Help with new emerald project

[rockyrookie]

Hi everyone!

I’m celebrating a milestone birthday this year, and I’ve been captivated by the glow of emeralds, so I’m considering getting an emerald ring to mark the occasion. I don’t know much about emeralds and have only done one other custom project so I would love to get your advice and thoughts on how to go about doing this.

I would like to get a classic three-stone emerald ring, and my favorite look from what I’ve seen so far is an emerald/step cut centre stone with two tapered baguettes - inspo photo attached! I would also love a matching pendant or have an option to wear the emerald as a pendant.



I’m currently looking at purchasing from these 3 vendors - @muzoemeralds, JR Colombian Emeralds, and @gemfactor_emeralds. Some other vendors I’ve seen with emeralds for sale include @Desertrose and @xothebijouxbox.

I have a few questions I’m mulling on that I would really appreciate inputs on. Feel free to chime in on any or all of the questions!

1. Would it make more sense to make a ringdant using the best quality emerald I can buy, or to just make/buy a ring, and buy a cheaper emerald for a separate pendant? I’ve seen emeralds available at a number of different price points and my budget for an emerald for my ring would be about $8-10k. Would an emerald costing under $1k be “good enough” for a pendant considering the viewing distance, so that I don’t have to “reuse” the more expensive ring emerald for a ringdant design?

2. Is the best way to do this to send an outline of what I’m looking for to these 3 sellers to see what they can offer? I would love to hear views on these sellers or if there are others I should consider too!

3. If it makes sense to make a separate pendant, is the three-stone ring I want common enough that I should look for a completed ring rather than commissioning a custom piece?

4. I would love to hear thoughts on the workmanship of completed pieces from these 3 sellers. If I do a ringdant, I’m wondering if these sellers would be able to execute this well? I’m considering if I should get them to do the setting or buy the emerald loose and get it set elsewhere - which leads me to the next question!

5. One of the items on my bling wishlist is to have a ring done by CvB. Since this is a milestone project I’m wondering if this would be the one! Or is this such a simple design that it would make more sense to spend my budget on the stone rather than setting? The alternative for a custom setting (apart from the emerald vendor) is David Klass. I worked with DK on my previous project and was very happy with his work.

Thanks for reading to the end! Would be grateful for any suggestions and thoughts too. I’m just starting to brainstorm so I am not in any hurry and am very open to ideas!

 

[dk168]

What a fun project!

I read the post quickly and my immediate thought is to save up for the biggest and the best quality Emerald that I could afford, to have it set in a ringdant.

I do not believe an Art Deco 3-stone design could be made into a ringdant as all the ringdant I have seen are quite elaborate, usually with multiple diamonds surrounding the centre stone in order to provide sufficient depth underneath for the ringdant setting.

I only have a synthetic hydrothermal Emerald in emerald cut that was custom-cut by Jeff White as there is no way I could afford the real thing.

I am thinking of setting it in a ballerina ringdant setting to get the most out of it.

DK

 

[Megan Hill]

OMG that's a beautiful ring It is truly a very exciting project!! Surely all three vendors can offer you very interesting stones. From what I've seen on IG, I lean more towards muzoemeralds or gemfactor, since they have very high quality stones like the pic you're showing.
Please share what options the three vendors offer you to compare qualities and prices

 

[LilAlex]

I’ve seen emeralds available at a number of different price points and my budget for an emerald for my ring would be about $8-10k. Would an emerald costing under $1k be “good enough” for a pendant considering the viewing distance, so that I don’t have to “reuse” the more expensive ring emerald for a ringdant design?

That's a big series of questions -- and they are all fun to think about!

It's tough when your inspo ring is a six-figure Harry Winston, IIRC, with "gota de aceite." Be prepared for some eye-rolls if you shop that photo around and ask for one of those. Not trying to be condescending but there are a lot of levels to the emerald game as you are recognizing. Next to untreated ruby, I think emerald is the most intimidating stone to buy. (Price can vary by many logs depending upon subtle differences in color, clarity, origin, and treatment -- and this is not readily discernible in photos which famously undersell the green.)

