Newbie looking for colored stone

[elizaloo]

Hello all - longtime lurker here who needs some professional opinions!

I am interested in having a custom split shank trellis ring made by DanielM (think Natsplat's Tourmaline ring). I've been looking at lots of stones online and am having a crisis with all the choices!

I can't decide between a pink/cranberry type color (afraid that it will look too brown/dark when set)? Or a blue/purple stone (don't mind dark in this color).

I've trolled all the recommended sites and even contacted a fellow PS member in search of a great stone.

Probably looking around 2ish carats for the center stone, $$$ probably up to $300. Any ideas/suggestions would be SO welcome at this point.

Thank you, I'm inspired every time I visit this site and I'm ready to jump into custom jewelry with both feet.

 

[chrono]

Hi and welcome to PS / CS.

A pink or cranberry coloured stone will not necessarily be dark if you don't get one that is dark toned. In this case, it is all about tone (light, medium, dark). The same goes with blue or any other hue, they can be light, medium, dark or in-between.

Can you define what 2 ct means to you in terms of mm size? Each gem variety have different densities so some might be 7 mm and another might be 8 mm. Secondly, I presume you are looking for a round stone? $300 might be a bit of a challenge for a large stone but in certain gem types like garnets are still doable. Sapphire is a definite out unless you don't mind a diffused stone. This will be an occasional wear ring stone, correct?

 

[mercoledi]

Just as Chrono said, a well cut raspberry stone in a medium tone will not turn dark or murky when set. About a year ago I had one of Barry Bridgestock's pink garnets set into a ring for my mother-in-law. She never cleans it (ever!) and it's still candy pink and throws nice flashes.

For raspberry I would say a pink tourmaline if you can find a nice one or a similar garnet:
http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=57&idproduct=4276
http://www.precisiongem.com/Gemstones/Gemstones/rapidcart/redgarnet.html (my fav)

Or for something darker red, this is cheap: http://diamondbistro.com/category/2...76mm-Pure-Red-Cushion-Garnet-(no-orange).html

For a blue or purple in a larger size you're probably looking at a spinel. There are a few on the resale websites this week that might work:
http://loupetroop.com/listings/loose-stones-colored-gemstone/five-nice-gems-for-150-dollars
http://diamondbistro.com/category/234/Spinel/listings/32425/Big-Barry-blue-spinel.html

Have fun looking

ETA: I see I've confused my red berries, sorry about that! Cranberry is kind of a tough color, but garnet is still probably your best bet. Tourmaline is more often a softer color or tends toward a very dark pink.

 

[elizaloo]

Hi and welcome to PS / CS.

A pink or cranberry coloured stone will not necessarily be dark if you don't get one that is dark toned. In this case, it is all about tone (light, medium, dark). The same goes with blue or any other hue, they can be light, medium, dark or in-between.

Can you define what 2 ct means to you in terms of mm size? Each gem variety have different densities so some might be 7 mm and another might be 8 mm. Secondly, I presume you are looking for a round stone? $300 might be a bit of a challenge for a large stone but in certain gem types like garnets are still doable. Sapphire is a definite out unless you don't mind a diffused stone. This will be an occasional wear ring stone, correct?

Thank you for the welcome and the reply. Ok, I see what you mean about tone, I was looking at a cranberry colored stone that seemed sort of brown in the picture and the tone was definitely darker. As far as what 2ct means to me, I guess I'm not that concerned about specific mm. The tourmaline that Natsplat used was 8mm I think and that size seemed perfect. It all seems like a steep learning curve when I look at stones and think "OOOOH that one is pretty" but as far as settings, and how it will fit..ugh, I have no clue.

I asked Dan about using a cushion cut instead of round and he was amenable to that so not specifically a round. Sapphire being out is ok with me, I'm partial at this point to inexpensive! And yes, occasional wear ring.

 

[elizaloo]

Just as Chrono said, a well cut raspberry stone in a medium tone will not turn dark or murky when set. About a year ago I had one of Barry Bridgestock's pink garnets set into a ring for my mother-in-law. She never cleans it (ever!) and it's still candy pink and throws nice flashes.

For raspberry I would say a pink tourmaline if you can find a nice one or a similar garnet:
http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=57&idproduct=4276
http://www.precisiongem.com/Gemstones/Gemstones/rapidcart/redgarnet.html (my fav)

Or for something darker red, this is cheap: http://diamondbistro.com/category/2...76mm-Pure-Red-Cushion-Garnet-(no-orange).html

For a blue or purple in a larger size you're probably looking at a spinel. There are a few on the resale websites this week that might work:
http://loupetroop.com/listings/loose-stones-colored-gemstone/five-nice-gems-for-150-dollars
http://diamondbistro.com/category/234/Spinel/listings/32425/Big-Barry-blue-spinel.html

Have fun looking

ETA: I see I've confused my red berries, sorry about that! Cranberry is kind of a tough color, but garnet is still probably your best bet. Tourmaline is more often a softer color or tends toward a very dark pink.

Thank you for the links - All those stones are beautiful; I know it's a common inexpensive stone but I'm really attracted to Amethysts. The spinels are very pretty too. I think I've decided to go with a purple/blue colored stone. I do enjoy looking and I guess I just need to make the leap and buy something.

 

[minousbijoux]

I think you could do a lot worse than an amethyst, especially one of the higher quality, really saturated stones that has the blue/red flash. I'm not knowledgeable about amethyst, but if you read the threads here on amethyst - and there have been a few lately - you'll see examples of different kinds, including those with the red/blue flash. I *think* those that have it are often from Uruguay, Zambia and, what has been discussed a lot lately, Jacksons Crossroads (JXR). If you do a search, you should see some beauties.

 

[wordie89]

second that. Dana at Mastercut Gems had some gorgeous, saturated, red flash ammies. They sold but maybe you can ask him to keep an eye out for you. This is such a fun project for you and I hope you enjoy it. You'll get lots of suggestions and guidance from the nice people here.

 

[chrono]

Can't go wrong with a good quality amethyst; well priced for such a pretty stone. I think in general, they are underrated because of all the pale ammys and synthetics in the market. Once you've seen a fine ammy, you won't think of them the same way again. Sometimes the Preloved section or DB might have some. For new, contact Dana or Brad (the Gem Trader).

 

[elizaloo]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions - I will be keeping an eye out at the suggested sites and if I find anything that excites me on another site I'll post it here for opinions. Can't wait to get started!