White Opal With Tsavorites

[mhovingh]

Good morning PS''ers! I am back looking for some more of your wisdom-filled input. This was my first time photographing an opal. I tried to get good shots from different angles to capture all the colors in the stone. Hoping for a little input on my photography. What interests me more though is your comments/opinions on the piece as a whole, especially on the choice of side stones. Thank you ahead of time for letting me know what you think.

The main stone is an Australian White Opal
The metal is 14k White Gold
The larger side stones running down the middle are Tsavorites
The smaller side stones on the edges are Green Diamonds (I do not know if these are natural or not, sorry

)

 

[mhovingh]

Angled closer view that I hope you find gives a decent view of the side stones.

 

[chrono]

I have no idea if it is your lack of photography skills or the stones themselves. Based on what I see on my monitor alone, the opal looks very opaque without much play of colours. The tsavorites look very desaturated (gray) and the green diamonds are opaque, olive and dark. I do know that opals can be very difficult to photograph though.

 

[Rockit]

I''m sorry, can you be more specific regarding the type of feedback you are looking for? Is this your piece? A piece you are thinking about purchasing? Are your concerns about the stones themselves, the setting...?

If the smallest green stones are diamonds, I''d say they are treated. They''d look similar to demantoid garnets... are you sure these are not demantoid? THe small gems are difficult to see in the photos because they kind of disappear behind all the WG surrounding them.

Tsavorite and other greens are always a lovely match for opal. One thing: when shopping for tsavorite, I''d be cautious... by definition, in order for tsavorite to be "tsavorite" and not just "green grossular garnet" there must be a certain hue and intensity of green. In these photos, these light bluish green gems come close to the defining color line. However, it may be these pretty garnets appear differently IRL.

Love the colors. Good job capturing the opal!

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I don''t care for the ring. It looks dirty to me. The opal doesn''t look very nice and I can''t even see two greens.

I''m wondering if you are a seller of sorts and come on here first to get opinions on these rings. I don''t object, I just think its more honest if you say that. If these are your rings you should know whether or not you like them.

Thanks,
Annette

 

[karpouzi]

I do not care for the stones or the design, and the prong work looks quite sloppy.

 

[T L]

I''m sorry, but I can''t think of anything good to say about that ring. So much for constructive criticism.

 

[jstarfireb]

Not to gang up on you, but I share Chrono''s sentiments on the stone quality. I think the combination of opal and tsav had good potential, but I would have set the opal north/south and done away with the green diamonds. Having the tsavs surrounded by green diamonds makes the look a bit too busy, especially since the green diamonds seem to be a not-too-desirable olive color.

 

[ma re]

As already said the colors of stones don''t seem to meet the market''s definition of good color for their respective species. Prongs holding the diamonds are way too big and obscure the view of those stones (reducing visible brilliance). It''s a strange choice of stones to combine in one piece, especially one with a pretty much mainstream design. If it were a more, designer-like piece, with some distinctive inspiration and influences behind it, it might have worked out better. But even then, it would need to have much better precision of manufacture, especially regarding stone-setting, in order to sell more easily (since you''re starting out a business, right?). The first thing I would change here is switch to yellow gold and probably have the green stones in square shapes and set in channels along the shank. I''d probably keep some white gold around the opal and maybe as some details elsewhere, just to keep the look more clean and contemporary.

 

[lavatea]

I''ve read a few of these other threads but have missed somewhere how you are able to take pictures of these pieces and/or what your purpose for doing so is. I don''t really care what your purpose is, though, I see no reason to get nasty with you, and I''m a little confused with some of the other posters'' comments (not regarding the ring - I totally get and appreciate constructive criticism - it''s the other comments that have me baffled).

I like the premise of the ring, although it does appear a bit dull, as some previous posters have pointed out.

 

[Kismet]

I like the idea of the ring but the execution is a bit bulky, especially the prongs on the green diamonds. I think videos are a lot better for capturing an opal''s look than still photos.

 

[Rockit]

OK, I think that I get it now. I''ve been away for awhile and have not seen any other threads like this. If you are looking for feedback regarding SELLING this piece, then I will tell you quite openly that it does not appeal to me. I''m sorry. My most basic criticism is that the piece seems more about patterns of metal prongs than it is about the stones. TOO MUCH METAL. Also, I repeat my caution regarding terminology: the larger green gems appear to be green grossular garnet, not tsavorite. I don''t have much to say about hte stone either way... can''t really see or judge them.

 

[BWise]

Date: 5/25/2010 8:04:26 AM
Author: Rockit
I''m sorry, can you be more specific regarding the type of feedback you are looking for? Is this your piece? A piece you are thinking about purchasing? Are your concerns about the stones themselves, the setting...?

If the smallest green stones are diamonds, I''d say they are treated. They''d look similar to demantoid garnets... are you sure these are not demantoid? THe small gems are difficult to see in the photos because they kind of disappear behind all the WG surrounding them.

Tsavorite and other greens are always a lovely match for opal. One thing: when shopping for tsavorite, I''d be cautious... by definition, in order for tsavorite to be ''tsavorite'' and not just ''green grossular garnet'' there must be a certain hue and intensity of green. In these photos, these light bluish green gems come close to the defining color line. However, it may be these pretty garnets appear differently IRL.

