Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

[SparkliesLuver]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Thank you, NKOTB!

I'm super happy you scooped up that one, EvangelineG! How exciting. I can't wait to hear what you think of it. Yes, he sure does.

That makes two of us, arabella! Aw, thank you. I'm very excited to set them, but I think I have one or two projects I should do first.

 

[Lovinggems]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Beautiful acquisitions everyone. DesertRose you did very well with the round spessartite, beautiful cutting and colour.

 

[elle_71125]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Beautiful pieces Desertrose! You're reminding me that I really need to check out some local shows.

 

[Arcadian]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

One I got on Etsy (the smaller), the other I got in Florida at a mineral & gem show (the bigger one) They're rainbow moonstone, not orthoclase, but they are very flashy and pretty. The bigger one I purchased was way cheaper than the one I got on etsy! Note to self, stick with gem shows...lol

The dealer at the show also had some very nice faceted rainbow moonstone too. And then there was the orthoclase moonstone which where hand carved (and way expensive!!) but man o man, so pretty!

(for those who wonder why I make the designation see here; http://www.gia.edu/gia-faq-rainbow-moonstone-really-moonstone)

 

[Arcadian]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

this is not the one from the february drop, but is a rainbow moon sphere, 4.3 carat

necklace or bracelet??

 

[Desertrose]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

One I got on Etsy (the smaller), the other I got in Florida at a mineral & gem show (the bigger one) They're rainbow moonstone, not orthoclase, but they are very flashy and pretty. The bigger one I purchased was way cheaper than the one I got on etsy! Note to self, stick with gem shows...lol

Arcadian...I totally agree with sticking to gem shows...recently I found a small mahenge spinel at a show for $20 (not the best cutting but incredible neon); a decent stop light red spinel small cushion for $80; the perfectly cut clean spess for $50...and my son got a small emerald cut paraiba, a little more teal than top color, but for only $30!

I find you do have to go through a lot of dross to find these great deals but it's worth it, and pretty fun too, if you like bargain hunting! I just wish there were more gem shows, they seem to be in spring and fall only in my area.

 

[Acinom]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Arcadian - love that zircon, looks so nice on you!

Lots of nice stones getting shown off here, it's great to see all the future projects!

Here's a recent aquisition, one of several bought recently at a local gem show...I can't believe what I was finding, and the prices...this one has 145 cuts (Portuguese cut?) and took 8 hours to facet, bought it from the cutter himself. A spessartite or mandarin, I'm not sure what the difference is? In any case, it was a ridiculous $50!!! The glow is incredible, as well as the precision:

Ooooh What a stunning new addition Desertrose. I like!!!

 

[Arcadian]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

One I got on Etsy (the smaller), the other I got in Florida at a mineral & gem show (the bigger one) They're rainbow moonstone, not orthoclase, but they are very flashy and pretty. The bigger one I purchased was way cheaper than the one I got on etsy! Note to self, stick with gem shows...lol

Arcadian...I totally agree with sticking to gem shows...recently I found a small mahenge spinel at a show for $20 (not the best cutting but incredible neon); a decent stop light red spinel small cushion for $80; the perfectly cut clean spess for $50...and my son got a small emerald cut paraiba, a little more teal than top color, but for only $30!

I find you do have to go through a lot of dross to find these great deals but it's worth it, and pretty fun too, if you like bargain hunting! I just wish there were more gem shows, they seem to be in spring and fall only in my area.

My home state (massachusetts) has a ton of shows, mostly gem and bead shows (of which they show a heck of a lot of beads!) but they do have at least 3 good ones...Intergem and another gem and mineral show in western Mass.

Florida seems to have a lot, but usually smaller. I was there with the dog visiting her dad and he said, hey take my sister to this gem show, you know about that stuff (DUH!!). This was quite a small show but the quality was something I didn't really see much of in Mass.

I also looked at a bunch of emeralds....lol I had NO BUSINESS looking but hmm saw some cabs that could have been mine if I wasn't saving for a very large non gem purchase

BTW that spess you found was stellar!

 

[Lovinggems]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Wonderful stories DeserRose and Arcadian. There are no such gem shows where I live unfortunately, and taking the dog with me will be great fun.

 

[Desertrose]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

I live in the SW and it seems like there are a lot of rock hounds here...of course a lot of turquoise but other gems as well.

