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Engagement Ring Help!

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RCRanger03

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
8
So I've decided to start planning my proposal to my girlfriend, as of now its going to happen this Christmas in Rome. My second order of buisness after deciding that was to start contemplating engagement rings. I set a budget of $1000, and immediately disregarded anything with diamonds (she was ruined by the movie Blood Diamond, and wont have a thing to do with them). Anyways so her favorite gem by far is Alexandrite, which is wicked expensive as I'm sure you all know, but I know it's what she really wants so I'm going with that. However at a $1000 budget, natural alexandrite (wouldn't even consider anything less) is quite small considering as well as really difficult to find already set without diamonds

So I spent all night, why I did this 8 months in advance who knows its love, and I found a quite small loose stone (with AIGS certification) whose color change I think she will really like and a very simple and elegant 14k white gold ring. The hitch being the stone is a cushion shape, and the setting is for a round diamond, and I think its maybe a smidge too big, like .7 mm (the ring says the perfect diamond diameter would be 4.3 mm to 4.5, I'm not exactly sure how they calculate the diameter of a cushion, but I just did the ole Pythagorean theorum a^2+b62=c^2) ... Anyways I digress

Here is the stone, and the ring, theres a
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-2031310557
http://www.antiquejewelrymall.com/r295.html

With resizing and setting the stone I figure to come out right around my budget... the question being is a stone that small worth it? I could definitely figure out larger more noticeable arrangements with more traditional gems and a higher quality ring for the same money, but something about natural Alexandrite seems exceedingly special. I wont be making any moves just yet as there is a international gem and jewelry show coming into town in 2 weeks and I figure I should give that a shot see what they have to offer. I'd appreciate feedback abotu my plans, opinions about that combination, etc

THANKS!
 
Hi RC,

I think you'll get more of a response over in the Colored Stones forum. If you're interested in having the topic moved, press the 'Report Concern' button for mod help.
 
I think having an alexandrite would be very special but I worry about it's durability for everyday wear. How about a color change / shift sapphire or garnet? They are pretty durable for an engagement ring. Dan Stair at http://www.customgemstones.com/ often has Montana Sapphires fairly reasonable priced. Good luck.
 
I think it would be ok for every day wear, it's an 8 on the scale I'm pretty sure. Is it the color change she likes or specifically that type of stone? If it's the color change, there are other stones like Marcy suggested that you could get a bigger size for the same or less price.
 
First off, I applaud your thriftiness and creativity! You can definitely get something pretty and unique for your budget that your GF will love, especially if she has the same value system as you. It's also good that you're being realistic.

Alexandrites should be plenty hard enough for everyday wear. More so than garnets for sure. Spinels, sapphires/rubies, and alexandrite/chrysoberyls are the way to go for colored gem engagement rings.

But.... have you and your GF seen alexandrite in real life? Most are not pretty. Make sure you find out about return policies before you buy that one.

Also, are you sure your GF is fine with such a small stone? Something that small will really not show off the color change properties of the alexandrite and will get lost in a setting. Even going up to 5mm or so would make a big difference.

There are a lot of cool bi-colored, color change/shift or otherwise interesting sapphires out there that would work for your budget and probably be more attractive in terms of size, cutting, color, price...

Marcy is right that Daniel Stair has a lot of very pretty and unique smaller color change sapphires up right now at very reasonable prices. You could even do a three stone with sapphires that each have an interesting but complementary personality. Why not email Dan and see if he has some really special?

I would suggest having an etsy seller (Daniel M, perhaps... but do a search on here for more) make you a very simple ring. Or else have Michael E source you a stock setting from Adwar or Stuller. I think the ring that you picked out is very pretty but it's often better to have the person who is going to be setting the stone order the stock setting for you. It streamlines the whole process and lets the setter order a setting that works with your specific stone. I would hate for you to buy a setting then bring it to a jeweler only to find that it requires significant (and costly) reworking in order to fit your stone.

I recommend Michael E because he is really good at setting colored gems, actually a rare talent, easy to work with, and reasonably priced. Michael E may also have some interesting sapphires as he cuts gems, too, so you might be able to do the whole thing through him, which would be great.

