choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. help??

[jetgirl]

i'm here to beg for help/opinions on buying an unusual E ring & stone combo!

i know it's a little alternative, and i do know black diamonds aren't appreciated by everyone. but i love them, and while i think white diamonds are stunning...... i have no desire to put one on my left hand. i love the look of raw stones, i.e. some of my daily rings are: a palladium & rough black diamond todd reed piece, an asscher cut blue diamond set in rose & white gold, & various natural/rough cut diamond handmade indian pieces. i really like unconventional jewelry, and always draw compliments on the uniqueness factor.

that said, i finally found 2 rings that i love. i'm having a hard time choosing between the two, and having a hard time figuring out which stones might fit in the heads - plug & play - w/o having to modify them.

if anyone has thoughts or opinions i'd love to have input...... i was also wondering if anyone has experience with the black gold? the vendor told me it's a PVD plating. will this wear over time or is it pretty durable? will a local jeweler be able to set my stone in these rings//does the PVD present a setting problem?

so we have a 7mm round spinel that would work for either setting..... but feels a little boring.
we also have a 5.7mm grey asscher diamond, 1.16 ct
and a blue cushion cut diamond 1.22 ct ~6mm
would all three of these shapes be appropriate for the prongs below?
THANKS a million to anyone who cares to chime in!!! totally open to suggestions!

 

[AprilBaby]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

Very unique! You have interesting taste!

 

[Amys Bling]

Interesting- the grey asscher sounds neat

 

[Lula]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

Your jewelry sounds beautiful. My suggestion is that you might want to ask the moderators to move your thread to the Colored Stones forum. You may get more responses and suggestions in that forum. To ask the moderators to move the thread, simply use the "report concerns" option and type in your request. "Report concern" is visible when you are logged in.

I would be concerned with the overall quality of those settings. Also, black rhodium plating will wear off over time. How soon it will wear depends on how think the plating is, your individual body chemistry and how hard you are on your jewelry.

The people in the colored stones forums are experts at finding settings for unusual stones, including colored diamonds.

 

[stargurl78]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

I think I like the 2nd setting and I would put the grey asscher in it. Any pics of your 3 stones?

 

[Mike R]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

i'm here to beg for help/opinions on buying an unusual E ring & stone combo!

i know it's a little alternative, and i do know black diamonds aren't appreciated by everyone. but i love them, and while i think white diamonds are stunning...... i have no desire to put one on my left hand. i love the look of raw stones, i.e. some of my daily rings are: a palladium & rough black diamond todd reed piece, an asscher cut blue diamond set in rose & white gold, & various natural/rough cut diamond handmade indian pieces. i really like unconventional jewelry, and always draw compliments on the uniqueness factor.

that said, i finally found 2 rings that i love. i'm having a hard time choosing between the two, and having a hard time figuring out which stones might fit in the heads - plug & play - w/o having to modify them.

if anyone has thoughts or opinions i'd love to have input...... i was also wondering if anyone has experience with the black gold? the vendor told me it's a PVD plating. will this wear over time or is it pretty durable? will a local jeweler be able to set my stone in these rings//does the PVD present a setting problem?

so we have a 7mm round spinel that would work for either setting..... but feels a little boring.
we also have a 5.7mm grey asscher diamond, 1.16 ct
and a blue cushion cut diamond 1.22 ct ~6mm
would all three of these shapes be appropriate for the prongs below?
THANKS a million to anyone who cares to chime in!!! totally open to suggestions!

Hi Jetgirl,
I think you could have problems in setting stones into those rings that are already PVD coated. There is no such thing as a pure black gold like in your pictures, to archive this look the metal is normally either coated with black rhodium or PVD, both will eventually wear especially on the band.

PVD coating is definitely the most durable of the two options and is hard wearing, but is not easily survivable by jewelers (it will have to be sent out anytime it has work done on it). I also think that the coating may crack on the prongs while setting a stone, and where the excess prong metal is trimmed off will need re coating.

My recommendations for having a ring that is going to look great for the rest of your lives together would be not to have all the ring coated in black, the band should really be left plain. White gold looks great in contrast with blackened diamonds and you won't have any problems with sizing the ring in the future. I also do not think the setting for the center stone needs any black coating, this will make things much easier.

I also think Lula made some great comments, take a close look at the quality of the blackend diamonds also, be sure to check that they have a smooth high luster free from pits and do not have an oily look about them. Porus looking blackend diamonds can often be very brittle and not very durable. It would also pay to ask what color/metal is under any coating .

