Bezel or prongs?

[packrat]

The spinel saga continues...

Julia is totally swamped right now, so I contacted a couple other places to get quotes and see what they thought about doing something similar to the CM bezel setting I adore so much. I heard back from Sally today, and was just head over heels about her suggestions.

Wink and Melissa feel there is a good possibility that it would look a little dark if it''s bezeled and that prongs would be better.

So now I don''t know what to do. I love that CM setting so much-but I don''t want my stone to be dark and not as pretty.

My heart and my stomach feel like they''ve dropped down to my toes.

 

[tsavvy]

When you insta-bezeled the stone in an earlier thread, it was not too dark. If the bezel setting you want has a narrow bezel and does not enclose the pavilion, I think it would look very nice. The real issue may be settling on the specific style and who you want to set it -- if you like Sally''s suggestions, I think you need to take a leap of faith and put that lavender spinel in the mail so you can have your ring soon! Of course, I haven''t seen what Wink suggested...

 

[packrat]

Thanks for the reply tsavvy! hehehehe my insta bezel! Fun with tinfoil...

Wink/Melissa didn''t have any suggestions yet, just that it would probably be better suited to prongs, and to let them know which I want to do-if it''s custom they''d walk me thru it.

I do want a thin bezel, colete I think it''s called? So that the whole stone isn''t covered-just like around the girdle.

Sally''s idea for the CM setting was to add a little bit of filigree on each side of the exposed pavillion, which I take to mean some swirliness like in this other CM ring profile. I sent her this picture and another one, to make sure I was on the same page as what she''s thinking and not misunderstanding. I thought that sounded really pretty.

If it would be too dark, there are prong settings I like a lot-doing something like the Sasha Primak or a lotus or Big Blue.

Maybe I just didn''t send a good picture to Wink.

 

[miraclesrule]

You''re totally speaking Greek to me, but I love that ring setting. It''s really pretty. I would find myself adoring the setting even more than the stone. But I like curvy, swirling, feminine shapes. I can''t wait to see what you decide.

 

[packrat]

Thanks MR!

 

[mochi]

OK...that ring setting is absolutely gorgeous!! I want to immitate it but am so afraid since reading the thread at DH!!

 

[packrat]

What thread is that Mochi?? What''d I miss??

This is the other setting I sent to Sally, to see if this is similar to what she''s thinking for the detail work in the profile.

See why I was so jazzed when I got the email from her? Does everyone think that my stone would be ok in a setting like these?

 

[packrat]

And just in case nobody remembers or someone hasn''t seen it, this is the setting I''m aiming for, in white gold.

 

[packrat]

And this is the profile..I can totally see some swirlies in there, like in the above 2 settings.

 

[packrat]

and my stone

 

[D&T]

ok- you know I'm going to vote Bezel

but more of the collet style and at first I liked the second image, but now after looking at the first image of the profile ring- I am starting to lean more towards it, as the stone is more prominent and the pavilion will be more exposed so your spinel won't look too dark.

I think Mochi means there is a thread over in Hangout which talks about a poster and "copying" ring in the "most memorable thread" linky - if not, I apologize mochi and shouldn't be guessing

ETA: ok I just saw the "plain" profile without swirly and I'm a less is more girl I guess... oh I don't know - I love them all

 

[AustenNut]

Having seen all the photos of these bezeled settings (Colette like) I say go with the swirly motifs with a bezel. Combined with the color of your spinel, I think it will be gorgeous.

 

[arjunajane]

Pack, I say stick with the bezel - it''s what you really wanted.
My guess is that Wink didn''t quite understand the nature of the style/bezel you''re asking for.

For example, if you look at your second photo here, there is so much of the stone exposed to light from the top, sides and bottom I can''t see how prongs would be of more of an advantage, kwim?

I think Sally could do a lovely job with a colette bezel and some swirls.
I''m not sure which thread Mochi is referring to (I''d like to know too!), but I''m aware that Sally will be more comfortable adding/taking some elements to "make it more her own" anyway, so it''s not like you will be asking her to directly copy a CM setting.

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 11/7/2009 6:42:53 PM
Author: packrat
Thanks for the reply tsavvy! hehehehe my insta bezel! Fun with tinfoil...

Wink/Melissa didn''t have any suggestions yet, just that it would probably be better suited to prongs, and to let them know which I want to do-if it''s custom they''d walk me thru it.

I do want a thin bezel, colete I think it''s called? So that the whole stone isn''t covered-just like around the girdle.

Sally''s idea for the CM setting was to add a little bit of filigree on each side of the exposed pavillion, which I take to mean some swirliness like in this other CM ring profile. I sent her this picture and another one, to make sure I was on the same page as what she''s thinking and not misunderstanding. I thought that sounded really pretty.

If it would be too dark, there are prong settings I like a lot-doing something like the Sasha Primak or a lotus or Big Blue.

Maybe I just didn''t send a good picture to Wink.

I haven''t quite warmed up to bezels yet, but that ring is making me change my mind....

Look at that gallery!

 

[mochi]

Date: 11/7/2009 9:32:08 PM
Author: D&T
ok- you know I''m going to vote Bezel

but more of the collet style and at first I liked the second image, but now after looking at the first image of the profile ring- I am starting to lean more towards it, as the stone is more prominent and the pavilion will be more exposed so your spinel won''t look too dark.

I think Mochi means there is a thread over in Hangout which talks about a poster and ''copying'' ring in the ''most memorable thread'' linky - if not, I apologize mochi and shouldn''t be guessing

ETA: ok I just saw the ''plain'' profile without swirly and I''m a less is more girl I guess... oh I don''t know - I love them all

D&T, you are right on..LOL. I spent most of last night and today reading all the old post. LOL!!

