Help a pauper brainstorm -- custom e-ring ideas

[raddygast]

Hello all,

I am thrilled to have stumbled upon this forum. Been looking for a gem forum used by expert collectors and regular people alike for quite some time. Usenet has been a disappointment.

I am looking to put together an engagement ring and have had the topic on the backburner in my brain for nearly a year now, but I think the time is approaching and I can see myself being in the position to propose within the year, maybe even the next six months. As such I think I have to really get going on the ring, so I''m looking for some help. First, some information.

1) I am poor! Well, I am a PhD student (as is my intended fiancee) and we both live in Toronto, which is a great place but unfortunately very expensive. She has suggested on a few occasions that perhaps I should just skip the ring altogether and only worry about the band when the time comes. This makes a lot of sense but at the same time I know she would just LOVE a really stunning and unique (not necessarily expensive) e-ring and I''m sure she would momentarily suspend her judgment of my fiscal responsibility if I was to present her with one! On top of that *I* actually want to get one, because I think it also becomes a reflection of myself, and a way to show how well I understand her personality and her tastes. I get excited just thinking about it. Now, my budget is unknown, though I''d have to say I can''t see spending more than $3000 USD responsibly. That amounts, after taxes and tuition, to almost a quarter of my annual income. I''m hoping to spend less, of course, but I love nice things and sometimes can''t help myself.

2) We''ve discussed things and definitely decided that we hate diamonds for various reasons. Not so much ethical (though there is that) but just the idea that the "diamond engagement ring" tradition was basically started by N.W. Ayer ad agency in the 20''s and is the most successful marketing scam in history. I just don''t want to be a part of that scheme on principled grounds. Sure they can be very beautiful, but I think ditching them (even as accents) and going for a really spectacular colored stone is the way to go. There are many benefits to going colored -- the biggest of them is that I can afford a much nicer colored stone for X dollars than I would be able to if I went for a diamond. And, above all, a colored e-ring by definition is much more memorable in a society where 99% of brides-to-be receive run-of-the-mill diamond rings -- even if the diamonds are particularly big or valuable, the rings tend to be shiny and not spectacular in any other way.

3) I started out thinking sapphire or ruby, since at the very least the "public" out there would think of these stones as precious and worthy of being set in an engagement ring. Nowadays I''m thinking I don''t give a damn what people think as long as the finished product looks spectacular and unique, and the person who''s going to wear it likes it herself! Although I would still love to get a ruby or sapphire, I am considering other gems with beautiful colors. I particularly like tanzanite and some shades of tourmaline. Depending on the setting, the moh''s scale value may not matter so much either, or does it?

But back to sapphires, I don''t want to be a gem snob and try to opt for untreated, because then I could expect to pay many times the price of an equally good-looking stone, am I correct? On the other hand, I''ve been recently thinking about a really intensely colored and well-cut pink sapphire in a platinum ring. Would I be able to get a nicer pink sapphire than a blue one, keeping price approximately equal? Anyway, any gem suggestions are welcome, but the colours I''m looking for are blue, red, pink (though as deep and close to red as possible), purple, and that''s probably it. Greens and yellows/oranges are out.
cherrypicked.com seems like a great place to focus my efforts.

4) As far as the setting, I think this is the greatest opportunity for individual expression, since there aren''t TOO many different types of cuts for a stone. I think yellow gold is out because it doesn''t suit her coloring, and I''ve heard bad things about white gold being lower quality than yellow (and having the "white" plating fade over time). Of course I''d love to go platinum but I think the price premium may really eat into what I can spend on the stone. Is platinum really THAT expensive? And is it done by weight/mass or some other method? She has EXTREMELY small fingers and if I didn''t do a thick band then perhaps it wouldn''t be too much material to afford platinum? As for the look, I am avoiding anything with prongs as I think it looks way too conventional and boring. My favourite types of settings I''ve seen so far are tension settings, bezels and half-bezels. I''m sure there are many others too.

I''ll end this post now, so that I can open up the floor to any suggestions or comments from forumites out there. I hope to get as many people in on this as possible because the internet is a great place to bounce ideas off a well-informed community. I look forward to a (hopefully) long and creative thread!

