Garnet Advice Please

[jennilynn]

I''ve been lurking on this site for a long while and have finally been pushed out of hiding.

I was given a ring by my future mother-in-law a few months ago. Although it is big, undoubtedly around four carats, I''m not particularly fond of it and didn''t pay much attention to it in the beginning. It''s a pear-shaped garnet, two sizes too big for even my middle finger, set in a simple yellow gold, three-prong solitaire. Deep color, but I can see that it is very included. I understand that neither the stone nor the setting are family heirlooms, but I''m not sure if I can trade in the stone for anything worth considering since it is so cloudy in the center. But, if I can find a nice setting to enhance the stone or disguise its flaws, I may reconsider and keep it. Any suggestions? Pics of your pear-shaped gems would be extra helpful.

 

[jennilynn]

Hope this works.

 

[jennilynn]

Please excuse the blurry photos. I''m not nearly as talented as you more experienced ladies.

 

[ma re]

Since it''s most probably a pyrope garnet (don''t know what else could it be), it isn''t worth much eventhough it''s quite big, so doing any expensive work with it just wouldn''t be cost effective. It''s quite dark (like 99% of pyropes) and since you say it''s also included, that further minimizes it''s brilliance and darkens the color. For those reasons I''d forget about setting it in white gold, platinum or with white diamonds - the stone would seem almost black due to a strong contrast. Now, since the stone is obviously not of high quality, maybe you should think about setting it in a pendant or brooch? Ring stones should be of good clarity and a nice tone of color, cause people look at them the most. Of course, rules are made to be broken, but still think about it. Being a larger stone, and a pear shape, it could make a very nice pendant - having it custom made in yellow gold could be quite affordable. You can even incorporate it into an existing gold necklace or bracelet (if you have one), or even have a custom made clasp done with it for a pearl strand. There are quite a lot of options. Good luck and have fun

 

[Kelli]

Oh I like that pearl strand idea! I agree it would be a nice size for a pendant.

 

[jennilynn]

Thanks for your suggestions, ma re and Kelli. I''m really liking the idea of a pendant.

 

[ma re]

Forgot to say, richer yellow color of gold (say deeper 18k or maybe even 22k) or that of rose gold would further enhance the stone''s color.