Blue Agate Fading?

[sunshineshiney]

Well to provide a different perspective, even if this is a natural undyed blue stone, the likelihood of it staying the same color for many years to come is still unknown. We all have different lifestyles, skin pH, and expose to different climax from our homes to travel destinations. Like I've mentioned about my friend's 2 year old BA that she has kept it on most of the time except for pool time, it remains vibrant despite her not babying it at all. Whilst we speculate that VCA did a poor job from dying and sourcing the raw materials to quality control, some batches do seem quite resilient so they certainly put in some effort into dying the stones and ensure the color can be stabilized, as reported by some lovely members here that their pieces looking almost the same color after years of owning & wearing them. Part of the appeal of the VCA Alhambra collection is the option of wearing different colored stones that suit your style. All of my purchases have contain some colored stones and I wear my 5 motif chalcedony almost everyday and it only comes off for shower. Eventually I'll have to replace the stones and get the metal replated with rhodium, and I've scratched up the silver obsidian HP after merely 2 months of purchase, but that's normal wear & tear. If you really like the color of your BA pieces, maybe best to just enjoy wearing them without worrying too much. But of course, if the thought of the color fading after just a few wears keep you up at night, it sucks that you'll have to use the credit to purchase something else you like at the new price, as least you'll get to wear them with a peace of mind. Jewelry is meant to be worn and enjoy, not to elevate our cortisol.

Well said. While I’m sad my bracelet has lost all its vibrancy, I’m still going to wear it, while being more mindful once the stones are replaced this fall/winter. I suppose that means I can spend this summer wearing it without any concerns.

Looking at my jewelry makes me happy. That’s why I purchase what I have .
Thank you for the reminder @waterlily112 . Instead of worrying about what was, I’m going to enjoy it, as it is, in the present.

I need to practice being more mindful and present in the present, so this post is greatly appreciated 🧘🏻‍♀️.

 

[DS2006]

Well to provide a different perspective, even if this is a natural undyed blue stone, the likelihood of it staying the same color for many years to come is still unknown. We all have different lifestyles, skin pH, and expose to different climax from our homes to travel destinations. Like I've mentioned about my friend's 2 year old BA that she has kept it on most of the time except for pool time, it remains vibrant despite her not babying it at all. Whilst we speculate that VCA did a poor job from dying and sourcing the raw materials to quality control, some batches do seem quite resilient so they certainly put in some effort into dying the stones and ensure the color can be stabilized, as reported by some lovely members here that their pieces looking almost the same color after years of owning & wearing them. Part of the appeal of the VCA Alhambra collection is the option of wearing different colored stones that suit your style. All of my purchases have contain some colored stones and I wear my 5 motif chalcedony almost everyday and it only comes off for shower. Eventually I'll have to replace the stones and get the metal replated with rhodium, and I've scratched up the silver obsidian HP after merely 2 months of purchase, but that's normal wear & tear. If you really like the color of your BA pieces, maybe best to just enjoy wearing them without worrying too much. But of course, if the thought of the color fading after just a few wears keep you up at night, it sucks that you'll have to use the credit to purchase something else you like at the new price, as least you'll get to wear them with a peace of mind. Jewelry is meant to be worn and enjoy, not to elevate our cortisol.

But VCA only chooses semi-precious inexpensive stones lol. That’s a fact that all of us buying and enjoying their non-haute jewelry have to decide to be ok with or not. Of course there are the solid or pave pieces, but if you want a stone, you’re getting semi-precious stones on the vintage-Alhambra pieces, period.

I’m not surprised something went wrong with the dying process. It happens. Heck, H had the whole-skunk issue a few years back. I do think once they will see more of this, they’ll hopefully take responsibility. It makes me realize why older-green chalcedony bracelets I was looking at looking a bit discolored and this makes sense. Is chalcedony the same as agate? The bracelets I’ve admired are either called green agate or green chalcedony, and sometimes the color is not uniform.

These two posts are related so I'll try to respond to both. The good thing about chalcedony is that it is blue lace agate which is natural and not dyed. So there won't be color change issue due to dye. And yes, a poster here previously posted that there was once green agate. My understanding is that agate and chalcedony are both quartz.

The thing that concerned me regarding the blue dye is that the info posted says sun, heat, and humidity (moisture) can affect the color, and I live where there is sun, heat, and humidity from late spring through early fall, but especially in the summer. Late spring and summer is when I'd wear the blue agate. Obviously I am in air conditioning much of the time. I just don't want to be afraid to wear it. But because I do take care of my jewelry, I do not expect for there to be any reason that I would ever need stones replaced (other than some freak accident, of course). I consider my jewelry heirlooms for my daughters and want it to stay in nice condition.

I realize everyone's situation is different due to climate, amount of wear, etc., so there may be very little risk for some. I just need to figure out whether I'm in the very low risk category or not!

