Please help a newbie with setting an amethyst into my current engagement ring setting

[josmar0623]

I'm having second thoughts on my second engagement ring setting. Here's the previous thread in case you were wondering. Setting Change

My dilemma now is that although I love my current setting with the pave diamonds on the side, I'm really starting to long for a plain band setting for my engagement ring, just not as thick or have the stone sit as high as my original setting. I don't want to part with my current setting because I really do like the setting, just not with my diamond, so I came up with the idea of getting a loose amethyst to mount in it. Amethyst being my fiance's birthstone. I would like to use this amethyst ring as a right hand ring.

Any tips on where to get a loose amethyst from? I have no knowledge at all when it comes to colored stones. I'm not looking for a stone with specs as strict as I would use when we looked for my engagement ring diamond but, I would still like a pretty amethyst.

Please offer any advice. I attached a picture of the setting I would like to mount the amethyst in.

Thanks!

 

[jstarfireb]

Pretty ring! The trick is going to be getting an amethyst of the right size to fit in your setting, about 6.41 x 6.44 mm (your diamond''s dimensions). I''m not sure, but I think you''d be looking for a 6.3-6.5mm round stone. I''m also not sure if other shapes such as cushions would fit into the setting. You may be better off asking one of the gem cutters here to cut one for you, like Barry Bridgestock of ACStones.com, Peter Torraca of Torraca.net, Gene Flanigan of PrecisionGem, Gary Braun of Finewater Gems, or Dan Stair of Customgemstones.com, to name a few. The problem is that amethyst isn''t particularly rare and is often found in larger sizes, so the cut stones end up bigger than 6.5mm.

Also, I''m not sure if you have other rings, but make sure you don''t wear it every day as your only RHR. Amethyst is a little too soft for everyday wear. You may want to look into a purple spinel or sapphire to simulate the purple color of amethyst while being hard enough to wear in an everyday ring.

 

[josmar0623]

Date: 3/19/2010 11:31:10 PM
Author: jstarfireb
Pretty ring! The trick is going to be getting an amethyst of the right size to fit in your setting, about 6.41 x 6.44 mm (your diamond''s dimensions). I''m not sure, but I think you''d be looking for a 6.3-6.5mm round stone. I''m also not sure if other shapes such as cushions would fit into the setting. You may be better off asking one of the gem cutters here to cut one for you, like Barry Bridgestock of ACStones.com, Peter Torraca of Torraca.net, Gene Flanigan of PrecisionGem, Gary Braun of Finewater Gems, or Dan Stair of Customgemstones.com, to name a few. The problem is that amethyst isn''t particularly rare and is often found in larger sizes, so the cut stones end up bigger than 6.5mm.


Also, I''m not sure if you have other rings, but make sure you don''t wear it every day as your only RHR. Amethyst is a little too soft for everyday wear. You may want to look into a purple spinel or sapphire to simulate the purple color of amethyst while being hard enough to wear in an everyday ring.

Thank you so much for your response. Cushion was actually the shape I was hoping I''d be able to mount in my setting. I don''t wear my jewelry every day because I''m not allowed to wear jewelry everyday at my current job but, something I will definitely have to consider for the future whether or not I will go with an amethyst or the other similar stones.

 

[ma re]

The simplest rule of thumb in choosing quality amethysts is to look for a stone who''s color is deep and rich without going black or looking too dark (inky). In terms of richness of color (the term used to describe color saturation i.e. an array of shades of color visible inside the stone) the best of amethysts can resemble some nice rhodolites, just that they don''t have the same level of brilliance. I agree that custom cutting might be your best option, due to reasons stated in earlier posts.

 

[chrono]

I’m not sure if a cushion will fit into your setting because of the design, but a round will fit. Is the setting supposed to be able to fit a cushion diamond as well? In terms of amethyst, the best is a rich purple with blue and/or red flash. However, some people like the Rose de France which is a light and bright pinkish purple colour. Take a look around to see the different varieties of amethysts to decide which colour you prefer best. Here are a couple places to get a feel for what’s out there:
www.ajsgems.com
www.acstones.com
www.diamondexpert.com
www.multicolour.com

 

[jewelz617]

Definitely get it custom cut. If the stone looks "off" in the setting it will bug you after awhile.