It's good you're thinking 8 months in advanced, because this process always takes a bit longer than you think it will... ;)

(ETA: a bunch. hit send too send)
 
D'oh! Sorry about that - I was thinking Alexandrite was 6 on the moh's scale.
 
Silly goose! Maybe you were thinking of Tanzanite hehe-half the time I have to google things b/c I'm a bad CS'er and don't retain the info I learn here.

I second Michael E. He cut some stones for me last year (one of which was a yellow chrysoberyl-the Alexandrite your SO likes is the color changing form of chrysoberyl), sourced the rough and everything. He's really knowledgeable and easy to work with.
 
Great advice guys, I'm going to look into all of that. Much obliged!

Edit: Those prices are great! Or maybe I've just been looking at Alexandrite prices too much

I just came across two Alexandrites, that are each about the same size as the one I've had my eye on, for about half the price. The color change isnt as good, and theres an option for a AIGS certification so I could find out if they are legitimate or not.

Heres 1: http://www.gemselect.com/alexandrite/alexandrite-276134.php
and Heres 2: http://www.gemselect.com/alexandrite/alexandrite-276136.php

If I got those, then for the same price of the single Alexandrite that I've got my eye on I could maybe do a three stone with those on either side of larger sapphire in the middle like this one:

http://www.customgemstones.com/SAPPHIRE/sa1436.html
or this one http://www.customgemstones.com/SAPPHIRE/sa1435.html

That would have some pretty cool color interplay on a sunny day don't you think? But I'm definitely no expert at matching up the colors and types stones though. What do yall think would go well together?
 
Have fun shopping RCRanger03.

Packrat :bigsmile:
 
Alexandrites are really hard to tell in person... If you have your heart set on one, you might want to find out the return policy and order a few and send back the ones you don't want. Do you live in a city where you might be able to see some in person to get an idea of the actual options?

I'm not sure how a sapphire would look flanked by two alexandrites. I think you'd have to line them all up together to make the call, which might work if you have a credit card and good return policy! :)

In terms of the three stones, the same applies, but vendors are your friend (in most cases). Email them and ask if they might recommend a suite of complementary gems.

I agree with packrat's agreeing with me... :) Your next step might be to email Michael E at Gemshoppe and tell him your budget, that you want the nicest sapphire (preferably color change) you can get and a stock setting with an antique-ish vibe (which seems to be what yo like?) for $1000ish and see what he says.

Did you see this one - http://www.customgemstones.com/SAPPHIRE/sa1306.html
The cut is very unique and might be very beautiful. On the other hand, it might be *too* unique for an engagement ring. Maybe ask Dan for more images and his opinion?

I don't know if you done this already, but you might want to browse jewelry stores to get a sense of what different sized stones and different setting styles look like.

Also, have you thought about antique rings? If there are antique stores in your area, check out what they've got. Some people are okay with diamonds if they are old, but you can also find sapphires and such. For example, here is a nice ring within your budget from Erie Basin - http://eriebasin.com/a_030ctvict14ky.html
Your GF, like me, might be blown away by a piece that's from the late 1800s!
 
How do you feel about cat's eye alexandrite? If you think she might like the cat's eye effect you could have a 3 stone ring made with these alexandrites (both vendors are reputable and well known on here):
http://www.thegemtrader.com/Sep 08 CEAlex Page.htm
http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=5743

There is also this color change sapphire I saw for sale on the same website as the pair:
http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=6116

ETA, here's another color change sapphire I've seen:
http://www.gemrite.com/cubecart/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=268

Hope this helps! :))
 
Have you seen any alexandrites in person? I've seen many and very few are actually pretty and with a good colour change - most of the time they just look like mud. Looking at the first stone, the way that you get the change to look like that is literally by holding a certain light source directly over it - this just doesn't happen in real life so the stone will generally look a mishmash of the colours and rarely a true blue or pink.

The second two stones are both poorly cut with big windows.

I'm sure LD will chime in soon as she's the resident alex guru round here and has a great collection of them.

Personally I would check out a colour-change sapphire. I have one that does the teal green to raspberry change and looks like a top class alexandrite at a fraction of the price and for a decent sized stone. I also have a colour change garnet from purple/blue to raspberry. To get the blue (which is a grayish blue not a bright blue) I have to take it outside on an overcast day and to get the raspberry I need to shine a penlight on it.

