New project, first time with colour!!!!!

[Sharon101]

Hi Girls And Guys,

some of you might remember my thread where I was redoing a new setting that held my 4 carat princess. ( Still in the process).

Well, as a result of that little drama, I am left with a very interesting setting to play with. Its a little on the heavy & bulky side but Im sure it will do well with a beautiful coloured stone.

I have been having so much fun reading and seeing all your beautiful stories and pictures. Before this, I had never given coloured stones a second look......now its like I am seeing them for the first time!!!! eg. my dh sells opals, and until now, I have never really `looked` at them.....now even they are starting to look yummy!!!!

So my hunt is going to start with an aqua.....even though I change my mind every time I see almost anything here!!!! I also love pink, purple, green etc etc etc

John B. from Gemrite has offered to cut me a cushion stone. He has sent me pics of the rough but I cant tell a thing really.

Any advice from you lovely experts? And also, do you like the metalic effect that some aquas have where it almost looks mirrored inside??? Or is this a negative attribute. John said it was because heating the aqua gives it a greyness sometimes that looks metalic.

If someone could magically bring my old ring photo here I would be sooo grateful.

Regards Sharon

 

[ma re]

I don't really have an advice when it comes to aquas, except having hardness in mind. Don't know if you're familiar with hardness of diferent gemstones, in case you're not - aqua is a beryl and is about 7,5 on hardness scale. So it's fine for rings, but try not to wear it daily and while being very active with your hands. Protecting it with a proper setting design might also help.

BTW, do you have an idea of the cut that'll be done on that rough i.e. final shape of the stone?

When it comes to choosing metal for the setting, I think using anything but white color would not be the best of ideas for a material of a light tone, such as an aqua.

 

[Sharon101]

Date: 11/13/2008 3:01:01 AM
Author: ma re
I don''t really have an advice when it comes to aquas, except having hardness in mind. Don''t know if you''re familiar with hardness of diferent gemstones, in case you''re not - aqua is a beryl and is about 7,5 on hardness scale. So it''s fine for rings, but try not to wear it daily and while being very active with your hands. Protecting it with a proper setting design might also help.

BTW, do you have an idea of the cut that''ll be done on that rough i.e. final shape of the stone?

When it comes to choosing metal for the setting, I think using anything but white color would not be the best of ideas for a material of a light tone, such as an aqua.

Ma re, I didnt realise aqua was not for every day!!!

The setting holds a square stone and has a cut corner halo around it. (Originally this design was made for an asscher, but I copied it for my princess not realising that it was an asscher halo).

I was told that the square cushion would be the way to go.

And, as it turns out, my setting is white gold!!! So thanks for that.

BTW, I am completely open to other suggestions.

 

[Sharon101]

Hi, this is a picture of the setting.

I will probably have it milgrained to soften the hard edges and take the side diamonds out too. The triangles are just shoved in and add to the bulky look. I will also see if rhodeum plating it again works to make it less grey.

 

[ma re]

I agree that square cushion would be the best option considering the setting. It''s also safer to wear (doesen''t have sharp edges which can chip). As for the setting, be sure to ask your jeweller is taking the stone out required every time rhodium plating is done. If it is, I''d advise against it, cause every time the stone is reset, there''s a risk of damaging it in the process. Maybe doing a frosted textured finish on the metal would be a better idea - it would (pretty much permanently) make it whiter, but it wouldn''t be shiny. Of course, small diamonds are the best option for making it more white. I''d keep that brilliant halo, cause with such a big stone, doing anything else would be risky and possibly bulky. Not sure what to do about the sides, doing a pave there might be too much, except maybe something lacy-looking.

 

[Sharon101]

I was also considering an asscher cut stone. My ring will take a cushion or an asscher.

Anyone have an opinion on which would suit more????

 

[T L]

I don''t know what your budget is, but that is a gorgeous setting. I would love to see a blue green Mozambique tourmaline in there (for obvious reasons since I''m "Tourmaline_lover") kind of like LaurenThePartier''s legacyesque ring. An aqua would be beautiful as well, but I''m partial to tourmalines. Aquas tend to have a slight grey mask more so than some tourmalines out there. I think an emerald would also look great in that setting if you could find one large enough and not heavily treated.

 

[T L]

A scissor cut would be nice as well (like LaurenThePartier''s Mozambique tourmaline - check out her gallery images). I love ascher cut gems as well.

 

[ma re]

When it comes to choosing cut, it all depends what look you like more. They''re both nice, but asscher would be quite modern, while cushion would give it a more antique (romantic) look. So it''s all up to you!

BTW, if the design was intended for an asscher, then that would probably be the best option, and step cut aquas look particularly nice because of their unusual luster i.e. quality of the sparkle when light hits the surface. Larger facets, such as those in an asscher, would emphasize that quality, while cushion would be more prone to "twinkling" and scintillating.

