Not sure what to do with my tanzanite

[moaks]

I purchased an oval tanzanite ring a while ago when I was working part time at a jewelry store during college. The stone in the ring is not the original as it was scratched by the jeweler's apprentice when they were sizing it and apparently "fixing" the prongs. Well the jeweler replaced the tanzanite but I never thought the color looked quite the same as the original. I've been afraid to wear the ring since and have only worn it a few times for special events. I'm thinking a pendant would be nice, but I haven't seen many settings that make me go wow! anyone have any ideas?

I also noticed as I was looking at the photos that I took that there are a few light scratches on the stone. gerr.

 

[pregcurious]

Welcome, Moaks . Your ring is very pretty . Tanzanite is relatively soft on the Mohs scale (6.5-7, http://www.gemselect.com/gem-info/gem-hardness-info.php), and is prone to scratching. It is also relatively brittle, which makes it difficult to wear on a ring without damage. Resetting it into a pendant is a great idea.

If the scratches bother you, you can get it repolished when it is reset to a pendant. There are some jewelers who are skilled in handling softer colored stones. One of them that comes to mind, which I am not personally used, is Hunt Country Jewelers in VA.

For a pendant, what types of styles do you like? If you give us some ideas, or even pictures of the types of jewelry you like, we can post suggestions for pendants.

Can you tell us about the red stone ring in your avatar? It's a great red!

 

[moaks]

Thank you pregcurious, I never knew I could have it re-polished. In terms of styles I'm usually drawn to halo type settings. I was thinking that having it set in an east west fashion would be something different. I'm not a huge fan of simple oval bezels for tanzanites, well at least not the ones I've seen so far. I did see one setting that I like with a sapphire in it. However I think it might be a little too fancy.

As for my red stone I'm unsure of what it is, but I'm using it as a place holder till I can afford a burmese ruby.

 

[LD]

What a shame about your first Tanzanite. Your replacement is very pretty though and a pendant is a good idea to keep it out of harms way going forward BUT please don't spray perfume on or have body lotion near it. You still have to take care with a Tanzanite even in a pendant (but then again, these jewels are for showing off and so you should)!

I have no idea where I found this picture originally but I must have liked it because I saved it!

 

[pregcurious]

Here's a similar setting from Bev K. I believe they can make it to fit your oval:
http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/beverley-k-jewelry/necklaces/38PP3/

 

[pregcurious]

Brian Gavin Diamonds sells both preset and custom jewelry. They could make this simple halo setting to fit your tanzanite:
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond-pendants/peridot-pendant-18k-yellow-gold-5636y18

You could also pick any of their other pendant settings, or work with them to get something else made. I like LD's suggestion because it is timeless, and would be cost effective.

I forgot to post a pic of the Bev K pendant, so I've added that below.

 

[chrono]

I am sorry to hear about the damage to your tanzanite. I agree that if you prefer to wear it more often, it will be more protected in a pendant setting rather than a ring. The ring setting is very beautiful though.

 

[moaks]

Thank you LD and Pregcurious for the ideas. I agree that LD's design is more timeless, just not really my style.

I found a halo that I kind of like, I like the part around the stone minus the hoop/bail at the top. I'm still thinking that to make it different, having it set east-west would be an idea. What do you think?

I tried searching some images of pendants set that way but didn't really see much.

 

[moaks]

Now that I've figured out how to search the forums a little better I came across a setting that I thought might be a neat idea. It's another members ring setting but I like the idea of having different shaped stones making up the halo. I'm not sure if this would work around my stone but I like the idea.
I hope it's okay to post someone else's picture