How OK are you with treatment? Most here would do minor oil only and no other treatments. If you don't care about treatment, emeralds can be pretty inexpensive. But to get a fine step-cut in a multi-ct size with only minor oil will exceed your budget. muzoemeralds on IG is a good place to start, I suspect. I have not dealt with him but many here have and they can weigh in. I am not excited about international shipping/returning.

You can browse Lang and Berganza current inventory to benchmark some prices. It will definitely be cheaper to buy vintage than to source your own tapered baguettes and center stone and then spend $3K-plus for the ring itself and still not 100% know what it will look like.

I am not familiar with a "ringdant" and view convertible jewelry with some suspicion (apart from chains/bracelets). Maybe I'm off-base but there are enough worries with fine jewelry even if the center stone and basket are not designed to snap out.

Emerald is fragile as you know. An emerald ring does not suit my spouse's lifestyle (although she has a decent one). Pendant or earrings is a lot more practical. I assume you have factored this into your "use case." We've learned some lessons the hard way. If I had one killer emerald, I would probably make a pendant; for diamond, corundum, spinel, or chrysoberyl I would make a ring.

 

[ShinyPink]

Ooooh what fun! I have emeralds from JR Colombian, DesertRose, and Yvonne. All are stunning! I agree with using an emerald specialist like the ones you mentioned since they have incredible, wide selections. JR and Muzo will also set them. JR set one of mine. Easy to work with, great turnaround, wonderful craftsmanship. I can't speak for Muzo or Gem Factor, although Gem Factor's emeralds look very high quality i.e. their statement of "investment grade." I'd be curious to see their prices.

I would decide what was most important - size, color, clarity - and go from there. For the jewelry piece, do you wear necklaces? How big of an emerald do you need in order to really show it off? (I'm tall and not petite, so a 5-6mm stone is really small on me.) Do you like to look down and see your jewelry when you wear it?

I have the JR ring in a halo. I put the Yvonne emerald in a bypass ring with a purple sapphire. The DesertRose emerald will be in a three stone pendant. Now, I could have purchased one incredible emerald and had it set but I'm more the "buy smaller stones so I don't feel like I'm spending too much" type, which is kinda silly. I could have done something fun and fabulous like you instead.

I have a diamond ringdant and it is deep as @dk168 said- the stones sit high above the shank to allow for the two jewelry styles to meet/detach. All the ones I've seen have halos or similar, no three stones.

Happy early big birthday to you, btw! This will be fun!

 

[RRfromR]

That's a big series of questions -- and they are all fun to think about!

It's tough when your inspo ring is a six-figure Harry Winston, IIRC, with "gota de aceite." Be prepared for some eye-rolls if you shop that photo around and ask for one of those. Not trying to be condescending but there are a lot of levels to the emerald game as you are recognizing. Next to untreated ruby, I think emerald is the most intimidating stone to buy. (Price can vary by many logs depending upon subtle differences in color, clarity, origin, and treatment -- and this is not readily discernible in photos which famously undersell the green.)

How OK are you with treatment? Most here would do minor oil only and no other treatments. If you don't care about treatment, emeralds can be pretty inexpensive. But to get a fine step-cut in a multi-ct size with only minor oil will exceed your budget. muzoemeralds on IG is a good place to start, I suspect. I have not dealt with him but many here have and they can weigh in. I am not excited about international shipping/returning.

You can browse Lang and Berganza current inventory to benchmark some prices. It will definitely be cheaper to buy vintage than to source your own tapered baguettes and center stone and then spend $3K-plus for the ring itself and still not 100% know what it will look like.

I am not familiar with a "ringdant" and view convertible jewelry with some suspicion (apart from chains/bracelets). Maybe I'm off-base but there are enough worries with fine jewelry even if the center stone and basket are not designed to snap out.

Emerald is fragile as you know. An emerald ring does not suit my spouse's lifestyle (although she has a decent one). Pendant or earrings is a lot more practical. I assume you have factored this into your "use case." We've learned some lessons the hard way. If I had one killer emerald, I would probably make a pendant; for diamond, corundum, spinel, or chrysoberyl I would make a ring.

@LilAlex This explains why it's so hard to find antique emerald rings in good condition that are not a fortune.

