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blue sapphire plus other loose stones...where to begin?

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enbcfsobe

enbcfsobe

Brilliant_Rock
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Jan 17, 2007
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i''m feeling a little overwhelmed as to what project to start next. i picked up this small blue sapphire trying for a much richer and more saturated color than i usually get (mostly because i''m still hesitant to spend too much on any one thing). i''m very happy with the results, though its not ''top'' it is striking to me. it was very hard to photograph but i did what i could to capture the color. i think this one is yelling to be set first, but with its small size i''m not sure what direction to go in. i was thinking about an logr halo, but not sure if i''d want to do prongs or bezel. or maybe do something along the lines of indylady''s super simple ruby ring. any suggestions? will bezeling it make it go dark??

jlg sm blue 4.JPG
 
sorry for the giant hand pics... that gives you some idea of the scale as it is only 5.5mm. here it is from the bottom.

jlg sm blue 3.JPG
 
for finger size reference (and so you can see every last wrinkle on my stubby hands!!)

jlg sm blue 1.JPG
 
That is a super gorgeous color! I say something like a Meyer bezel with simple millgraning... I think that is an amazing azure sapphire.
 
Great color.
 
there''s also a number of other candidates, some new, some old...i tried to do a collage to save space. clockwise from upper left:
1. 12mm round aqua cab (bought locally -- this was custom cut for a project that got scrapped because my friend didn''t have her baby until april, so now it''s up for whatever i want to do with it!)
2. 9X8 green cushion sapphire (from mastercutgems -- this is so hard to photograph -- it has visible veils that i find fascinating and is really sparkly in person but just dies in front of the camera...thinking about the floral cushion setting from LOGR that arcadian used for a recent project)
3. 13.3X11.9 kunzite oval (from multicolour -- i took it out just to get a few pics, i love the gentle pink color and the flash it gives in low light but have no immediate plans for it)
4. 7X8 orangey-pink spinel pear (from dutton''s diamonds -- thinking about maybe setting this longways across in a bezel, maybe with the OEC in the next pic?)
5. 2.5X3 mm OEC diamond and 3mm precious topaz (leftover from the same aqua project that died)
6. unknown pink tourmaline -- this one came from bob kast but wasn''t the rubellite i ordered. trying to exchange it we''ll see how that goes.
7. 7.2 mm olivey tourmaline (also from bob kast -- this one is impossible to photograph -- it is much brighter and has a good bit of dispersion irl; thinking maybe of using rose gold to bring up the green? i don''t have any rg yet...)
8. 8X11ish oval light green afghan tourmaline (bought from dan stair a few years ago but hasn''t been set -- no idea what to do with this...)

thanks for checking this out -- any ideas would be appreciated!!

gemcollagejlg410.jpg
 
thanks, marcy and treebean! i was quite happy with it, but i wasn't sure what the experts would think. i'm still learning!
34.gif


ETA -- i really like the idea of a meyer bezel, esp. one of the ones with an open gallery. i'm just not sure whether the stone is big enough to carry off a solitare. maybe if it had some of his leafy-looking scroll accents it would work...my right hand fingers range from 6 to 7 in ring size for reference...
 
I really like the color. Very pretty!
 
Set the sapphire. It''s a really pretty stone. I have a sapphire in a James Meyer setting and it measure 6.8 mm. I really wish the stone would have been bigger. I think your stone might get lost.
 
In this size I'd think about a band-type ring, maybe a semi bezel with some diamond melee somewhere on the shank... Possibly YG for the center stone, all else in white.
 
Date: 4/18/2010 10:03:41 PM
Author: enbcfsobe
ETA -- i really like the idea of a meyer bezel, esp. one of the ones with an open gallery. i''m just not sure whether the stone is big enough to carry off a solitare. maybe if it had some of his leafy-looking scroll accents it would work...my right hand fingers range from 6 to 7 in ring size for reference...
Click to expand...

FWIW, I almost never buy larger stones than 5.5mm, and I have a similar ring size. I think it could definitely hold its own as a solitaire. I used this pave setting from LOGR to set a similarly sized stone:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ROUND-5MM-PAVE-DIAMOND-14K-WHITE-GOLD-SEMI-MOUNT-RING_W0QQitemZ390183590742QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDiamond_Solitaire_with_Accents?hash=item5ad8c11b56
 
What is the mm measurement of the blue sapphire? The colour looks like a lovely blue which should do well in a prong style setting. Depending on the size, it might benefit from a halo style or with some simpler accent stones.
 
Catmom -- thanks! you''ve got such an amazing collection :)

Cind11 -- thanks for your thoughts on the james meyer route. having it get a little lost was exactly what i was afraid of.

ma re -- i''ve been torn about whether to use yg in part or in whole to set this one. i''m mostly a white metal person but it seems like the gold might make the blue look even richer (though possibly more violet and less blue since yellow and purple are opposites). i''m not sure what you mean by a band type ring -- are you thinking of something where the stone is set right in the metal (like hammer set or something along those lines?)

jstarfireb -- thanks for your suggestions! that''s the logr setting i was thinking about that i think indylady used for her ruby. do you have a link to your finished ring? i''d love to see it.

chrono -- the stone is 5.5mm. i''ve been thinking halo also, but not sure if it might take away from the stone too much. logr has a few fairly simple round halos with prongs that i was thinking of. my big thing with prongs is not wanting it to sit too high up. with bigger stones i think i''d mind less if it sat high, but with a smaller stone i think it might look weird....
 
