coloured stone not suited to solitaire setting?

[enoki]

Hi everyone

Some PSers may remember my dilemna over a green stone for my ering a few months back (thank you everyone who helped and supported!). Long story short I finally sourced not 1 but 3 stones from Richard Wise. 1 is for my e-ring, 1 is for FH''s wedder and the 3rd a matching pendant. Been meaning to post up pics...I''ve attached the few we have

And yes I am completely in love and mesmerised by all 3.

I pretty much had my heart set on a solitaire-style setting (maybe with diamonds on the band) but was told (in no uncertain terms) by a well known platinum jeweller LM that was pretty much the worst settng for a coloured stone and that I should go for a halo or a 3stone (he really pushed for 2xpear side stones). Basically he said coloured stones don''t do well as solitaires and are best shown off with diamonds (which I do agree with - hence the diamonds).

Halo is just not my style/me, the 3stone - I feel like I would be settling for what the jeweller wants rather than what I love. I have a pretty strong sense of personal style and all the pics I''ve saved of rings I like seem to look pretty similar (ie. elegant solitaire).

My question to PSers is this - is this a case of ''listen to the expert here...'' A coloured stone, particularly the gorgeous green of the tsav would just be washed out in a solitaire setting and I really should listen to the expert. Or (as I felt) is it where the jeweller''s personal likes/choice is coming thru. I was completely floored and quite sad about it so I thought I''d come back to where it all started and ask for your opinions here.

Thanks *sniff sniff*

 

[enoki]

Ok I can''t seem to work out how to do multiple pics so here''s the 2nd (my stone), the 1st is the smaller tsav for FH''s wedder and 3rd is actually a chrome tourmaline for a pendant

 

[enoki]

last one....

Oh and I was told to go with 4prongs instead of 6 (I was thinking of 6).

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I've seen many gorgeous colored stone solitaires!! Pandora's tsav ring has accent diamonds, but it's not a halo or 3 stone and I think it's just beautiful. I'd say go with what style and look you love best, but I'm also not a halo person so maybe I'm biased.

And that pear is just

 

[enoki]

I know...isn''t it just...when it arrived I almost changed my mind hehe

but I do love the simplicity of the round. Specwise I think the tourmaline is the star but I do love my tsav. I''ve attached some setting pics.

 

[enoki]

last one..

 

[Fly Girl]

enoki - I have lots of colored stones set as solitaires, and I am happy with my choices. I prefer the look of a solitaire. I''m pretty sure that the color of those RW Wise stones will not be washed out. They are stunning. Congratulations of your selection of some beautiful stones.

 

[D&T]

I personally like solitaires, or even three stone, I also like halos on colored gems. You are the one wearing it and at the end of the day, your jeweler can discuss design elements all he wants, make the ring, and he will be done and gone however, you are the one left with the ring- are you going to love it or just ehh?

 

[Lovinggems]

I love the pear shaped tsav! If you like solitaires you should go for one.

 

[marcy]

Great color tsavorites. I have a few colored stone rings as solitaires; one of them is a mint garnet and it can hold it''s own. I find I wear it often. If it''s your style then I think you''d be happy with it.

 

[klewis]

Congratulations on your choice of stones. You have obviously been given great advise by a great vendor. I hope you show us the finished products, I''m particularly interested to see the finished man''s ring. We see so few men''s rings here.

 

[enoki]

Thanks for all the advice. All your replies are telling me to listen to my gut instinct...stick with what I love...esp when the other settings are a bit ''meh'' to me...and they don''t give me that gooey warm feeling

Will keep you posted and most definitely the finished pics. We don''t know how we''ll go with the men''s ring actually. We planned to have it set into a band but apparently it''s quite a large stone and might not work. It''s a 5x3mm round

 

[Nomsdeplume]

Always, always go with the warm fuzzy feeling.

That pear is my new favourite avatar! And that setting will be great for the round.
GO FOR IT!

 

[ma re]

I''m probably known here for suggesting people to (most often) follow some rules, but I also find myself loving items where rules are not followed. So I''ll repeat what''s already been said, get what you love. Your jeweller might also "like" diamonds more because they increase the finished price of a custom item

But seriously, if you think you''d wear it more as a solitaire, then get a solitaire. I don''t like generalizations and saying that all stones look better with diamonds is not a wise one, as some styles without diamonds just bring out the beauty of colored stones so nicely.

