graduation ring

[lavatea]

So this is probably a silly question to ask here, given the audience. I will (hopefully, if I pass my final tomorrow...should probably stop playing here and study for that) graduate in December with my BS in nursing. I want to get a ring for the occasion. Please help me decide if I should get the official college ring or have a custom ring made.

Pros of the official ring:
anyone that sees it will know it''s a school ring
it has the sentimentality factor
it''s specific to graduates from my school

Cons of the official ring:
the price for a 14k cast ring with a .05 ct teensy diamond chip seems excessive (somewhere around $850)
it might look too much like a high school ring?
I''m not particularly attached to the school I''m graduating from, ha ha


If I do decide to have a gemstone ring made, could I have a nice one put together for around $850? I''d LOVE something really nice like a gemstone ring made by BGD, but I''m sure that would be way over budget. I don''t have a specific stone in mind, although I really want a tsavorite at some point. Any gemstone under consideration would need to hold up to daily wear. And I''d want a decent size stone - nothing particular in mind yet, but my engagement ring center stone is a pear shaped with dimensions somewhere around 7x5 mm, and I''d definitely want a stone that is larger than that because it will be a stand alone stone. I also briefly thought about a lotus ring from Sally, but I''m not sure that''s the look I''m going for. Maybe something more along the lines of Julia Kay Taylor or James Meyer (guess I have bezels on the brain).

Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I think 850$ is a totally reasonable budget for a gemstone class ring.

Also, Sally does bezel work too, I don''t know if you''ve seen Freefly''s ring, but it has a James Meyer-esque kind of quality, and she can certainly make pieces in that style if you like. I think I''ve found her to be my favorite for custom work in terms of quality for price.

I''m thinking of getting a gemstone graduation ring too...but that won''t be for another two years! I was going to try to incorporate my school colors (red, white, blue). So maybe a red stone, set in white gold with a surprise blue stone somewhere, or a wave/water motif in the design.

 

[Sal from Cal]

Fiirst early congratulations on your future mursing degree.

For me personally I would go with a custom design. It would be much more personal and you could add features that you want to add regarding your field or school. Something that brings up memories you had of all the hard work you put into getting where you are and that will be a nice reminder of what you have acomplished.

or you could just go for something that you been wanting to do

 

[chrono]

Before we get to the fun part, I want to wish you the best in your exams tomorrow! Since you aren’t attached to the school, I’d say get something you like since once you get out of school, not many people will recognize if a school ring comes from which particular school anyway.

I’m afraid a custom ring from BGD is over your budget at the moment, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t have a pretty gemstone set in a well made setting. A tsavorite is probably budget busting at the moment unless the stone is small with mediocre colour. Not only that, it isn’t really a daily wear stone. Let’s first decide on the colour you like, and we can narrow down your options from there. Off the bat, the only thing I can think off that will hold up to daily wear and is still affordable are spinels and chrysoberyls. Garnets are pretty and inexpensive as well (certain varieties are pricey at the size you are looking for though), but need more care if you plan to wear it every day.

 

[lavatea]

Well, I don''t know anything really about chrysoberyls or spinels, except that spinels seem to be very sparkly. School me, please.

As for colors, the school colors are orange and blue. I like blue better than orange, especially for something I''ll be wearing almost everyday. But I guess I''m not really dead set on sticking with those colors, either.

 

[colorluvr]

Best of luck on your exams and congrats on getting your degree. I agree with those that suggested a custom made ring, especially if you aren''t that attached to your school. I think spinels are a gorgeous stone, but I''ll let some of the more knowledgable PSers "school" you...

 

[chrono]

Chrysoberyl: http://www.multicolour.com/gemstones/chrysoberyl.html
They are yellow, yellow green and brownish yellow though so it doesn’t go with your school colours.

Spinels don’t come in orange but in blue. That said, most blue spinels are overly dark or very gray unless you are willing to pay a premium for cobalt spinels.
http://www.multicolour.com/gemstones/spinel.html

If you are gentle on the ring, here are your options for affordable blue and orange.
Blue: Indicolite tourmaline, aquamarine & blue topaz. A pastel coloured blue sapphire might be within your budget and eliminates your concern for everyday wear.
Orange: Spessartite garnet is the only orange I can think of.

 

[lavatea]

Ok, if I decide to stick with school colors, I don''t think I can do orange. I did find one I liked (gem 842), but the more I think about it, the more I don''t think I''d be happy with orange as a daily wear color.

