Accent stone discussion

[ma re]

This will be something of a philosophical question(s), so if you are not into it, read no further.

Why do you think white diamonds became an absolute stone of choice when it comes to accentuating colored gemstones? Meaning, there are many other colorless stones, some of which with exceptional transparency (topaz) and brilliance (zircon), but non ever got the importance of a white diamond in that regard, not even close. I understand that most of the other stones don''t have much beauty in very small sizes, but what about cases when accents are not that small - why it HAS to be a diamond?

Another thing - why do you think people started the diamond accent stones thing in the first place? Many stones look lovely just by themselves, don''t they?

What are your opinions on these matters?

 

[Harriet]

Assuming that I do indeed choose diamond accents:
Hardness, dispersion, and refraction.

I haven''t had anything made combining two more more varieties of gems, but I will soon enough.

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 8/31/2008 10:38:18 AM
Author: Harriet
Assuming that I do indeed choose diamond accents:
Hardness, dispersion, and refraction.

I haven''t had anything made combining two more more varieties of gems, but I will soon enough.

Ditto, and add availability to that.

I wouldn''t like to see what happens to zircon melee - me thinks it would be an expensive disaster.... if you could find a jeweller prepared to try it.

Some stones hold their own, some look nice with a bit of bling round them. For example, MZ''s spess looks amazing all on it''s lonesome, equally Mine!!!''s spess looked fab with a halo.

I have melee on mine because DH likes the look!

 

[swingirl]

I think the smaller diamonds are inexpensive (compared to a large center stone) so why wouldn''t you want real diamonds if you are looking for colorless side stone? They are hard, brilliant and...diamonds!

Rings would be pretty boring if they all were the same. Side stones add a lot of interest and opportunities for uniqueness to the ring design.

 

[ma re]

And what do you think about thoughts that diamond accents make a piece look more formal (i.e. no accents - more casual)?

BTW I''ve seen some zircon melee (mostly on tv shopping) and it can look really nice - not sure about durability though.

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 9/1/2008 5:24:25 AM
Author: ma re
And what do you think about thoughts that diamond accents make a piece look more formal (i.e. no accents - more casual)?

BTW I''ve seen some zircon melee (mostly on tv shopping) and it can look really nice - not sure about durability though.

Are you sure it''s zircon and not cubic zirconia. It would be almost impossible to set without chipping I would have thought if it''s really zircon.

I think each piece has to be taken on its own merits.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

If I am not veering off topic, I miss more coloured accent stones.

I understand that white is safer, goes with all colours, etc. However, a bold mixture of colours is very striking and can enhance the colour of a fine stone.

After all, when we put together an outfit or decorate a room, don''t we look for colours that work well together instead of just pairing one colour with white all the time?

 

[ma re]

Pandora II - Melee zircons on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAQyQ9C7gSA

Lady_Disdain - Where''ve you been all my life

Jokes aside, I think you''re right and that''s another thing I wanted to mention. Now, don''t get me wrong, I''m not exactly into psychedelic color combos, but I''m much more into colors than majority of people I know, and more than one would expect from a European-Caucasian guy

I think people use white accent stones/side stones with more expensive center stones, cause they like to play it safe. I think it''s the same thing that makes many of them stay away from expensive lipstick-red sofas and stuff like that. But another color can really make a stone look better, especially in those "less than perfect" shades, like pinkish rubies or a bit of inkish sapphires. In fact, combining those exact two can be great, cause rubies become more blue and intense, while sapphires become more violet i.e. their blue becomes less black. Of course, mixing those two doesen''t really make it easy to add another color to the scheme, unless you''re going to a kids'' birthday party

I guess it all depends on the look you''re after.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 9/1/2008 9:25:26 AM
Author: ma re
Pandora II - Melee zircons on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAQyQ9C7gSA

Lady_Disdain - Where''ve you been all my life

Jokes aside, I think you''re right and that''s another thing I wanted to mention. Now, don''t get me wrong, I''m not exactly into psychedelic color combos, but I''m much more into colors than majority of people I know, and more than one would expect from a European-Caucasian guy

I think people use white accent stones/side stones with more expensive center stones, cause they like to play it safe. I think it''s the same thing that makes many of them stay away from expensive lipstick-red sofas and stuff like that. But another color can really make a stone look better, especially in those ''less than perfect'' shades, like pinkish rubies or a bit of inkish sapphires. In fact, combining those exact two can be great, cause rubies become more blue and intense, while sapphires become more violet i.e. their blue becomes less black. Of course, mixing those two doesen''t really make it easy to add another color to the scheme, unless you''re going to a kids'' birthday party

I guess it all depends on the look you''re after.

Just to add my 2c, I think that is the key - nothing wrong with playing it safe ! Safe can also = classic, no?
After all, having jewellery made is very expensive, I think you would need to really have a passion for mixing colours to pursue it.
As I''ve learnt, coloured stones are often hard to judge and can change their appearance once set too - perhaps that would be too much of an expensive experiment for many of us.?

 

[Harriet]

With respect to combining coloured stones, it''s also difficult to match tone and saturation. I have a spessartite that I''m trying to combine with pink diamond/sapphire/spinel, but it''s going to take a while to find the latter.

 

[chrono]

There many pluses to using diamond accents stones:
1. Plentiful and more easily obtainable
2. Hardier (than other coloured gemstones)
3. Great dispersion
4. Goes well with all coloured gemstones
5. Don't have to worry about trying to match all the colours of the various melees
6. Cutters just don't make any money cutting thousands of itty bitty zircons, topazes, etc. Too much time for such a small margin that it isn't worth their time.

 

[ma re]

Again a bit OT, what about the protective side of accents/sides? Do you think centers that have other stones around them are more secured from damage than those in metal bezels?

 

[Pandora II]

Depends entirely on the setting.