Setting Suggestions Please - Sapphire Oval

[yanaazul]

Continuing from the "Gemfix Mahenges" thread -- I would love suggestions from you all on settings for my new sapphire oval. I favor simple settings, no halos or substantial side-stones. This is generally because I wear multiple rings and bangles/bracelets, so they all have to "go" together. This will probably be a right hand ring, alone on one finger with a set of stackers on an adjacent finger. Though I might decide to wear this on my middle-left finger instead, next to my engagement-wedding set (currently how I wear my Heart of Water pillbox). I only wear 18K yellow gold.

I love bezels, but I'm leaning towards not bezeling this one, not wanting to lose any of the glowy blue. I am open to both east-west and north-south settings. Thanks for looking and any suggestions!

Blue Sapphire Oval, 7.7x6.4mm, Heat only, VS clarity. (Note -- the funny "prongs" in the pics below are beading headpins that I twisted together for a DIY gemholder, not wanting to drop the stone on the sidewalk...)

 

[yanaazul]

More pictures:

 

[yanaazul]

More pictures:

 

[JewelFreak]

Beautiful stone, both color and size! If it were mine, I'd be in a rush to set it FAST! What about something like the HoW Lotus ring? I imagine Sally could do that, or adapt it however you'd like. It lets in plenty of light to the sapphire & is simple & elegant.



Or this one -- it's bezeled but still manages to let the stone glow:



Also, take a wander through SMTB -- bound to be something there that fills the bill for you. And please hurry up -- I want to see hand pics!!

--- Laurie

 

[Blue-Seeker]

I'm not sure where you're located or if you're willing or able to work with an overseas vendor, but I just came across the photos of mariedtiger's purple sapphire set in a Heart of Water setting, and fell in love with the setting. It could probably be customized for an oval.
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...hire-from-dana-in-heart-of-water-ring.149226/

Edit: Just saw the other thread where you said you didn't want to bezel this stone. In that case, I vote for the lotus setting posted by JewelFreak, also by Heart of Water.

 

[Aoife]

I like this look very much, and she works in all colors of gold, so it should be possible to customize:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82412856/blue-sapphire-14k-white-gold-lucida

Depending on your budget, there is also Green Lake jewelry, which has more possibilities than you can imagine! Here's one:




http://greenlakejewelry.com/

 

[yanaazul]

And please hurry up -- I want to see hand pics!!

--- Laurie

Hee, Laurie, will do!

I actually do have a Lotus from Sally already, plus the Pillbox bezel ring and two Lotus seeds. I'm thinking I want something a tad more substantial than the Lotus for this one. I've always loved her Mistral setting:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/30905127/mistral-ring-with-rhodolite-garnet-in

I love the way the base of the setting frames the stone in gold, and the split shank. Thoughts? It seems like the Mistral is made for bigger stones than mine but I think the proportions would still work?

Aoife -- ooh, that's the vendor that did Uppy's earrings! I love those so much. And I had totally forgotten about Green Lake, thanks! Wow, lots to go through...

Here's a pic of the new sapphire my little Heart of Water collection. I usually wear the Pillbox as shown, on the left middle, and the three stacking (Lotus and Lotus Seeds) on the other hand, right middle finger.

 

[yanaazul]

Oooh, looklooklook, Adzia does a ring with a swirly basket/scallopy prongs like Uppy's earrings!

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/64836458

This one has six prongs, which I like better than the regular listing in her store that has four prongs. The scallops are deeper than on Uppy's earrings, which would be better for letting in light.

I think this might be it! I've sent a convo asking if she can do this for an oval stone.

Thanks again Aoife!

 

[Aoife]

Oooh, looklooklook, Adzia does a ring with a swirly basket/scallopy prongs like Uppy's earrings!

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/64836458

This one has six prongs, which I like better than the regular listing in her store that has four prongs. The scallops are deeper than on Uppy's earrings, which would be better for letting in light.

I think this might be it! I've sent a convo asking if she can do this for an oval stone.

Thanks again Aoife!

Very, very pretty! I like this one. Please let us know if you decide to proceed with this.