Packrat, I am no help, because I love all the rings you have posted. Each one has it own beauty. I think you need to get more gemstones so that you have have each one of those rings!!

 

[mochi]

The cushion isn''t too dark for a bezel, IMHO...

 

[miraclesrule]

Beautiful stone!! I love that color. It''s one of my favorites. :::::::

I like picture 1 setting better, but again, I love the curves and such.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Oh I really really like the first one you posted. I love all the swirls in the gallery. That view is important to me since it''s what I see looking at my hands as I type on PS! It''s such an open bezel I think it would let alot of light into the stone.

Good Luck picking!

 

[packrat]

yay!!! Thank you guys so much! I feel a lot better now.

Cushions are deeper stones right? I would think then there would be more of the pavillion exposed like the one w/the blue stone, so hopefully there would be enough light coming in, especially w/a thin bezel.

One of the things that I liked so much about the profile of the setting is the openness and simpleness of it, but I do like the idea of a little "special touch" there, and thought Sally had a great idea with that. I think it''s a way to change the setting to be more HOW than CM without changing it to a completely different ring. It would still retain the same qualities that I liked about it to begin with.

I''m not sure if she had a specific filigree design in mind yet or not..when I got the email, I hadn''t been awake very long and I was thinking "milgraining" and thought wow, how do you put milgrain in open space...took me a couple bowls of Wheat Chex before my brain engaged and it dawned on me um duh, no.

I sent the profile pics to her to see if that''s what she''s talking about..I hope it is cuz they''re sure pretty!

Do I need to specify how thin the bezel should be or just say "thin with the pavilion exposed"?

Should I email Wink/Melissa back and try to explain better what I''m looking for? I sent the CM pictures, but still..I''m not necessarily a whiz at explaining things so there could''ve been a misunderstanding. I''ve not done a deposit yet w/Sally, so should I see what Wink thinks also, just in case?

 

[T L]

How does the stone look in artificial light? Does it go darker? Since spinels are so prone to color shifting, I would make sure it''s bright enough in all lighting before I decided to go with a bezel. That being said, I still think it would look great with prongs.

 

[jstarfireb]

That bezel (colette?) is pretty open, so I think it would let enough light in through the pavilion to keep the stone nice and bright.

Maybe this should be a new question for a new thread...but for the experts, how true is it that bezels darken a stone? Does anyone have "before and after" picture of stones that have been prong-set and reset as bezels or vice versa? Same stone in different settings, to show us how the color deepens?

 

[packrat]

K, I resized some that I took in the house at night after I got it. This is in the living room. ETA duh, no it's the bedroom.

 

[packrat]

living room again

 

[packrat]

bathroom

 

[packrat]

bathroom again. Some I think are in the "low light" setting on the camera and some on the regular. I think. Or else some are on the close up and some are on the regular.

 

[packrat]

AJ, did your garnet darken quite a bit when it was bezeled?

Sigh..I have that heart in my shoes feeling again.

Do you think if I took it to the jewelry store downtown they''d be able to tell if it would darken too much?? Argh, I wish you guys could just come look at it yourselves!

 

[jstarfireb]

Some food for thought I found as I was searching in order to answer my own question:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-optics-of-bezel-settings.23726/

I haven't read the whole thing thoroughly but just wanted to bring it to your attention!

(P.S. LOVE the froggie on your last pic!)

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 11/8/2009 12:28:29 AM
Author: packrat
AJ, did your garnet darken quite a bit when it was bezeled?


Sigh..I have that heart in my shoes feeling again.


Do you think if I took it to the jewelry store downtown they''d be able to tell if it would darken too much?? Argh, I wish you guys could just come look at it yourselves!

Hey packrat,
nope, bezeling my umbalite in the JM setting did not make it darker nor detract from it''s colour/sparkle factor at all.
But than again it''s quite a different animal to your spinel...

Can you take it to a jeweller or 2 and plop it into a few different settings lovey?
You may get lucky and they have an empty bezel/halo setting, which you''ll be able to compare to some prong settings.

Honestly pack, I wouldn''t be too concerned with the kind of bezel you are considering.
If you think about it, a classic square bar prong head (for comparison''s sake), has *almost* as much metal around the stone, kwim? Plus plenty of light will be getting into the pavilion.

I would also trust Sally (or Julia), who have worked with so many different stones and know their stuff.
I''m confident Sally would tell you if she didn''t think it suitable for a bezel - perhaps you can send her a bunch of photos in different lighting etc and ask her opinion further ?

hth a lil, don''t feel down!

 

[Novel]

Aw, Pack, I''m sorry you''re feeling so down. You know how I feel about bezels, but I also think, objectively, that since the colette (sp?) doesn''t block light from hitting the cutlet, could it really darken it that much? I don''t know IRL, but I was talking to JTK about it for my own stone, and she didn''t seem concerned about it at all. And I trust her... I think there is a real difference between a collete and a full bezel.

 

[ma re]

I''d go for bezel, cause that''s what you love and cause I don''t think it would hurt the stone. OK, the later thing is influenced by my personal taste and color/tone preferences so I''d actually like to see your stone slightly darker, but that''s just me. Not sure if you saw that thread some weeks ago, we were discussing similar things and Richard Wise said that a well cut (precision cut) stone won''t darken in any setting cause no light is coming from the sides or from the bottom. But since your stone is (I think) not a precision cut one this may happen to a certain degree. But then again, I don''t think it can darken too much cause it''s not dark to begin with and it would also have an open gallery.