My First Tanzanite! *Squeals of Excitement*

[LemonMoonLex]

Hello Everyone!

I just received this tanzanite and diamond ring in the mail from the kindest woman who was selling her mothers estate jewelry on ebay.
We bonded and shared stories of our hardships, and encouraged each other as well as reminded eachother that theres still sweet strangers out there. That there are people who dont know you at all but care about you and your wellbeing and want to see you succeed.

She had it listed for much more but I put in an offer and she accepted as she felt like this was meant to be mine; I could not agree more!

Without further adieu; Here is my sweet "Imogen"
Named after the saintly described woman who raised the warm and kind person that I spoke to and purchased from.

-18k yellow gold
-Four 3mm diamonds
-Two 2mm diamonds
-Beautiful detail work on the back of the basket
-9x11mm Tanzanite

The Tanzanite shifts from a rich purple- purple with a hint of magenta - cornflower blue and then finally a rich Iris color.


*Also Ive never been into what Id personally call "gaudy" gemstones or rings; large or small rings with crazy sparkle and diamonds everywhere, It just has never been my taste BUT everyone was right.....PS will pull things out of you and change your taste. This is my first big sparkler and man is the feeling addicting! I see the light now guys!*

I'm really in love with her so far I'm not sure what is considered ideal for tanzanite but this stone is my ideal tanzanite!
It really reminds me of those bluish purple Irises! So far the stone is very calming, and im almost left sleepy or dazed when looking into it.

 

[MeowMeow]

Its gorgeous!

 

[stracci2000]

Wow, so pretty! I love blue gemstones.
Great choice, @TheGarnetGirl

 

[strawrose]

It’s lovely!

 

[lovedogs]

Lovely!!! Looks great on you and has a sweet story to go with it . Do you mind sharing the eBay seller? Not that I need more jewelry (I have stones for projects already!) But I do love window shopping

 

[Bluegemz]

So beautiful!!!’

 

[natasha-cupcake]

Your ring looks positively luscious! The colors, shapes and proportions make the ring look very celestial. I really like it.

 

[LemonMoonLex]

Thank you so much for the love everyone! Imogen was much too beautiful to hide away and begged to have pictures taken of her.

& yes! @lovedogs , Her name on ebay is "krus9580". She has 4 or 5 gold pieces left but most is sterling silver. Shes a small little shop but shes incredibly kind and if anyone deserves more business its her!
She has a neat/fun amethyst and tanzanite cocktail ring thats in 14k that's unique and I love that silver lapis heart necklace but im a silver lover as well!
The more I stare at the ring the more I'm coming to the conclusion that I was very lucky. Its well made and the tanzanite is very vibrant and large.
Oddly ive been having lots of luck lately finding high quality pieces for much less and long happy conversations with sellers as well! Definetely not a problem that im complaining about ...

 

[strawrose]

I really like the bubble look. It’s a dreamy lavender.

 

[marcy]

Very pretty. Tanzanite is such a gorgeous color.

 

[MissyBeaucoup]

It’s so beautiful and I love the finger coverage on your pretty hand. So happy the ring found you to share the love!

 

[voce]

Congrats on scoring another elegant, beautiful ring! The ring is beautiful, and so are your hands when you show off the ring. Excellent photography, too, contrasting the tanzanite's color against pink (lampshade?) crystals.

*Also Ive never been into what Id personally call "gaudy" gemstones or rings; large or small rings with crazy sparkle and diamonds everywhere, It just has never been my taste BUT everyone was right.....PS will pull things out of you and change your taste. This is my first big sparkler and man is the feeling addicting! I see the light now guys!*

I think I'm in the same boat with you; I will always love my CS rings with CS halos, but I'm starting to think about setting things with paraiba and diamond halos, and boy does that get so expensive for a new ring! I really admire your taste in your vintage finds. I love your emeralds too. Maybe one day you will "upgrade" some of your emerald rings to include yellow diamond as melee or sidestones?

 

[tkyasx78]

Yay for finding a piece that makes your heart sing! Enjoy that beauty!

 

[Bron357]

Very beautiful and a lovely story too. I think the lady in heaven will be very happy to know her ring has gone to a loving home.
And yes, over the years I’ve struck up some friendship with eBay sellers.
I remember buying the last piece of my Lalique chameleon collection, there’s 10 in all, at the time the clear one was nigh impossible to find as the series was out of production. A lady in the US who I had bought 2 others from after contacting her and persuading her to mail to me in Australia emailed me to say there was a clear one up for auction. I replied, yes, I know but the seller won’t ship to Australia. Sad face.
This was before PayPal of course, payment was buying a bank draft and mailing it to the seller to complete a purchase so it was pretty hard to buy internationally.
This lovely stranger / friend bid for me and won it and then sent it to me.
Happy days.

 

[Acinom]

Very beautiful. And what a great colour

 

[LemonMoonLex]

Congrats on scoring another elegant, beautiful ring! The ring is beautiful, and so are your hands when you show off the ring. Excellent photography, too, contrasting the tanzanite's color against pink (lampshade?) crystals.



I think I'm in the same boat with you; I will always love my CS rings with CS halos, but I'm starting to think about setting things with paraiba and diamond halos, and boy does that get so expensive for a new ring! I really admire your taste in your vintage finds. I love your emeralds too. Maybe one day you will "upgrade" some of your emerald rings to include yellow diamond as melee or sidestones?

