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Original eRing needs a new Stone

Chrono|1369622751|3454265 said:
Yes, definitely talk to your jeweller first to find out what can and cannot be done to the setting. However, I would not source a coloured stone from a local jeweller unless it is a synthetic stone because you are more likely to end up with a lower quality natural stone.
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Just so I'm on the record...It is very alien to tell anyone to go to their local jewelry to source what I know will be an inferior colored stone. I feel like I'm regressing on PS Chrono (alien smiley -> =) )
 
I'll also say - while I have nothing against synthetics, and in fact, think they're among the great inventions of our time - it's not like that's the only option. There are a LOT of affordable semi-precious stones out there. Some of them may have inclusions. But they're still beautiful. Heck, an opaque stone would look amazing in that setting! But given that the preference is for a pale, translucent, stone - spinel, zircon, or a pale member of the sapphire or quartz family all seem like great options.

OP, I may be presuming, but if you have a five carat diamond, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you might be looking around the 1K or more area? You should be able to get some of the above for that in the right size.
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone..... I am looking at all your options posted.

Diamondseeker2006 and Sarahbear621 - Thanks for addressing my question on the old cut stones. I am just feeling out all of my options and now I can scratch that stone off the list.

chrono - Thanks for the pic. That is a really cool looking stone. I think for my setting, it would set it off as a cocktail ring and that's not the look I am going for at the moment. I was thinking of sourcing the stone through Jeff White, Dan Stair or Barry Bridgestock.

What do you all think of sourcing a colored stone from one of them? I would think they could cut a stone customized to what I need.

I am going to my jeweler's tomorrow and see what he recommends on mm size, stone and prong adjustments.
 
I have only had contact with Jeff White, but certainly he would be an outstanding choice to cut a stone for you. But do find out what size you'd need once the prongs are lower because you might be able to find a stone that has already been cut.
 
VRBeauty said:
I'd stick with a square-ish stone - I think that would complement the setting the best. And as much as I love a delicate claw-shaped prong, I'd go with a prong style that better captures the architectural feel of the setting... maybe tabs of a corner-style prong, depending on the shape of the stone. That said, the double claw would be a good option if you go with a soft cornered square such as a cushion.

As for the stone - if you go colored stone, the choices are almost infinite! Personally I think a nice aquamarine would look terrific in that setting - I think it would give it a nice deco feel. Since you don't need a very large stone and aquamarine is fairly inexpensive, you could really concentrate on getting great color, cut, and clarity. Blue sapphire would also look great, and it's a very durable stone. I also like the idea of a light bright green, like maybe a good peridot. Another consideration is whether a birthstone (for you, your hubby, or your anniversary date) might work. If one concern is to get a lot of use out of your new ring, you might also think in terms of which color or stone would work best with your wardrobe. (To my mind, a blue sapphire "goes with" almost anything, and the further you cut the prongs down, the smaller the replacement stone !)


ETA: I'm so glad you're at the point where you can consider a new stone for your old setting! :wink2: :appl:
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I am going to ask my jeweler about the prong setting tomorrow - although I would love it if he could make it into a prong setting. I think since the current prongs are so chunky, that I want the complete opposite and the prongs to be as delicate as possible.

As far as the birthstone...his is garnet and mine is DIAMOND!!! :lol: Funny you should mention the birthstone. I did ask him about it putting in his birthstone and he did not like that idea either.

My wardrobe colors were another consideration too. I want a stone that would match anything I wear. Good point about the size of the replacement stone :)) . I will ask the jeweler the smallest stone he thinks would work in the setting.

I am glad too that we can talk about the reset without the tension. :bigsmile:
 
Circe|1369624066|3454274 said:
I'll also say - while I have nothing against synthetics, and in fact, think they're among the great inventions of our time - it's not like that's the only option. There are a LOT of affordable semi-precious stones out there. Some of them may have inclusions. But they're still beautiful. Heck, an opaque stone would look amazing in that setting! But given that the preference is for a pale, translucent, stone - spinel, zircon, or a pale member of the sapphire or quartz family all seem like great options.

OP, I may be presuming, but if you have a five carat diamond, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you might be looking around the 1K or more area? You should be able to get some of the above for that in the right size.
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I am going to bring up these options to my jeweler tomorrow and see what they look like in person. The jeweler does have an extensive selection of CS jewelry, so that could give me some ideas of what the stones would look like IRL as well as the cost factor.
 
diamondseeker2006|1369624986|3454279 said:
I have only had contact with Jeff White, but certainly he would be an outstanding choice to cut a stone for you. But do find out what size you'd need once the prongs are lower because you might be able to find a stone that has already been cut.
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The stones on his site look really nice so I think he would be great choice as a vendor to source the stone. I will find out the mm size tomorrow and go from there to finding the perfect stone.
 
