Ruby selection questions for bezel setting

[the_mother_thing]

I would like to begin a project to add two rubies to the sides of an existing silver ring I have (one on each side). These would be smaller, accent sized rubies (e.g. < .5 ct each, maybe even total, in that I don't want them to "overpower" the ring, but I don't really have anything specific to compare/evaluate for reference at the moment).

My questions are:

I am okay with heat treatment so long as it doesn't impact the setting of the stones, which I am thinking of being in a thin bezel vs prong set. What impacts, if any, might heat have on the setting of rubies in this manner?

Of course I would love a good medium red that is darker than medium but not too dark as I want it to be evident they are rubies and not super dark red. Here is an example of the finished/set color I would like to be visible: http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/ruby/rsot10013aa/&1043853732.. Will a bezel setting darken them somewhat, enough that I should look for a shade or two lighter or a lighter tone or saturation, or will they likely remain true to color when bezel set against/inside a white metal?

Lastly, are there any concerns with care for the rubies when set in silver vs a gold/plat metal that I should know about before pursuing this path? I currently (and very carefully) use my steam cleaner's attachment for lightly steam cleaning of my existing jewelry when needed. Does care for natural/heat treated rubies differ that I should reconsider the metal and maybe change settings for another white metal? I am not looking for a higher resale value in this ring; it's more sentimental in value to me, and I love silver or white metals. This particular setting is quite substantial in silver so not worried about it being a weak setting; just ongoing care of the overall ring with these gems added to it.

Thanks much, in advance, for any comments/suggestions you might provide!

 

[patricias]

Before you even think about the rubies, please keep in mind that it is very difficult to add stone settings to an existing ring. I'm a metalsmith and have made hundreds of silver rings, but I wouldn't consider this kind of modification for any piece I didn't make, and I probably wouldn't do to to a piece I had made. Silver conducts heat very well, and the original stone would have to be removed before any soldering could be done. Your jeweler would then have to modify the ring to accommodate the two new settings, reset the original stone, set the two new ones, and polish. It's a lot of work for a silver ring and it would probably be less expensive to have a new ring made.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Before you even think about the rubies, please keep in mind that it is very difficult to add stone settings to an existing ring. I'm a metalsmith and have made hundreds of silver rings, but I wouldn't consider this kind of modification for any piece I didn't make, and I probably wouldn't do to to a piece I had made. Silver conducts heat very well, and the original stone would have to be removed before any soldering could be done. Your jeweler would then have to modify the ring to accommodate the two new settings, reset the original stone, set the two new ones, and polish. It's a lot of work for a silver ring and it would probably be less expensive to have a new ring made.

Thank you for that! I hadn't really thought about the effort involved to add the two rubies. I guess I naively figured adding them (while it would be effort obviously) wouldn't be so complicated, and it sounds like that isn't the case, so thank you for shedding light on that for me!

Let's assume then I have a new setting made, and pose the same three questions.

 

[chrono]

Assuming a new 3 stone setting, will this also be in silver? If the rubies are heat only (no glass or only minor residue), setting the rubies should not be an issue. The rubies shown do not look overly dark but unfortunately, the only way to tell how much they darken is by playing around with them in hand. I would guess that they will look fine bezeled although a white metal is likely to affect the perceived colour. My experience is that rubies look best in yellow gold.

Steam cleaners are usually safe for untreated, heated and diffused rubies. Anything that is clarity enhanced (lead glass, oil, resin, dye, etc) should not be steam cleaned.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Assuming a new 3 stone setting, will this also be in silver? If the rubies are heat only (no glass or only minor residue), setting the rubies should not be an issue. The rubies shown do not look overly dark but unfortunately, the only way to tell how much they darken is by playing around with them in hand. I would guess that they will look fine bezeled although a white metal is likely to affect the perceived colour. My experience is that rubies look best in yellow gold.

Steam cleaners are usually safe for untreated, heated and diffused rubies. Anything that is clarity enhanced (lead glass, oil, resin, dye, etc) should not be steam cleaned.

Thanks you Chrono. That helps a lot! Much appreciated.