 

[yanaazul]

I've put down a deposit Adzia to have my sapphire set in her six-prong swirly basket setting. Will be 18K yellow gold, sapphire set north-south. She'll be able to start work after she clears the holiday rush, so I hope to have the ring by the end of January. Woo!

 

[GemFever]

Looking forward to pics!

All your blues are so beautiful. In fact, they are downright inspiring

- Anya

 

[Aoife]

I've put down a deposit Adzia to have my sapphire set in her six-prong swirly basket setting. Will be 18K yellow gold, sapphire set north-south. She'll be able to start work after she clears the holiday rush, so I hope to have the ring by the end of January. Woo!

I love that setting! I hope you'll post when the ring is finished. Not only would I love to see your beautiful sapphire in its new setting, but I've been considering Adzia for a couple of projects, and I'd be interested in hearing your perspective on the process.

 

[pregcurious]

Ditto! Very pretty sapphire.

 

[yanaazul]

So, on Tuesday I sent my stone registered priority mail, it was supposed to deliver on Thursday, but hasn't. The last tracking update is on Thursday at 2pm, "arrival at unit." I believe that means the postal hub, since it's the first (and only) Chicago status update. So it hasn't left the hub yet? If I remember correctly from other registered package trackings, there's usually an "out for delivery" scan message in the delivery process.

Should I be worried yet?

 

[Aoife]

So, on Tuesday I sent my stone registered priority mail, it was supposed to deliver on Thursday, but hasn't. The last tracking update is on Thursday at 2pm, "arrival at unit." I believe that means the postal hub, since it's the first (and only) Chicago status update. So it hasn't left the hub yet? If I remember correctly from other registered package trackings, there's usually an "out for delivery" scan message in the delivery process.

Should I be worried yet?

No, don't start worrying yet. Tracking on registered mail can be hit or miss, and you may or may not get an out for delivery message. There have been times when I sent items registered mail when there were no tracking updates at all until the item was delivered.

And it's very, very unlikely that your package has gone astray. The special handling involved in registered mail just really slows it up.

 

[yanaazul]

Thanks for the reassurance, Aoife.

And I will let you know how the process goes. Communications have been very clear and easy so far -- setting out the size and materials details, that I want the six-prong version, no melee. I expressed a preference for the stone to be set as low as possible but without distorting her pretty, pretty proportions, and she said her process is to send CAD images for review, so I'll get to see how it looks.

 

[chel180]

That looks like its gonna be a winner, I can't wait to see the CADs.

 

[JewelFreak]

Me too. Looking at your pics again, I'm blown over by the blues you manage to find! It should be just a gorgeous ring! Post CADs when they come, please!

--- Laurie

 

[yanaazul]

Whew, Adzia confirmed the stone was delivered this afternoon. Funny how having tracking (and the ability to online refreshrefreshrefresh) makes me more anxious. I've sent stones off to Sally in Thailand, no tracking, no insurance, and have been, "Well, she'll let me know in a couple of weeks!"

JewelFreak, GemFever, thanks for the compliments on my blues! I've always loved sapphires; it's my birthstone so even as a little girl my parents bought me little sapphire earrings and pendants and rings. Mall sapphires! And then I stumbled upon this world of loose gems and artisan settings, and now have a small but hopefully growing collection. I should make a collection thread after I get the new ring.

 

[yanaazul]

CADs!

Look at the swoopy prongs! As much as the swirly band/basket is Adzia's specialty, I am swooning over the prong arches even more.

She's working on the wax today or tomorrow.

 

[T L]

That is going to be one gorgeous ring!!

 

[yanaazul]

And because I'm a dork, I sized down the CAD image until the bottom two are life-size to my current rings (when printed on paper). Teeny and delicate!

ETA: Thanks TL! I'm so excited!

 

[GemFever]

CADs looking great! So looking forward to pics of the ring now

 

[Starzin]

Congratulations. Very swoopy and lovely detail - looking forward to the next pics...hopefully on your hand

 

[yanaazul]

Eeeeeeeeeee, it's done!

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/71002473

It's Saturday night. She can't mail it out until Monday. What I am going to do for three days?

