Rose Gold and Morganite from RareEarth - help? advice?

[emmmme]

Hi everyone,

First I'd just like to express my absolute astonishment at how much valuable information exists on this forum! I have learned a great deal just lurking about for the last little while.

Here's some background: I am looking to replace a barely 1-year-old engagement ring. It is an all-platinum cast of a 2 ct. Asscher cut diamond (so no actual diamond -- just 950 platinum polished to resemble the shape and faceting) that I ordered from Etsy. I fell in love with the concept, loved how it looked in the images, but of course after just a few days of limited wear, the surface of the ring looked horrible. I try to keep it sparkling, but there's no masking the surface scratches. My fiance and I will rework this block of platinum into his wedding band; in the meantime, I get to upgrade my ring.

For the last few weeks I have been glued to this 14k rose gold morganite halo set from the RareEarth Etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/103123127/14k-rose-gold-morganite-wedding-set


I love that it's monochromatic, but still slightly unusual, and the tones very much suit my personal colouring -- I was even planning to wear a blush/peach dress on my wedding day. I also love that it's a lot of stone for a really reasonable price.

Is there anything you can tell me about workmanship and quality based on the images in the listing? I've seen (what I think is) the exact same setting from other sellers on Etsy and eBay, so I'm pretty sure they're ordered from a supplier -- fine by me. Has anyone ordered anything from RareEarth? They have been recommended a couple of times on PS in the past, but no one had any testimonials. The feedback in the shop is very enthusiastic, and the shop policies are reasonable. I've communicated quite a bit with the seller and she has been extraordinarily helpful and very fast at replying to my questions.

Any specific questions I should ask before buying? Anything standing out in this listing as being problematic or poor?

Anyway, I'd really just love any feedback or words of warning you may wish to share!

Many many thanks!

 

[michellechan2211]

One thing which immediately stood out to me: Most folks would advice you to go for something more durable than a morganite. Spinel in that color maybe? If you're going to be wearing it everyday (and if you're hard on the stone), it might chip chip and that prolly won't make you too happy XD;

 

[emmmme]

Yes, I've definitely seen lots of warnings about that, and what makes me hesitate is that there's no consensus -- I've also seen lots of assurances from morganite wearers that it's ok for daily wear! Given the cost of this size morganite, I think I'd be willing to risk it and then replace it with a more durable stone if I found it to be unable to hold up to daily wear.

 

[chrono]

I don't know about the quality of the workmanship but I am concerned with the quality of the diamond melees being listed as SI2/3. I suspect that you will see "stuff" in them even in that size. As for morganite, it is best as an occasional or right hand ring. They will chip if worn everyday and I am unsure how well the points of the princess cut will hold up in prongs. V prongs give better protection. In terms of cost, the bulk of it lies in the setting, not the stone.

 

[michellechan2211]

Well, Chrono has chipped in on the issue of the center stone.

The wearing out of the all-platinum cast however, sort of gave me the impression that you could be potentially hard on the center stone, which is why I made the suggestion. Maybe buying the setting and stone separately would be better in this case? Might potentially help to save costs too. ^^'

 

[emmmme]

I don't know about the quality of the workmanship but I am concerned with the quality of the diamond melees being listed as SI2/3. I suspect that you will see "stuff" in them even in that size. As for morganite, it is best as an occasional or right hand ring. They will chip if worn everyday and I am unsure how well the points of the princess cut will hold up in prongs. V prongs give better protection. In terms of cost, the bulk of it lies in the setting, not the stone.

Chrono, thanks for the tips. What is the lowest clarity you would recommend for the diamond melees? I can request a quote on an upgrade. Do you think VS1 would be reasonable?

 

[emmmme]

Well, Chrono has chipped in on the issue of the center stone.

The wearing out of the all-platinum cast however, sort of gave me the impression that you could be potentially hard on the center stone, which is why I made the suggestion. Maybe buying the setting and stone separately would be better in this case? Might potentially help to save costs too. ^^'

No pun intended, right?!

Believe me, I was not hard on my ring!! Platinum is nowhere near as strong as almost any center stone. It seemed that even throwing a sweater on would scuff up the "table". It wouldn't be difficult to get it polished, but sadly the results just wouldn't last very long. I could have it polished for a matte effect, which would solve the problem... but I do like a *little* bit of sparkle!

