Voce's Gemstone Ramblings...

[voce]

Pictures from my phone inside car, then office, on a cloudy morning:



The sapphire ring was supposed to be worn on my index finger, but I just love seeing it next to my engagement ring.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Beautiful colors! They look great next to each other, but I like the idea of an index finger ring.

 

[voce]

@Stone Hunter here's how light affects the sapphire and my engagement ruby. They are silky, so they glow intensely when direct sunlight comes in through the window.

Indirect diffused light around noon

Direct sunlight indoors in afternoon

Yes, yes, there's the saying don't buy sapphires in the afternoon, or something similar sounding. However, there's nothing wrong with admiring sapphires we own in the afternoon.

 

[Stone Hunter]

@Stone Hunter here's how light affects the sapphire and my engagement ruby. They are silky, so they glow intensely when direct sunlight comes in through the window.

Indirect diffused light around noon

Direct sunlight indoors in afternoon

Yes, yes, there's the saying don't buy sapphires in the afternoon, or something similar sounding. However, there's nothing wrong with admiring sapphires we own in the afternoon.

Wonderful photos! Thanks for sharing your jewelry box with us.

 

[MissyBeaucoup]

I’m admiring your beautiful collection, @voce! You have wonderful taste in gemstones!

 

[voce]

@Stone Hunter I'm afraid I won't be adding much more jewelry after early 2020, as I'm shifting priorities and getting back into other things. My jewelry box (biggest, purple one) is nearly full with rings, and I need to take the time to enjoy what I have.

@MissyBeaucoup thank you. I'm sure a lot of people here on PS have wonderful taste in gemstones, yourself included, but it's definitely nice to hear a compliment from you all the same.

 

[voce]

What a spoiled girl I am to unwrap three custom rings today, a trio of three stone rings! =P

My favorite is the one from Cecile Raley Designs, because I honestly don't know if I've ever seen such neon and saturated gems before, at least of the Mahenge spinel and tsavorite varieties.

 

[voce]

I'm waiting on my custom rings from Cecile Raley Designs. They were supposed to have arrived Monday, but the mailman keeps bungling, and claims he had no access to the delivery location, when he's going to the wrong gate and not the one that's open at all hours of the day.

However, I now have my own "Big Blue" set in a Diana-esque style Stuller setting (both the stone and the seeing work from Enhoerning Jewelry). I think she looks nice next to my other rings in the box. Low light indoors, night time.

Here's what Big Blue or Big Burma looks like on my hand. Both sapphires I've set are Burmese. The smaller one is exquisite, and the bigger one has inclusions that don't bother me.


Unfortunately, no sun in this part of California this entire week. Natural light from cloudy day.

 

[2Neezers]

Such gorgeous pieces you have added to your collection @voce !

 

[Stone Hunter]

I'm waiting on my custom rings from Cecile Raley Designs. They were supposed to have arrived Monday, but the mailman keeps bungling, and claims he had no access to the delivery location, when he's going to the wrong gate and not the one that's open at all hours of the day.

However, I now have my own "Big Blue" set in a Diana-esque style Stuller setting (both the stone and the seeing work from Enhoerning Jewelry). I think she looks nice next to my other rings in the box. Low light indoors, night time.

Here's what Big Blue or Big Burma looks like on my hand. Both sapphires I've set are Burmese. The smaller one is exquisite, and the bigger one has inclusions that don't bother me.


Unfortunately, no sun in this part of California this entire week. Natural light from cloudy day.

YUMMY color BIG BLUE has!! Will you wear it by itself or with other rings? It looks like it fits more than one of your fingers.

 

[leslie1956]

What a spoiled girl I am to unwrap three custom rings today, a trio of three stone rings! =P

My favorite is the one from Cecile Raley Designs, because I honestly don't know if I've ever seen such neon and saturated gems before, at least of the Mahenge spinel and tsavorite varieties.

What fun, voce, getting three rings in one day! My favorite is also the spinel and tsavorite ring, no surprise

 

[voce]

YUMMY color BIG BLUE has!! Will you wear it by itself or with other rings? It looks like it fits more than one of your fingers.

Yay, I finally got my package today! To answer your question, I show you Big Blue with her daintier but blue cousins.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Yay, I finally got my package today! To answer your question, I show you Big Blue with her daintier but blue cousins.

LOVELY!!!

ETA: What are the blue stones in the ring on the far left and the center ring? You haven't posted details of them in this thread.

 

[voce]

LOVELY!!!

ETA: What are the blue stones in the ring on the far left and the center ring? You haven't posted details of them in this thread.