(Re blood diamonds, you're actually more likely to find a diamond that can be guaranteed to have been mined ethically than a coloured stone, and I say that as someone who collects and is obsessed with coloured stones).
 
The only reason I have my heart on Alexandrite is because it's her favorite gemstone (she talks about it all the time) and I know she would love the idea of having one in her engagement ring, but its true that I've never seen one in person (she may have) and would hate to end up with something that is generally ugly and only occasionally beautiful. There is a International Gem and Jewelry show coming into town and I guess that might be a place that I can get some first hand experience with one.

I am very interested in this high quality sapphire idea, but while the allure for her has a lot to do with the color change it also has to do with it simply being Alexandrite I think.

I do appreciate everything yall are doing to help and I'm trying to keep and open mind to the possibilities. I don't suppose yall could explain this "window" concept in layman terms, so that I could be a better consumer in the future.

Thanks again everyone!

Edit: Also I forgot to say while bigger is great, I don't want to go too big as she isn't the biggest ring fan in the first place (she doesn't own or wear any). So I was thinking of keeping the biggest stone on the ring whatever it ends up being at a carat or below, and just making sure what I was getting has extra High Quality
 
i have seen an alex in person with distinct color change and it was way over $1000........others i've seen were not spectacular re performance....

garnet is not suitable for 24/7 wear......

idea: you could get her an alex for a special anniversary.........

congratulations for starting early! you are indeed very wise to do so! going to the gem show is an excellent idea. also, the lighting may be ideal and not an example of real life lighting conditions. be careful as there are fakes and not all vendors are reputable. if you do decide to go the alex route, i'd recommend saving more $ and going smaller to get the best possible stone. for me the stone is more important than the setting. and as noted above, alex is not a great stone for 24/7 wear.........many of us take our color stone e-rings off when we're at home and only wear them when away from home.

good luck! have fun! there is so much to learn re color stones!

MoZo

ps
i don't even want to know how much this baby would cost: 3.12 Carat Alexandrite (Inventory # K0085)
http://rwwise.com/products/id%7C1547

its large for an alex and has very definite color change.
 
RCRanger03|1302538632|2893259 said:
I don't suppose yall could explain this "window" concept in layman terms, so that I could be a better consumer in the future.
Click to expand...

Sure, look straight at the stone so that the stone is not tilted at all. Can you see through any part of the stone? If so, then you're looking through a "window". Now all stones, with the exception of diamond, will show a window through the table, (the big flat facet on top of the stone), if they are tilted. Some more some less, but they all do it, so make sure when looking at the stone that it isn't tilted or you may get confused about whether you're looking at a window from poor cut or a window from tilting.
 
Has she seen real Alex herself, so she knows she likes it a lot? If they were super duper high end pieces that were really pretty/costly it might be a bit of a let down that Alex in the price range isn't quite so pretty. Also, before I came here I'd seen rings that had simulated stones in them (alexandrite, sapphire etc) and thought Oh wow those are pretty, I'd like to have one of those-but to have a real stone that looked like those simulated ones did would cost a whoooole lot of money, I found out when I started visiting CS, and they weren't huge stones by any means. And, not all sims are billed as such-a lot of the ones I'd seen I thought were real-tho I'm sure if I'd looked at the fine print I'd have realized maybe. But it gave me a false sense of what some stones (that I'd be able to afford anyway) really look like. Just a thought.
 
If you're OK with someone else sourcing the gem for you, I would definitely talk to Sally at Heart of Water Jewels. She made a gorgeous 14k two-tone ring for me with a 4mm alexandrite with excellent color change for about $500. The price of gold has gone up since then, so it will probably be a bit more, but still likely within budget. You may even be able to get a slightly larger stone or a more ornate setting (she designs her own settings and could sketch out something with you). If you link her to the setting you like, she could probably replicate it or at least come very close, as it doesn't appear to be very complex. She's very honest and puts a lot of thought into her work, which has an intricate and delicate style.

