H2B's Coloured Stone Wedding Band

[talamasca]

Hi, now that my e-ring is nearly ready, the other half and I were talking and he's decided he'd like a coloured stone wedding band instead of the usual plain ones.

So we could do with a hand finding a medium blue asscher cut spinel about 4-5mm for a very reasonable price as we have a limited budget! I'm not sure which gem cutter to contact as I haven't seen that many blue spinels. He wouldn't mind a touch of green, but doesn't want any purple. I've suggested spinel as I don't think sapphire would be in budget, though I've seen some montana sapphires within budget, but they were all ovals.

I'm sending some pics to the Jeweller who's doing my e-ring so she can quote us for the ring price, but this is the style he likes, but may be not as chunky (not sure what size the stone is in the pic):

 

[talamasca]

Oh, and this is the blue asscher stone I showed him:

 

[Aerix]

There's this one from Peter Torraca, but it's 6.26x6.28mm: http://www.torraca.net/gems/gems.php?spec=Spin

If you really want a sapphire though, I'd contact Dan Stair and ask what he might be able to cut for you. He could probably cut an asscher in your size range and I frequently see him listing Montana and Tanzanian sapphires in various hues of blue. Not only that, but his stones are quite affordable. Here's a link to his current listings: http://www.customgemstones.com/SAPPHIRE/Sapphire.htm

 

[chrono]

Whatever you decide, try to look for something a little on the lighter side since the stone will end up being totally enclosed from all angles except the crown, which will darken it quite a bit.

 

[talamasca]

There's this one from Peter Torraca, but it's 6.26x6.28mm: http://www.torraca.net/gems/gems.php?spec=Spin

If you really want a sapphire though, I'd contact Dan Stair and ask what he might be able to cut for you. He could probably cut an asscher in your size range and I frequently see him listing Montana and Tanzanian sapphires in various hues of blue. Not only that, but his stones are quite affordable. Here's a link to his current listings: http://www.customgemstones.com/SAPPHIRE/Sapphire.htm

Thanks for the link to Dan's site. I was trying to remember what it was called so I could have a look

 

[talamasca]

Whatever you decide, try to look for something a little on the lighter side since the stone will end up being totally enclosed from all angles except the crown, which will darken it quite a bit.

Should I be asking for a light-medium blue then rather than just a medium?

 

[chrono]

I would opt for medium light if possible. Medium might be fine however, depending on other variables.

 

[talamasca]

I would opt for medium light if possible. Medium might be fine however, depending on other variables.

Great, thanks. I'll start asking around

 

[FallenRox]

That's awesome

Mine didn't want a plain band either and he found something he loved at Gemvara.
The cool thing on this site is that you can customize stone colors to get a feel for how they'd look and they
do have some pretty cool guys designs. Could be a fun page to play with anyway...

http://www.gemvara.com/Mens-Wedding-Rings/jewelry/b/mens-wedding-bands/

 

[pregcurious]

There are no blue spinels here, but Bespoke Gems (http://www.bespoke-gems.com) has a lot of asschers, and I've read good posts about the cutter Doug Menadue. A less expensive choice may be a topaz, either white or a shade of light blue, which is very durable. I think Doug will custom cut a stone at your request, but I have never bought anything from him, and he is located in Australia. Perhaps others can tell you about their experience or you can do a search within PS.

 

[talamasca]

That's awesome

Mine didn't want a plain band either and he found something he loved at Gemvara.
The cool thing on this site is that you can customize stone colors to get a feel for how they'd look and they
do have some pretty cool guys designs. Could be a fun page to play with anyway...

http://www.gemvara.com/Mens-Wedding-Rings/jewelry/b/mens-wedding-bands/

Hehe, yep done that! We love that site for being able to have a play about and he was originally going to go for something similar to their trinity ring, but changed his mind for a single stone.

They have some fab designs which I've bookmarked for future projects!

 

[talamasca]

There are no blue spinels here, but Bespoke Gems (http://www.bespoke-gems.com) has a lot of asschers, and I've read good posts about the cutter Doug Menadue. A less expensive choice may be a topaz, either white or a shade of light blue, which is very durable. I think Doug will custom cut a stone at your request, but I have never bought anything from him, and he is located in Australia. Perhaps others can tell you about their experience or you can do a search within PS.

Ta, I contacted Doug yesterday and he has a lovely blue colour available, but it's a baguette