Light Pad Sapphire - Setting? Help!

[Kedzie]

Hello!

I posted a couple of months ago looking for help finding a light champagne / rose colored sapphire. Well, I found her - but I am having such a hard time determining what exactly to do with her

I know I''m aweful for not taking pictures yet - But I will make a collage and post pics later tonight. Until then, maybe you can help me generate some ideas (and images!) You all are so good at finding the perfect pictures, so I am excited to see what you come up with.

Sapphire:

Ceylon Untreated (certified)
2.37 tw
Elongated oval cut
VVS eye clean
9x6.55x4.58mm
Rose, orangey, champagne color (light padparadscha color)
(and I absolutely adore it!)

I was thinking of mixing rose and white gold. I have always wanted a halo, but perhaps a thin double halo? (Sapphire, white gold halo, then rose gold halo). What do you think? Too much? Has anyone seen pics of this?

Have you seen a picture of a 3 stone ring where the center has a halo, but the two side stones do not?

Thank you for your help in advance! I can really use your expertise!
Kedzie

 

[jstarfireb]

Congrats on your purchase! We really need to see pics first, but here are a few generalizations that came to mind for me...

1) Elongated ovals tend to look really nice set east/west. Maybe think about a split-shank halo, with the 2 shanks going above and below the stone?

2) I probably wouldn''t use rose gold with a pad. I like RG, but I think it would clash with the orangey color of the pad.

3) Personally, I think 3-stone rings with a halo should be exactly how you described it. I think they look too busy with all 3 stones haloed. If you wanted to do a 3-stone, I''d probably set the center stone north/south instead of east/west.

Hope that helps!

 

[Indylady]

I think Linda W once said that pads look best in white gold, but I do think it depends on the stone. I think Makingthegrade had a thread about what color metal to set her pad in, and there were a lot of opinions. However, I would not set it in rose gold, especially for a paler colored pad. I''d set it in a three stone with round sides, or I would set it in a single halo with miligrain and a split shank. Or east/west set as a solitaire with pave diamonds on the band.

 

[Upgradable]

The danger with pairing the lighter colored pads with rose gold is that the gold seems to suck the color away from the stone. In order for the stone to POP, put the white metal next to it. You can use rose in the band or in an outer halo, but they do look better in the white gold.

 

[Kedzie]

Thank you for replying!

Well, I''m going to need a bit more time to learn how to take proper photos Here is the vendor photo to give you an idea:

I think that I will prefer to set this sapphire north-south. I think it will actually help to elongate my size 8 fingers

I was thinking micropave split shank too! And yes - I think that rose gold right next to the stone will take away from its beauty. But what about white gold surrounding the sapphire and then another rose gold halo surrounding that?

I was actually playing around with two .30 old euroupean diamonds and they looked beautiful next to the sapphore - made it look very vintage - but I''ve always thought I would do a halo. That is why I was wondering if anyone has seen pictures of a 3 stone with just the center stone haloed.

Thanks for your help agian!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

very pretty! I think with that color that white gold would be perfect. I wouldn''t put a second rose gold halo, but a rose gold shank might be nice, and rose gold to set the diamonds if you use them on the side

 

[PumpkinPie]

that''s a beautiful peachy coloured pad

I love the idea of a 3-stone with old cut diamonds. I know there are some rings on here with just the centre stone haloed -but I can''t remember who has them.. hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in with the information

 

[ma re]

With such a delicate color that is a combination of several hues (rosey champagne seems to be a very good description), I''d be worried that white gold next to the stone might make the color colder and more brown. I''d suggest rose gold claw prongs holding this stone, and then you can do whatever you want to have around that. They wouldn''t show much metal when looking from above, but would still make sure that the stone keeps it''s warm hues - at least in theory.

 

[oddoneout]

I think rose gold might take away from the colour of the sapphire too (which is beautiful). I think white gold would look nice. I like your idea of the diamonds either side. I think it would look nice east/west too.

 

[chrono]

I am in agreement that the coppery colour of rose gold will overpower the delicate colour of your sapphire. Have you received your stone yet? Placing it next to a penny might give you some idea of how well or poorly it will look set in rose gold. If you have white and yellow gold, place them next to the stone to see which colour seems to complement it better.

 

[Laila619]

Pretty stone! I think a white gold setting might actually work better.

 

[Upgradable]

When trying to decide on mounting color for my star, I wrapped different colored necklace chains around it. It really helped visualize what look I wanted.