 

[chrono]

VS2 is sufficient. You probably don't like the look but would you consider changing the prongs to vee-prongs to better protect the pointy tip of the princess cut morganite? Morganite is a lot softer than diamonds and if you frequent RT, you'll read many sad stories of engagement ring wearers discovering chipped princess cut diamond tips under the prongs when upgrading or resetting.

ETA
If you are looking for sparkle, morganite may not be the right stone for you. It belongs to the beryl family (same as aquamarine) and has low refractive index (not sparkly).

 

[tara3056]

I wouldn't use morganite for an engagement ring, esp if your initial frustration with your Pt ring was that it became scratched and so forth relatively quickly. Get something you won't have to worry about for awhile. Spinel would be an excellent choice... you can get them in pink, pinkish-red, orange-pink, blush, pale lavender, etc. Fancy-colored sapphire might be another option, but would be more expensive and may take awhile to find a shade to like, as pinkish sapphires are often more saturated.

As far as just replacing the morganite if it became damaged, you might re-think that based on the fact that finding an exact size-match may be difficult in the future. At least that setting has prongs and isn't a bezel, b/c if it were bezelled, you'd have a next-to-impossible time replacing it with a like stone in the future. Even with prongs, though, I think it would be quite difficult to find a morganite close enough to that shape and size. And keep in mind you may not need to replace it just once, but several times over the course of your marriage.

Just some thoughts!

 

[michellechan2211]

Much as I would like to say "clever pun intended" as any self respecting literature student would, I didn't intend it XD;

And seconding Chrono on this, Aquamarines are not very sparkly XD; The small one I have set in my pendant glows beautifully, but I've never seen it sparkle.

 

[emmmme]

Even with prongs, though, I think it would be quite difficult to find a morganite close enough to that shape and size.

Great point -- I should have known based on all the searching I've done myself for loose stones.

 

[emmmme]

Any suggestions for where I could find a 7mm square spinel in this colour-ish?

http://gemcal.com/fancy-spinel-1-72-cts-2695

 

[distracts]

Re: assurances from morganite owners that it is safe for daily wear - what I have seen of these it is all people who have only owned their rings for a few years, max, don't know a whole lot about jewelry, and never loupe their stones. When we say "safe for everyday wear" we mean for a really long time, and without the chips and pits that will be visible under a loupe but may not be to the naked eye.

Agreed on morganite not being super sparkly. Have you seen some in person outside of jewelry store lights? I'd suggest peach spinel (I've seen a lot of nice ones on etsy) or sapphire. Spinel especially will be very sparkly.

Like this:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/118982857/apricot-spinel-asscher-cut-in-14k-rose?ref=sr_gallery_2&sref=sr_dadee8c95f5e915a5b60fcd33edd3c92c3f1725806242011e80c3e2c1a99aa43_1358832191_14110999_spinel&ga_search_query=peach+spinel&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all

This stone, from the same guy, is reserved but he constantly has ones like it in:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/114877708/reserved-pale-peach-spinel-morganite

I've never bought from that particular guy but every time I see one of his peach spinels I sooooo want to. But I'm trying to hold back on gemstone buying until I get a few more set. But WOW at that asscher ring! Since you seem to have a specific size/shape, he DOES seem to cut his own, I think, and I definitely think he'd be worth messaging to see if he has what you want.

 

[LD]

A few thoughts for you:

Platinum develops a scratched looking patina VERY quickly. You either like this look or not (clearly not in your case). Normal gold will be fine for you I would think.

Morganite - not an every day stone. It's prone to chipping. Really not a good choice for an e-ring.

Colouring - have you actually put a ring on your finger with Morganite? The reason I ask is because I can wear Morganite coloured clothes (love them) BUT I cannot wear Morganite jewellery. I have found that my colouring is too similar and it therefore just fades into me (if that makes sense)! A bit like wearing nude shoes. I would suggest you try to find some and put it against your skin before ordering anything unseen.

Sparkliness - it's not sparkly in the sense of a diamond (ie a diamond will throw off different colours which a Morganite won't). However, a well cut one will glitter.

Morganite colourways - be aware that Morganite ranges from pale pink (like a pale Kunzite) to peach and then onto brown. It really is quite a wide range so if you're buying it's best to know whether you want it to be overall pink or peach/brown.

