biggest bang for the buck (novice)

[kallard]

I posted a few days ago that I was looking to replace my engagement ring and, more specifically, a "teal" color recommendation. I am no longer limiting myself to teal. I have, perhaps, browsed way too many websites and photos, and am now nowhere nearer to making a decision - there is just so much that I like out there!

So I am going to ask another question:
What gem would you say gives the "biggest bang for the buck"? By that I mean, what gem would you recommend that can be larger in size without breaking the bank, with sparkle, bright color, and can withstand being set in an engagement ring that would be worn most of the time.

The only colors I would not want are yellow, brown, and white (though I like opal). Would consider about anything else.

I have pinned too many rings in Pinterest and am now overwhelmed with choices!

If you have a recommendation, what should I look for in the gem - anything in particular?

Thanks!

 

[aussiejamie]

Oh, I think someone has caught the colored stone bug!
We need to narrow down a few parameters I think like size, preferred colors, price range because the range is so broad!

 

[kallard]

Well, I always had the bug, but never the means. lol! 25th anniversary coming up.

Ok, here is my current ring:

This first one shows the ring barely at the top, you can still see the main stone, but shows it on my hand for comparison. The second photo shows the ring better, but no comparison to my hand. I measured, and it is about 10mm both directions. (The other ring is a sapphire ring my grandmother sent me.) I am looking for about the size of my aquamarine, could be a little bigger, but not smaller.



In total with the setting, less than $3,000, but would prefer $2,000-$2,500. I have no idea what the ratio of stone to ring cost should be, so no way to judge that. Want accent stones too, or halo, so that would have to be figured into it. Cannot decide shape, though another heart would be nice, but also like cushion. Cut is less important to the rest though.

For color, I tend to be attracted to cool colors - blue, green, purple. But I have also been looking at some reds and pinks as well, or a red to purple color.

I am a color chameleon - by that I mean, I frequently change my hair color different colors. I like mystic topaz for that reason, but know that that isn't a particularly valuable or sought after gem since it is treated to get that multi-color look.

See, I am all over the place and my husband has been no help with sharing his opinion! lol.

 

[gingercurls]

Hi Kallard,

It was already mentioned that there are a lot of factors at play and to consider. That being said, your best bets in general for a colored stone that will withstand daily wear well would be a chrysoberyl, sapphire, or spinel. I know that you mentioned that you would prefer no yellow which would rule out chrysoberyl.

If you are willing to be gentle and careful with your ring, a blue zircon might be nice. They are super sparkly, come in a nice range of pretty blues, and you can find one that is large and not expensive. Note that blue zircons are heated.

Here is one that you might want to consider:

http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=8371

The stone in the above link is a cushion cut, has a nice face up size, and costs less than five hundred dollars.

 

[aussiejamie]

You could look at topaz (8 moh's) and zircon (7.5) as possibilities. Quite affordable too for the sizing your after.

 

[FightGravity]

I think spinel will be the sparkliest, if not necessarily the cheapest. There are affordable spinels in the less desirable colors. i think you could get a lovely one and have enough left over for a well-made setting.

Eta: fine water gems has a nice $1200 3.76ct precision cut lavender grey cushion spinel 10x8. I defer to the more experienced members to tell you whether it's a good stone or not, but it looks nice to me!

 

[arkieb1]

A blue or a teal topaz (not mystic) are cheap and durable, a blue zircon if you ware willing to baby it. Maybe a blue green tourmaline again if you are careful with it.

 

[agingsparkle]

If you're open to a variety of colors, I'd browse JuliaB on etsy -- she has a lot of designs with a lot of finger coverage. I love the Iris design, and she's got a huge blue zircon ring. She also has a lot of designs with good-sized sapphires and spinels, some with colored haloes that make them look even larger. Might give you some ideas… https://www.etsy.com/shop/JuliaBJewelry

 

[chrono]

Wear and forget: Sapphire (consider less desired colours), chrysoberyl (look for the greener variety)
Good but still be careful: Spinel
Not ideal but borderline: Topaz

All other options are too chippy or will abrade fairly quickly if worn 24/7.

