Choosing a stone

[packrat]

Hi, another newbie! I''ve been gaga over the pretties in the SMTR thread and colored gemstone engagement ring thread. How on earth do you decide what stone you want? I''ve been thinking of upgrading my engagement ring, and figured I''d get a diamond, but then after looking around in here, I really like the idea of a colored gemstone. Did you go to a lot of jewelry stores, or how did you make your choice?

 

[innerkitten]

Looking through the colored stone eye candy at the top of the page is a good place to start. There is also a sticky with a list of web sites that sell colored stones. You might want to check some of those out to get an idea of which stones you like the look of etc.

Certain stones are harder than others and better for every day wear. Something like quartz ( citrine and amethyst) is pretty soft, and maybe not the best choice for an everyday ring. Sapphire, ruby, spinel and garnet would hold up well. I''m sure there are more.

 

[packrat]

Thanks innerkitten! I browsed a couple of the websites you mentioned last night. Part of my problem is I''m so broad in the colors I like. I like brown, olive, I''ve seen some pretty olivey-grey and blue-grey. The dark brown-ish reds and funky blues like the montana blue sappire and london blue topaz. I don''t want the stone to look super dark tho if it''s in a half bezel. Indecisive, that''s me! Oh well-we''ve been married for 7 years-it''s not like I''m in a huge hurry! I just have an excuse to spend free time admiring everyone else''s rings while I make up my mind!

 

[colormyworld]

Hi packrtat, Not trying to be flippant or anything but you will know when you find the right one. It will "call" to you. Before you embark on this journey though please take some time to learn about treatments for stones and also about what makes an expensive stone expensive.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

This process is part education, part trusting your gut.

Look at a bunch of stones. When you find a variety you like, do some online education. Find out what colors are considered the best (although you should buy whatever color you like), what the typical clarity for the stone (i.e. aquamarines are easy to find eye clean, emeralds are not), how well it works in jewelry, and if it is a stone that is typically treated. That way when you find one, you will have some idea if you are getting your money''s worth.

Another thing to learn about is cut. You want to learn what makes a poor cut stone and stay away from those (i.e. a stone that is too shallow will have a window and leak light).

Good luck.

 

[packrat]

I''m glad I found this place-there''s an abundance of information here! Thanks for your help guys!! Regarding settings, can most of the places I''ve seen mentioned on here make what I want, if I don''t see exactly the right one on their website?

 

[ma re]

This may sound strange, but tv shoping channels may be useful

The thing is, how the stone looks in a photo is a lot diferent from how it looks in 3D, cause it''s a solid object. You may like some stones on photos, but not really like how they look in reality, when light hits their surface. So I suggest finding one of those channels to watch, just to see what colors you generally like more than others. Youtube can serve the same purpose. If that doesen''t help, check if there are colors of clothes you wear more than the rest - that might give a clue on your prefrences.

But other optical properties (besides color) also influence stone''s overall appearance, like the level of clarity (you might like some crystal clear, others with a bit of character), size (some are nicer when small, others just blossom when large) and the way they''ve been cut (you might like more modern cuts on one, but more antique cuts on another).

All in all, it''s very complicated

 

[Pandora II]

I like to browse palagems website - it''s trade only, but they have lots of examples of great stones over there.

Really it''s a case of finding what way your heart leads you. Start with colour - then you can eliminate a lot of stone types. Then look at the kind of shapes you like - cushions and ovals are the easiest to find in coloured stones, rounds are much less common.

You can always come here to ask questions - and remember that most vendors don''t have their whole stock on their website, if you quite like some of what they have, it''s always worth emailing to see what is in the cupboard.

Have fun - oh, and it took some of us MONTHS to decide.

 

[brendaman]

Hi Packrat! Welcome to PS!!

I''m in Month 4 of the search for a sapphire & diamonds e-ring. I''ve always wanted one ever since I saw the Princess Di ring, but I didn''t really want one exactlly like it. You''ll find there are quite a few of them, albeit smaller, in many jewelry (B&M) stores. In the first month of our search, I saw some really nice diamonds, so I thought I may change my mind to have my e-ring as a diamond. Then I saw a quality sapphire set in a beautiful ring, and I was hooked.

My advise is to visit good B&M stores in your area. We live in the DC area, and I never knew there were so many (we checked the internet first and found an article in the local area magazine which recommended over 40 B&M stores!). You may see some bad stones and some good, but you''ll know what you like once you see them in person. And you''ll probably begin to see typical settings to bring out the beauty of the stone.

Good luck with deciding!

 

[movie zombie]

read Richard Wise''s book re stones you''re interested in. its a great way to get started.

movie zombie

 

[coatimundi_org]

I''d start with--what''s your favorite color? What do you want to gaze at for a looong time? ...and go from there.

 

[packrat]

Funny, I had no clue it would be so involved! I think I thought I''d be like, oh yeah, I want "x" but once I started seeing all the pretty stones on here...wow! I''ve been doing searches on stones here to look at them, and then following the links in the threads..I''ve been all over the internet today and have a gazillion places saved, I swear! It''s fun tho! My bff and I were on the phone earlier, and on the internet, so we could both be looking at the same things. We have 1 jeweler in town here, but there are a few in nearby towns..it will take a while, but it will sure be an interesting journey..plus at the end I get a really special ring! Thanks again for your help everyone!