 

[AustenNut]

Just chiming in to agree with everyone else. I have a sapphire solitaire already, and have asked for one as my e-ring. I think yours will be stunning!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 8/28/2009 9:02:19 PM
Author:enoki
Hi everyone

Some PSers may remember my dilemna over a green stone for my ering a few months back (thank you everyone who helped and supported!). Long story short I finally sourced not 1 but 3 stones from Richard Wise. 1 is for my e-ring, 1 is for FH''s wedder and the 3rd a matching pendant. Been meaning to post up pics...I''ve attached the few we have

And yes I am completely in love and mesmerised by all 3.

I pretty much had my heart set on a solitaire-style setting (maybe with diamonds on the band) but was told (in no uncertain terms) by a well known platinum jeweller LM that was pretty much the worst settng for a coloured stone and that I should go for a halo or a 3stone (he really pushed for 2xpear side stones). Basically he said coloured stones don''t do well as solitaires and are best shown off with diamonds (which I do agree with - hence the diamonds).

Halo is just not my style/me, the 3stone - I feel like I would be settling for what the jeweller wants rather than what I love. I have a pretty strong sense of personal style and all the pics I''ve saved of rings I like seem to look pretty similar (ie. elegant solitaire).

My question to PSers is this - is this a case of ''listen to the expert here...'' A coloured stone, particularly the gorgeous green of the tsav would just be washed out in a solitaire setting and I really should listen to the expert. Or (as I felt) is it where the jeweller''s personal likes/choice is coming thru. I was completely floored and quite sad about it so I thought I''d come back to where it all started and ask for your opinions here.

Thanks *sniff sniff*

I find these comments rather curious, since I had a colored stone put in about as simple a setting as they come, from said jeweler. He never said anything like this to me, and I think the ring turned out "ok".

I echo everyone else, go with whaty you want.

 

[Lexie]

enoki - I couldn't stand to see your beautiful pear-shaped tsav totally squished in your avatar, so I resized it for you

As far as whether to get a solitaire or not, I think that you should get whatever makes you happy. Just try to go easy on your ring, I guess?

 

[enoki]

Date: 8/29/2009 2:17:06 PM
Author: Lexie
enoki - I couldn''t stand to see your beautiful pear-shaped tsav totally squished in your avatar, so I resized it for you

oh Lexie aren''t you a sweetheart?

I saw it too and was trying to figure out how to fix it so thank u

and Ellen I''m not sure because all I did was send in an enquiry and then I called. I was asked about design and I said I liked this and that and that was the response I got (in pretty much those words) which crushed me because I was prepared to send all stones to him to get them made. I did some searching last night and I''m thinking I might go with Holloway diamonds (I''m actually in Australia which makes it a tad trickier) and I am trying to find someone I trust to do the work at a good price (aren''t we all??). I''m planning to have it made in platinum too most likely.

After all your comments I feel a lot more confident in myself. I just wasn''t sure if it was one of those times when you really should listen to the people who do this all day long. But given how much I prefer the solitaire setting, I think I will stick with it

 

[Girl from Mars]

I recently got my sapphire ering set in a solitaire/diamond band setting, which I am really happy with - so if you like this look better, I''d still go that way. I know that depending on the stone some additional metal can help protect it better - do you think this is what he was trying to suggest?

BTW, I had my ring made here in Melbourne, in case you are interested.

 

[enoki]

Incidentally...does anyone know if Holloway (the website says they do) work with stones like tsavs and tourmalines? Quite a few threads rate them very highly for diamonds and workmanship so I''m leaning towards getting the pieces made by them. I''m just a tad anxious with my pretties can you tell?

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I have never been able to come to terms with a colored stone solitaire.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 8/29/2009 6:34:05 PM
Author: enoki

oh Lexie aren''t you a sweetheart?

I saw it too and was trying to figure out how to fix it so thank u

and Ellen I''m not sure because all I did was send in an enquiry and then I called. I was asked about design and I said I liked this and that and that was the response I got (in pretty much those words) which crushed me because I was prepared to send all stones to him to get them made. I did some searching last night and I''m thinking I might go with Holloway diamonds (I''m actually in Australia which makes it a tad trickier) and I am trying to find someone I trust to do the work at a good price (aren''t we all??). I''m planning to have it made in platinum too most likely.

After all your comments I feel a lot more confident in myself. I just wasn''t sure if it was one of those times when you really should listen to the people who do this all day long. But given how much I prefer the solitaire setting, I think I will stick with it

Yeah, well, I stopped trying to figure this one out a long time ago. Who knows?

I''m sorry your dreams were dashed.

I don''t know anything much about HD, but certainly give them a call. Someone else I would try contacting for quotes, that is quite trustworthy, is BGD. I''m pretty sure they set colored stones, and they are reasonable.

Good luck!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Beautiful stone.

