Introducing a Maharani from Mahenge

[voce]

Part 1 of the story.

Sometime in 2019, I can't remember the exact date, but perhaps in August or September or October, I saw the following gem listed for sale at Cecile Raley Designs. It's the old stock vivid red spinel color, Yvonne said. I thought it was a tad on the expensive side, but I kept coming back to it. The color was so vibrant and intense-looking, it set my heart all aflutter. By the time I made an offer, it was already sold.



Fast forward to February 2020. I was visiting my fiance in Toronto for Valentine's Day weekend. And while checking LoupeTroop completely routinely what should catch my attention but this exact same stone I had loved but failed to find a replacement for? The owner was on the fence about how to set it or whether she should sell it to free up money for a blue sapphire, if I recall correctly. I was sure I wanted to use 5 lavender sapphire melee and 5 mint garnet melee in an alternating pattern to set this Mahenge spinel in a camellia design. I already had another 7x5 red Mahenge spinel in mind for the project, but this one was much better with the color and the cut that I had to have it, and I convinced the owner to let me have it.

Here's the layout in the sticky gel lid gem tray. The very outer layer comprises 10 1mm unheated Tanzanian ruby; I had bought a lot of 30 and sorted them myself based on color saturation. The pinker ones appeared in my mint garnet center round camellia ring in yellow gold, and match the Vietnamese hot pink unheated sapphires in that camellia ring very well. I used 10 of the redder ones here for this ring. The remaining red unheated 1mm rubies are going to Enhoerning Jewelry for another long-awaited project. I just have to be able to pay off my ongoing jewelry projects before starting any more.

 

[voce]

Part 2, the finished ring.

I really love the glamour shots that Yvonne took. In the message she told me she didn't think the color combination would work, but that after the stones were set, she thinks it totally works.

Yvonne's camera is better at capturing the color of the greens, but the red in person is even more intense. Here she is in a variety of light settings, captured by my phone.

 

[voce]

Part 3, naming her Maharani.

From the first glamour photo from Yvonne, my dear fiance told me it looked regal.

The colors to my eyes look complementary and lovely in the rose gold, which I chose for the mint garnets and lavender sapphire in the inner halo. I think that the color of the Mahenge spinel is so intense it works no matter what color gold I choose. The saturated colors and exquisite workmanship reminded me of the objects from the courts of Mughal emperors. DF and I went to an exhibit in 2018-2019 at the Aga Khan Museum in the GTA, and we both thought the vibrant colors were reminiscent of objects on display at that exhibit.

Emperors & Jewels: Treasures of the Indian Courts | Apollo Magazine

Sumptuous jewels and ornaments from Mughal India are displayed alongside paintings of courtly life at the Aga Khan in Toronto

www.apollo-magazine.com

I think my new camellia ring, even though it sports gems mostly from Africa (garnets, spinel, and rubies from Tanzania, lavender sapphire from Sri Lanka and Madagascar), and even though it's done in rose gold, which wasn't used by Mughal rulers, is colorful and intricately well-crafted enough to be worthy of a maharani's collection. So in my mind, this red spinel is my Mahenge maharani.

 

[scouty]

Beautiful colors! love it... Maharani - queen in Hindi

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

I think this is my favorite color combo out so many beautiful color combos you have done.
I can't even explain it really, it's doing all kinds of pleasing things in my brain It's like ASMR for my eyeballs or something.
I am in admiration of your skill.

It's next level beyond.

 

[junebug17]

This is so beautiful!!! I love the array of colors. It looks really lovely on your hand, enjoy it!

 

[Lykame]

Absolutely wonderful, your eye for colour is phenomenal. I really enjoyed @ItsMainelyYou's statement that it's ASMR for the eyeballs - very true.

 

[Musia]

Magnificent and very impressive ring! The spinel is a star stone under any lighting condition. Looks great on your finger.

 

[voce]

I'm probably going to have to wait to look up what ASMR means, just in case it's NSFW.

 

[Chasiu]

This ring is probably one of my new favorites! The color combo is amazing and just makes me sigh

 

[marymm]

Super pretty ring!

 

[motownmama]

Very cool! Good job!

 

[elle_71125]

Oh my goodness, she is stunning! I love how you play with color and how you went with your gut (even when Yvonne thought it wouldn’t work). It’s absolutely gorgeous and that spinel is freaking RED!!!

 

[voce]

Oh my goodness, she is stunning! I love how you play with color and how you went with your gut (even when Yvonne thought it wouldn’t work). It’s absolutely gorgeous and that spinel is freaking RED!!!

