Help me Find Some Bright Gemstone Earrings for $600!

[Jambalaya]

Spring is here and my thoughts are turning not to lust but to some brightly colored chunky semi-precious earrings! I've tried to find some that fit the criteria but they are all designer brands and therefore really expensive for semi-precious. I like the gumdrop design of the ones below, but the ones pictured range from 1.8k to 4.5k. (Except the second pair down, which were $800 by Blue Nile but that was about three years ago, and they are long discontinued.) I'm thinking more like $600, $800 at a push. They will be fun semi-precious earrings so I don't want to spend much on them. And I don't think that semi-precious stones should cost thousands.

Although I like the gumdrop design best, really I'd like any style but in a combination of purple and green, or pink and green, or pink and yellow. Or purple and yellow. The color combo is the most important thing. No diamonds required. So perhaps peridot and amethyst, or peridot and pink topaz, or lemon quartz and pink topaz.

Does anybody have any suggestions? I'd be so grateful!

 

[Jambalaya]

I also think that these earrings below from Blue Nile are a bright spring-like color combination, but they are almost 1.3k and not exactly what I want, although I like the fact that they are different. But it's too much money for a pair of earrings that are mostly just for fun.

Anything similar to this would also be good, though. I'm after bright and unusual color combinations. Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[chrono]

Have you considering "building" your own earrings by buying the stones and then setting them in off-the self calibrated settings, which your local jeweller can join to a gum drop design? Come over to CS where many will happily help you spend you money. Oops, I meant, help you make your dream earrings come true.

 

[AGBF]

Have you considering "building" your own earrings by buying the stones and then setting them in off-the self calibrated settings, which your local jeweller can join to a gum drop design? Come over to CS where many will happily help you spend you money. Oops, I meant, help you make your dream earrings come true.

Great idea! I bought several stones on ebay in the past and had them made into rings. Using settings that are are already made is a great option!

Deb

 

[Jambalaya]

Great idea! I'm no deisgner and I've never seen these gumdrop earrings so am not sure of the proportions, but hey - proportions-shmortions! I'm not going to a grand ball. I just want some spring earrings in a fun, semi-clashing color way!

I found this pair of matching peridots on AJS Gems. What do you think of these for a start? Only one measurement is given - I guess they're both the exact same size, then.

If you think these are good, I might buy them as a start. Then I just need a pair of pink or purple stones!

http://www.ajsgem.com/gemstones/peridot/peridot-3.84-carats.html

 

[Jambalaya]

What do you think of this combo? Peridot trilliants on the top and pink topaz on the bottom.

The peridots are 7mm and the pink ovals are 10mm x 8mm, although the trillions look bigger in the pics below. Do you think this would look OK? Or should the pink ovals be the next size down, 9mm by 7mm? I have no feel for design.

The total for the four stones is $166. Do they look OK?

http://www.africagems.com/calibrated-mystic-pink-topaz-oval.html

http://www.africagems.com/calibrated-peridot-trillion.html

 

[Jambalaya]

Chrono, what are off-the-shelf calibrated settings? Just ordinary claw-settings?

 

[Jambalaya]

Or do you think the pink oval would look better with these peridot ovals, which are 8.9mm by 6.9mm? (Logo blocked out.) So the larger pink ovals would go on the bottom and the smaller green ovals on the top. But what size pink ovals? Honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing!

If I chose the two ovals, I can see that in the gumdrop designs above, a diamond is used to fill the "gaps". I was thinking of filling these gaps with 2mm round amethysts. Then they'd be pink, green, and purple. What do you think? http://www.africagems.com/calibrated-amethyst-round-a.html

 

[chrono]

Are you in the US? If so, I would stick with US based vendors if you need to return them. AfricaGems is a good vendor but too pricey. Off the shelf means something your jeweller can just order based off a Stuller catalogue inexpensively and put together for you.

 

[Jambalaya]

I think I'm preferring the trilliant with the oval below. Probably easier to set than the ovals with the gaps filled by the amethysts.

 

[Jambalaya]

Hi Chrono, I'm in the US. Do you think $166 at Africa Gems is too much for the four stones - 2 peridot trillions and 2 pink topaz ovals? Seems pretty good to me compared to the prices of the other earrings! They seem to have the best selection.

