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E/ring Project

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talamasca

Guest
I'm really not enjoying this any more :((

When I first started looking for a coloured stone for my engagement ring it was exciting and fun, but now I'm not really any further along and I just want my ring!

The people on here have been great, as have the gem cutters I've been in contact with, but the colour and clarity of the stone I love seems to be out of my budget, though I am waiting to see one stone in particular.

My jeweller is also trying to get in some stones for me to look at, though they can't get hold of any spinels so have only got tourmalines and they're struggling to find the pink I like.

And the price of side diamonds are coming in way way way more than I anciticpated.

Right now I feel really stressed and unhappy. I know I might be being picky, but I don't want to settle; I just want it to be perfect, but then again I really want my e/ring :roll:

Sorry for the moan, I just needed to vent!
 

snoopkat

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 2, 2011
Messages
203
oh no, it suckis not being able to find the perfect stone for your e-ring:( But hopefully you won't have to look much longer and the perfect stone will present itself. If you're not looking to upgrade, then you should definitely hold out for the right stone rather than buying something for the sake of having something to wear. But if you want to upgrade, then maybe start with a 'will do for now' stone and work your way up to the perfect one?

either way good luck and i hope you find something soon!
 

packrat

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
10,614
Refresh my drink what you're looking for again? I can't remember. Which cutters have you tried?
 

maebelle

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Joined
May 28, 2010
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I know you were looking at Gemfix (and others) at both pink (but not hot pink) spinels and tourmalines, but I can't recall what you had decided on as the final stone or the final budget. You'll be amazed what pricescopers will find if you give them the parameters!

Gems should be fun!
 
T

talamasca

Guest
packrat|1304684345|2913827 said:
Refresh my drink what you're looking for again? I can't remember. Which cutters have you tried?

:D I'm looking for an inclusion free light baby pink (no orange tones) portuguese cut oval spinel, approx 7 x 5 mm (not smaller) which I was going to set in 18ct white gold with 2 x 0.15ct trilliant cut diamonds either side, but my jeweller's come back and quoted what I think to be a ridiculous price for the diamonds (£500) so I'm now re-assessing the style of the ring!!!

I think if I can get the perfect centre/main stone, even if it costs a bit more than I originally planned, then I'll be happy and will then may be chose a different (cheaper) design.

ETA:

Hi Maebelle, my total (increased) budget is now £1,000 for the whole ring, inc. P&P, VAT, import, etc, etc, which I think is about $1,600

And I absolutely love the colour of drillsgtsgem's pink spinel!!!
 

iLander

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Messages
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I found these pink spinels on Jerry's site (Gemart Services):

http://www.gemartservices.com/for-sale.html

Scroll down to "Pinker Spinel". He's not a great photographer, but he's a heck of a cutter. Read his bio on his site, it's an interesting life! He will shoot extra pics for you.

He doesn't have much on his site, so I email him periodically and see what he's cutting. He sent me a pic of the round pink tourmaline below, I think it's still available. He usually cuts for jewelers and mine owners, so not much time, but he's quick and extremely professional. Also, very honest. I tried to buy a blue tourmaline from him a month ago, but he told me his rough just wasn't up to snuff.

I worked with him to cut a large (10 x 10) square nigerian tourmaline, and I know he has other rough. He had it cut and in my hand in under a week. Really professional. The square tourm that I attached is one I rejected as being too light, I wanted a deep magenta. But I am including it to show you the variety of his cuts.

You may want to email him and see what he can cut for you. You are looking for something extremely specific, so you will probably need a custom cut.

squareTOURM.jpg

Tourmaline The Nines 5.76ct 011.jpg
 

Pandora II

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 3, 2006
Messages
9,613
talamasca|1304690143|2913875 said:
packrat|1304684345|2913827 said:
Refresh my drink what you're looking for again? I can't remember. Which cutters have you tried?

