The beginnings of an idea.

[TravelingGal]

OK, so I have been wanting to do someting with a gemstone for awhile, but just can't spend the money on myself (otherwise I would have stole Tacori's idea and done a Tessa Ring for Amelia.)

But I CAN do something for my mom.

Her birthday is in September. She's been through so much lately that I want to give her something lovely to tell her I'm proud of her for all she's done, especially with how much she took care of my dad.

However, she's a very low maintenance, low key woman. I've noticed she doesn't often wear the diamond ring I gave her a couple of years ago because it's not "everyday" enough for her.

What she does all the time wear is a maul sapphire and diamond ring (band style) that I bought her years ago. She also always wears earrings, but likes simple studs.

I just don't know where to start (I don't even know the CS gem sites...I only lurk here to see the pretties, but never lurked for research sake). I would normally start a ton of research and THEN ask questions, but with a new baby, it just seems so exhausting.

So I am asking for help. Any ideas? Great sites to look for stones? I'm thinking sapphire (I love some of the ones I've seen lately). Not sure if stud earrings would have much "wow" factor, but I know she'd probably wear those a lot. Or a ring...something simple and very wearable with a low profile.

Budget...let's say $1500-$2000. Is that too low for a decent sapphire? Doesn't need to be large...

ETA -P.S. if I could just have a few leads, I promise to do my homework and not be a total slacker.

 

[FrekeChild]

OOOOOOOOooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like this task. Ok. What color sapphire? Any idea of shape? What kind of ring? Maybe a smaller solitaire or a three stone ring? White gold or yellow? How big of studs for earrings? What about a stone size for a ring? Want to go custom or stock? What kind of style does she have?

Sorry for all of the questions!!!

Natural Sapphire Company is where I'm going to start looking (browsing because I don't have the answers to the above questions!) but be warned-a lot of the cuts are pretty wonky...

Oooooo!!!I'm excited!

ETA:
Dan Stair-Custom Gemstones
Wildfish
Artistic Colored Stones
Those are some of my favorite sites, I've bought from ACS and Dan Stair and have been really really happy with all of my purchases.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/19/2008 2:47:26 AM
Author: FrekeChild
OOOOOOOOooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like this task. Ok. What color sapphire? Any idea of shape? What kind of ring? Maybe a smaller solitaire or a three stone ring? White gold or yellow? How big of studs for earrings? What about a stone size for a ring? Want to go custom or stock? What kind of style does she have?

Sorry for all of the questions!!!

Natural Sapphire Company is where I''m going to start looking (browsing because I don''t have the answers to the above questions!) but be warned-a lot of the cuts are pretty wonky...

Oooooo!!!I''m excited!

ETA:
Dan Stair-Custom Gemstones
Wildfish
Artistic Colored Stones
Those are some of my favorite sites, I''ve bought from ACS and Dan Stair and have been really really happy with all of my purchases.

Thanks Freke! I will look into those sites asap.

I should really be sleeping, but everyone is asleep in the house and it is so nice and peaaaaaaaaaaaceful...

OK, to answer some of your questions...

Color. I know that sapphires come in all different colors but I am so simpleminded when it comes to colored gemstones that I assumed you all would know I meant blue.

Shape, open. But I think she likes squares. I love neatfreak''s asscher, but not sure if that is more my style than hers.

Metal color - open. But everything I have bought her in the last few years has been a white metal (with the exception of an opal ring).

Type of ring - hm...three stone might be nice...she doesn''t have anything like that. It needs to be simple, comfortable, low profile and wearable.

Earring stud size...I''d love to give her bigger studs, but she wears smaller earrings (or maybe that is because that was all we could afford?)

Custom or stock - either, but I figure with my budget I probably could not afford custom.

Her style? Well, she wears all my hand me downs and buys clothes from garage sales. Don''t get me wrong, she still looks lovely, but she is a very down to earth person. She''s pretty casual these days...wears flip flops because it''s comfy. Honestly...the only way I can describe her style is..."Korean Mom."

 

[TravelingGal]

Oh, and just for fun, here''s a pic of my the recipient of this intended gift - my mom. I just like this pic because it''s a candid...I had no idea they took it. It was at my wedding and we were on the dance floor and I wanted to kiss my ma!

(btw, she''s 66 years old here and I think she looks damn good! And I''m exactly half her age in this pic.)

 

[FrekeChild]

Ok, I figured you meant blue, but I just thought I'd ask.

I think your mom and mine sound a lot alike minus the Korean part.

I think this one is really pretty, but has a bit of a high profile.Oh yeah, and it's a white sapphire emerald cut in the middle, with two pink Trillions one the sides.

Low profile, but more ornate, but it's blue!

blue bezely prong ring

Three stone-blue in the middle, white on the sides-bit high of a profile.

Uber low set blue oval (I've had my eye on this one for a little while)bit out of budget though

light blue cushion studs

Ok, so that's the ready made jewelry I saw that sounded interesting...onto loose stones!

