Need advice on what to replace a chipped citrine with

[Akvileja]

Hi all!

I am a long time lurker and finally decided to register to get some advise on what to do with my chipped stone.

I have tree rings that I stack together. They are my grandparents engagement and wedding rings, so they have great sentimental value to me. I added the stones to the rings a few years ago so the rings wouldn't look like a wedding set, and I would be able to wear them.

The stones are a 0,15 ct diamond, a 5mm citrine and a 6mm smokey quarts. I love the warm earthy colours. But the other day I discovered that the citrin had a big chip. I knew the stone is not so durable, but I think I expected the table to get more beaten up and not the stone to chip.

The question is now - what should I do? I thought about changing the citrine to a yellow sapphire instead, in hope it would stand wear better. But do you think it could chip as easily as the citrine? And if the smokey quarts needs to be replaced in the future, what other brown stone is durable enough?

Surely I could go all diamonds, but I really don't want to spend that money. And if I have a new citrine set in the ring, I might have to change the stones every now and then and that sums up to be quite expensive too.

Do you think that the setting is just too high and exposes the stones too much, so just about any stone would get damaged eventually?

So, my questions are:
1) Is sapphire a good alternative?
2) What kind of stone would you recommend the day I need to replace the smokey quarts?
3) Is the setting too high and should I consider changin the settings?

Other ideas are greatly appreciated. I'm so undecisive in this matter so I would love to hear your opinions.

And now to the pictures! I am a newbie to taking pictures of jewelry and I don't have a fancy camera so this is as good as I was able to get it.

 

[chrono]

A sapphire is more durable as an everyday wear stone but will cost more than citrines. Many people wear sapphires everyday as their engagement ring stone and with reasonable care, it will last for years, if not generations. Without knowing your budget, I don't know if that is feasible. Another less expensive alternative that is durable is chrysoberyl. If you are on a very tight budget, how about a difffused yellow sapphire? Any idea what are the current size of the stones?

Yes, the setting is high, which does increase the risk but also with the right stone and worn with care, they should last. Since the rings have great sentimental value, I would leave them as they are.

 

[movie zombie]

unless absolutely horrendous, i wouldn't worry about the chip.
how many years did it take before that happened anyway?
if the original stone lasted years before chipping, why not replace it with another citrine?

 

[ChrisA222]

With those small sizes, I think there are great opportunities to be found in "nicer" gems than Citrine/Smoky Quartz. I've seen 5mm Chrysoberyls around for $75 or less, although those are usually a bit brighter than Citrine. Those can be greenish-yellow, but also can come in a straight yellow or even a golden yellow. Sapphires, heated-only, also can be found under $150 with good clarity, especially if you are oK with a "paler" stone. Both Chryso and Sapphire will be a lot more durable, and brilliant than the Citrine.

I like brown Tourmalines, for brown stones. In that size, it would be almost as affordable as Smoky Quartz, and usually they have a much more interesting look...with some subtle differences in color depending on angle of the stone. I'd search for "dravite Tourmaline" to see the different browns that the stone comes in. You can also find Topaz in various golds/browns.

Hope this helps....I'd just get on google image search, or ebay, and search pictures of Chrysoberyl and Dravite Tourmaline and seeif you like them. Sapphire is a 9 for hardness, Chryso is 8.5, Tourmaline is 7-7.5 if I recall correctly, and Topaz is around an 8.

As far as yellow Sappire, a quick ebay search, shows that (some will gasp) you can buy a Lab Sapphire, which will have all the properties of a natural stone, calibrated 5mm for under $10, if budget is a main concern. I attached a pic of a 5mm Natural Sapphire that is on Ebay right now (no affiliation!), it looks good color-wise but no idea how good or bad that cut is going by the one photo. There are a few days left in the auction so no idea what it will sell for but it is currently under $10.

 

[Akvileja]

The chip is actually quite bad and I think it will annoy me to know it is there. I have had the rings for about 2 years so I don't think thats a very long time. But then - it's how you treat your rings that matter and not how long you have had them. I haven't set my budget, but $150-$200 is ok if the gem is nice. It's more that I don't want to go to the jeweler every 2-3 years to change the stone.

I will definately look some more for chrysoberyls. They seem to come in brownish colours too!