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My new Spess ring from Starlanka!!!

mellowyellowgirl

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So I was going to stop starting a million threads but I love this ring so much I feel like it definitely deserves its own thread.

So I wanted a cluster ring. A big, gemmy, juicy, delicious cluster ring. I wanted a spess! One of my friends has a spess and I've take a liking to orange over the years.

There were a few hurdles as I wanted a lovely shade of orange and I needed a square cushion to make the ring of my dreams.

I pored through the Starlanka website and found a stone that was the right shape but the pictures were pretty darn terrible! Nevertheless I asked for videos which they provided.

What followed was me being a menace and going all drama llama on Suhail who tried to assure me that it was a great stone and he thought I would love it in real life.

I think at one point I said to him (very dramatically): Please tell me if you have any doubts about the stone or else I'm just going to buy a zircon! I'm going to buy a zircon and give up on my spess dreams.

To which he calmly assured me that I should buy the Spess instead and that he stands by it. His zircon was a gorgeous scissor cut but I digress.

Frankly I would have just sold me the zircon to shut me up! I have to admire the man's patience!

Then it was time to cost the ring. Initially we were going to make the ring with tsavs and pink sapphires. We needed bigger melee which were harder to source and costly. He arrived at a price but he told me that he felt it was excessive to spend that much on this stone. He said it was a matter of personal preference but in his opinion, he didn't believe I should spend so much on a setting.

Of course I once again launched into full drama llama mode. I believe I sent him messages to the effect of:

I can't just have a sad little halo! What would even be the point? I'm going to be so miserable with a sad little halo.

I decided to go for it anyway! I wanted my spess cluster ring damnit and I was going to have it!!!!!

So I told Suhail to just go for it! That I couldn't live with a sad little halo so I'm happy to pay for the setting.

About a week later he came back and told me that he had thought about different ways to try and bring the cost down and that if I replaced the tsav cabs with peridot cabs it would bring the cost down by a fair bit.

I was all on board and told Suhail to run with it! And that he was the bestest best!!! =P

So after that long long rant, I present you with:

TA DA!!!!!!

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First, I love the fabulous cushion cut! Second, you chose such an unexpected combo of gems and colors. It really works beautifully. Another new honker to add to your "go big or go home" collection! Congrats!! :kiss2:
 

Neptune

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I thought it was one of Margot Mckinney's rings until I read your story. Enjoy!

 

mellowyellowgirl

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First, I love the fabulous cushion cut! Second, you chose such an unexpected combo of gems and colors. It really works beautifully. Another new honker to add to your "go big or go home" collection! Congrats!! :kiss2:

No window!!! It was hard finding a big one without a window, on a budget! Let alone a cushion so I could make this ring!!!!

Squeeeeeeeeee
 

elle_71125

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I‘d say you succeeded in your mission for a “big, gemmy, juicy, delicious cluster ring.” I love the happy mix of colors and that baby is a perfect new addition to your big bling collection. :kiss2: The spess is gorgeous. I’d love to know the deets on it. This is getting me excited for my own spess ring. :mrgreen:
 

mellowyellowgirl

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I‘d say you succeeded in your mission for a “big, gemmy, juicy, delicious cluster ring.” I love the happy mix of colors and that baby is a perfect new addition to your big bling collection. :kiss2: The spess is gorgeous. I’d love to know the deets on it. This is getting me excited for my own spess ring. :mrgreen:
Ooh how very exciting!!!! Can't wait to see yours!!! When are we going to see it?

Details:

8.49 carats
11.50 x 11.50 x 7.63

It's pretty clean for a Spess which is a nice bonus!

And no window! Haha I keep prattling on about that! I haz a big fear of windows (I'm the kind of person who will stare obsessively into one) and lately I've learnt that big gems without windows are difficult to find!!!

ETA: The first row of melee is 3.5mm, second row is 3mm. The sapphires are super sparkly in real life. Untreated. Sourcing the melee was more difficult than finding normal diamonds to use. But I wasn't the one who had to do it so again Suhail is totally the bestest best!
 
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Avondale

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You know, I usually prefer daintier jewelry, as big rings tend to seem too flamboyant for my tastes, but this one... This one is fabulous. It's big, but it isn't disproportionately huge, and the colour combination is both delicate in the melee and daring in the spess colour. The setting is perfect and you were right to insist on it.
 

bright&shiny

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This is so much fun! Congratulations to you and Suhail on a job well done!!!!
 

elle_71125

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Ooh how very exciting!!!! Can't wait to see yours!!! When are we going to see it?

Details:

8.49 carats
11.50 x 11.50 x 7.63

It's pretty clean for a Spess which is a nice bonus!

And no window! Haha I keep prattling on about that! I haz a big fear of windows (I'm the kind of person who will stare obsessively into one) and lately I've learnt that big gems without windows are difficult to find!!!

ETA: The first row of melee is 3.5mm, second row is 3mm. The sapphires are super sparkly in real life. Untreated. Sourcing the melee was more difficult than finding normal diamonds to use. But I wasn't the one who had to do it so again Suhail is totally the bestest best!

Dang, 8cts AND a gorgeous rich orange color?! It sure is a beauty! :kiss2: I would have never guessed the sides were 3.5mm & 3mm.

Mine will probably take a couple months. I’m working on CADs right now. It’s definitely quite a bit smaller than yours (just over 3ct) but I’m excited to give orange some love. :mrgreen:
 

mellowyellowgirl

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Dang, 8cts AND a gorgeous rich orange color?! It sure is a beauty! :kiss2: I would have never guessed the sides were 3.5mm & 3mm.

Mine will probably take a couple months. I’m working on CADs right now. It’s definitely quite a bit smaller than yours (just over 3ct) but I’m excited to give orange some love. :mrgreen:

Ooh is it your first orange?

Haha this is my first and last orange!

It's a lot sparklier than I expected! But then again this is my first garnet! I don't know why but I kept expecting garnets to be dark! I'm sitting in a dark room right now with one lightbulb off to the side and it's still a lovely orange. I'm impressed!
 
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I just love it when folks post work-in-progress photos too... so fun! And such rich, deep color. Oh and... NO WINDOW!! :dance:
 

LilAlex

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That is gorgeous! And unexpected in the best possible way! It looks like an Oscar Heyman!

Too bad about the window. :P2
 

mellowyellowgirl

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That is gorgeous! And unexpected in the best possible way! It looks like an Oscar Heyman!

Too bad about the window. :P2

You may laugh at me Alex but there was a spess heart. And you know how I feel about hearts! Anyways it had a gaping window that they tried to recut but alas the window could not be eliminated. I was very woeful for a while after that episode!

Actually they have since got another windowless heart but my heart went to this shape and this ring by then so I was zen.
 

LilAlex

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Actually they have since got another windowless heart but my heart went to this shape and this ring by then so I was zen.

It's truly perfect. Tbh, I would have been opposed to this project every inch of the way -- up until seeing the final beautiful result. There is a lesson there for me somewhere. :mrgreen2:

Edit: and I mean this in the nicest possible way -- the defect is on my end!
 
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mellowyellowgirl

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It's truly perfect. Tbh, I would have been opposed to this project every inch of the way -- up until seeing the final beautiful result. There is a lesson there for me somewhere. :mrgreen2:

Edit: and I mean this in the nicest possible way -- the defect is on my end!

No defects! Just different tastes!

More is more in my books! Frufru all the way!!!!!
 
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