Love the colors. Good job capturing the opal!

Hi there, I have seen many of your posts that are all similar to this one. You were asking for general comments about the piece and your photography, but didn''t provide what was your objective.

The posters on this board are very knowdgeable and always eager to help, because we all share the passion for color stones. However, you invite comments without providing your objective, ie., considering for purchase / already bought / selling the piece. Then it becomes very hard for us to be really helpful except commenting on the piece. You always ask for input on photography, I believe you have received some very helpful hints on photography set up and techniques in one of your recent topics.

I hope you are not a seller. Isn''t there a PS policy prohitiing advertising like this? I don''t mean to judge you based on assumption, but if you don''t make your objective clear, a lot of us will guess you to be a seller of some sort.

Lastly, my personal opinion on the item. The ring is not attractive and has too many elements that do not blend well together (the stones and metal). The photo is plan, and does not help to make the ring attractive, but it is not horrible either.

 

[chrono]

Yingh,
You make an excellent point. I recall from one of his old threads that he is new into the buying/reselling business and is posting pictures here to get a feel of how well a particular piece of jewellery will sell. I could be mistaken though. If Mhovingh is indeed a vendor, even if he isn’t selling/advertising on PS, posts like this can easily be misconstrued as such, which is against the PS forum rules.

 

[BWise]

For whoever cares to know, I digged a little and found this self-introduction on Who''s Who

Now I know better what''s your objective.

mhovingh, welcome to the community and good luck in entering a new business. Going forward, please be more objective on your posts if possible. We would be happy to help. Honest opinion is not in shortage here.

 

[mhovingh]

Chrono - My photography skills have been improving but they are still lacking, specifically in getting a stone to show excellent color (not just opals, you can see some of my other threads with gems that I just do not get good color out of - the tsavorite ring I posted earlier comes to mind as being a glaring example). I am working on that though and got some great tips in another one of my threads, both regarding ISO setting and lighting. Regarding this stone, it does show more color in person but it doesn''t have the higher saturation of color that I have seen in pictures of some other opals. Regarding gray tsavorites, I was told that my ISO setting and lack of proper lighting may be causing some of that. In person the tsavs look nice to me, but I am still new to this so I don''t think I am a good judge of that yet. The green diamonds in person do look dark to me. I am wondering if some of that is because they are next to the bigger and brighter tsavs. When I was viewing this piece, I thought that the diamonds would do better if they were just normal diamonds instead of the green ones, that they were just overpowered too much by the tsavs.

Rockit - I look for any feedback I can get, on the whole piece or any part, from any viewpoint. I am learning about jewelry, the jewelry business, and starting with "next to no knowledge" of either. Regarding whether or not the green diamonds and tsavs are in fact those stone types, I take the word of the gemologist that told me they were; I don''t have the knowledge/skills to determine that for myself yet. As far as treatment goes, I don''t have an answer on that but will try to remember and find out. Thank you for the input from a buyer''s viewpoint in your second post. To be clear though, I appreciate it all whether viewed as if buying, from a technical/grading viewpoint, or just as a lover of jewelry.

smitcompton - What did you mean when you said "I can''t even see two greens"? I just started learning about opals and would appreciate an explanation of what you meant so I know what to look for myself. Regarding my position in relation to this piece, it is owned by a local jewelry shop. I am planning to work with that shop and a few others in my area that don''t have much experience in selling online, helping them in that area, but I want to learn about jewelry and the jewelry business so I can do things right. I have experience with online business but not with jewelry or the jewelry business specifically. My purpose in making posts like the ones I have is to learn about the jewelry, not to try and sell items to the PS community. I have read alot about jewelry and seen plenty of pictures of pieces from others but, while I have learned alot and continue to learn from viewing the information available on the Internet and in books, I personally find it of great benefit to be able to learn through input received on pieces that I have access to view in person. I won''t lie and say I don''t get insight relating to doing future business online with jewelry from my posts on PS and the replies I receive, but that is just an added bonus and not the core benefit for me. I have started to enjoy jewelry and actually purchased my first piece recently (just a simple lemon quartz necklace, keeping it small and simple until I become more educated) and I have PS to thank for this new-found enjoyment which may one day turn into a love (or obsession depending on who looks at it

). I also just like the idea of sharing pictures, hoping that someone likes seeing them and maybe gets an inspiration from a piece.

tourmaline_lover - No worries about the lack of constructive criticism TL, I will take what I can get. You have been more than generous with your posts on some of the other pieces I have posted.

jstarfireb - I think the N/S idea for the opal is interesting. Do you think having normal diamonds in place of the greens would work or would that still be "too busy" for your tastes?

ma re - Thank you for the comments, especially the input on what would make the piece easier to sell. I personally think I will focus more on loose stones when the time comes that I start selling online, if for no other reason than being able to keep it simpler starting out, but I still like getting input on pieces as a whole so I have a better idea what to look at later on down the line. Regarding your square shaped stones in channels idea, are you commenting with idea of having green diamonds still in the piece or just the tsavs by themselves with an opal?

lavatea - Regarding my ability to take the pictures of the pieces I have is made possible by the owner of a local jewelry shop, who is a family friend, being kind enough to let me do so. She has quite a large assortment of different pieces and gems, along with alot of knowledge of jewelry and gems, so it has been a great opportunity to view her pieces and stones in person. Getting comments on pieces that I can go back and view in person to look for the things that PS members have shared about the pieces is something that I feel has been really helpful to me. I have always been much better with hands on learning that I have with just book learning.