Good luck.

 

[SweetAsscher]

Just an FYI Shane Co does black rhodium. Some pieces come already coated or you can have them dip any piece you want. Plus they have the free maintenance so it helps if you have to redo the dip often.

 

[talamasca]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

Wow, they're different. I can't comment as I have no experience of them, but after reading above comments what about a white gold ring, but with black diamond melee and I think the grey asscher would look fab.

 

[Treenbean]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

I love projects like this!! Very unique and different. What is your budget? I'm sorry to say I don't like the coating on the settings, they look fake. I have some precision cut black spinel studs, so I know how beautiful the luster is. I was thinking about suggesting a blackened silver over gold approach. This technique has been done for hundreds of years. Prior to the creation of a white gold alloy, jeweler would "silver" over precious metals, to complement white diamonds. Fast forward 100 years you find these gorgeous antique diamonds in tarnished silver over gold settings, showing great contrast between metal and stone and just darn beautiful (IMHO).

Many jewelers today can replicate this look and have. Singlestone, Leon Mege and RDG (Robinson Designer Goldsmith) have all used this technique in some of their jewels.



One more thing: I don't have much experience with Carbonado. I do know a little about it though it is pretty rare and although it is a diamond it has a different crystal structure (possibly from an ET source) and can be brittle. More than likely the diamonds in those settings are irradiated (I don't know if you mind). I think there is some black spinel melee out there that could potentially take its place?

I would love to see your asscher gray! Sounds lovely. Hope this helped.

 

[chrono]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

Since there is no mention of budget, I will make the assumption that the following are doable:

I recommend staying away from plated rings - they do not last long in general, and the plating may be removed when the jeweller needs to work on it (resizing, setting, polishing, etc). Also, keep in mind that for an e-ring, while going unconventional, it must have staying power in your mind. It must remain timeless to you. I like the idea of going with oxidized white gold as seen here on PS in the past, and also seen in various antique jewellery.

Do you have pictures of the stones you have in mind for your e-ring?

 

[Mike R]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

Since there is no mention of budget, I will make the assumption that the following are doable:

I recommend staying away from plated rings - they do not last long in general, and the plating may be removed when the jeweller needs to work on it (resizing, setting, polishing, etc). Also, keep in mind that for an e-ring, while going unconventional, it must have staying power in your mind. It must remain timeless to you. I like the idea of going with oxidized white gold as seen here on PS in the past, and also seen in various antique jewellery.

Do you have pictures of the stones you have in mind for your e-ring?

Black rhodium is just as if not more durable than an oxidized silver finish, both are only a thin layer. Plus gold doesn't oxidize as well as silver.

I think the trick to having a durable finish is having the black rhodium only in areas that do not get a lot of wear.

Personally I would stay away from rings with a PVD coating, while its the most durable finish it makes the ring almost impossible to be repaired or resized in the future. Also it does have a very plastic/ceramic look that can be a little distracting.
For a stone set engagement ring I would recommend black rhodium if you want any of the metal blackend.

 

[jetgirl]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

thanks for all the wonderful comments and advice, this is exactly what i needed!!!! so glad i joined here.

we were ready to order one of thse rings over the weekend, but something kept stopping me. i needed opinions, beyond just my mother looking at them and saying "now THAT is you!" i am so worried about buying one of the rings, and not being able to have it set bc a jeweler doesnt want to deal with the potential problems with the PVD plating. maybe i should ask the vendor if they would set a stone if i mail it to them. i'm not so much worried about the quality of the black diamonds or it having to last *forever*, i'm sure i will end up replacing it in a few years as tastes change. i used to own a bead/jewelry store, so i already have a lot of flash quality pieces that i bought wholesale when at trade shows...... my e ring doesnt have to qualify as the nicest piece of jewelry i own, i just want to love it being on my finger and have it represent us as a couple.

i LOVE the singlestone above, and just checked out their website. i'd love to see more pictures of alternative//black//grey sorts of rings or cool vendor references.

as for budget, bf is not doing well in this economy and we'd like to find something under $1000. luckily i am resourceful and adaptable. i have several stones that we can set, i even have a nice 6mm white diamond (ugh) that i would be open to using if the setting was unique enough...... i will post pics of the stones tomorrow when i get home. THANKS SO MUCH, you have no idea how appreciated this is!!!