 

[kallard]

So garnet would be out then for being too chippy?

 

[kallard]

Oh, and tanzanite?

 

[LoversKites]

Here is a rundown of some gems and their hardness and wearability that I copied and pasted from beginner's thread: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/[/URL]

(its not all about hardness but also about toughness and cleavage by the way)

Mohs 9 - Ruby and Sapphire: generally considered the most durable of the colored gems. If untreated in any way, will hold up very well in most all situations. Even those subjected to 'high-heat-only' still do very well. Example: my wife's 2ct oval Sapphire engagement ring was worn daily for 15 years before needing a very minor tune-up. Exception: Ruby that has been filled with substances such as glass have a much lower resistance to damage such as abrasion from wear. Ruby, under high-heat-only with flux present, will also handle wear well.

Mohs 8-1/2 - Chrysoberyl including Alexandrite: in my experience Chrysoberyl holds up very well against wear. It does not exhibit severe brittleness seen in other gems - and would be a great stone for regular wear as a ring stone.

Mohs 8 - Spinel: is generally considered a gem that wears well. It is resistant to damage and not just damage from abrasion.

Mohs 8 - Topaz: can be worn in rings, but some caution should be exhibited. This is especially true with Topaz colored blue because it has been irradiated [and then subsequently heated]. This process has weakened the stone in some way that it does not hold up as well as Precious Topaz - which may, or may not have been treated at all.

Mohs 7-1/2-8 - the Beryl family including Aquamarine, Heliodore (golden Beryl), Morganite, Goshenite wear fairly well and unless totally exposed from the metal, can be worn in rings though may not be suitable for 'everyday wear'. The heating of any of the Beryl's is done at a low temperature and it is not a factor regarding their durability. Beryl's do have an element of brittleness though not as severe as some other gems.

Mohs 7-1/2-8 - Emerald (of the Beryl family) is not well suited for everyday wear. A totally clean Emerald will hold up as well as an Aquamarine. But, finding an Emerald with that level of clarity is extremely rare. Roughly 99% of all Emeralds have been treated with a filler of some type to (usually) improve their clarity. The filler is likely to not hold up well over time. *Emerald's that have been treated should not be placed into an Ultrasonic cleaner, nor placed under a steam cleaner as this may affect the clarity enhancement substance. **Caveat: Emerald's treated with a specialized process known as "Excell" in the trade are known to have a higher level of durability over those treated with other methods.

Mohs 7-1/2 - Andalusite has reasonable wearability though it does have a slight brittleness. Facet junctions are likely to show wear after only a few years regular wear. Distinct cleavage is present in Andalusite though I have yet to see the affects of it.

Mohs 7-1/2 - Iolite in my experience holds up fairly well for hardness 7-1/2. It does, however, have distinct cleavage and a sharp blow in one or more specific directions may cause it to separate into more than one piece. Though, when I have tried to do this in the rough, I have not been successful.

Mohs 7-7-1/2 - The Garnet group is generally thought of as reasonably durable. Facet junctions will show wear within the first few years of being worn. And, the facet junctions may not chip as much as 'crumble' for lack of a better way to describe this. Of the Garnets, the Andradite/Demantoid type is the least durable, and we have found the Pyrope/Almandine/Spessartite group seem to wear slightly better.

Mohs 7-7-1/2 - The Tourmaline group is suitable for rings, though not for everyday wear especially if the top of the stone is exposed. Tourmaline can be brittle, does not hold up well where temperature changes are radical. They are known to 'chippy' as can be seen along facet junctions that are exposed.

