My search for a "flaming red" CS

[natasha-cupcake]

That's so beautiful! The glow is amazing! I'm confused, though. Is this the first one?

 

[lovedogs]

Ok, so now that my doubt is over I need help with setting ideas! I think that given the cost, it's worth the extra $ to make this piece a convertable pendant/ring. That way it's like 2 pieces in 1 my ideas are all over the place, and I feel like I don't have any actual cohesive direction. Looking for advice!

Here are some designs I like (remember that my stone is only approx 5x6mm, so some of these would be scaled down:






This one might not work given the shape and size of my stone, but I really like the "semi-circle" surrounding the stone.








PS.@natasha-cupcake this is the stone I put the deposit on (but then was doubting bc of the high cost).

 

[voce]

Of the 6 designs you posted, I agree that the third one likely won't work as your stone is smaller. The fifth and sixth I don't like as a ring design (assuming you're going for ring so you can look at it when you wear it) because the motifs on the stone are too distracting, and I would personally not want the design of the halo to take attention away from the stone itself.

I think you can't go wrong if you ask David Klass to custom make a setting for you, not sure that octagon will be the best shape as yours is a cushion shape, but I trust DK to make it work.

Between the first and second designs I think that the first one is more cute (the pointy gems look like cat ears), while the second one is more elegant. I really like the mix of shapes in the halo, and if I were you I'd ask DK to make me a halo like the second design instead of standard halo.

 

[Burmesedaze]

Because of the size, I feel that simple is the way to go. You could spend more of the setting money on larger diamonds for the halo?

I so feel your excitement My red spinel ring, though included, still brings me so much joy each time I wear it. I also reach out for it ever so often, out of all my rings!

 

[lovedogs]

@Burmesedaze do you feel like all of the options I posted are too complicated/busy?

Ivy and Rose have some less complex designs (at least in comparison). Do any of these seem better?

My other concern is that since I want it to work as a convertible pendent/ring, I don't want it to look "too small"

 

[AnastasiaBeaverhausen]

I really like #2! I wouldn't go with the inner halo though....just your ruby and then bezeled diamonds of various shapes around it.

Here's a couple of other rings that have a similar look:
(but kite set)

 

[Burmesedaze]

I really like #2! I wouldn't go with the inner halo though....just your ruby and then bezeled diamonds of various shapes around it.

Here's a couple of other rings that have a similar look:
(but kite set)

The halo with the ruby has my vote

 

[Burmesedaze]

Because of the striking red and the diamonds that are white as sparkly, the pendant won't look small at all.

 

[kindred]

If money were no object and you could somehow find matching melee, I would do something like this picture. This and another ring (that I don't think I can post because of the vendor's watermarks) are my dream rings.

More practically , I really like #1, 2 and 4 in your post #65.

 

[lovedogs]

If money were no object and you could somehow find matching melee, I would do something like this picture. This and another ring (that I don't think I can post because of the vendor's watermarks) are my dream rings.

More practically , I really like #1, 2 and 4 in your post #65.

I attach pics with watermarks all the time--I think it's only an issue if vendors comment on other vendor's stones, works, etc. I'd love to see it

 

[kindred]

Ooooh... Just seeing that setting with the blue stone in post #62. It is AMAZING and could be modified to work as a ring. Also, that second setting with the pink stone could give your spinel a lot of presence.

 

[kindred]

It looks like it's only the Show Me The Ring forum where the watermark rules apply.

This and the last one I posted are both by Leon Merge. I think I like this one better because of the stones on the band.




Edit to add - I am not usually a yellow gold person, but I could make an exception!

 

[voce]

If money were no object and you could somehow find matching melee, I would do something like this picture. This and another ring (that I don't think I can post because of the vendor's watermarks) are my dream rings.

More practically , I really like #1, 2 and 4 in your post #65.

I think a matching second colored halo would look amazing, but alas I wouldn't know any vendor that sells Jedi spinel melee.

Seriously, if any PSer knows of a vendor with Jedi spinel melee, please share! I would love some to go with a paraiba I will probably get from DF.

 

[lovedogs]

I think a matching second colored halo would look amazing, but alas I wouldn't know any vendor that sells Jedi spinel melee.

Seriously, if any PSer knows of a vendor with Jedi spinel melee, please share! I would love some to go with a paraiba I will probably get from DF.

lol yeah, and even if anyone sold it I'm sure it would be super expensive. But I wish!

 

[MissyBeaucoup]

Wow! That glow! Thanks for sharing the video, @lovedogs

 

[qubitasaurus]

Dana has sold me some very strong red mele, apparently they are burmese spinels. I'll take some pictures for you tomorrow. At the moment all I can say is they are a close match to my red spinel (I'll attach a pic of that below).

 

[AnastasiaBeaverhausen]

Dana has sold me some very strong red mele, apparently they are burmese spinels. I'll take some pictures for you tomorrow. At the moment all I can say is they are a close match to my red spinel (I'll attach a pic of that below).

That round!

 

[lovedogs]

wow @qubitasaurus, that looks great! I don't see any for sale on his website, but I'll keep an eye out!

 

[qubitasaurus]

I think it was old stock burmese spinel crystals, which he had in inventory for a long time. Eventually he had the crystals cut into mele. You could ask him if he still has any in stock.

 

[kindred]

lovedogs, Would you mind chiming in on my thread? I have a lot of questions in the post below.

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...pinels-reasonably-priced.242400/#post-4382065

 

[kindred]

@qubitasaurus, Those are gorgous! Which one is yours?

@lovedogs, Do you have any idea how long it will take for your jedi spinel to arrive? I can't wait to see pictures!