Here's a few more lucky finds:

This is a spinel I got for $20. Yes, really. No origin was known but the color! Even more neon IRL. Seems like it must be mahenge. Poor cutting, pavilion is off center, yet still seems to rock no matter what angle or lighting. Shown with hauynite, which I'm thinking of using it with:



Shown with large tourmaline I also picked up (colors are not showing up well):

 

[Desertrose]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Here's a paraiba that the vendor sold marked down for my son for $30! Being 8 has its benefits I might have to ask him to purchase stones for me from now on!



And a mystery stone...dealer thought it was a tourmaline. I took it to a gemologist at the show, who kept it for a week to do his magic. Verdict: a treated sapphire. I don't usually go for treated stones, but this one's padparadscha color is very nice, with orange and pink all the time. Looks very sparkly IRL:



And lastly, some red spinels. Little but very sparkly, hard to capture in a photo:

 

[caf]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Wow nice job Desertrose.

 

[userangl28212003]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Is the padparadscha sapphire heated only, or treated in some other way? It is such a beautiful color

 

[Niel]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Some may have seen over in Rocky talking me talking about my mom's utterly adorable heirloom diamond. We got it measured and it is 4.5mm

Anyways, to make it wearable I've been trying to find the perfect side stones. I was looking for 4.5mm and something very saturated. Spinel or sapphire was acceptable. Looks like Johannes finally found some hot pink sapphires!

Anyways, this is what I'm thinking. White plat on the top, yellow gold everywhere else. I like this little dot detail in the side too

 

[Desertrose]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Is the padparadscha sapphire heated only, or treated in some other way? It is such a beautiful color

He said BE (beryllium) treated - he could tell by the faint blue edge (visible under microscope) indicating the original blue color. He also showed me pics from one of his trips to Thailand (he goes every year and has an office there) of the guys cooking the stones in a backyard shed with chickens walking around...looks like a very rustic process! He did also say that the treatment appeared pretty thorough - sometimes it only penetrates a short way into the stone, and if you try to recut the stone the treatment boundary is apparent. He said this one could probably be safely recut if desired. But I don't think I'll take the chance. All the stones I found were less than $100, so I don't worry too much if any turn out to be different than expected.

 

[Siameseroo]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Some may have seen over in Rocky talking me talking about my mom's utterly adorable heirloom diamond. We got it measured and it is 4.5mm

Anyways, to make it wearable I've been trying to find the perfect side stones. I was looking for 4.5mm and something very saturated. Spinel or sapphire was acceptable. Looks like Johannes finally found some hot pink sapphires!

Anyways, this is what I'm thinking. White plat on the top, yellow gold everywhere else. I like this little dot detail in the side too

Very cool! I like your design idea. Have you chosen a jeweller?

 

[Niel]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Some may have seen over in Rocky talking me talking about my mom's utterly adorable heirloom diamond. We got it measured and it is 4.5mm

Anyways, to make it wearable I've been trying to find the perfect side stones. I was looking for 4.5mm and something very saturated. Spinel or sapphire was acceptable. Looks like Johannes finally found some hot pink sapphires!

Anyways, this is what I'm thinking. White plat on the top, yellow gold everywhere else. I like this little dot detail in the side too

Very cool! I like your design idea. Have you chosen a jeweller?

We will see how much ma is willing to pay after we buy the sapphires. I've got a few ideas though.

 

[Siameseroo]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

That's awesome, I love that you've roped your mum into the world of gemstones and jewellery design!

I have so many stones to set but I keep buying pearls instead.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Interesting discussion about the gem shows. I was just noticing signs near my work recently for a gem show, and wondered if I should bother seeing what it was all about. Sounds like I should at least check it out. Are people willing to negotiate, usually?

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Beautiful additions to this thread.

 

[Desertrose]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Interesting discussion about the gem shows. I was just noticing signs near my work recently for a gem show, and wondered if I should bother seeing what it was all about. Sounds like I should at least check it out. Are people willing to negotiate, usually?

Loves Vintage - Yes, I find that vendors are usually quite willing to negotiate at shows. It's rare that someone won't negotiate...of course purchasing multiple items usually helps. For many this is a hobby or retirement activity, so they aren't dependent on gem trading for their livelihood. There's also the personal connection of meeting another gem enthusiast that seems to help.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Interesting discussion about the gem shows. I was just noticing signs near my work recently for a gem show, and wondered if I should bother seeing what it was all about. Sounds like I should at least check it out. Are people willing to negotiate, usually?

