Untreated Color-Change Garnet 1.08 (OCCG108)

1.08 Carat
Color Changer
Medium Dark 70
Lightly Included

GRADING REPORT OCCG108

- Identification: Natural Unheated & Untreated Color-Change Garnet
- Carat: 1.08
- Shape: Oval
- Measures: 6.55x5.38x3.67 (millimeter)
- Color Grade: Excellent
- Color Change: Very Good
- Tone: Medium Dark 70
- Color Zoning: None
- Clarity: Lightly Included
- Cutting Grade: Very Good
  > Brilliancy: 66%
  > Depth: 68%
- Origin: Tanzania
- Treatment: None

Certificate No: IGI 361902751

Overall Grade: Very Good

Comment: The other day there was a questions about the difference between 'color grade' and 'color change'. This 1.08 displays beautiful colors in both, day and night-lights and in mixed settings, too. However, the extend of the color change is less strong than in, say, 1.01. In that gem the grading pointed the other way around, the CC was optimal but the different color-mixtures were less attractive. Perhaps this trade-off is inherent? The more extreme the CC, the less attractive its in-betweens and color extremes? More study is needed. Though just over one carat it meets the other gems from this parcel with a 6x5mm face-up. No window thanks to a dark tone despite the local hand-cut, flawless and good enough if not perfect and CAD precise. No eye-visible inclusions. See the close-ups below and under 'more images' with red sparkling from blue, green, purple; and the green needle in front of a purple-blue background. We find these thin needles in most of this particularly rare type of color-changer garnets. It was the same with the gems from Bekily, if they had any inclusions, and now here in these new gems from Tanzania, suggesting a similar geologically history (scientists may roll their eyes over the simplification - books have been written about the topic - but we remain humbly simple). As always, CC gems are the most difficult to show on photo, but I hope the images do help to imagine what only the brain can process in person: red flashes in green, green sparks in red. BTW: The supply of these new CC spessartite-pyrope garnets has already ceased. We've bought all gems under two+ carats that met our '3*Nos of Excellence' and this is the last. Why the limit to size? Because the bigger they get, the darker (not to mention rarer and more expensive) they are, and only bright light will display the color-change. The exceptional four or six carat gems are better for serious collectors than for jewelry. The most remarkable example of color change we've seen, so far, was in these 25 pointers. We'll try to fill the gaps between a quarter carat and one carat but so far, no luck. Stay tuned.