What stone would best match the color in this photo?

[satine112]

What stone would best match the color in this photo?

Thanks

 

[LD]

Turquoise
Apatite
Paraiba Tourmaline

 

[RockHugger]

Date: 1/27/2010 6:38:02 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Turquoise
Apatite
Paraiba Tourmaline

ditto

 

[satine112]

lol that's what i was afraid of (the apatite and paraiba tourmaline (so $$$)

my budget is $500 - what can i do with that?? lol (not turquoise or larimar, i have enough)

eta: what the heck does LOGR setting mean??i see you all say it re: halos

 

[LD]

Date: 1/27/2010 6:44:12 PM
Author: satine112
lol that's what i was afraid of (the apatite and paraiba tourmaline (so $$$)

my budget is $500 - what can i do with that?? lol (not turquoise or larimar, i have enough)

eta: what the heck does LOGR setting mean??i see you all say it re: halos

Apatite does not have to be expensive. However, it's not a durable every day gemstone like a diamond or sapphire for example. How big are you looking for?

LOGR = an Ebay seller of semi-mounts (Lordofgemrings). He doesn't just have halos though, he has tons of different settings.

Edit: Here's one! The clarity could be better but it's a good size and a nice colour http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/single/apatite/yap101bd/&-1965496315

And a ton more!
http://www.ajsgems.com/apatite-gemstone-2046340439.html

 

[satine112]

lol ok, that makes sense - i guess everyone just buys the halos from him.

what is the hardness of apatite? i will want to wear it every day, and although i am gentle, accidents and bumps DO happen.

it's either this or a garnet ring.

any sellers you know of that have nice, glowy apatite rings for $500 and less?? i am so lost when i search google.

eta: thanks for the link! will all the stones have inclusions like that "needles"?

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Have you seen hemimorphite? It is more commonly found as cabs (and often in a blah colour) but I once saw a saturated blue druzy specimen which was just stunning (and well within your budget, if I remember correctly).

eta: oops, just realised you want a ring, so this won't work.

 

[satine112]

Loving Diamonds - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE LINKS!!! lol i have SO MANY things in my cart. lol

so, i''ll buy stone and setting separate and have it set? never done this before, it''s exciting!

 

[LD]

Aaaaah Satine we may have a problem!

Neither Apatite or Garnet are everyday rings. In all honesty the only gemstones that people will recommend for everyday rings are diamond or sapphire/ruby. Everything else has "issues". By that I mean that they''re not as durable and are more prone to scratching, chipping, cracking etc. Having said that, there are plenty of people who have garnet or emerald rings and take very good care of them, are super careful with them and wear them everyday. However, it would be wrong to say "yes, this is fine to wear every day" without also explaining that you will need to be careful (i.e. don''t do the washing up in them, don''t get them near water, take them off every night, be super careful how you clean them etc etc). Even diamonds can be chipped so nothing''s invincible!

In terms of your budget and achieving a look for $500 it''s probably within your budget if you get an Apatite. Make sure you get one close enough to be a standard size i.e. 6mm round, 9x7, 8x6 - that sort of thing. Then look at LOGR settings and opt for one made for a similar shape gemstone. LOGR can upgrade the diamonds (for a fee), resize the ring and sell it in various different colour and karat weights of gold. Each time you add something there''s a fee though so bear that in mind. You will then have to find a local benchman to set the two. Depending on where you live it''ll cost anything from about $30 upwards so you need to factor that in.

Hope that helps.

 

[satine112]

thanks!! i guess i''m more careful than i thought. never wear my jewelry at home, i take them off to do EVERYTHING (except wash hands, i leave my diamonds on cause they could use a bit of cleaning up when i''m washing my hands anyways) i just would still want to wear them every day, but they may get bumped on my desk while i''m at work or something dumb like that.

i am seriously DYING now that i''ve discovered LOGR!!! holy moly. how can it all be so inexpensive?? or i guess B&M is way overpriced? i have so many things on my "watch" list right now. lol my poor DH

 

[Stone Hunter]

Welcome to a new and exciting addiction oh wait I meant hobby!! LOL

 

[Matata]

How about blue zircon? Not exactly the tone & hue you''re looking for but maybe a suitable substitute?

 

[T L]

Be careful who sets apatite for you in a mount as well. I hear it''s a nightmare for setters due to it''s fragility.

 

[blithesome71]

I''m not sure if you like cab... but I found one that, uhmmm, somehow close to the color...

It''s a Chrysocolla Gem Silica...

 

[LD]

Date: 1/27/2010 10:22:59 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Be careful who sets apatite for you in a mount as well. I hear it''s a nightmare for setters due to it''s fragility.

Yep - same for Zircon too.

 

[chrono]

I think there might be more willingness to set zircon than apatite but even then, it takes a skilled benchperson familiar and comfortable with softer stones to set it.

 

[ma re]

If you''re OK with highly treated stones, a blue topaz like this one could be an option:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41%2Bh8up%2Bb3L._SL500_.jpg

P. S. It could take a bit of time to find just the one you''d like, but it would be very inexpensive and quite durable (especially compared to an apatite).

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 1/27/2010 10:22:59 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Be careful who sets apatite for you in a mount as well. I hear it's a nightmare for setters due to it's fragility.

You heard right. Apatite is like a @*%^^&%$ potato chip. If you put this stone in a ring I sure wouldn't wear it everyday. Bezels require the metal to be pressed down onto the edge of the stone and since you can't feel how much pressure is actually getting to the stone it's very easy to over do it. Prongs always have some flexibility and so if you whack a prong, it doesn't protect the stone, it knocks out a piece of the girdle.

Zircon is better, but most of these that I've seen have become rounded on their crowns over years of wear. They don't break so much as the facet junctions get chipped easily and so slowly fade into each other until you have a frosty cabochon.

If you're wearing this everyday I'd go with blue topaz or even a bright blue tourmaline, not paraiba, but one of the blues from Afghanistan. At your price level the topaz will be a bigger stone, but it is possible to get a nice tourmaline at around a carat or a bit more in something close to that color.