Gemstone buying game plan

[Honey228]

I like to really think about things before I commit myself to a purchase. At first, I thought that I would be covered by just simple diamond jewelry because diamonds go with everything.

But I think I spend most of my time in the Colored Stones forum and I LOVE looking at all of your pretty colorful things. So naturally I came here for some enabling.

At first, I thought that it would be a good idea to get some gemstone drops that I could hang off of hoops or studs. Now I''m thinking about a gemstone stud collection that I could wear with earring jackets. Like coda72 did in this thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/diamond-jackets-with-gemstone-earrings.92743/. I''m mainly considering earrings for the versatility and price.

I have a few questions:

1)For round 4-5 mm gemstone studs, would I be better off sourcing loose gemstone pairs and having them set or would I be ok with preset earrings? I''m wondering about the quality of Blue Nile studs, there wasn''t a lot of feedback on the website. I''m not very about knowledgeable gemstones , so I doubt that I''d appreciate "collector quality" gems. I just want them to be colorful, sparkly, natural gemstones.

2)Studs vs. earring charms, rings, or pendants - Am I wrong in assuming that studs would be a more economical option? If I did the charms, ring, or pendant route I think that I would be drawn to larger, fancy shape cut stones. And I like the look of white diamonds to "set off" the color of the gemstones, so if I did rings or pendants I''d have to pay more per setting as opposed to the studs with jackets. Of course with earrings, I''d have to find matching pairs of stones.

3)Jacket/stud size: First place I thought of to look for jackets was Whiteflash. This forum has made me very comfortable with the idea of Whiteflash, but any other suggestions for jackets would be appreciated. The website told me what carat weight the jacket would fit, but I''m assuming that was for diamond studs. Since different gemstones have different densities, I''m trying to guesstimate by the diameter of the stone as opposed to the carat weight. Does anyone know for sure if the smallest Whiteflash jackets should be fit with a 4-5 mm stud?

I''d appreciate any feedback. I don''t have any experience, but I''d like to learn.

 

[Kismet]

The problem with buying gemstone pieces from Blue Nile is that you''re not necessarily going to get the item in the picture. You''re going to get a similar item which may or may not be similar enough for you. Check out some of the sites listed on the sticky post. ACS has some 4mm stud earrings of different types in stock for pretty cheap prices.

It''s going to depend on what gemstones you buy. If you buy something like amethyst you can get larger sizes relatively inexpensively, although they would probably still cost more than smaller size stones. If you''re looking for something more like sapphires then larger sizes will cost you a lot more (assuming the same quality from small to large). Plain basket settings aren''t hugely expensive, but you will probably end up paying a bit more for a larger size and if it needs to be custom made. I have some earring charms and I wear them on my diamond hoops so that I don''t need more diamonds around the charms themselves but everyone is different.

Your best bet is to ask Whiteflash directly about what mm size they would fit.ACS has some 4mm stud earrings of different types in stock

 

[Honey228]

Thanks for the reply Kismet! I found your thread here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/changing-earring-backs.50792/. Hmm that''s much more affordable than I thought. I might have to give that more consideration. Did you ever take pics of yours?

It probably would be a better bet for me to source my own stones and have them set. I don''t know why, but I''m little bit daunted by the process. Oh well, I have lots of time to plan!

 

[Kismet]

Date: 1/9/2009 1:32:25 PM
Author: Honey228
Thanks for the reply Kismet! I found your thread here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/changing-earring-backs.50792/. Hmm that''s much more affordable than I thought. I might have to give that more consideration. Did you ever take pics of yours?


It probably would be a better bet for me to source my own stones and have them set. I don''t know why, but I''m little bit daunted by the process. Oh well, I have lots of time to plan!

I have not taken pictures of them actually. I''ll see if I can do that this weekend. You do have to remember that these earrings were already set as studs so the $24 only included removing the posts and soldering a jump ring on the top so I could hang them from my hoops. I imagine that setting loose stones in plain basket settings would be more on the $200 end of things. The $200 figure is just a guess. Your best bet would be to contact your jeweler and ask him/her the price of setting X mm size of loose stones as charms.

 

[Pandora II]

I had a pair of studs made last year - IIRC the settings were around $130 in 18kt yg and then the cost of the stones on top (rather a lot more) plus the cost for setting them.

Also worth remembering that if you source the stones from a different person than the one providing the settings and doing the work, you will need to take out your own insurance or take the risk of something awful happening. The jeweller will not take responsibility.