Newbie studs for jackets?

[tuckie]

Hello CS gurus!
I am dreaming of getting the stunning IDJ 3pt diamond jackets and gathering a collection of lovely 5mm CS studs in a few colors to wear with them. Ideally I'd start with sapphires and something in a true green, perhaps Tsavorites?
So far though I'm only seeing unique precision cut masterpiece stones or Blue Nile stones of who-knows quality. How would you go about finding some nice quality stones for studs?

Side note: if it were you, what stones would you most want to put in jackets?
Thanks in advance!

 

[marymm]

I know GemFix has some 5mm round pairs of sapphires.

Jetflair on etsy has a beautiful pair of 5mm round Rhodolite Garnet studs.. I think they're in set in silver but she also sets in gold. She probably has a variety of colored gemstones in 5mm round pairs - it'd be worth checking with her as to what she might have available once you narrow down your colors or gemstone preferences

And I had bookmarked YennyFire's thread about 5mm cabochon studs in her IDJ diamond jackets (I think Yuketiel set the cabochons for her) - https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cabachon-studs-idj-5-pt-jackets-a-lovely-combo.175870/ - I really love the look of cabochons next to the diamond jackets - I'd maybe go with Amethyst, and I do wonder how Sleeping Beauty turquoise cabochons might look.

I think you'll have a lot of fun finding different colored gemstone earrings to wear with your IDJ jackets!

 

[chrono]

Certain pairs might not be as easy to find since you are looking for only rounds of 5 mm. Blue sapphires will be easy, tsavorites less so. High quality pairs are harder to source than commercial quality. There will not be a single vendor so you'll have to browse around a bit. I've been shopping for pairs for a while but am not limited to shape or size which makes it easier. I don't set out for a particular colour either; I keep looking until I see good quality pairs. If not too fussy, mineralminers and Paraiba International are good options.