:D I'm looking for an inclusion free light baby pink (no orange tones) portuguese cut oval spinel, approx 7 x 5 mm (not smaller) which I was going to set in 18ct white gold with 2 x 0.15ct trilliant cut diamonds either side, but my jeweller's come back and quoted what I think to be a ridiculous price for the diamonds (£500) so I'm now re-assessing the style of the ring!!!

I think if I can get the perfect centre/main stone, even if it costs a bit more than I originally planned, then I'll be happy and will then may be chose a different (cheaper) design.

ETA:

Hi Maebelle, my total (increased) budget is now £1,000 for the whole ring, inc. P&P, VAT, import, etc, etc, which I think is about $1,600

And I absolutely love the colour of drillsgtsgem's pink spinel!!!

Give 'Vision of Diamonds' in Boutique 36, Hatton Garden a call and say that Pandora told you to call and tell them what you are looking for. Or, even better wait till Monday as I'm seeing them tomorrow with a friend whose ring they are doing so I can have a word and see what price they could quote you. £500 for 0.30cttw is ridiculous even with VAT and UK prices. I can also see what I can find in terms of pink spinel in the area if you like - there are loads of dealers and I'm always up for an excuse to eye up bling.

Can you repost pics here of the setting that you like so I can stick them on my phone to show them.

Let me know if you'd rather I didn't, but this should be fun and I've helped people do rings on your budget before and that has been 0.50ct + solitaires etc
 
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talamasca

Guest
Hi Pandora,

Aww, thanks that would be really good and if they're reasonably priced I'd much rather deal with them than say buy off eBay which is what I was thinking I might have to do. Would I then get a local jeweller to set the main stone or send it to them though?

Here's a pic of the setting:
 

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talamasca

Guest
Hi iLander, thanks for the link. I've had a look and contacted him so will see if he has anything :D
 

velouriaL

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I totally understand how you feel... It's important not to settle but also important to be realistic about what you can get for a particular budget. You've gotten some good leads on this post, and I do think your project is doable in your budget, though I'm not sure about UK prices and the cost of gold right now.

On the other hand, if this is getting too frustrating and this round of leads doesn't work out... If it were me, I would compromise on elements rather than quality-- that is, I'd forego diamonds entirely rather than get a softer gem like a tourmaline or something smaller or lower quality. You can always upgrade with diamonds letter.

This is one of my all-time favorite e-rings on pricescope. I think a baby pink oval spinel would look awesome in this setting. Perhaps even in rose gold. You might not even miss the diamonds...
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-long-overdue-wf-yellow-sapphire-engagement-ring-pics.148366/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-long-overdue-wf-yellow-sapphire-engagement-ring-pics.148366/[/URL]
 

Pandora II

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talamasca|1304701360|2914036 said:
Hi Pandora,

Aww, thanks that would be really good and if they're reasonably priced I'd much rather deal with them than say buy off eBay which is what I was thinking I might have to do. Would I then get a local jeweller to set the main stone or send it to them though?

Here's a pic of the setting:

They are goldsmiths as well as diamond dealers. They also have great links with coloured stone people so might be able to pull in some pink sapphires or spinels.

I do have another potential thought on the stone situation - let me do some detective work and I'll get back to you asap. Do you have a pic of the ideal colour you are after?

In the meantime, have you checked out the two beautiful pink spinels that Rick at Art Cut Gems has on his website. I can vouch for his stones being super-nice. Also worth asking if he's got something that isn't up on the site as not all his stock is listed.

http://www.artcutgems.com/item.php?item_id=532&page=2&category_id=48

http://www.artcutgems.com/item.php?item_id=588&page=2&category_id=48
 
T

talamasca

Guest
Here's the ideal pink - very bright and light, with no orange/peach tones, but I don't mind a slight flash of blue in daylight:
 