I like the halo idea. Leon Mege did a double halo for a 1/2 carat lab created blue diamond and I think it came out great. I think its a strong enough color to stand up to white gold, actually I really like the color!
 
Pretty color! Where did you get it?
 
winternight -- thanks! i hadn''t looked at any double halos...do you have a pic of the leon ring?

innerkitten -- thanks! the stone came from multicolour.com. i haven''t been disappointed with anything i''ve gotten from them -- they are not precision cut but the cuts have been far above my expectations each time.
 
Date: 4/19/2010 1:08:28 PM
Author: enbcfsobe
jstarfireb -- thanks for your suggestions! that''s the logr setting i was thinking about that i think indylady used for her ruby. do you have a link to your finished ring? i''d love to see it.
Click to expand...

I do! Here''s a handshot (since you''re concerned about size).

Resize%20of%202010-02-07%2016.11.52.jpg


I tend to prefer small, dainty pieces. I have super-long fingers, and I think it still looks great. The stone is a 4.5x5.5mm "roval" green Mali garnet, so it''s actually a tad smaller than yours (the setting is for a 5mm round). The stone itself is the first pic on this page; scroll down for a few ring pics. If you browse through the rest of the thread, you''ll see that the rest of my pieces are tiny as well, but I wear those 3-5mm stones as stackers.
 
Date: 4/19/2010 4:11:50 PM
Author: jstarfireb

Date: 4/19/2010 1:08:28 PM
Author: enbcfsobe
jstarfireb -- thanks for your suggestions! that''s the logr setting i was thinking about that i think indylady used for her ruby. do you have a link to your finished ring? i''d love to see it.
Click to expand...

I do! Here''s a handshot (since you''re concerned about size).


I tend to prefer small, dainty pieces. I have super-long fingers, and I think it still looks great. The stone is a 4.5x5.5mm ''roval'' green Mali garnet, so it''s actually a tad smaller than yours (the setting is for a 5mm round). The stone itself is the first pic on this page; scroll down for a few ring pics. If you browse through the rest of the thread, you''ll see that the rest of my pieces are tiny as well, but I wear those 3-5mm stones as stackers.
Click to expand...
thanks for the pic! i love the ring and the handshot is certainly helpful! my hands are small but my fingers are a bit on the stubby side (esp compared to yours!) i tend to keep things on the smallish side so my hands don''t get overwhelmed, though i''m getting more adventurous lately. do you remember where you had it set in philly and were you happy with the job they did?
 
Date: 4/19/2010 5:06:35 PM
Author: enbcfsobe
Date: 4/19/2010 4:11:50 PM

Author: jstarfireb


Date: 4/19/2010 1:08:28 PM

Author: enbcfsobe

jstarfireb -- thanks for your suggestions! that''s the logr setting i was thinking about that i think indylady used for her ruby. do you have a link to your finished ring? i''d love to see it.
Click to expand...


I do! Here''s a handshot (since you''re concerned about size).



I tend to prefer small, dainty pieces. I have super-long fingers, and I think it still looks great. The stone is a 4.5x5.5mm ''roval'' green Mali garnet, so it''s actually a tad smaller than yours (the setting is for a 5mm round). The stone itself is the first pic on this page; scroll down for a few ring pics. If you browse through the rest of the thread, you''ll see that the rest of my pieces are tiny as well, but I wear those 3-5mm stones as stackers.
Click to expand...

thanks for the pic! i love the ring and the handshot is certainly helpful! my hands are small but my fingers are a bit on the stubby side (esp compared to yours!) i tend to keep things on the smallish side so my hands don''t get overwhelmed, though i''m getting more adventurous lately. do you remember where you had it set in philly and were you happy with the job they did?
Click to expand...

Absolutely, it was Jean Manazer on Jeweler''s Row. He used to set stones for Tiffany''s and has been in the business for years. He did a great job and also does custom and repair work. His shop is small and located in the big building that''s right on the corner of 8th and Sansom (3rd floor, I think).
 
awesome -- thank you so much! i have struggled to find a recommendation for someone to do bench work. it looks like the place i used recently to do my pendants is closing (for rent sign in the window) so i was stuck! when i get a setting i will look him up
16.gif
 
trying some graphics experiments...here is one with the simplest logr halo, which is made for a 5.5mm stone. this is using the vendor pic and is pretty rough. not sure if this is where the stone would actually sit...

logrwbluejlg.jpg
 
I really like that sapphire in a halo. You might also consider Sally at Heart of Water for a rope halo that she uses for smaller gems (though hers are in the 4mm range) and CHenry''s gold double bezeled "halo". Also takes care of worrying about a bench man. However, I do like that LOGR halo as well.
 
Your sapphire is very pretty! It looks lovely in a halo setting.
 
Date: 4/19/2010 1:08:28 PM
Author: enbcfsobe
ma re -- i''ve been torn about whether to use yg in part or in whole to set this one. i''m mostly a white metal person but it seems like the gold might make the blue look even richer (though possibly more violet and less blue since yellow and purple are opposites). i''m not sure what you mean by a band type ring -- are you thinking of something where the stone is set right in the metal (like hammer set or something along those lines?)
Click to expand...
Anything that has a stone not larger than the width of the shank. So yes, stones can be hammer set in such rings, but also bar set, semi bezeled etc., or even prong set. Band-type gives the illusion of a band ring, but has a gemstone set in it, and they''re great for smaller stones. But there are many other great options out there.
 
boy that blue sap. is fantastic looking..luv that color
 
Great collection. As for the sapphire I like the halo idea.
 
very pretty colour sapphire!
 
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