I need help...

[FrekeChild]

Here''s my problem:

My bf and I are looking into making an ering. I know exactly what I want, but all the jewelry stores I''ve visited today have sort of discouraged what I want because it''s a bit of an odd combination. Ugh, I''ll just give you guys all the specs:

1.5-2 carat/9mm x 7mm ish oval Swiss/London blue topaz
Set into a plain boring solitaire-we''re talking 2mm domed setting in platinum -no diamonds, no carving, no anything.

So I went to some stores today to check everything out, and all of them basically told me that they didn''t want to sell me platinum because it''s so expensive. And because the topaz is such a cheap stone.

One lady tried to sell me on a gorgeous oval blue zircon that was 3.11 carats and a Scott Kay setting with surprise diamonds in it that would run about 3,300 total, which is totally out of budget and not what I want. When I told her that I wanted to look for something that would be an ering, but then told her I didn''t want a diamond in it, she turned into the wicked witch from the west and after sitting down for a little bit, basically told me to come back some other time. Before she turned bitchy, she mentioned that her gemstone supplier could bring in anything the same day they ordered it from him.

This other dude at another store showed me what I asked for- a 2mm platinum setting ($650) and a plain platinum w-ring ($350) but then told me that they would have to switch out the head to fit an oval stone, and that would cost me $375 in platinum.

Say what?! He didn''t have any loose blue topaz at all, but could get some in. Of course the only blue topaz I saw in the store was sky blue, and while lovely, is NOT what I want for my ering.

Both of the people above tried really hard to talk me into white gold I''m guessing mostly because it''s cheaper, but I don''t want to deal with re-plating especially because we''re not going to be staying here for more than a few years, and I''ll have to deal with a new jeweler eventually. Plus I like the idea of a patina, and having the ring show it''s age. I know that the stone I picked is cheap and I know the metal I picked is expensive, but after talking to them today I''m second guessing myself. I''m wondering if I should do white gold, and maybe switch the stone out for something more expensive like the zircon that''s still similar in color to the topaz. I''ve thought about doing a lighter sapphire too, but that would stick me with a WG setting because I don''t want to go over 1k.

The other place was so busy, I didn''t try to talk to any SAs, and I thought they had lovely items, but again didn''t talk to them, so didn''t inquire as to what they had in stock.

I''m afraid to leave the stone picking out to the BF even though I''m sure he''d do a great job but I don''t want icky SA to treat him the way they did me-because at least I know what I''m talking about and doing...kind of.

I''m frustrated, confused and tired. I think that by reading this, you could probably tell I''m a little all over the place. Am I crazy? Do you guys have any suggestions?

Blue Topaz I''ve been spying.

 

[surfgirl]

Why dont you find your dream stone first, then take it round to get a setting done for it? That way, you dont run into the annoying salespeople who''re trying to change your mind to a diamond so they make more commission?!? You know, you could get Leon or MWM to make a plain plat band for about $1200 or so...Then again, instead of going to a jewelry store where they''re trying to sell you something pricier, find the stone, and then go find a jeweler/benchman to make exactly what you want. Give them a photo of your dream solitaire setting and let them go for it. A platinumsmith shouldn''t give you a hard time about making what you describe.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Here's a simple platinum setting for $550.

You can set an oval with four prongs. My oval is set that way. That change-the-head price is ridiculous. There are a lot of online vendors who can do what you want.

http://www.bluenile.com/product_details.asp?oid=3804&page=1&col=3&row=1&pos=3&set_shape=

 

[coatimundi_org]

Frekechild--The Natural Sapphire Company also has simple platinum settings. I know you can ship them a stone and they will set it for you. I inquired about setting a colored gem, not purchased from them, and they quoted me a price and gave me direction on how to send it etc. Very prompt in their reply. I believe they have wedding sets in platinum, so maybe you could get both that way.



www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com

 

[rainydaze]

i''m so sorry you were treated that way FrekeChild! there is no need for that, and you hang in there until you find someone who makes purchasing your ering the wonderful experience it should be, no matter what!

one thing that struck me about your post was that you ended it by saying you were ''all over the place'' and i don''t think you are. in fact, you seem very focused and know exactly what you want, and the SA''s you have dealt with thus far have made you doubt yourself and lose sight of your vision. unless some of the more knowledgable (than me) folks here can kindly present you with sensible reasons why you should not continue with what you clearly have your heart and mind set on, i see no reason why you should be derailed from what you want. you like platinum for your ering, well so do i! makes sense to me! you want topaz, in a specific hue, for your stone, i say why not? it''s all about looking down at your hand and loving what you see. if topaz can stand up to the wear you will subject an ering to (i assume every day, for years to come) then i say topaz you shall have.

i second surfgirl''s suggestion to find the stone first and then pursue the setting, especially since the setting you envision is simple and doesn''t require intense shopping to find, just the right person to do it. there are some great sites with amazing stones, and you can browse and shop in peace. try http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=All&ySpecies=All or http://www.whitesgems.com/cutgems1.htm or http://www.artcutgems.com/

best wishes, i hope you find someone who can come through for you without diminishing further your excitement!

