Custom jewelers in NYC (yellow gold, colored gemstone) and/or experiences with Dana Walden Bridal?

[CBianco]

Thanks all for the advice, everyone--I am so blown away by and grateful for how helpful you all have been. I've reached out to Inken at Enhoerning and am excited to get started. Fingers crossed! Now there's just the small matter of finding someone to do the setting...

FYI Inken (or her bench jeweler) does custom settings too, especially if she sources the stone. I currently have a ring being done by her so I can't speak of the quality yet, however I believe others on here have had mostly good experiences.

Not saying you have to choose her for your setting too, but I think it definitely can be one of your options. Good luck

 

[fiancetobe]

FYI Inken (or her bench jeweler) does custom settings too, especially if she sources the stone. I currently have a ring being done by her so I can't speak of the quality yet, however I believe others on here have had mostly good experiences.

Not saying you have to choose her for your setting too, but I think it definitely can be one of your options. Good luck

Oh that's great to know, thank you!

 

[pokerface]

I wonder if the PS eye may be leading OP down the wrong path here. All the stones the OP posted have some olive undertones, which is generally undesirable by PS standards. If OP's gf truly prefers olive green stones, I don't think there's a good reason to be spending anywhere near 10k, because such stones are less expensive. I would start by making sure OP understands his gf's preferences. There are so many shades of green, and slight changes in saturation, tone and hue can mean the difference between love and dislike of a stone - as well as thousands of dollars. It's great to have such a large budget, but no matter the price, you want it to be fair, and you want your selection to be a winner with your intended!

 

[fiancetobe]

I wonder if the PS eye may be leading OP down the wrong path here. All the stones the OP posted have some olive undertones, which is generally undesirable by PS standards. If OP's gf truly prefers olive green stones, I don't think there's a good reason to be spending anywhere near 10k, because such stones are less expensive. I would start by making sure OP understands his gf's preferences. There are so many shades of green, and slight changes in saturation, tone and hue can mean the difference between love and dislike of a stone - as well as thousands of dollars. It's great to have such a large budget, but no matter the price, you want it to be fair, and you want your selection to be a winner with your intended!

Don't worry, my girlfriend will be attending the consultation and reviewing all the options with me, and will have final sign-off before I buy anything. I was frank about my budget with Inken, but hopefully she will show me options that span my budget range.

 

[demantoidz]

I wonder if the PS eye may be leading OP down the wrong path here. All the stones the OP posted have some olive undertones, which is generally undesirable by PS standards. If OP's gf truly prefers olive green stones, I don't think there's a good reason to be spending anywhere near 10k, because such stones are less expensive. I would start by making sure OP understands his gf's preferences. There are so many shades of green, and slight changes in saturation, tone and hue can mean the difference between love and dislike of a stone - as well as thousands of dollars. It's great to have such a large budget, but no matter the price, you want it to be fair, and you want your selection to be a winner with your intended!

Good points! My intention was to show OP that there are different greens between olive green and intense emerald green. But if she wants an olive stone then they should stick with that and should be happy to spend way less $$

 

[Voodoo Child]

Since the OP is looking for a green stone and has a pretty significant budget, I’m surprised no one has mentioned Alexandrite yet. Yes it’s a pain in the ass to find a good one, but a lot of the African or Indian stones are in the color range that OP is looking for. Also, at 8.5 on the Mohs scale and almost no cleavage, it’s durable enough for everyday wear.

 

[yssie]

Since the OP is looking for a green stone and has a pretty significant budget, I’m surprised no one has mentioned Alexandrite yet. Yes it’s a pain in the ass to find a good one, but a lot of the African or Indian stones are in the color range that OP is looking for. Also, at 8.5 on the Mohs scale and almost no cleavage, it’s durable enough for everyday wear.

I neglected it on account of the PITA factor but you’re right, OP’s budget opens possibilities and if he’s got someone sourcing for him it’s not his PITA!

 

[MollyMalone]

Thanks all for the advice, everyone--I am so blown away by and grateful for how helpful you all have been. I've reached out to Inken at Enhoerning and am excited to get started. Fingers crossed! Now there's just the small matter of finding someone to do the setting...

Think it's great that you have reached out to Inken -- and that you are in NYC, so you and your SO can see for yourselves in person, without having the stones shipped back and forth, the leading contenders of the stones she proposes!

Colored gemstones aren't easily "captured" in a photo, and green ones are perhaps the most difficult. Plus, even when the vendor is scrupulously conscientious about posting pics that accurately depict what she/he sees in real life, that doesn't mean you're seeing that on your screen because odds are your device isn't color-aligned with theirs. E.g., I brought up the pics you posted on my iMac, my Dell laptop, and my iPad, side-by-side, & can say none looks precisely the same on all 3 devices. Lastly, not everyone "registers" colors in the same way. Although I've very sensitive to gradations-nuances in certain colors, I almost never see the brown modifier in a ruby or red spinel photograph/video when that's noted by chrono and some other PSers.

