Blue Fire Opal - Help!!!

Thanks Penny Pincher - at least that means I didn't leap in miles early, although it does sound as though the prices have gone up a bit since they put the first pieces on a few months ago.

Debsie, sorry to hear about the house selling. Perhaps the good weather and the upturn in the market last month will pull a few serious buyers out of the woodwork. Fingers crossed for you.

Just catching up on this thread... it was I who bought the BFO ring for £149, referred to in an earlier post. That was when Rocks & Co were just new, however, and prices have gone up A LOT since then - I noticed that the BFO was going for about double what I paid for it, and you probably won't get one for that price now. Since Rocks & Co are apparently the only people who have this gem, there's really nothing to compare it with to get a "market" price.

Therefore if you love it, buy it; but personally I wouldn't be getting a pendant if you really want a ring - it will cost much more to get it re-set than if you bought a ring in the first place. Why not PM Andrew (Rocks & Co COO) and ask him if there are any BFO rings in stock?

Pimms - please forgive me for interrupting off-topic for a mo, but DEBSIE may I ask whose grave that is you're digging in your new avatar? <a href="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.smileycentral.com%252F%253Fpartner%253DZSzeb008%255FZNxpt484YYGB%2526i%253D3%252F3%255F11%255F5v%2526feat%253Dprof/page.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/3/3_11_5v.gif" alt="SmileyCentral.com" border="0"><img border="0" src="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fimgfarm%252Ecom%252Fimages%252Fnocache%252Ftr%252Ffw%252Fsmiley%252Fsocial%252Egif%253Fi%253D3%252F3_11_5v%2526uiv%253D3.0/image.gif"></a>

argeybargey said:

Pimms - please forgive me for interrupting off-topic for a mo, but DEBSIE may I ask whose grave that is you're digging in your new avatar? <a href="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.smileycentral.com%252F%253Fpartner%253DZSzeb008%255FZNxpt484YYGB%2526i%253D3%252F3%255F11%255F5v%2526feat%253Dprof/page.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/3/3_11_5v.gif" alt="SmileyCentral.com" border="0"><img border="0" src="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fimgfarm%252Ecom%252Fimages%252Fnocache%252Ftr%252Ffw%252Fsmiley%252Fsocial%252Egif%253Fi%253D3%252F3_11_5v%2526uiv%253D3.0/image.gif"></a>

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I didn't notice that! Or is she looking for buried treasure?

As it goes I've been gardening! Yesterday at Mum's and today did some planting up some of my new border (which looks luverly now even if I do say so myself!) But I do like the idea of looking for buried treasure.

Pimms said:

I didn't notice that! Or is she looking for buried treasure?

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When you have pets, they bring new meaning to the words "buried treasure" <a href="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.smileycentral.com%252F%253Fpartner%253DZSzeb008%255FZNxpt484YYGB%2526i%253D10%252F10%255F2%255F7%2526feat%253Dprof/page.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/10/10_2_7.gif" alt="SmileyCentral.com" border="0"><img border="0" src="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fimgfarm%252Ecom%252Fimages%252Fnocache%252Ftr%252Ffw%252Fsmiley%252Fsocial%252Egif%253Fi%253D10%252F10_2_7%2526uiv%253D3.0/image.gif"></a>

Oh yes Argey don't they just! I've found one or two 'gems' of that variety over the past couple of days! Pity there isn't a market for them!

Hello Everyone:

For those who don’t know me, I’m one of the gem people behind Rocks & Co. and the author of ‘The Clever Gem Buyer’ http://www.rocksandco.com/book2/books.asp.

I previously answered questions about this variety at this thread http://www.shoppingtelly.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5668 (thanks argeybargey for referencing the link).

For more information on Blue Fire Opal (including a picture) and Opal in general try page 86 of the eBook version of ‘The Clever Gem Buyer’. The same information is also available as a webpage here http://www.rocksandco.com/book2/book-s2-05.asp?page=s2-05.

I hope this helps and as always, please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

Kind Regards,

Gav

Well, after all that, I'm afraid it had to head back to Rocks. Of all the things I thought I might not like about it, I didn't think it would have a window almost worthy of a Gems paraiba (Well, not quite that bad, but then what is?!)

As for Blue Fire Opal in the flesh, so to speak, I must say it's a VERY pretty stone indeed - clear, cool blue, though almost a hint of palest mauve (I mean it's a red-blue rather than a green-blue). Little colour play, but in daylight it has a beautiful silvery shimmer that travels around the stone as you move it.

I was even more miffed, because they'd brought up the ring which sort of matched - same size, shape and carat weight in plain white gold. I'd clicked first, checked out straight away (igoring the fact that I knew it was too much money), and the next day had got an e-mail that my ring had failed its final inspection. Call me cynical, but I'm always tempted to read that as 'we oversold and you've lost out'. Anyway, just think of all that dosh saved And the pendant was just too much money to keep the stone for the sake of having one when it wasn't good enough to wear. Hey-ho.

You got a great deal for that price. The stone itself is sold for a much higher price per ct.

onestepup said:

You got a great deal for that price. The stone itself is sold for a much higher price per ct.

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Whereabouts Onestepup? I know a few people who may be interested in buying the stone alone.

Will I learn from my mistakes? I think I'm just about there. In spite of the window in the first pendant and then the hassle about not getting the ring because it 'failed final inspection' (hollow laugh), I very nearly did it again. Saw a pendant on the web, sparkling away, thought I'd give them one last try and clicked on it. I turned on the TV (fully expecting both pendants to've sold and the game to've finished), saw a stone with a window big enough for a burglar to get through and ditched it from my basket quicker than you could say 'Everest'. It was a bigger stone than the one I looked at before, it went down to £50 less, it went to the clock, and I don't think it sold (there were 2). Seems like I'm not the only one (finally) getting the message.

Pimms said:

Will I learn from my mistakes? I think I'm just about there. In spite of the window in the first pendant and then the hassle about not getting the ring because it 'failed final inspection' (hollow laugh), I very nearly did it again. Saw a pendant on the web, sparkling away, thought I'd give them one last try and clicked on it. I turned on the TV (fully expecting both pendants to've sold and the game to've finished), saw a stone with a window big enough for a burglar to get through and ditched it from my basket quicker than you could say 'Everest'. It was a bigger stone than the one I looked at before, it went down to £50 less, it went to the clock, and I don't think it sold (there were 2). Seems like I'm not the only one (finally) getting the message.

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Good news and good for you Pimms.

Maybe if we all stop buying their shite windowed gemstones, they might pay more and get experienced cutters who care about their work rather than ones who cut for size and not beauty.