Bought my first CS! - BB Tanga Garnet

[ladyciel]

Sitting with just the white gold.

 

[ladyciel]

Ok, last one...

Looking moody in the tweezers.

 

[ladyciel]

platinumrock - Thank you! Yes, definitely keeping her.

StoneGrl - Thank you!! Hehe, yeah, these little blue fowers grow like weeds in our yard. They're EVERYWHERE, so it's easy to pluck a couple for pics. As for loosies... I wanted to be able to set my first stone right away. It's just how I am. In the future I'm sure I'll be ok with a couple loose sitting around....

vc10um - You have a deal.

So, like I said above, I really want to set this garnet in a RHR. My fingers are small (size 5), so I tend to prefer dainty bands/settings on my hands. Ideally I'd like something flexible - that I can wear with both dressy and more casual outfits. I'd love suggestions if anyone can offer them!!

ETA: What do you guys think of the different metals with the color? Any preferences?

 

[Cind11]

I don''t have a setting suggestion, but I like white or yellow gold. I think rose gold doesn''t go with this stone looking at your photos. Very pretty stone!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Very pretty! I''m not a big YG fan, but I think this stone would look great in it - the warmth really brings out the color!

 

[ladyciel]

Thank you for chiming in, Cind11 and BEG! I talked to vc10um off-PS and she agrees the yellow gold looks really nice with the stone color. I think the coolness of the white gold is almost too stark right against the stone, but I definitely wear more white told than yellow on average. Perhaps a two-tone setting with yg around the stone and wg on the band? I''m afraid that a full bezel might darken the stone too much - do you think that''s a reasonable fear, based on these photos, or might I be surprised? I''m remembering some of Sally''s two-tone rings, with the rope detail around the bezel....

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 4/5/2010 9:42:30 PM
Author: ladyciel
Playing with other jewelry to try and figure out the best metal color. I want to set her in a ring, but I am completely undecided about the setting. Anybody have any ideas???

I am really loving her in yellow gold. Something about the contrast between yellow and the pink/purple hue of the stone really catches my eye! Do you like halos? You can do an 18KYG halo with a white metal shank. That will be stunning. You can also do an 18KYG bezel as well, or a three-stone with an 18KYG center basket.

If you don''t like yellow gold, however, she will look just as lovely in white metal. Even 18K rose gold will be yummy!

What is your preference in a setting? Do you like a certain style and metal color?

 

[FrekeChild]

I kind of like the rose gold....

 

[chrono]

The softness of the yellow gold goes very well with your new garnet. It’s not bad with white but just not as nice (too much contrast).

 

[Kismet]

It looks great in person too. I rather like the yellow gold look as well.

 

[redfaerythinker]

I vote a lotus for that setting. Casual, but can be dressed up. I love mine.

PS... my first stone was a Barry stone too!

 

[cellentani]

Fantastic gemstone and great photos, ladyciel! I do like the YG next to your stone, and I like the 2-tone idea (YG prongs and WG shank). Do you like diamonds in your settings? Would that be too formal for you? Are you thinking about going custom, getting an ebay setting (LOGR, etc.), or something in-between?

 

[ladyciel]

Date: 4/6/2010 9:21:50 AM
Author: redfaerythinker
I vote a lotus for that setting. Casual, but can be dressed up. I love mine.


PS... my first stone was a Barry stone too!

Hmm, so has anyone done a 6-prong version of the lotus? I hunted through Sally''s shop but didn''t see one. The reason I ask...my diamond came loose in my e-ring recently, and though I noticed before anything major happened, it''s made me very nervous about losing a stone. I realize it''s unlikely, but it might take a while to get the nagging voice out of my head, which needs to happen before I commit to 4 prongs for anything.

 

[ladyciel]

Date: 4/6/2010 10:28:17 AM
Author: cellentani
Fantastic gemstone and great photos, ladyciel! I do like the YG next to your stone, and I like the 2-tone idea (YG prongs and WG shank). Do you like diamonds in your settings? Would that be too formal for you? Are you thinking about going custom, getting an ebay setting (LOGR, etc.), or something in-between?

