Anyone want to help me find an new colored stone engagement ring??

[teddybearmommy]

I am upgading my engagement ring after 15 years (2 years engaged and 13 married). I can''t seem to find what I want. First I bought a 1.65 carat round solitaire, liked it but didn''t love it plus the price was just too much for me to be comfy with. Then I found a unique pave diamond ring that looked about the same size as my solitaire so I bought that. I''ve since returned the more expensive solitaire and think I''m going to return the pave ring. Neither are giving me the "bling" factor that I wanted. I love the look of some of the larger pink and yellow diamond rings that I have seen. But there is no way I could afford one of those. So I''m thinking a colored stone is the way to go. I''d like to either do a delicate halo or a princess cut with diamond trillions in white gold or platinum. I spent all weekend looking at stones on the recommended sellers list and am overwhelmed. My budget is probably going to be under $5000, and I''d love to gt a 2-4 carat gem and setting. Am I dreaming? Can someone help me get started?

 

[teddybearmommy]

Here are a few rings I LOVE from pricescope members
Lamborghinigirl''s tourmaline ring

Celletani''s topaz and umbalite garnet rings

And this yellow diamond ring from ice store

Any ideas?


http://icestore.com/rings/diamond_ring_detail_threestone.asp?ID=154

And this yellow diamond ring from ice store

 

[Lady_Disdain]

First of all, how hard are you on your jewelry? Generally, for an everyday e-ring, harder stones are better (sapphires, spinels) but there are several PSers who take good care of their garnet e-rings.

My first suggestion would be a Mahenge pink spinel: durable and beautiful.

For yellows, a yellow sapphire would be a good call, but they get very expensive and you have to be aware of possible treatments. Chrysoberyl can also come in lovely shades of yellow and is a harder gem as well, but finding the right colour can be a challange.

 

[rosetta]

mmm...mahenge...*drool*

 

[Laila619]

I second the suggestion for spinel. Not sure how readily available they are in the 2-4 carat range though.

I''m sure one of the experts will be along soon to help.

 

[teddybearmommy]

Date: 2/1/2010 11:02:49 AM
Author: Lady_Disdain
First of all, how hard are you on your jewelry? Generally, for an everyday e-ring, harder stones are better (sapphires, spinels) but there are several PSers who take good care of their garnet e-rings.

My first suggestion would be a Mahenge pink spinel: durable and beautiful.

For yellows, a yellow sapphire would be a good call, but they get very expensive and you have to be aware of possible treatments. Chrysoberyl can also come in lovely shades of yellow and is a harder gem as well, but finding the right colour can be a challange.

Thanks for the info. I''d say I want something that would be durable. There are just so many choices I''m having a hard time knowing where to even begin. Can you recommend any specific sellers for the spinels, saphires or chrysoberyls? What about tourmaline? I''ve noticed huge price differences from sellers on the suggested list. I definitely want a well cut stone how do I go about finding one? Sorry for all the questions I''m just trying to figure this stuff out

Thanks...Charity

 

[LD]

Hi Teddybearmommy!

Let's see if we can help narrow down your choices a bit! Ok, here we go ............

Yellow diamonds - for your budget you won't get anything like the Ice Store ring (sorry). Natural yellow diamonds once they get over a carat which will be around 6mm, rise in price enormously. Have a look at www.diamondsbylauren.com to get an idea of pricing. They're not the cheapest but David has a great eye for coloured diamonds. The plus point for yellow diamonds is that it would be an everyday ring. One other thing to consider if your budget won't stretch to a natural yellow diamond you could look at an irradiated/hpht treated yellow diamond. Some are very difficult to determine from the natural yellows and you may be able to get a bigger look for your money.

Yellow Sapphire - this is a great suggestion already made. A good everyday gemstone and within your budget you should be able to pick up something nice. If you include heated sapphires you'll get much more for your money and a bigger look also. As has also been mentioned, BE treated sapphires are in abundance everywhere and unless you don't mind treatments I would steer clear of these.

In terms of pinks you could look for a pink sapphire (same criteria as for the yellow sapphires above) or a pink spinel. However, to find a good pink spinel that doesn't have grey does mean spending money. Have a search for Mahenge Spinel on this forum to see the range of cuts and sizes that some PS'ers have bought. As you said you want to replicate the look of a pink diamond, the Mahenges will probably be too strongly coloured. You could always look for an irradiated pink diamond which might be within budget also (see the bit about yellow diamonds above). Unfortunately, the perfect colour for you would probably be a Kunzite or Morganite but neither are really suitable for everyday rings although they are beautiful!

