Help for Alexandrite newbie - teeny side stone advice?

[RingRingRingRingRing]

Hi! I need some advice. I'm a newbie to pricescope and have been reading a bunch of all the great info you all have on here. A lot of collective knowledge! I have very little fine jewelry and really appreciate this resource.

I am thinking about something like the ring below (which I understand someone on these boards originally designed and others have also added their own twists to!)

Where the red stone is, I was wondering about using Alexandrite. What do I need to think about/be aware of?

It would be 1.5 mm stone.

This may be a dumb question, but would a stone that size, bezel set like that, show color change? Can you find stones that small that have the color change element to them?

Also would it be nuts to have the bezel (just for that stone) be rose gold?

Is this a silly use for Alexandrite or a bad idea? If so, suggestions on what might be nice for this purpose (aka a bezel set accent stone in rose gold)?

Thanks.


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[Rfisher]

I don’t think it’s a silly use for alexandrite nor a bad idea.
if you like the look of the stones, that is.

Whether or not they show the color change will depend heavily on the stones themselves and their quality.
Bezel probably might darken them a bit - buy lighter than what you want to see.

does the ring vendor let you source them yourself? If not - I’d spend the extra money to see them in person before they are set. To approve.
I think there’s benefits and pitfalls on both sides of self sourcing /setting vendor sourcing them.

If you want to lookie looo - both Yvonne Raley and Multicolor should have them. If you are serious about buying them outright - I’d contact them directly first before just purchasing two random stones from them.

 

[autumngems]

I think it would be too small to show a real color change that would be noticeable, just my opinion.

 

[Rfisher]

I recently got engaged, I wanted one of Yvonne Raley's rings as my engagement ring. It's untreated alexandrite and untreated purple sapphire, in 14k white gold. These stones are very hard and will stand up to daily wear. I have been in love with alexandrite for a long time, and together with sapphire, the color (in daylight) resembles my favorite flower, Doritaenopsis Kenneth Schubert (a kind of orchid).

LED flash from camera


candlelight (tea candle!)


black light, it flouresces!


I have not been able to capture the daylight color, but it's stoplight green instead of the lime-y green of LED light. She listed the color change as "not strong", but frankly, it mesmerizes me.

The outer stones in this ring are 2mm I believe. So they are larger, but I think the effect would be pretty on either side of a 5 stone.

subtle. But pretty.

 

[RingRingRingRingRing]

The outer stones in this ring are 2mm I believe. So they are larger, but I think the effect would be pretty on either side of a 5 stone.

subtle. But pretty.

Wow. That is really awesome! Thanks fior sharing the picture. It makes me want to do it even more.

 

[RingRingRingRingRing]

I don’t think it’s a silly use for alexandrite nor a bad idea.
if you like the look of the stones, that is.

Whether or not they show the color change will depend heavily on the stones themselves and their quality.
Bezel probably might darken them a bit - buy lighter than what you want to see.

does the ring vendor let you source them yourself? If not - I’d spend the extra money to see them in person before they are set. To approve.
I think there’s benefits and pitfalls on both sides of self sourcing /setting vendor sourcing them.

If you want to lookie looo - both Yvonne Raley and Multicolor should have them. If you are serious about buying them outright - I’d contact them directly first before just purchasing two random stones from them.

Thank you--super helpful. I don't know as far as sourcing myself vs having them do it? I haven't tried designing a ring before. I found Yvonne on etsy by googling. But googling "multicolor" obviously brings up a ton of hits. What is Multicolor?

 

[Rfisher]

Oops. Misspelled..
Multicolour.

 

[Voodoo Child]

I think it’s a great idea! Even small Alexandrites can show stunning color change. The problem you will run into is finding a matching pair. You can have two stones that look identical in the daylight but one turns a deep reddish purple in incandescent light and the other one a light pinkish purple. Finding two stones that match can be done, but you might have to hunt around a little bit.

 

[Voodoo Child]

Here is my wife’s pair of Alexandrite studs. You’re going to want to find something similar.

 

[RingRingRingRingRing]

I think it’s a great idea! Even small Alexandrites can show stunning color change. The problem you will run into is finding a matching pair. You can have two stones that look identical in the daylight but one turns a deep reddish purple in incandescent light and the other one a light pinkish purple. Finding two stones that match can be done, but you might have to hunt around a little bit.

Thank you! That is really helpful to know. I also just saw some color changing garnet and am now also considering that...

 

[RingRingRingRingRing]

Here is my wife’s pair of Alexandrite studs. You’re going to want to find something similar.

Those are beautiful!