Here's her Etsy website (note that it's Thai lunar new year now, and she's taking a trip soon): http://www.etsy.com/shop/heartofwaterjewels

Finally, here's my alexandrite lotus ring from Sally:

il_fullxfull.81058469.jpg

il_fullxfull.81058804.jpg

alexprofile2.jpg
 
Oooooooooooooooo my favourite gemstone!

Okay first the bad news ................ (1) it's horrendously expensive (2) only the very best material has a colour change to make your heart go W :love: W (3) if you haven't seen one, it's dangerous to assume you'll love it! (4) poor material can be muddy looking and can look in daylight a horrible yucky green/brown. *shudders* (5) colour shift sapphires are just as durable and do shift in colour (rather than colour change) - there's a subtle difference in that alexandrites jumps across the colour wheel (red to green) but most sapphires shift to the next colour on the colour wheel i.e. blue/purple. Colour shift sapphires can be very expensive but your GF may find one that she likes if she's not set on a red/green change. BTW you will rarely see a pure "red" in an Alexandrite. Purple/pink yes, red not so often if at all.

Ok, now the good news .............. you've found Multicolour! David Weinberg is one of the worlds foremost experts in Alexandrite! He has a very very very good eye for them and you'll not find many people who can rival his knowledge with this gemstone. He will guide you through the buying process. I would NOT recommend you buy from anybody else because there are a ton of fakes/synthetics and dud stones on the market.

The one that you've linked to is incredibly pretty ........... but small. Is it worth it? Yes, if it's got the colour change in the photo and has an AIGS report AND a strong colour change then it's most definitely worth it. Also, Multicolour have an excellent returns policy. The other plus with Alexandrite is that it typically holds its value. Not many gemstones do but the good Alexandrites most certainly do although you'd really want to go over 1ct for that to be the case.

In terms of settings - David has a website with ready made rings and I know he can have settings made. If you emailed him the photo of the setting you like, I'm sure he could accommodate.

Is it ok to wear every day? Absolutely. No worries with these!

If you search under my name and Alexandrite you'll probably find tons of my photos of my collection. If you can't find them, give me a should and I'll either link you to some or post up photos again (always happy to share my Alexandrites)!!!

Lastly, please tell your other half that she has good taste (but expensive taste)! :lol: :shock: :wink2:
 
Here's an example of a window - basically if you're looking straight on to a stone and can see straight through the middle it's a window (i.e. poorly cut). Don't confuse it with a tilt window which you may see if you tilt the gem to an angle (see below for examples).

Photo 1 - windows (very bad ones)

Photo 2 - gem with tilt window

Photo 3 - the same gem head on and you can see no window

Tourmaline Wobito Snowflake Pink Tourmaline.jpg

Tourmaline Wobito Snowflake Pink Tourmaline 3.93ct.jpg

Windowing2.jpg
 
Hey guys so I stumbled across this piece over at Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/listing/70593742/100-natural-color-change-alexandrite

Its got a beautiful color change and is right about the perfect size, is already set, and falls perfectly into my budget. It sounds almost too good to be true. The thing that is really setting off my phoney radar is that he claims its a russian stone, which has me worried. I contacted the seller and he said tomorrow he would send me a scan of the appraisers certificate, which is supposed to be from Marie Williams a GIA graduate gemologist (I'll post it here when I get it). He also agreed to send it to an independent Gem Lab (on my dollar) for further verification if I wanted. So I was wondering, is this fishy? Would it be worth my time and money to pay for him to get a identification report? Which lab would I be able to have him send it to for the best price (GIA, EGL, AGL, AIGS?). All I really want to know if the stone is legitimate... Thanks

PS: I was looking at two stones today. One was .36 carats the other was .5 they both had within tenths of mm about the same length and width, but a full mm difference in depth for the 1/2 carat. I was wondering what exactly does added depth offer?
 
