My Red Spinel!!

[Matata]

MINEMINEMINEmine -- pant pant -- after months of searching, we finally found the stone for my engagement/wedding ring -- now all I''ve got to do is narrow down my favorite 50 settings to 1

 

[bar01]

Very Nice!

Details ? Size?

I was just reading about Spinel on the new AGTA consumer web site. According to the site - in the past people were unable to tell the difference between Ruby and Spinel. While Rubies have gotten the attention – spinels are much more rare and a better value.

Congratulations on choosing such a beautiful and rare colored stone for your engagement /wedding ring.

 

[strmrdr]

awesome!
yummy :}

 

[spinel]

Beautiful color. The stone seems very clear. How long was your search and price? spinel.

 

[Matata]

Hi Spinel,

I started looking at stones in late May. Saw some beauties some of which were too large, some too small, and quite a few did not have the zoning and saturation I was hoping to find. My stone does have a visible--what my jeweler calls "characteristic" but I call inclusion--on the underside and I almost rejected it for one that was eyeclean. Then, I realized that I liked the inclusion -- it looks like a fleck of gold and is not typical of inclusions found in spinel.

Weight is 3.24 carats; price $7290.

 

[Jennifer5973]

Wow--I can't wait to see the finished ring...

what a fabulous idea--and a juicy stone! Cherries Jubilee, anyone?!

COngrats! Please post ring soon!

 

[spinel]

Thank you matata. The price you paid is encourageing

(for me). That is a truly beautiful stone, very hard to find. spinel.

 

[innerkitten]

I love that spinel. Where did you buy it? What type of setting will it be in?

 

[innerkitten]

Spinel, Is your avitar a spinel that you own?

 

[spinel]

Yes Innerkitten, it is my own stone I have it cut from rough and took the photo myself. Still in my collection box. spinel.

 

[AGBF]

Not bad, Matata!!! Where DID you get it? (And if you post your 50 choices for settings maybe I will find one I can use for MY spinel...which remains unset. I promise I will choose from among the 49 settings you reject so as not to copy you ! .)

Best of luck!!!

Deb

 

[luvmysparklies]

I love it! Beautiful color! Oh, I can't wait to see how you set it. May I ask what the measurements are? Congratulations!

Luv

 

[innerkitten]

Spinel, It has a bit of gold in it which I think is very pretty.

 

[spinel]

Indeed, it's color is special for a spinel: reddish orange, 1.87ct. I like the stone for it's brilliancy. Somehow included. spinel.

 

[Matata]

Folks have asked where I bought the spinel: From a local jeweler and dimensions: don't know but I'll post them when I get the stone back from the appraiser in a couple of weeks.

AGBF, I'd love to share some of the settings I've saved pics of but I keep having the most awful time getting pics to post here. Some pics post w/no problem; for others (from the same file, I keep getting messages about incorrect URL or some other such stuff. It's driving me crazy.

 

[AGBF]

----------------
On 9/14/2004 7:51:20 PM Matata wrote:




AGBF, I'd love to share some of the settings I've saved pics of but I keep having the most awful time getting pics to post here. Some pics post w/no problem; for others (from the same file, I keep getting messages about incorrect URL or some other such stuff. It's driving me crazy. ----------------

I wish I could see them, Matata, but I will settle for a good shot of the setting in which you place your own spinel! No excuses will be accepted for failure to post THAT photo!!!

Deb

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

A reddish yellow or gold is a bit tricky.

Colors all come in shades of the rainbow.
They can be lighter or darker in tone, and they can be more or less saturated.
But the base hue or color must relate to a position on the rainbow (except for dichroic and trichroic colors -2 and 3 diff colors at once. They only come in polarizing minerals - and spinel does not - it is monochroic).

So the color can be red to reddish orange, or orange to yellowish, but not reddish yellow.
Padparasha (spulling?) is reddish (pinkish) orange - a rare color in nature.

 

[Cave Keeper]

Surprisingly, reddish-orange is one of the most common color that can be found in natural ammolites.

Some ammolites may display all seven colors of the rainbow. Quite a few display 3 colors such as red/green/blue. The colors of many ammolites may change when the angle of lighting or viewing is changed. Some ammolites may change color drastically from red to green.

----------------
On 9/22/2004 8:07:36 AM Garry H (Cut Nut) wrote:

:
Colors all come in shades of the rainbow.
:
But the base hue or color must relate to a position on the rainbow (except for dichroic and trichroic colors -2 and 3 diff colors at once. They only come in polarizing minerals - and spinel does not - it is monochroic).

So the color can be red to reddish orange, or orange to yellowish, but not reddish yellow.

Padparasha (spulling?) is reddish (pinkish) orange - a rare color in nature.----------------

 

[Matata]

Ok, I think I've solved some of the photo-post problems....If I'm lucky, I'll post 3 settings that I'm considering for the spinel. I'm using these as concepts only...I like certain aspects of each. This one caught my eye because I love the rose gold with the red stone. I'd like to be able to use a few diamonds in the setting.

 

[Matata]

East-west setting. I'm not too crazy about the ribbing on the band though.

 

[Matata]

I can't get the one I like best to post. Will keep trying.

 

[Matata]

I can't believe I finally got this to post. This is the Boone ring that gave me the idea for setting the spinel on an angle. I want a low basket setting, a less thick band and some diamonds thrown in for a bit more bling. Sorry to keep bumping this up. I meet with my jeweler next Thursday so if anyone wants to chime in and offer setting ideas or opinons, I'd love to hear 'em.

 

[katbadness]

Matata,

The last design you posted reminds me of Liz Tyler's design.

Such as this...

----------
And here's a version with diamonds..

----------

There's more designs like this on her website.
You just have to keep on clicking "Next"..

 

[katbadness]

And J. A. Bevacqua.

 

[valeria101]

Not much here - you will definitely find lots of the sort browsing the AGTA awards of the past few years and the designers' websites:

 

[valeria101]

My winner would be the black & white sketch by Cornelius Hollander... with the two accent diamonds and all

 

[Matata]

Wow! Thanks katbadness & valeria. I've forwarded some of the pics to my jeweler to add to the idea file. I'm really liking the designs where the metal swoops around the stone.

 

[katbadness]

----------------
On 9/30/2004 11:30:46 AM Matata wrote:





Wow! Thanks katbadness & valeria. I've forwarded some of the pics to my jeweler to add to the idea file. I'm really liking the designs where the metal swoops around the stone. ----------------

The Mark Schneider one is really cool (with the diamonds on the shank), but I'm very into flowy design... so my vote is for a ring that combines Mark Schneider + Liz Tyler... then you've got yourself a winner!

P.S. There is a Swiss artisan whose design sensibility may appeal to you, Matata. He has a few of his sketches on his site.. I have to find it again, though... I'll post when I found it.

 

[AGBF]

I have no ideas to post, but wanted to let you know I am following this thread and enjoying the settings. I especially like the first one (in rose gold) Matata posted and the one with the blue stone by Liz Tyler. If there are to be diamonds I prefer side stones of the same shape to the graduated strand of them inthe Liz Tyler "Gold Assymetric" setting.

 

[katbadness]

----------------
On 9/30/2004 11:34:38 AM katbadness wrote:

P.S. There is a Swiss artisan whose design sensibility may appeal to you, Matata. He has a few of his sketches on his site.. I have to find it again, though... I'll post when I found it.

----------------

Ok... I found it.

The Swiss gentleman's name is Hubert Heldner. And his website is: http://www.free-form.ch/.

These 2 designs may work with your stone:

These 2 pics came from this page.

And I think I should stop now..

lest I'm inundating you for more of the same design ideas.