 

[MrYoung]

If you are keeping your budget under 1K, and you buy your stone first, make sure that the stone is a calibrated size and shape. Ovals can get "out of whack". Your 7x9 sould end up an odd 6.5 x 9.75 and then youll be forced to pay for a custom setting.

Topaz are 7 on the hardness scale (10 being best), however the CLEAVE. There are certain directions in the crystal structure that are softer, and therefore cannot deal with bumps. I would recommend bezel (or at the least a half bezel) setting your stone to ensure a long, happy life.

You are not asking for something that is either ridiculous or unmanagable. Anyone who treats you with less then due respect should be laughed at as you walk away.

These are several blue stones to consider:

blue sapphire
topaz
aquamarine
zircon
tourmaline
more

Of these, I would recommend sapphire and zircon as they can be found in your desired light blue color, they are tough and scratch resistant (you could go with prongs here) and are in your budget.

Happy huntin''

 

[FrekeChild]

Surfgirl: I''m afraid that part of my problem is that spending so much on such a cheap stone seems ludicrous to begin with, but getting MWM or Leon to do one would make my head explode. In my head I just can''t justify it, because I want only the basic solitaire.I hate hate hate sales people-and I used to be one, but I was never pushy like these jewelry SAs.

Coati: That solitaire is pretty much exactly what I''m looking for. Only $125 cheaper than everything I was told today--and comfort fit to boot! I told my BF that I was just going to email him everything, so he could just buy it and put it all together, and I''d just see it when he''s done.

I''m wondering what Blue Nile''s policy is on setting stones that come from out of house. Anyone have any idea? I looked at NSC and they have a lot of great stuff, I was even considering getting a blue Sapphire from them, and doing the whole thing there. But, I''m not seeing exactly what I want over there either. But thanks for finding that setting at Blue Nile for me! That''s exactly what I''m looking for!

Rainy: I do know exactly what I want. Those @$$holes just made me second guess myself. Now I think I''m just pondering switching to a blue zircon and white gold (or maybe even platinum if I could get the Blue Nile setting!) or sticking with the original Blue Topaz/Platinum combo. I just felt kind of intimidated by all the bling, and with the dude SA knowing more about everything than I do. The woman was an idiot and just trying to up sell me. I have to say that I loved the color of the zircon-and it''s pretty much exactly the color I''m looking for- only a little dark-but still plenty gorgeous. I totally agree that it''s got to be something that I love, and that I''m going to love to look down at my finger and enjoy everyday for the rest of my life. The search is on!

MrYoung: What other suggestions do you have for me? I do love the sapphire, but for my ering I want to go a bit more in the greenish range of blue, and sapphires have a tendency to be more purple/violet-plus I have a lovely sapphire ring from my parents and I don''t want my ering to just be a bigger better version.

So I''m thinking that zircon might be a serious contender, because I really don''t want a bezel or half bezel for my ering. For some reason it just don''t say "engaged" to me-probably because I wear 3 bezel set rings everyday. However, because I''ve had topaz stuck in my head for so long, I know almost nothing about any other stones (at least pertaining to this project), so is there anything else I should know?

I''ve been looking for a gray oval spinel for a while (just for kicks) and today my bf told me that if I bought the stone, he''d get it set in a white gold somethin'' somethin'' for me for my birthday.

He''s the best. Anyone have any suggestions on that end too?

 

[coatimundi_org]

Yay!!
Happy to help you on your search!
Can''t wait to see the finished product!!
Coati

 

[FrekeChild]

Thanks Coati! It''ll probably be a while still, but come April I might have a spinel piece to flash around and take pics of!

 

[E B]

Freke,

Whiteflash has this setting (2.5mm) in platinum for $795 for any "cut of your choice":

Sleek Lines Solitaire

I know they charge a setting fee if they don''t supply the stone, but it isn''t much; probably $50-$100 (max), but call to make sure.

 

[Pandora II]

I''d recommend a switch to zircon as well.