On a interesting note, I can see the inclusions in the stone much better in her pictures and the stone appears a darker blue as well, (appears closest to my picture above labeled "outside, shade" which would make sense presuming she's using some kind of diffused lighting setup). Even though I could see the inclusions at certain angles, for the most part the glowy color hides the inclusions. Gemfix rated the stone a VS. There's a large-ish inclusion towards the girdle (5 o'clock in Adzia's picture, 11 o'clock in my very first picture in the thread), as well as a veil inclusion that's perpendicular to the table that you can see in the side view of the ring listing. At least I'll always know it's my stone!

So, question. The stone is heated -- how is it still glowy, as if there's silk?

 

[K9]

WOW. Gorgeous!!!!

 

[GemFever]

Beautiful!

I looked at the Etsy listing and thought that all the pics there seem to be overly yellow. Perhaps that is partially why your stone looks darker--the color balance is off?

Gosh, I can imagine waiting till Monday, and then till delivery... sweet torture

 

[yanaazul]

K9 -- Thanks!

GemFever -- Thanks! I did notice also that a couple of the pictures in the set seemed darker/warmer than the first one, when looking at the background. But I think she uses muted lighting in general, as I mentioned comparable to my "outside, shade" picture. Probably to avoid glare? Anyway, I just found it interesting, not bothersome -- especially as the color still looks fantastic to me, inclusions and all! As we all know sapphires can be dramatically different in various lights. Something I'm grateful to Pricescope for, I never would have known to consider how a stone looked under different lighting before purchasing.

My friend said I should have gone with pave on the shank, but I'm glad I didn't. I love the look of the sleek gold against the blue...

 

[distracts]

The silk doesn't start to dissipate or whatever it does until really high heat. I think 1400 degrees was mentioned by Pandora in another thread recently? I am literally about to go to bed or I would look up all the details for you, but I have sapphires that have been subjected to basic heat and still have silk. But, umm, I guess that wasn't really what you were asking. Which I cannot specifically answer. It may have something to do with the saturation, though.

Your ring is GORGEOUS. The detailing on the basket area is lovely, and with the plain band it's subtle but still so intricately worked.

Was the plain band much less in price than her rings with swirly bands? And HOW do you find such BLUE blue sapphires? I keep an eye out, but nothing I find is ever that blue, and now that I've collected my two most-wanted colors (as well as some others, of course), I want to get a bright, ridiculous blue.

 

[yanaazul]

distracts -- that *does* answer my question! I had been under the impression that heated stones as a rule just wouldn't have that sleepy glow, but mine definitely does. So it helps to understand that the silk stays intact under some level. Thanks!

I've been lucky to find my blues, truly. I had actually bought a different sapphire from Gemfix, that turned out to be a touch too violet for my taste (accurately represented in the picture on the website, so not a surprise when I got it in person, but just didn't love it, in the end, and I learned I wanted something "bluer", in highly technical terms ). So I sent it back, and then that one popped up, and I jumped on it. Studied the pictures of it against the one I had just returned, and figured it was indeed "bluer" comparatively. As it turned out, boy was it ever, happy me! But I had been searching off and on for the whole year...

The others, I bought at the Intergem show (at different times). Seeing sapphires in person helps, of course. And relatively inexpensive, too! So I've been lucky.

By the way, meant to mention in your other thread, but I love the picture of your engagement ring against the ocean. I've always thought of the perfect sapphire as being the color of the ocean. I know most people think of aqua/turquoise water on sandy beaches, but when one is on a boat out to sea as you were, or where I grew up: http://dguides.com/images/oahu/attractions/makapuu-lighthouse.jpg ...then the ocean is the color of a fine sapphire. Needless to say, I think your ring is perfect.

Re: pricing on the swirly basket setting vs. the swirly band setting -- yes, my setting by itself was a good bit less than the swirly band solitaire setting listings that are up right now. It's hard to tell, because all of her swirly band setting listings include the stones, not to mention are a wide range depending on the particular stones. I remember she did have a swirly basket listing up in December, but that one had diamond melee in the shank and basket.