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Help finding a Teal stone for engagement ring

J

jfallon83

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 2, 2013
Messages
1
Hello Everyone,

First, I'd like to say that I am a complete jewelry newbie, but I have been hanging around this site and the forums for about a week now and cannot believe the enormous wealth of information here. For the most part, everyone seems genuinely helpful and it looks like y'all have created an amazing online community.

I have been searching and gathering information for about 6 months for my girlfriends engagement ring. She does not want to help pick it out, but has given me some interesting criteria and hints to help me. The most perplexing part of this search has been for the center stone. She does not want a diamond, even a colored diamond as the center piece in the ring. She doesn't mind diamonds around this center stone. She wants it to have a lot of color. 6 months ago, when I originally started looking, I had decided on teal but being as I was a completely inexperienced, I did what most guys do. I went to the Mall and Shane Company and was told that there are not very many teal colored sapphires and they would not likely get any in stock.

So, I gave up on that and starting searching for pink which is another favorite color of hers. Then about a month ago her Mom did me the favor of mentioning to me that she doesn't really want pink because she already has so much pink jewelry (she has a lot, and I already gave her most of it) and wants something unique to this occasion. Then I came stumbled upon this thread here:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mozambique-paraiba-tourmaline-in-leon-mege-french-cut-ring.151081/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mozambique-paraiba-tourmaline-in-leon-mege-french-cut-ring.151081/[/URL]

That is the most beautiful piece of jewelry I have ever seen and I will not stop until I can give my girlfriend the teal-ish stone that I think is as beautiful as her. So, I'm back on the hunt.

Only, I don't know where to look. I've seen many Neon Apatite stones, but I'm told they are too soft for rings that will be worn everyday. I would like something that is natural and will not loose its color over time and I'm told that both Zircon and Topaz in these colors are almost always treated to get their color and can fade or shift colors. As far as I can tell, this leaves me with a teal tourmaline or sapphire. I live in North Atlanta and cannot find any local jewelers who carry anything like what I am looking for and am very apprehensive about spending so much money online with as little knowledge as I have.

The setting that I have picked out has a halo and can accommodate a round stone that is between around 6 to 7mm, maybe a little larger. Because of the halo anything other than a round stone would not look right.

Any ideas or help getting me pointed in the right direction would be extremely helpful. Also, if I have gotten any of my facts wrong, please correct me, like I said, I'm completely new to this.

Thanks,
Jim
 
You should be able to get a teal coloured Montana sapphire from online vendors. It will not be a bright blue green but a darker true teal colour though. A paraiba tourmaline is out of budget for regular folk, zircon and topaz are not good options for 24/7 rings, and tourmaline is bound to be chipped when worn as an e-ring. I can tell you that adding the requirement of a round that must be 6 to 7 mm is very limiting, even for online sources.

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

Alexandrite can be blue green and is durable enough for 24/7 wear but they are expensive and extremely rarely round.

sapphire_montana_287_a.jpg
 
One thing you might consider are man made diamonds. I can't talk about them in this thread, but If you're curious about the concept there is a MMD sub forum where people are free to discuss the idea, and love to do so.

Just another idea. .

Other than that, im not much help....I'd maybe look for a spinel?

http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/SPL1920.htm
 
Teal is a great color. I sometimes see some very nice teal sapphires around. GL!
 
The way I see it, you have three options:

1. Sapphire. Probably the cheapest, mid-difficulty in finding, probably the least good color although there are some pretty sweet ones out there. You may or may not be able to find the size and shape you want - it really depends on how long you're willing to wait and how many cutters you're willing to contact.

These two have already been sold but imo are pretty nice teals:
http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=6680
http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=6695 (there was a thread with irl pics of this - it is much more turquoisey in those pictures. I tried to buy it but someone beat me to it by MINUTES. And then has not posted a million pictures to PS, for which I will never forgive them until they do.)

2. Paraiba Tourmaline. Definitely the most expensive and most difficult to find, but the best color IF you find a great one. I saw that Vance Gems had a nice one around the size you want recently - it was a 6x8 pear (approximately, judged by me looking at it), shallow and windowed but with good color, iirc around $20k. Vance frequently has nice rare gems so he'd be a good one to contact if you want to go this route. I don't have their email address written down but maybe somebody else does. You will not even remotely be able to stick with your shape/size requirement here - you'll pretty much have to go with what you find, unless you want to wait years.

(If you would be satisfied with a non-paraiba tourm, there are some bluey-greeny options that are nice for significantly less. But they'd be less durable than sapphire so I'd just go with sapphire.)

3. Irradiated blueish/tealish diamond. Middle of the price range (still way, way cheaper than paraiba), easiest to find, nice color and sparkle, will definitely be able to get the size/shape you want easily.
 
Another vote for Alexandrite, if you are willing compromise on shape that is... Honestly I think you are doing things backwards by picking the setting first.
 
