Help creating the perfect custom E-Ring

[Fillipe]

Hello PriceScope!

I've been lurking these forums for quite some time now, reading and trying to grasp the enormous world of rare stones and all of the beautiful things made from them. I feel really overwhelmed sometimes with the amount of possibilities of engagement rings and stone combinations, sizes, clarity, weight, window, etc.

So with all of this in mind, I'm looking for advice and thoughts about my idea of an engagement ring, if it's doable, steps I have to take, recommendations and so forth. I really think that these forums are a great place for this since the community here is so helpful and caring, hopefully I'm in the right place.

My girlfriend's grandmother gave her engagement ring to my girlfriend 20 something years ago, her grandma was really really dear to her (as all grandma's are) and this ring is really cherished by my girlfriend. The issue I see is that this ring is really small and really petite, so I was looking to basically duplicate the ring design but make it a bigger with a bit more material and a bigger stone.

I have an album with decent quality pictures (still potato quality by today's standards) which will hopefully illustrate the ring and design I want to duplicate, it can be seen here: http://imgur.com/a/GpTTW#0 (note: on each image, you can go to action > view full resolution).

My girlfriend does not want diamonds on her engagement ring but she was interested in the Sapphires and Topaz, she doesn't have a preference in color either. Now, all of this is very strange to me as most woman like diamonds, so I don't know if she's saying this because of how expensive diamonds can be (for me anyways) or if it truly means she doesn't want them, story for another day I guess. What I really would like to see in the ring is a pink or blue sapphire, I just done know how it would be added to the ring. Prongs? Bezel? Tension? I have no idea. I also don't know how well a darker blue would look if the ring was a bezel type with most of the stone "inside" of the ring.

So I was hoping you guys would help me out with some ideas for the ring and if can be done. My budget is $2500-$3000 and I would really prefer to keep it in the lower end if possible, but if it's absolutely necessary to go over budget to make it a perfect ring, I'm willing to do that. I was born in Brazil (but have been living in the states for 25 years) and I wanted to incorporate a Brazilian stone if possible (the Paraiba is gorgeous but out of my price range), any suggestions on a Brazillian stone that could potentially find its way to this ring? Also, she prefers white gold or platinum. Sorry for the long post, there's much more I'd like to say (and give back stories of) but I don't want to bore you all to death. Thanks again everyone.

 

[chrono]

Why duplicate it? Why not have a ring that is different? The reason she loves it could well be due to the sentimental/emotional attachment knowing that it was her grandmother's ring. Duplicating also likely means going custom, which will eat up a good portion of your budget. Since you know she likes sapphires, let's start with that. Try to find out which colour she likes best because they come in all colours of the rainbow, not just blue and pink. There is tourmaline and beryl from Brazil but they aren't meant for everyday wear. Alexandrite is costly.

 

[dk168]

Have a look at the antique-inspired semi-mount settings from Diamond Zone, a vendor listed in the "List of Vendor for reference", their eBay store: http://stores.ebay.com/MyDiamondZone?_rdc=1

To avoid going custom as mentioned in Chrono's post, I would probably find a stone first, then look for a stock setting in DZ.

Have a look at the items on sale at Mastercutgems, as I can see some spinels and sapphires are still available, like these two:

http://mastercutgems.com/preview.php?cat=318&id=8428

http://mastercutgems.com/preview.php?cat=318&id=8491

Good luck with your search and ring buying process.

DK

 

[VirginiaZee]

Maybe check out some of the sapphires at Westview Gems too. http://www.stevorocks.com/

There are some pink and yellow sapphires (mostly native cut, but they look decently cut) from Gary at Finewater Gems. http://www.finewatergems.com/sapphire.html

There's also a blue from Precision Gem here: http://www.precisiongem.com/rapidcartproPG/index.php?product/page/108/gem-1587--blue-sapphire That would eat up almost all your budget, but you could set it in a solitaire and then upgrade the setting later.

 

[Fillipe]

Thank you all for the replies, I finally talked to her about this in more detail and I think I was going toward the wrong direction. She prefers a thicker ring (like a 3mm band) instead of a ring that would be hollow inside, I guess she likes heavier rings.

We went out looking for a reference setting at various jewelry stores and I think I found exactly what she wants, so I'll probably end up just getting the setting I found. Now it's time to find the stone, she loved the blue sapphires, so I just gotta find a 1.5-2ct blue sapphire. She prefers the cushion cut but I think the princess or asscher would also be okay.

Here's the setting I was looking at: James Allen. I really like the round cut on this ring but she insists that round isn't her thing, so I'm leaning towards cushion or princess, what do y'all think?