 

[OUpearlgirl]

FYI- I love aquas in white gold, so don''t let that sway you!

 

[LD]

JohnB from GemRite cuts wonderful gemstones and he is very honest with his opinion. I''ve bought 3 stones from him now (including an Asscher cut Aqua). I''m sure you know this but in case you don''t, Aqua''s are a "night stone". In other words they come alive at night. So if they look good during the day, then at night they''ll blow your socks off!

I personally like Aquas in both white and yellow gold. The white emphasizes the ice look!

One last thought, if you do go for an asscher it will presumbly have cut corners. Looking at your setting it has corner prongs that I don''t think will hold an Asscher (but I''m sure one of our resident experts can help) - if that''s the case you may need to have this re-worked.

Here''s my unheated Asscher Aqua (cut in the Asscher style but adapted for a Beryl). This has no grey mask but does display green and blue tones.

Hope this helps.

 

[Sharon101]

Date: 11/13/2008 2:17:24 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
JohnB from GemRite cuts wonderful gemstones and he is very honest with his opinion. I''ve bought 3 stones from him now (including an Asscher cut Aqua). I''m sure you know this but in case you don''t, Aqua''s are a ''night stone''. In other words they come alive at night. So if they look good during the day, then at night they''ll blow your socks off!

I personally like Aquas in both white and yellow gold. The white emphasizes the ice look!

One last thought, if you do go for an asscher it will presumbly have cut corners. Looking at your setting it has corner prongs that I don''t think will hold an Asscher (but I''m sure one of our resident experts can help) - if that''s the case you may need to have this re-worked.

Here''s my unheated Asscher Aqua (cut in the Asscher style but adapted for a Beryl). This has no grey mask but does display green and blue tones.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Lovingdiamonds, Im sure it was your own aqua that got me onto JohnB!!!!

I love the step cut look in the photo but havent seen one in a colored stone irl.

If I can ask, what is being done with your asscher cut?

And also, last question, why are some aquas in the thousands of dollars, and others in the hundreds.

And Im having trouble choosing which shade to go for out of the more aqua blue or the greeny blue.

One that I was going to buy got sold that day that I emailed John that I wanted it!!! My fault for not paying straight away. There is currently a rectangle that is from the same rough as my `sold` asscher. I cant seem to be able to envision the end result from the rough, something I am now being shown.

 

[ma re]

Date: 11/14/2008 1:17:57 AM
Author: Sharon101
And also, last question, why are some aquas in the thousands of dollars, and others in the hundreds.

For the same reason why some diamonds are in the hundreds, and other in the thousands. Well, not exactly, but almost. Four C''s are the same, so when material gets larger than the certain number of carats, it becomes increasingly rare. Depth and purity of color makes the biggest diference, where those with the richest straight light blue reach much higher figures. Now, since most aquas with the straight blue are heated, aqua is among rare gems where treated stone is generally more valuable than untreated one. But in rare cases, that nice blue (without any green) shows up in an untreated stone, which can then command a much higher price. Clarity also makes a diference, since aquas are expected to be very clean (even more so than most other stones), so any obvious flaw in that regard will reduce the price to some extent.

 

[Sharon101]

Thanks Ma Re for that answer.

I guess it would help if I had 2 examples of aqua of different prices to compare irl. On the net everything looks good, and its hard to understand why some pieces are so much more than other similar ones.

Another question would be, what should I expect to pay for the good stuff!!!!! Will $120 a carat approx put me into this category or will it bew pale and lifeless?

So far I am seeing this sort of pricing on what looks to be beautiful stones.

 

[ma re]

Date: 11/14/2008 3:51:41 AM
Author: Sharon101
Thanks Ma Re for that answer.

I guess it would help if I had 2 examples of aqua of different prices to compare irl. On the net everything looks good, and its hard to understand why some pieces are so much more than other similar ones.

Another question would be, what should I expect to pay for the good stuff!!!!! Will $120 a carat approx put me into this category or will it bew pale and lifeless?

So far I am seeing this sort of pricing on what looks to be beautiful stones.

Well, part of the problem (of why everything looks similar to you) is that you''re after an aqua, which is a light colored material. If you were after an iolite, it''d be much easier for you to diferentiate between the various shades, since you''d easily notice when something is too pale or inky dark. This way, everything is pretty much "the same" cause there simply aren''t many diferent shades to choose from.

And how much for good stuff - I''m affraid you can''t get it for the price you mention. Yes, you can get decent quality, but I''d say the best ones start at about 300/ct, depending on where you buy (at high end stores they might be even 800/ct). But good news (sort of) is, if you''re after a ring stone, say 1-2 ct sizes, you can''t really get the best ones no matter how much you pay - simply because with aqua color deepens with size, so small stones can never be as fine as those of 10 carats or more. So yes, for that price you can get decent quality ring stone, but not the finest available, simply because they "don''t exist" in small sizes.