Sarahbear621|1369621477|3454257 said:
I have to say I think the acorn cut would be pretty cool in this particular setting. However is the OP ok with this? I would think an acorn cut would really make it look like a RHR and way more cocktail in nature.
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With this particular ring, I don't think there's any way to avoid it looking cocktail-ringy.
 
love2sparkle|1369625675|3454283 said:
I am going to ask my jeweler about the prong setting tomorrow - although I would love it if he could make it into a prong setting. I think since the current prongs are so chunky, that I want the complete opposite and the prongs to be as delicate as possible.
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I don't think "as delicate as possible" is the way to go on the prongs for that setting. The setting is pretty chunky, so if you go super-delicate on the prongs, they'll just look out of place and disproportionate. I think there's a nice medium to be found that will not be as bulky as the current prong-things but still fit in the overall style of the ring.
 
Dan Stair generally cuts small stones, nothing in the 3 to 4 ct range. Barry Bridgestock does not cut by commission. Jeff White would be my choice. I would do a very light blue topaz asscher cut which fits in with the modern looking setting and it would also be budget friendly.
 
Most precision cutters won't have rough to cut into gemstones over 3cts. At least that is my experience. Jeff White as Chrono mentioned is your best candidate but once again I think it will be difficult since you want a light gemstone that you can wear on a daily basis.
 
Thanks for the input...

I went to the jeweler and he advised that by lowering the stone, the min. mm size stone would fit would be between 8.8-9.0. He suggested either a moissanite or a white sapphire. Since I do not want a man made stone in the setting, he offered to pick out a white sapphire while out at the diamond conference this weekend for me to look at when he gets back next weekend.

I did see other CS stones and while they were clear and pretty, it did not sparkle quite like a diamond. I will make contact with Jeff White and see what he recommends as well.
 
love2sparkle|1369753882|3455054 said:
Thanks for the input...

I went to the jeweler and he advised that by lowering the stone, the min. mm size stone would fit would be between 8.8-9.0. He suggested either a moissanite or a white sapphire. Since I do not want a man made stone in the setting, he offered to pick out a white sapphire while out at the diamond conference this weekend for me to look at when he gets back next weekend.

I did see other CS stones and while they were clear and pretty, it did not sparkle quite like a diamond. I will make contact with Jeff White and see what he recommends as well.
Click to expand...

The thing is, nothing does. It's why we keep coming back the the expensive little things. White sapphire doesn't look at all like diamond - much less fire. I really do think it might be worth exploring going in a completely different direction, whether it's with a brightly colored stone, a cab, a pearl, a moonstone ... something that will be its own thing and not a not-diamond, if you see what I mean?

You mentioned your SOs birthstone is garnet ... this is a great birthstone, so many options! What about a nice demantoid or tsavorite if you like green, spessarite if you like orange? And of course, there are always the traditional reds, almandine and grossular ....
 
I would not recommend a white sapphire. If you're expecting it to perform like a diamond it just won't. So now you don't get the sparkle of a diamond nor the beautiful color saturation of a CS, you're just getting a somewhat lifeless clear stone.

I agree if you want a natural stone why not get one with treatment like those rubies they were talking about?


Oh we were posting st the same time. Garnet is great. Get a cool color change one? Maybe???
 
Circe|1369754767|3455062 said:
love2sparkle|1369753882|3455054 said:
Thanks for the input...

I went to the jeweler and he advised that by lowering the stone, the min. mm size stone would fit would be between 8.8-9.0. He suggested either a moissanite or a white sapphire. Since I do not want a man made stone in the setting, he offered to pick out a white sapphire while out at the diamond conference this weekend for me to look at when he gets back next weekend.

I did see other CS stones and while they were clear and pretty, it did not sparkle quite like a diamond. I will make contact with Jeff White and see what he recommends as well.
Click to expand...

The thing is, nothing does. It's why we keep coming back the the expensive little things. White sapphire doesn't look at all like diamond - much less fire. I really do think it might be worth exploring going in a completely different direction, whether it's with a brightly colored stone, a cab, a pearl, a moonstone ... something that will be its own thing and not a not-diamond, if you see what I mean?

You mentioned your SOs birthstone is garnet ... this is a great birthstone, so many options! What about a nice demantoid or tsavorite if you like green, spessarite if you like orange? And of course, there are always the traditional reds, almandine and grossular ....
Click to expand...


ohhh a pearl would look so cool in that setting! i kno wyou want to keep it e-ring looking - but wow does that sound awesome looking!
 
love2sparkle|1369753882|3455054 said:
I did see other CS stones and while they were clear and pretty, it did not sparkle quite like a diamond.
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If you are not okay with other colored stones because they don't sparkle like a diamond, I really think you will not be okay with white sapphire. It is not even remotely close to sparkling like diamond. IMO there's not really a natural substitute for diamond. If you want a natural stone, you are just going to have to get over your desire for it to sparkle like a diamond. Sorry to be blunt, but that's just how it is.
 