 

[chrono]

Good thing you talked to her about her preference! If she wants a cushion, get her a cushion. Asschers and princess are very rare and may need to be custom cut, which means more $$$. Check out the link below as a starting point to see what's available and pricing.
http://www.gemfix.com/sapphire_blue.html

 

[SparkliesLuver]

Hi, Fillipe!

I know this is going to come from left field - and I have no idea how your girlfriend is with her rings - but I have to throw it out there. What about a paraiba cab? The 3mm band would look great with a cab, and together the two would still be within your budget, especially since you can usually deal a little with Adam. Just a suggestion! I'm off to look for sapphires now ...

http://www.paraibainternational.com/product_info.php?product=4374
(I'm sure the experts will tell you/me if something like this would work with a stock setting, so stay tuned)

 

[chrono]

A cabochon is best set in a special setting for cabochons, which looks different than a faceted setting. It can be done with a regular prong setting but it will sit up higher, needs extra long prongs and may not fit as well.

 

[SparkliesLuver]

I kinda figured that might be the case. Oh well!

 

[carmen1]

Thank you all for the replies, I finally talked to her about this in more detail and I think I was going toward the wrong direction. She prefers a thicker ring (like a 3mm band) instead of a ring that would be hollow inside, I guess she likes heavier rings.

We went out looking for a reference setting at various jewelry stores and I think I found exactly what she wants, so I'll probably end up just getting the setting I found. Now it's time to find the stone, she loved the blue sapphires, so I just gotta find a 1.5-2ct blue sapphire. She prefers the cushion cut but I think the princess or asscher would also be okay.

Here's the setting I was looking at: James Allen. I really like the round cut on this ring but she insists that round isn't her thing, so I'm leaning towards cushion or princess, what do y'all think?

Glad you clarified with her before going too far! I think you should be able to get her what she wants, which sounds like a cushion cut blue sapphire in a simple solitaire setting, within in your budget. You may want to further inquire about her preferred shade of blue, but in the meantime here are some places to begin looking:

http://www.gemfix.com/sapphire_blue.html
http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=8201

 

[SparkliesLuver]

This might work ...

http://www.finewatergems.com/sapphire.html
(about halfway down the page)

 

[minousbijoux]

While I agree with the other posters, I just wanted to give you a shout for being so sweet as to recognize the symbolism of Grandma's ring and having the thought to replicate it in some way.

 

[PieAreSquared]

...We went out looking for a reference setting at various jewelry stores and I think I found exactly what she wants, so I'll probably end up just getting the setting I found. Now it's time to find the stone, she loved the blue sapphires, so I just gotta find a 1.5-2ct blue sapphire. She prefers the cushion cut but I think the princess or asscher would also be okay.

Here's the setting I was looking at: James Allen. I really like the round cut on this ring but she insists that round isn't her thing, so I'm leaning towards cushion or princess, what do y'all think?

Whatever you choose, keep in mind that a setting made for a 1.5-2ct diamond is not necessarily going to fit a sapphire of the same weight.
With colored stones, always go by the mm dimensions!
Best wishes to you both.

 

[Fillipe]

While I agree with the other posters, I just wanted to give you a shout for being so sweet as to recognize the symbolism of Grandma's ring and having the thought to replicate it in some way.

Thank you. The real reason I wanted to replicate it was because this ring was giver to her by her grandma to be used as her engagement ring (keeping it in the family kind of deal) but it's too small, I think she would have loved the idea if I went that route as well, but she just fell in love with the solitaire settings we saw and didn't care much for the rings that weren't fully solid.

Whatever you choose, keep in mind that a setting made for a 1.5-2ct diamond is not necessarily going to fit a sapphire of the same weight.
With colored stones, always go by the mm dimensions!
Best wishes to you both.

Oh? So how should I go about finding a stone millimeter-wise that would fit this? I was looking at some of the sapphires offered by James Allen's website, is it safe to assume that they would fit if they're being offered? If you don't mind me asking, why would it fit a diamond but not necessarily a sapphire of the same caret? Is there that much of a difference in density?

 

[chrono]

A sapphire is denser.
1 ct round diamond = 6.5 mm
1 ct round sapphire = 6 mm

With cushions, you also have to consider the ratio. Not only that, there is no one set of ideal proportions for sapphires so it could be deep or more shallow, making it face up smaller or larger depending on the cut. This is the reason why you should consider the mm size and not just the carat weight. Two different 1.5 ct cushion sapphires could look very different in size. Sometimes a 2 carat stone could look like a 1 carat stone and vice versa due to the cut.