 

[Mreader]

I would not do a ringdant because emeralds can be delicate and I wouldn’t want to worry about it while snapping it in and out of the setting. Also as others have mentioned idk if one could be produced in the baguette style. I would also recommend buying the stone and seeing it first rather than buying and having it set before (if it were Muzo or JR sometimes people have the whole ring made before seeing the final product). Emeralds are really hard to photograph and often look different irl from pics and videos. Good luck!

Eta - you make a good point about cvb and DK and the simplicity of the design. But you still could get quotes from both bc a PSer recently did this and cvb was only $200 more. I’m not saying that would always be the case of course. But worth checking!

 

[Miss Confused]

Maybe it's just my screen but that emerald in your inspo picture is a bit grassy for me. Is that the colour you are looking for or is the inspo just for the setting? If it's the color you are wanting have you considered tsavorite's? Completely different stone of course but just wanted to throw it in there. Also are you looking for that high clarity? Gota de aceite (this would really make it much more difficult)?

For me I suggest finding the stone you love first, the setting shouldnt be any difficulty. As others have mentioned a three stone doesnt really suit a ringdant and for an emerald I wouldnt want to have it that high set

 

[JewelledEscalators]

Have you tried bacon fat?

Only joking

 

[LilAlex]

It's tough when your inspo ring is a six-figure Harry Winston, IIRC, with "gota de aceite."

Found it my faves -- OK it was only $35K but it was a minor-treatment 1.97-ct Muzo-mine Colombian. Still pretty dear per ct for a minor oil. But it helps for scale.

 

[rockyrookie]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies - I really appreciate your time and thoughts! You’ve given me lots to think about!

I think it is quite clear from all the replies that a ringdant isn’t the best idea for an three-stone emerald design so I’ll be dropping that idea!

Now to decide between a ring or a pendant… I only tend to wear necklaces at events but an emerald would be a special occasion item anyway, so I think either a pendant or ring would get a similar amount of wear. But I think I’m still leaning towards getting a ring as I love to stare at my rings!

I’ve started looking around and found a completed ring where the vendor stated “vivid green” and “insignificant” oil.

Could I ask what is the difference between:

- “vivid green”, “alpine green” and “Muzo green”? Which is the “best” color?

- “minor” and “insignificant” oil? Is there a significant difference in stability/durability and price between the two?

 

[rockyrookie]

@dk168 - Thanks for the inputs on the ringdant design and thanks for sharing what you plan to do! Can’t wait to see your ring design!

@Megan Hill - I will be contacting the vendors once I have a firmer idea of what I’m looking for, and will definitely update!

@LilAlex - Thanks for the helpful suggestions and for identifying the inspo pic! It’s the general look I’m aiming for - so more the colour tone and three-stone ring design. I agree an emerald with “gota de aceite” probably isn’t within my budget! In terms of treatment, from what I’ve read, I will be aiming for something with no more than minor oil. I’ve started browsing Lang and they have some lovely items!

@PinkAndBlueBling - Thanks for sharing your reviews of the vendors - that’s really helpful! In terms of size, I’m petite and my ring size is 4, but I would like a three-stone ring with some visual impact (inspo is Michelle Yeoh’s ring although I know mine won’t be as big!), so I think I’ll be aiming for a high 1+ to mid 2+ carat emerald. I would love to hear thoughts on size too! For colour I love the deep greens I’ve seen in the Colombian emeralds on muzo, JR and gemfactor - but I’m a little confused on the descriptions… In terms of clarity, I think that’s probably the one I have the least opinion on - I’m looking for as clear as my budget allows!

@Mreader - Thanks for your thoughts! I will look into getting quotes from both CvB and DK. The other tricky thing is I’m not based in the US so I would have wanted to ship the stone directly to the jeweller… but I will look into how I can get to see the stone first!

@Miss Confused - Thanks for the suggestion! I’m keen on the deep forest greens (to my eyes - not sure what the description is) I’ve seen in photos of Colombian emeralds as well as that “visible from a mile away” glow which I’ve seen in person. The tsavorites I’ve seen look more yellowish green to me and don’t have the same glow? Re clarity - as mentioned above, I’m not too sure and I think it’ll be based on what is within my budget!

