Wedding ring upgrade with violet spinel

[mariedtiger]

First I want to apologize for starting so many new topics, I hope I''m not clogging the board, but I wanted this one to have its own topic, since it''s going to be a process of its own. And I feel so happy I just wanted to share my great experience with you all!!! It just so happened that my dream of upgrading my pink sapphire wedding ring ( pictures here : https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-collection.103575/ ) with a violet spinel from Gemrite just took a leap forward today.

After calling several jewelers in the area, I stopped by in a place unfamiliar to me. I am so impressed. Although I have had rings custom made, I haven''t found anyone I feel really comfortable with on all levels, and I admit, I am a perfectionist. But this new place I went to happens to have a master goldsmith with thirty year''s experience, which showed. He looked at my old ring and drew up a quick scetch of a ring with a half bezel around the violet spinel, and half bezels around the 0,15 round diamonds on each side. He also put my 0.01 pink diamonds into the design as suprise diamonds. I loved the design, it looked like many that I''ve seen here on Pricescope with the added touch of the suprise diamond. And I so appreciate the firm estimate, which I told him.

What really impressed me was that he accepted that I as a consumer and gemstone amateur can have a lot of knowledge and he was so nice. I sat there chatting with him one hour while we looked at the drawing, discussed the stones, he even ran from room to room in order to see the color change of the spinel

Now he''ll make a detailed drawing, and a firm estimate of the price (and believe me, a firm estimate has been such a problem until now in my projects). The visit was so nice, he was knowledgeable about gemstones, materials, designs, the process and customer service. So refreshing. I''ll post the drawing here, if I get permission. But I promise lots of pics with the ring!

I so hope this project would met my excpectations and I could find one place to bring all my projects. It would make things easier and more fun.


I seem to have such emotion behind every project. This one makes me so happy because the spinel is my hubby''s favorite stone in my collection - actually the only one he''s ever commented on. I love the spinel because for me it symbolizes how many facets and "hues of blue" there are in the wonderful person I''m married to. AND I adore the sparkle. I can''t wait!!!

Thanks for reading my rant

 

[coatimundi_org]

What rant??

You are happy and want to share! I''m excited to see your finished ring--sounds lovely, and sounds like you have a great jeweler!

 

[Fly Girl]

Aren''t great designers/jewelers wonderful? I love that you can bring in your stones, and they come up with something amazing. It''s a skill I don''t have, but I greatly admire it.

Thanks for your story, and looking forward to seeing the results of your project.

 

[Harriet]

No need to apologise. Glad you found a good person with whom to work.

 

[mariedtiger]

Thanks Coati! I am really excited, and I''m so glad to have Pricescopers to share this with. My husband thinks I''m cute and funny with this hobby, but just shakes his head when I tell him.

Fly Girl, I love it. To see the drawings and the end product about something that was just a vague idea is such magic.

Harriet, thanks for saying that. I''m new to the board, so I''m still learning. I hope my first impression with the jeweler will turn out to be correct. But I do tend to have good intuition, as long as I don''t let my excitement about a project overwhelm my more critical side. So I''m hopeful.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 1/3/2009 4:03:06 PM
Author: mariedtiger
Thanks Coati! I am really excited, and I''m so glad to have Pricescopers to share this with. My husband thinks I''m cute and funny with this hobby, but just shakes his head when I tell him.

Fly Girl, I love it. To see the drawings and the end product about something that was just a vague idea is such magic.

Harriet, thanks for saying that. I''m new to the board, so I''m still learning. I hope my first impression with the jeweler will turn out to be correct. But I do tend to have good intuition, as long as I don''t let my excitement about a project overwhelm my more critical side. So I''m hopeful.

For now.

Mine tunes out when I talk about it.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 1/3/2009 4:30:42 PM
Author: Harriet

Date: 1/3/2009 4:03:06 PM

Author: mariedtiger

Thanks Coati! I am really excited, and I''m so glad to have Pricescopers to share this with. My husband thinks I''m cute and funny with this hobby, but just shakes his head when I tell him.



Fly Girl, I love it. To see the drawings and the end product about something that was just a vague idea is such magic.


Harriet, thanks for saying that. I''m new to the board, so I''m still learning. I hope my first impression with the jeweler will turn out to be correct. But I do tend to have good intuition, as long as I don''t let my excitement about a project overwhelm my more critical side. So I''m hopeful.

For now.

Mine tunes out when I talk about it.

Mine tries to tune out, but I force him to play along and draw ring sketches (he''s an artist) for me--haha!

You''ll be surprised at how much he''ll learn from the sidelines. The other day hubby was trying to talk me out of a certain stone, "I''d say 40% extinction, but at least the windowing is minimal," he said.

I was very proud. He also knows how to use my refractometer!

I really cannot wait to see your ring!

 

[Harriet]

Coats,
I think your hubby should train mine.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 1/3/2009 5:06:15 PM
Author: Harriet
Coats,

I think your hubby should train mine.

 

[geckodani]

Date: 1/3/2009 5:09:00 PM
Author: coatimundi

Date: 1/3/2009 5:06:15 PM
Author: Harriet
Coats,

I think your hubby should train mine.