 

[chrono]

Are you okay with the fact that the pink topaz is coated?

 

[Jambalaya]

C-coated? No! I'm doing this in a rush while attending to my work so no, I didn't notice that. This is why I really prefer to buy off the rack! Thanks so much for pointing out the enhancement!

 

[chrono]

I saw the word "mystic" which coupled with topaz = coated. Just as one does not rush to buy diamonds, one should also not rush to create CS earrings. You really should bring this over to the Coloured Stone forum. The ladies (and occasional gent) there love to help.

 

[Jambalaya]

Since bright pink stones seem to retail at a premium, perhaps I'll do the 7mm peridot trilliant on top of an amethyst square, like this one: http://www.africagems.com/calibrated-amethyst-antique-square-a-dbl-checkerboard.html

 

[Jambalaya]

I saw the word "mystic" which coupled with topaz = coated. Just as one does not rush to buy diamonds, one should also not rush to create CS earrings. You really should bring this over to the Coloured Stone forum. The ladies (and occasional gent) there love to help.

Perhaps I'll ask the mods to move it. Thanks for all your help, Chrono!

 

[Jambalaya]

I've asked for this thread to be moved the CS forum. I never thought of building my own or else I'd have posted there!

I think bright pink gemstones are going to be out of my price range, so now I'm thinking of these peridots to go on the top and these amethyst ovals on the bottom. I know that you said to stick with US vendors, Chrono, but the peridots are only $75 for the pair.

Peridots: 8.9mm x 6.9mm
Amethysts: 10mm x 8mm

http://www.ajsgem.com/gemstones/peridot/peridot-3.84-carats.html
http://order.store.yahoo.net/yhst-71585368631737/cgi-bin/wg-order?catalog=yhst-71585368631737

Any thoughts?

 

[Jambalaya]

I'm thinking of going a bit larger, which would mean amethyst on the bottom and lemon quartz on the top, because pink and green stones in larger sizes become expensive.

Lemon quartz 9mm x 7mm
Amethyst 11mm x 9mm

http://www.africagems.com/calibrated-lemon-quartz-oval.html
http://www.africagems.com/calibrated-amethyst-oval-a.html

$168 total.

Any thoughts? This pairing would be like the first pair posted, which are Kiki McDonough and cost about $1.8k

 

[aviastar]

Stuller might have these types already made up, too. Browse through the site and the. Check with your local jeweler for pricing:

Www.stuller.com

 

[VRBeauty]

Gem hut is another place to look for calibrated colored stones: http://www.gemhut.com/gemidx.htm.

 

[Jambalaya]

Thanks, VR. I looked at their website. It's got a lotta stuff!

Aviastar - thanks for the Stuller link!

If I want pink stones, that's more expensive because it seems pink tourmaline and spinel are among the higher-priced stones.

So, I'm thinking pink amethyst - which is one of my favorite stones. I've looked at AJS, Africa Gems, Gem Hut, and some random suspects from the pinned Respected Vendors list, but I didn't see any pink amethyst. Does anyone know a good source for this? I think peridot and pink amethyst would look good. I'm looking for ovals of about 10 x 8. Thanks for any help!

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I think there might be a problem with the pink amethyst in as much as the color saturation will not match the peridot. It may be too light--not gumdrop at all. I would stick to the purple ammy. You can use white zircon as a white diamond substitute if you want to use a sparkly stone somewhere in your design. It is natural and sparkles like a diamond. Good luck.


Annette

 

[minousbijoux]

Make sure that the pink amethyst are not coated/treated. I suggest that because this is the first time I've heard of it.

Other places to try: perhaps Gemselect or Multicolour. They often seem to have lots of pairs and smaller stones of various qualities. Also, there was a thread here a year or so ago where someone put together colored stone stud earrings for under $100/pair and they were gorgeous as I recall. She worked with etsy vendors.

 

[chrono]

I don't think there's such a thing as pink amethyst, at least not natural untreated ones. Really light amethyst will be a pale purple, known as Rose de France.