 

[DistinctionJewelry]

If you want a diamond look with a large, durable, affordable stone, how about a nice white sapphire? It might not be easy to find one that large, but if you can it would be a beautiful stone.

 

[Stone Hunter]

If I were in your position I would consider Sapphires. Light pink Spinels are most likely going to show some grey. And the darker M. Spinels sound like they might be too dark for you. If they aren''t too dark well they would be a great choice.

Since this will be an important and everyday ring you might want to check out some cutters like Richard Homer and Finewater Gems. Wink Jones will purchase from Richard Homer and set the stone for you. Their websites are in the "colored stone vendor" sticky above. I''m sure they would be happy to work with you on finding a stone once you can show photos of the color you are looking for.

HTH

 

[Nomsdeplume]

Congrats on 13 years of marriage!

Do you like asschers? An asscher with a delicate halo would look really pretty. Jeff White has some nice ones (not sure about the price though):
http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/SPL004.htm
http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/SAP018.htm

 

[teddybearmommy]

Date: 2/1/2010 12:27:10 PM
Author: DistinctionJewelry
If you want a diamond look with a large, durable, affordable stone, how about a nice white sapphire? It might not be easy to find one that large, but if you can it would be a beautiful stone.

Hmmm, might be worth looking into. I really like the look of colored diamond rings, especially in halo settings or with the side trilliants ( is that they right term?) Since I like a bigger stone I always just assumed tat look was out, BUT after looking through the eyecandy folder I saw several colored stone rings that I really, really liked.

 

[teddybearmommy]

Does this look like a good stone?
http://www.customgemstones.com/TOURMALINE/to1237.html

 

[teddybearmommy]

Date: 2/1/2010 12:31:44 PM
Author: kribbie
Congrats on 13 years of marriage!

Do you like asschers? An asscher with a delicate halo would look really pretty. Jeff White has some nice ones (not sure about the price though):
http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/SPL004.htm
http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/SAP018.htm

Those are nice, but I don''t think they are available? I''m open to squares, ashers, cushions and maybe ovals.

 

[Nomsdeplume]

Date: 2/1/2010 12:40:24 PM
Author: teddybearmommy

Date: 2/1/2010 12:31:44 PM
Author: kribbie
Congrats on 13 years of marriage!

Do you like asschers? An asscher with a delicate halo would look really pretty. Jeff White has some nice ones (not sure about the price though):
http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/SPL004.htm
http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/SAP018.htm

Those are nice, but I don''t think they are available? I''m open to squares, ashers, cushions and maybe ovals.

No, they''re not but they are a good example of what you could ask Jeff to cut for you. I haven''t purchased from him before, so like I said, I have no idea how much it would cost. Love his asschers though...

 

[Stone Hunter]

White''s Gems under Current Selections has a Spinel pink/purple and a round Chrysoberyl a rectangular Chrysoberyl and a nice Tsav.

Sorry I don''t know how to put in links. I think any of these stones would fit your budget nicely, give you some color and durability (well maybe not the Tsav).

Would you care to comment on those colors and tell us what you dislike or like?

 

[D&T]

I would highly recommend Gary Braun of finewatergems.com or Gene at PrecisionGem.com as well, I usually just ask the cutters what they have available, and let them know what I am looking for. Barry at ACStones.com has many beautiful gems up as well also ask him what he has in store if its not already Cut.

 

[Novel]

Here are the links to Jeff''s:

2.16 carat Chrysoberyl, $580

Raspberry spinel, 2.68 carat, $845

Tsav, amazing color! 1.81 carat, $1875

Purplish pink spinel, 4.15 carats, $1445

And to ditto D&T, I think Barry put up some new stones last night, so it might be a good time to check!

 

[D&T]

Here is a beautiful Oval Spinel by Gene (first one)

http://www.precisiongem.com/html/html/Spinel.html

ETA: lisa also has some nice gems as well, though I don't know the price:

http://www.custom-cutgems.com/

 

[Novel]

Oh! That reminded me that Lisa had a great 2.4 carat cushion Tsav that there were a couple threads on recently..