 

[LD]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

I think I'm probably too late to contribute but I just wanted to tell you of my experience with black rhodium plating around coloured diamonds. It's ok but realistically needs to be redone every now and again. This is a bit of a pain as not everybody can do it. So please bear that in mind.

I love the sound of a grey asscher with black diamonds - I have a grey heart diamond that I'm considering surrounding with black and white diamonds (great minds think alike)!

However, I do want to show you one of my favourite rings. It's a 4ct black diamond pear surrounded by white diamonds and set in white gold. I have to say that this ring gets so many compliments (even from those who don't like black diamonds). The contrast of the black and white is stunning (to my eyes) so, it may be something you might want to consider?

 

[jetgirl]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

speaking of great minds, what just made me laugh out loud is that of my mothers many rings, the one she calls her *wedding ring* is almost identical to that - a 5 ct black pear with white halo. the funny part [to me] was when she had it made years ago she said to me, i had it made in white gold because i know you won't wear yellow.......i was like, are you planning on checking out anytime soon?!??

i would totally put that grey diamond in this:

 

[LD]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

speaking of great minds, what just made me laugh out loud is that of my mothers many rings, the one she calls her *wedding ring* is almost identical to that - a 5 ct black pear with white halo. the funny part [to me] was when she had it made years ago she said to me, i had it made in white gold because i know you won't wear yellow.......i was like, are you planning on checking out anytime soon?!??

i would totally put that grey diamond in this:

Your Mum clearly has great taste!

I love that setting for my grey diamond but it's a bit heavy looking - thankfully I know how I'm going to set it but I appreciate the suggestion.

So, listen to your Mum and go for white gold and a white diamond halo!

 

[velouriaL]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

I LOVE your taste and am so happy to see e-rings like this.

I have to say, though, that I don't love these particular settings, though, for mostly the same reason as others.

For under $1000, and with metal prices what they are, it might be hard to get a setting with a lot of melee that's of forever and everyday wear quality. This isn't because of the cost of the stones, but of the labor that goes into setting those tiny ones. You might want to go for something simpler, like maybe put your gray diamond in a three stone with two smaller (rose cut, maybe?) black spinels?

I also LOVE LOVE LOVE black enamel
http://www.kaplans.se/Kaplans/AuctionArt.aspx?vId=647188&plT=10888404&AuktID=1991

If you don't think it's creepy, there are lots of Victorian mourning rings with this look. Wouldn't both me, personally... Erie Basin sometimes has them http://eriebasin.tumblr.com/

Also, Scott Schrieber has been known to do nice enamel and engraving work
http://www.flickr.com/photos/two_claws_jewelry/sets/72157608300056619/
(My second plug for him of the day but I swear I'm just a fan!)

 

[movie zombie]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

LD, love your black diamond ring!

 

[FallenRox]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

Good for you for going after what you feel suits you best.

Sounds like you have some solid advice too, this group is great for that. The asscher sounds smashing as well.
Good luck with your project!

 

[jetgirl]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

i think you all have successfully talked me out of the black PVD coatings, much to boyfriends chagrin.
poor thing thought the search was over.
i do know what everyone means about the plating looking "fake" and not like an actual precious metal.....

i wanted to share a photo i saved from the web (i think ebay seller pasarel - unique handmade items from israel) several years back. LOVE THIS. i wish this ring was still available, i even emailed them to see if it was; it's just perfect for me.



i realized, i have a bottle of liver of sulphur that i've used to oxidize sterling silver in my own [beaded] jewelry designs.
does anyone know if this can be used on white gold or palladium, instead of searching so hard to find a black rhodium ring?
maybe i could find any basic ring that i like & do it myself........ thoughts?

sorry, i'm so full of questions!

 

[Mike R]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

i realized, i have a bottle of liver of sulphur that i've used to oxidize sterling silver in my own [beaded] jewelry designs.
does anyone know if this can be used on white gold or palladium, instead of searching so hard to find a black rhodium ring?
maybe i could find any basic ring that i like & do it myself........ thoughts?

sorry, i'm so full of questions!

No, it will not work on white gold or palladium.

 

[Starzin]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

Have to say I love the SingleSone setting

 

[talamasca]

Re: choosing stone for black gold/black diamond E ring. hel

Hi, I don't know if you decided to go with the grey or not, but I was browsing Etsy and came across this, which are available in plat, white or rose gold:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/84920671/950-platinum-166ct-black-diamond?ref=sr_gallery_32&sref=&ga_search_query=rose+gold+ring&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=GB&ga_order=price_desc&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade