tsavoEringClueless
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2015
- Messages
- 10
I am trying to procure a tsavorite engagement ring but have been running into problems.
Some background first: my girlfriend has been quite vocal about wanting a colored stone and loves green. I've narrowed down the primary stone to tsavorite as it seems like a great combination of color, price, and is very sparkly. Shape is fairly unimportant but based on her pinterest account she likes circular, oval, and cushion cuts the best. As for the setting, again based on her pinterest, she likes halo settings with diamond pave and milgrain in white gold that look sort of vintage.
I should also say that I am trying to keep my budget for this ring under $5K - based on what I've seen so far I am hoping to get a very clean, nice colored tsavorite between 1.5-2ct.
I went to a custom jewelry store recently and talked with a gemologist about what I was looking for. They did not have any tsavorites that fit what I was looking for but contacted their dealer and were able to locate 2 stones for me to come see a few days later. Both were ovals, the color on one was a little too light for what I wanted and the other, while nicely colored, had a fairly large feather inclusion that was visible to the naked eye. This stone was 1.79ct and price was $2700. After pricing out the setting (as described above) the total price was right under $5K. I really liked the ring, but was concerned about the inclusion in the stone. When I asked about setting a stone I purchased personally, they jeweler said that they would do it but the setting would cost 50% more because they can't compete with online prices, which seems fair and understandable to me, but not necessarily what I want to do.
My main concern though, is getting a really nice tsavorite center stone and it seems like I'll have to look online. I have found paraiba, gemfix, and primagems through the forums here and all have some really clean, beautifully colored tsavorites for $2-3K.
After finding a stone though, how do I go about finding the setting? Can I even get a setting for $2K or so? Has anyone purchased settings separately online? Will the gem dealers set the stones if you send them the setting? Has anyone worked with Etsy jewelers who could create a custom ring if I sent them a tsavorite I purchased online?
Also, am I missing any online retailers? Any suggestions for gems that look really nice in my budget?
I apologize for the very lengthy post but thanks for taking the time to read - any help is much appreciated!
Some background first: my girlfriend has been quite vocal about wanting a colored stone and loves green. I've narrowed down the primary stone to tsavorite as it seems like a great combination of color, price, and is very sparkly. Shape is fairly unimportant but based on her pinterest account she likes circular, oval, and cushion cuts the best. As for the setting, again based on her pinterest, she likes halo settings with diamond pave and milgrain in white gold that look sort of vintage.
I should also say that I am trying to keep my budget for this ring under $5K - based on what I've seen so far I am hoping to get a very clean, nice colored tsavorite between 1.5-2ct.
I went to a custom jewelry store recently and talked with a gemologist about what I was looking for. They did not have any tsavorites that fit what I was looking for but contacted their dealer and were able to locate 2 stones for me to come see a few days later. Both were ovals, the color on one was a little too light for what I wanted and the other, while nicely colored, had a fairly large feather inclusion that was visible to the naked eye. This stone was 1.79ct and price was $2700. After pricing out the setting (as described above) the total price was right under $5K. I really liked the ring, but was concerned about the inclusion in the stone. When I asked about setting a stone I purchased personally, they jeweler said that they would do it but the setting would cost 50% more because they can't compete with online prices, which seems fair and understandable to me, but not necessarily what I want to do.
My main concern though, is getting a really nice tsavorite center stone and it seems like I'll have to look online. I have found paraiba, gemfix, and primagems through the forums here and all have some really clean, beautifully colored tsavorites for $2-3K.
After finding a stone though, how do I go about finding the setting? Can I even get a setting for $2K or so? Has anyone purchased settings separately online? Will the gem dealers set the stones if you send them the setting? Has anyone worked with Etsy jewelers who could create a custom ring if I sent them a tsavorite I purchased online?
Also, am I missing any online retailers? Any suggestions for gems that look really nice in my budget?
I apologize for the very lengthy post but thanks for taking the time to read - any help is much appreciated!
Just something to keep in mind, unless she's all about the larger rings. 
I don't have FB, so I've always just emailed him. I'm currently working with him on my second project (he made the ring in my avatar), and this is his email: 
...I do want a bright green stone and slightly yellowish lighter greens are great as long as they're highly saturated. Hope this helps - I'm still working through what exactly I'm looking for as well.
300x240.png)