Calling all Cecile Raley Sunflower rings! - show them off here!

[GemmaBella]

I love, love, love the CRD Sunflower ring and was hoping to see some examples. I know there are many floating around on PS, but it would be nice to dedicate a thread to them. I would love to see the round or oval style sunflower. Also, how low does the ring sit on your finger? Profile views welcome! I am trying to determine if the sunflower has a basket or does it sit flush to the finger like many of Yvonne's styles do? Many thanks in advance. I can't wait to see (hopefully) lots of pics! Please be sure to add the type and mm size of your stones too, please!

 

[voce]

I only have three sunflower rings:

1) 14k yellow gold with 6mm center sphene, and 1.25mm five Russian demantoid sidestones

2) platinum with 5mm center purple sapphire, and 1.8-1.9 cobalt spinels and pink sapphire

3) silver with 7mm pink tourmaline center, and yellowish green garnets around 1.1mm



In short, some have the basket and some haven't; I was shocked when the 5mm just sat flat without letting light in from a basket. CRD said the 6mm and 7mm versions were made later, and the 5mm was one of their first models, so the 5mm round version doesn't have it, but most the other sunflower models have them.

 

[voce]

Ok, here is the difference between the Camellia and the Sunflower. With or without the basket, the Sunflower design has the outer gems lying flat, whereas the Camellia never has a basket, and the outer gems angle downward slightly away from the center.

 

[GemmaBella]

Ok, here is the difference between the Camellia and the Sunflower. With or without the basket, the Sunflower design has the outer gems lying flat, whereas the Camellia never has a basket, and the outer gems angle downward slightly away from the center.

Thank you so much! I love your collection and your detailed response. That is exactly what I was hoping to see/figure out about the baskets and the various sunflower versions. There aren't any pics of the profile of the ring in Yvonne's listing, so this helps a lot. My mother has the round Camellia (7mm center) so this is a great point of reference. Do you think a 4mm center stone in the 5mm sunflower setting would be too small? I know she can add milgrain around it to make it look intentional, but in your opinion would it look disproportionate?

 

[voce]

Thank you so much! I love your collection and your detailed response. That is exactly what I was hoping to see/figure out about the baskets and the various sunflower versions. There aren't any pics of the profile of the ring in Yvonne's listing, so this helps a lot. My mother has the round Camellia (7mm center) so this is a great point of reference. Do you think a 4mm center stone in the 5mm sunflower setting would be too small? I know she can add milgrain around it to make it look intentional, but in your opinion would it look disproportionate?

This is a 5.5mm center gem in a 6mm sunflower setting, albeit pendant. The milgrain is already more metal than I expected, although it still looks good. But if your gem is one whole mm smaller than the setting, and only 4mm, then it would look even more than the milgrain here, and in my opinion would not look good. Have you taken a look at Yvonne's catalog (on her website, not Etsy)? Her Stella and Lily settings are awesome for 4mm center gems.

 

[GemmaBella]

This is a 5.5mm center gem in a 6mm sunflower setting, albeit pendant. The milgrain is already more metal than I expected, although it still looks good. But if your gem is one whole mm smaller than the setting, and only 4mm, then it would look even more than the milgrain here, and in my opinion would not look good. Have you taken a look at Yvonne's catalog (on her website, not Etsy)? Her Stella and Lily settings are awesome for 4mm center gems.

Thanks for posting this, it helps a lot to visualize it. I will look for a 5mm center if I end up doing a sunflower ring. I actually do have a Stella and you're right it is perfect for a 4mm center. I also love the Lily ring, so that's a good suggestion. I have been through the catalog but seeing your actual rings from different angles has been more helpful!

 

[natasha-cupcake]

Here's my oval sunflower ring. The center stone is a pink Mahenge spinel (just a shade under 7mm x 5mm dimension) and the halo stones are demantoid garnet. I absolutely love it. It has a nice weight to it and is really bright and sparkly. My pictures don't do justice to how lovely it is. The colors are brighter and more intense in person. It does fit fairly flat against a band. In my last picture, I'm wearing it with my carved wedding band and a chevron stacker. The chevron band fits closer to the sunflower ring than shown in the picture.

