Color Change stone?

[scrumie09]

Hi everyone,

First time poster, obsessive longtime lurker. I finally need help that lurking couldn''t provide!

I really would like to make a JM platform style ring; however, I don''t like big stones. After talking to James (super nice), he told me that the stone needed to be at least 1 ct (so about 6mm) for the stone to not look lost in the setting.

I still would like to make the ring. My favorite colors are pink and green, so I would like to find a color change stone of those colors around 6-6.5mm in size. Any shape is welcome. As much as I would like a true pink-green shift, my budget won''t allow for it, so I''m also looking for stones that can be pinkish-purplish-orangish to greenish-blueish.

I wouldn''t wear the ring everyday, so more delicate stones are fine. Since I''m not even sure what stones have this kind of shift (alexandrite? flourite?), all suggestions are welcome, but I''d like to keep the stone under $450 if possible. Is it even possible at this price point? And how would bezeling it affect the color change?

I appreciate any help you all can give. Thanks in advance!

 

[ma re]

Multicolour.com has some color change garnets that could fit the bill, but why bother with color change when you can have pink and green 24/7 with a bi color tourmaline

 

[chrono]

While I adore colour changers and JM’s bezels, I don’t think the two should go together. The reason? I’d like as much light as possible to get into the colour changer from every angle to allow it to shift as much as possible. This is just my personal preference and it could well be that JM’s open bezel is sufficient to allow the light play of the colour changer. With a cc garnet, you should be able to get a purple pink shift to bluish green. It’s a pity the small round within your budget is already sold.
http://www.mineralminers.com/html/ccggems.stm

 

[litebrite]

Watermelon tourmaline or alexandrite. I agree that for a color change stone you want as much light in as possible and I also wonder if JM''s antique style settings are the best way to show off such a stone (though I can certainly understand wanting a JM design.)

 

[LD]

I would never recommend bezelling a colour changer. To change they need as much light as possible to react. If you limit the light to the gemstone you''re potentially limiting the colour change. Of course that''s not always the case but it''s a good rule of thumb.

Alexandrite would have a daylight green to a purple/pink shift in the evening but you''d need over 1ct to get the 6mm you want. Also to get one with a significant colour change you have to pay big $$$. As you haven''t specified a budget, I don''t know if that''s a possibility.

As others have suggested, a colour change garnet is a good option. The ones that have the same colour change as Alexandrite and slightly more difficult to find. The easier ones to find are a sort of conker brown / shiraz wine red. You can get purple / pink changers in garnets.

You might be able to find a blue / purple colour changing sapphire but again, to get a good colour change you''re talking $$$ again.

 

[chrono]

LD,
A budget of $450 was given so Alexandrites are definitely out.

 

[scrumie09]

Thanks for all your opinions...I do appreciate it.

I had a feeling that bezeling wouldn''t be good for a color change stone. And LovingDiamonds, you''re right, I don''t have a budget for a significant change stone.

I did have a think, and I would rather have a JM platform ring than the color change. But then what kind of stone is good for bezeling? I liked the bicolor tourmaline that Mr. Ma Re suggested, but the length is a bit long (I''m a size 4.5). I''m open to green and pink stones (again 6-6.5mm), and any suggestions to incorporate both are most welcome. Ideally, I''d like the main part of the ring to be unplated white gold, but I''m willing to bezel/have wraps in a different metal.

Thanks again!

 

[litebrite]

Here's a green sapphire not sure if it's the color you want though.

pink-purple sapphire

octagonal pink

green tourm

 

[LD]

Date: 10/7/2009 4:11:22 PM
Author: Chrono
LD,
A budget of $450 was given so Alexandrites are definitely out.

Doh! Thanks Chrono! I''d missed that completely - speed reading!!!!

 

[AustenNut]

It would be really helpful if you could be more specific about the color that you would like, particularly now that it seems you''re not going to look for a color-change stone. Do you want pale pink, or raspberry pink, or bubble gum pink, or...? Do you want lime green, olive green, kelly green, or...? Posting a picture of the color(s) you''d like would also be extremely useful.

By indicating 1ct as 6mm I''m also assuming that you want a round and not a different shape. Is that correct?

All in all, it should be a fun project. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

 

[chrono]

Since you’d like to incorporate both green and pink, how about having a main stone (green or pink), and have the other colour as an accent stone?

 

[scrumie09]

Litebrite, they were some great suggestions, thanks!

AustenNut, I''m not too particular with the shape of the stone, just one that would look great in the JM platform style. I''m guessing that they can''t be too oblong, so I''m looking for rounds, fat ovals, and cushions. The Octagonal Pink from litebrite was nice too!

As for colors, I like green green (not sage, olive, honeydew, forest...more like kelly and Irish green), minty green, and greens with hints of blue. I wish I could find that Legacy LOGR with the mint green stone...makes me wish that I had joined earlier to save the photo!

I love all shades of pink, from the palest blush to bright fuschia. If I had to exclude, I think it would be ones that had brown modifiers in it. But even those I think are really pretty.

I''m open to stones that wouldn''t lose its color in a bezel setting. I''m attaching the JM photo I like because (1) it''s a smaller stone and (2) it has accent stones, so maybe I can get the other color on the sides if it works out!

 

[ecf8503]

Ooh I love this bezel!

 

[artemiss]

me too!
Very pretty setting!