd love to know.