Setting ideas?

[MissDayna]

Hey everyone,

Being lurking here for a while looking at all your stunning colored stones, and I just wondered if anyone had some ideas of how to set this gorgeous stone that I''m getting? (its going to be for my engagement ring)

This is what I''ve been told about it :

"That spinel is a very pretty grape purple color that shifts toward pinkish purple under incandescent light. I cut it as an Asscher style square emerald. It doesn''t have quite as many rows of facets or the pavillion depth as what I''d call a full Asscher cut, but is close and very pretty. This stone weighs .94 carats, measures 5.37mm across from side to side and appears to be flawless under 10x magnification. "

Both my boyfriend and myself are students, so the budget for the setting would have to be a maximum of $1000.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated!

Thanks,
Dayna

 

[LD]

Hi Dayna and welcome!

What an exciting time for you! You need to give us a clue though and tell us what you like/don''t like in a setting. Do you want accent diamonds???? What colour metal? Do you have a preference?

One other consideration - this stone MAY look darker in real life and if it is, then you should rule out a bezel setting as it might darken it even more. Also, do you know the depth of your gemstone? Some Asscher cuts / Asscher type cuts are very deep and you need to think about this.

 

[MissDayna]

Hey thanks,

I definitely know that I want white gold, prefer the cool look to the warmth of yellow gold. Quite like the idea of accent diamonds, not sure whether it''d look better with sidestones or a halo though. If I went with sidestones I was thinking of trillions. I don''t know the depth of the stone yet, I will email Dan Stair to ask, I didnt realise asschers were cut deeper!

Dayna

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Hi Dayna! It''s really pretty in the picture, but I think it''ll be darker in real life than in the photo.

Also, it''s going to look MUCH smaller than what you''d expect a 1 ct stone to look like since asschers are cut very deeply in relation to other stone cuts.

 

[MissDayna]

I just heard back from Dan, he''s already shipped the stone so can''t measure it, but he said : " The pavillion is not extremely deep, as some Asscher cuts are. You might be okay buying a setting in advance if you don''t get something that is too low of a profile, especially if you go for a setting made for a 5mm square, as this stone is closer to 5.5mm. "

I am expecting it to be quite small, which is why I decided against having it as a solitaire. I''m hoping it won''t be extremely dark, if it''s a bit darker than the picture then I hopefully I will be ok with it.

Thanks

Dayna

 

[FrekeChild]

Ditto to everything that''s been said already. I think for something like that I''d go with some baguettes to stick with the step cuts instead of adding a brilliant cut, but I''m kind of weird like that.

 

[EricaR]

OMG

I want your stone. Seriously. It is amazing! I love purple.

 

[chrono]

I know a lot of people like to set a stone in a halo design to make the stone larger but a 5.4 mm stone might instead be dwarfed unless the melee is extemely tiny, which defeats the purpose in the first place, if you want it to look proportional. I''d go the sidestone route for added finger coverage. Step cut sidestones should go well with the modified asscher cut.

 

[ma re]

A few questions:

- How much do you plan on wearing the ring (this will influence setting suggestions, as it''s not the same to wear something 24/7 compared to once a week)?
- Are you more into contemporary design or antique styles?
- What are your hand and finger shapes and sizes (I know it sounds strange, but whether your hand is wider or more narrow makes a difference just as much as the lenght and width of your fingers)?

Trillions may sound good in theory, but in practice they would overpower your center stone instead of accentuating it. That''s because a trillion cut is a variation of a round brilliant, and a square emerald is a type of a step cut, which are know for a more introvert, subdued brilliance. White metal sounds right if the stone''s color in reality matches that on the photo, but if it''s darker and less saturated it might make it look washed out and overly dark. Wait with the setting untill you receive the stone.

 

[MissDayna]

Thanks to everyone for all your help and suggestions!

I''m now thinking that maybe the halo route is a bad idea as I don''t want to drown the stone in one. And I didn''t realise that if i chose trillions that they might overpower my asscher.

My ring size is a UK N, which i believe is roughly equivalent to a US 6 1/2 (different sites are giving me different sizes), the length of my ring finger is about 7cm, width of my hand from the tip of my thumb to the tip of my pinky with my fingers closed is about 9cm.

Chances are I will probably wear my ring most days but not 24/7 - I will definitely take it off at night time, don''t like sleeping with jewelley on. I''m quite open to most styles, don''t really have a particular preference between antique and contemporary. What about a split shank style setting like this one?

Thanks,
Dayna

 

[chrono]

That looks to be an elegant classy design - I like it.

 

[ma re]

Wow, I didn''t expect exact specs of your hands, but I guess it doesen''t hurt to know

I only wanted you to think about whether your hand is wider or slimmer in shape (or somewhere in between) and whether your fingers are long, short, more slim or thick. Larger/stronger hands can more easily (visually) carry larger and more complex arrangements, elongated ones are better for longer and thinner fingers, while more substantial looking pieces look better on thicker and shorter fingers.

