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Colored Stone Engagement Ring? Love Blue Stones!

A

aries2

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Messages
66
Hello Everyone,
I am currently looking for an engagement ring (Yay, super exciting!!!) and am considering going with a colored stone. I am a colored stone freak and love blue stones especially. I'm also looking at diamonds because although my jewelry style is semi extravagant and I love color, I can be very traditional in certain parts of life. However, I'm finding that I may not be able to get the size diamond I'm looking for while still maintaining quality. Therefore, I am considering going with a colored stone of about 2.5 ct, would love round cut since it would fit the setting I already picked out, and have $3000-5000 or for something totally out of this world $6000 to spend on the stone. I love nicely saturated, intense teals and aqua blues and blue-greens. I've done some searching on the net but have been unable to find anything of that high of quality. Can any PS experts help me find a high quality stone at least for a starting off point? Can't wait to see your suggestions!!! Any and all suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
CC : )
 
Congrats!

what are the dimensions of the setting you have? Carat weight doesn't give us enough info in the colored stone world (different species have different densities)

What kind of treatments are you willing to accept?

ETA: Here's a few stones I would personally consider with your budget

http://wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/13155
http://wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/11340
http://wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/3675
http://wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/12863
http://www.artcutgems.com/item.php?item_id=711&page=2&category_id=48
 
Congratulations! Looking for a stone is the fun part -- good for you for thinking of colored stones. In fact they were traditional before diamonds were; many engagement rings from the 19th century had colored gems.

It would help to know what treatments, if any, are acceptable to you, and dimensions of the setting -- have you bought it yet or only decided on the one you like? If you haven't actually purchased it, you're a little more free to consider stones whose color & quality are what you want but are maybe not round.

There are some beautiful ones here -- some heated, some not treated. Of course, with any of our vendors, if you see something you like that is sold or the wrong size or shape, you can always ask if they have more rough to cut what you want.

http://www.gemfix.com/sapphire_montana.html
http://www.gemfix.com/tourmaline_green_blue.html
http://www.gemfix.com/newest_gems.html

--- Laurie
 
Congrats on the engagement! You have a good budget for what you want since you are not looking for the traditional blue sapphire colours.
1. Please tell us the mm size you are looking for since a 2.5 ct sapphire can vary greatly in size. Is 9 mm round a good estimate?
2. Treatment also set the price which ranges from untreated to heated to heated with added minerals (diffusion). I presume you want something untreated?
3. Are you fussed on it being precision cut or a very good native cut (no window, decent symmetry, little extinction) is sufficient?
 
If you're looking for something that is visually striking and more teal/aqua than pure blue, then the recent blue green tourmalines might be an option. They seem to just GLOW, and you can get them precision cut and in large sizes while being in budget.

Here are some examples

If you like this option, it might be best to contact Gene at precisiongem.com or Barry at acstones.com to see what rough they have left. These tend to get bought very quickly so neither usually have any listed for sale.

greenbluetourm.jpg

mtgtourm343.JPG
 
Congratulations on your engagement! Looking forward to seeing what you find, especially as I have similar taste in blues.
 
For an ering, I wold probably stick with spinels, sapphires or irradiated or HPHT blue diamonds (the latter are much more affordable than natural blue color diamonds, and in your price range). Tourmaline, aqua (beryl) and other gems are not really suitable for everyday wear.

Congratulations on your engagement.
 
Thank you everyone for your congratulations, comments and suggestions! The setting I have picked out right now is the Vatche Swan:

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/swan-solitaire-engagement-ring-by-vatche-310.htm

The size I'm going for is around 7.5-8 mm or even 9. As far as treatments go perhaps heat would be ok, but that's about it. Would love the quality to as good as possible as far as inclusions and clarity, and a great cut; preferably not a native cut (some natives are wonderful but would like the best cut I can afford). As it would be my e ring I want it to be quality all around ; )

MakingTheGrade: Wow :love: , what a stone! That color is amazing and mesmerizing and in range of what I'm going for! The one below is also lovely. Not going for the typical sapphire blues but I suppose more like Paraiaba tourmaline or indicolite, blue-green, Caribbean color glowing stone with intensity and good saturation, dreamy. I would totally go for a sapphire if I could find one the right color. The Montana sapphires that JewelFreak posted are lovely and getting close, but not quite what I'm looking for.