 

[ShinyPink]

@rockyrookie I'm a size 7. I recently had a 1 ct. ruby set. The stone is a bit over 6mm in length and looks like a pinky ring on me. Even my daughter said it was small when she tried it on. It's unheated, so I bought what i could afford.

Draw and cut out squares and rectangles of different sizes. See how they look on your finger to help find which sizes are your minimum. You don't want to be disappointed.

 

[monarch64]

The custom ring in my avatar is from JR. I worked with Natalie and my experience from start to finish was a pleasure. I have a thread about it here, although there isn’t a ton of technical info on stone comparisons. I was looking for a specific color and glow in a larger size. The example you posted is more Muzo-speed than JR, I would say. Idk anything about Gemfactor. Xobijoux just posted 3 very nice loose emeralds today…she always has beautiful things.

 

[rockyrookie]

@rockyrookie I'm a size 7. I recently had a 1 ct. ruby set. The stone is a bit over 6mm in length and looks like a pinky ring on me. Even my daughter said it was small when she tried it on. It's unheated, so I bought what i could afford.

Draw and cut out squares and rectangles of different sizes. See how they look on your finger to help find which sizes are your minimum. You don't want to be disappointed.

Thanks so much for this helpful advice!! Getting a better idea of the size on my finger in real life makes a lot of sense, vs what I was doing which was trying to imagine based on the diameter of my ring size lol…

I decided to go shopping and have a look in person and realized what I was aiming for may have been a little smaller than I expected, so I may need to rethink what I’m looking for. Will share some of the photos shortly!

 

[rockyrookie]

The custom ring in my avatar is from JR. I worked with Natalie and my experience from start to finish was a pleasure. I have a thread about it here, although there isn’t a ton of technical info on stone comparisons. I was looking for a specific color and glow in a larger size. The example you posted is more Muzo-speed than JR, I would say. Idk anything about Gemfactor. Xobijoux just posted 3 very nice loose emeralds today…she always has beautiful things.

Thanks for sharing your experience with JR! Your ring looks gorgeous and I love the glowy green color! Could I trouble you to share the link to your thread please? I would love to find out more on the specs, especially as I find JR’s color descriptions a little confusing!

 

[rockyrookie]

I went to have a look in person at the ring I mentioned in an earlier post and these are the specs:

2.36 carat - about 9mm x 7mm
Zambian
Vivid Green
Insignificant oil

I finally realized what everyone was saying about how hard it is to photograph emeralds! In person the emerald was a more intense green, and the color tone was closest to the last photo (the one with the Apple logo as it was taken in a mirror).

However I thought the gem appeared a little darker than some of the photos of Colombian emeralds I had seen and didn’t have much of a glow. Is this because it’s Zambian material vs Colombian? Or does this happen with Colombian emeralds too? I viewed in indoor store lighting and the stone is pretty clean.

In terms of size, I found this to be a reasonable size - impactful and something I could wear to work, but not really a “special event” size. So I think this or perhaps slightly smaller would be the minimum size I would aim for, and ideally I might want something a little larger.

Here are the photos and I would love to hear thoughts on this emerald!

 

[LilAlex]

That looks like a beautiful stone and ring -- hard to argue with that! Any bigger and it would be a bit of a statement ring. The emerald is a bit "exposed" for any everyday "signature" ring -- but that's part of the glamor and elegance here. I lost track if this is the same ring.

No concerns with Zambian, imo. My understanding is that they can be cleaner and more crystalline-looking so there may be less "jardin" to scatter light.

If the person next to me were wearing that, it would certainly turn my head!

 

[rockyrookie]

That looks like a beautiful stone and ring -- hard to argue with that! Any bigger and it would be a bit of a statement ring. The emerald is a bit "exposed" for any everyday "signature" ring -- but that's part of the glamor and elegance here. I lost track if this is the same ring.

No concerns with Zambian, imo. My understanding is that they can be cleaner and more crystalline-looking so there may be less "jardin" to scatter light.

If the person next to me were wearing that, it would certainly turn my head!

Thanks for weighing in!! Glad to hear that Zambian origin is fine too!

I’m just wondering if the Colombian emeralds are truly much more glowy in real life, like this one posted by Muzoemeralds. I’ve attached the link to the reel:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Would this be a better color and glow?

