Gemstone side accents?

[Amberg93]

hello,

I'm getting a custom ring made and want to add a "pop" of color with my sidetones. What would be the most durable for everyday wear?

I love sapphires, amethyst, and rubies.

My ring is ocean themed. Here is a link.

http://www.seametal.com/gallerieshow.asp?sid=C2660976-F875-472C-B16F-2D1827059578&imgname=ABseahorseRING360.jpg

I am a marine mammalologist so my ring reflects my work. I have love everything about the ocean since I was just 3 years old. So it's very special to me. My center stone is a .80ct, M color, IF, August Vintage round. I'm not sure which stones to use as my side accents. I'm torn between sapphires and amethyst. Purple is my favorite color, but I heard that amethyst aren't as durable as sapphires. Too bad sapphires are not purple! That would solve a lot of problem. Haha. But my stones would need to be 3mm rounds and I'm my even sure where to buy any so if anyone can help that would be amazing! Thanks!

 

[johnfish]

THere are purple saphires avaialble. I have some in my new wedding band.

 

[chrono]

Amethysts are inexpensive and very plentiful so if you really like them, other than the hassle of replacing the stones every few years, I don't see why not. If you are aiming for durability, sapphires are the way to go. They come in a variety of colours, including purple.
http://www.awesomegems.com/jewelry-bracelets.html
(I do not recommend this store as they are expensive, merely linked to show the range of colours a sapphire could be).

 

[Niel]

I think red would be a nice contrast with your M color center stone, and then maybe the setting in yellow gold? That would look very nautical.

They do have purple sapphires though. So if that's what you really want go for it! Have you looked to see what proportion for a 6mm stone you would like?



I would probably go 4mm if it were me

 

[Amberg93]

I love the idea of having rubies and yellow gold. My class ring was a ruby and it's also my birthstone, but none of them are a true deep red color that I really want. It's more of a pink red. I wish there was some way to see these so I can tell what it will look like
In the end. Any opinions on what stones look best against a diamond in yellow gold?

 

[chrono]

I am currently setting my L in yellow gold with red spinel sidestones. The colours go well together and with spinel, there's no worry about diffusion or clarity enhancement (lead glass filling, flux, etc). Many rubies and spinels hare colour ranges from the orangish to pinkish to purplish red, so you'll have to decide which type you prefer.

 

[Niel]

If its going to be set in yellow gold (which I think would be a GREAT idea). I'd probably go red.
Chrono will have to comment on the quality (im not good with color sele. ion) but there's a pair of 3.8 mm round Ruby's at gemfix for under 300 and i knkw youre on a buget (a few rows down)

http://www.gemfix.com/ruby.html#thumb

 

[innerkitten]

I think rubies would be beautiful.

 

[LD]

For the sea and marine theme you really need to go with blue I think. To make the ring uber special how about a pair of Paraiba Toumalines that would replicate the the shallow blue sea that is always so inviting! Having said that, you'd need to bezel and protect them as they're not as durable as sapphires but looking at your design I think they would be fairly protected.

Recently somebody (I forget who - apologies) bought the most stunning tiny Paraiba from these people. It may be worth seeing if they have something that would fit http://www.fgsgems.com/fgsgems/default.asp If not, then sapphires (for the durability) would be a very good choice.

 

[Amberg93]

Niel,

Those rubies are absolutely stunning! Let me ask my designer if they would be too big. She said they had to be 3mm rounds. So I'll double check with her.

 

[GregS]

I bought what I feel is an amazing pair of untreated 3mm round Tanzanian Rubies from Brad (www.thegemtrader.com) a couple months back. He recently listed yet another pair of small untreated 3mm Tanzanian Rubies (which are now sold). He doesn't list everything he has, so it would be worth contacting him to see if he has anything else.

Here is a link to the most recently sold ones...http://www.thegemtrader.com/Oct11TRubyPage.htm

And the ones I bought...http://www.thegemtrader.com/Oct12RPairPage.htm

If you are going for a water theme I'd suggest Paraiba Cabochons. Here's a picture of one of mine, on the left.

And this is a small faceted one, the one LD was referring to.

 

[JewelFreak]

What a wonderful ring! As a lover of sea horse motifs in jewelry, I'm drooling.

Rubies would be very pretty, except that I don't see a connection between red and a marine design. If it were my ring I'd look for a variety shades of blue or green especially.

Whatever you decide on, Greg's advice to email Brad at the Gem Trader is great -- he has more to offer than is on his website & is very helpful. You might also try Dana at Mastercut Gems http://www.mastercutgems.com -- he often has small stones of different types.

When you get a candidate, please come back & show us! I'd LOVE to see how your ring turns out -- and the process until then.

--- Laurie

 

[Niel]

While I agree blue is more "watery", I think of red as being nautical.
And last I heard the OP was basing her ring of a similar design to this. So the yellow gold would give it a real"rope" feel. Plus I thin the most flattering color for both yellow gold and that color diamond of the all the options is red. IMHO

http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER8817W44JJ

 

[digdeep]

Neil, I think it's a different design. The first post had a link to a ring that had seahorses supporting the center stone.

Amberg 93, Ultimately you can choose any color you want, but having seen some beautiful green and blue stones I would be looking to that as the reminder of the ocean if it were my ring. There are other tourmalines besides Paraiba that might do the trick too.........but Paraiba is pretty stunning. And pretty $$$$........you could also look at small cabochons....or did someone already say that? Good luck with all your decisions whatever color/stone you choose!

 

[Niel]

I'm an idiot then. I swear the last I read it was similar to that Gabriel and co. In that case I don't know what would be best. I still think red is most flattering, but I do always love that teal color. I'd jus be worried about replacing the stones when there is damage.