Glad you love the ring! It's not like Yvonne tried to dissuade me, and I went with my gut despite. With this one and with the Easter paraiba ring, I think I came off as very confident it's what I want, and she only told me after the ring was done that at first she didn't think it would work.

 

[lilmosun]

Love the color combination and "meant to be" journey the stone took to get to you!

 

[Arcadian]

Oh WOW!!!!! I think sometimes you "just know" and you really have to go with it. been there have the t-shirt! She's beautiful!!

 

[leslie1956]

It's certainly a ring worthy of a queen! It may be my favorite of all of your rings and that's saying something

 

[prs]

I didn't think too much of the color combo in your gem tray...shows what I know...in your ring it's absolutely spectacular!

 

[voce]

I didn't think too much of the color combo in your gem tray...shows what I know...in your ring it's absolutely spectacular!

Thanks! I think the gem trays only approximate how the gems will look with white metals. It didn't look spectacular to me in the gem tray either, but maybe I just have a better imagination and imagined the colors with rose gold, so I expected them to look better than what was strictly in the tray. Good thing my expectations were not disappointed.

 

[GliderPoss]

Oooooh it's so pretty! I love the colour combo and the spinel is to die for...

 

[DiaLuv]

Love the color combination you used. Very pretty ring.

 

[deorwine]

(argh, I have meant to comment on this forever and haven't had much time to hang out at PS recently) I looooooove this ring!! I am SO glad this spinel had a chance to shine! I particularly like how the design makes the melee (all of them, but particularly those lovely mint garnets) just pop! It looks very regal and majestic to me (which I thought even before reading the story behind your name for it). I am really glad you were able to get your dream spinel and make this dreamy ring!

(Meanwhile, I have not either bought the sapphire I was looking at or set any other gems since then, so clearly this was a good move to get this lovely spinel set and worn and loved! )

 

[voce]

(argh, I have meant to comment on this forever and haven't had much time to hang out at PS recently) I looooooove this ring!! I am SO glad this spinel had a chance to shine! I particularly like how the design makes the melee (all of them, but particularly those lovely mint garnets) just pop! It looks very regal and majestic to me (which I thought even before reading the story behind your name for it). I am really glad you were able to get your dream spinel and make this dreamy ring!

(Meanwhile, I have not either bought the sapphire I was looking at or set any other gems since then, so clearly this was a good move to get this lovely spinel set and worn and loved! )

Thanks for chiming in, deorwine! I'm ever so glad you were gracious enough to pass this red spinel along to me.

I think you have a great eye for red and blue gems, and I hope you will get around to setting your loose stones in good order.

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Gorgeous ring & nice colour combination. Great finger coverage too.

 

[bananabrains]

If I had this beauty on my hand I would be walking into walls. I cannot take my eyes off it! Rose gold was the perfect choice for this ring. You have a fantastic eye for color. *sigh* It's dreamy!

 

[T L]

Beautiful gems and ring!! Swooon!

 

[Kapuni]

Part 1 of the story.

Sometime in 2019, I can't remember the exact date, but perhaps in August or September or October, I saw the following gem listed for sale at Cecile Raley Designs. It's the old stock vivid red spinel color, Yvonne said. I thought it was a tad on the expensive side, but I kept coming back to it. The color was so vibrant and intense-looking, it set my heart all aflutter. By the time I made an offer, it was already sold.



Fast forward to February 2020. I was visiting my fiance in Toronto for Valentine's Day weekend. And while checking LoupeTroop completely routinely what should catch my attention but this exact same stone I had loved but failed to find a replacement for? The owner was on the fence about how to set it or whether she should sell it to free up money for a blue sapphire, if I recall correctly. I was sure I wanted to use 5 lavender sapphire melee and 5 mint garnet melee in an alternating pattern to set this Mahenge spinel in a camellia design. I already had another 7x5 red Mahenge spinel in mind for the project, but this one was much better with the color and the cut that I had to have it, and I convinced the owner to let me have it.

Here's the layout in the sticky gel lid gem tray. The very outer layer comprises 10 1mm unheated Tanzanian ruby; I had bought a lot of 30 and sorted them myself based on color saturation. The pinker ones appeared in my mint garnet center round camellia ring in yellow gold, and match the Vietnamese hot pink unheated sapphires in that camellia ring very well. I used 10 of the redder ones here for this ring. The remaining red unheated 1mm rubies are going to Enhoerning Jewelry for another long-awaited project. I just have to be able to pay off my ongoing jewelry projects before starting any more.

I’m waiting to find a stone like this