Here''s a beauty from Palagems - they have lots on their website too:

 

[marcy]

Sorry you are having so much trouble getting what you want. I would buy all the pieces and take them to a jeweler to have them set. Zircon is drop dead gorgeous but I would hesitate to have one to wear daily as they are a soft stone and over time the facets start to soften. Swiss Blue Topaz is a lovely stone a would hold up better for daily wear. Either would be lovely as an ering.

 

[FrekeChild]

EBree: I''ll have to check out Whiteflash. I didn''t even think about checking over there...

Pandora: Why would you recommend Zircon over Topaz? I just know I saw that 3ct stunner yesterday and it was gorgeous-but at least a carat too big and around $400, so not really ideal, although I''m sure I could get another one to my specs. I really liked the site that you posted, but all of the stones that were under 3 carats didn''t really have pics-and I really would like to see it. You know?

Marcyc: I wear Topaz on a daily basis, but it''s bezel set, and I don''t really know enough about Topaz or Zircon to make a decision between the two as to what would stand the test of time. I can always upgrade the setting, but the stone is the thing that I''d like to keep forever, so I don''t want to deal with any cracking, chipping or any other issues because I want it to last forever. So I''m lost on this particular issue.

I''m definitely leaning towards the Topaz and Zircon though. The Zircon is surprising me because the color seems much more intense than the Topaz, and I was having issues finding a topaz that really spoke to me. And of course looking at this stuff on the internet is always a gamble because I don''t know what it looks like in real life. I''m thinking about picking out a stone over the internet and then taking it to one of the stores in town to have it set. The BF was originally looking into a diamond for me, but I''m just not into diamonds, so the budget really isn''t an issue for either gemstone. Even with the platinum setting. It''s just that I want to stick with the under a grand mark.

 

[Skippy123]

Here is a zircon http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=10&idproduct=1557

and a few from Richard Homer http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=Blue&ySpecies=Zircon

 

[MrYoung]

I second the quality at Palagems. They always have some fo the nicest material. Your local jeweler should be able to order stones for you (from Pala).

Sapphires come in every color of the rainbow- except red, because then it would be a ruby! Im not entirely sure on this, but I believe some of the nicer blue/green stones come from Sri Lanka? Again, Pala may be able to help you there.

As for futher suggestions- if you are going for a stone other then diamond for your e-ring and dont want a bezel, you should at least go for a platinum head (a little more protection). If price is of concern, you can get a WG ring and a platinum head.

Zircon would certainly do the trick!

Have fun!

 

[Elmorton]

Richard''s concave zircons are AMAZING, especially if you''re looking for a stone that really speaks to you. It took some major restraint when I saw his work in Dec not to go home with one. I would totally choose one as an e-ring - they''re fabulous and you could look into it all day and not get bored.

Also, I just posted my new concave swiss blue topaz, it''s about the same size that you''re looking for. Not cut by Richard Homer, but you might want to check it out for an example of a concave cut topaz.

I second purchasing the stone and then the setting. When we were ring shopping, people got snotty with me once or twice when they didn''t have a selection of ECs in the size we were looking for. One woman told me that in that size, it would look like a promise ring. She was rude, and my ring (that we did not purchase there) is lovely - I don''t know why people think they can make sales when they say things like that! Don''t let it detour you from getting a beautiful ring.

 

[FrekeChild]

Thank you for your suggestions Skippy, MrYoung, and Elmorton!

I think what I''ll probably do is go back to the jeweler that had the snobby lady because my parents have bought stuff from them before, and everything was fine, but I would not want my BF to have ANYTHING to do with that woman. She seemed to think that she knew better than I-she didn''t understand that I wanted a basic bare-bones solitaire-that I wanted platinum, and then wouldn''t even give me a price for a bare boned platinum solitaire. I already told BF that I don''t want him to talk to the really old lady with the lipstick bleeding (he seemed to understand this concept). I think that if I got a stone from off the internet, that I could give it to them and have them put it in a setting. However if I go to that same store and still come across another jerk salesman, then I''m going to have to find another jeweler. I don''t care if what I''m looking for is cheap-they should give me the same service as those people buying the 2 carat diamond in Scott Kay. Ugh. Sorry.

I''ve spent a lot of time perusing NSC as well as others and I think that the sapphires are absolutely lovely, but I just haven''t seen one that really spoke to me. I would love to have a light purple sapphire someday, but not for my e-ring. However, while searching for a stone that just jumps out to me-I have to say that I''m not a huge fan of the concave cut. And this seems to go for BF as well. His comment was, "Maybe it wouldn''t look so spiky if you weren''t looking straight down on it." Maybe it''s just because I''m a very round shapes oriented person, it just doesn''t appeal to me the same way...