 

[valeria101]

You must be reading my mind !

There are three things I could answer to your many questions:

#1: about white gold - no, not all types arre unsuccessful alloys and no, not all needs rhodium plating to look as shiny as cheap chitchen hardware (sorry). You just need to find a jeweler who makes a point of these finer details, and there are quite a few.

#2: about the setting: of course there are thousands of types of bezels and tension models out there. However, one of my favorites turned out to be done by a designer in Toronto that Leonid mentioned way back (LINK). Her reised bezels (see photo) look like a certain type of late Roman rings, if the intriguing solution to float the stone a bit above the finger was not intriguing enough on it's own.

#3: about the stone: does red spinel sound attractive? I do simpathise with your acceptance of heat treatment, but (treated or not) clean, brilliant and intense red ruby is not that common. Spinel gets a better chance to look top red, clean and spectacularly cut. This, by practical consideration. And it is a less common option with it's own appeal, in my opinion. You may want to track "Mogok" posts on this forum about spinel - it's an exciting read, guaranteed

#4: about that cut: you say "there are not that many gem cuts". Well, yes, only a few hundred options - as soon as you consider modern fancy cuts. There are a few concave sapphire on Pricescope (all by richard Homer, but this technique is not done only by him). And you may want to inspect this site for a few crazy ideas. Such unusual faceting is not often done on very valuable material, just because it tends to be more wasteful, but...you may agree that spectacular things can happen with otherwise less than extraordinary rough.


Below follows the bezel ring I mentioned:

 

[valeria101]

 

[valeria101]

Hm... and here's one more bezel (link to source). Aside the gray mokume, it was the shape of the ring that made me remember this - the line of the setting follows the shape of the stone and the finger, I think.

Just "brainstorming" as you say

 

[mogok]

Hi,

One question I would like to ask you: Under which light are you supposed to enjoy most of the time your ring? Fluorescent? Outside day light? Incandescent? As the beauty of a gemstone is the reasult of the wedding between the stone and the light, this question should make some sense in your mind.
The point is that some stones are more adapted to this or that light environment. None is best but one should be a better choice than an other.

All the best,

 

[strmrdr]

Dont be afraid of synthetic sapphire also.
Sythetic ruby and sapphire can rival the very top
naturals and only a microscope can tell them apart.
They arent the $10 ones you see in cheap jewlery either
although some of those look awesome also.
Look for flux or hydrothermal sythetics they most times are better than the flame fusion types.
Having one custom cut is a very nice option and not that expensive.

 

[raddygast]

Thanks all for the replies so far. I'll try to address the points one by one.

valeria:

1) Everything I've read so far suggests that platinum doesn't fade over time, but white gold does. You said not all white gold requires rhodium plating? Do you have any further info or links about this? What I've read is that the plating fades over time (and can react to the skin as well) and, since all rings need polishing, the plating can fade due to this as well. On the other hand, going white gold significantly reduces cost because apparently it is wiser to use 14K rather than 18K, since 18K is not a very strong setting and it is harder to completely mask its yellow color with the plating. From what I've seen platinum is about double the price of 18K gold. That's too bad because I had my heart set on platinum. Is it possible to get platinum for cheaper, or are these prices pretty standard?

2) Regarding settings, wow! Linda Penwarden Jewellery is about a 2 minute walk from my place; so strange that you suggested it. I was going to visit tomorrow. I think those romanesque "flute" bezels are very striking, but they're not exactly what I had in mind. Still, I'll check it out. The problem with a full bezel is it seems to swallow up the stone both physically and in terms of its color. Probably a good idea for a stone that isn't very intense or saturated, but with a really nice color it would probably be better to show it off more freely, no? That's why I was thinking half-bezels. Though recently I've become obsessed with tension settings (or tension-like settings). Is it true that real tension rings are highly impractical because they cannot be resized?

