New year, new ring: Afghan tourmaline ring in rose gold

[mochiko42]

Finally finished setting my seafoam green Afghan tourmaline!

The setting, by Sally, is 14k rose gold in a matte finish with small champagne diamonds on the shoulders. I was originally inspired by Acinom's beautiful bezelled rubellite ring, but along the way, this ring became something quite different. It has a milgrain bezel, but the milgrain is very fine you can hardly see it with the naked eye, but you can definitely feel its effect on the visual presentation of the ring). I think the matte finish gives it a nice rustic effect.

Center stone specs:
2.58 ct Afghan tourmaline cut by Paul Burton (sold by Mastercut Gems)
8.6mm x 6mm deep, VS2, no treatments
http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=7829

Please excuse these poor quality photos, taken with my camera phone in office/incandescent lighting. Both the stone and ring are very difficult to photograph accurately!

 

[the_mother_thing]

Gorgeous! Love that tall crown, and the gallery is so beautiful. Congratulations!

 

[movie zombie]

lovely design and looks fab on your finger!
congrats!

 

[minousbijoux]

Ha ha, I saved your thread for last because I knew it would be beautiful, and you did not disappoint. Love the muted colors together, love the design, love the taper of the sides and love the profile shot. Are those leaves on the profile shot? Truly beautiful, but we need more pics.

Mochiko, I hope you do something design-related for your occupation, because you have beautiful ideas and, in conjunction with the jeweler, wonderfully bring them to fruition. Lovely.

 

[mochiko42]

Thanks minous!! Your praise is completely undeserved... my artistic skills are solely confined to cooking and baking. I can't even draw a stick figure to save my life... unfortunately I have a desk job and stare at budgets and admin-related spreadsheets/reports all day. This is my escape!

Thanks for the kind words, JoCo Jenn and movie zombie. Jenn, oooh yeessss, I know!! the high crown, the tiny table, and the blocky facets.. the tourm was described as a RB by Dana, but I would lean towards calling it an early RB or a transitional-inspired cut... I'm so in love with the faceting on this gem. Paul Burton is a master cutter, for sure.

It's a nice sunny day here, so I took some more photos during my lunch hour. Funnily, the blue really comes out strongly when outdoors.










These two photos were actually taken with my hand underneath my desk (i.e. shaded indoor). The tourm looks really nice even in low lighting.

 

[Siameseroo]

Mochiko your ring is beautiful! I love all the little details - the milgrain bezel, champagne diamonds, beautiful basket etc. Congratulations!

 

[lknvrb4]

Beautiful ring!

 

[arkieb1]

Congrats, the carved detail in the basket is really pretty!!!

 

[dk168]

Lovely ring, thanks for sharing!

DK

 

[chrono]

Beautiful chunky faceting and the simple yet elegant setting suits it.

 

[pregcurious]

Lovely ring! I like how the bezel makes the color of the stone pop against your skin.

 

[yorkgirl]

Gorgeous ring! That's the most beautiful milgrain bezel I've ever seen on PS. I like the delicacy of it as it highlights the stone. Lovely.

 

[woofmama]

I Love this ring The stone is such a pretty color & that setting is so beautiful

 

[enbcfsobe]

gorgeous! love the soft color with the RG! i see what you mean about the milgrain -- quite subtle.

 

[Acinom]

What a treat! You always have the most amazing jewelry projects. The ring looks amazing on you and radiates such understated chique. The dreamt seagoam color is amazing. You have such great taste. Please post more pics.

 

[EvangelineG]

Absolutely beautiful!

 

[pregcurious]

I had to come back and look at this. Hmm, it makes me want to reconsider sending stones abroad. Lovely, lovely work. I hand deliver to NYC right now, even though I live in MD.

 

[AlexPark]

very nice stone!

 

[minousbijoux]

I had to come back and look at this. Hmm, it makes me want to reconsider sending stones abroad. Lovely, lovely work. I hand deliver to NYC right now, even though I live in MD.

I was thinking the exact same thing, Preg! Each of Mochiko's HOW pieces is more beautiful than the last so its hard for me not to want to jump on the wagon myself!

 

[T L]

Great workmanship, just beautiful and one of the best done and delicate bezels I've ever seen on a colored stone here. Well done!

 

[minousbijoux]

Great workmanship, just beautiful and one of the best done and delicate bezels I've ever seen on a colored stone here. Well done!

Ooh, high praise coming from TL!

 

[ilovegemstones]

It is a gorgeous, heirloom piece, Mochiko! I might have to have my Montana sapphire set like that. I have to chime in here that all of my favourite jewelry pieces I own have been set by Sally - there is something very special about her work, and that is why I keep going back, even though it is far.

 

[athenaworth]

Oh I like that so very much!!!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

How pretty is that?? Wow!

cheers--Sharon

 

[mochiko42]

Thank you for your kind comments, Sharon, athenaworth, ilovegemstones, AlexPark, Evangeline, Acinom, enbcfsobe, woofmama, yorkgirl, Chrono, DK, arkieb, lknvrb4, and ricezo! The credit must go to Sally (designer) and Pomme (goldsmith/craftsman) who created this piece. There is something special about handmade jewelry, while it isn't as technically perfect as cast/CAD or stock settings, I like the uniqueness of handmade jewelry, there is something personal and substantial about it that I find difficult to articulate.

While the tourm is lighter than the trade ideal, I think it works well with the muted matte rose gold. It looks so different now compared to when it was unset. Thank you for letting me share this piece; it's so nice to have fellow PSers who understand this CS obsession!

TL, minous, preg: Sally and Pomme are great at bezels, but I was impressed by the fine milgrain (it was my first piece with milgrain from them), especially for a chippy stone like a tourmaline (!). Sally has launched her new website and it has a gallery of past work, so I've been spending a lot of time admiring other people's pieces http://www.namchaijewels.com/

 

[mochiko42]

Oh, and here are a few more pics for Acinom

 

[VRBeauty]

Beautiful, beautiful ring all the way around!

 

[kgizo]

It turned out fabulous! Love the color combo of the stone and metal. Congrats!

 

[Acinom]

Those new pics!!!
I love the profile pic as it truly showcases the craftmanship.

Oh my, that color becomes you. I love the crispy mint color as it's very elegant and sophisticated. Mm, I feel a craving for mint coming up

 

[lambskin]

So pretty-I love the matte finish and yellow gold with the CS.