 

[Kedzie]

Thank you for suggestions! I think that I am primarily in agreement with the theory that a rose gold halo would do a disservice to the color of my sapphire. I really like the idea of using rose gold double prongs, white gold pave halo with possibly 2 old european cut diamonds on the sides that are not haloed, but rather set with rose gold prongs (great idea Bella and mr. ma re!) Then a rose gold pave shank. Thoughts on this? Too much? Still no idea for the gallery!

Do you think that a split shank would work with two diamonds set on either side of the sapphire? Anyone have or have seen any reference pictures?

I do have my sapphire Chrono. And I have rose, white and yellow gold stack rings that I have been playing around with. The rose gold that I am after is very very light (kind of like my pad). More pink that coppery (the latter is what I currently have). I know that rose gold coloring is tricky...

A bit of background - this is my second time designing a ring. The first time, I fell in love with gems, period jewelry, etc. Now I am designing my engagement ring!

Boyfriend has been very patient with my indecisiveness! First ring I blame on second ring''s slow setting progress. Now that I know what is possible, its hard to finally nail down a decision!

I need to take pictures of my ring as well as my sapphire, but just for fun - here is the vendor link of my first ring (which I wear as a right hand ring):

http://www.myjewelrysource.com/images/custom/sandy1a.jpg


Thank you again for all of your help.

 

[Indylady]

Very pretty pad!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I set my Lotus sapphire in a 18k White gold lotus setting. And while I think it looks lovely, sometimes I wish I had done the head in yellow or pink gold for a warmer feel.

 

[marcy]

Very pretty color.

 

[Barrett]

nice stone..personally i see your stone as a pad or closer to a pad color than half the pads being sold every place..in my opinion of course...i like it!

 

[Kedzie]

Thank you everyone for your nice compliments! I was worried - with all the commotion going on about what''s a pad and what isn''t I was worried about what people would think about my sapphire

 

[Nomsdeplume]

Date: 4/15/2010 2:27:51 PM
Author: Kedzie
Thank you everyone for your nice compliments! I was worried - with all the commotion going on about what''s a pad and what isn''t I was worried about what people would think about my sapphire

I think you have a lovely padparadscha sapphire Kedzie. Don''t worry, this is probably one of the most hotly debated topics in the industry. I bought what I thought looked like one earlier this year, and though I still don''t know if it would be classified as a padparadscha by the AGTA, I love it and I love the color and that''s what is most important. So if some people say that your sapphire is not a padparadscha, don''t let it put you off your stone. It''s lovely!

 

[Kedzie]

Thanks Kribbie - I appreciate your kind words. We love it, so that is all that matters

In other news - I think I have settled on a setting (custom to accomadate the oval - and I''ll probably add more detail to the gallery and the sides of the shank:

http://ritani.com/products/view/944/in_category/1

 

[kogolden]

That''s interesting; I have been looking for the exact color of stone you are. I found one today that looks very similar in color to yours. It''s a very pale peachy color. More orange, but with a little pink. I started searching after I saw this ring on pricescope posted by gisellem.

Gisellem''s stone is a champagne pinkish orangish diamond (by the owner''s description) and is set in rose gold. I think the rose gold brings out pink and brown tones in the stone and the darkness of the metal adds some contrast.

Though the rose gold will be more monochromatic, I personally think it''s a very sophisticated, elegant look. I think it achieves an effect similar to a white stone on white metal. That said, the jeweler I spoke to today held the stone next to white gold and it was lovely; the pastel color really popped. His opinion was that yellow gold would be too bright and would overpower such a pale stone, but that rose gold would suite it nicely.

It''s according to your personal preference. I think the setting you picked out is lovely and the white gold will look nice. I was surprised to come across your post the same day I found my stone and couldn''t resist putting in my two cents!

Good luck!

 

[kogolden]

Hi Kedzie,

Did you by any chance buy your stone from planetary gems? Like I said, I am looking for a similar color of sapphire, and I like the one a jeweler found for me, but I''m not crazy about the cut. I was looking at some on planetary gems and saw (what I think is) yours.

I see several on planetary gems that I like at great prices, but I am wary of online vendors. In many cases it seems like the stones are poorly cut (in general, not necessarily from planetary gems) and I don''t have a trained eye to tell the difference.

If you did buy from them, what was your experience like?

Thanks!

 

[Kedzie]

Hi Ko!

I can''t believe it! I always knew that I wanted something unique as an engagement ring - but seeing gisellum''s ring was definently a HUGE inspiration for me (especially the rose gold!)

My sapphire is from planetary gems - they were a pleasure to work with - but I did a lot of research. I work for a family jeweler and sourced sapphires on memo to see. I found none that satisfied my orangey - pinkish - champagney look. I asked to see more pictures from PG and they delivered - I was concerned about the cut - but once it got here I saw that it was stunning. Very high quality!