3) I must've forgotten to mention spinel. I would be up for that, surely, but from reading what Mogok and rubydick have posted I'm a bit apprehensive, since spinels have no heat-treating technique available so the really nice ones are super-rare. If this rarity hasn't affected demand or price very much, then I'd be very interested, but I don't want to get something that ends up being orangeish or something. I'm looking for a really deep red, not quite so deep and antique-y as garnet, but not nearly as pinkish as the rubies they try to sell in the shopping mall jewellery stores.

I've also been wondering about accents. Usually people use small diamonds to accent a sapphire or whatever center stone, but I was thinking, depending on the color of the main stone, maybe something similar to Paraiba Tourmaline can be used to accent? I don't care if the tourmaline is actually paraiba -- maybe the nigerian stuff looks the same and is much cheaper. Or I could use any other light-blue/aqua stone. This may not work so well with spinel or ruby, but it would look great, I think, with a really hardcore deep pink sapphire. What do you think? The kind of sapphire color I'm talking about can be found in this ring:

4) Cuts. Well, yes, I guess there ARE a lot of cuts. I've got two problems, though. One, the really cool faceting jobs look like they require you to buy the stone and send them to another person who will cut it for you. This seems like an extra step which amounts to extra risk, delay, and of course expense. Still, the Richard Homer concave cuts really do make the stone look utterly incredible. Second problem, I'm not sure which thing to think about first. Conventional wisdom dictates to find the stone first and build a house for it later. But if I'm really set on a crazy cool setting design, some of those designs really limit the size/shape of the stone you can set in it. For example a tension setting (I think). So I'm just not sure which to go for first. On cherrypicked maybe it's safest to just go for a round stone, or maybe an oval. Marquise or baguette or anything like that could end up severely limiting the type of setting.

Mogok:

I never really thought about the lighting. I suppose the ring would be worn basically all the time, and would normally be seen under all lighting circumstances. From the ugliest fluorescents to incandescent, sunny and/or overcast sunlight, candlelight, and so forth. I don't think I'd care about what the ring looked like in fluorescent conditions because that light makes everything look ugly. I would like it to look its best under decent indoor lighting (incandescents and halogens) and of course also outdoors under sunlight.

strmrdr:

Do you have any links to provide? Are artificial sapphires simply a great deal in terms of price?

 

[raddygast]

Just a few other points. I get the feeling, from some discussions I've had with the person for whom the ring is intended, that I should adopt a policy of choosing physical presence over dollar value. By that I mean, rather than get a very nice, rare, expensive stone that "requires a microscope" to see, I should go for a stone that, while it may be less "valuable", is very striking, not only in terms of cut, color, and the like, but also SIZE. So, for example, if I could afford a 0.35ct fine ruby or a 1.1ct fine spinel, it would make sense to go with the spinel. Or alternately, a 1 ct pink sapphire vs a 0.65ct blue sapphire (I'm just pulling these figures out of nowhere, I have no clue what relative pricing is like).

Second, I've become really interested in the following type of "tension" setting, but I'm afraid it may be very complicated and expensive to get a true tension setting, so are there ways of getting a ring that looks like this but has the stone mounted in some other way? And is it possible to have accents in a tension setting? (Probably not, because the dimensions of the girdle wouldn't be the same).

Here are some pictures of a template I'd like to start with (a bit plain, but overall I think the structure is a great foundation):

(Gelin & Abaci setting TR-002)

(Gelin & Abaci setting TR-126)

(something that only LOOKS like a tension setting)

 

[raddygast]

Some amazing designs from Liz Tyler as well.

Scissor

Asymmetric

Joy

 

[diamondlil]

Hi Raddygast and welcome. After reading your posts and seeing your examples, this one (which is a favorite of mine) popped into my head. Just thought I'd toss it out there for you to see.




DiamondLil

 

[Diamondsbybree]

Check out this stone~!

 

[Diamondsbybree]

Forgot to post the link.... duh...http://www.ajsgems.com/SAP/SAP-00531.htm This puppy is only $120~!

 

[velouriaL]

My boyfriend and I are in a similar predicament. We are both grad students and both have somewhat non-traditional ideas of what an engagement ring should look like.

