setting for 7.5mm round tanzanite

[toosamom]

First of all, hello, my name is Brenda, and I have been reading through some of these posts for a few weeks. A few years ago I purchased a tanzanite that is just over 1.5 carats. I started collecting gemstones about 3 years ago and have not had any of them set yet. Anyway, I just had my first baby six months ago, and my birthday was a few weeks ago. My mother said that I should really get my tanzanite set because she loves it and drools over it . I love it too, and it is a good excuse to get it set since it is the "push present" of choice in Tanzania! My family gave me money for my birthday, and now here I am. I have been looking and feel like I am getting somewhat closer to finding what I want. I settle on something in my head, and then I find something else. It is just that, I love this stone and want it to have the perfect home. Of course, my funding is limited. So to get to the point, who would you recommend? I found a setting that I really like from an ebay vendor called jewelry castle.



This is one of the Chinese ebay jewelry stores. That makes me so leery. I have watched LOGR listings for years, but I have always been too afraid. Then, after e-mailing with some of the different stores, I have become so confused about single vs full cut diamonds that I was pretty turned off. I have read pros and cons for both and can't get a good answer about it. Here are the mounts that I was liking when I was okay with the idea of those ebay people....I feel weird calling them vendors. This one is from lan.bo4:

It would have to be changed to a round setting. I really like baguettes and that is my only big draw to this one.

This one is from jewe2004:


I like the "airiness" of this one and that it doesn't look like an engagement ring as it will be a RHR.

I then found this setting from pompeii on etsy. I emailed him, and his price to change it to fit my stone was a little ridiculous. It changed the price a ton and only showed me that he has to order and cannot make his own stuff. However, this setting is a popular one that I have seen a lot of places. I like that this is simple and dainty. Okay, I have to reply to this post so I can add more pictures for you to see. I may be giving so much information that it will be too difficult for you all to even know how to reply to my post. I hope not! Please help! I will summarize my questions in my response to this post that will follow.

 

[toosamom]

Okay, so this is the setting that I found from pompeii that I like because of its simplicity.


Then I found a US dealer on ebay called traxnyc. Have any of you heard of him or dealt with him? He has good feedback. When I googled him, there were a few people that were dissatisfied and did not get their money back because they didn't pay through paypal and got the runaround. However, there are a lot of positive feedback responses as well. The prices are very good. He had so many listings for settings that my taste became more opulent as I browsed. As I said, this will probably be the only setting this stone gets, and I plan to wear it a lot. (Not daily to keep my stone safe.)


I read a lot about David Klass on different threads. I have emailed him 3 times to see how much he would charge to make one of the settings that I found from the Chinese ebay stores. I have not heard back from him. In the threads they spoke about how great he was and how reasonable his prices were. I looked at his ebay store and just couldn't find anything that I liked. His stuff looks too much like engagement rings, and I don't like bezel settings.

Here is another setting that I found that I like.


Here is one more. I like the hidden diamonds along the under side of the prongs...I am sure there is a term for this. I found it on etsy, but this is way out of my price range! However, if I find somebody that can copy a setting, then great! These little hidden diamonds would look so neat poking out behind a tanzanite!


Do you all have any suggestions on who I could use? Am I looking at the wrong type of setting to show off my stone to its fullest? What are your thoughts on the dealers from China and the traxnyc person? Please let me know if you need any other information or if you have any questions. I hope I wasn't too presumptuous to just jump in and post such a huge post without having ever posted before in here. Thanks in advance for your help!
Brenda

 

[colorluvr]

Welcome Brenda!

Your taste in rings seems to vary (as does mine) so I can't suggest a specific style, but I would remind you that tanzanites are not really "every day" stones so be sure to pick out a setting that protects the stone so it isn't easily scratched. I got a beautiful Tanzanite ring back in the 90's and wasn't warned that it was a fragile stone and it got a horrible gash in it.

I can't comment on the vendors you mentioned because I haven't purchased a new setting online in quite some time. I would suggest that you spend the extra money for nice side diamonds so they are eyeclean, white and sparkly to offset the color of the Tanzanite. The upgraded diamonds are often not that much more than the stock diamonds (unless they are large). If you find an online vendor that has a setting that you like, they should be able to give you a price comparison for the upgraded stones.

As far as David Klass is concerned, from what I have read he is a very busy guy these days and his turnaround/response time reflects that. Most of the people using him seem to be putting in "custom" requests as opposed to purchasing from his online selection. Good luck with your search, it can be overwhelming the first time you purchase a setting for a specific stone, but the satisfaction that you "created" the ring as opposed to just buying a finished ring in a store is worth it.

 

[stargurl78]

I like the 5th setting you posted the best (the one from traxnyc) and I like the LOGR one too. I agree with colorluvr's suggestion to upgrade the diamonds if you order from an eBay vendor.

 

[chrono]

I've only dealt with Lanbo and LOGR but not the other vendors. It's been a while since I've purchased anything from them so I don't know if the quality of their settings have changed but I hear that it has.

In terms of the tanzanite, please note that it needs to be worn with care as it is not something that can be worn everyday. Even as an occasional ring stone, it needs to be babied.

 

[toosamom]

Since the tanzanites are more delicate, would a ring with a halo protect it better? On the other hand, would a halo block out so much light that the different colors of the stone wouldn't pop out (like the way the stone has red flashes sometimes)? The Chinese sellers put the single cut SI, H-I colored diamonds in their rings and the US sellers seem to put mostly VS or SI G colored diamonds that I am assuming are full cut. So would only the settings from Chinese sellers need the upgraded diamonds? Does anybody know of any other jewelers who can create a ring that are reasonable in their pricing yet good at what they do?

 

[minousbijoux]

Hi Toosamom:

You might want to check out the pinned thread at the top of this page on Colored Stone vendors. There are lists of ebay mounting vendors, custom mounting vendors and etsy vendors. If you find some you like, you can do a search on the CS board for members and their past experiences, and maybe even pricing, with them. I hope this helps.

 

[chrono]

A halo will protect it somewhat and it is best to be prong set because it might be put under too much stress during bezel setting process. If the halo isn't too enclosed (open profile or gallery), the stone should remain bright.

Yes, US vendors almost always use full cut diamond melees but the quality will vary, so depending on who it is, you may or may not need to upgrade the diamonds.

You can either custom create a ring with an Etsy vendor or have a local jeweller order and set your stone in an Adwar, Stuller, or American Set ring mount. Don't forget to check out the Pre-Loved section of PS where sometimes you can find well priced secondhand settings (it usually links to DB).