I had dreams about this last night and I''ve decided that Platinum is the way to go. That''s what I''ve wanted from the beginning and I don''t think I should change that now. So now my only questions are how to go about doing it, and where to get the zircon from. I should probably just give up control of it all and let it go, but dang it, I don''t want him to get screwed over by these jerks!!

Also, while I spent some time looking at the oval stones, I''ve looked at the length and width measurements and I''m wondering if I had a setting for say a 8x6 stone how close to the 8x6 does it have to be? I saw a topaz thats 8.12 x 6.21 x 4.56- could something like that fit into a standard setting?

 

[Elmorton]

Please someone hop in and correct me if I''m wrong, but I think your jeweler should be able to make that fit. While I was working with a pendant yesterday and not a ring, the jeweler ordered me a head (I didn''t like the stock pendant settings, so they ordered a ring head and are fashioning a pendant from that) that was 8.4mm for my 9mm stone. The next size was a 9.4 mm and a jump in price, and they said the smaller would do the job just fine. I would think if a difference of .6 is workable, then a difference of .1-2 wouldn''t be a problem at all.. ? It could also depend on the type of setting, prongs, etc.

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 1/20/2008 2:06:17 PM
Author: FrekeChild

Pandora: Why would you recommend Zircon over Topaz? I just know I saw that 3ct stunner yesterday and it was gorgeous-but at least a carat too big and around $400, so not really ideal, although I'm sure I could get another one to my specs. I really liked the site that you posted, but all of the stones that were under 3 carats didn't really have pics-and I really would like to see it. You know?

Topaz is an 8 on the mohs, whereas Zircon is a 7.5 - but this only measures it's scratch resistance, not it's toughness. For example, jade is tougher than steel but is a 6.5 on the mohs.

Topaz has perfect cleavage which makes it very easy to break. Zircon on the other hand lacks distinctive cleavage and has a much stronger crystalline structure meaning that it is tough and much, much less likely to break if you drop it.

I also have a preference for zircon because of it's high refractive index which makes it very sparkly and gives it fire.

One of my dislikes of blue topaz is the enormous quantity on the market right now - almost all of which is heat-treated.

Zircon is a bit more special to my mind and I think will stand up to wear better.

My tsavorite is a 7.5 on the mohs and has no cleavage. I wear it in a platinum prong setting - yes I'm careful with it and don't wear it for 'dangerous' activities (like cooking, cleaning etc). I expect to have to have it repolished every 10 years or so, but not much more than that.


If you want pics, I would give Wink a call and ask him to see what Pala has in the sizes you are interested in. He has got me some beauties from them. He's also never 'snobby' about non-diamond e-rings and customer service is second to none.

ETA: Zircon (SG 4.60-4.70) is much heavier than Diamond (SG 3.51) or Topaz (SG 3.50-3.60), which means a 1ct zircon will look proportionately smaller than a 1ct diamond (presuming cut etc is the same) so you are probably better specifying mm's rather than carat weight.

 

[FrekeChild]

Just a really quick reply because I''m running to the grocery store...

Pandora--I thought something was up with the weight because that 3 carat zircon was not nearly the same size as a 3 carat diamond (even if the diamond was a rounder marquis, I can''t imagine that it would be that different for an oval). But because that''s a 1.0 difference between the diamond and the zircon-how much of a difference does that make carat wise? I''m unsure now as to what mm size I want because I wasn''t paying much attention to it now, so I guess it''s back to the jewelers for me. I agree with you on the topaz not being rare at all, and the zircon being more special. I hadn''t ever seen any in real life, but I think I like it more because it seems to be kind of in between the color of the Swiss blue and London blue topaz, which is really what I was hoping for.

If you can think of anything else about the zircon or point me in the direction of an informative website-that would be awesome!!

Thank you guys so much for you help! I''m learning an awful lot!

 

[Pandora II]

I believe the standard formula for calculating rough carat weights for oval faceted stones is:

Length x width x depth x S.G. x .0020 = carat wt.

An example I did (using very rough figures that don''t represent a real stone...)

An oval diamond - 8mm x 6mm x 4mm would be about 1.35ct
An oval zircon - 8mm x 6mm x 4mm would be about 1.77ct

Obviously, this is not taking anything like culet, girdle, belly size etc into account.

Hope that helps.

Please chime in someone if I am talking complete rubbish here!

 

[cinnamon013]

Whiteflash has a lovely platinum setting and they work with Richard Homer to obtain stones from him. You should give them a call tomorrow and see if they can meet your needs with a setting and stone. They''d be able to take care of all your concerns with head size and setting.