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WWYD with several less than top quality gems?

DecoDaze

Shiny_Rock
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Oct 13, 2010
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My local jeweler just had a fun promotion in which one could go each day for a week, find an Easter egg hidden in the store, and keep whatever gemstone was inside. I got:

Two oval garnets (Malaya? The color I think of as garnet, brownish orangish red) 8x10mm and 9x7 mm. The larger one has a major window.

An oval rhodolite garnet 5x7

An oval blue sapphire 4.5x7 (with some serious color zoning issues--it has a practically colorless area near one end), and

A round blue zircon, about 4mm.

So basically, they are pretty, but nothing spectacular--the rhodolite is probably the nicest--and I'd like to do something fun but inexpensive with them. WWYD with a small collection of free gems?

I've attached photos of the larger garnet, the sapphire, and the zircon. The smaller garnet and the rhodolite are living with the jeweler at the moment.




Check out the window!



The clear area you see on the left is NOT a reflection. That's how it actually looks.



Much sparklier IRL:

easter_combo.jpg

easter_garnet.jpg

easter_sapphire.jpg

easter_zircon.jpg
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Hmmm, do you think they're pretty enough to wear in a piece of jewelry? Do you want to invest in something to set them in?

I give my learning stones to my kids to play with, and they've lost some, but oh well. I really didn't care for them at all. :oops:
 

DecoDaze

Shiny_Rock
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Hmm, that's a good question, TL. The zircon is really pretty, but tiny. I like the rhodolite best, I think, but I need to look at it more closely. But my oldest son would be completely thrilled if I gave him some gems, since he's been asking if he could have one!
 

dk168

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Set them in silver as stacker rings?

DK :))
 

katharath

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TL|1428353790|3857663 said:
Hmmm, do you think they're pretty enough to wear in a piece of jewelry? Do you want to invest in something to set them in?

I give my learning stones to my kids to play with, and they've lost some, but oh well. I really didn't care for them at all. :oops:


That's what I do too - one of my kids really enjoys getting them. I've become really particular about what I set now, and if it's not something I will set, and it's valued at less than $20 - if my son wants it, he gets it :) I really need to set some things though, I tend to procrastinate with that now. I've been upgrading my little collection of loose gems slowly, and now have a few that are definitely worth setting - I need to get on that!
 

minousbijoux

Super_Ideal_Rock
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I'm still back imagining your jeweler's store - what fun!! You are definitely talking about my kind of easter eggs ;))
 

mochiko42

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I've used some of my cheap learner stones as gravel for the fish tank and also for my plant terrarium.... [emoji16] I can still admire the color that way!
 

minousbijoux

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Right. I, like others, tend to give them away. I have learned that if I don't love it, its not worth setting.
 

Acinom

Super_Ideal_Rock
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I second the idea of giving them away. If there are some you really like, it could be nice to set them in silver as a stacker ring.
Nice promotion!
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
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If you don't think you will ever set them (or wear them), might as well give them away. A silver setting might run around $100 and upwards, not to mention at least $50 to set it.
 

DecoDaze

Shiny_Rock
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Oct 13, 2010
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Thanks, all. I found an etsy vendor, Elizabeth Scott, who's willing to set the stones in simple bezeled silver stacking rings for $35-$55, so I think I'm going to do that with a couple of them, and give one or two to my son. Thinking about setting the two garnets in a pendant, but may be more than I'm willing to fork out. Decisions, decisions. :D
 

katharath

Ideal_Rock
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DecoDaze|1428441472|3858157 said:
Thanks, all. I found an etsy vendor, Elizabeth Scott, who's willing to set the stones in simple bezeled silver stacking rings for $35-$55, so I think I'm going to do that with a couple of them, and give one or two to my son. Thinking about setting the two garnets in a pendant, but may be more than I'm willing to fork out. Decisions, decisions. :D

I've owned several pieces by her and I really like her!! She does great work for reasonable pricing and she usually has a fast turn around time. I've only used her for gold bands, so not to set gems, but I've been super happy with her in the past. Let us know how the pieces turn out, I'd love to see.

Eta: it's Elizabeth from etsy store esdesigns, right? If that's who I think it is. Anyway if so, I think you'll be happy with her work.
 

DecoDaze

Shiny_Rock
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Yes, esdesigns. Good to know you've had a good experience with her, katharath! Will post when I get them back.
 

katharath

Ideal_Rock
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Yes, please do - I didn't know she would set customer's gems, but I am happy to hear it! Thanks for posting, it's good to know.
 