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LD

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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Pandora/Talamasca - I recently had a trilliant cut diamond side stone chipped and had to buy a new one. It was horribly expensive and I bought it at almost cost! In terms of the setting pictured above, it has a heavy goldweight AND if it has to be modified to fit central/side stones, the costs will mount up. I had a very similar ring made (supplied all the stones and the setting was bespoke) and yes, I did come within the £1k budget BUT that was working with jewellers I have used for years who charge me very little on top of their costs. So I would agree that this project is a challenge. Do-able but a challenge. White sapphire/zircon side stones would make life easier and could be replaced at a later date. The very specific specs for the central stone may be an issue though and also the setting.
 

innerkitten

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I had a several ideas and it wouldn't let me post :(
 

Pandora II

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That is not going to be an easy colour to match - it also looks like a peach colour in that picture?
 
T

talamasca

Guest
veloriaL - wowzer that ring is gorgeous. I've been thinking of doing that, but I think the stone would need to be bigger than the 7 x 5 mm that I've been looking for and then of course up goes the budget!

It's def a possibility though if the diamonds are coming in too much, thanks :D
 
T

talamasca

Guest
May be I'm not so good with colour as someone else saw purple in the a stone I was looking at which I didn't pick up on! OMG, even more of a challenge :lol:

Gemart has come back to me about a particular stone, which is pretty but unfortunately has some green I'm not keen on.

Another supplier has come back with what looks to be a very nice stone, may be a bit darker than I want, I'm not sure. What do you think? It's 7 x 6.1 mm - 1.33 cts. I think it may be a bit small???

I am still waiting to see another stone.

I also contacted JW about his batch of pink spinel, but with P&P, tax, etc I could only afford it if I went with a different ring design! Oh, the decisions :confused: but at least the search is becoming fun again

spinel 1.jpg
 

marymm

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
5,520
I like that last stone you just posted,OP - very pretty pink and I love the cut. Per its 7x6mm dimensions, it's slightly larger than the 7x5mm oval you originally indicated you wanted... is it the carat weight that makes it seem a bit small for your purpose?

In any case, to me, if the price is reasonable and there is a "no questions asked" return policy, I would pull the trigger on this stone so I could see it in person - I could definitely picture it in the setting you've chosen, and I think the pink will hold its color but still be light-pink w/no orange or peach (if anything maybe a slight verge to lilac).

I'm glad you're having fun again with the project!
 
T

talamasca

Guest
Hi marymm, I think size-wise I just imagined it more oval and that's kind of what I meant by smaller, i.e. it's going a bit more round than oval. But the more I look at it the more I've fallen for it, especially the colour! I thought I wanted a very pale pink, but in the setting I like I agree with what you say about it holding its colour.

Because it's a bit under my budget though I have queried whether they have anything in the same colour, but slightly bigger and more oval so will see what they come back with, but this is definitely a main contender.

And as for the stone I thought had green and blue in it, apparently it doesn't at the cutter is going to try and take a better pic for me so I could have another to choose from!
 

Pandora II

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Back and with information.

I showed the jeweller the picture of the setting that you like and his view was that with the linked wire style setting you would be taking a big risk having 0.15ct side-stones as the ring would then be structural unsound (he wouldn't be prepared to set something like that) plus the proportions would look awkward. He suggests a minimum of 0.30ct each side. He could do that setting in 18kt white gold with 0.60cttw trillion sides for £1,050 which I know goes over your budget, but could be worth saving up for if you really, really love that setting.

The other suggestions were to do a double gallery setting and drop to 0.50cttw trillions which would come in at £700. Another possibility is to do a setting with 3 rbs on each side rather than the trillions - ie 2 next to the centre stone and then one between them so they look triangular. I saw a few settings like it today and thought they were very pretty - and didn't look like they were trying to fake being a trillion or pear or whatever. Not sure they would work in a linked wire setting, but they would bring the total cost down considerably.

