Some Newbie Questions

[KarenFe]

The more I look around in the forum, the more I learn and the more I get confused. I've just discovered the tabs up top and am going to look around there next.

My first question is how/why did you venture from a ring already made into buying your own gem and having it set yourself? I understand having control and knowing the specifics on what you are getting, but is there something else? I can walk into a cute little family-owned and local jewelry store here and see lots of rings I'd like to take home. The more I type this, the more I think I am figuring it out on my own. I guess as a beginner any ring could entice but as one gains knowledge, he is more likely to want to have more control and then the hunt for wonderful gems begins.

My next question has to do with wear-ability. I recently had an aquamarine ring made for me and had plans to wear it any time I went out. As a SAHM, it's not often I go out so when I say "out" I mean to piano lessons, soccer practice, ballet class....... But then I read here that rings can chip and the more they are worn. So, what is a good strong stone that is more appropriate for frequent wear? I have my diamond wedding rings and am not too fond of darker stones like ruby and sapphire.... at least not yet. I was thinking tourmaline but then read they can crack pretty easily. Any suggestions? I tend to like greens and blues but sometimes a yellow and maybe even a pink catch my eye.

I have more questions but this is already a book and I know "books" aren't necessarily good forum reading material. Thank you to anyone who has read this.

 

[chrono]

I’ve never purchased a ready made ring because it didn’t have everything I wanted – the design wasn’t right and more often than not, the stone was lacking in some fashion. An aquamarine should be fine for your occasional gentle activity wear as you described. For more frequent wear, a chysoberyl, corundum (sapphire) and spinel are up at the top of the list. Ruby and sapphire can be lighter in tone if you choose to go that route. With care, your should be able to wear garnets as well.

 

[LD]

Okay - I can see your confusion!

First up you have to learn about the different gemstones to see which one(s) appeal to you. You might want to start with colour for example. Then you need to see photos and read what makes a good one / bad one. In coloured gemstone world we usually start with:-

1. Finding a gemstone that has a colour that appeals to us
2. Learning about that gemstone i.e. how durable it is/isn't, the sorts of treatments that can be applied (and whether you're bothered by them). In terms of durability (and your mentioned your Aquamarine), the only gemstones that are suitable for everyday wear are diamond, corundum (Ruby/Sapphire) and Chrysoberyl. However, there are plenty of people who wear much less durable gemstones every day with little or no chipping to the stones. It very much depends on whether you are hard on your jewellery. For example, my mother wore an Emerald for nearly every day of her married life without any major issues! The main thing is that you need to be aware of how durable your gemstone is and how to care for it and then make the decision as to whether you want to risk putting it in a ring or not.

Then, if you're happy to look for that particular gemstone, I'd suggest starting working your way through the various vendor's websites that you can find as a sticky at the top of this forum. So, then look for

3. That gemstone in a shape that is asthetically pleasing (it's a very individual thing)
4. Determining whether the stone is priced fairly
5. Looking for a setting that suits the gem.

Why do we do it? Because we love it! Also because we can normally source loose gemstones and a setting that saves hundreds if not thousands of dollars than if we were to buy a ready-made piece. You'll also then have the pleasure of loving a very individual and unique piece.

What are the pitfalls?

6. You may "think" you love the colour but it may not be represented correctly by the vendor (coloured gemstones can be hard to photograph). so make sure there's a good returns policy.
7. You may decide on a setting and when it arrives, the stone/setting just don't work or don't give you the "oooomph" you thought they would.
8. You may find that you're not creative and finding a setting to match your gemstone isn't as enjoyable as you thought. It's not for everybody!

It's not for the faint-hearted and has it challenges BUT it's so rewarding when it goes right.

Not sure if that's answered your questions but hope it helps!