Center ring: paraiba marquis center stone, ( 8 ) 1.4mm hauyne.
Left ring: oval paraiba 7x4 mm center stone, ( 12 ) 2mm blue sapphires, ( 18 ) 1.5mm orange spinels, ( 6 ) 1.25mm rubies

 

[YC]

How exciting! So many new rings. Love the various colour combination that you used for your rings. The two Paraiba rings and the ethereal silky blue sapphire ring are so gorgeous

 

[Stone Hunter]

Center ring: paraiba marquis center stone, ( 8 ) 1.4mm hauyne.
Left ring: oval paraiba 7x4 mm center stone, ( 12 ) 2mm blue sapphires, ( 18 ) 1.5mm orange spinels, ( 6 ) 1.25mm rubies

THANK you! I really like the color of the hauyne stones and the blue sapphires. They combine so well with the paraiba stones.

 

[voce]

Also thinking about setting the other spinel I got from thegemcollector, shown below...

These were taken at night under LED light, so they're not the glowiest.

Remember this spinel? I went for a custom ring executed with Enhoerning Jewelry, and I love the result. They cleaned the spinel with acetone, and the white wax came out, so that it's a natural on the corner of the table, but it's not noticeable from arm's length, and the color is fantastic and neon. I love my new ring!!!

(Excuse my dry hands in these shots.)


(I couldn't resist wearing it with other reds from my jewelry box!)

 

[voce]

It makes my heart skip a beat to see how lit up this spinel is in very dim light.

 

[Rfisher]

Love love the flower ring, what depth it has!
The spinel color is gorgeous, and paired with the other colors - how lovely!

 

[MissyBeaucoup]

I love the additions to your collection! That spinel flower ring makes me want to break into song!

Such beautiful colors!

 

[2Neezers]

Remember this spinel? I went for a custom ring executed with Enhoerning Jewelry, and I love the result. They cleaned the spinel with acetone, and the white wax came out, so that it's a natural on the corner of the table, but it's not noticeable from arm's length, and the color is fantastic and neon. I love my new ring!!!

(Excuse my dry hands in these shots.)


(I couldn't resist wearing it with other reds from my jewelry box!)

This is so beautiful @voce ! I love the center stone and the color combination with the accent stones. The angles of the halo make it look like a beautiful flower in bloom. It‘s very special and I keep coming back to look at it .

 

[CSpan]

@Rubybrick yes, those are 3mm emerald melees from Yvonne. I also love the mesmerizing pink and green combo! Both when it's pastels and when it's saturated neon like this!

@T L well, at $5.5M, that emerald is going to be in a lot of people's dreams. Here's my picture of that eternity style ring.

@voce what are the side stones on the CRD hexagon ring to the far right?

 

[voce]

@voce what are the side stones on the CRD hexagon ring to the far right?

The one with the purple sapphire center? The side stones are Mahenge spinels from Mahenge, Tanzania.

 

[CSpan]

The one with the purple sapphire center? The side stones are Mahenge spinels from Mahenge, Tanzania.

That is the one. Ah, Mahenge you little vixen.

 

[voce]

I just wanted to share my spinel recut by Dan Stair.

Before: 2.12 ct, 7.24 x 7.44


After: 1.49 ct, 7.00mm


I now have three lavender spinels, and once I build up the funds I'm going to determine how I'm going to set them. It's exciting to think about options. I think I'm going to choose some sort of halo for them, since the two other lavender spinels are weaker in color, and I don't want them to blend into my skin if I don't have "icing" on the edges of the spinels to create a visual separation from my skin.

 

[Niffler75]

@voce beautiful spinel! Trying to think what would work well for a halo. My first thought, neon apatite. The super saturated blue would pull out the blue flashes in the spinel.

 

[leslie1956]

Either green or pink melee might be pretty as a halo for lavender spinel. Since you like to pair red with purple/lavender, possibly even red spinel or rubies. I love lavender spinel, so I can't wait to see what you do with these gems!

 

[voce]

@voce beautiful spinel! Trying to think what would work well for a halo. My first thought, neon apatite. The super saturated blue would pull out the blue flashes in the spinel.

As much as I love a super saturated blue, I do have to give consideration to durability, and the risk of having apatite crack during the setting. I will most likely pair it with some diamonds and/or sapphire and/or spinel, since it's lively enough on its own without a color combination, and with a simple halo.

My frontrunners for this gem are Stuller styles #71858 or #123481. I'm putting off setting this because I may have higher priority projects coming up.

 

[voce]

I think this will probably be my most important project of all 2020. (Mandarin spess garnet plus duck neck emeralds) = Mandarin duck project.

I have the three most important stones. Originally envisioned this as three octagon emerald cuts bezeled with surprise pink sapphires/rubies in the ring gallery, I have to rethink the design because the duck neck emeralds are square and not an octagonal emerald shape like the spess center.

I'd like to add in little bits of more color without having the whole ring look too busy.

 

[Niffler75]

@voce spessartite is my gemstone kryptonite! This has to be one of my most favourite colour combinations, orange and green.