 

[lovedogs]

@kindred I'm still trying to decide about setting--whether I want the vendor to quote me a price for setting vs. people here vs. online. So I probably won't get it for a bit (maybe a month or two). But I also am having a hard time waiting!

Also I commented on the other thread

 

[kindred]

@lovedogs, I saw your reply. Thanks! It makes me feel more comfortable about buying.

I don't think PS can wait a month or two to see your stone!

 

[lovedogs]

@kindred you getting an even bigger red stone will tide us all over

@dk168 I haven't seen you in a while so not sure if you are checking the forum, but how recently have you purchased from Diamondmounts? Deciding if it's a good idea to ask them to make a setting (not sending them my stone, but making it to specs and then taking it to a jeweler).

@Burmesedaze @icy_jade @mellowyellowgirl or anyone else who lives in or travels to Asia regularly, why does it seem like gold/diamond settings are SO much cheaper there vs. the US? Am I getting suckered into stuff on ebay that is secretly trash, or is there a reason that these vendors can make settings on a much tighter budget? Got a quote from a US vendor vs. Diamondmounts on ebay (on our "trusted" sticky), and it's 2x higher. Just wondering if it's worth getting the setting made in the US or not.

 

[voce]

@kindred you getting an even bigger red stone will tide us all over

@dk168 I haven't seen you in a while so not sure if you are checking the forum, but how recently have you purchased from Diamondmounts? Deciding if it's a good idea to ask them to make a setting (not sending them my stone, but making it to specs and then taking it to a jeweler).

@Burmesedaze @icy_jade @mellowyellowgirl or anyone else who lives in or travels to Asia regularly, why does it seem like gold/diamond settings are SO much cheaper there vs. the US? Am I getting suckered into stuff on ebay that is secretly trash, or is there a reason that these vendors can make settings on a much tighter budget? Got a quote from a US vendor vs. Diamondmounts on ebay (on our "trusted" sticky), and it's 2x higher. Just wondering if it's worth getting the setting made in the US or not.

My guess is that setting costs for the diamonds is cheaper because of cheaper labor? And I have my suspicions about the quality of diamonds used...another thing is that I've noticed on Ebay any ring coming from China is a 6 or 6.5. They don't offer resizing or larger sizes, so maybe a machine churns out and the gold casting on every ring is the same.

 

[icy_jade]

My guess is that setting costs for the diamonds is cheaper because of cheaper labor? And I have my suspicions about the quality of diamonds used...another thing is that I've noticed on Ebay any ring coming from China is a 6 or 6.5. They don't offer resizing or larger sizes, so maybe a machine churns out and the gold casting on every ring is the same.

Cheaper labour, rental, etc. diamond quality dependent on vendor. Can ask for F/G VS which is fairly normal quality. Usually melees are high color due to Asian preference. If you are in Asia, doesn’t make sense to go US to customize unless you really like a certain vendor’s design. I personally prefer Hong Kong vendors (who may be using China factories but whatever)... 18k wg is norm. Usually no 14k.

@lovedogs

 

[voce]

@lovedogs I think I asked another PSer in a thread where the flower setting for her CS came from, and she said Diamondmounts. I think Diamondmounts is trustworthy, but since I'm not size 6.5 if I were to use their mounts I would have to factor in resizing costs, which might make a $300 setting into $450 including setting.

 

[voce]

LOL @lovedogs you're so patient and disciplined! I saw LisaRN's red spinel ring from the other thread and you were the first to reply on Jun 1, 2016 that you wanted one! That's 25 months before you finally did buy your flame red spinel! I don't think I have your kind of patience

 

[lilmosun]

For those who don't want to go oversees, you might try looking for a jeweler that caters to the Asian community. YMMV but there is a Vietnamese shopping center near my parents with tons of jewelers. Because they all cater to the Asian market, their diamonds/mounts tend to be higher quality and they all have their own bench. None of them specialize in CS (it's 18-22K gold, jade and diamond pieces) so I probably wouldn't give them a super soft/included stone but have had no issues. They run the gamut so you have to shop around to find one that is low priced, has an experienced bench and good inventory. Try looking at smaller shops that have customers who are clearly regulars and ask a lot of questions. My local bench is very affordable compared to most jewelers but my Vietnamese jeweler down there charges half what he does.

 

[AnastasiaBeaverhausen]

Just wanted to add my experience with working with diamondmounts (and other ebay Chinese vendors):

It's been 3-4 years since I've ordered from them but I found that their work is good enough for the price. A couple of my listings on LT are with ebay settings; feel free to take a look if it helps give you an idea of their quality. IMO, their diamonds were white, lines straight, and overall had no visible flaws. On the other hand, I had only used tiny melee (most were around 1-1.5mm). If I started venturing into larger sidestones, I'm not sure how that'd start to look.

I don't recall them charging me extra to size them to a size 4.5... After I gave them the specs I wanted for the ring, I just got a final price that seemed comparable to the stock piece they had already.

One thing I'd be careful with though, is that I noticed their prongs always seemed a bit...flimsy? Every time I bring in a stone to have it mounted in an ebay setting, the jeweler would make some comment along the lines of not being sure the stone will fit. It seems their prongs always come out a bit short and/or thin, despite whatever specs I give to the vendor. Usually it turns out fine and the stone ends up fitting. But the last time (I forget with which vendor), I needed to have the prongs extended in order to fit my stone properly. I contacted the vendor afterwards and told them how much it would cost to fix the prongs. They eventually admitted that they made a mistake but would only offer to refund me of like, $15? I didn't want to deal with shipping and returning so I agreed. But that experience put me off of ordering from Chinese ebay setting vendors.