Sapphires colors, metal type, & skin tone

[zoebartlett]

I love the sapphire colors below and wondered which ones would look best in a white gold or platinum setting and which ones would look best with my skin tone. I have fair skin and freckles, but I''m not sure if there are any undertones. I wear a lot of blue and cranberry/burgandy colors in my clothing. Most of my jewelry is yellow gold, but I''m not impressed with how it scratches and wears thin over time. That''s why I''m planning on going with WG or plat. for my ring.

1. Is white gold/platinum or yellow gold best for my skin tone? (Without a picture of me it''s hard to tell, I know, but generally, what are your thoughts for people with fair skin color?)

2. Which colors would you choose? I''m having a very difficult time narrowing it down. Although I love red, I chose not to go with a ruby simply because I''m not sure if that''s the color I want for my e-ring.

Thanks for your input! Sorry there are so many links. I got carried away...

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=B1084

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=B2138

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=B434

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U236

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U385

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U437

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U391

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U152

 

[JulieN]

Date: 1/31/2007 5:31:02 PM
Author:zoebartlett



I love the sapphire colors below and wondered which ones would look best in a white gold or platinum setting and which ones would look best with my skin tone. I have fair skin and freckles, but I'm not sure if there are any undertones. I wear a lot of blue and cranberry/burgandy colors in my clothing. Most of my jewelry is yellow gold, but I'm not impressed with how it scratches and wears thin over time. That's why I'm planning on going with WG or plat. for my ring.

1. Is white gold/platinum or yellow gold best for my skin tone? (Without a picture of me it's hard to tell, I know, but generally, what are your thoughts for people with fair skin color?)

2. Which colors would you choose? I'm having a very difficult time narrowing it down. Although I love red, I chose not to go with a ruby simply because I'm not sure if that's the color I want for my e-ring.

Thanks for your input! Sorry there are so many links. I got carried away...

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=B1084

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=B2138

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=B434

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U236

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U385

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U437

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U391

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U152

1. Plat is def out if you don't like scratching. Do you buy makeup by undertone? Cranberry/burgundy/blue, I'd say white gold.

2. I like 3 best, and 2 and 4 after.

 

[movie zombie]

#1 and the first lavendar oval....

movie zombie

 

[diamondseeker2006]

18k white gold is more durable than 14k wg. I also adore the lavendar oval, but I might be more inclined to go with a beautiful medium blue for an e-ring.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 2/1/2007 12:47:56 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
18k white gold is more durable than 14k wg. I also adore the lavendar oval, but I might be more inclined to go with a beautiful medium blue for an e-ring.

That''s not entirely true DS. It depends on whether its a pre cast or a custom setting. For custom I was told but most of the jewelers that I spoke with (and I think you know how many THAT is...lol) that 14K is much better at resisting scratching and is more durable than 18K. Plus it yellows less as there is less yellow metal in it.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 2/1/2007 1:01:05 PM
Author: Gypsy

Date: 2/1/2007 12:47:56 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
18k white gold is more durable than 14k wg. I also adore the lavendar oval, but I might be more inclined to go with a beautiful medium blue for an e-ring.

That''s not entirely true DS. It depends on whether its a pre cast or a custom setting. For custom I was told but most of the jewelers that I spoke with (and I think you know how many THAT is...lol) that 14K is much better at resisting scratching and is more durable than 18K. Plus it yellows less as there is less yellow metal in it.

Hmm..Something to think about. Thanks for the tip! I''ll look into it.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 2/1/2007 12:47:56 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
18k white gold is more durable than 14k wg. I also adore the lavendar oval, but I might be more inclined to go with a beautiful medium blue for an e-ring.

