Possible pendant project for my mom

[orbaya]

My mother wants to get a "Grandmother's necklace" with the birthstones of all three grandchildren. She wants a small horizontal bar with a peridot, garnet, and yellow citrine. She wants the stones set in the gold, not prong set. She went to local goldsmith and told my mom that with the how she wants the stones set, she's better off using colored sapphires in the correct colors. Her reasoning is that they are harder than the other gems so they don't have as much of a risk of damage during the setting process. Does this sound right to you? I'm wondering if the jeweler is saying that because she doesn't feel comfortable setting softer stones?

My mom is waiting for a quote from this jeweler, and I am going to get quotes from PS vendors for her as well.

One question about sourcing stones.... the pendant she wants is a horizontal bar that is approximately .25" x .75"...so pretty small. She's going to layer it with her 1ct diamond solitaire pendant so she wants to keep it small. If we decide to work with a PS vendor, should I let them source the stones since they will be small, or should I source them with your help?

Thanks!

 

[chrono]

She's fine to use garnets, beryl and tourmalines in pendants. Prong set is definitely easier and recommended over bezel set although it can be done as shown below. It takes a skilled bench though so if her local goldsmith advises against it, it is likely he doesn't have the confidence to set stones softer than sapphires and bezel set them.
http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=7&idproduct=904

You can go either way with sourcing the stones. Do you have the patience for it? Does the hunt excite you? If not, I'm sure the PS vendor can easily get what you want.

 

[LD]

Sapphires are often recommended because they're relatively easy to source - especially if you're not fussy about treatment. For example, if you look on Ebay you'll see "lots" of berylium diffused sapphires in all shapes/sizes/colours. If you're happy with this treatment (and some of the end colours are lovely), if you source the stones yourself, it'll save you money. Bezel setting sapphires is ok. However, bezelling any gemstone (and getting a high quality finish with neat symmetrical edges) is a skill. Sometimes I see photos of bezels that make me wince! With smaller stones you need to see most of the gem too so a good finish is critical. Also, bear in mind that if you bezel set gems they typically darken a bit when set (especially if they're small). Ask to see examples of bezels that the jeweller has worked on before and that should give you an indication of their skill.

 

[orbaya]

Thanks guys!

She doesn't care about treatments. I realize that stone darken when bezeled, and that was my first concern in regards to the January garnet. My concern is to make sure that the colors are vibrant, and match so that they are all the same tone (hue?).

I am going to get a quote from Whiteflash as I have worked with them before. I have a DBTY necklace from them and am happy with the bezels on it, so I would imagine they could do fine bezel work on this piece as well?

eta: If I want to source the stones myself, I'd like to get all 3 from the same vendor to make sure the shades work well together. Where would a good place be to look?

 

[chrono]

I have worked with Whiteflash numerous times but their policy with regards to outside stones has changed. They will only do your setting if they source the stones themselves. They also refuse to bezel set anything softer than a spinel. When I inquired about a different project, they did not feel comfortable bezeling my garnet.