I was afraid the white sapphire would not sparkle as much based off what I have seen posted online - but I know that that sometimes pictures don't always capture the beauty of a stone.

The concern I have with setting a saturated CS or one with a lot of color, is that it will look toooo much like a RHR or cocktail ring. Since the original intent of the setting was supposed to be for an engagement, I was trying to find a stone that will still compliment the setting for that purpose and match much of what I wear. So if place a green or red stone in its place, it means the ring will look odd if I don't wear those colors for the day.

I was thinking I could not go wrong with the either a yellow (like a fancy colored yellow diamond), a pink (like a fancy colored pink stone) or a pale aquamarine since it is clear.

I did put out a request to Jeff White so I am hoping he will come back with some great options for me.
 
And the idea of a pearl or a moonstone - white, matches everything, but not mimicking a diamond and coming up short - that doesn't appeal?
 
For a pearl to be set, your ring needs major modification so I'm not sure if this idea is feasible. I suggested white zircon, white spinel and danburite in CS because these clear stones sparkle more than white sapphires. No matter what, a yellow and pink coloured gemstone will never be mistaken for a coloured diamond either because they do not have the same rainbow coloured dispersion. This is partly why diamonds and coloured diamonds are so popular. Aquamarine is the last stone you would want if you are looking for sparkle. If not cut well or without a very busy and fancy cut design, a low refractive index stone like an aquamarine that is pale will essentially look like a piece of glass.
 
i posted in you other thread but this is probably a better place.

i would try to imitate a yellow diamond. it woud still look.. e-ring-y.. and with a setting like that i'm not sure people would question that is it a diamond. I'd go a yellow stone in a similiar color to yellow diamonds. like a lightish lemony sunshine yellow. and then a diamond cut to look like a diamond or a concave cut for a brighter appearance?
 
Chrono|1369795286|3455470 said:
For a pearl to be set, your ring needs major modification so I'm not sure if this idea is feasible. I suggested white zircon, white spinel and danburite in CS because these clear stones sparkle more than white sapphires. No matter what, a yellow and pink coloured gemstone will never be mistaken for a coloured diamond either because they do not have the same rainbow coloured dispersion. This is partly why diamonds and coloured diamonds are so popular. Aquamarine is the last stone you would want if you are looking for sparkle. If not cut well or without a very busy and fancy cut design, a low refractive index stone like an aquamarine that is pale will essentially look like a piece of glass.
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It wouldn't require more work than cutting the prongs down significantly for a much smaller stone, or making a halo for a smaller diamond to fit their current size ... but moot point if the OP isn't interested.

Luv2Sparkle, are you by any chance near any local gem shows? If you're in the mood for a trip to Vegas, there's a nice gem show coming up where you could see lots of examples ....
 
Circe|1369836986|3455652 said:
Chrono|1369795286|3455470 said:
For a pearl to be set, your ring needs major modification so I'm not sure if this idea is feasible. I suggested white zircon, white spinel and danburite in CS because these clear stones sparkle more than white sapphires. No matter what, a yellow and pink coloured gemstone will never be mistaken for a coloured diamond either because they do not have the same rainbow coloured dispersion. This is partly why diamonds and coloured diamonds are so popular. Aquamarine is the last stone you would want if you are looking for sparkle. If not cut well or without a very busy and fancy cut design, a low refractive index stone like an aquamarine that is pale will essentially look like a piece of glass.
Click to expand...

It wouldn't require more work than cutting the prongs down significantly for a much smaller stone, or making a halo for a smaller diamond to fit their current size ... but moot point if the OP isn't interested.

Luv2Sparkle, are you by any chance near any local gem shows? If you're in the mood for a trip to Vegas, there's a nice gem show coming up where you could see lots of examples ....
Click to expand...


Other PSers have voted against a halo for this style of ring. I thought perhaps using a smaller center stone would give me the look I was going for, but seems not to be a good style fit for the setting.

Vegas would be awesome! But, wonderful DS is graduating this weekend! :bigsmile: :appl: :bigsmile: :appl: :bigsmile: :appl: I am a very proud Mom. :praise: So we are celebrating as a family this weekend. Very excited! :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl:

There are no local gem shows I am aware of at the moment. But I will be on the lookout for one.
 
My response to your questions is in your CS thread.
 
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