I bought Freke''s periwinkle spinel and orangey red garnet!!!

[jstarfireb]

A double whammy...a Dan Stair spinel and Barry Bridgestock garnet in one night. Woo-hoo!!!

Thanks a bunch to Freke for selling her pretties. I''ll attach some of her pics here...she''ll be sending them to me on Wednesday!

Periwinkle spinel...

 

[jstarfireb]

The spinel in real life...

 

[jstarfireb]

Orangey garnet...

 

[jstarfireb]

Both are tiny! 0.54ct/4.6mm and 0.55ct/4.74mm, respectively. I''m hoping they''re small enough to serve as stackers with my upcoming 4mm alexandrite lotus without overpowering it!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I think they''ll make for really pretty stackers! Hehe, welcome to the wonderful world of spinels!
Dan Stair just listed a bunch of new ones, although his are a bit pricier than some others. very purty though.

 

[jstarfireb]

Yeah! Freke, kind soul that she is, gave me a very reasonable price. That reminds me, I've again forgotten the Etsy seller who set your Malaya and sapphire (the thumb ring)...could you re-enlighten me? I'm looking for inexpensive ring settings for these and would love to do sterling silver via Etsy!

ETA: Please give me any and all ring setting ideas! I would like them to be stackers with a thin band, but beyond that...bezels? Prongs? Something totally different? I'd love to see examples!

 

[Indylady]

Very pretty! I can''t wait to see them set. Would you do a white metal for the garnet or gold?

 

[marcy]

Wow, what a jackpot. They are both lovely.

 

[jstarfireb]

Date: 7/21/2009 12:10:30 AM
Author: szh07
Very pretty! I can't wait to see them set. Would you do a white metal for the garnet or gold?

Probably sterling silver for both. The alexandrite has made me pretty darn poor, so I'd rather save as much as possible by going with an inexpensive metal.

I'm thinking I'd like to set the spinel "on point" or "kite-set" or however you wanna call it. Perhaps in a bezel, since it's a light stone and could handle the bezel. I'm not sure if the garnet would be made too dark by a bezel...will have to see it in person first.

ETA: and thank you both, Marcy and szh!

 

[FrekeChild]

My vote is to kite set the spinel (not sure on prong or bezel, it can for sure take a bezel though) and probably prong set the garnet, although I think it might be able to handle a bezel too.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I got the malaya and sapphire done by Kyle Anne, but honestly, I would go with Julia Taylor on etsy (she made my pendant). She''s much more skilled at hand made bezels which will matter since your spinel isn''t a typical cut. And her prices are still very reasonable.

Can''t wait to see the stacking set! Any news from Sally yet? When''s the alexandrite supposed to be done?

 

[jstarfireb]

Freke, I''m glad to have the vote of confidence from you for setting it on point! I think a thin bezel would be really cool because of the octagonal shape. Still not sure how to set the garnet though. I think I''ll have to see it in person first.

MTG, thanks...I''ll probably go with Julia then. I haven''t asked Sally about the alex because I didn''t want to harass her. This Friday will be week #3. Hopefully it will be done soon!

 

[D&T]

Beautiful! your spinel looks kinda like mine, I love it I am having mine in a kite position (especially with the clipped corner, I like the kite position more) done by Sally - just gotta get my gems out to her.

 

[jstarfireb]

Speak of the devil! It''s DONE!!!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28131954&show_panel=true

Didn''t get an etsy convo from Sally, but I just checked her site now. Wow, it looks just stunning...can''t wait to get it!

 

[kas baby]

ohmygoodness its soooo cute! lucky you to have an alex

Sally is just great to work with, and seeing your beautiful ring is making me antsy for mine to be finished, lol

can''t wait to see hand pics! wear it in good health

 

[musey]

Woohoo!!

Can''t wait to see ''em set!

 

[princessplease]

I LOVE those stones, jstar!!!!! I can''t wait to see what awesome setting you decide to go with on those.

 

[chrono]

Their sizes seem very suited for a stacker. The spinel would look nice bezeled with the points NSEW. The garnet might not be attractive in the bezel due to the tone.

 

[jstarfireb]

D&T - are you doing a lotus for yours? Can''t wait to see it! I thought about another lotus, but I think I''d rather just have the one.

kas baby - She''s such a sweetheart, isn''t she? What kind of piece is she making for you? Alexandrite is such a fascinating stone...I agree; I''m lucky to have it!

Musey and princessplease - thanks; me too!

Chrono - I totally agree, and I think that''s what I''ll do (probably in a bezel depending on how light the stone is IRL). I also agree that the garnet is probably not well suited to a bezel because of the saturation. I''m still at a loss on how to set it and would love suggestions!

 

[jstarfireb]

They''re here! With apologies for my old camera, here are some pics...

 

[jstarfireb]

With the top of the box off, so the fingerprint smudge is gone...

 

[jstarfireb]

Both of them again...

 

[jstarfireb]

Pretty rocks, la-la-la...

 

[jstarfireb]

Spinel through the loupe. This stone is really cool. It has a distinct tilt window as you can see from the other pics. And normally I''m pretty anti-window...but actually , with this stone, there''s a really cool effect. As you move the stone or your eyes around, the window moves around, with the edges leading almost like the hands of a clock...it''s really mesmerizing. I''m expecting the window to diminish after setting, and it actually disappears when I shade the stone from direct light with my hand.

 

[jstarfireb]

And the garnet through the loupe. It doesn''t really look this greasy...maybe I got finger oils on it or something. It''s a beautifully cut stone that also seems to change with movement. I''d prefer the color to be a bit lighter, so I don''t think it will be a good bezel candidate.

 

[kas baby]

yay for new gems!!! i''m so excited to see what you end up deciding for them

and to answer your question.. yes! sally has been soooooo nice, great to work with. I''m getting a 14k yellow gold lotus, modified for an oddly shaped star ruby. I llike unique stones, and I think it will be great. Sally was so cute when she sent me pictures of it, she said "oh I''m so glad you like it! I was afraid its charm wouldn''t show in the pics."

ok, end thread jack, and I promise I''ll add it to the "show us your lotus setting" thread when I get it

 

[Indylady]

Very pretty! I love seeing personal pics; and that spinel is so pretty! Love the color.

 

[jstarfireb]

Kas baby - yay! Can''t wait to see it.

Thanks, ladies. It''s a shame I can''t seem to get a great pic of the garnet. Freke''s pic is much better and more representative of what it looks like in real life.

 

[FrekeChild]

Lol! You didn''t tell me you got them already! They are both hard to photograph for sure. I love that pic of the spinel through the loupe though--it''s SO HARD to capture that one''s facets...

 

[jstarfireb]

Yeah, I came back from the wedding on Sunday to find a package in my mailbox! So it must have come in on Saturday. Thanks again for sending them so fast!

Because my camera has such a poor macro function, I''ve found that the only way to get good close-ups is to stick my camera on the loupe. It auto-focuses pretty well. It couldn''t really capture the garnet because the light is blocked out, but I''m happy with the spinel pic.