Tiffany''s 3-stone Diamond and Emerald e-ring

[liveswithmom]

Wow, but this has been a very informative site. I am thinking of asking my GF of 2 years to marry me and have been throwing out the casual "what kind of rings do you like?" conversations. She said that rings aren''t that important to her, but if she must have a ring, she would like something very different and that she thinks emeralds are beautiful (she''s Irish). For the longest time I had the traditional diamond round solitaire stuck in my head and was determined that was what I was going to buy. But after realizing that I am not going to wear the ring and that she should be happy with what she will be wearing, I decided to listen to her.

So, an emerald ring. I know more about diamonds (read: very little knowledge) and even less about emeralds. Thanks to this site I have been sufficiently scared in to thinking that emeralds are very brittle and shouldn''t be worn on a day-to-day basis (she''s not a rock climber or ditch digger so she wouldn''t be smashing her ring all over the place). But she wants an emerald...

Off I go to the local Tiffany store to have a look (I know people lament T''s, but that is another topic). They had a nice selection of 3-stone diamond and emerald rings that I have warmed up nicely to. I would like to keep things under $10k and I know that I would be paying x% for the T name, but I feel more comfortable going with T''s because I can actually handle the merchandise and compare and contrast - I wish emeralds had a color rating! I''m loath to look online because I need to see the rings in person, plus I feel more comfortable with a B&M store like T''s to back me up.

So, at T''s I saw a 3-stone, round setting with the emerald as the center and diamonds flanking it. I saw a .80ct, .70ct and .54ct center weight emerald with accompanying diamonds in the price ranges of: $11,100, $10,300 and $7,800. All three emeralds had slightly different color variations.

My question is this: does color affect brittleness (I''m guessing no) and would I be better off going with a smaller weight for the emerald so that the setting protects it more?

She''s not a showy girl and the .80ct looked HUGE when compared to the .54ct which is why I am looking more at the .70ct emerald (T''s have this one paired with 2 rd .60ct total weights at F VS1/VS1 = $10,300). I''m going back today to ask if they have any .6ish weight emeralds with G colored diamonds to bring the cost down some more.

 

[JulieN]

Date: 11/3/2006 3:26:00 PM
Author:liveswithmom
My question is this: does color affect brittleness (I''m guessing no) and would I be better off going with a smaller weight for the emerald so that the setting protects it more?

There are too many other variables that would go into a stone being damaged, so just get the size you want.

 

[widget]

I have heard (although I don''t know if it true) that cleaner emeralds are hardier than heavily included ones. But since you''re shopping T&C, I''m sure you''re looking at pretty clean ones.

I personally wouldn''t want emeralds in a ring I planned to wear 24/7....I''d worry that they''re not hard enough for daily wear and tear.

Have you considered tsavorite as an alternative? It''s a variety of garnet that actually out-sparkles most emeralds, and is harder too...

I''m posting Pokey''s incredible tsavorite...one of my all-time favorite Erings on PS...in case you haven''t seen it in your wanderings. It was hand done by Leon Mege... highly regarded around these parts. I suspect it cost considerably less than the rings you are considering.

Just some thoughts!

widget

 

[swingirl]

Excellent suggestion, Widget. And another opportunity to see that beautiful ring--one of my favorites around here!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Oh that is such a beautiful ring!!! *drool*

I used to work with a girl that had a RB diamond with pear shaped emeralds on each side. Very classic and pretty. Maybe if you do more of a bezel setting to protect the emerald you would be alright. Do you know she wants an emerald?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I wouldn''t want an emerald in an e-ring for the reasons Widget mentioned. They are just too fragile for 24/7. They can''t be cleaned in an ultrasonic either. I vote for the tsavorite sidestones!

 

[Kaleigh]

Everyone has stated what I would have said. Emeralds are so soft, even as side stones. Tsavorites are such a great alternative, similar color without the worry.

 

[Pokey]

Hey there-

I''m the guy who got the split shank tsavorite up there from Leon. If she likes green, tsavorite''s definitely the way to go over emerald. Emeralds, from everything I learned, are way too fragile for an everyday e-ring - even the tsavorite is pushing it. Tsavorite''s are also sparklier and (obviously) cheaper than emeralds. I am generally an all-about-the-brand-name guy and as people here can attest, I was all about paying triple for a real Daniel K setting instead of having Leon copy it. As it turns out, Leon''s is so much better than the Daniel K would have been and it cost so much less. I can''t recommend tsavorites or leon enough. If your girl want something different and sort of unique, feel free to copy mine wholesale (*irony noted*). If she likes the three stone look (my fiancee was all about the solitaire) than I''m sure Leon could work something out for that too. Just remember that pave around colored stones really make them pop. Feel free to email me at pokeydonut (at) gmail (dot) com if you want to talk about it, or just do what I did and spend three months reading this website for an hour a day.

Oh, and also look at velouriaL''s ring, which I think is probably the most stunning green-stone ring on this website here (also custom-made). The key is to get a setting that makes it still look like an engagement ring as opposed to just a cocktail ring on your left hand.

- Adam

 

[movie zombie]

pokey, where did you get the tsavorite?

movie zombie

 

[Pokey]

Actually, Leon got it for me. I told him I was going with tourmaline and he said I was out of my mind and told me to go with tsavorite instead. I told him to find a tsav I liked more than the tourmaline I had picked out and he did. I don''t know if he could get another one, but he obviously knows a guy somewhere who can hook him up.

 

[movie zombie]

i have yet to see a green garnet that comes close to yours.....or a tourmaline that comes close to velourial''s....and i''ve looked!

movie zombie

 

[LizzieC]

Yay! The "Pokey Special"! Always makes me happy to see that ring. We need even more handshots of that bad boy! Pokey, get to work!

liveswithmom- I think you should find out if it is the green color, or the emerald itself that your GF likes. I''m not sure how you''d do that, but try!

 

[dtnyc]

I am going to agree with others to avoid getting an emerald for everyday wear. My dad gave my mom lovely oval emerald stud earrings- she decided she wanted the 3 stone look for her e-ring and had the oval emeralds placed on the side of her RB diamond solitaire engagement ring. It looked great...
but she wears it everyday and she has destroyed those emeralds- it''s so sad to me. They have visible chunks missing- it''s really a shame.