Can someone help me think of a good design for a sapphire/diamond family ring for my mom?...

[bem3231]

Hi everyone...

I have not posted on the colored stones forum before, but do stop in from time to time to catch up on some of the fabulous gemstone projects that you are all involved in.

I would like to get a family stone ring designed for my mom. Luckily, to make things nice and straightforward, there are three children and our birthstones are (in birth order) sapphire, diamond, sapphire. So, that has set the stage for what I have in mind!

What I was thinking was (obviously) a three stone diamond and sapphire ring. I''m imagining that, being a family ring, all stones should be about equal in size / presence. This is where I''m hitting some roadblocks as I''ve discovered from the bits of research that I''ve been doing that gemstone cuts / sizes can vary widely, and some matched ''pairs'' are not really exact matches in terms of dimensions.

Also, I think that my mom would prefer pink-ish sapphires over blue ones, and I thought that this would make it a little ''unique''. That said, I don''t love the bubblegum pink that I''ve come to associate with the pink sapphires that I''ve seen in some of the mainstream jewelry shops. For this reason, I was thinking that padparascha (did I spell that correctly?) sapphires might be an interesting choice, but I''ve never actually seen one in person.

I''ve been through the inventory of the Natural Sapphire Company, and have found two pairs of padparascha sapphires that I thought might fit the bill, but both are ovals:

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Pairs/Padparadscha/Oval/stoneid=PR369-PA

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Pairs/Padparadscha/Oval/stoneid=PR530-PA

What I''m wondering is:

1) do you think that a padparadscha sapphire and diamond three stone ring would be a good choice?

2) are either of the pairs of stones listed better for this purpose than the other for whatever reason?

3) are there other vendors who I should check for the sapphires? I did a search for other gemstone vendors, but I just don''t feel like I know enough about what I''m looking for to make a really informed choice.

4) if I had oval sidestones, what kind of diamond center stone would look best? Would two ovals with a round center look weird? (I was thinking ovals set east-west?) How hard would it be to source an oval diamond center stone that would look like a ''match''?

5) I was sort of thinking of a platinum trellis three stone setting, but I''m wondering if the varying depths of the stones would look weird in an open-gallery setting. Do you have any other setting ideas / suggestions?

6) are there any other ideas that you have that might not even be occuring to me?


I feel pretty confident choosing diamond RB''s now (thanks to PS!), but fancy shapes and gemstones are totally unchartered territory for me!! I need help!

I''m currently having my wedding band made at Whiteflash, so I sort of thought that it might be easiest to have this ring made there too and then shipped together. That said, I''m open to having it made elsewhere if it would be a better choice for whatever reason.

I appreciate any and all feedback and ideas. Thanks everyone!

 

[Pandora II]

Looking at the stones you have posted, the second pair look rather included for my taste. To be honest, I wouldn''t really call either set ''padparadscha'' colour. Linda will probably chime in as she''s the resident pad expert.

For a 3 stone ring of this importance, I would be tempted to have the stones custom cut. You will find rounds very hard to find in sapphires - ovals and cushions are the most common. Having them cut will also mean you could get a calibrated size.

Coloured stones are a whole new ball game from diamonds and they are a lot more subjective and a LOT more variables!

I prefer to contact a vendor and enlist their help in the search rather than track stones down myself - they have access to many more stones than you will find listed.

I''ve worked with:

Richard at www.artcutgems.com
Wink at www.winkjones.com

I''ve also had some pieces sourced and recut by Richard Homer - normal style, not concave.

There are lots of other vendors who are very highly regarded here, there is a list on one of the other current threads.

 

[Kismet]

You may want to consider your mother''s finger real-estate as well, especially if you want to set oval stones east-west. 3 6.5mm stones are a lot of finger coverage.

 

[pjean]

I think a pad-diamond-pad ring could look lovely. I just got a pad engagement ring that I adore. It''s on the pink side but rosier (ie more orange) than the second pair you posted.

The colour difference between the stones in the first pair might bother me, since the left stone is much more orange (and therefore looks more like a traditional pad, I think) than the one on the right. Look particularly at the 2nd picture. But since her first and third children aren''t identical, your mother might see that as a plus.

I''m with Pandora on the second pair - the first thing I saw were the specks in the stone on the left. It would bother the heck out of me, although I know that they would be less apparent at actual size. I think you''d have to see the stones in person to decide.

I have no experience of having stones cut for me, but given your requirements, that sounds like a possibility to explore, at least.

 

[bem3231]

Date: 5/20/2008 6:22:11 PM
Author: pjean

But since her first and third children aren''t identical, your mother might see that as a plus.

LOL!

Thanks for all of the commentary, guys. See - I really do need help! I never considered having stones cut, but given the ''issues'' that I''m coming up against that seems like it might be a good option. I''m assuming that there would be a premium associated with having stones custom cut?? Also, how long might I expect it to take??

Thanks again!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Such a nice gift idea!


I agree if you want a certian color, shape, size, you will probaby have to get them custom cut. However, while looking for my I found that wildfishgems has a nice pair sections, and the pairs seem pretty well matched. Sadely, the only true pad on there listed has been sold. But here they are to get an idea of color (sapphire pair) Not sure what you time line is or how long you have to look.

I think a trillis setting would be nice if the side stones were similar depths on the side stones, the center could be deeper or the same depth without ruining the visual effect. As for the relation of the stones together, how but different cuts but same ct weights? Like 2 marquice (sp?) cut sides and a round or oval center. Just a thought. Your idea sounds good too, I don't think getting an oval diamond would be that hard (but I have no experence with this), in fact I would do the diamond after I found the sapphires, because I think you will have a harder time with those.

I think for this project, you would be best off finding a vendor who could work his/her sources and find the stones for you. Or go the custom cutting route. It may be challenging to find something this specific by surfing the web.