Ideas Please!

[sjz]

Ok, this is something I am just tossing around in my brain. I am big Fighting Illini basketball fan, and this year has been HUGE for them. My husband is also among the Illinois alunmi. I was thinking of having rings custom made for us in Illini blue and orange. I thought about center stones of sapphire, with some kind of orange gemstones and diamonds as side stones. The rings would be set in yellow gold. What gemstones do you all think would look nice? The orange sapphires are pretty, but sooooo expensive. I can''t think of any true orange gemstones other than that off the top of my head. Anyone else have any ideas?

 

[sjz]

Date: 3/30/2005 2

6:12 PM
Author: crankydave
Mexican fire opals are orange, just not as durable. Created Padparadscha aren''t overly expensive. Have you considered enameling. You might want to check with Feydakin about a logo type idea.

Dave

Not a fan of enamel jewelry. I wasn''t thinking logo per se, either. I mostly wanted a ring in the Illini colors. Everyone in Champaign wears a LOT of orange and blue, not just now, but all the time. Mexican fire opals are very pretty, I''ve seen some examples. Where can I find the created Padparadscha Sapphires? I have only been able to find the natural ones, and they are way expensive! What I have in mine for my ring would be a center stone of blue, maybe around one carat or so in an oval shape, surrounded by some type of orange stones, maybe interspersed with small diamonds (or not). For my husband, I was thinking a square shaped blue stone with orange trilliants on either side. I''m sure this sounds icky to everyone else, but orange and blue really do look pretty together, and it''s worn all the time in my neck of the woods. People even paint their cars orange and blue...I kid you not!

 

[Matata]

How about garnets?

 

[Matata]

Or citrine. Assuming you want orangey orange or browish orange rather than pinkish orange.

 

[sjz]

Date: 3/30/2005 4:49:58 PM
Author: crankydave


I''m very familiar with your area.

GO ILLINI!

Dave

Thanks, Dave!!!!!

 

[sjz]

Date: 3/30/2005 4:25

8 PM
Author: Matata
Or citrine. Assuming you want orangey orange or browish orange rather than pinkish orange.

It''s called ILLINI orange ''round these parts, ma''am

 

[belle]

i agree with matata, you could probably find a nice orange spess garnet

that would work. you could also consider blue spinel for the center

now, on to other business....congrats on your team making it to the final four!!! how very exciting!! will you be in st. louis? i was fortunate to be able to go to games in every round of the tournament thusfar. and in a crazy coincidence, watched your next opponent, louisville play all of their games. i'm still picking illinois all the way!!

 

[sjz]

Belle,

Unfortunately, I won''t be going to St. Louis for the game this weekend

. I would have liked to go, we don''t live that far away, but my little guy has pneumonia! He''s been pretty sick for several days, and I''m trying to keep him out of the hospital if I can at all help it. But I will be watching on TV and probably yelling my head off at the TV!

Thanks for the stone suggestions. This is just an idea that I''m cooking up in my addled little brain. My husband thinks it would look nice. I might have to get out my colored pencils and start drawing up some sketches!

 

[sjz]

Date: 3/30/2005 7:57:59 PM
Author: crankydave

Date: 3/30/2005 6:58:41 PM
Author: sjz
Belle,

Unfortunately, I won''t be going to St. Louis for the game this weekend

. I would have liked to go, we don''t live that far away, but my little guy has pneumonia! He''s been pretty sick for several days, and I''m trying to keep him out of the hospital if I can at all help it. But I will be watching on TV and probably yelling my head off at the TV!

My thoughts and well wishes for your ''little guy''

Dave

Thanks again, Dave. He is six years old, and this is the second time in his life already that he''s had pneumonia! I''m hoping he''s ready to turn a corner and get better already. He started getting puny late last week, and kind of crashed over the Easter weekend. Here he is when he''s feeling good, a happpy-go-lucky little boy if I ever saw one.

 

[jellybean]

Hey! I''m a U of I alum too!

In fact, I used to work at Assembly Hall as an usher when I was a student. That was such a fun job! I got to see all the basketball games and concerts for free! I should say I was paid to usher! I started after the year after they last went to the Final Four (1989) so they still had a pretty good team.

I am banned from watching the games b/c every time I watch they do bad! Last Saturday I had my husband yelling play by play to me as I was giving my 2 year old and 1 year old a bath! They were both running around naked as I was watching the last seconds of overtime!

I hope your little boy gets better soon! I''m a pharmacist and it''s been a nasty winter. I''ve seen quite a few kids w/pneumonia. I thought for a while my son had it but he didn''t. We had his birthday party a week ago and he had on Illini colors.

 

[Patty]

sjz, I hope your little guy feels better soon!

My husband will be at the last game Monday. We are rooting for Illinois!

I have a friend coming in town from North Carolina with 3 of his friends to go to the games. It should be a fun weekend!

Your ring idea sounds like it would be a lot of fun...Now that''s school spirit!

 

[belle]

Date: 3/30/2005 6:58:41 PM
Author: sjz
Belle,

Unfortunately, I won't be going to St. Louis for the game this weekend

. I would have liked to go, we don't live that far away, but my little guy has pneumonia! He's been pretty sick for several days, and I'm trying to keep him out of the hospital if I can at all help it. But I will be watching on TV and probably yelling my head off at the TV!

Thanks for the stone suggestions. This is just an idea that I'm cooking up in my addled little brain. My husband thinks it would look nice. I might have to get out my colored pencils and start drawing up some sketches!

sjz,

sorry to hear your little one has pneumonia, that is no fun

i hope he gets better very soon!

ps..he is adorable!!

 

[sjz]

Thanks for the good wishes, everyone. I think my son is better. Still coughing, but so far no fever today! Yay! I''m keeping him home from school for the rest of the week. He''s only in Kindergarten anyway, and I think by next week he''ll be good to go. It was pretty much a matter of finding the right antibiotics. We had to try three different ones before we found one that seemed to work.

 

[ame]

I work on the landing and there''s all sorts of crap going on down here for that. We have big GO ILLINI signs up in our office.