DecoDaze

Shiny_Rock
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Oct 13, 2010
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She said the harder stones (sapphire, diamond) are no problem, but she won't assume any liability for softer stones breaking during setting. Since these stones were free and have no sentimental value to me, that's fine by me. ;-)
 

DecoDaze

Shiny_Rock
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I'm updating this thread after MONTHS... because my order from esdesigns just got completed. Sort of. I know some people have had good experiences with her, and I can imagine that happening, but I just didn't. I don't want to get too detailed, but basically there was just delay after delay and I had to keep prompting her to move it along. In the end, I wound up with one lovely silver bezel ring (the rhodolite). The ring is also smaller than I ordered, though I'm going to try to size it myself with a mandrel, unless that's a really terrible idea. The other rings didn't work out. She did refund me for the other two rings--I was trying to get a stacking set with the rhodolite, the sapphire, and the zircon--and the price was more than reasonable for the one ring I got back. So I do like the ring I got back, and I get the feeling that she took a loss on my order, but I didn't get the stacking set I ordered, and the process was incredibly frustrating, mostly because it lasted five months, and our communication was a little odd. She was nice, but unprofessional. Anyway, my 2 cents. (And I couldn't leave a review on etsy because it's been too long!) I'll try to remember to post the rhodolite ring once I've got it sized properly one way or another.
 

katharath

Ideal_Rock
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Wow, that's not good at all :(

I'm so sorry to hear that, and it sounds like you were very patient.

I've purchased from her 3 times; two were easy and quick transactions, but one did drag on a bit. I got what I ordered, but it took longer than I expected - by, I want to say, a few weeks maybe? This was a few years ago, so I don't recall the timeline exactly. And I had the impression from her that she has plenty of work to keep her busy, and maybe communication with customers and promptness aren't her strongest points. But overall I was very happy with two of the transactions, and satisfied with the other.

I'm sorry it wasn't the case for you, I wish you'd had a better experience. I think it's good to give reviews of vendors, and especially since you didn't get to leave an etsy rating - it's important to share your experience, so thank you for posting.

I hope you get your ring sized soon, and hopefully then you can enjoy it!
 

Deathspi

Shiny_Rock
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Sorry to hear about your problems with this Etsy vendor. It's annoying that you cant leave a review since it's been so long. I think you were very patient to wait five months, i think a lot of people would have given up and asked for their stones back. At least you had nothing to loose on that front!
Will you still set the other stones, or will they be fishtank gravel? :cheeky:
Oh, and i've heard that resizing a ring using a mandrel is pretty easy, so hopefully you will have no problems with that. :)
 

Lady_Disdain

Ideal_Rock
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DecoDaze|1442116034|3927074 said:
The ring is also smaller than I ordered, though I'm going to try to size it myself with a mandrel, unless that's a really terrible idea.

Don't! Sizing a ring on a mandrel is easy, as long as there isn't a stone. When the ring is stretched, it will also deform the setting, which can either pop off the stone (not so bad) or put pressure and crack a stone.

Some stone set rings may be able to be stretched (depending on how far and the construction) but, generally speaking, it isn't a good idea.
 

LD

Super_Ideal_Rock
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DecoDaze|1442116034|3927074 said:
I'm updating this thread after MONTHS... because my order from esdesigns just got completed. Sort of. I know some people have had good experiences with her, and I can imagine that happening, but I just didn't. I don't want to get too detailed, but basically there was just delay after delay and I had to keep prompting her to move it along. In the end, I wound up with one lovely silver bezel ring (the rhodolite). The ring is also smaller than I ordered, though I'm going to try to size it myself with a mandrel, unless that's a really terrible idea. The other rings didn't work out. She did refund me for the other two rings--I was trying to get a stacking set with the rhodolite, the sapphire, and the zircon--and the price was more than reasonable for the one ring I got back. So I do like the ring I got back, and I get the feeling that she took a loss on my order, but I didn't get the stacking set I ordered, and the process was incredibly frustrating, mostly because it lasted five months, and our communication was a little odd. She was nice, but unprofessional. Anyway, my 2 cents. (And I couldn't leave a review on etsy because it's been too long!) I'll try to remember to post the rhodolite ring once I've got it sized properly one way or another.


