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When do you decide to compromise on a stone/ring?

Bex

Bex

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 15, 2013
Messages
134
I eloped, and got married with a family ring I've always worn as a right hand ring. I've been looking for a stone for my "real" wedding/engagement ring for about 8 months, and I'm starting to wonder if I need to relax my parameters a little bit. I've already gone down quite a bit on size (due to budget) but I'm starting to wonder if I'll be able to find the exact color and shape I'm looking for or if I should be more open.

I've hit the decision making point because I'm holding a stone that is SO CLOSE to what I want, but wouldn't work with the setting I want in my head. And I have to decide if it's close enough that I should just go with it, or if I want to keep waiting for the perfect stone.

What I WANT is a very light peach sapphire or spinel, emerald or oval, in a rose gold setting. I've be completely happy with a pink, as long as it had peach secondary, or warm undertones so that it looks good in the rose gold. I'd love to find something under $900-1000 and as close to 8x6 as possible within that budget.

What I HAVE is a GORGEOUS little pink sapphire. Very light (which I like). Perfect emerald cut. A little smaller that my ideal, but I still like it. But it is a cooler pink, with slightly lilac undertones in some light, and just doesn't look good with rose gold.

So..... I could keep the sapphire, and switch to white gold or platinum. I already have a platinum right hand ring, so it wouldn't clash. But I really really love rose gold, and it looks wonderful on me.

OR, I have a little peach pear that I could use in a rose gold setting, but it's quite a bit smaller that I wanted, and I'm not as enamored with the pear shape.

Or I can return them both, and keep on looking.

Any advice? What would you do??
 
If you like the stone you are holding, why not set it in a white gold/platinum head and a rose gold shank?
 
Here are some TERRIBLE photos... I can't get a decent one of either stone. Both are brighter in real life. The pear has MUCH less yellow, and the sapphire is more of a pale pink.

1-20140516_105132.jpg

This fuzzy photo is a bit closer to the actual color, but still not right.

1-20140516_104611.jpg

And, just for fun, here's the ring I'm wearing now, that will eventually move back over to my right hand....eventually.

p1000425.jpg
 
I honestly don't know if I would keep looking or not, but I did want to add two other stones to see what you thought of them (both from JuliaB on Etsy) (sorry, I'm not quite sure how to add the pictures/links so they look good...)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/167281879/precision-cut-ceylon-peachy-pink-spinel?ref=shop_home_active_9&ga_search_query=spinel and https://www.etsy.com/listing/180938931/175-carat-precision-cut-peachy-pink?ref=shop_home_active_14&ga_search_query=spinel

Each stone is $395, which leaves some money for a pretty setting.

ETA: She also has this more pinkish sapphire ring; it might have a small window (not sure how you feel about windows...) but it sounds like the size/color might be what you're looking for.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/161662102/peachy-pink-sapphire-in-rose-gold?ref=shop_home_active_14

peachypink1.jpg

peachypink2.jpg

_18263.jpg
 
The colour of the stone you have right now is on the cool spectrum, hence the reason why it doesn't go well with a warm rose gold. You can either set it in a white metal basket with rose gold shank or keep looking for an orangish pink stone.
 
If it were me, I'd keep looking. If I set something that felt like I'd settled for, it would bother me every time I looked at it. I'd want to be in love with an e-ring. It worth the wait -- I looked for several years for a sea-foam tourmaline, bought a few but they didn't grab my heart. Finally, finally found my dream stone -- and it was affordable & though I haven't yet set it, looking at it naked (the stone, not me :shock: ) thrills me every day.

Keep the faith if these don't make you feel happy looking at them. Yours is out there!

--- Laurie
 
Definitely keep looking! This clearly is not what you really want!
 
I hadn't considered a white gold basket with a rose gold shank. I was planning on a halo setting- would that look odd in rose gold with a white gold basket? I'd be concerned that it the warm rose gold and cool sapphire would still clash.

I have a tough time "reading" Julia B's photos... a lot of the ones she describes as peachy pink look to me like they have a little lilac/purple in them, which I'm trying to avoid. But it might be worth seeing a couple in hand.

The Pristine Gemstones one might actually be perfect! I've actually been checking his website every few days, but most of the ones that are the right color have cut issues like windows or bow-ties, or are beryllium treated. This one looks great. Should I be worried about the color zoning? I emailed him about it either way.

Thanks for the replies so far! These two I have in hand were the closest I'd come in months, and I was starting to get really discouraged. But I'm leaning towards continuing the search until I find just the right one... if it's out there, it would be worth the wait
 
I'd keep looking. Those here could help you find a peachy stone. Don't compromise!
 