I spoke to another friend who is a stone dealer and he's going to bring a selection of 7 x 5 oval baby pink sapphires in for me to see on Monday. I've told him the colour and said great cut and nothing dodgy in terms of inclusions. He thinks they will be ballpark between £200-300, but he needs to check to be sure.

I did see a very nice sapphire this afternoon which is a perfect colour - paler than the spinel above (which is also lovely), but no peach or orange (shows a tiny bit of blue at times). However it is bigger - 7.8mm x 6.7mm - and more rounded oval than you were thinking. It's very well cut and is eye-clean. It has two small inclusions but they don't compromise the integrity of the stone and are exactly where the prongs would go so you'd never see them. I took some pics on my i-phone which came out badly but do show the colour quite well (will post them later). He'd do a deal on it for £400. He's one of the better dealers that are open to the public that I know here and always has nice stones... showed me a very nice 2.4ct oval tsavorite and last time I was in he had killer sphene and an amazing 15ct blue star sapphire that was one of the best I have ever seen (it sold in less than 24 hours).

All the prices quoted above include VAT btw. The setting prices include the diamonds, the setting itself and mounting all 3 stones. Diamonds would be well cut with G colour and SI1 clarity (but totally eye-clean).

Let me know if you want me to get details on the pink sapphires on Monday - I can take photos but they won't be super-duper ones like the vendors here have on their websites.

Hope that helps.
 

movie zombie

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
11,879
velouriaL|1304704930|2914103 said:
I totally understand how you feel... It's important not to settle but also important to be realistic about what you can get for a particular budget. You've gotten some good leads on this post, and I do think your project is doable in your budget, though I'm not sure about UK prices and the cost of gold right now.

On the other hand, if this is getting too frustrating and this round of leads doesn't work out... If it were me, I would compromise on elements rather than quality-- that is, I'd forego diamonds entirely rather than get a softer gem like a tourmaline or something smaller or lower quality. You can always upgrade with diamonds letter....
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-long-overdue-wf-yellow-sapphire-engagement-ring-pics.148366/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-long-overdue-wf-yellow-sapphire-engagement-ring-pics.148366/[/URL]

i agree with this. it is difficult having champagne taste and a beer budget when it comes to color stones....sigh. however, your e-ring isn't just any piece of jewelry.

if you're wanting a ring now, why not buy something rather inexpensive as a "token" ring and save some more $ for your e-ring?

if you're going with a color stone, it is the most important thing of all re your e-ring....more important than side stones [i'd dump them] or even the setting [simpler is better and less expensive]. the $ spent on a quality color stone is worth it. you won't regret it. but you will always regret not having a quality color stone in your e-ring.........i'd save $ where i could but not at the expense of a quality stone.

i take all this back, however, if you're thinking you'll get a color stone now and replace it with a diamond later. if that's the case, well, you don't need a quality color stone......but what you're describing is pretty specific and i don't think you're going to be trading it out for a diamond.....?

MoZo
 

Amys Bling

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Messages
11,025
movie zombie|1304791929|2914899 said:
velouriaL|1304704930|2914103 said:
I totally understand how you feel... It's important not to settle but also important to be realistic about what you can get for a particular budget. You've gotten some good leads on this post, and I do think your project is doable in your budget, though I'm not sure about UK prices and the cost of gold right now.

On the other hand, if this is getting too frustrating and this round of leads doesn't work out... If it were me, I would compromise on elements rather than quality-- that is, I'd forego diamonds entirely rather than get a softer gem like a tourmaline or something smaller or lower quality. You can always upgrade with diamonds letter....
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-long-overdue-wf-yellow-sapphire-engagement-ring-pics.148366/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-long-overdue-wf-yellow-sapphire-engagement-ring-pics.148366/[/URL]

i agree with this. it is difficult having champagne taste and a beer budget when it comes to color stones....sigh. however, your e-ring isn't just any piece of jewelry.