 

[velouriaL]

I love that ring! Is that the ring you are getting? If so, you should probably use sapphires. They won't be very expensive or hard to find in that size and come in almost every color. Since the stones are bezeled, you don't want to have to replace them because it might be difficult with the bezel, so I'd say softer stones like amethyst and tourmaline are out.

In terms of color, I think blue, purple, or red (did you know that rubies are just red sapphires? If they don't look RED to you, they're probably dark pink sapphires being marketed as rubies) would all be nice with yellow gold and a diamond center.

Personally, I think with the seahorse theme, red might be a little strange. Like, I don't want to see deep/bright red in nature. It spells danger! I think purple or blue are your best bets.

Are you getting it through that vendor? If so, you can probably just ask the vendor to source the sapphires for you. You might even ask them to source a few different colors of corundum (the family name of sapphire/ruby) that would fit the setting and you can pick. But, the vendors who have been recommended to you here are all great!

 

[Amberg93]

So many choices! And sorry Niel I did change my ring. I'll definitely be getting the Gabriel and co just for kicks and giggles one day, but this one really spoke to me. It's so unique! I think I'm going to do the purple sapphires afterall. Purple symbolizes a lot for me and reminds me of my first scuba diving experience. I saw this gorgeous purple seastar! Not to mention all the other sealife out there. From sea urchins to Octopuses. That's the great thing about the ocean you can associate any color with it. Not just the inviting blue water or green seaweed but all the animals and plants that call it home. I think it fits perfectly. My jewler said she has access to a variety of stones so I'll just get them through her Are purple sapphires dark or light in color? Or does it vary? I'd prefer darker stones but I'm not picky.

 

[JewelFreak]

Purple sapphires come in a wide range of tones & hues, from reddish-purple to blue-ish to lavender. Since bezeling will make a stone look darker than prong setting, you don't want to go too dark -- I'd look for a medium tone, myself, but your jeweler should know what would work & possibly give you a few to choose from. If red still attracts you, possibly a reddish-purple sapphire would do the trick. (Some I've seen labeled as sapphires look more like rubies to me -- it's a fine line sometimes.) Just to give you an idea, I found this online; it's far from all the colors there are, of course:



I think it's such an exciting project, really neat ring. Good luck.

Also, I had to grin at your mention of octopuses (-pi?) on your first dive. They are such fascinating critters -- intelligent too! I always love to watch video of them.

--- Laurie

 

[chrono]

The wonderful thing about the coloured stone world is that just like nature, there are many shades of purple to pick from, so you can have something lighter or darker, more pinkish or more bluish in your purple.

 

[pandabee]

This sounds like a beautiful ring and I'm happy to see that you decided to go with purple sapphires! I'll be following to see how it turns out

 

[Amberg93]

Wow I did not know how many different shades of purple there were! I do like the idea of the reddish-purple sapphires. Now all that is left is to choose what color gold. I was thinking yellow, but I've recently discovered rose gold and am in love with it! Does anyone know how rose gold would look with purple stones?

 

[JewelFreak]

I do -- great!

 

[minousbijoux]

Purple sapphires come in a wide range of tones & hues, from reddish-purple to blue-ish to lavender. Since bezeling will make a stone look darker than prong setting, you don't want to go too dark -- I'd look for a medium tone, myself, but your jeweler should know what would work & possibly give you a few to choose from. If red still attracts you, possibly a reddish-purple sapphire would do the trick. (Some I've seen labeled as sapphires look more like rubies to me -- it's a fine line sometimes.) Just to give you an idea, I found this online; it's far from all the colors there are, of course:



I think it's such an exciting project, really neat ring. Good luck.

Also, I had to grin at your mention of octopuses (-pi?) on your first dive. They are such fascinating critters -- intelligent too! I always love to watch video of them.

--- Laurie

Operative word here: videos of them!

 

[minousbijoux]

Greg: Just wanted to say I never get tired of looking at your cab Paraiba. Unbelievable. Gorgeous. Brilliant.

Okay, moving on: I love purple and think it would look lovely with purple. It may not look oceanic or aquatic, but it sounds like the symbolism will be there big time to you. Just be forewarned that untreated purple sapphires are not common. Be treated ones are far easier to come by. Good luck - I love that you know exactly what you want!

 

[Amberg93]

Still not totally sold on which gemstones to get. But it's definitely going to be set in rose gold. I've recently discovered rhodolite garnets and love the kind of raspberry color it's pink, red and slightly purple. Perhaps a perfect match against the rose gold or no?

 

[chrono]

Rhodolites aren't a good idea for everyday wear being too soft. If you remove it as soon as you get home, don't workout or do gardening in them, then the risk of them chipping will decrease significantly, since they are already somewhat protected by the bezel. As for the metal colour choice, it will depend on the stones themselves. As always, rhodolites don't come in one hue only, they also have a range which some might be more suited to yellow or rose.

 

[Niel]

Have you looked into spinel?

 

[velouriaL]

You can get corundum (sapphire) is just about any color. That is what I would go for. No other stone besides diamond, spinel, chyrsoberyl/alex is really hard enough. Spinels will probably be too dark. If you found the right alexandrites, that would be cool because you'd get greenish AND purple-ish. They are very expensive, though, and hard to find ones that aren't just muddyish.

 

[chrono]

In that size, just about any jeweller will be able to order them from Stuller.

ETA
I was referring to the melee sapphires.

 

[Amberg93]

I have looked into spinel. Not quite what I'm looking for though. What about rose gold with like an olive green sapphire?

Like these?

http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m424/chanissara14/green%20sapphire/round/cgs10201a.jpg