I am plannning on setting it in rose gold prongs with a white halo (to show off more of the beautiful color) and then rose gold shank. I can''t wait!

Can you post pics? I would LOVE to see what you have (or are getting)!

 

[kogolden]

I am designing something very similar to gisellem''s ring, except I''m only going to do a few bead set diamonds on either side of the center, and engraving on the rest of the band.

A local jeweler has found a stone that I like, but I want to see more to make sure I''m getting what I want. I can''t decide whether I like the cut. I like chunky faceted stones, but I like for them to have crisp edges, not rounded. I''ve attached a picture of this one to show the cut. The color in the photo is totally off (I think it''s a scan from the wholesaler). The actual color is pale peach.

I''d like to see if there''s something out there in a cut I like better, and possibly a little pinker. I saw a few on planetary gems that I like, but I''m not sure if I have the expertise to buy for myself. Also it doesn''t seem like I should buy a stone while my jeweler is still looking for one for me.

I''ll attach a picture of a stone I like on planetary gems in another post.

 

[kogolden]

Here is a stone I saw on planetary gems. This is the description from their site:

Bad picture of this scintillating, unheated, Ceylon, pink-orange, padparadscha sapphire, weighting 0.95 cts., pastel, pink-orange color (Padparadscha), perfectly executed, rectangular, cushion, mixed cut, measuring 6.03x5.1x3.25mm, eye flawless, VVS type2 from the gem fields of Nivitigala, Sri Lanka. Well crafted, delicate pink-orange color, the luster is exceptional in an eye flawless clarity.


It''s $235. What do you think about it?

 

[kogolden]

Okay, three posts in a row probably constitutes thread jacking

but I want to show you one more stone. (You should never have said you work for a family jeweler!

)

This one is very similar in color and size to the one the jeweler found for me, but at a quarter of the price from gemselect.

http://www.gemselect.com/sapphire/sapphire-236382.php

Thoughts?

 

[PumpkinPie]

I agree with using white gold to make the colour pop more.. it''s a lovely shade

 

[Kedzie]

I love threadjacking!

I can''t believe you and me - we have been scanning not only the same vendors - but the same stones! We both have the same taste for chunky facets as well, however, I prefer softer elogated stones and it sounds like you are looking for something with more straight lines. I originally was thinking I wanted a scissor cut (just like the one from GemSelect - and yes I looked at that stone too) but decided that a cushion or an oval would better suit my overall antique look.

The first sapphire you posted I personally am not crazy about the cut - it just doesn''t seem to give the sapphire any life. And the cut will also influence any pretty color there might be in the stone.

The Sapphire from Planetary gems - I love the cut and chunky facets! It looks more pink than orange or peach, but the description does reference those colors. I think with padparadscha sapphires you can never capture all of the energy and different colors in one shot. Maybe ask him for a few more shots? If anything else, you can purchase the stone and have 7 days to decide if you would like to keep it or send it back. And the price is great...

I really like the color from the GemSelect stone - but there''s a window that I''m not crazy about. Some people do not mind them once they are set - however - with lighter stones (and that is a light stone) the window will be more obvious.

Well... you just gave me an excuse to keep looking for beautiful sapphires

Keep me posted! I''ll have a ring buddy!

 

[kogolden]

I know! I couldn''t believe it when I came across this thread!

You really can''t tell anything from the photo of the first sapphire. Like I said I think the jeweler called it a "scan" and you can''t tell anything about the color. It looks very similar to the sapphire from gem select. It''s very close in color, practically the same size, (sort of) similar cut.

And, now that you mention it, it also has a large window like the gem select stone. I wasn''t sure how concerned I should be about it. I know sapphires aren''t necessarily cut the same way diamonds are and aren''t supposed to have as much "fire." At least, that''s what I think the jeweler will say if I mention it. "Well, it''s not a diamond..."

Oh, btw the jeweler''s sapphire is 1.26 ct., priced at $425.

The planetary gems sapphire is more pink, but since I''m feeling pretty set on rose gold, I''m wondering if I shouldn''t be looking for pinker stones.

Perhaps I''ll request some photos from PG. The jeweler is emailing me info as I write this... Oy, the options are overwhelming!

 

[karpouzi]

Please bear with me because this is just a personal opinion. PLEASE feel free to totally disregard it. But personally, to me, when I see a pink or pinkish stone being set in a pink metal, in a trendy halo setting, and with all that bling... it just all adds up to seem very young to me.