Thanks, cellentani! I don''t think diamonds are necessarily too formal - I mean, I''m wearing well over a carat of them on my left hand on a daily basis - but I think I need to go try on some settings at local BM stores before I pull the trigger on something like a LOGR halo pave setting. I think they''re beautiful, but I don''t know if I could pull one off with what I wear on a daily basis. I''m a graduate student - not spending a lot of time in dress or work clothes - and it''s not a given that they''ll be a fixture in my future life, either. I''m really flexible about how/where I get the setting, as long as I love it and can feel confident about the quality/service. Obviously enough PSers have had wonderful experience with LOGR and some of the etsy sellers (like HofW and JKT), that I''m open to those routes. I might also visit some local places with my stone and see what they suggest. After my e-ring mis-hap with the loose stone, I was forced to realize that I don''t have a trusted local jeweler yet. I ended up sending my ring back to Mark Morrell - he was super kind about it - but it''d be great if I could a local benchman that I like.

 

[ma re]

Since you''d like it versatile, maybe you would be fine with a setting that has a surprise diamond on each side of the profile. Settings with a lot of prong set melee can be really pretty and dressy, but if this is something you''d like to wear a lot (and looks like you do), you have to remember that even the highest quality of workmanship can''t guarantee you that stones won''t start falling out sooner or later - and that can result in frequent and, in the long run, expensive maintainance.

When it comes to metal choice, it''s all a matter of preference, and each of the people who post here will give you an opinion based on their taste and sense of style. So I''ll do the same (

), I''d give it a bit of yellow gold close to the stone and keep the rest in white, since you prefer white and the color of your stone could really benefit from a bit of yellow.

P. S. The stone is beautiful!

 

[ladyciel]

Thank you for the thoughtful answer, Ma Re! The more I think about it, the more I think I need to go with something I will be able to wear frequently. At the moment, my jewelry collection is quite small, and with this being my first true project (i.e. the first thing I''ve researched and done by myself, for myself) other than helping DH by figuring out what I liked for my wedding set, I know I''ll want to wear it pretty constantly.

I did all I could today to try and see what the stone might do if set in a bezel - cupped it between fingers, wrapped a twist tie best I could around it, pointed a light at it from every angle while blocking others.... - and I''m thinking that Barry did such a wonderful job cutting it that light from the sides/bottom has a negligible effect on how it looks facing up. The only factor that seems to change its look is the light reaching its face. That, coupled with a desire for safety/durability, and I''m currently toying with the possibility of asking Sally (Heart of Water) to set it a la Freefly/KateBar (and possibly others) in a roped bezel with side stones. Given the question of metal colors, I had a weeeeeee bit too much fun playing in photoshop. I''m such a nerd.

First, from left to right: 1) All yellow gold bezel w/ white band & yellow wraps, 2) Same but with Rose gold instead of yellow, 3) the original version of white gold bezel surrounded by yellow gold rope

 

[ladyciel]

And, because I meant it when I said I''m a nerd, "handshots"!

Top: The original setting with white gold touching the stone
Bottom: Edited so the entire bezel is yellow

I think this points out pretty well just how subtle the difference really is...

 

[FrekeChild]

I still like rose gold. I''m in the vast minority it seems...

 

[ladyciel]

Haha, sorry, Freke - I didn''t mean to skip over you earlier - just got sidetracked. You have a Patrick Irla ring with rose gold and a pink stone, don''t you?? I just realized that he''s not too too far away from me, so it''s tempting to go see his stuff in person.... Anyway, as for the rose gold, I''m finding that my stone actually goes peachy under certain kinds of lights, with a tone that to my eye doesn''t look quite right against the rose gold I have but looks fine with the yellow. And, in any kind of sunlight, when the more pink/purple color of the stone comes out, I think I prefer a bit more of a contrast between the stone and setting than the rose gold would give in those conditions.