First time poster, long time lover of beautiful stones...

[Sal from Cal]

Greetings all,

First a bit of background to on what I am trying to do. Each year I attempt to get my wife a nice piece of jewelry and to date I have always gone to a local independent store where I bought her 20 year anniversary ring. They were helpful and honest so each following year I have gone back. This year my wife wanted something green so of course I thought of emeralds and was amazed at the cost and the small selection. After reading about other green stones here I went back and they showed me some pear cut Chrome Diopside and some Green Tourmaline. I found the Green Tourmaline selection he had not the color I think my wife would like and though thought the Chrome Diopside was nice. For a .75 pear he was quoting a price of $190 which I believe is a bit high.

After looking over the online site that people recommend here I am thinking of going online to purchase the stones and the setting of the pendent I would like to get for her. From this site I gather the following in order of general cost (of course there is a big range per carat based on color, cut, etc..). As for the color that is more of a personal taste so these are just my take on it.

Tsavorite : Beautiful stone though will more expensive than others.
Chrome Tourmaline : Again another great stone though I see a pretty wide range of color in it.
Green Tourmaline : can be a nice green though typically I don’t see the pop I think my wife would like as much as other stones.
Chrome Diopside : Nice color green though since it is softer not suggested for rings.

I am thinking of a 3 stone pendant with the center being something like this one that was sold from Precesion Gems.

http://precisiongem.com/html/html/ChromeTourmaline_files/pl_958_detail_1.png

Or perhaps a something like these from ACS.

http://www.ajsgems.com/sites/default/files/chrome-diopside-gemstones-dic-00290-l.jpg
http://www.ajsgems.com/sites/default/files/chrome-diopside-gem-dic-00372-l.jpg

Also it is wise to mix the type of stones when creating a pendant of all green stones?

When looking at the pictures on the websites is there something in particular one should look for in the cut of the stone? Usually I tend to get what looks good not how perfect it is.

Regarding the setting is there sites from which I can look over to choice from? I gather she wanted something that highlights the stone(s) as she didn’t like ones with a of gold and/or diamonds.

Lastly I would like to thank all those who post here to help educate and guide those who are new to this. I was amazed on the wealth of information on here and how nice and polite people when dealing with us newbies

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Welcome Sal!!

I think either Tsavorite or Tourmaline would make a beautiful pendant! I haven't had much experience with diopside, so can't really say much about it (but I'm sure others here will).

I am personally partial to Tsavorite since I adore garnets and I like their higher dispersion when compared to tourmaline. Swala has some very beautiful ones at a very fair price range if you're interested.
http://www.swalagemtraders.com/

In terms of Tourmaline, I don't know if your wife is at all a dork like me, but I love this green opposed bar tourmaline (T6) because it looks pixelated, which I think is really cool though I realize not everyone is as big a nerd as I am.

http://clearcutgems.com/Page8.html

I also really love that chrome tourmaline you linked precision gem, I am a big fan of Gene's cutting skills, his stones are really alive when you see them in person.

In terms of looking online at cuts, you want to make sure there's no window (where you can see right through the stone), and no extinction (black areas with no light return). I would say if you've seen Gene or Barry's sites, then you've seen some great examples of good cuts.

In terms of mixing stones, I think it would partially depend on the design for me. Did you have something specific in mind yet?

You can go to Stuller or Adwar to browse pre-cast settings, though you will have to buy them through a local jeweler that has an account with them.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Barry also has a few green tourmalines available
http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=139

 

[Sal from Cal]

Thank you MakingTheGrade for the lnks as I was VERY impressed with Gene''s stone and will bet my wife will be as well. Barry''s are also quite amazing and shows just how much of an art cutting a stone is. Both of them really bring out the beauty of the stones.

Thanks for the names of the some setting vendors. Lots different ones to look over.

Thanks again for your help and have a great holiday.

Sal