Thanks DS! As much as I love the lavendar shades too, we''re not so sure about the color for my e-ring. Now we''re thinking med. blue or green, actually. What do you think of these green ones, as opposed to med. blue, with these settings? We''re not set on these particular settings, but they''re a few of my favorites.


green: http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U630
http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U2054
http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U476


settings: http://www.timelessdesigns.com/collections.php?group=platinum&id=R738&cursor=1&previose=5&offs=5 (R73
http://www.timelessdesigns.com/collections.php?group=affinity&id=R737&cursor=1&previose=0&offs=0 (R737) This one is similar to the Ritani halo.
http://www.ritani.com/home_html_2.php?stone=all&cat_id=&gender=&page=1&get_descr=1OV2056ARP&metal=&collection=Royal%20Crown&matching=&related=&nav=collections&top=jewelry

 

[Gypsy]

I like the first green.
The second looks just.. fake to me.
The last one will get you peridot comments.
''
And I love this halo: http://www.timelessdesigns.com/collections.php?group=lure&id=R807&cursor=1&previose=0&offs=0 You could even do it with a PLAIN shank!

 

[JulieN]

first is nice. 2 and 3, cut doesn''t thrill.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 2/1/2007 1:01:05 PM
Author: Gypsy

Date: 2/1/2007 12:47:56 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
18k white gold is more durable than 14k wg. I also adore the lavendar oval, but I might be more inclined to go with a beautiful medium blue for an e-ring.

That''s not entirely true DS. It depends on whether its a pre cast or a custom setting. For custom I was told but most of the jewelers that I spoke with (and I think you know how many THAT is...lol) that 14K is much better at resisting scratching and is more durable than 18K. Plus it yellows less as there is less yellow metal in it.

Sorry, I should have said CAST 18k wg is more durable than 14k wg. From Neil:

"The comments in your link are correct. The hardness of the final product is a more complicated question than the simple karatage of the metal. Properly worked, some alloys of 18k can be quite durable. For commercially cast type pieces, 14k yellow gold is usually more durable than 18k yellow gold. 18k white is usually more durable than 14k white."
Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I like the cut on the first one, but I think the color could be a bit better.

 

[colorkitty]

Blue is a classic cool color, as are purplish colors, and the fact that you wear/look good in both indicates that you're probably cool toned, as am I (a fellow pale and freckled person), and most people on earth. I guess a good test is: can you pull off coral? But the fact that you've been wearing yellow metals all this time probably means you can look good in both.

I love platinum. It lasts forever, and I think that's great symbolism for a marriage set. It does scratch, but I wore my e-ring for 4 years, banged it on so much stuff I broke the stone, and most of the platinum is not scratched at all. The scratching turns into the metal into a duller, matte color. To me, it looks different, not scratched. All my gold pieces look scratched after very little wear, but in a marriage set, I almost think that's charming. It kind of marks the passage of time, kwim? WG is not going to hold up better than YG, and it needs to be replated to keep that bright white color. One negative of plat is that it's supposedly going "out," and I worry that will lead to less jewelers being able to work on it in 10-20 years. Gold is more timeless.

I love #3, too. It's gorgeous. I don't think I've ever seen a radiant cut sapphire before.

I hope that wasn't too long. I got a sapphire e-ring 4 years ago and I've gotten nothing but compliments on it. Good luck!

 

[FacetFire]

I LOVE that first green one! I think it's a great size for an e-ring too. A lot of the stones you posted in your first post are too small for my tastes. The green is a gorgeous cool shade of green that I think would be very flexible to wear with a lot of things. I have a purple spinel ring, and I find that it doesn't go with a lot of my outfits...

 

[VRBeauty]

I''m seeing that first green stone (what a beautiful stone!) in the halo setting. I''m a little concerned about it being too ligh because it sounds like you tend to favor saturated colors in your wardrobe, but it also looks like it probably has a whole lot of "presence" in person. Since it''s an e-ring we''re talking about, I think you should order your two or three top stone picks so you can see what they look like "in person" and against your skin.

By the way I love the fact that the first two green sapphires are "homegrown." Not that there''s anything wrong with imports -- I and both of my parents are "imports" -- but it would definitely make your ring that much more unique.

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks for all your help everyone. I appreciate the input. The colors/shades I posted were just to give you a basic idea of what we like. It''s amazing how many shades of the same colors there are out there. Looking at the NSC''s site is a tad overwhelming, but fun too. We''re not using any of those specific stones I showed earlier. We''re probably going with round, 3 stones instead of a halo. As much as I love halos, I think certain 3 stone rings speak to me more.
Thanks again. One day I''ll actually have something to show off but it might not be for a LONG time. Decisions, decisions...I''ll try to keep the posts to a minimum until we have something more definite.