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 Post subject: Bangkok, GISA - Gems Institute of Southeastern Asia ..?
PostPosted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 1:31 pm 
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Hello to everyone,
I'm new here and hope to get some help .
I won a strange alexandrite on ebay :roll: - it change color from purple to magenta, so I suspect it might be a synthetic stone or maybe amethyst... I saw some certified gems from Brazil with the same color change and Thai seller I'm buying from also promises me a certificate - but I'm not able to find any information about GISA ( Gems Institute of Southeastern Asia ) :? Could it be a false certificate , does this happen sometimes on ebay? I would greatly appreciate any suggestion - Kat :)


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PostPosted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 2:58 pm 
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Hi Katt :)

Certificates can be and are faked on ebay all the time. I personally don't know whether the one you mention is or not.

There are many replacements for alex, including glass. Generally speaking I wouldn't expect you would get an actual alex unless you payed quite a bit, and even then since it's ebay probably not.


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 3:02 am 
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The only GISA I know of the the Gemmology Institute of Southern Africa. If its one of ours, you can verify the reports.


Last edited by Lukeness on Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 8:00 pm 
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Thank you very much for your replies .
Unfortunately it isn't a Gemmology Institute of Southern Africa certificate, it's a "Gems Institute of Southeastern Asia" certificate and I searched a lot and didn't find any mention of such organization ...
The stone is similar to this one but is bigger and VS ... Does it look like corundum or maybe amethyst ?
I fear that I've been very naive :(


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:52 pm 
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I see some more "ALEXANDRITES" of the same type I bought ( I haven't received it yet ) . It seems that somebody pays a lot for such stones, but with private listings it is impossible to understand if these bids are real... Maybe someone could help me - once arrived , should I check the stone in a gem lab ( spending money ) or it is absolutely clear that the stone is not an alexandrite ( even atypical ) and I can ask the seller for a return. :(


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 1:28 pm 
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I would be afraid, very afraid! The last gemstone you posted a link for was over 7 cts! With that kind of color change, & sold for $1550.00! :shock: There just in not any way I can believe that is a real Alex. That stone would be a fortune wholesale, most likely around the $10,000 a carat mark, give or take a couple of thousand. Retail????? Way up there.

Be afraid! :wink:

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 1:47 pm 
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Yes I am afraid :smt100
ELVIS PRASIOLITE wrote:
With that kind of color change
But do exist alexandrites with such color change ? The seller told me that were is some green in a day light, but I don't see it on video. Maybe it is a color change amethyst worth 50$ ? :smt114


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 1:51 pm 
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Yup, very unlikely to be alex, as that's way too cheap.

It's virtually impossible for anyone to know what it is just from a picture.


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 2:28 pm 
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katt wrote:
Yes I am afraid :smt100
ELVIS PRASIOLITE wrote:
With that kind of color change
But do exist alexandrites with such color change ? The seller told me that were is some green in a day light, but I don't see it on video. Maybe it is a color change amethyst worth 50$ ? :smt114


Yes they're are, but very RARE. Even MUCH RARER in large sizes, almost unheard of. Most come from Brazil that are more are Nyquil blue to reddish purple/purplish red. The fine ones anyway.

Here is a stone from www.mutlicolour.com that is 8.66 cts. Multicolour is one of the safest & most reasonable (under wholesale in most cases) priced gemstone sites on the net. This stone is gone now, but I remember the asking price was around $220,000! That is well over $20,000 a carat. It is not as red as the stone you linked to, but is an astounding Alex. Just giving you a perspective of what large top Alex goes for.

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Last edited by ELVIS PRASIOLITE on Fri Dec 18, 2009 5:54 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 3:45 pm 
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Hi Katt

Did you buy from that seller you sent the link from , if so he/she charges a 10% stocking fee if returned :shock:
I checked out others he sells and hes got lots of big sapphires cheap , this is :shock: ,
You may have to just live and learn , because sending it back and 10% for something you dont keep , might as well keep and use as a lesson .

To be called an alexandrite it needs to change from green to red - anything else is a color change chrysoberyl :wink: if its real , could be synthetic we cant judge anything by a descripton , or picture it needs to be tested , sorry


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 1:18 pm 
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dragonstek wrote:
To be called an alexandrite it needs to change from green to red - anything else is a color change chrysoberyl :wink: if its real ,

ELVIS PRASIOLITE wrote:
Yes they're are, but very RARE. Even MUCH RARER in large sizes, almost unheard of. Most come from Brazil that are more are Nyquil blue to reddish purple/purplish red. The fine ones anyway.

I saw a photo of this stone in normal daylight and it seems violet, very similar to amethyst . That's why as a complete ignorant in the matter of gemstones I thought it could be a color change chrysoberyl, very nice looking but not an alexandrite because it doesn't show any green, thus the low price . But I never heard of violet chrysoberils, normally they are honey green, right? :roll:
So once arrived I will bring it to a lab and have it checked, and if it is synthetic I'll try to get back at least part of money ...
Thank all of you for help ! :D


Last edited by katt on Sun Dec 20, 2009 2:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 1:43 pm 
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It might be an Alexandrium :shock: This is a VERY cheap synthetic, colour change from pinkish to blue.
A true synthetic Alexandrite with strong colour change red to green is a great deal more expensive than the former. So I doubt that it's this one going on your description.

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 2:16 pm 
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katt wrote:
dragonstek wrote:
To be called an alexandrite it needs to change from green to red - anything else is a color change chrysoberyl :wink: if its real ,

ELVIS PRASIOLITE wrote:
Yes they're are, but very RARE. Even MUCH RARER in large sizes, almost unheard of. Most come from Brazil that are more are Nyquil blue to reddish purple/purplish red. The fine ones anyway.

I saw a photo of this stone in normal daylight and it seems violet, very similar to amethyst . That's why as a complete ignorant in the matter of gemstones I thought it could be a color change chrysoberyl, very nice looking but not an alexandrite because it doesn't show any green, thus the low price . But I never heard of violet chrysoberils, normally they are honey green, wright? :roll:
So once arrived I will bring it to a lab and have it checked, and if it is synthetic I'll try to get back at least part of money ...
Thank all of you for help ! :D


Maybe I should of wrote teal instead of Nyquil blue. Like the stone I posted a picture of above. It looks Brazilian, but was from India. Very rarely do you see a true Red to Green, but I have a picture of one thats is close, but the red still has purple in it. From Sothebys.

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 2:33 pm 
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:smt118 :smt049 Now that's an Alex!!!

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