 

[emmmme]

Thanks for all of the wisdom! Definitely lots to think about. I have asked for a new price with a VS2 diamond melee and I am seeking quotes for an alternative stone, which I will of course preview before it is set. I really appreciate all your feedback and tips.

 

[GemFever]

No really on topic with morganite, but I'm super curious about that platinum ring... do you have a pic? I've never seen anything like that!

 

[emmmme]

Here are a couple of pictures. I really love this ring -- especially the side view -- but sadly it was never perfect. Not sized properly, a bit scuffed on the shank, an uneven width on the shank... and now the table is really scuffed up which takes away a lot of the shine. I know we'll lose some money between what we paid for the ring and what we'll pay to have it made into my fiance's band, but it's nice to know it will be recycled anyway. Even though i don't really want to melt it!!

 

[chrono]

That's really cool. I am surprised to read that it scuffs up so very easily though.

 

[LD]

Emmmmme - this is a picture of my platinum wedding band and you can see how it's dulled and scratched. Is that what's happened to yours?

If I have mine polished it becomes smooth, bright and sparkly for about 2 days and then it starts to patina again. This is normal for platinum I'm afraid. Clearly, this looks awful in a close up photo but so long as I polish it every year or so, it never gets too dull that I hate it but if you like a nice bright metal then platinum is the worst choice in the world.

 

[emmmme]

Yes, I was expecting some wear but this is what my ring looks like today.



It's not the greatest picture but all the scratching just makes it look like a regular old piece of jewelry and not something special that we paid a lot of money for. I was told by the woman who made this ring (after she sent it to me) that I should only have her polish it, because she wasn't sure others would be able to achieve the same faceting. I was told by a different jeweller in my city that I couldn't put a plating on it either. There isn't nearly as much scuffing across the shank because it's the "gem" that's taking all the hits! Very annoying.

 

[Jereni]

That's definitely a super interesting idea for a ring - I've honestly never seen that before!

I have a morganite ring in RG that I love, but yeah I do not use it as a daily wear ring. Good luck finding your spinel!

 

[GemFever]

Wow, that is pretty cool! But the material would need to hold a polish... I think that design would be cool made out of silver. Not too expensive, fun.

Good luck in your search for the right stone!

 

[vickygigi]

I love morganite and am planning to set one in a RHR; however, I'd be concerned about having an ER made of morganite. I'd want something harder. Spinel is lovely. So are sapphires!

 

[emmmme]

Wow, that is pretty cool! But the material would need to hold a polish... I think that design would be cool made out of silver. Not too expensive, fun.

Good luck in your search for the right stone!

I actually have one in silver as well! The jeweller sent it to me because the platinum one was delayed. It still scratches and doesn't have the same heft, obviously, but you're right -- it's definitely a fun ring!

 

[Julesmaxwell]

I've had my Morganite ring from Rare Earth Jewelry for about six years now and I love it. I've had no problems with it and wear it everyday. Of course I don't wear it while working out and things like that, but I wouldn't do that in my diamond ring either. I do clean it regularly to keep it looking great. I was going to get a peach sapphire but couldn't find one in a princess cut, and a large one of this size would be way out of my budget! I love my ring and get compliments on it every day.

 

[JewelFreak]

I've seen earrings on the idea of your ring & almost bought a pair, but haven't seen it done in a ring.

The morganite you posted is very pretty but ditto the cautions mentioned above. For something in the same colorway, try looking at Julia B.'s site -- she has some very pretty peach spinel rings. https://www.etsy.com/market/peach_spinel You could always ask her about the size & cut you want. The advice to try on something similar first & see if the color is good on your skin is super. I don't wear white metals -- especially earrings, next to my face -- because my complexion is so darned pale, they just disappear. Gem colors can do the same.

Sorry you have to go through all this hassle -- but in the end, you're sure to end up with something thrilling.

 

[alexah]

This thread is 1.5 years old - it's just been bumped by a newbie

I hope she found a great e-ring in the interim...

 

[T L]

I didn't read all the posts, so I apologize if this has been mentioned already, but irradiated morganite will fade in color over time, so that's something you have to beware of with that gem.

I also think the diamonds in the ring are I-clarity.

I see this is an old thread, but the above information still applies about morganite and for those considering them.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

That's really cool. I am surprised to read that it scuffs up so very easily though.

Platinum is only 4-4.5 Moh's (silver and gold are around 3, if I remember correctly).