Curious what colored stones were used 100 yrs ago?

[lucyruth]

Hi, I'm pretty much totally new to colored stones. I've had a couple of lab grown blue BTD sapphires but sold them... I guess blue's not really my color!

I just bought a vintage platinum setting with fishtail-style prongs and diamond baguette side stones. The jeweler said it will take an 8.5mm round stone. There's no diamond that size in my future and I do want to put a stone in this mount that is appropriate to the era!

I'm curious what was worn back in the day... Stones and the type of cut also.

Here's a link to the eBay listing showing the ring if you're interested: http://www.ebay.com/itm/150827424686?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_500wt_689

Thanks for any suggestions you can give! I haven't the slightest idea where to begin other than diamond bistro.

 

[GemFever]

Hi lucyruth,

To carry over from our discussion in Antique & Vintage Jewelry, I'd say you should branch out outside stones that were widely worn 100 years ago. You mentioned that you like to see inside a stone, not to have it be too dark. You also mentioned that you'd prefer a durable stone... and last but not least, relatively affordable. Oh, and a round shape! I'd say check out chrysoberyls, light colored spinels (pinks and lavenders), and light colored sapphires. You could also try garnets, tourmalines, maybe aqua or morganite... but those won't be as durable.

Here is a link to a beautiful chrysoberyl ring, to start you off

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/trillion-chrysoberyl-from-wf-is-ready.164831/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/trillion-chrysoberyl-from-wf-is-ready.164831/[/URL]

Though I do have to add -- it's hard to find a chryso of that saturation and quality. AND they benefit from being set in yellow gold (it boosts the color).

Also, check out the sticky thread at the top with the recommended vendors. You could browse their inventory and see what you like.

Good luck!

 

[cm366]

Hi lucyruth,

Don't know if it'll fit your expectations re: durability, but fine amethyst has been worn for millennia, looks amazing, and comes in larger sizes like an 8.5mm round without breaking the bank! It'll be cheaper than any of the other 'traditional' stones like rubies or sapphires, is used by lots of folks for everyday wear, and could even be custom cut by most of the recommended vendors.

Amethyst also comes in a variety of different tones, so you could go as dark or light as you wanted...

Hope it helps!

 

[lucyruth]

Thanks gem! I will start with your list. I'd say durability is my lowest importance. I want a stone that looks like liquid silver when it's in the right light! I saw something on eBay called golden beryl. Also an aquamarine. I did start with the sticky at the top, and looked at Barry bridgewater's site but didn't see anything that fit the size criteria.

From reading the sticky it seems the CS peeps aren't crazy about eBay gems. So I'll check out more of the abovereferenced vendors.

Yes I think I like more transparent stones. But have hardly seen anything irl save the pink stone I saw today (and not even sure what that was!).

Thanks again for the suggestions - I'm excited to begin the search!

Cm366: I will look at amethyst. Hadn't thought much about it bc I am not a huge purple fan, but maybe! I would love for the ring to look as vintage as if there were an old European cut diamond in it... So if amethyst could potentially achieve that, I'll consider it!

 

[lucyruth]

Wow on that ring! But I can see the gold setting it off... What a stunner!

 

[GemFever]

Hmm hmm hmm... what about treatments, how do you feel about those? Colored stones are often heated to improve their appearance. That's considered a fairly standard treatment. Bu then there are move invasive treatments, like irradiation... well, here is a link to a great resource:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/[/URL]

So, you should decide how comfortable you are with treatments.

Ebay is not bad, as long as you know what you're getting. There are some ebay vendors that are more or less trustworthy, I believe they are also on the "trusted seller" list.

As for Barry Bridgestock... it's not easy to get something from him He does monthly "drops" of new stones, I believe every first Wednesday of the month at ~8pm Eastern time, and people snatch them up within seconds. It's fun... until you click too slowly and don't get what you hoped to get. But quick-fingered PSers have gotten stuff, and it's beauuutiful. The first Wednesday is coming up, so you could give it a try

 

[minousbijoux]

Reading between the lines here it sounds like you like lighter toned stones such as yellow beryl, morganite, etc. I would suggest either a red garnet, a zircon or a spinel as these would be consistent with the period and you wouldn't particularly need to worry about treatments (although blue zircons are routinely irradiated - yellow zircons which sparkle like crazy I don't believe are irradiated but maybe someone can correct me if I'm mistaken). At 8.5mm, you will be looking for a 2.5+ ct spinel. I adore the light lavenders, peaches and soft pinks so often found in spinels, and think that a "victorian pink" stone might be perfect (heck, even the name is perfect!) There are some available on the Gemfix website, so I've included a link:

http://www.gemfix.com/spinel.html

I did have a quick look around ebay and at other non-ebay vendors, and it looks like round spinels just aren't that common.

You may also want to check out what individuals are selling over on the Bistro.

Good luck - that has the makings of a very pretty ring.

 

[chrono]

I cannot tell much from the profile view at all, maybe it's just me but do you have any other pictures of the setting? From what I can tell, with this design, you can also use more "modern" looking stones because the baguette sidestone setting is timeless.

Can I ask why you are not concerned with durability? How often are you planning to wear this ring? How hard are you with your hands? Are you open to replacing the stone every 2 to 3 years or do you want it to last longer? The answers to these few questions will help narrow down whether certain types of gemstones might be a better fit, and from there, we can move on to what colour you like.

The reason most PSers aren't crazy about eBay is because there are more dishonest vendors than honest ones. Many undisclosed treated, synthetic, simulant and incorrectly represented gemstones are sold.

