Blue stone halo

[EllaMarie]

What are the pros/cons of getting one of the following stones: Aquamarine, Blue Zircon or Blue Topaz. This all started because when I picked up my e-ring I saw a setting I liked w/ a blue diamond. Can''t afford the blue diamond but was told that the Blue Zircon is a good one to go with but kind of expensive at $500-600 for the size I want. I love the look of some Aquamarines but the Blue Topaz is the cheapest. Is Blue Topaz to chintzy though? The setting I want is a diamond halo.

I love blue, plus my birthsthone is December. I plan on wearing this ring on my right-hand as my "something blue" for my wedding.

Thanks!
Sarah

 

[FrekeChild]

What size are you wanting?

 

[MakingTheGrade]

What sz are you looking for? Blue spinel may be sturdier for everyday wear.

 

[jstarfireb]

For daily wear, you want to go with a stone that will be resistant to scratches and damage. Blue sapphire would probably be your best choice (you could opt for a lighter, less saturated stone that would both save you money and look more like a blue diamond than a deeper blue sapphire). Zircon is especially prone to facet wear, so despite its great optical properties, it''s probably the least wise choice. Aqua and topaz are better but probably not sturdy enough for daily wear.

 

[FrekeChild]

Topaz is still an 8 on the Mohs, but it has perfect cleavage, so it could break if hit at the right spot. Aqua is around 7-7.5 I believe. Spinel is about an 8. Zircon is a 7.5, but it's brittle and as jstar said, prone to facet wear. I actually owned some zircon that had been kept in Arizona for many years of it's life, and as a result, it showed a lot of wear on the facets--only from the dust in the air.

Zircon--super sparkly, great dispersion. Topaz, little (if any) dispersion, facets are kind of like little mirrors, Spinel shows decent dispersion and often has a gray undertone, like most blue diamonds, but light blues are harder to find. Aqua is a little bit like topaz in that it reflects light well.

As for color, Zircon tends to be a bright turquoise-y blue, Aquas can have a green tint or a gray tint, Topaz can be light (Sky (unnatural color) or natural blue), bright (Swiss blue), or dark with a greenish tint (London Blue). As I said, spinel often has gray tones.

Price...Topaz is cheap. The rest depends on what color, size, shape, etc that you're looking for. If you give us more details, we'll be able to get more specific.

 

[chrono]

Here’s the run down:
Sapphire: The most expensive (even in the light blue category and heated) but is the best suited for everyday wear. A super pale blue might be within your price range though if it isn’t too large.
Spinel: The next expensive choice but also good for everyday wear. The only problem is that they aren’t easy to find because they tend to be rather dark and also very gray.
Aquamarine: I think it might be the next expensive one after sapphire and spinel. It is also somewhat soft but should be fine with occasional wear as a RHR. Most aquamarines tend to be washed out and overly gray as well.
Zircon: Not expensive, comes in a good bright blue colour and great dispersion but the downside is how easily the facets become abraded, even as a RHR.
Topaz: The least expensive, comes in a variety of great blues, decent hardness but it does have perfect cleavage. Then again, it is so inexpensive that it is easily replaceable. I personally have a mental block against blue topaz because of the treatment it has undergone.

 

[EllaMarie]

I''m only looking at about 1 carat size. I''ve never seen a blue spinal or a light blue sapphire.

I kind of liked the slate-ish blue of the blue diamond that I saw.--But I also like the iciness of the Aquamarine. The blue zircon I saw was very pretty and was similar to the blue diamond but if it wears so much I''m not going for it because I live in a desert with a lot of dust. The topaz I saw was pretty and not the too-vibrant kind. I don''t like it when it''s way too bright because to me it''s a bit garish. But it is so cheap and that is tempting. I just don''t want to get a cheapo stone in a nice white gold and diamond ring. I did see a dark blue sapphire in another setting that was to die for! But at $3200 it was way out of my price range.

 

[chrono]

I’m very sure you can get a 1 ct light blue sapphire (heat only) for around $500 to $600. Have you checked out Gary Dutton at www.diamondexpert.com? I think Arcadian purchased one from him a while ago very inexpensively.

 

[FrekeChild]

Where do you live EllaMarie? (General idea is fine! I just live in New Mexico, so I''m always curious when someone mentions that they live in the desert!)

Do you have any preferences for shape?

 

[EllaMarie]

Date: 3/15/2010 1:50:42 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Where do you live EllaMarie? (General idea is fine! I just live in New Mexico, so I''m always curious when someone mentions that they live in the desert!)

Do you have any preferences for shape?

I actually live in WA State!

Funny, because people most often think of evergreen trees & rain, but I live on the eastern side of the state where it''s desert.

I would like a round shape. After some thinking I am considering a light sapphire. Though I spoke with one of my co-workers who has a TON of beautiful gemstone rings and she thought that blue topaz was fine. I''m not so sure though...

 

[EllaMarie]

Date: 3/15/2010 1:39:24 PM
Author: Chrono
I’m very sure you can get a 1 ct light blue sapphire (heat only) for around $500 to $600. Have you checked out Gary Dutton at www.diamondexpert.com? I think Arcadian purchased one from him a while ago very inexpensively.

I haven''t tried that yet. I''m just learning about colored gemstones and don''t know how to go about buying one. Mostly what I''ve read has been here: http://www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/gem-by-gem.html

What do you mean by "heat only"?

 

[Fly Girl]

Dana at Mastercut Gems Link has a nice 1.94 ct light blue untreated sapphire on his site that comes in well under budget. He says the additional colors you see in the picture are reflections, and I believe him. I have gotten numerous stones from him, and have always been very pleased. I know it is an oval, but still, a lovely gem for the money.

 

[EllaMarie]

Ohhh. So pretty! I love the color but the setting I picked out is a round halo that will accomodate a .7-1.0 stone (according to the jewelry store--but they said they can make the "head" bigger).

The setting looks a lot like this: http://www.takaradiamonds.com/images/halo/blue_diamond_halo41.jpg

This is the color I''m looking for if that helps in terms of more suggestions! This is so helpful, thanks everyone!

http://www.natural-color-diamonds.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/petra-blue-diamond1.131202638.png

 

[chrono]

For coloured stones, it is easier to go by the measurement so you are looking for something around 6 mm to 6.5 mm?