 

[minousbijoux]

LD - one of the skills of jewelry making that the seasoned vets among us often don't give themselves enough credit for is the relationship between the stone and the setting, and the affect (effect?) of the setting on the stone. Understanding the interplay between the setting and the stone is subtler than it sounds, and its difficulty is something that I have come to really appreciate. Chrono, TL, Arc, LTP, of course you LD, and scores of others do it without batting an eye. But there are those of us (like me) who may be comfortable with our knowledge of stones, know what we like and have clearly defined taste for settings, can do the math to know that the dimensions will work (don't forget the depth), and yet are completely surprised at the end of the day when the stone is set and the stone is transformed. I really believe that this is a completely different expertise and is one that is only developed with practice over time. It surprises me how stones can change color or darken depending on how they are set. Now I try to keep it mind when I am thinking about setting a stone, for example getting slightly lighter stones than I might otherwise consider. But I have a long way to go.

It would be great to start a thread about how stones change in settings because of the interplay of light and maybe someday I'll get around to doing it.

 

[KarenFe]

Thanks for the replies. I know I shouldn't rush trying to know even a small portion of what there is to learn. I just wish I already knew, but I'm sure a lot of the fun comes with learning. My first step will be as suggested and I will get to know the stones and learn what colors I like. I think I need to stop at that for now.

Thanks!

 

[T L]

The more I look around in the forum, the more I learn and the more I get confused. I've just discovered the tabs up top and am going to look around there next.

My first question is how/why did you venture from a ring already made into buying your own gem and having it set yourself? I understand having control and knowing the specifics on what you are getting, but is there something else? I can walk into a cute little family-owned and local jewelry store here and see lots of rings I'd like to take home. The more I type this, the more I think I am figuring it out on my own. I guess as a beginner any ring could entice but as one gains knowledge, he is more likely to want to have more control and then the hunt for wonderful gems begins.

My next question has to do with wear-ability. I recently had an aquamarine ring made for me and had plans to wear it any time I went out. As a SAHM, it's not often I go out so when I say "out" I mean to piano lessons, soccer practice, ballet class....... But then I read here that rings can chip and the more they are worn. So, what is a good strong stone that is more appropriate for frequent wear? I have my diamond wedding rings and am not too fond of darker stones like ruby and sapphire.... at least not yet. I was thinking tourmaline but then read they can crack pretty easily. Any suggestions? I tend to like greens and blues but sometimes a yellow and maybe even a pink catch my eye.

I have more questions but this is already a book and I know "books" aren't necessarily good forum reading material. Thank you to anyone who has read this.

To answer your first question, it's because I like exotic gems and not your run of the mill overly marketed gems like emeralds, sapphires, rubies, aquamarines. While I love emeralds, most stores have sub par ones, and the sapphires and rubies are almost always diffused or glass filled in most stores, which renders them worthless to me, and many others. When I search out my own gems, I not only find something unique, but rare, and untreated, which is important to me. I also enjoy the hunt and I love making up my own pieces of jewelry with the stones I find.

To your second question about durability, any stone 8 and above on the Moh's scale of hardness is more durable for frequent wear, like spinel, chrysoberyl, corundum (sapphire & ruby) and of course, diamond. I stick mostly with spinels as they're still untreated, and they come in a wide variety of beautiful colors.

If you like green, tsavorite is a lovely choice, still untreated, but as a garnet, it's not good for frequent wear. If you like yellow, I would go with chrysoberyl, as it is still untreated, and still a good value. If you like blue, some spinels have very beautiful color, but they are hard to find without a lot of grey in them, or overly dark in tone. Sapphires are the typical blue stone that everyone wants, but there are so many treatments, they give me the heebee jeebees.

 

[LD]

Karen the fun is definitely in the learning! Please try it - but be warned, it can become addictive!

Minous - I agree. It's easier to find a pre-made setting and stone and being reasonably comfortable of the outcome but the real risk is designing something that's in your head and getting a jeweller to make your vision. That's the risky part especially if you don't work with somebody who has CADs. I've had some shocking pieces made (thankfully in the distant past) but it's heart breaking when that happens.