Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom setting

[Bella_mezzo]

I was going to wait until it got here, but it seems to be stuck in transit and I am impatient it was supposed to arrive Thursday but hopefully will be at my office tomorrow...

This project started as a possible sapphire ering reset and/or upgrade, until I learned that my DH is super attached to my ering and would only like it replaced if he replaced it at a later date. I am fine with that but it will likely be a long ways down the road. So, RHR it is

I started looking for a step cut sapphire, but realized that I wanted to keep the sapphire as just my ering stone. So, I started looking at pink and purple spinels. Freke helped me find a lovely purple spinel cut by Peter Torraca. It is in transit and I hope that it will be "the one".

Here are Peter's photos and a collage of my top three inspiration settings/concepts.

I am calling this my "Genevieve" ring. It seems to fit the stone/settings I have in mind. Also, we are TTC #3 and would be thrilled with a boy or girl. This ring seems quite girly and Genevieve is on our short list of girl names (though likely not the top contender), so it seems to fit our life right now as well.

Since I seem to do a project every 5-6 years, I am going to document the fun here

 

[Niel]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

Oh I have loved that stone for a while. I have had a few of his stones I always think they are nicer than the photos. Fingers crossed for you.

I would do 5 stone with bezeled sides like so many of the Leon mege setting I've seen

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

Niel, so glad that you saw this as you were my biggest help in my other thread

Impatiently hoping that it arrives tomorrow.

 

[Gemajames]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

Hi Bella, I hope you love it. I have the sister spinel he cut for me and while it came from different rough, it sparkles like crazy. I have yet to set it, but am interested to see your design!

 

[chrono]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

Looking forward to seeing your new purple asscher spinel. You'll see that it behaves very differently from a sapphire.

 

[Acinom]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

It's beautiful!!! I bet you will love it when you see it.

 

[Rockinruby]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

Beautiful! Congrats!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

It's here!!!!!! and lovely

I have only seen it inside and my office is like a closet with no windows, but in this lighting the pics are very accurate, maybe a little pinker than the photos. Really lovely, the steps are clearly visible, not a hint of brown or gray.

I will take pics in the morning (it is rainy and grey outside right now).

 

[Niel]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

It's here!!!!!! and lovely

I have only seen it inside and my office is like a closet with no windows, but in this lighting the pics are very accurate, maybe a little pinker than the photos. Really lovely, the steps are clearly visible, not a hint of brown or gray.

I will take pics in the morning (it is rainy and grey outside right now).

Yay! It's a keeper??

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

Yep!

 

[ElleK]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

So delighted for you! And so happy you swooped up this stone! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing your progress in this project!

 

[Niel]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

A few more inspiration settings now that you know its a keeper. Obviously you know where my vote goes

 

[Niel]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

More (I won't post that Leon mege tsav I like as you've seen that one)

 

[woofmama]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

That's a beautiful stone Bella! Looking forward to seeing how you set it. I really like the graduated baguette sides.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

Thanks Woofmama-your lovely JW sapphire was one of the rings that started me on this path

Niel-You totally get my taste, I have almost all of those rings pinned

Acinom, Chrono, and Rockin Ruby, you all have such incredible collections. Delighted to have your input on this project (Chrono I am following along on your cartier-inspired flower journey and can't wait to see how it turns out

Gemma-I think he had posted a video of your stone somewhere that I I found and it was the deciding factor for me. Love it!

Rainy and grey and fussy kids (and husband!) this morning, so no outdoor photos.

It is definitely purple, but shifts a little more to pink indoors than I thought it would (which is a lovely surprise as I started this project looking for a pink spinel I love all the colors it throws off--purple, pink, lilac, plum, magenta and wow, it is way more lively than my sapphire! but, it doesn't overpower it, so I think I will be happy wearing it as a RHR at the same time as ering set.

Will probably have to wait until the new year to get setting quotes, but another inspiration I am considering is Springer Spaniel's deco ring by Victor Canera (I saw an original 1920s piece that was similar last week in the diamond district and loved it but forgot to take a picture. I think that the diamonds were a little smaller on it in proportion to the centerstone but not totally sure): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/jbeg-vc-art-deco-elegance.192257/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/jbeg-vc-art-deco-elegance.192257/[/URL]

 

[dk168]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

My vote goes to tapered traps too, and have chosen this design for my Asscher cut natural blue topaz, with white topaz traps as side stones as my budget does not stretch to diamonds; all stones cut by Doug Menadue of Bespoke Gems fame:




Looking forward to see the finished ring, as it will be fabulous I am sure!

DK

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

DK-that is going to be gorgeous and HUGE!

So talk to me about these white topaz traps...it is possible to get, say, step cut white spinel traps and bullets? and would that be more cost effective than diamonds?

If so, how do you do that? through a cutter, through the setter?

 

[dk168]

Re: Bella's new project: Purple Asscher Spinel in custom set

DK-that is going to be gorgeous and HUGE!

So talk to me about these white topaz traps...it is possible to get, say, step cut white spinel traps and bullets? and would that be more cost effective than diamonds?

If so, how do you do that? through a cutter, through the setter?

Thanks, and I have high hopes it will be a gorgeous ring. My middle ring finger is size US 10.75, and the Asscher does not look that big on me.

Fancy shaped like bullet diamond side stones are definitely a lot more expensive and hard to come by. I came across specialist diamond cutters for fancy shaped side stones at a trade show in Hong Kong in 2013, and knew there and then that I could not justify spending a lot more money on the side stones than the centre CS for a ring!

I believe pure white spinels are rare, and the pair of round "white" precision cut spinels I purchased from Jeff Davies via his eBay shop has a grey tint to them.

I asked Doug who cut the Asscher to cut the traps for me, as he would be able to gauge their sizes and level of tapering required etc...

Dough mentioned he would not be able to handle any stones less than 4mm in size, something to do with the tooling he has. He has to charge a higher per carat price for small stones to make it worth his while. However, my set of 4 white topaz traps is still way cheaper than diamond-equivalent!

DK