I have a tsavorite stone set in an engraved solitaire. I think it looks fine. I would have rather had diamonds just because that is my style, but I don''t think the stone looks "washed out" at all. I put a pic for reference.

You are the one who will be wearing the ring, so do what you feel is right.

 

[Harriet]

Enoki,

When I had Leon set my first gem (incidentally, also a Tsavorite), he told me that he preferred setting gems with diamonds. He probably expressed his opinion to you in a harsh way (he sometimes has that manner). Just override him. You''re the customer afterall.

 

[enoki]

Date: 8/29/2009 6:59:31 PM
Author: Girl from Mars
I recently got my sapphire ering set in a solitaire/diamond band setting, which I am really happy with - so if you like this look better, I''d still go that way. I know that depending on the stone some additional metal can help protect it better - do you think this is what he was trying to suggest?


BTW, I had my ring made here in Melbourne, in case you are interested.

oh wow that ring is simply stunning

and I love the setting. It really is a beauty (& thanks for sharing pics!). I''m from Canberra but am happy to go to Melb. Who made your ring? I was debating whether to source more stones fr the US (a quick scan of old threads suggests the diamond market is much much better in terms of choice and pricing than Aus) but I think that might be too hard and not worth the hassle so hence the lean towards Holloway although am open if anyone has suggestions (esp for Canberra or Sydney).

 

[litebrite]

Gorgeous pear tsav. If you are looking for a plat expert and you are in Australia, why not platinumsmith who is based out of Australia? He has some really droolworthy pieces. This is my favorite

Also, here''s a stunning colored stone solitaire by Mark Morrell

Don''t think that the brilliance of your stone will lose anything if it''s in a solitaire.

 

[Girl from Mars]

Date: 8/30/2009 12:02:33 AM
Author: enoki
oh wow that ring is simply stunning

and I love the setting. It really is a beauty (& thanks for sharing pics!). I''m from Canberra but am happy to go to Melb. Who made your ring? I was debating whether to source more stones fr the US (a quick scan of old threads suggests the diamond market is much much better in terms of choice and pricing than Aus) but I think that might be too hard and not worth the hassle so hence the lean towards Holloway although am open if anyone has suggestions (esp for Canberra or Sydney).

Thanks very much! I had it made through K&B Diamond Setters, in Melbourne - and it was custom made - we spent quite a bit of time working through what I liked etc, which was great. The stone was sourced from Jeff White in the US, but was shipped over unset - which means no duty was owed (although you still have to pay GST on the cost). I think if the stone is set it''s then liable for duty plus GST (customs website has clear info about this). Not sure if that affects your decision.

 

[Pandora II]

I have diamond accents on the shank of my e-ring rather than a halo or side-stones. I do think that a few white sparklies do lift the green, but I wouldn''t necessarily say that they need to ''surround'' the stone.

I''m suprised that LM would say this as he did after all produce the Pokey Special which has 3 sided melee but not side-stones or a halo and is still IMHO one of the best rings he has ever made.

ETA: The pear is a chrome tourmaline not a tsav?

 

[Lovinggems]

Oops I think it's a chrome tourmaline! The OP was too polite to correct my earlier mistake.
http://www.rwwise.com/products/id%7C1035

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 8/30/2009 6:42:35 AM
Author: Girl from Mars

Date: 8/30/2009 12:02:33 AM

Author: enoki

oh wow that ring is simply stunning

and I love the setting. It really is a beauty (& thanks for sharing pics!). I''m from Canberra but am happy to go to Melb. Who made your ring? I was debating whether to source more stones fr the US (a quick scan of old threads suggests the diamond market is much much better in terms of choice and pricing than Aus) but I think that might be too hard and not worth the hassle so hence the lean towards Holloway although am open if anyone has suggestions (esp for Canberra or Sydney).

Thanks very much! I had it made through K&B Diamond Setters, in Melbourne - and it was custom made - we spent quite a bit of time working through what I liked etc, which was great. The stone was sourced from Jeff White in the US, but was shipped over unset - which means no duty was owed (although you still have to pay GST on the cost). I think if the stone is set it''s then liable for duty plus GST (customs website has clear info about this). Not sure if that affects your decision.

Hi Girl from Mars,
do you have any photos to share of your creation from K&B? One of the other Aussie members has a gorgeous ring from them, and I was going to work with them at one stage too (I''m in WA). I would love to see more examples of their work.

Enoki, I second the recommendation for K&B and also Ellen''s suggestion of BGD. I would guess, after exchange and taxes, they will likely work out about the same in quotes - so I would go with whoever you feel a better "fit" with.
You can see a number of examples of BGD''s work on the forums, they also do a great job.

Good luck!