Re the ring on Etsy - these are the big warning signs for me:-

This beautiful solitaire Alexandrite ring is 14k solid white gold with a four prong setting and features a genuine Emreald cut .66ct earth-mined Alexandrite gemstone from Russia.The dynamic beauty of these gemstones is fascinating; they CHANGE COLORS. This one in particular is 100% color change, meaning it changes entire colors not just shades or highlights. It changes from purple-red in incandescent light to greenish-aqua in low light or non-incandescent lighting. Real Alexandrite color change stones are incredibly rare. This one in an emerald shape is one of a kind. Hand-set solitaire engagement ring comes with free appraisal certificate by a gemologist with the retail value of the ring. Perfect engagement ring for the girl who wants something different or unusua.

Ok, taking each point one by one .............

"...... from Russia" = guaranteed to be rubbish. Unless this gemstone has a lab report stating that it has the chemical composition typically seen of Russian stones then it's highly highly highly unlikely to be from Russia. The amount of genuine Russian stones on the market is minimal to virtually non-existant. You see this as a marketing ploy ALL the time. If I see this I run in the opposite direction.

"..... 100% colour change" = very few Alexandrites have 100% colour change. However, synthetics do! One way of separating a real Alex from synthetic is that the colour change will be strong and 100%! That's a generality but points you in a direction and starting alarm bells!

"..... emerald shape" = very very very few Alex are cut in an emerald shape. Granted this stone is small so it's not out of the realms of possibility but I don't think I've ever seen a real Alex cut into an emerald shape - cushion shape yes!

" .... free appraisal certificate by a gemologist with the retail value" = I'm not sure and hope our US friends can help here but I tend to take these sort of appraisals with a pinch of salt. A lab report is the only way to know whether this is genuine and so an appraisal isn't really worth the paper it's written on.

All of the above are warning signs. Nothing more than that but I just wanted you to be aware.

One last thing for you to remember is that it is IMPOSSIBLE to tell a real Alex apart from a synthetic without extensive lab testing. The tests you can do at home (if you have the equipment) or that an appraiser may have is unlikely to tell them apart unfortunately.

If you buy an Alex from anybody other than a recommended source I would most definitely get a lab report.
 
RCRanger03|1302630984|2894189 said:
I meant to link to the stones that I mentioned in my last post

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?511829852 (.36 carats, 4.91 x 3.38 x 2.67, $540) *AIGS certification*
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-1784658037 (.5 carats, 5.00 x 3.70 x 3.30, $750) *no certification*

She'll like both colors, and they'll show just about the same size right? I've almost over researched and I have so many options I'm doing my best to narrow things down.
Click to expand...

Ignore the depth. Look at the colour change and also the colour in both daylight and incandescent lighting. That's how you evaluate Alex. As it's impossible to truly appreciate the colours and colour change I would drop David an email and ask for his honest thoughts on both stones. He is honest and won't necessarily recommend the higher priced one. From the pictures the .5ct has a more pleasing daytime colour but a weaker saturation overall. The smaller stone is quite a dark stone so in daylight might not be as nice but the incandescent colour is gorgeous! It also has an AIGS report so you wouldn't have to buy one which is a plus. The fact that it has AIGS indicates to me that Multicolour thought enough of it to get a report. Both have a strong colour change which is what you want. Personally, it'd be a tough call for me also!

BTW as this is for an e-ring if you explain to David, I'm sure he will take more photos for you - perhaps on the hand - which may help you to choose.
 
Yeah thats what I figured about that ring, it definitely seemed fishy even to my untrained eye. Thanks for confirming my suspicions I think I'll keep looking elsewhere.

Thanks for the suggestion I just sent him and email with my situation.
 
The person selling the Etsy ring offered to lower the price to $800 grrr making it so tempting... and all the more fishy

That color change garnet is gorgeous, thanks for sharing! I'll definitely keep my eye on it.
 
minousbijoux|1302676996|2894792 said:
HI RCR:

Have you seen this? http://www.finewatergems.com/garnet.html While its not an alex, it sure looks like a beauty of a stone...and precision cutting to boot!
Click to expand...

Just my 2 cents but that garnet is very very dark and the colour shift moves to a dark colour also - these gems are not difficult to find. This is not a great example (with much respect to Finewatergems).

RCRanger - $800 for a synthetic gem or one that is missold is $800 too much! Don't be tempted by price - go for quality. Like a new car, immediately you drive it out of the garage it will drop in value whereas a well chosen Alecandrite can (if you choose well) hold it's value.
 
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