 

[nicole0612]

I am so glad to hear your BA pieces are the same color! It seems like I recall you live in a cool climate, is that correct? I live in a climate that is hot an humid in the summer which is when I would be wearing blue agate. In one of the previous posts, I think it said sun and humidity might cause fading (not that I'd be wearing it at the beach or pool, of course). I would LOVE to keep these pieces if they would not change color. I take extreme care of my jewelry and only put it on after I am finished with hair and makeup and do not use lotion near my jewelry. But I don't want to feel like I can't wear it in the summer, because that is definitely when I would be wearing this color.

I really love my blue agate pieces! My pieces are between 6 years and a few months old and they all look like new. I live in a cool climate without sun or humidity. I do not baby my pieces at all, but I also do not wear sunscreen, body lotion or perfume. I do use hand sanitizer but it would not have landed on any piece. They would have gotten wet with rain for sure, but I have not worn them in the shower. I just purchased another blue agate piece days ago after knowing about this potential concern. If I had pieces that had been damaged, I might have felt differently however.

 

[stephbb9]

If you look at some old vintage coral and opal pieces, you will notice that the stones are very much “changed” from what they should be or where initially. Yet the resell value is really high because of rarity.
Of course, this isn’t an excuse as I would expect better from VCA. Especially for non rare stones.
Agate is supposed to be a hard stone. So many people have BA! I am surprised we didn’t hear this more often before.

 

[DS2006]

Here is my pic from the SA in the store lighting:



This is the bracelet today in natural daylight indoors. You can see it is more vibrant in natural light! I love it, but I want it to stay this beautiful color!!!!

 

[sunshineshiney]

Here is my pic from the SA in the store lighting:

View attachment 6165041

This is the bracelet today in natural daylight indoors. You can see it is more vibrant in natural light! I love it, but I want it to stay this beautiful color!!!!

View attachment 6165044

Gorgeous!!! The richness in blue is TDF.
I would enjoy wearing it while also being mindful; If you ever travel to a humid climate, like Hawaii, I would avoid taking it there.

 

[A bottle of Red]

Here is my pic from the SA in the store lighting:

View attachment 6165041

This is the bracelet today in natural daylight indoors. You can see it is more vibrant in natural light! I love it, but I want it to stay this beautiful color!!!!

View attachment 6165044

Oh wow that's a stunning color! I can see why you love it 😍

 

[waterlily112]

These two posts are related so I'll try to respond to both. The good thing about chalcedony is that it is blue lace agate which is natural and not dyed. So there won't be color change issue due to dye. And yes, a poster here previously posted that there was once green agate. My understanding is that agate and chalcedony are both quartz.

The thing that concerned me regarding the blue dye is that the info posted says sun, heat, and humidity (moisture) can affect the color, and I live where there is sun, heat, and humidity from late spring through early fall, but especially in the summer. Late spring and summer is when I'd wear the blue agate. Obviously I am in air conditioning much of the time. I just don't want to be afraid to wear it. But because I do take care of my jewelry, I do not expect for there to be any reason that I would ever need stones replaced (other than some freak accident, of course). I consider my jewelry heirlooms for my daughters and want it to stay in nice condition.

I realize everyone's situation is different due to climate, amount of wear, etc., so there may be very little risk for some. I just need to figure out whether I'm in the very low risk category or not!

I understand your concerns. I have not purchase any MOP pieces because I know it's fragile and can lose its luster quickly, plus I sweat a lot (lol!), so similar concerns as yours but just different stone. I don't trust myself keeping it pristine nor expect it to remain pristine because at the end of the day, MOP is MOP, just because we paid a higher price tag doesn't magically make it indestructible. However, I do have the magic MOP earrings and the Ginza edition pendant on my wishlist and if they ever become available, I'd certainly purchase them without any hesitation. I still may not go for MOP in the 5, 10, or 20 motifs (although I love seeing it on other people), but to me earrings and a single pendant are manageable for minimum contact to my skin and when I need to replace the stones for whatever reasons, that's my way of balancing potential risks vs enjoying what I want/like. I'm pretty sure all of us purchased our VCA pieces not ever wanting to replace the stones as they hold sentimental values after years of owning and wearing them, but sometimes things happen beyond our control, so having the option to replace the stones with a fee is still a good reassurance. I don't know how long we'd have to wait for VCA to produce BA that will never change color and scratch resistant, BA is high on the mohs scale but nature of agate is still quite porous, which make sense why it take on colors so well when being dyed. I think the only care-free stone we can get is diamond, but that's a different aesthetic from having some vibrant blue clovers on our wrists.

