Help a newbie!

[upgrade]

I''ve never posted in ''Colored Stones'' before but after looking at some of the gorgeous coloured stone rings in SMTR, I want one!! I just got my ering upgrade, so this would be for a RHR project sometime in the future but I need to know how much I need to save. What I''m really dreaming of is a Legacy Style ring in white gold with a cushion cut stone in cornflower or lighter blue or aqua... so what I want to know from all of you experts is:

What type of stone should I be looking for? I don''t want anything too soft as I want to be able to wear the ring daily. I''m not really hard on my rings but I don''t want anything I have to be overly careful with.

What size centre stone looks best with this style? I have size 5 fingers and tend to wear more delicate pieces.

What websites should I be checking to find my dream stone?

How much should I budget for the setting? Is LOGR a good place to buy it? Is it possible to buy a white gold setting from them that''s not rhodium plated?

And my last question: My ering is yellow gold with a white gold trelis and my neckalce that I wear daily is yellow gold- do you think it''ll look awkward to wear a white gold rhr? I love my yellow gold but the Legacy to me looks best in white.

Thank you all so much- you have the most gorgeous gems and I would be so appreciative of your help!

 

[D&T]

Date: 7/31/2009 4:57:37 PM
Author:upgrade
I''ve never posted in ''Colored Stones'' before but after looking at some of the gorgeous coloured stone rings in SMTR, I want one!! I just got my ering upgrade, so this would be for a RHR project sometime in the future but I need to know how much I need to save. What I''m really dreaming of is a Legacy Style ring in white gold with a cushion cut stone in cornflower or lighter blue or aqua... so what I want to know from all of you experts is:

What type of stone should I be looking for? I don''t want anything too soft as I want to be able to wear the ring daily. I''m not really hard on my rings but I don''t want anything I have to be overly careful with.

What size centre stone looks best with this style? I have size 5 fingers and tend to wear more delicate pieces.

What websites should I be checking to find my dream stone?

How much should I budget for the setting? Is LOGR a good place to buy it? Is it possible to buy a white gold setting from them that''s not rhodium plated?

And my last question: My ering is yellow gold with a white gold trelis and my neckalce that I wear daily is yellow gold- do you think it''ll look awkward to wear a white gold rhr? I love my yellow gold but the Legacy to me looks best in white.

Thank you all so much- you have the most gorgeous gems and I would be so appreciative of your help!

I''m just going to answer a couple of your questions, but I think it looks fine to wear a white gold RHR ( I do it all the time, and I wear white gold earrings too, my Ering and most of my stuff is yellow gold) I''m usually a yellow person myself. I do like two tones too. So I don''t think it looks awkward at all to mix gold color.

as for stone, I like cornflower blue color sapphires and there are some nice ones out there

 

[Nomsdeplume]

Sapphire is best for everyday wear, and they come in all colors and shades. Look for stones that are untreated or at most have been gently heated. I think a 6-7 mm stone is a very good size for your fingers.
You can look at all the vendors listed in the vendor''s sticky thread at the top of this forum.

 

[upgrade]

Thank you- I will price out sapphires. I know nothing about them so I'm curious- what does heating do to them? Why is that bad?

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 7/31/2009 8:04:53 PM
Author: upgrade
Thank you- I will price out sapphires. I know nothing about them so I''m curious- what does heating do to them? Why is that bad?

Sapphires are heated to help improve color. Heating is a very common, stable, and accepted procedure in the trade and it''s not bad at all. It''s rarer to find a top color stone that has not been heated, so some customers prefer that rarity. It''s impossible to tell the difference between a heated and un-heated stone without a high power microscope.

--Joshua

 

[Dandi]

upgrade, I too only wear yellow gold with the exception of a few two-tone pieces. Have you considered a two-tone ring if you are unsure about mixing metals? IMO a white gold legacy style ring would look beautiful and tasteful amongst other yellow gold pieces, but I just wanted to throw out another option!

This is my ring, a LOGR legacy style. I ordered mine with a white gold head and a yellow band, just to tie in more with my collection of yellow gold.

 

[Dandi]

GAH! Forgot the pic.

 

[ma re]

I don''t think there''s anything wrong with mixing metal colors, if other colors used aren''t too flashy and if there''s not too much jewellery in question. But that''s all just personal preference so wear what you love and makes you happy.

I agree that your best bet when it comes to stones is sapphire, but you can also check vanadium chrysoberyl (it''s more of a seafoam color, but in white gold it might look more turquoise), blue spinel (light ones can be quite pretty, but can also be hard to find without any grey in their color) and topaz (not exactly great for daily wear, but inexpensive enough to replace in case of damage).

Size is a matter of taste and of what you feel comfortable with. I''d suggest not going beyond 7 mm as a halo is sure to add another 2-3 mm in diameter. And sure, you can make a halo very delicate, but then diamonds don''t really sparkle and halo isn''t in proportion with the stone, so overall appearance is questionable.

As for where to buy, I''ll leave that one to our many experts in the field of buying

, but I''d think twice about where to get the setting from, that I''d be wearing on a daily basis and want to last a long time. BTW, this style of ring in general is not a good idea for a piece that''ll be worn daily. There are a lot of tiny diamonds that might start falling out after a knock onto something, and if it''s an inexpensive setting the chance of that happening increases (such settings are usually made with very little metal). For a pendant it would be just fine, but rings get a lot of wear and tear.

Hope this helps.

 

[PinkTower]

Upgrade,

Don't worry too much about the metal color. If you change your mind later, for $35., you can have the ring dipped in Rhodium and change yellow gold to appear as white gold. The jeweler said it would only last a year, but I have had no appearance of wear on a ring I have worn daily for longer than that. I actually had mine dipped to help with a gold allergy, but the color looks great next to my platinum.

I just wanted to welcome you.
I recognized you from our Crohn's thread.


Pink

 

[upgrade]

Thanks so much for all the great info! I''ve emailed LOGR to get a quote on a legacy style setting for a 6mm stone so we''ll see what he comes back with. In the meantime I''m going to look at all the suggested stones. Would tourmaline be a realistic option? I don''t know where it fits in price wise but I''ve seen some beautiful ones...

DandiAndi- wow! That ring is SO beautiful! I love it. I''m going to create another thread so I can drool over more of them!

 

[ma re]

Date: 8/2/2009 12:52:25 AM
Author: upgrade

Would tourmaline be a realistic option? I don''t know where it fits in price wise but I''ve seen some beautiful ones...

Too soft for daily wear, unless you want to baby it and take it off frequently.

 

[marcy]

I agree sapphire would be your best bet for daily wear. I also agree mixing WG and YG looks fine. I can''t wait to see what you get.

 

[chrono]

Tourmalines are not everyday wear stones. Sapphires and spinels will be your best bet. Depending on your comfort, anything between 7 mm and 8 mm will be fine in a halo for a size 5 finger. Heat treatment in sapphires are common and accepted practice to improve the colour. Non heated sapphires are more expensive and not necessarily better looking. Spinels are not treated at all at the moment.