 

[T L]

Hi, I'm pretty much totally new to colored stones. I've had a couple of lab grown blue BTD sapphires but sold them... I guess blue's not really my color!

I just bought a vintage platinum setting with fishtail-style prongs and diamond baguette side stones. The jeweler said it will take an 8.5mm round stone. There's no diamond that size in my future and I do want to put a stone in this mount that is appropriate to the era!

I'm curious what was worn back in the day... Stones and the type of cut also.

Here's a link to the eBay listing showing the ring if you're interested: http://www.ebay.com/itm/150827424686?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_500wt_689

Thanks for any suggestions you can give! I haven't the slightest idea where to begin other than diamond bistro.

Great buy!!! I see it has Iridium, which is a very hard metallic element, and very durable for jewelry. Much of the known iridium on this planet was deposited here by some asteroids, so it is very rare, and expensive. Much platinum jewelry is alloyed with cobalt, which is significantly cheaper and does not make for as strong an alloy. If I were to set a gem in that ring, I would probably do something hard, like corundum (ruby or sapphire), chrysoberyl, spinel or diamond. It may be difficult for a jeweler to set a softer stone in a hard alloy like that, so do be careful who you use.

 

[lucyruth]

Hmm hmm hmm... what about treatments, how do you feel about those? Colored stones are often heated to improve their appearance. That's considered a fairly standard treatment. Bu then there are move invasive treatments, like irradiation... well, here is a link to a great resource:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/[/URL]

So, you should decide how comfortable you are with treatments.

I think I'm okay with heat treatments... wouldn't enhance a diamond but would heat a cz to warm it up a little! I'll read the intro you linked, thanks!

 

[lucyruth]

Reading between the lines here it sounds like you like lighter toned stones such as yellow beryl, morganite, etc. I would suggest either a red garnet, a zircon or a spinel as these would be consistent with the period and you wouldn't particularly need to worry about treatments (although blue zircons are routinely irradiated - yellow zircons which sparkle like crazy I don't believe are irradiated but maybe someone can correct me if I'm mistaken). At 8.5mm, you will be looking for a 2.5+ ct spinel. I adore the light lavenders, peaches and soft pinks so often found in spinels, and think that a "victorian pink" stone might be perfect (heck, even the name is perfect!) There are some available on the Gemfix website, so I've included a link:

http://www.gemfix.com/spinel.html

Thanks, I LOVED that site! And I like the zircon and spinel. Not so much the garnet. I think the yellows, peaches, and pinks are my favs so this is helpful for sure!

One thing I noticed on that site are the different cuts, i.e. "Portuguese", etc. I wonder if there's one that has chunkier flashes like an oec, versus the splintery look of a round brilliant.

 

[lucyruth]

I cannot tell much from the profile view at all, maybe it's just me but do you have any other pictures of the setting? From what I can tell, with this design, you can also use more "modern" looking stones because the baguette sidestone setting is timeless.

Can I ask why you are not concerned with durability? How often are you planning to wear this ring? How hard are you with your hands? Are you open to replacing the stone every 2 to 3 years or do you want it to last longer? The answers to these few questions will help narrow down whether certain types of gemstones might be a better fit, and from there, we can move on to what colour you like.

The reason most PSers aren't crazy about eBay is because there are more dishonest vendors than honest ones. Many undisclosed treated, synthetic, simulant and incorrectly represented gemstones are sold.

It is a four (actually prong setting... four sets of two actually. Kind of the old timey squarish head. I will try to get some pics up!

Durability - well, I've never destroyed a ring before. I guess if something got really scratched or chipped I'd replace it, but Perhaps it's better from the start to look at durable per a poster later in the thread... I would want to wear the ring every day if I love it. Probably a right hand ring, and I am constantly washing dishes, laundry, etc. No heavy construction or anything! But the jeweler made me nervous about fatigueing the metal of the prongs and breaking one of them off...

 

[lucyruth]

Great buy!!! I see it has Iridium, which is a very hard metallic element, and very durable for jewelry. Much of the known iridium on this planet was deposited here by some asteroids, so it is very rare, and expensive. Much platinum jewelry is alloyed with cobalt, which is significantly cheaper and does not make for as strong an alloy. If I were to set a gem in that ring, I would probably do something hard, like corundum (ruby or sapphire), chrysoberyl, spinel or diamond. It may be difficult for a jeweler to set a softer stone in a hard alloy like that, so do be careful who you use.

Great points! I haven't the slightest what chrysoberyl looks like, but if it is the same as golden beryl, I saw one that was gorgeous! Not so into the corundums, but I like spinel. Diamond is out of the price range unfortunately! But this def. makes me lean toward a "harder" stone. Thanks.

 

[chrono]

Yes, precision lapidaries will cut different patterns to fit what is best suited for a particular gemstone. Some might be a chunkier faceting style (big facets like antique cut diamonds), concave cutting (splintery look), Portuguese design (flowery appearance due to the extra facets) or some other fancy design.

If you look at the first link in this thread (trillion chrysoberyl from WF is ready), you'll see what a chrysoberyl looks like. Its appearance is distinctively different than a golden beryl to me because of the higher RI (more sparkly) and usually is brighter coloured.

Since you plan to wear the ring everyday while doing housework, I definitely recommend against anything lesser than corundum, chrysoberyl and spinel. A garnet cannot take such abuse in a ring. Even then, it is probably a good idea not to wear your gemstone ring (no matter what stone you set) while doing housework if you don't want it to show signs of wear and tear (or get chipped) that early.

 

[lucyruth]

Thanks, it's really helpful to narrow it down to those three. I'll start looking! Will post pics if/when it happens!