Loves Vintage - Yes, I find that vendors are usually quite willing to negotiate at shows. It's rare that someone won't negotiate...of course purchasing multiple items usually helps. For many this is a hobby or retirement activity, so they aren't dependent on gem trading for their livelihood. There's also the personal connection of meeting another gem enthusiast that seems to help.

Thanks for the reply, Desertrose. We did go to the gem show. It was quite small, and only two or three of the vendors were selling gems for jewelry. I didn't buy any, but my daughter (5) was delighted with all of the "gems" we bought for her, a pretty purple tumbled stone and some other rough stones I couldn't identify. She's definitely a rock collector, and has always searched for and collected pretty rocks at home. Not sure all kids are this way? Anyway, are you planning to set your recent purchases?

 

[Desertrose]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Hi Loves Vintage, my 8 year old son is also very much into gemstones too. I think kids just love anything sparkly, and who are we to blame them! He even wants me to start a thread for his gems - he thinks its awesome to see everyone's gorgeous finds online and wants to show his off too!

I am thinking of setting the large emerald cut tourmaline first, and was thinking of a rich gold (18-22kt) with a sort of ancient Roman or Etruscan style...hand forged looking with gold beads and milgrain around the edges, that sort of thing. And maybe because it is long (8x13mm), a double band? Not a split shank but actually two bands? Anyone ever seen anything like that?

For the antique style, here are some inspiration pics:

 

[Desertrose]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Here's a different look, I would still use yellow gold, but maybe surround it with colored melee? Might end up too big for my fingers though.



Here's the stone I want to set again for reference:

 

[lovedogs]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

ohhh Desertrose I think that stone will LOVE rich yellow gold!

Work was a bit slow today, so I made some examples for you to look at. I think the blue/green really pops in the "richer" gold colors! Can't wait to see what you do with it

 

[Desertrose]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

OMG, Lovedogs, thank you!!!! That is exactly what I was seeing! That third pic is the perfect color of gold to me, a hint of warm red or orange to contrast the cool blue-green.

What do you think about sidestones? I was thinking they might distract, however the samples you created with other colors look great. Maybe tuck a couple stones along the top or sides? Again, the size is important to me, in that it doesn't get too big because I know I won't wear it if it's unwieldy.

This picture is really poor quality, but maybe you can make out the ring on her index finger - it looks like it almost has half-circle gold shoulders coming off the center stone. I like that basic idea, and maybe put some other colors in those shoulders...



Now I just need to find the jeweler to do this kind of work...anyone have suggestions for someone whose style matches? I would like something that looks hand forged, not cast. Who does this kind of work?

 

[lovedogs]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

OMG, Lovedogs, thank you!!!! That is exactly what I was seeing! That third pic is the perfect color of gold to me, a hint of warm red or orange to contrast the cool blue-green.

What do you think about sidestones? I was thinking they might distract, however the samples you created with other colors look great. Maybe tuck a couple stones along the top or sides? Again, the size is important to me, in that it doesn't get too big because I know I won't wear it if it's unwieldy.

This picture is really poor quality, but maybe you can make out the ring on her index finger - it looks like it almost has half-circle gold shoulders coming off the center stone. I like that basic idea, and maybe put some other colors in those shoulders...



No problem! I agree, the third picture is perfect in terms of color. I also agree about being torn in terms of side stones. On the one hand they look great, but I am leaning towards recommending leaving it with just the center stone. That way the tourmaline can take "center stage", along with some really amazing detailing that hopefully a great jeweler can do

Sorry, I can't help with recommending anyone, but hopefully others can give some thoughts. I agree, hand cast-look would be ideal!

 

[Desertrose]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Thanks again Lovedogs...I'm going to start a separate thread so I don't threadjack this one...I did find a few people online, see the new thread for pics!

 

[Vesper]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

I bought myself a 8mm zircon and some 3mm sleeping beauty cabs. I have not decided yet what I will do with them but I want to set them together.

 

[sapphiremomma]

Re: Catch all thread - talk or better yet show us

Hi everyone! I am new here but have been having fun lurking and seeing everyone's beautiful pieces! I've always been a jewelry lover but my passion got reignited on a recent cruise. Hubby got me a few beautiful sapphire rings - one a gorgeous halo style and one a unique 5 stone ring. Since then I've been doing more research and becoming a bit obsessed! Here are my pretties, along with a really adorable dainty opal ring that I love. Now waiting on a vintage purple star sapphire ring in the mail. Now I am banned from buying for a bit. Can't wait to add to my collection as the budget permits!!