Depending on how many sizes you need to change the ring, this is perfectly possible BUT you must use a nylon or rawhide hammer. Put the ring on the mandrel and then gently tap it downwards, rotating around the ring. Take the ring off (you may need to encourage it with a tap on the underside), the turn it over and put back onto the mandrel and repeat. Please don't use a normal metal hammer or you'll mark the ring badly.

Edit: Hahahaha I see Lady Disdain and I have said completely opposite things to you! Have you got a picture of the ring please? I often change the size of rings I've made using the method above but Lady D is correct to point out that you shouldn't hammer the bezel at all. However, hammering the ring shouldn't affect the bezel. Silver is much softer than gold so it's easier to resize too!
 

jstarfireb

Ideal_Rock
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I know this is too late for you, but if anyone else needs inexpensive stacking bezel rings, Kyle Anne Metals is my go-to girl. I've had her set maybe 5-6 things for me with no major issues. The caveat is that she has sometimes taken a few weeks and I've sometimes had to nag her to get things done, but it was nothing like your experience. For really fast and reliable work that comes with a slightly higher price tag, Jill Anish is my favorite.
 

DecoDaze

Shiny_Rock
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katharath said:
But overall I was very happy with two of the transactions, and satisfied with the other.

I'm sorry it wasn't the case for you, I wish you'd had a better experience. I think it's good to give reviews of vendors, and especially since you didn't get to leave an etsy rating - it's important to share your experience, so thank you for posting.

I'm afraid her experience with me might make her change her policy about accepting customers' stones. She was very concerned about breaking them, although I reassured her over and over that these were free, and it wasn't a big deal if they broke. But yes, I wish I'd had a better experience, too. I won't be using her services again, but I can definitely see that if you order something that uses her stones, there might not be any problem. And I do like the ring I got!

Deathspi said:
Will you still set the other stones, or will they be fishtank gravel? :cheeky:

The sapphire chipped, so it's gone to my son, who is absolutely delighted with it. :D I'm holding on to the zircon for now; who knows, it might prove to be the perfect complement to a pendant or ring in the future. ;-)

Lady_Disdain said:
Don't! Sizing a ring on a mandrel is easy, as long as there isn't a stone. When the ring is stretched, it will also deform the setting, which can either pop off the stone (not so bad) or put pressure and crack a stone.

Some stone set rings may be able to be stretched (depending on how far and the construction) but, generally speaking, it isn't a good idea.

LD said:
Depending on how many sizes you need to change the ring, this is perfectly possible BUT you must use a nylon or rawhide hammer. Put the ring on the mandrel and then gently tap it downwards, rotating around the ring. Take the ring off (you may need to encourage it with a tap on the underside), the turn it over and put back onto the mandrel and repeat. Please don't use a normal metal hammer or you'll mark the ring badly.

Edit: Hahahaha I see Lady Disdain and I have said completely opposite things to you! Have you got a picture of the ring please? I often change the size of rings I've made using the method above but Lady D is correct to point out that you shouldn't hammer the bezel at all. However, hammering the ring shouldn't affect the bezel. Silver is much softer than gold so it's easier to resize too!

LD, this is exactly what I am planning to do. Nylon hammer, very gentle, no touching the bezel. I am worried about what you describe, Lady Disdain, but the reason I'm willing to risk it is because it would cost more than the ring did to get it sized at my jeweler's, and there's no way I'm sending it back to be resized; I need to leave that transaction behind. :lol:

jstarfireb said:
I know this is too late for you, but if anyone else needs inexpensive stacking bezel rings, Kyle Anne Metals is my go-to girl. I've had her set maybe 5-6 things for me with no major issues. The caveat is that she has sometimes taken a few weeks and I've sometimes had to nag her to get things done, but it was nothing like your experience. For really fast and reliable work that comes with a slightly higher price tag, Jill Anish is my favorite.

Thanks for the recs, jstarfireb. Next time... :lol:
 

Lady_Disdain

Ideal_Rock
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Can you post a profile picture?

A tube bezel open on the bottom is more likely to cause trouble than if it is closed or soldered on a closed band. Remember that the metal will stretch first on the weakest point, even if you are hammering on the other side (the mandrel will basically push every contact point out.

Is the band thicker? If you want to enlargen it just a bit, you can always file the inside of the band (to enlargen it half a size, you would have to file it down 0.2mm).
 
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