Gurhan''s Effect On My Plans

[AGBF]

In the course of contributing to another thread, about favorite gold designers, I saw this ring. At first it didn''t occur to me, but later I realized that I might be able to set a diamond that I have left sitting in my safety deposit box in this setting. Gurhan''s company was not willing to execute this ring for me. (I had bought some gold jewlery by Gurhan from Bill Pearlman and Bill contacted them for me.) No one else I contacted leapt at the chance, either (like Malcolm Betts).

Finally I turned to Grunberger Jewelers, my local jeweler in Connecticut, and Mona there had some ideas. I will share them with you soon!

Best,
Deborah

 

[movie zombie]

look forward to seeing your ideas! you already know that i love the gurhan ring!

peace, movie zombie

 

[widget]

Oh, Deb! I''m really glad you''re going to do something about that diamond. I''m still bugged that Gurhan couldn''t/wouldn''t help you.

In fact I was thinking about you today when I was looking through my new WJewelry freebie magazine and looking at Gurhan ads..

Looking forward to hearing about your project...

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PS: It seems to me if Ippolita can do this...then Gurhan should have been able to help you...

 

[AGBF]

The ring is done at Grunberger''s, but I have not yet seen it and Mona has told me she would prefer to have me come in in case I want it altered. She did not sound enthusiastic about the results with which they came up, but claimed it is just that she doesn''t like diamonds with yellow gold.

The craftsman who made the ring, Rupert, has made many other pieces for me and he is great. I am hoping that either I will like it although Mona does not or that they will be able to make it into something I like!

In the meantime, here is another frightening thought: I have started to like the Gurhan ring itself, the one with the ORANGE spessartite! I thought I would NEVER buy (or even consider buying an orange ring)! I think Mine and Movie Zombie have had some subtle and insidious effect on me!

I asked Bill Pearlman to find out the price of the spessartite ring! (Actually it is listed as "one of a kind", so maybe it would have to be made up.)

Deb

 

[AGBF]

Ana,

It had not occurred to me (until I read Matatora''s thread about creating a halo necklace and saw the colors of stones keep changing!)...but I bet you could take the orange out of this ring and let me see how it SHOULD look as a diamond! Then I can compare it to what Rupert has made up for me!

Would you photoshop it for me?

Please?

Deb

 

[AGBF]

I cannot do what Ana can, but I tried to get the Gurhan ring to look somewhat like a diamond set in yellow gold!

 

[movie zombie]

i spoke with a gurhan rep who said that he picks out the stones he works with and while we might have lovely gems, he likes to work with stones that ''speak to him''. can''t fault that.

deb, high carat gold and diamond is indeed a very RICH combo.....but walk on the wild side with me and Mine and find your inner volcano: orange! perhaps you can have a 2nd made and stack them?

peace, movie zombie

 

[valeria101]

Needed a wake up call...

 

[maribel]

Hi everyone, have to hop in here as I was in Saks in the city on Saturday and stopped to see if they had any of Gurhan''s platinum line out yet. They did, and included in the pieces they had was a ring with a heart stopping fire opal in it. Unfortunately, at the $35,000.00 price tag they quoted,(which, in all honesty, seemed too high) it was completely out of my range! It was an amazing stone, and I like orange stones,so now......I want a fire opal(unless really good, but modestly sized fire opals really are that expensive).

 

[valeria101]

Date: 12/12/2005 10:44:03 AM
Author: maribel

I want a fire opal(unless really good, but modestly sized fire opals really are that expensive).

They are not expensive... most of the types. Even large are not expensive since larger stones are not all that rare.

Did the stone look anything like these? Given that price tag, I wonder if what you have seen was fire opal.


The one pricey kind has play of color in it (example)- and it is quite rare.


My 2c

 

[widget]

Author: valeria101

I wonder if what you have seen was fire opal.

I wonder, too...thirty-five thou for a fire opal sounds crazy, even by Tiffany/VCA/HW standards!!

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[maribel]

My first guess was spessartite, not that I''m well versed in them but because I knew he uses them, but the salesgirl told me that no, it was a fire opal. It was quite beautiful and had a lively fire and color.

The first stones you showed, Ana, are pretty but don''t seem to have the fire this one did. Maybe it was more like the second stone, although a brighter color.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 12/12/2005 11:24:15 AM
Author: maribel

Maybe it was more like the second stone, although a brighter color.

Aha... this sort of explains it. A small part of these opals with yellow, orange or red base have play of color in them and when this is strong the stones get precious. There aren't many of them at all, and the name for the species varies: 'fire opal' is used indiscriminately both for the relatively inexpensive material prized only for the body color and the stones with play of color in them, and 'precious fire opal' or 'precious Mexican opal' is also used. The source is not only Mexico (Querentaro is the locality most often talked about) - the name is related to a look more than source.

I do not know to define a price range - but they are only somewhat less expensive than the usual types of precious opal - allot more than the other orange ones.

No other websites come to mind to show the looks of precious orange opal, except for THIS I would not use those prices for reference though - they have allot to do with the unusual source (saying...to avoid uninformed judgement).

AcStones has a short intro about these opals HERE.

I wish I had better refs online...

 

[AGBF]

Date: 12/12/2005 10:30:12 AM
Author: valeria101
Needed a wake up call...

As if you were here just to serve our whims! But thank you so very much! Seeing it without a brown tinge to everything helps just a wee bit!!! You're a doll, Ana!

Deb

 

[AGBF]

I had to play with the color of the gold! We''ll see what the real thing looks like soon enough!

Deb

 

[prettyinpave]

I love that setting. The hammered finish, the bezel and the rich gold are gorgeous. My mother''s wedding set is in 18K yellow gold with diamonds. I think it is a beautiful combination -- the diamond pops and looks super-white.

 

[movie zombie]

might i also add that platinum is now +/-$1,000 per ounce?! not inexpensive!!!!! and the gurhan name commands a premium....add an exquiste fire opal that sounds like it is very very upper end world class and that $35K while tooooo rich for my blood could be well worth the price.

some of those that ana posted are very very nice....i believe fire opal is too soft for an every day type of ring. talking with george sawyer''s daughter on the phone one day she told me of setting one in one of the sawyer mokume ganes but she thought it was a waste! and i guess it might be: the mokume gane is made for everyday wear but the stone isn''t.

peace, movie zombie

 

[MINE!!]

Fire opals are pretty.. But I thnk they lack the ''umph'' of the spess. I looked at some really nice ones and I thought they were a little... hazy or cloudy. Salesman (not a jewelry store.. a gem shop) explained that many looked this way. they don''t ''pop'' to me.. but they have a pretty color nonetheless.

I was considering the Fire Opal for a time.. till I found out that they were too soft for everyday use and I needed something that was going to be a little more durable.

I agree with MZ here AGBF... welcome to the ''orange'' side. Can''t wait to see the yummy combinations that I am sure you will come up with.

 

[AGBF]

Today I went to Grunberger Jewelers to see my ring, which had been finished a couple of weeks ago. It was lovely, but I wanted the band (shank) to be narrower. I sat with Rupert, the bench jeweler who had made it, for about 45 minutes while he ground it down to exactly the width I wanted, then "re-hammered" it (with what looked like a dentist''s drill), and went over it with some kind of electronic steel brush to restore the finish he had disturbed by narrowing the ring!

I have to say: it is perfect!

Pictures once I am back in Virginia!

Deborah

 

[movie zombie]

you are such a tease! can''t wait to see the pictures...

peace, movie zombie