 

[teddybearmommy]

Date: 2/1/2010 12:58:09 PM
Author: Novel
Here are the links to Jeff''s:

2.16 carat Chrysoberyl, $580

Raspberry spinel, 2.68 carat, $845

Tsav, amazing color! 1.81 carat, $1875

Purplish pink spinel, 4.15 carats, $1445

And to ditto D&T, I think Barry put up some new stones last night, so it might be a good time to check!

I love the Raspberry spinel. I love the shape too. I wonder if it might look darker in real life??
I will put this one on my list.

I can''t get Barry''s site to open for me today. I looked a little last night, is it working for everyone else?

 

[D&T]

Ok, not sure how you feel about Richard Homer and his faceting. I happen to love him, but his prices are rather on the high side, although you could get his gems for at least 10% off Through Wink Jones

http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=All&ySpecies=Chrysoberyl

http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=All&ySpecies=Spinel

 

[Novel]

Date: 2/1/2010 1:14:32 PM
Author: teddybearmommy

Date: 2/1/2010 12:58:09 PM

Author: Novel

Here are the links to Jeff''s:


2.16 carat Chrysoberyl, $580


Raspberry spinel, 2.68 carat, $845


Tsav, amazing color! 1.81 carat, $1875


Purplish pink spinel, 4.15 carats, $1445


And to ditto D&T, I think Barry put up some new stones last night, so it might be a good time to check!

I love the Raspberry spinel. I love the shape too. I wonder if it might look darker in real life??

I will put this one on my list.


I can''t get Barry''s site to open for me today. I looked a little last night, is it working for everyone else?

Its not working for me either...

You should ask Jeff if it looks darker in real life. I think his note says its a little more purple in real life, but I''m sure he would tell you otherwise. And I think most people who''ve bought his gems (I haven''t had the chance to be one of them, sadly) found his pics to be pretty accurate.

 

[Novel]

Date: 2/1/2010 1:15:35 PM
Author: D&T
Ok, not sure how you feel about Richard Homer and his faceting. I happen to love him, but his prices are rather on the high side, although you could get his gems for at least 10% off Through Wink Jones


http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=All&ySpecies=Chrysoberyl


http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=All&ySpecies=Spinel

Gem 6124 in the Chrysoberyl section is a 2.34 carat cushion that is beautiful!

 

[LD]

http://rockdiamond.com/index.php/jewelry/diamond-special-125ct-si1-radiant-cut-u-v-light-yellow-diamond

http://rockdiamond.com/index.php/jewelry/loose-diamond109ct-fancy-light-yellow-radiant-gia-i1-sam-spade-bargain

http://rockdiamond.com/index.php/jewelry/halo-diamond-ring-70-fancy-light-yellow-radiant-in-split-shank-halo-riong-r3161

http://rockdiamond.com/index.php/jewelry/loose-diamond-122-fancy-intense-yellow-radiant-diamond-gia-well-priced-r3182

http://rockdiamond.com/index.php/jewelry/loose-diamond-101ct-fancy-intense-orangy-yellow-pear-shape-diamond-gia-r3129 a loose yellow diamond and a bit over budget but OMG this has orange fluor! WOW!

http://rockdiamond.com/index.php/jewelry/three-stone-ring-amazing-double-floating-bezel-light-yellow-question-diamond-gia extending your budget but this is a beautiful ring!

 

[teddybearmommy]

Date: 2/1/2010 1:19:55 PM
Author: Novel

Date: 2/1/2010 1:15:35 PM
Author: D&T
Ok, not sure how you feel about Richard Homer and his faceting. I happen to love him, but his prices are rather on the high side, although you could get his gems for at least 10% off Through Wink Jones


http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=All&ySpecies=Chrysoberyl


http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=All&ySpecies=Spinel

Gem 6124 in the Chrysoberyl section is a 2.34 carat cushion that is beautiful!

This cushion caught my eye too. I can''y decide if I''d like this style in a setting.

I also loved the honey zircon that was mentioned on an earlier threas as selling almost as soon as it was posted. I can''t remeber the seller. I''m new to this gem buying, can I request a stone like one that has already been sold? Are they usually available? How long is the wait time?

 

[Bella_mezzo]

wow! that orange flouresence is sooo cool. Put that in a pave halo and you would have some SERIOUS blingage!