if you're wanting a ring now, why not buy something rather inexpensive as a "token" ring and save some more $ for your e-ring?

if you're going with a color stone, it is the most important thing of all re your e-ring....more important than side stones [i'd dump them] or even the setting [simpler is better and less expensive]. the $ spent on a quality color stone is worth it. you won't regret it. but you will always regret not having a quality color stone in your e-ring.........i'd save $ where i could but not at the expense of a quality stone.

i take all this back, however, if you're thinking you'll get a color stone now and replace it with a diamond later. if that's the case, well, you don't need a quality color stone......but what you're describing is pretty specific and i don't think you're going to be trading it out
for a diamond.....?


I agree with all of this. Don't settle on your ERing. If you can't afford exactly what you want now purchase a "place holder" inexpensively now and continue to save for "the one".

MoZo
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
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Messages
25,159
talamasca|1304709718|2914189 said:
Here's the ideal pink - very bright and light, with no orange/peach tones, but I don't mind a slight flash of blue in daylight:

That's a baby pink, very light pink, and I do see some peach in that particular shot. Does anyone have a shot of the vendor photo of this gem. This particular shot appears to be taken with bright light on it, and it's kind of difficult to tell the exact color. I think the cutting might also be drawing you in as well.

I posted some other very baby pink spinel ovals that were well cut in your other thread. Not the right color for you? They didn't have a bright light on them, so unless you start examining some gems in person, you might be surprised. Hue and tone can change in various light sources.

ETA: Here is a better shot of that stone that shows the true color better against a white background, unshaded, and not in direct sun. It's more of a very light lavender pink I think.

file.jpg

You may want to look for light toned lavender pink stones. Spinels tend to be more on the orangey pink or lavender pink side. Pure pink is difficult to find in a spinel, otherwise, you might want to look at sapphires instead, and that has it's own precarious issues. Treatments, etc. . .
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
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Messages
25,159
If I hit this stone with a nice direct light, and shaded it, it would be beautiful and very bright looking. It does remind me of the color of the JW stone in the box. No orange to my eye, and a light toned lavender pink. Don't let the low price fool you, it's not a particularly expensive color in spinel, and these are kind of underpriced/valued right now.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-37ct-Flawless...429?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ced639715

babypinkspinel.JPG
 

marymm

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
5,520
The Spinel TL posted above seems to match all of your requirements - pretty pink color and definitely oval in shape - and it is gorgeous in the video (love the high crown) and very reasonably priced - personally I have purchased maybe 8-10 stones from OdysseyGem and all have been as described/depicted if not better - and between this stone and the roval above I much prefer the OdysseyGem stone.

So it looks like you have some decent options to consider... always a good position to be in!
 

velouriaL

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 21, 2004
Messages
1,178
I am THE QUEEN champagne taste and malt liquor (not even beer!) budget, so I know where you're coming from. Being on PS can give you an inflated sense of what is "normal".... I don't mind, of course, because it's a very pretty skewed reality...

But just to clarify what I was saying earlier, I think you should put all your money into a forever stone-- the best one you can afford, maybe even bigger like you were saying before-- and then put it in a temporary (but still high quality and elegant!) setting until you can get the diamond one you really want, since it seems to be diamonds that are eating up your budget. I wouldn't get a total placeholder ring, just a place-holder setting.

For the sides, have you considered going with white sapphires for now? Or perhaps some other alternative that-I-shant-speak-of. I think in a setting like the one you want, it should be fairly easy to swap out the sidestones for diamonds when you can afford them, unlike pave or bezel settings.

Alternatively, do you (or perhaps does your intended) have a loving, supportive family member with have an old pair of earrings or other unused diamonds that you might sacrifice to the cause? Probably not in the fancy shape, but perhaps round brilliants? My friend was in a similar position as you and her mother, turns out, had an ugly (really hideous!) diamond cluster ring from the 1980s. Her jewelery upcycled the diamonds and the cold, actually.