I just wanted to chime in with a comment re: Rogerio of Pristine Gemstones. I am actually buying an asscher cut sapphire from him, and emailed him this morning on it. We exchanged a couple messages back and forth, and he sent me a few videos of stones that fit my budget and size requirements. When I was confused on a couple measurements, he took the time - on a Sunday - to talk by phone with me, then sent another video to help me decide between the options. I only share this because - aside from his beautiful selection of gemstones - I feel like he really went above and beyond to help me decide on the perfect stone for me, which was actually lower in price than my first two choices. It was evident that he was more concerned with the customer's needs than selling me the most expensive stone. And for me - being a relative newbie to the colored gemstone world - that meant a LOT to me as a customer. I wouldn't hesitate to reach out to him with your wishes & budget if you're pondering one of his items! I have not had as good an experience with other recommended gem cutters/sellers.

Good luck with your project! :)
 
I would follow up on JuliaB's stones too; the description says peachy pink, which to me is a warm pink but the pictures look like a cool pink to me. Perhaps the bits of reflected blue/lavender colours are throwing me off.
 
Thanks again everyone!

Julia B is sending me some more photos and hopefully videos of the ones she has... from her descriptions, they sound promising.

The Pristine Jewelry stone requires getting a custom setting from them as well. I'm fine with that, but I wouldn't be able to actually see the stone before it's set (I asked if I could and he declined) and all custom orders are final. That part makes me really nervous, as I'm not really comfortable with that big of a gamble.

I have decided to send back the stones I do have in hand. Even though they are beautiful, especially the amazing cut on the emerald cut, they just aren't exactly what I want and I don't have the funds to keep everything I see :)
 
answer to question: when you are settling for less because you want to settle for less because you want it Now and aren't willing to look anymore. however, settling for less means you'll continue looking so it isn't a good idea. however, being realistic about your budget v. what that budget will buy is another story. realize that champagne taste and a beer budget means compromises that only you can decide. we all do it....

my lesson in life involves "settling for less"..........
 
With colored stones, it depends. Sometimes you find the perfect color, but the shape, carat weight, clarity, or something is not perfect. With colored stones, it's not like white diamonds, where you can just order the perfect size, color, clarity, shape, etc. . .

Now, for me, if the CS is rare enough, I will compromise, or if its just a color you cannot find no matter how hard you try. If its rather a common color/gemstone, then I will keep searching.

Good luck.
 
Bex said:
Thanks again everyone!

Julia B is sending me some more photos and hopefully videos of the ones she has... from her descriptions, they sound promising.

The Pristine Jewelry stone requires getting a custom setting from them as well. I'm fine with that, but I wouldn't be able to actually see the stone before it's set (I asked if I could and he declined) and all custom orders are final. That part makes me really nervous, as I'm not really comfortable with that big of a gamble.

I have decided to send back the stones I do have in hand. Even though they are beautiful, especially the amazing cut on the emerald cut, they just aren't exactly what I want and I don't have the funds to keep everything I see :)
Click to expand...

Hi Bex, this is Andrea from Pristine Gemstone Jewelry (also Pristine Jewelry and Pristine Gemstones shops on Etsy). I realize a long time has passed since you posted this, and I am only writing to clarify some things for future readers (in the meantime, I hope you are very happy with the engagement ring and sapphire that you had decided upon).

Customers can absolutely purchase loose gemstones from us without purchasing mounts from us. In fact, that is how our business began and it continues to be about 50% of our business today.

I think there may have been confusion in that we will only make mounts for our own stones and not for other stones (so we only build mounts for customers who are buying stones with us) for a multitude of reasons; one being the time factor. Custom orders are very involved and time consuming, and we don't want to spread ourselves too thin, otherwise customer service will suffer. We are just a husband and wife team with some contract help doing CAD, casting and stone setting, so our time is limited.

Also, customers can order and view stones in person prior to making a mount with us if they wish. However, as you stated, custom orders are indeed non refundable (which is standard practice in the industry as jewelers are committing time and one-of-a-kind resources based on a customer's request). That being said, if we didn't deliver what we had promised, then of course, we would provide a refund or find a solution to get our customer what we had promised.

We do our best to treat our customers fairly

Thank you.
Andrea
 
Hi Andrea,

At the time I posted this, you had told me that certain sapphires could only be purchased by customers making custom jewelry.

"due to the demand and limited supply of the color, carat, cut, and clarity of this type sapphire, it is reserved for customers wanting to create a completed ring with us."

Has this changed?
 
Bex said:
Hi Andrea,

At the time I posted this, you had told me that certain sapphires could only be purchased by customers making custom jewelry.

"due to the demand and limited supply of the color, carat, cut, and clarity of this type sapphire, it is reserved for customers wanting to create a completed ring with us."

Has this changed?
Click to expand...

Hi Bex,

Thank you for your quick response.

Ahhhh, yes, at one time, that did apply to some of our lightly colored pink and peach sapphires. We had such a high demand and limited supply that we had to reserve those for our finished jewelry customers, as otherwise, it was unfair to them. Since then we have found a couple of miners in Sri Lanka who have been helping us to keep ahead of the demand. Part of the problem was that until a few years ago, those light shades of pink/peach weren't even making it to market, as they were often treated to have more saturation. Since then, miners seem to have caught on to the demand.

Thank you, and I hope you did find what you were looking for!

Andrea
 
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