What's the consensus on irritated diamonds? Not sure I like the idea that much and have no idea if they come in color that I'm looking for or where to find a quality one, but they sure would sparkle. I've seen some apatite (I think) that has that dreamy glowing Caribbean blue-green but I know for sure that that's no good for rings. Yikes, I did some quick reading on the blue tourmaline and it sounds like good quality stones are very rare and the mine is mined out.....I'm tearing up that I didn't snatch some up 10 years ago ;( They seem to have a glow to them and I could get lost in a dream looking into the stone.

So, tourmaline wouldn't be durable enough for everyday wear? Awww, that would be no good because it seems like there may be the color I'm looking for in the tourmaline family. What do you all think? Any other suggestions? Open to anything you may suggest and any advice. I am very into colored stones but haven't bought anything in quite a long time so I'm just not sure where the best quality stones are to be found and it's difficult for me to evaluate cut over the net, so you all are really helping me out with your guidance!!! Thanks again! Looking forward to hearing back from you. CC
 
Here's a couple videos on irradiated diamonds that you might find interesting and a bit educational. Some irradiated blues are much nicer than others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXPmp1F5xMo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o0VTLLhvxQ&feature=related

I actually prefer the color of HPHT blue diamonds, but we're not allowed to discuss synthetics in this subforum. For more information about them, see the "Lab Grown Diamonds" subforum.

As for blue tourmaline, some of it is irradiated and/or heated, and you can't tell if the treatment has been done on a stone.
 
If your perfect color can only be found in the tourmaline family, then I would still consider it. Yes, they are softer than sapphires, spinels, and diamonds. But there are still people on these forums who have garnet and tourmaline engagement rings. They typically just take them off when they come home and when they do hands on activities, and accept the fact that there may be signs of wear on the stone after some time. If you're very curious about the tourmaline option, you can try starting a thread asking for some opinions from people who own engagement rings with softer stones in them.
 
tourmaline_lover: Thanks for the videos. I will sit down and check them out tonight!

Does anyone have any suggestions as to who specializes in selling quality blue tourmaline with non native, percision cuts? Looking for only reputable dealers. Would my budget of $3000-6000 (the less it costs the better) get me a quality blue tourmaline of 7.5-9 mm? I also will have an opportunity to visit the gem districts in Philadelphia and New York! Is it worth looking around there? Any suggestions for any reputable dealers in those areas?

Also, what about blue zircon? I read that zircon sparkles almost like a diamond. Any links to specific dealers or stones would be appreciated : ) Thanks again!!!
 
aries2|1296182231|2835291 said:
tourmaline_lover: Thanks for the videos. I will sit down and check them out tonight!

Does anyone have any suggestions as to who specializes in selling quality blue tourmaline with non native, percision cuts? Looking for only reputable dealers. Would my budget of $3000-6000 (the less it costs the better) get me a quality blue tourmaline of 7.5-9 mm? I also will have an opportunity to visit the gem districts in Philadelphia and New York! Is it worth looking around there? Any suggestions for any reputable dealers in those areas?

Also, what about blue zircon? I read that zircon sparkles almost like a diamond. Any links to specific dealers or stones would be appreciated : ) Thanks again!!!
Click to expand...

As for blue tourmaline, there's some precision cut ones on swalagemtraders.com right now. You can see if they would take an offer on some.

gemlineinc.com gives a 30% discount with the mention of being Pricescope member. They occasionally get a nice selection in, and precison cut as well.

Zircon is definitely out of the question as it is very very soft, and even more brittle than tourmaline, and some of it is irradiated.

Found some from Gemfix too. He's a reputable precision cutter.

http://www.gemfix.com/tourmaline_green_blue.html

No matter what options you're given, always email the dealer to see if he has something not listed.