Mohs 6-1/2 to 7-1/2 - Zircon is often thought of as brittle. Zircons heated to high temperatures (over 1,000*C) to convert them to blue are definitely more brittle and show the effects of wear easily. Blue Zircon worn high on a mounting will need refurbishing regularly. Unheated Zircons and those subjected to much lower temperatures (of various colors) are less prone to show wear - and appear less brittle. There is no known dilemma with faceting or polishing Zircon for the experienced lapidary. There is, however, a known direction to its hardness which could create difficulty for some.

Mohs 7 - The Quartz family is well known due to being available and popular. Its wear pattern is predictable. Facet junctions (even when faceting) can be 'chippy'. Chipping along the crown facets is common, and abrasions from wear are as well.

*as a general rule, at least from me, I don't suggest wearing hardness less than 7 on a regular basis as the wear will become evident well before you expect it. I do suggest moving this type of gemstone into mountings offering great protection or off the fingers or wrist.

Mohs 6-1/2 to 7 - Kunzite is not a durable gemstone. It is brittle, does not resist scratching well, does not repair easily, and has perfect cleavage in two directions. In addition to all that, it has the unfortunate problem of being light sensitive - reducing its depth of color with prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. I have repaired my fair share of Kunzite's and I don't relish the fact that they show up waiting for my handy work. But since they don't wear well over time, they will all eventually need reconditioning.

Mohs 6-1/2 to 7 - Peridot does not share the fate of Kunzite, though its wear pattern is predictable. Abrasions are readily seen on exposed gems that are frequently worn - and fortunately, a refurbishing is not usually problematic.

Mohs 6-1/2 to 7 - Tanzanite is very popular and goldsmiths have taken to mounting them in lavish and risky ways. Exposed surfaces will show wear in a relatively short time and the perfect cleavage can be a problem. Tanzanite is also heat sensitive - even though it is well known to have been heated to acquire the beautiful blue to purple hues. It is the shock of rapid temperature change that may cause damage. This is not a common situation with consumers as this is more likely to take placec in the creation or repair to a mounting.

Mohs lower than 6-1/2 - Apatite, Opal, Orthoclase/Sunstone, Scapolite, Sphene and Sphalerite and other low hardness gems all need special care to be worn in rings. It is generally accepted that these gems are best suited for pendants, pins, brooches or earrings.

 

[kallard]

I do know Mohs, but this is a very helpful and concise list. Thank you!

 

[kallard]

Just out of curiosity, in terms of durability, how do lab created gems hold up? For example, lab Alexandrite.

I am not looking for lab created, but wondered.

I found a ruby I liked, but would blow my whole budget (one of the sellars from the ebay vendors list)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/371372625671?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

[chrono]

Synthetics are made of the same material as the natural variety, so they will wear/hold up the same.

The ruby you are considering:
1. Make sure you get a lab report for it, proving that it is untreated as claimed
2. Verify that it is eye clean
3. Not fond of the large window but you might be able to overlook that, given your budget constraints.

 

[agingsparkle]

Multicolor has a variety of heart-shaped spinel at lower prices than the ruby -- you can do a search by shape or size, etc. Here are a few in cool colors like you originally asked for, keeping in mind this was just a quick search and others will be better able to comment on individual stone characteristics… they have some pretty hot pink sapphire hearts, and some pink spinels, but not sure if you're interested in pinks.
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-1112646018
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-1074683825
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-2097270228
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-2076523703
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?910093444

 

[kallard]

Will browse that site too! Thanks.

I will definitely be careful about the source and the lab report. Won't buy the ruby...too much for my wallet right now.

Looking mostly at spinel or sapphires (other colors) for the moment, or if I could find a more saturated aquamarine, or a ruby that leans a little pink rather than red. Previously I was looking at premade rings, either with those gems already, or the potential to substitute. But, for the last day or two, I have been browsing gems only.

If I decide to go that route, I have no clue what to do next! lol. Plus, if you are buying your own main gemstone, what about accent stones?

 

[kallard]

I like that site's search features.