It's lovely that you want to pass down your jewelry pieces to your daughters and want to keep them in pristine condition. But don't let the idea of needing them to stay pristine to steal you away from fully enjoy wearing them, whether it's the BA or any other jewelry pieces. I'm sure your daughters will value the pieces you pass onto them regardless of the condition, or whether or not the stones have been replaced at some points. The most important thing is the stories and memories behind them, knowing mom has worn it while simply living her best life. My mom has an emerald bangle that she has worn throughout her 20s and 30s, it's now in my jewelry box since it no longer fit her wrist. She has lost and replaced a few stones throughout the years, and the funny thing is, the newer stones don't fully match the rest of the stones, plus the stones now look quite dull and probably need some professional cleaning and/or intervention, but I still cherish it

 

[DS2006]

@waterlily112 I do have the white gold MOP bracelet, Magic pendant, and VA earrings, so I am very careful with those. They are not daily wear pieces for me. I would very much love to have the yg Magic MOP earrings, too! The wg MOP is my "summer set" of Alhambra, and the reason I wanted the blue agate was to have another stone to wear in the summer. So I think I might be making a mistake not keeping it.

I am glad to know you appreciate having some of your mother's jewelry! I have also handed down a few things that I no longer wear!

 

[waterlily112]

@waterlily112 I do have the white gold MOP bracelet, Magic pendant, and VA earrings, so I am very careful with those. They are not daily wear pieces for me. I would very much love to have the yg Magic MOP earrings, too! The wg MOP is my "summer set" of Alhambra, and the reason I wanted the blue agate was to have another stone to wear in the summer. So I think I might be making a mistake not keeping it.

I am glad to know you appreciate having some of your mother's jewelry! I have also handed down a few things that I no longer wear!

Oh wow you do own good amount of MOP pieces, I get why you don't want to deal with BA in the summer months thinking you may have to baby them as well. Perhaps solid gold and pave pieces may be the better options for the summer, especially for somewhere hot & humid

 

[nicole0612]

Here is my pic from the SA in the store lighting:

View attachment 6165041

This is the bracelet today in natural daylight indoors. You can see it is more vibrant in natural light! I love it, but I want it to stay this beautiful color!!!!

View attachment 6165044

This is my absolute favorite shade! I actually like the real life photos better, it’s so vibrant!

 

[DS2006]

This is my absolute favorite shade! I actually like the real life photos better, it’s so vibrant!

Thank you! I had mentally prepared myself that I should return it. Then I opened the box and saw it (and the matching pendant)!!! It was the best color I could have imagined for this stone! If I didn't love it, it would have been easy to return! So needless to say, you all have helped me get off the ledge and have reasonable expectations! Thankfully my SA was off today, but I am going to ask my her tomorrow if she has had any complaints about the BA, and hopefully she will also reassure me!

 

[Alena21]

Thank you! I had mentally prepared myself that I should return it. Then I opened the box and saw it (and the matching pendant)!!! It was the best color I could have imagined for this stone! If I didn't love it, it would have been easy to return! So needless to say, you all have helped me get off the ledge and have reasonable expectations! Thankfully my SA was off today, but I am going to ask my her tomorrow if she has had any complaints about the BA, and hopefully she will also reassure me!

This was what mine looked like when I first bought it!
Regarding humid and hot climate; that's why I have a humidity and temperature controlled cabinet. I wear my jewellery in air-conditioned environment. So the colour should not have been affected. They can't do jewellery that you are supposed to wear only in cold , dry climate. I think this is borderline lunacy!

 

[Isabelle_ann]

Well to provide a different perspective, even if this is a natural undyed blue stone, the likelihood of it staying the same color for many years to come is still unknown. We all have different lifestyles, skin pH, and expose to different climax from our homes to travel destinations. Like I've mentioned about my friend's 2 year old BA that she has kept it on most of the time except for pool time, it remains vibrant despite her not babying it at all. Whilst we speculate that VCA did a poor job from dying and sourcing the raw materials to quality control, some batches do seem quite resilient so they certainly put in some effort into dying the stones and ensure the color can be stabilized, as reported by some lovely members here that their pieces looking almost the same color after years of owning & wearing them. Part of the appeal of the VCA Alhambra collection is the option of wearing different colored stones that suit your style. All of my purchases have contain some colored stones and I wear my 5 motif chalcedony almost everyday and it only comes off for shower. Eventually I'll have to replace the stones and get the metal replated with rhodium, and I've scratched up the silver obsidian HP after merely 2 months of purchase, but that's normal wear & tear. If you really like the color of your BA pieces, maybe best to just enjoy wearing them without worrying too much. But of course, if the thought of the color fading after just a few wears keep you up at night, it sucks that you'll have to use the credit to purchase something else you like at the new price, as least you'll get to wear them with a peace of mind. Jewelry is meant to be worn and enjoy, not to elevate our cortisol.

I don’t have BA but I have costume Jewelry with real agate and colour is still unchanged in 15 years.No special care just thrown in a normal drawer with other costume jewellery.
So we do know that natural agate doesn’t change colour easily. It is very sturdy.

 

[Alena21]

This talk made me worried about mine which I bought 5-6 years ago. It might lost some vibrancy but still are blue.
This is today…
View attachment 6165006


This was years ago. Lighting would be different
View attachment 6165007

It has lost quite a bit of vividness..
If knew what I know now I would have gone with malachite or carnelian.