Mother's Ring Help

NewEnglandLady · May 10, 2016

Hi all--long time lurker in the gemstones thread. I could use some help from you wise ladies.

My husband was wanting to get me a mother's ring for Mother's Day this year, but given that I'm a long-time PSer, he was scared to go do this on his own. So for Mother's Day, I promised I would tell him what I wanted. Now I just have to figure that out.

I have 2 daughters, both born in February (amethyst). We also had 2 dogs who passed last year (Byron and Bosun). They were just as much my children as my human children and I really want to honor them in this ring as well. They were born in June and December (alexandrite & tanzanite or zircon). So this is what I'm thinking:

I would like 2 smaller bypass rings that I could stack. One ring would have the girls' birthstones and one would have the boys' birthstones. I found a ring on gemvara that I really like (pic below). I like these rings because they are dainty enough to stack, they are relatively inexpensive (under $200 each) and it's easy for my husband to simply order them.

A teeny part of me would love to have the stones be pear-shaped (I am a sucker for pear-shaped gemstones, I already have a few, but they are too large for this project). The problem is that I think it would be really hard to source some very small (let's say 4mm in length) gemstones--I've checked with many of the vendors on the gemstones vendors list and they just don't seem to be available. If I did find the stones, then I'd probably have the settings custom made.

So I guess my questions are:
1. If it were you, would you just order the Gemvara rings?
2. Is there another vendor who does bypass rings in gemstones?
3. Is it too difficult to source small (4mm) pear-shaped gemstones (amethyst, alexandrite & tanzanite)?

Any opinions or ideas are welcome!

chrono · May 10, 2016

1. If it were you, would you just order the Gemvara rings?
No, those are stock pictures and who knows what you'll receive.

2. Is there another vendor who does bypass rings in gemstones?
For one stop shop, check out JuliaB or Yvonne Raley, both at Etsy. It may not be preset, but they can pick high quality stones and get it made within budget.

3. Is it too difficult to source small (4mm) pear-shaped gemstones (amethyst, alexandrite & tanzanite)?
Amethyst is plentiful, alexandrite will kill your budget, and tanzanite doesn't like to be in rings, but may not matter since it is small.

NewEnglandLady · May 10, 2016

Thanks so much, Chrono, you are always a well of knowledge!

ETA: Bo was always breaking my budget, anyway, so fitting that his stone would kill the budget. And would you go with zircon in lieu of tanzanite?

agingsparkle · May 12, 2016

So I recently spent an entire year on a mother's ring project and ended up very happy with it, so I hope you find something you love!! I wonder, since your girls share the same stone, if you'd consider a 3-stone ring with a larger amethyst and a smaller one for each dog on the sides? Just throwing that out as a possibility, since Yvonne tends to have a lot of colored stone in melee sizes and something like her 3 stone hexagon might fit the bill. She also has a stacking eternity that uses tiny stones and I love her 2-flower victorian style -- maybe you could do amethysts around each flower, and have the 2 centers be the 2 dog stones?

Sorry I veered off track there, just mentioning some other options, although I do love bypass styles and it's what I ended up with myself. I was only doing 2 stones and ended up having one cut to match another, then going full custom for the setting, so it was both a labor of love and money.

Looking at the gemvara style you like, I'd probably email Yvonne since she's done a lot of styles with small stones and seems likely to have access to quality small ones. I recently got some 4mm grape garnet earrings for my daughter that are super bright and pretty. Good luck!!

SparkliesLuver · May 12, 2016

What a great project!

But I'm truly sorry to hear about Byron and Bosun.

1. No, primarily because I'd want to know what's in my ring, where it came from, and that I've personally picked it out.

2. I'd say most vendors would do that for you. Did you specify a metal? Julia would definitely be someone I'd trust (http://www.juliakaytaylor.com) as well as David Klass.

3. Have you contacted Prima Gems (primagems.com)? They usually have a great variety of smaller stones. Just bought a .74ct pear spinel from them and they were more than helpful. ETA: What's your ring size? Pears may not be too big. I'm kind of a sucker for them too, so I completely understand. I've attached a picture from when Nattalie was helping me decide. Just had to show you some of the pear eye candy.