GregS|1364930474|3418728 said:
Another vote for Alexandrite, if you are willing compromise on shape that is... Honestly I think you are doing things backwards by picking the setting first.
Click to expand...
This I agree with. There are lots of options out there for setting and seems like fewer for teal stones. I'd find the best teal stone you can then worry about finding a setting to fit.
 
A third to the advice above to get the stone first, then the setting. The most common shape for coloured gemstones are ovals, followed by cushions (rectangular are more common than square), then rounds.
 
I agree with the advice that you are making a difficult search even more difficult by restricting the size and shape of the stone-- I also wanted a round stone for my engagement ring, and we got it, but it was a very long search (9+ months), and I didn't have such a small mm-range that I was willing to accept.

You didn't post a picture of the setting you want, but there are many, many good quality halo-style ring manufacturers, and it's pretty likely you could get one/ get one made to fit your stone. I've seen Engagement Rings Direct (here's an example: http://www.engagementringsdirect.co...n-micro-pave-engagement-ring-bpid-228-18.html) recommended a lot, Ritani settings (here's another example with a lovely split shank: http://www.ritani.com/engagement-ri...amond-engagement-ring-in-14kt-white-gold/6114) are also well-viewed, and both are supposed to be pretty reasonable on a budget, and I believe either option can be made to fit your stone.

Speaking of budget, about how much do have plan to spend on stone and/ or setting? It'll make it a lot easier to make recommendations or find suggestions for you if we know about how much you can afford.

I think your best bet for finding exactly what you want (if you want to stick to what you've stated in the original post) would be to ask Dana at Mastercutgems if he's got anything that will fit into your specs. I think his teal sapphires are the nicest that I've seen being sold in recent memory, and he might have a stone or a re-cut or some rough that might be able to fit into your specifications.

Gemfix does have some options, but I've got to be honest: a lot of their current teal-ish Montana sapphires right now I don't think are really great (many are gray-ish, which I don't think looks good with teal sapphires-- sapphires with a purple tint, IMO, are better able to look nice in poor lighting with a gray tint. I've seen teal sapphires that go gray in bad light and it is not a very appealing transformation, IMO). They've got some minty green ones that I find appealing, but that's not what you want (and not the right shape either).

I also think some of the treated diamond or MM options that can't be discussed in this section of the Pricescope forum might be a good fit for her color taste, but only you know why she doesn't want a diamond, and her opinion should be respected.

Unfortunately, I don't think it's possible to get a sapphire that will ever look like a Pariaba tourmaline-- there's a reason they are so highly priced and prized! Teal sapphires can be very beautiful, but in a different way than a Pariaba. I wouldn't want to go with a tourmaline for an engagement ring, though, especially if she intends to wear it all the time or is even slightly clumsy. Apatite is definitely too fragile for an e-ring, and I'd say the same (to a lesser extent) for Topaz and Zircon, but it still can be done, the stone might be damaged quickly though.

I hope this helps!
 
Yeah, there is nothing like the windex blue-green of a paraiba tourmaline. They cost a pretty penny and are quite impossible to find.

Is this in your budget?
http://www.micropave.com/index.php/rings/diamond-and-paraibas-ring.html
It's not exactly a traditional engagement ring, but rare is the woman whose jaw would not hit the floor upon being presented with it. It isn't huge, but it packs A LOT of punch. For a Leon Mege piece with some diamond firepower and windexy teal stones, it's actually an amazingly good deal.

Is THIS in your budget:
http://www.micropave.com/index.php/rings/r5798-galaxytm-paraiba-cab-with-micro-pave-and-black-sapphires-ring-by-leon-mege.html
It, too, is an amazingly good deal. You'll have a hard time doing any better for any less.

Even if you do go for one of these, my only concern is that she would have to handle with a lot of care if she wants to wear tourmalines everyday. Can you imagine shelling out all that $$$ for a stone that is essentially irreplaceable that could chip or even break? I think that the the cabochons in that Leon rings might be a bit heartier than normal faceted stones, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

Really, the only stones that are suitable for everyday use for 50 some odd years are diamonds, corundum (ruby and sapphire), chrysoberyl/alexandrite, and spinel.

You won't find a sapphire in that windex shade, but I think you can find a blue-green stone that is very pretty, very durable, and not ridiculously high priced or impossible to find. I would start by looking at all the vendors in the sticky above. Feel free to e-mail them, too, as most don't have their entire inventory listed.

Montana sapphires often come in a blue-green. They tend to be a bit more gray and "steely" than sapphires from other regions, but to me, that's part of their charm and part of what makes them identifiable as a Montana sapphire. Plus, I personally think it's cool to have a gem from North America (as I am American). Here are some nice, quite reasonable priced ones:
http://www.mastercutgems.com/preview.php?cat=294&id=6678
http://www.mastercutgems.com/preview.php?cat=294&id=6679

This Madagascan one is described as an "intense light teal color":
http://www.mastercutgems.com/preview.php?cat=251&id=6825

FWIW, I think Master Cut Gems' pictures often do not do the stones justice. You ALWAYS have to see the stone in person, so make sure you work with someone with a return policy. Usually the opposite is the case: the stones look worse IRL than in their photos.