Added some screen captures in case the IG link doesn’t work:

 

[Mrsz1ppy]

This is probably not what you want, but I have had success buying from this company in England, and getting the VAT taken off the price. Antiques don’t have it, but they also are duty free. Everything I’ve bought from him I re-certed with AGL, and they agreed with the British lab report.

One you could ‘remodel’ minor oil

1.80ct Colombian Emerald and 0.43ct Diamond, Platinum Dress Ring - Art Deco - Antique Circa 1930

A stunning antique 1.80 carat Colombian emerald and 0.43 carat diamond, platinum Art Deco dress ring; part of our diverse emerald jewellery collections

www.acsilver.co.uk

And one to drool over—no oil

1.70 ct Colombian Emerald and 2.18 ct Diamond, Platinum Twist Ring - Antique Circa 1920

A stunning, fine and impressive antique 1.70 carat Colombian emerald, 2.18 carat diamond and platinum twist ring; part of our diverse antique jewellery and estate jewelry collections

www.acsilver.co.uk

 

[LilAlex]

I’m just wondering if the Colombian emeralds are truly much more glowy in real life, like this one posted by Muzoemeralds.

Not enough to inform an individual purchase. Swedes may be tall, blonde, and attractive but I would not marry one sight-unseen with the expectation that they would fit the (over-hyped) archetype. This goes for Muzo emeralds, Mogok rubies, Kashmir sapphires, etc. So, no, origin is not a substitute for your own eyes.

 

[monarch64]

Thanks for sharing your experience with JR! Your ring looks gorgeous and I love the glowy green color! Could I trouble you to share the link to your thread please? I would love to find out more on the specs, especially as I find JR’s color descriptions a little confusing!

Thank you. Here’s the link:

I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore…

Oh boy, this is gonna be a doozy, so buckle up your ruby slippers and get ready for story time. For about a thousand years I’ve been saying to myself and to others that I want a big old emerald cut emerald ring. I told both my ex-husbands this information. They preferred diamonds for engagement...

www.pricescope.com

 

[rockyrookie]

This is probably not what you want, but I have had success buying from this company in England, and getting the VAT taken off the price. Antiques don’t have it, but they also are duty free. Everything I’ve bought from him I re-certed with AGL, and they agreed with the British lab report.

One you could ‘remodel’ minor oil

1.80ct Colombian Emerald and 0.43ct Diamond, Platinum Dress Ring - Art Deco - Antique Circa 1930

A stunning antique 1.80 carat Colombian emerald and 0.43 carat diamond, platinum Art Deco dress ring; part of our diverse emerald jewellery collections

www.acsilver.co.uk

And one to drool over—no oil

1.70 ct Colombian Emerald and 2.18 ct Diamond, Platinum Twist Ring - Antique Circa 1920

A stunning, fine and impressive antique 1.70 carat Colombian emerald, 2.18 carat diamond and platinum twist ring; part of our diverse antique jewellery and estate jewelry collections

www.acsilver.co.uk

Thanks so much for this! Appreciate the suggestion and I had fun looking at the pieces on the site. I would prefer a different style and think it’s probably too much work to remodel the ring!

 

[rockyrookie]

Not enough to inform an individual purchase. Swedes may be tall, blonde, and attractive but I would not marry one sight-unseen with the expectation that they would fit the (over-hyped) archetype. This goes for Muzo emeralds, Mogok rubies, Kashmir sapphires, etc. So, no, origin is not a substitute for your own eyes.

Hahaha yes understand what you mean! Agree it makes sense to view the pieces in person before committing, especially given the prices of emeralds!

I checked with Muzo Emeralds about this and they said they do allow returns for international orders, so if there’s something I like I could order and have a look to confirm that it looks good in person.

Right now based on what I’ve seen from Gemfactor and Muzo, I’m leaning towards Muzo based on the pricing. I also love @monarch64’s ring and will get in touch with JR to ask too! (@monarch64 - Thanks so much for sharing the thread!)

I’m also now considering the rings on their sites too and not just loose stones. Buying a completed ring looks like a much more affordable route, plus I would be able to return the ring if I don’t like it!