Hope you'll keep us posted on your journey -- we're wishing you all the best!

 

[fiancetobe]

Since the OP is looking for a green stone and has a pretty significant budget, I’m surprised no one has mentioned Alexandrite yet. Yes it’s a pain in the ass to find a good one, but a lot of the African or Indian stones are in the color range that OP is looking for. Also, at 8.5 on the Mohs scale and almost no cleavage, it’s durable enough for everyday wear.

Thanks! I'll ask about Alexandrite during our consult.

 

[milton333]

I'm just going to circle back to tsavorite garnet for a moment. It's often "screaming green," what I consider to be the ideal green, personally. Here's an example of a rich, deep green, they can also be lighter:

Many people have tsavorite engagement rings. It's not as durable as diamond. A halo setting, setting it low, possibly bezeling it, all add to the protection factor. I wear a special garnet most days of the week and have for more than a decade, and haven't had any issues.

On the ring, a good bench that hand-forges is likely to produce a more durable ring, and, imo, having an outer rim of metal encasing the halo is more durable than the pave where the edges/girdles of the diamonds are exposed. There are settings more durable than others. Personally, I'd never do diamonds in the shank for a daily wear ring, but would save those for side stones or a halo, and I've never had a ring bend out of shape on me.

One other thing about colored stones and engagement rings is that some people think that a woman can/must wear the original engagement ring every day until she dies or the marriage ends. But most people on this very board have "upgraded" their engagement rings, or swap them out with other rings that they enjoy wearing. Many women will reset the original stone into a new ring design. Some will keep the ring design and swap out the stone. In my experience and opinion, the "this stone must last until death" sentiment is not actually how most women approach their engagement rings.

Given that, it may be perfectly acceptable to use a softer stone with the understanding that it may need to be replaced in the future. Indeed, even with a durable stone like sapphire, you can get chips and damage that may require a recut that would diminish the size or require replacement to use the same ring setting. It may be fun for the two of you to think about a new ring or stone for major milestones in your marriage.

All of which is to say, talk this through with your significant other and see what her thoughts might be. PS's inclination to "only a hard stone works as an engagement ring" may not be completely in line with where the two of you are, if you are looking for a particular color and understand the trade-offs.

 

[demantoidz]

Came across this olive sapphire which appears potentially not too dark, so OP can compare to whatever their concierge finds (no lab report but a lot of their inventory has GIA so it could likely be arranged, and I'd hope heat-only at worst).
Maybe too much blue in the IG video?
I do not know if it is possible to find such a color that lacks brown/grey or not overly dark.

Heritage Gems + Jewels on Instagram: "Revelation. In ancient Greece, the oracle at Delphi held the unique position of interpreting coded messages from the god Apollo, which were transmitted through the rustlings of laurel-leaves. The oracle wore or h

15 likes, 1 comments - heritage.gemsnjewels on February 28, 2022: "Revelation. In ancient Greece, the oracle at Delphi held the unique position of interpreting coded messages from the god Apollo, which were transmitted through the rustlings of laurel-leaves. The oracle wore or held Sapphires in...

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Natural Green Sapphire 7.44 Carats

Revelation. In ancient Greece, the oracle at Delphi held the unique position of interpreting coded messages from the god Apollo, which were transmitted through the rustlings of laurel-leaves. The oracle wore or held Sapphires in order to receive these messages, and Sapphires were also held and...

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[LilAlex]

Came across this olive sapphire which appears potentially not too dark, so OP can compare to whatever their concierge finds (no lab report but a lot of their inventory has GIA so it could likely be arranged, and I'd hope heat-only at worst)....

I think it can't be heated and still be oracular, IIRC.

True oracular sapphires sell for a 2X or even 3X premium owing to the incalculable wealth, power, and influence they confer.

Have I said how much I enjoy these "J. Peterman catalog" gem descriptions that some vendors use?

 

[demantoidz]

I think it can't be heated and still be oracular, IIRC.

True oracular sapphires sell for a 2X or even 3X premium owing to the incalculable wealth, power, and influence they confer.

Have I said how much I enjoy these "J. Peterman catalog" gem descriptions that some vendors use?

I look over descriptions and unless I see a keyword like 'heat', 'cut', 'inclusion' etc, I don't bother reading it. I did not notice how ridiculous the description was.

I appreciate their disclaimer: 'We can't guarantee that wearing this Green Sapphire will put you in touch with another dimension'

Now I need to watch some Seinfeld episodes making fun of those catalog descriptions.

 

[Voodoo Child]

Some vendor descriptions are almost as bad as wine tasting notes.

 

[demantoidz]

Enhoerning just posted this pretty 6ct minty green sapphire as available.
Willing to bet its a stone OP and their partner rejected.

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[demantoidz]

Another olive sapphire I came across (right), to demonstrate how inexpensive these can be... But the inspo pic one (left) is nicer.
4.9ct 725$
Needs a lab report though.

Heated Green Sapphire 4.90 cts

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