I saw at least one chrysoberyl that looks almost golden(like this or like this), and I think I would be ok with that color. Or I could do a colorless gem provided it didn''t look too much like a diamond. And I can always go with blue because I love, love blue. I don''t want anything treated (even heat) so that narrows things down a bit (no blue topaz, no heated sapphires). What do you guys think about this aquamarine?

Does anyone have a ballpark estimate on what I can expect to spend on a setting? I''m thinking along the lines of Julia Kay Taylor or James Meyer. That will help me hone in on the stone, too, if I have a budget limit in mind.

 

[lavatea]

Well, I had a look at James Meyer''s website, and I think he''s out of budget, too. Not sure about JKT - guess it would depend on stone size and metal type? Her silver pieces are well within range (based on her Etsy store), but I have no clue since I want gold.

I may end up still wearing my James Avery ring that I bought after I finished my AS, at least until we get on our feet after I start working.

 

[karpouzi]

On that budget and for gold I would go with one of the Barry stones and keep an eye out for a used setting on ebay or another site. Leave a little room in the budget for setting fees and polishing/cleaning. I think you could get something really great if you''re patient!

 

[Treenbean]

I would go custom. I don''t like having the same thing that everyone else has. Plus I got sick of my class ring a couple of months after wearing it.

 

[chrono]

If you like light blue, there are untreated pale blue topaz available. Do you know that most aquamarines are routinely heated to drive off a green modifier? I think the least expensive JM setting is close to USD1K.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Congrats on your future degree!

I would go with a Spinel or a Sapphire. It may be harder to find a Spinel that''s blue without grey. The lighter Sapphires are much less expensive than the "sought after" colors. So browse PS for Sapphires and Spinels and save photos of the colors that look RIGHT to you. Then you''ll have something to send to vendors or to compare to stones that they''ve posted.

HTH

 

[Indylady]

An early congrats Lavatea!!

I just graduated, and I faced a similar decision. I do love my university, but it was just far too expensive for me to even consider! I show my school spirit in other ways, through sweatshirts, bumperstickers, and blankets. My university''s ring costs something similar, and the absolute cheapest</i ring, without any stone, was $500. Instead, my parents are letting me chose a half carat diamond I''m setting into a pendant.

You''ll definitely be able to put together a gorgeous ring for $850. Any idea what kind of stone you''d like?

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I''m getting a 6mm blue spinel cut by Barry set into a two tone bezel style by sally and the whole project was less than 400 dollars. it would probably be around 600 for all gold.

 

[marcy]

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation. I vote for spinel; they are very nice and usually cheaper than sapphire.

 

[lavatea]

Ok, so should I shop existing stones or contact some of the cutters for unlisted inventory? So far I''ve found a few candidates but not that many really.

 

[FrekeChild]

This is my graduation ring: Linky

So I''m all for the custom ring. Patrick Irla made mine (stock design, tweaked it to my liking, including a sterling band and rose gold hydrangeas and head) for my peachy spinel.

 

[lavatea]

I like it, Freke. Is he on Etsy?

 

[FrekeChild]

Yup. Here is his etsy shop: Link

And here is his regular site: Link

He does beautiful work.

 

[Indylady]

He is on Etsy.

 

[lavatea]

Ok, my last reply for the night. I''ve done a little shopping... What do you think?

a little smaller than I was thinking but a pretty color
again a little smaller than I had in mind but the inclusion is so interesting
interesting color
too dark???
another one I''m afraid might be too dark
good spinel??
another one on the small side


and some tsavs for fun:
cushion
oval
emerald

 

[lavatea]

I passed!! And so I''m ready to move ahead with this ring project. Yay!

I had a thought last night. What if I did a two stone ring - one bright orange and one bright blue? I''ll try to find a picture of our nursing scrubs (school colors) to give you an example of the colors I''m thinking.

 

[lavatea]

Sorry for the cruddy quality. I had to use my computer''s camera because I couldn''t find a picture. It is pretty true to life as far as colors go, though.

 

[oddoneout]

I''d go custom and get what you really love. Also it would be more wearable as it wouldn''t strickly look like a class ring.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Date: 5/5/2010 5:21:15 PM
Author: lavatea
I passed!! And so I''m ready to move ahead with this ring project. Yay!

I had a thought last night. What if I did a two stone ring - one bright orange and one bright blue? I''ll try to find a picture of our nursing scrubs (school colors) to give you an example of the colors I''m thinking.

The color combo would be interesting. Have you ever seen any 2 stone rings? Did you like them?

I''ve seen 3 stone rings, 5 stone rings, and halos....Not sure about 2 stone unless it''s bypass rings. So look at a site with alot of rings, like Stuller, and see if 2 stone rings float your boat!!

HTH