One thing I might suggest, first of all, is to let her in on the process. I am very glad that my boyfriend did, because we had no idea how divergent our tastes in settings were until we started ring shopping together. We have now honed in on the that we both like. There are ways that you can make it surprise for her even if you do the research together (such as proposing with a dollar store rididulous e-ring parody and then presenting her with all your research and taking it from there.)

A few ideas--

GEMS-
One reason to steer towards corrumdums (like rubies or sapphires) is that they are harder than stones like tourmalines and others and will hold up against daily wear. I believe that spinels are only a bit less hard, so they will hold up, too. I have read that it's harder to set non-diamonds in tension settings because of this hardness issue. Be aware, also, that because her hands are small, a much smaller stone will have a dramatic presence on her hand.

METALS-
From what I can tell, you seem to be under the impression (I could be wrong-- message boards can be confusing!) that white gold is simply yellow gold covered up with plating. This is not the case. To put it in simplified, lay person terms (which is the level at which I understand it), all gold (except 24k, which too soft to use, usually) is an alloy of gold and another metal. 14k yellow gold is 58.3% gold and 41.7% another metal which allows to retain its yelow color. 14k white gold is 58.3% gold and 41.7% palladium, a metal that makes the resulting alloy look white in color. Both are equally "gold," but one looks yellow and the other looks white. Some white gold is mixed with nickel instead of palladium, which is cheaper and somtimes not as nice looking. Here is a good resource for information about gold. Some people choose to have their white gold plated with rhodium because it gives it a shinier look. It is not necessary with good alloys. Even after this plating wears off, the ring will still look silver-colored, just not shiny like the chrome on a '57 chevy.

SETTINGS-
Have you considered antique settings? One of the rings that has made the final cut for our ring is a small-ish garnet in a beautiful setting from the 1860s. Part of the appeal of this piece is the age, the imagined history, the probability that no other ring like it (still) exists. If your girlfriend has very small fingers, she may be in luck because many older rings were designed for much smaller hands. Try e-bay, expecially buyers who have lenient return policies. You may find though, that an older ring requires some repair work-- sometimes the stones need to be reset to protect them.

If you like the antique look, I would suggest looking at Kim Wheeling's website. I have seen some of his work in person, and the pictures do not do it justice. He is very easy and honest to talk to on the phone and had very resonable prices.

This is a .81 ct ruby set in a 1920s reproduction platinum ring for $480. He also does custom work.

If you are truly on a budget, I would also look at e14k.com. They have inexpensive settings with or without CZs. We may get one of the white gold settings, have it set with a rather nice sapphire, and then have the sapphire reset in platinum latter on in our lives. While this company is probably not the best place to buy heirloom jewelry, I have heard and read that their pieces are heavy, not hollow-ed out, and make very decent, attractive settings.

If you are looking for something truly unique, this Becky Kelso ring is just beautiful, and she only made a few.

I saw one in pink tourmaline, but because of the intricate detail on the band of the ring, it could not be sized up for me. It runs $445 in rose gold (yet another alloy of gold that allows it look pinkish rather than white or yellow). Notices that the stones, an aquamarine in this case, is carved with a floral pattern. In real life, the effect was breath-taking but very delicate. I don't know how pratical tourmalines or aquamarines would be for everyday use, though.

Hope that helped! I think you made the right decision to go with a colored, non-traditional gemstone. It certainly does not make the quest any easier, just more exciting!

 

[velouriaL]

Since you mentioned tension settings---

This one on e-bay, buy-it-now for $599, might be more to your taste than the antique-y ones (which I like). It's a pink sapphire in titanium, another metal you might want to look into, especially if you want to do tension set.

 

[velouriaL]

This one reminded me of you... it's by Keith Farley and, I'm willing to bet, really expensive.

If you like really unique, really modern pieces like this, I would suggest finding out if there are any jewelry making departments in the universities nears you. You'd be surprised at what a grad student might be able to come up with! And the raw materials wouldn't be that much, you could probably get their labor/creativity for pretty cheap, too... Ontario College of Art and Design seems to have a pretty good metalsmithing program... Who knows, you might even find an undiscovered artist!