Yvonne was great to work with and I would work with her again in a heartbeat. I'd like to do a Lily pendant or ring next, as soon as I save up a little money and find the right stones.

 

[GemmaBella]

Here's my oval sunflower ring. The center stone is a pink Mahenge spinel (just a shade under 7mm x 5mm dimension) and the halo stones are demantoid garnet. I absolutely love it. It has a nice weight to it and is really bright and sparkly. My pictures don't do justice to how lovely it is. The colors are brighter and more intense in person. It does fit fairly flat against a band. In my last picture, I'm wearing it with my carved wedding band and a chevron stacker. The chevron band fits closer to the sunflower ring than shown in the picture.

Yvonne was great to work with and I would work with her again in a heartbeat. I'd like to do a Lily pendant or ring next, as soon as I save up a little money and find the right stones.

Your ring is beautiful! I love Mahenge spinel and it looks great with the demantoid. I am sure it is even more stunning in person. Capturing the colors and sparkle isn't easy! Thank you for posting it. If you have any views of the ring from the side profile that would be nice to see as well.

 

[natasha-cupcake]

I took a few profile shots. My camera work is not the best, but hopefully these will give you a better idea of the ring's design. The last two shots are the sunflower ring worn with the bands on either side. My bands fit under the donut on the sunflower ring, so they sit flush against it. A flush fit with a band will be a function of the height of the band and the fit of the ring. So, I'm guessing that a higher band may not sit flush against a more tightly fitting sunflower ring. That may not be an issue for you, especially if you plan on wearing the sunflower as a stand alone ring. I like wearing my colored stone rings as alternate e-rings, so the fit next to a band does matter to me.

Thank you for the compliment on my ring, too!

 

[GemmaBella]

I took a few profile shots. My camera work is not the best, but hopefully these will give you a better idea of the ring's design. The last two shots are the sunflower ring worn with the bands on either side. My bands fit under the donut on the sunflower ring, so they sit flush against it. A flush fit with a band will be a function of the height of the band and the fit of the ring. So, I'm guessing that a higher band may not sit flush against a more tightly fitting sunflower ring. That may not be an issue for you, especially if you plan on wearing the sunflower as a stand alone ring. I like wearing my colored stone rings as alternate e-rings, so the fit next to a band does matter to me.

Thank you for the compliment on my ring, too!

Thanks so much for taking the time to post the extra side views. I love seeing all of these styles of sunflowers. They are all different from one another which you can't tell when looking at them head on, so I am so glad I asked.

 

[mrowx2]

This thread is kind of old and I’m just a pricescope lurker, but I found it super helpful when I was working with Yvonne on my sunflower ring, so I thought I’d contribute!

Yvonne is known for her stunning color combinations and accent stones, but I wanted something simpler while still getting one of her fantastic designs. Here’s what I ended up with!

It’s a lavender sapphire, unheated, 8.6 x 6 mm, with the sunflower design in hand engraving instead of set with stones. The setting is 14k white gold.

I love it and was super happy with the whole process!

 

[rosethorn]

This thread is kind of old and I’m just a pricescope lurker, but I found it super helpful when I was working with Yvonne on my sunflower ring, so I thought I’d contribute!

Yvonne is known for her stunning color combinations and accent stones, but I wanted something simpler while still getting one of her fantastic designs. Here’s what I ended up with!

It’s a lavender sapphire, unheated, 8.6 x 6 mm, with the sunflower design in hand engraving instead of set with stones. The setting is 14k white gold.

I love it and was super happy with the whole process!

Wow, that engraving!

 

[mrowx2]

Wow, that engraving!

I saw a few other engraved sunflower rings in her portfolio, and the engraving was different for all of them. I didn’t ask for any specific design because I trust her vision, so this engraving pattern/style was a complete surprise!

 

[rosethorn]

I saw a few other engraved sunflower rings in her portfolio, and the engraving was different for all of them. I didn’t ask for any specific design because I trust her vision, so this engraving pattern/style was a complete surprise!

It’s really something! I’ve seen a bunch of other engraving on her pieces that was cool, but none I’ve been as drawn to as your beauty. It’s just lovely.