ETA: What a beautiful picture of you two!!!You're right, she looks amazing for her age!!

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks a lot Freke! I will look those over more in depth in the morning. I really should hit the sack....

And I looked at the prices on the loose stones at NSC...pricey! Maybe I should spend my money on the stone and do a simple WF stock setting? Hmmmm.

ETA, ooh those studs are nice. Would their stock stuff be of excellent cut and quality? Boy, I need to do my homework. But I'm excited to have a new project!

 

[FrekeChild]

No prob. I got distracted by random stuff...NSC can jack up their prices because they have no treated stones. Maybe someone will chime in with some other sites-I need to hit the sack too. We''re going to see the first showing of The Dark Knight in the morning and I have to get up earlier than usual!

Do you care if it''s a treated or not treated?

The most important thing with a colored stone is to like the way it looks-need to stay away from windows, extinction and bowties. Among other things.

Don''t worry, we''ll find her something fantastic!

 

[beaujolais]

Just have to say - you and you Mom are beautiful ! !

What a sweet picture.

 

[Deelight]

I have nothing really to add, just wanted to say that photo of you and your mum is beautiful you both look fantastic, and your mum looks great for her age.

 

[Harriet]

Richard M. of www.artcutgems.com carries sapphires and can also hunt down more. The same goes for www.paraibainternational.com. Adam has a number of lovely pink and purple sapphires.

My mum's birthday is also in September, so I'm looking for something with sapphires too.

 

[Miranda]

Seriously girl, you have been warming my heart with your posts about your family. What a fab daughter you are! My first thought was to get your mom bezel studs, like yours, from WF. Only, with sapphires.

I often browse at AJS gems http://www.ajsgems.com/ I find their website easy to use and their prices reasonable. Do note, however, that their sapphires are, for the most part, treated.

 

[decodelighted]

Darn ... I always forget but someone got those lovely bezel sapphire studs from that company that makes them (pre-set). Aighhh. I try not to add a link to my "shopping" bookmarks so I won''t tempt myself but then a question comes up like this & I''m frustrated.

WAIT!!!! Was it Cross?? They make these diamond close earring in sapphire too.. Lemmie try to find the Pscoper who has them.

 

[Miranda]

You''re right Deco! I''ll look too! I wish I would save these things when I am thinking about it!

 

[Miranda]

Selkie has some that are indeed from Cross https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pics-of-blue-sapphire-bezel-set-studs.72896/

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks gals...gotta feed the kid so will be back in a bit with more!

 

[icekid]

Tgal, you are one sweet daughter! I think you''ll be able to find something awesome within your budget. Bezel sapphire earrings would be awesome! You''ve certainly got tons of options. Hmm, you might also check simplysapphires.com also if you''re ok with heat-treating.

I am hoping to plan something similar for my mom down the road someday.. she is a September baby as well.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Something like this with sapphires? Found this on bluenile.com

Your Korean momma sounds just like my Korean momma!

I love that photo of you two.

 

[TravelingGal]

OK gals, given it some thought...

I am going to keep those sapphire bezels in my back pocket. I do like the thought of them.

But I'd like to see if I can do a ring for her so she can actually see it. I love my bezeled studs, but I admit I don't get as much joy out of them because I can't see them.

I like the three stone idea, but I'd like to do it with pears (I've been thinking of what I want the ring to represent, and pears would work better). What do you think...can this be done? Check out the ring below (from an old post and I believe it's vatche?). I'd like to do a darker sapphire for the center and lighter blue pear sapphires.

As treated vs untreated...I'll look at that up tonight because I have no idea. I like the idea of untreated better but I know that will cost me. Are there any real weakness on going the treated route?

Thanks!

ETA, not sure if the below is vatche, but it's the general idea anyway.

 

[TravelingGal]

Or maybe like doomaise''s pretty ring...this would probably be more the scale, although I LOVE Leon''s version but that would blow the budget big time...

 

[Miranda]

Super idea. I''d always rather have a ring than earrings for that very reason. I''ll let some of the pros answer the gem Qs because they would know better than me. I did find some affordable settings at Winfield''s http://www.winkjones.com/store/rings.php

 

[Harriet]

TG,
There is no downside to heat treatment since it's permanent (caveat: if we're talking about a collectible stone in the 5 figures and up, an unheated stone is more valuable than a heated one). Colour treatment (beryllium diffusion), on the other hand, is problematic because you're not getting what you paid for (e.g. what is represented as a sapphire of nice colour may actually be an ugly one).

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks Harriet!

I was looking at aqua''s too. I''m trying to decide what two shades would go nicely together. I know Doomaise had Bob at WF source his stones, so maybe I should too?