 

[raddygast]

Hmm, thanks velouria! I like that one at the bottom, though it may be a bit too far out for what I hope will be a daily-wear item. It's a very fine line though between wanting something contemporary and unique and something that will end up just being a conversation piece once in a while because it's too uncomfortable or unwieldy to wear.

I like your idea about scoping out jewellery making programs. Are you in Ontario? If so, do you have any tips on good jewellers in town that have access to a good selection of colored gems? (mostly sapphires and spinels I guess)

 

[raddygast]

About all your gold info:

Thanks. I talked to a person at Linda Penwarden Jewellery today and was told that either nickel or palladium could be used to make the alloy, but that in either case white gold still has a bit of yellowish tinge to it, so sometimes they can use rhodium plating to make it even whiter than platinum. But she did point out that most of the stuff they had was not plated, and to my eye, it looked pretty white, not too yellowish at all. I thought with White Gold, however, that 14K is a better way to go because it won't be as malleable, but she told me that 18K white gold is really hard anyway (which didn't make much sense to me).

I guess platinum is probably way out of my budget esp. if I get some weird asymmetrical chunky design, so it'll probably have to be white gold. Maybe I can get platinum bands later on, though.

As for letting the girl in on the process, I sort of have. Initially I showed her a bunch of stuff on the internet and we had quite a few talks about things and I believe I know quite a bit more about her tastes (and I wasn't too far off to start with). At some point though (like now) I have to "cut her off" and just do my own thing because I think the ring can be an expression of how well one person knows the other. Not really a test, because it can always be modified or (hopefully not) worn by a less-than-ecstatic recipient, but if it actually works out to be a fantastic surprise that is beyond what she could have imagined then it makes it that much more awesome. I probably can't express what I'm trying to say, but I feel pretty confident about it.

My only fear is her flip-flopping about colors. A really nice deep blue would look great with her coloring and with white gold/platinum. But a hot pink sapphire or a really ruby-red spinel would do the trick as well, I think.

 

[Bagpuss]

I wouldn't worry about accusations of 'copying' just because you chose a blue stone. Sapphires are a very traditional e-ring stone and there must be thousands of ladies out there with them in their e-rings. Look at the number of people on this forum with diamond e-rings - no-one could seriously accuse them of copying each other.




I would be concerned that my g/f would be less than thrilled with her e-ring. Many men 'think' that they know their partner's tastes and are shocked to discover that they are often way off the mark. You may love the design you come up with, but you won't have to wear it every day. Think about something you own that is very dear to your heart - imagine that your g/f is going to replace it, forever, with one of her choice and you're going to have to live with her choice with a smile on your face for the rest of your life. Just a thought.

 

[JCJD]

If you do go for white gold, make sure your girlfriend is not allergic to nickel! My mother, sister, one of my 2 brothers, and I are all allergic to this metal, which as you have discovered, is found in some alloys of white gold. Just FYI, just because I'm sensitive to this issue.

 

[raddygast]

Since, as you say, blue sapphires are probably the most traditional e-ring stone after diamonds, that's all the more reason I should try to break new ground and go for something else, like a pink sapphire, or a ruby or spinel. I know the colors she likes, and I do know that she will appreciate every element of this thing that deviates from "the norm."

I understand all the warnings about not knowing tastes, but I really feel invincible on this issue, and it's not like I'm shooting in the dark since I showed her tons of pictures before I got to this point. She's not the kind of girl that would be averse to something because it looked "unconventional". In fact, the more unconventional, the better.

 

[coldfusion]

Sapphires are a great choice because they're beautiful and more importantly, they're very durable (especially if she'll wear it every day).

Pink sapphires are also nice, and sapphires come in a lot of colors. For something truly unique, check out http://www.concavegems.com. I'm sure it's not for everyone, but i personally love concave faceting in sapphires.

 

[raddygast]

Yeah I've got my eye on concave faceting. I'm not sure what the delays would be (and extra expense) if I were to get involved with that, plus it would make the stone smaller.