Thank you voce!! That lamp turns my Imogen such an icy bluish violet! I had to!
& paraiba! Wow! Ive yet to go down that expensive road as brighter blue green gems like that (unless in cabochon) tend to not tickle my fancy but I totally see the allure!
I bet yours will be stunning though!
& sorry i havent replied on my other emerald thread! Life has been hectic!
My little emerald cab was a fun little project but isn't my engagement ring. I still fully intend to set my unoiled blue-green zambian sparkler in a CVB setting but that project is down the road....I am totally rethinking diamonds though and am feeling like it may need some white companions

I intend to switch around my favorite rings wearing different ones on my wedding finger but will most likely wear my OEC (no thread yet, still deciding on reset or not) or when finished my cvb Emmy ring!
That sounds the most exciting to me!
It started out because I wanted an emerald as my engagement ring but my beau couldnt shake the feeling of wanting to get me a diamond so after we bought the zambian sparkler we ended up running into a woman who had the perfect diamond at a steal, which satisfied him and I couldnt let go of my emmy....so he agreed to let me keep it and create it when we have another bub and then I'll rotate between them. In the end who am i to say no to another ring?!

And wow that was way too long.... subtlety has never been my speciality

@Bron357 , Wow what an act of kindness and goodwill! Its amazing to still see that these days. Sometimes i feel like women are pitted against eachother and we all play into it, competing for no reason. I always have felt that if you're kind, regardless if the other person is or not, that it will come back to you ten fold. You also teach the other person something....a grace that few have.
I'm sure knowingly buying preloved jewelry from someone that has passed on isnt everyones cup of tea but to me, its an honor.
I always name the piece after her if the seller feels comfortable enough to share.
I wear them imagining the lives they lived and the happiness the piece brought them.
Jewelry very much transcends the material world for me; which is hard to get my fiance to understand haha

& to everyone that has wrote such sweet admiring comments...thank you!!!
It's only increased the positivity that this ring gives off. ❤

 

[Bluegemz]

Such an awesome post, @Garnetgirl ! I agree, that jewelry transcends the material world. The sense of immensity of time with each stone is profound. And, when pieces have had previous owners, there is another dimension to the story as the jewelry holds the energy of that persons sacred and cherished. Finding a seller who wants to pass on a piece with kindness Is heartening.

I love that you will rotate your e rings. I think with so much appreciation, it is so fitting. I’m sure the settings will be deeply felt by taking your time and feeling the joy of the pieces in each stage. you are adding your energy to the life of the stones.

 

[chatoyancy]

That is such a lovely ring! It really does have the same color as the iris. Enjoy your beauty!

 

[junebug17]

Oh wow it's beautiful! Lovely color and really pretty setting, what a great find!

 

[missy]

Wow so gorgeous Tanzanitelicious! Vibrant and va va voom. Love

 

[leslie1956]

Wow, Imogen is probably the nicest tanzanite ring I've ever seen, period! The back story to her purchase is beautiful, too, wear her in good health

 

[LemonMoonLex]

Wearing Imogen to our little weekend family get away to a log cabin in the woods that we rented, its very secluded and i needed something shiny to look at and sooth my gem craze

I love love her pleochroism ❤

 

[LemonMoonLex]

So, I'm starting to think that I truly underpaid for this piece and im feeling kinda bad about it.

I wiped the ring off when i received it after purchasing but since it was so gorgeous I didnt even think about cleaning the stones until I came home yesterday from our cabin adventure.

I cleaned it really well with mild dish soap and a toothbrush and wow did that make a difference in the tanzanite.
Im not sure if ive ever seen a tanzanite that blinds me with sparkle in person.
Ive seen those gorgeous deep velvety ones that are uber expensive but Imogen is just something else to me.
I feel bashful about the price now, but I hope in wearing her im doing the previous owner some justice and making her happy from afar.

Photos are untouched, i will always state if theyre not, always! & theyre in natural sunlight in my car.

 

[voce]

So, I'm starting to think that I truly underpaid for this piece and im feeling kinda bad about it.

I wiped the ring off when i received it after purchasing but since it was so gorgeous I didnt even think about cleaning the stones until I came home yesterday from our cabin adventure.

I cleaned it really well with mild dish soap and a toothbrush and wow did that make a difference in the tanzanite.
Im not sure if ive ever seen a tanzanite that blinds me with sparkle in person.
Ive seen those gorgeous deep velvety ones that are uber expensive but Imogen is just something else to me.
I feel bashful about the price now, but I hope in wearing her im doing the previous owner some justice and making her happy from afar.

Photos are untouched, i will always state if theyre not, always! & theyre in natural sunlight in my car.

The pleochroism and the brilliance are stunning. Nice to see Imogen again. She's a unique beauty, and I'm glad you ended up with her, because you show her to us .

 

[ilovegemstones]

She is a real beauty! I love the story too!

 

[IcePhoenix]

The pleochroism is stunning honestly, what a nice ring

 

[Jomana]

What a pretty ring! I also love old jewelry (furniture, too) - I feel like there's a "life" to it, and I've been blessed with the honor of preserving it

 

[MissyBeaucoup]

Enjoying your pictures! So happy she found her way to you!

 

[Shijitake]

Pretty ring! I love the setting!