 

[D&T]

Date: 2/1/2010 1:37:07 PM
Author: teddybearmommy

Date: 2/1/2010 1:19:55 PM
Author: Novel

Date: 2/1/2010 1:15:35 PM
Author: D&T
Ok, not sure how you feel about Richard Homer and his faceting. I happen to love him, but his prices are rather on the high side, although you could get his gems for at least 10% off Through Wink Jones


http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=All&ySpecies=Chrysoberyl


http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=All&ySpecies=Spinel

Gem 6124 in the Chrysoberyl section is a 2.34 carat cushion that is beautiful!

This cushion caught my eye too. I can'y decide if I'd like this style in a setting.

I also loved the honey zircon that was mentioned on an earlier threas as selling almost as soon as it was posted. I can't remeber the seller. I'm new to this gem buying, can I request a stone like one that has already been sold? Are they usually available? How long is the wait time?

The Honey Zircon is cut by Gary Braun at Fine Water gems, I know he has a rough for me to cut an asscher (which I'm working on with him right now as well) . And I thought he mentioned that he might have had a few more Zircon pieces of rough. It wouldn't hurt to email him if you are interested in another Zircon rough. If you plan on wearing it everyday, I would halo zircon though just my opinion. I was planning on setting mine in a three stone, but I won't be wearing it everyday so I decided to go for the zircon instead.


ETA: as for Barry's site, Its not up yet, I think he mentioned in his newsletter that it would be down a bit while he post more gems up.

 

[D&T]

Date: 2/1/2010 1:19:55 PM
Author: Novel

Date: 2/1/2010 1:15:35 PM
Author: D&T
Ok, not sure how you feel about Richard Homer and his faceting. I happen to love him, but his prices are rather on the high side, although you could get his gems for at least 10% off Through Wink Jones


http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=All&ySpecies=Chrysoberyl


http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=All&ySpecies=Spinel

Gem 6124 in the Chrysoberyl section is a 2.34 carat cushion that is beautiful!

isn't it beautiful!

if only I could afford like five more gems from him

on a side note:

I see Lisa has some concave gemstones too

I might have to pick one up from her too... (sorry end threadjack)
I think Concave faceting for lower RI and quartz give a beautiful glow to them, but you gotta love them though.

 

[Novel]

There is also this gorgeous guy that Jeff is using to raise money for Haiti, but I don''t know if I''d want to get attached to a stone for my ering (though the sentiment would be great!) that was going to be auctioned for charity, as people have gotten pretty excited about it!


2.51 carat Malaya Garnet

 

[teddybearmommy]

Date: 2/1/2010 1:44:48 PM
Author: D&T

Date: 2/1/2010 1:37:07 PM
Author: teddybearmommy

Date: 2/1/2010 1:19:55 PM
Author: Novel

Date: 2/1/2010 1:15:35 PM
Author: D&T
Ok, not sure how you feel about Richard Homer and his faceting. I happen to love him, but his prices are rather on the high side, although you could get his gems for at least 10% off Through Wink Jones


http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=All&ySpecies=Chrysoberyl


http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=All&ySpecies=Spinel

Gem 6124 in the Chrysoberyl section is a 2.34 carat cushion that is beautiful!

This cushion caught my eye too. I can''y decide if I''d like this style in a setting.

I also loved the honey zircon that was mentioned on an earlier threas as selling almost as soon as it was posted. I can''t remeber the seller. I''m new to this gem buying, can I request a stone like one that has already been sold? Are they usually available? How long is the wait time?

The Honey Zircon is cut by Gary Braun at Fine Water gems, I know he has a rough for me to cut an asscher (which I''m working on with him right now as well) . And I thought he mentioned that he might have had a few more Zircon pieces of rough. It wouldn''t hurt to email him if you are interested in another Zircon rough. If you plan on wearing it everyday, I would halo zircon though just my opinion. I was planning on setting mine in a three stone, but I won''t be wearing it everyday so I decided to go for the zircon instead.


ETA: as for Barry''s site, Its not up yet, I think he mentioned in his newsletter that it would be down a bit while he post more gems up.

Do you have any idea what the Gary charges per/carat for the Honey Zircon? Or even a guestimate. I have to keep my cost below $5,000 totla so I don''t want to waste is time if it is to pricey. Thanks.