I really, really, really like this setting (except it's shown here in gold, with a boring diamond):

And a super-minimal classic one. I hate prongs, though, but I like how this band is ridiculously thin:

Here's another setting I like, but I could do without the diamond, and I think it looks terrible in yellow gold with that color of stone:

 

[foxglove]

Hi raddygast!




I'd say that 3000USD is a pretty darn good budget in Toronto... especially if you're not looking for diamonds. Just the other day I saw a pink sapphire in white gold ring going for less than 3000CAD at Birks (in the Eaton Centre). I couldn't believe it. The sapphire was heat treated and not huge.. but it was a very beautiful ring. Go take a look if you're in the area!




I've also read/heard good reviews about Robere's around Yonge and Eglinton. I dropped in not so long ago to look for wedding rings. They also do custom designs and work with you to come up with sketches, etc. I have never worked with them though.. so this isn't a personal experience. I think they would just order whatever gem you are looking for. Might be worth a shot! If you're looking for something unique and "artsie".. try the Distillery area.. there are quite a few artisans there with interesting jewelery. I know there's at least one gold smith in one of those buildings who does custom design - Leif Benner. Again, I've never worked with him.. I took his card because I liked his designs and would consider getting to know his work more for my wedding band. When I spoke with him he did mention that he'll be able to order whatever gem I'd be looking for.




I think it's fabulous that you're looking for a non-diamond .. but I'm biased as my e-ring is a sapphire

. Good luck!




fox

 

[valeria101]

----------------
On 10/21/2004 9:55:22 PM raddygast wrote:

Yeah I've got my eye on concave faceting. I'm not sure what the delays would be (and extra expense) if I were to get involved with that, plus it would make the stone smaller.

----------------

So... why not ask ? I am pretty sure you can get a sapphire with this type of faceting instead of buying a traditional cut first and have it recut. Surely there is no friend or foe around with one of those to cry "copy!"

On Linda's site there is an awfully nice light blue sapphire in a half bezel setting - and other fancy color and blue sapphires. She seems to have some supply.

You seem to want a small sapphire of unusually fine color - and this sounds great to me: just about the best way to make an impression without spending a fortune. Aside the inquiry for concave faceting, you may find this website interesting. Or, who knows... this or this. Not the largest stock, but worth a look by all means, IMO.

 

[raddygast]

Wow! The coincidences on this thread have begun to amaze me.

First off, thanks for your reply. 3000 USD is probably at the extreme end of what I'd like to spend, but the exchange rate is so good that it only amounts to about 3800 CAD. In reality I'm hoping to keep things under 3000 CAD, but at the last minute I may break down and go for a platinum setting vs. white gold. A definite case of "champagne taste, beer pocket money." My woman and I are always joking about how white gold sucks and only platinum is good enough for us... but that joke expresses a true preference, I believe.

I am astounded that you mentioned Leif Benner. My friend recommended him to me months ago, but I lost his business card. I knew his first name (I think he's a friend of my friend) but didn't have the surname; maybe now I can look him up. Where is this distillery area exactly? I've heard there are a lot of custom jewellery studios along that strip.

I just visited Linda Penwarden near Yonge/Eg (on Mt. Pleasant). Very chic looking studio, perhaps the work/labour costs there will be way too high for me, but I'll wait for an estimate. I'll try Robere's as well, since I actually live in that area.

Sapphire really is a gorgeous stone, but recently I've been very taken with the idea of a super-intense hot pink sapphire, or alternately a spinel in the same color or a ruby-red one if possible (apparently it's hard to get a nice red spinel since they aren't treated).

Are you highlighting/accenting your sapphire with diamonds? Depending on the setting I may not need accents, but if I do, I'd like to go with something windex-colored. Maybe some ghetto variety of tourmaline or topaz?

valeria101:

I will ask. I didn't realize that you could buy stones directly from that concavefaceting website. Actually, doesn't wink's site also offer Homer-cut stones? Then again, I've never seen one in real life. It is quite unusual looking, and i don't think I've seen one in a setting -- maybe they look much better out in the open than jammed into a half-bezel.