Kismet - Thank you for the video idea. I didn''t even think about that but my camera does have that capability so I think I will give it a try.

 

[mhovingh]

I hadn''t seen the posts after the last one made by Rockit so I didn''t address those posts directly but I believe the post I just made should cover what was being discussed in those after Rockit''s last. I hope I made everything is clear about my intentions here and that I am not rubbing anyone the wrong way by asking for opinions on pieces that are not personally mine. Let me know if there are any more concerns or if I forgot to address something that was brought up.

 

[Barrett]

you need to get more light on your stones in the pics..almost all show no brillance or scintillation..try the ole light reflectors thingy I posted on the other thread..put a good light behind it then bounce it onto the front of the stones..I know some of these must have twinkle but the photos never show it

 

[mhovingh]

Date: 5/26/2010 2:32:10 PM
Author: amethystguy
you need to get more light on your stones in the pics..almost all show no brillance or scintillation..try the ole light reflectors thingy I posted on the other thread..put a good light behind it then bounce it onto the front of the stones..I know some of these must have twinkle but the photos never show it

Thank you amethystguy for the advice. I did read your posts in the other thread and really appreciate the detailed description you gave of your setup and how you use it. An extra big thanks for the pictures you posted of how you set it up!

I already bought most of what you had listed for your light box and just have one more thing to pick up to complete it, hopefully when I head into town tomorrow. After that I will work on getting different lights if my current filtered incandescents don''t work out well enough.

 

[chrono]

On more thing to keep in mind; a piece of jewelry or gemstone may not be the finest but if priced right, it will still have a buyer. Not everyone is able to purchase top quality of everything, no matter how we wish it. Unfortunately, our budget dictates what each of us can afford. Therefore, if a stone or ring/necklace/pendant/earrings is priced appropriately, I don’t see an issue with that.

 

[Barrett]

def. drop the incadescents..worst light you can use to photo a stone in mu opinion..well unless you are shooting a red imperial or maybe if you are LD showing color change alex but other than that no way..I started with the solux like Finewater uses and if you notice at gem shows you will see the solux lights all over the place highlighting gems, minerals, crystals..after I got one i couldn't believe how many I noticed around
http://www.solux.net/
Now when i first got that it was like night and day..so much better..but let me add..after shooting tons and tons of stones..not nearly as many gems as crystalds and rough I noticed I liked the ott fluorescent lights better for photoing gems, crystals, and minerals..now it does put off a little more blue but it's not to bad..even the yellows and reds are not that bad but the solux looks bad with the blues and greens to me so I pretty much use the Ott's all the time now..all the colors are fairly close every so often i will mix the two and i still use the solux on yellow minerals and crystals and some reds
http://www.ottlite.com/ you can buy Ott lights at like Jo Anns and some of those craft stores
Here this I have referred back to a few times..especially here lately since I have been messing with opals more..has a spectrum and some decent info
http://www.opulentopals.co.uk/articles.htm

 

[jstarfireb]

Date: 5/26/2010 2:22:58 PM
Author: mhovingh
jstarfireb - I think the N/S idea for the opal is interesting. Do you think having normal diamonds in place of the greens would work or would that still be ''too busy'' for your tastes?

Yes, I think there would still be too much going on and too much space taken up. I thought about it more, and something I really don''t like about it is the pointiness of the prongs on the green diamonds - it looks like they''re little pointy teeth or spikes sticking out and could hurt someone! Perhaps if the diamonds were set in another way that didn''t make them look so triangular, I might like the look a little more, but I still think I''d prefer it without them. In general I have pretty simple tastes...I''d love to see it with just the opal and tsavorites, either prong-set or channel-set

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I''m really glad you cleared up my comments about being a buyer/reseller. I didn''t think you were trying to sell on here but wanted you to be upfront about what it is you were doing.. It looks as if I missed the part where you were up front. Now that I understand I think it might be fun to see and critique items you are looking at. Since you don''t own them you won''t feel insulted by the comments.

I went back and looked at the ring again. On my monitor the only green that shows up is the middle color. The smaller stones on the outside look black and aren''t defined well.

I think Chronos comment about pricing items is very important. I''m going to go out on a limb here and say 90% of people would never spend the money for jewels and jewelry that you see on this forum. If you price the item well, for what it is, you may find a buyer even if the items is not near top grade. Just look at the TVchannels. I am amazed at what people will spend money on. My old boss used to say. You only need one buyer to come along. The shopping channels get plenty with not such nice merchandise.

Be a careful buyer. I, along with others made mistakes early on in buying. Its better now although I still make mistakes.
Good Luck to you.

Thanks,
Annette