LMAO

mariedtiger - I can''t wait to see your ring and am so happy that you''ve been able to find someone you are comfortable with!

 

[mariedtiger]

Harriet and Coatimundi, we''ll see which way this will go with hubby. I love Coatimundi''s training

seems to be a success! Mine got really enthused about photographing and started studying it meticulously. I slyly suggested he''d try to photograph an aqua. After two hours of photos, muttering and different sounds of frustration he returned with the aqua and reported that he would have to start studying photographing gemstones as it was really difficult.

I graciously offered that he could borrow my gems for his learning project, if I could post some pics here

I had fun today trying to draw a picture of the design he came up with yesterday, but no luck. I''ll just have to wait.

Thanks Geckodani, I''m so excited about this project, I keep visualizing myself in a café, dreamily looking at my ring. Always makes me feel good. I''m just a bit horrified at myself, but in a good way I guess. I have three big ring projects scheduled for this spring that Im really looking forward to and that will propably be successful, as well. That''s how many rings most of my friends have gotten in all of their life.

Most of my friends just gawk when I say my hobby is gemstones and jewelry. Hmmm. God bless Pricescope

 

[Harriet]

Have you ever referred to your "dealer" in public? I stopped after I realised how that may be construed.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 1/4/2009 11:53:40 AM
Author: Harriet
Have you ever referred to your ''dealer'' in public? I stopped after I realised how that may be construed.

Colored Stoner!

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 1/4/2009 11:37:11 AM
Author: mariedtiger
Harriet and Coatimundi, we''ll see which way this will go with hubby. I love Coatimundi''s training

seems to be a success! Mine got really enthused about photographing and started studying it meticulously. I slyly suggested he''d try to photograph an aqua. After two hours of photos, muttering and different sounds of frustration he returned with the aqua and reported that he would have to start studying photographing gemstones as it was really difficult.


I graciously offered that he could borrow my gems for his learning project, if I could post some pics here

I had fun today trying to draw a picture of the design he came up with yesterday, but no luck. I''ll just have to wait.

Thanks Geckodani, I''m so excited about this project, I keep visualizing myself in a café, dreamily looking at my ring. Always makes me feel good. I''m just a bit horrified at myself, but in a good way I guess. I have three big ring projects scheduled for this spring that Im really looking forward to and that will propably be successful, as well. That''s how many rings most of my friends have gotten in all of their life.


Most of my friends just gawk when I say my hobby is gemstones and jewelry. Hmmm. God bless Pricescope

haha! My friends are interested for about 2 seconds, and in that 2 secs, they only want to know about diamonds!

Once your man starts studying gems for photography--he''ll be hooked! (and might need his own dealer--eh, Harriet?)

 

[mariedtiger]

No I haven''t Harriet, here I am trying to get my baby to sleep by rocking her, and all of a sudden I''m laughing out loud. That just cracked me up! I''ve seen you refer to your "dealer" many times, but never thought about it like that

 

[Harriet]

mariedtiger,
Oops. I woke the babe up, didn't I?

Coats,
I'm going to call you "Stoner" from now on. The hubs has become interested in fossils (let's see if the interest lasts). The best part? My dealer is a fossil collector himself. So, I've put them in touch. Heh heh.

 

[mariedtiger]

Coati, when I started this insanity for real, I actually spent a delightful hour with one childhood friend. We lay on my bed cover like fourteen year olds trading secrets and ogled my new gems. But she is the only one. And I enable her in other shopping matters so we''re partners in crime, I guess.

 

[mariedtiger]

Harriet: definitely worth it!

 

[Harriet]

I wish I had a gem buddy here. I sometimes hang out with one of my [cough] dealers, but he won''t talk about gems. Bugger.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 1/4/2009 1:01:11 PM
Author: Harriet
mariedtiger,

Oops. I woke the babe up, didn''t I?


Coats,

I''m going to call you ''Stoner'' from now on. The hubs has become interested in fossils (let''s see if the interest lasts). The best part? My dealer is a fossil collector himself. So, I''ve put them in touch. Heh heh.

H,
Go right ahead...

 

[Harriet]

Stoner!

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 1/4/2009 1:02:54 PM
Author: mariedtiger
Coati, when I started this insanity for real, I actually spent a delightful hour with one childhood friend. We lay on my bed cover like fourteen year olds trading secrets and ogled my new gems. But she is the only one. And I enable her in other shopping matters so we''re partners in crime, I guess.

Oh you''re so lucky!! Even my classmates in gemology school lacked my interest--crazy, I know. That''s why I stick around this place.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 1/4/2009 1:15:42 PM
Author: Harriet

I wish I had a gem buddy here. I sometimes hang out with one of my [cough] dealers, but he won't talk about gems. Bugger.

Move over here!

From,
Stoner

 

[Harriet]

I''m packing now.

Fellow Stoner

 

[coatimundi_org]

Bring some cake, will ya?


Regards,
Stoner

 

[packrat]

Hahaha this thread makes me giggle.

 

[Harriet]

Stoner,

There are only two slices left.

Stoner.

 

[coatimundi_org]

I''ll see your stoner and raise you a stoner.

Later

 

[Harriet]

 

[packrat]

Wait, there''s cake?