For comparisson, check out THIS vs. THIS. The first one is creme de la creme of aquas, so called santa maria aquamarine, very rare and valuable (the one in the photo is 350 carats), and the second is your regular "mall" aqua i.e. stuff you should stay away from.

 

[Sharon101]

Date: 11/14/2008 4:25:53 AM
Author: ma re

Date: 11/14/2008 3:51:41 AM
Author: Sharon101
Thanks Ma Re for that answer.

I guess it would help if I had 2 examples of aqua of different prices to compare irl. On the net everything looks good, and its hard to understand why some pieces are so much more than other similar ones.

Another question would be, what should I expect to pay for the good stuff!!!!! Will $120 a carat approx put me into this category or will it bew pale and lifeless?

So far I am seeing this sort of pricing on what looks to be beautiful stones.

Well, part of the problem (of why everything looks similar to you) is that you''re after an aqua, which is a light colored material. If you were after an iolite, it''d be much easier for you to diferentiate between the various shades, since you''d easily notice when something is too pale or inky dark. This way, everything is pretty much ''the same'' cause there simply aren''t many diferent shades to choose from.

And how much for good stuff - I''m affraid you can''t get it for the price you mention. Yes, you can get decent quality, but I''d say the best ones start at about 300/ct, depending on where you buy (at high end stores they might be even 800/ct). But good news (sort of) is, if you''re after a ring stone, say 1-2 ct sizes, you can''t really get the best ones no matter how much you pay - simply because with aqua color deepens with size, so small stones can never be as fine as those of 10 carats or more. So yes, for that price you can get decent quality ring stone, but not the finest available, simply because they ''don''t exist'' in small sizes.

For comparisson, check out THIS vs. THIS. The first one is creme de la creme of aquas, so called santa maria aquamarine, very rare and valuable (the one in the photo is 350 carats), and the second is your regular ''mall'' aqua i.e. stuff you should stay away from.

Thanks again Ma Re, I love that example!!!

I actually need about 3.6 carats.

I have been dealing with John B. who is amazing btw, and his prices are about $400 for this size. Other sites seem to either charge about the same or over the thousand dollar mark. But all of these sites seem to have equally pigmented good quality stock. Which makes me realise that Im probably missing something thats obvious to others. But I dont know what Im meant to pay to get a nice aqua.

Thanks again for all your time and conversation so far!!!

 

[ma re]

No problem answering and suggesting, ask as long as you''re unsure about understanding something, we''ll try to answer (there are experts here too, one of which I''m not BTW).

Maybe some further reading wouldn''t hurt in understanding the value of gemstones. Have fun!

 

[LD]

Sharon, the only thing I would add to what Ma Re has said already is that you honestly should go for one that you actually like. Of course we always want "the best" but sometimes "the best" isn't actually what makes you smile! The aqua I've bought from JohnB is gorgeous (I personally like either very very very deep blue aqua or a vibrant lighter green/blue of the unheated material). In this case, I liked the cut, the colour and the "glow" but I'm under no illusion that it's of the finest quality I could get. For that I would have paid far more but all things considered this aqua, for me, was at the right price point, cut, colour and I like knowing the history of it i.e. who cut it etc.

You asked what I'm intending to do with it? It's going into a ring and will either have trapezoid diamonds either side or stepped baguettes. Then again, I could change my mind tomorrow ..............

John will always take daytime photos of the stones he cuts and it's good to see how the gemstone performs in different lights. I don't know if you're obliged to buy a gemstone if John cuts it for you? It may be worth asking because I know how difficult it can be if you haven't bought and had rough cut before.

ETA Have you asked John to show you daytime photos of the gem he's already cut from the same rough you're considering? That might help give you a preview of the likely colour your gemstone will end up. Of course, it won't be 100% accurate but might help with the thought process.

 

[Gailey]

Sharon,

As I looked at the picture of your ring, I immediately thought of Indicolite (blue green tourmaline I think). I see as read further that I was not the only one to think that - good call Tourmaline Lover.

I also have a John B stone, although not my asscher. My asscher was cut by Peter Torraca. I think one of our Asscher cutters ought to weigh in here and give you some sort of idea as to how deep an asscher would be to fit in your setting. I believe an asscher cut gemstone is going to be somewhat deeper than say an asscher cut diamond of the same face dimensions. That may have some bearing on how suitable it is going to be for the setting that you have.

A good opinion to seek would also be a gem cutter who also makes jewellery. Michael E comes to mind.

 

[LD]

I found this earlier while I was organising my photos. I thought this might help you to visualise how a rough gemstone looks in the rough, then cut, then set! This is a darker more pure blue than the Asscher I''ve just bought.