ETA: Also please be careful when purchasing blue tourmaline just by a photo. Much of it that can look bright and neon in a photo can also tend to black out in certain lighting or lose saturation of color. Always ask the dealer if there is "open color" (less blacking out) and if it retains it's saturation in various lighting.
 
I would also email Gene at precisiongem.com
He cuts beautifully and might still have some nice tourmaline rough.

Did you have a timeline for this ring?
 
Thanks for the links! Precisiongem really looks like they do wonderful work. Do you buy the rough and they cut it for you? I have some time so getting something cut would not be out of the question. How much $$$ does custom cutting usually add to the price of the buying the stone? This one from Gemfix.com (below) looks really nice being VVS and it looks like it has a great cut...wish it was slightly more blue and glowing though and a bit larger. Looks like I may be able to get something quality with much less than my budget. However, from what I've been reading, those certain dreamy glowing blue tourmaline can cost major $$$. I wonder what determines the major price jump because some of them look just as great as what's termed Paraiba. So, tourmaline can gray out in certain lighting? And this has to do with the way it's cut (open cut)? Certainly don't want my ering stone to gray out! I only have one very dark green tourmaline that I inherited and it doesn't do that, perhaps because it's so dark? Thanks for all the info everyone. I'm learning a lot!!!

Tourmaline- Round "Portuguese"
Weight: 1.30 cts
Measurements: 7 mm
Clarity: VVS
Origin: Namibia
Enhancements: N
Price: $ 375.00
Order/Stock No.: tourmaline-gb-814
Description: Brilliant and clean, beautiful teal color. Great size for a ring or pendant. (Cut by Andrew Gulij)
 
Most precision cutters won't cut your rough stones...too risky if something goes wrong, if it is their rough, it's their risk in cutting it. I'm no expert, but apparently tourmaline can be a risky stone to cut as it likes to crack, so probably best leave the rough purchasing to the experts.

That said, I love the shades of blue you are choosing! Don't exclude sapphires as once in a blue moon they can come in unusual colors, but finding one that shade would be difficult.

Laura
 
Most lapidaries prefer to buy their own rough and cut them. In fact, this is much better than a consumer trying to shop for his/her own rough because there are too many pitfalls for the stone to not turn out well (too included, end up too small because the yield can be anywhere from 10% to 30% at best, wrong colour, etc). The price of custom cutting depends on the skill and experience of the lapidary, the time spent faceting the rough (simple or complex design) and also how easy or difficult it is to handle and polish the material.

There are varying qualities of cuprians; from the very glowy to the slight. Many unscrupulous vendors term that they have as Paraibas even though they do not glow enough to fall into that category. Some vendors are also very skilled in photography as to make the stone appear to glow when it really only does so under tightly controlled lighting conditions. Correct, most blue green tourmalines have a closed C axis so the ends can end up really dark unless the lapidary cuts a specific design for them like the pixilated design. The other caution about treatment of indicolite today. It is common practice and not often disclosed that some blue tourmalines in the market has been heated and irradiated. Worse yet, as of now, there is no way to detect this treatment, as is the case with pink tourmalines or rubellite.
 
You just email Gene (or lapidary of your choice) and give them an estimate of the size you're looking for, shape preference, and some photos of the color you have in mind. And they will usually get back to you in terms of whether they have anything like that in their rough. There is usually no commitment to buy until the stone is finished and you can see it, at which point you get first dibs on it. If you decide it's not what you imagined, I don't think there is any penalty (but don't quote me on it) as I think they just list them on their site to then sell to the public.

Speaking of glowy blue tourmalines, I don't know if you saw this on his site but he's listed a stunning estate ring:
http://precisiongem.com/html/html/ParaibaTourmaline.html

I haven't a clue what the price is, most likely more than your current budget, but I don't know. I just know it's gorgeous!

But not all blue tourms are $$$, the round one in the photo I posted wasn't that pricey but was a lovely color. Oddly enough, the color was a little too surreal for me to handle, and I subsequently sold it to another PSer.
 
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