Alexandrites are really cool and would the bill, but attractive natural ones are almost as hard to find as paraibas, no?

What about a vanadium chrysoberyl? They are a minty blue-green:
http://www.thegemtrader.com/Mar12VChrysoberylPage.htm

I have seen teal spinels like the Jeff White ones Niel posted. Also totally doable. You just gotta look. Be careful against ones that are too dark.
 
I am looking for a teal stone as well, and am seriously considering an alex, but I would not recommend it to someone prioritizing a bright teal. He is going to be paying a lot for a colour change that he is not actually after, and their teal tends towards being slightly grayish. Not that he can's get a decent teal, but I think it would be easier to find a good teal in a spinel or sapphire than finding a round alex with a strongly saturated teal of the size he wants. No matter what, the colour he is after with paraibas isn't going to be an option, but I have seen some very lovely blue-greens in sapphire and spinel. The main problem is that they tend to grey in incandescent light. Finding one that doesn't will be the hard part.
 
Euphony|1364944192|3418896 said:
I am looking for a teal stone as well, and am seriously considering an alex, but I would not recommend it to someone prioritizing a bright teal. He is going to be paying a lot for a colour change that he is not actually after, and their teal tends towards being slightly grayish. Not that he can's get a decent teal, but I think it would be easier to find a good teal in a spinel or sapphire than finding a round alex with a strongly saturated teal of the size he wants. No matter what, the colour he is after with paraibas isn't going to be an option, but I have seen some very lovely blue-greens in sapphire and spinel. The main problem is that they tend to grey in incandescent light. Finding one that doesn't will be the hard part.
Click to expand...
I agree, I have a Brazilian Alexandrite with a strong color change but it's daytime teal is only ok, definitely not in the same league as a Paraiba Tourmaline. However, I've heard Indian Alexandrites have a very pleasing daytime color. I love the color of this Indian Alexandrite...
j2w_yax625aa.jpg
Really nice teal Sapphires pop up time to time but they get snatched up quickly. So finding one could be frustrating.
 
I agree that that pear looks fantastic for daytime colour. It is only a moderate colour change so would need some looking into, but I had personally been quite taken with it nonetheless while I was searching. If the OP doesn't mind pears, it would be worth considering for sure.
 
velouriaL|1364940030|3418852 said:
http://www.micropave.com/index.php/rings/r5798-galaxytm-paraiba-cab-with-micro-pave-and-black-sapphires-ring-by-leon-mege.html
Click to expand...

I think this one will be an excellent choice even though it bumps above the halo quite a bit but the fact that it is a cabochon means there is less risk of chipping.


Jim,
It will be very helpful to know your budget at this point as we don't know if we are suggesting options that are too high or in your price range.
 
If you are looking for a true Teal then I wouldn't go with Alexandrite. Very few of them have the blue component that would tip them into the teal range and when they have they don't stay looking that way 24/7 due to the colour change.

This is what I would say a lovely Teal looks like and you're most likely to find this in a Tourmaline or an Apatite. However in Tourmaline this will be expensive and difficult to find. In Apatite it will be easy BUT it's such a soft stone that it's not suitable for every day wear.
 

Attachments

LD, that is the perfect shade of teal!!! I think that is the shade many of us blue/green lovers strive for...at least I know I am :Up_to_something:

OP good luck...I am not sure I have any good advice as far as what type of stone you can select as many of the ones I have looked at for myself are also the softer stones (zircon, apatite) that are not suitable for everyday wear so depends on how tough your lady is on her jewelry.
 
I've just had a thought. Would you be open to a cabochon? If so, you could actually get a Paraiba that may fit the bill. It's unusual for an e-ring but hey, I quite like that! Although not Teal coloured there are others in the link below that may work.

However, please note that the Paraiba in your first link is NOT teal.

http://www.paraibainternational.com/products.php?category=3
 
For reference, this amazing cab Paraiba, to be auctioned at Sotheby's HK:

"Centring on a cabochon paraíba tourmaline weighing 32.69 carats, flanked on each side by a half moon-shaped diamond together weighing approximately 2.15 carats, decorated to the shank by circular-cut diamonds together weighing approximately 2.40 carats, mounted in platinum, signed. Ring size: 6" Estimate for the ring (whose setting I don't like) $167K - 193K.



"Accompanied by AGL report numbered CS 50348, dated 29 June 2012, stating that the 32.69 carat paraiba tourmaline is natural, of Brazilian origin, with faint to moderate degree of clarity enhancement."

Photos can't depict the glow well, but I don't see what I'd want to for that price. IRL must be better.

_5127.jpg
 
Have you ever looked at a Bekily garnet? I have one that is teal with flashes of red and purple. It's similar to an alex but not quite as expensive and not quite as saturated/dark. (it changes colors too in different lighting)
 
I really dig the cab idea, but for e-ring, unless a cab was specifically requested, proceed with extreme caution.
 
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