Basically this ring would work nicely with what symbolism I am thinking about (plus it''s a classic setting). The 3 stone of course represents yesterday, today and tomorrow. I want to use pears in a lighter blue because I''d like them to represent tears. She cried an awful lot over the past two years...just recently told me she suffered silently as in the last two years I got married and had a kid (so she didn''t want to stress me out at all). I want to acknowledge all those tears of yesterday and hope that all the tears of tomorrow will only be joyous ones. Center stone is round, which represents perfect, eternal love (which we have for each other). medium blue sapphire center to represent the ocean (depth of her love for my dad) and lighter blue sides to represent the sky and heaven (where my dad is now).

I would write a letter in Korean, with the help of a translator (I don''t know know Korean well enough to write) explaining this, and it would be far less cheesy than it sounds, I swear. If heated stones are fine, then I think I could swing this in my budget...I just have to find a good size ratio. Think I should stick with sapphires for sides or would an aqua blue look weird with the sapphire center?

Thanks so much for all your help. I''m excited about this...I just don''t think it will be done in time though...

 

[Harriet]

You're welcome. I like the ideas of two hues of blue together. Let me see what I can rustle up.

ETA: I know the 2.48 tcw pair is out of the budget, but that colour would be fabulous with a sapphire blue (depending, of course, on which sapphire blue you choose: http://www.paraibainternational.com/products.php?category=5&products_shape=5&sort_price=&sort_weight=&products_quantity_type=2&products_color=&sort_new=&page=&submit=Refine+Search
Give Adam a call. He can always find more options for you.

Disclaimer: I do not work for him in any way!

 

[FrekeChild]

Awww TGal you''re getting all soft on us...

In all seriousness that doesn''t sound cheesy to me at all-I think the symbolism is beautiful.

I''m going to go poke around some sites now...

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 7/19/2008 9:02:20 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Thanks Harriet!

I was looking at aqua''s too. I''m trying to decide what two shades would go nicely together. I know Doomaise had Bob at WF source his stones, so maybe I should too?

Basically this ring would work nicely with what symbolism I am thinking about (plus it''s a classic setting). The 3 stone of course represents yesterday, today and tomorrow. I want to use pears in a lighter blue because I''d like them to represent tears. She cried an awful lot over the past two years...just recently told me she suffered silently as in the last two years I got married and had a kid (so she didn''t want to stress me out at all). I want to acknowledge all those tears of yesterday and hope that all the tears of tomorrow will only be joyous ones. Center stone is round, which represents perfect, eternal love (which we have for each other). medium blue sapphire center to represent the ocean (depth of her love for my dad) and lighter blue sides to represent the sky and heaven (where my dad is now).

I would write a letter in Korean, with the help of a translator (I don''t know know Korean well enough to write) explaining this, and it would be far less cheesy than it sounds, I swear. If heated stones are fine, then I think I could swing this in my budget...I just have to find a good size ratio. Think I should stick with sapphires for sides or would an aqua blue look weird with the sapphire center?

Thanks so much for all your help. I''m excited about this...I just don''t think it will be done in time though...

T-Gal: I *think* it was kneeling08 who started off with a pic he photoshopped with a medium blue centre and lighter blue sides...anybody remember that one? He was trying to figure out if he could combine the blues....and decided against it.

Personally, I thought the 2 shades of blue (in his photoshopped pic) kind of detracted from each other. If I can find that thread I''ll link it for you....

Just my pennies worth...

LS

 

[Harriet]

Freke,
Do you have time for some Photoshopping? If so, I''ve found a pair of aqua pears. If you could stick a sapphire in the middle, TG can see if she likes the combo.

 

[LostSapphire]

T-Gal:
Here are Kneeling08''s photoshopped blues:

LS

 

[LostSapphire]

and the 2nd one:

I think this one might have worked if the centre stone was a bit darker...IMO

LS

ETA: get Freke to photoshop my avatar stone into it, and see if the contrast is better.

 

[FrekeChild]

Harriet-I can attempt it--not promising anything though-and it might take a little while...But I''m totally up for it. BF is watching some stupid pay-per-view thing. So I''m bored.

 

[TravelingGal]

Kid''s asleep, so now I have more time tonight to putter around here.

LS, I read your answer on your post, but since you are posting here I hope you won''t mind me answering here. Thank you very much for the info on cost. I guess I could do a 1 to1.5 heated depending on cost. I totally agree that the search might take awhile, which is why I do think I won''t be able to get this project done on time.

Thanks for your help and link to that thread with the different blues...yeah, it''s totally interesting to actually *see* the concept and I am not sure I like those two colors together (though I like them separately). So maybe white sapphires? Or different shades of blue. Hm.

Harriet, I was looking at that site earlier and found those aquas, hence the thought. I will follow up on your suggestion next week once I have a better grasp if this is all possible.

Freke, take your time...it''s Sat night and I am not fussed if you have better things to do than help me out!

Miranda, thanks for the Wink Jones link. That gives me a good idea of setting cost. I think I''d have to go over budget on this one...