I don't know how well you'd do in England, but I know some people on here have had luck stalking ebay for small diamond side stones. You might get lucky...
 
T

talamasca

Guest
I LOVE PS and I am soooo glad I found this place :D

Thanks everyone for the links and tips so far.

Pandora - I read your post last night, thank you so much for finding out what you did I really appreciate it, and having slept on it I think I need to forget the trills altogether and stick with the most important, which for me is the right size, cut and coloured pink gem and the open flowing vine/V prong setting.

If you're in the area it would be great to see some pink spinels and hear your opinions on them, but I wouldn't want to put you out, especially as I really like the Gemfix gem, plus I'm waiting to see another too.

TL - I looked at the gems you posted in my other thread and at the time I felt quite wary about buying from eBay and about the inclusions, but they are pretty, however I still think they have more lavendar than the Gemfix stone which to me looks more pink, though I have asked them to clarify the RL colour.

Marymm - Can I ask what it is you prefer about the Odyssey Gem to the Gemfix one? I wonder if I don't have that good an eye when it comes to colour??

So, I'm still waiting to see a stone which would be about 8 x 5 mm and I've contacted Gemfix about the roval just to see if they have anything in same colour but slightly bigger and more oval, though I do think I have fallen for the Gemfix stone even though it may be not quite what I was looking for!

Re ring setting I Googled and found this setting which I think is similar in style to the three stone setting I love and I think a pink stone would look great in it. However, though I have quite plain tastes when it comes to jewellery I'm wondering whether this would look better with some tiny diamonds (I think it's called melee?) on the shank/shoulders or whether I should keep it as it is and have a half diamond wedding band - any thoughts?

4 prong split shank 1 (plat £495).jpg

4 prong split shank 2.jpg
 

marymm

Ideal_Rock
Premium
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Messages
5,520
talamasca|1304857533|2915372 said:
... Marymm - Can I ask what it is you prefer about the Odyssey Gem to the Gemfix one? I wonder if I don't have that good an eye when it comes to colour?? ...

Hi OP - just saw your question - that Spinel is gone now - disclosure: I actually woke up this morning thinking if you hadn't snagged it yet I'd pick it up myself, but too late!

Even though it is now moot, I'll tell you I preferred the OdysseyGem stone simply b/c I always prefer to make decisions with more info, and for that stone I was able to view a video as well as a still photo, and clarity was IF!, and of course it was a trusted vendor (in my eyes) - I also found the oval shape more pleasing.

That other stone to me, the roval, has a very similar and pretty color, and I do like the cut of it (seems Portuguese-like perhaps?), and from the pic it seems like it too would have a high crown - but it wasn't oval in shape like you had specified, and I do not know who the vendor is, and there was only the one pic and bare-bones details (carat weight and dimensions) on which to rely...

I'm assuming it wasn't you who purchased the OdysseyGem Spinel (if it was you, plse let us know) -- and I do still very much like that roval you had posted - of the two stones, I just thought the OdysseyGem fit more of your requirements.

eta: I didn't realize that roval stone was from GemFix - FWIW I've had very good experience w/ them and they have a good return policy...
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
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talamasca|1304857533|2915372 said:
TL - I looked at the gems you posted in my other thread and at the time I felt quite wary about buying from eBay and about the inclusions, but they are pretty, however I still think they have more lavendar than the Gemfix stone which to me looks more pink, though I have asked them to clarify the RL colour.

To me, the Gemfix one looks to have more orange, which is not what you want.
 

movie zombie

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
11,879
re the setting: keep it the way it is. save your $ and do the wedding band as you suggested. that is a very narrow setting and melee i think would be difficult to set and keep in it and i don't think it would look that good anyway. i do like the simple solitare effect and it would certainly hold you until you decide one day to upgrade........

MoZo

ps you do seem to want diamonds......are you sure you don't want a diamond e-ring?
 
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