There''s nothing wrong with the ring you posted, except two things; the prongs holding the center stone seem chunky (I''d ask for something smaller and flatter, to cover beveled corners of your asscher) and the fact that the photo shows a princess cut which gives a totally different feel than an asscher - what looks great with a princess, might not look so great with an asscher.

Would you consider something like THIS? It''s somewhat similar to what you found, but accent stones are set in the shank itself, and since the shank graduates towards the center, it appears as if they''re set between the splits of a split shank. When stones are set this way, there''s less risk of them fallling out, since in your example they''re held just by tiny prongs - which get worn over time.

THIS is one of my favorite styles for asschers - clean, simple, and you can even set small princess cut accents if you decide that step cuts are too simple for your taste. The way they''re set is quite secure and everything is in proportion (good visual balance of design elements).

If you''re into something unusual, you might like something like THIS.

And any one of these...

#1

#2

#3

#4

...can show you why it''s best to have step cut sides with a step cut center.

Hope all the links work. Have fun

 

[chrono]

Mr. Ma Re just reminded me of another TWO reasons why I adore bezels:
1. Makes the stone appear larger
2. Accentuates the outline of the asscher (octagon shape)

 

[stepcutnut]

MD-I love your stone-congrats!!!

I too would stick with step cut sides(traps, square steps, asscher, baguettes or EC)-I have a lovely pair of step cut trills that would go nicely with your stone-so trills may still be an option for you

If the stone is not to dark to bezel-I adore that idea of setting as well! And it would show off the outline of the stone really well. White metal would be my first choice.

 

[MissDayna]

Oh wow I love that #1 with the side traps and double prongs! I''m not sure if that sort of setting would be within my budget but it really is beautiful

any idea where I would find settings like that?

I also really like the one with the channel set accent diamonds.

Some people said that the stone might be darker IRL, would putting it in a bezel setting darken it even more?

Dayna

 

[FrekeChild]

Yes putting the stone in a bezel will darken it more. I think you should wait to see what it looks like in real life before you start really looking into settings, you know?

 

[E B]

I really like the split shank idea, MissDayna!

 

[MissDayna]

Thanks so much for your help, all of you!

I''ve got lots of ideas to think over now, and I''m going to do what FrekeChild said and wait til the spinel arrives before I make any final decisions - I need to see the actual colour of it, as well as the size, as I''m now a bit worried that it is going to be too small for my liking, we shall see!

Dayna

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I love the split shank. I also love the idea of a bezel if it won''t darken the stone too much.

 

[D&T]

sorry - i missed this thread and a little late but,, just wanted to comment on how much I love that color and that shape.. its AWESOME.... Did you get your stone? did you get your setting? if you started another thread for it... ?

 

[MissDayna]

Thanks, it really does look like such a pretty stone in the picture. Sadly it still isnt here - according to the USPS tracking website it is still being processed by UK customs - its been doing that for over 10 days now, I''m not sure how long it takes to clear things over here. Not bought a setting yet, planning to wait until I see the spinel IRL to decide if I''m still going to use it for my ering, have been thinking I might like something a bit bigger.

Dayna

 

[cinnamon013]

Oh, that is too bad it is still stuck in customs! About your thought of getting something larger for your e-ring - I bet you will want a larger stone. Unless you bezel it with a halo or something to make it have a larger presence.

Here''s to hoping it will show up soon so you can decide!!

 

[Stone Hunter]

Date: 4/27/2009 2:27:11 PM
Author: MissDayna
Not bought a setting yet, planning to wait until I see the spinel IRL to decide if I''m still going to use it for my ering, have been thinking I might like something a bit bigger.

Dayna

You said that you have 1,000 dollars to spend on a setting. You could buy a very simple standard setting and take the rest of the money and put it toward a larger stone. Later in life you could upgrade your setting if you have the desire. I''d go this route. Especially since you haven''t seen the stone yet and are already thinking you''d like something bigger!

Please take pictures when customs releases the stone it looks lovely.

 

[MissDayna]

Yeah I''m definitely considering getting a bigger stone and just sticking with a simple setting. I think alot of vendors seem to post new stones at the beginning of every month so will take a look and see if there''s anything that catches my eye in the May release. As soon as my asscher arrives I will have lots of fun taking pictures of it as it''s my first gem purchase

Dayna

 

[chrono]

I agree with Stone Hunter''s suggestion in putting the bulk of the money in the stone and have it set in an expensive temporary setting. You can always change the setting at leasure or on your 1st anniversary. I would get the best gemstone I can afford in my budget for an engagement ring.

 

[MissDayna]

Well my spinel has finally cleared UK customs and is sitting at the depot waiting to be picked up, so hopefully will have it by this evening

I''ll be sure to take plenty of photos

Pretty sure I''m going to find something bigger for my ering though, have found a simple setting I like which gives me alot more to spend on a different stone.

Dayna

 

[mariedtiger]

I''m really excited to see pictures!!! Your stone looks lovely