The person I spoke to (not Linda) at the Linda Penwarden studio assured me that they have a good relationship with colored gem suppliers in the city and have been able to get what they wanted in the past. However, what else is a sales person gonna tell me? I really just want to get warm fuzzies from someone that they know what they're talking about. I wish I could feel confident that one of those jewellers SPECIALIZED in colored gem setting. As it is, I think maybe the best thing to do would be to hunt down the stone myself, then once that's done, go about the business of finding a good jeweller to design a setting.

 

[valeria101]

----------------
On 10/21/2004 11:48:07 PM raddygast wrote:



Sapphire really is a gorgeous stone, but recently I've been very taken with the idea of a super-intense hot pink sapphire, or alternately a spinel in the same color or a ruby-red one if possible (apparently it's hard to get a nice red spinel since they aren't treated).

----------------

Since you are not after a huge piece, it should not be hard to get one though - "rare" does not mean "once in a lifetime". Buyers for such less agressively marketed things are also rare - so to speak.

 

[velouriaL]

Here's a nice 1.02 ct cushion cut spinel from Concave Gems. It was described as, "The camera lights make this gem seem more orangy than it really is. It is a beautiful, vibrant, and lively slightly purplish, deep pink color...pastel but strong. A wonderful and unique gem." and it's only $393.75!

And here's a more richly colored 1.01 ct spinel in a more traditional cushion cut from ajsgems.com for $150. You could also spend a little bit more (about the same for the concave above) and get a much larger stone

I bet you could find a jeweler, necessarily a name brand fancy designer, to make you a very simple, attractive, modern setting, maybe even in platinum because that's what it sounds like you really want, for a very good price. Imagine that first spinel (or the second one, really) in a VERY minimal platinum setting with really showcases the gem-- I bet you could totally do that and still be WELL within your budget. Sorry I'm not in ONT, but I bet that if you did call the art schools with jewelry programs, they might be able to point you in the right direction.

Here's one I just found on e-bay. Pink (princess, .80 ct) and blue (oval, 1 ct.) sapphires in white gold in white looks like a pretty neat setting (tension set?) for only $149 buy it now! This is the only picture, but the seller has 100% feedback! I would e-mail him to see other pictures and to find out about dimensions and whatnot. Almost too good to be true, but who knows...

 

[valeria101]

Three more or less twisted rings from Niwaka turned Photoshop blue...

 

[JCJD]

Whoa nelly!! That cushion cut spinel literally made me catch my breath!
And raddygast, I really like that 'super-minimal classic' one you posted. I really think that with your relatively cheaper non-diamond aspirations, you can go pretty wild with your setting. I've personally always loved sapphires in platinum, but that orange-looking spinel would be stunning too!

 

[foxglove]

Hey rad,




Here's a link to The Distillery district: http://www.thedistillerydistrict.com/home.html


If you look under Tenants you'll be able to find info on Leif Benner. Hey wait.. the guy's got a website:


http://www.leifbenner.com/




Yes, I do have diamond accents on each side of the sapphire. I've got pictures in the Show Me the Ring section somewhere. I love plat too. I didn't until I received my ring.. I love the weight of it. Recently when I asked around (for the wedding bands), I was told that to have a ring made out of plat as opposed to white gold it would be an additional $700 - $1000 (all figures in Canadian dollars). I'd assume this depends on the ring size and how much metal the ring has, etc.




Oh, another thing about settings - a friend of mine went to Spence Diamonds to get ideas for settings.. and then had hers made somewhere else. Some settings may look nice as a picture but totally different on her hand.. so may not be a bad place to go just to see how things look on her hand.

This is so exciting! I love coloured gems as e-rings. I perosonally would choose a corundum or beryl because of the everyday wear and tear factor. I'm aways paranoid about scratching my stone or striking it against something hard (like the subway poles). But that's just my preference. Tourmalines are lovely lovely too. Especially the pinky-orangey ones. Hmm.. I like the whole pinky-orangey thing. I would just

love

to have a pad sapphire if I had the funds. Okay, now I'm blabbing.




fox