Opinions needed! A project (and some of my sketches) . . .

[AustenNut]

What size (mm) are you interested in for the gemstones?

 

[RockHuntin]

Ma re: Thanks for the tip about moonstones. Truth be told, I haven't seen one in person yet; I'm now curious to check out some jewelers in the area to see some. I agree that the play on the blue would really be something. For that reason, I'm also going to keep chalcedony in the running (if I can find one with lively bluish glow).

Chrono: I'm still intrigued by halos; I don't know if I mentioned it earlier, but the .75ct is a bit funny in cut (deep so it looks more like a .65ct, and off-round - not oval, but chubby). That makes bezeling a bit less cost-effective than I had hoped. A halo with prongs (either round or slightly cushioned) might define the shape nicely. I had the .20s taken out of the YG and they do face up whiter now; in the process I "discovered" a cloud that was previously hidden by a prong. I guess its no big deal, since its going to get covered up again with either a bezel or a prong.

Cushioncutnut: Thanks for stopping by my thread! The design options are (almost) endless; some great PSers suggested that I start by looking for a gemstone(s) that I'm really drawn to, and go from there. I think its a great idea, and the process will give me much more exposure to gemstone options; I'm going to stop by some jewelers this week or next week to see some in person.

AustenNut: That's a great question. Since I'm still a novice, its hard for me to say a range of mm/carat weight for the gemstone(s). Do you have any suggestions? My sketches are pretty close to scale in terms of the diamonds. I am leaning towards the following shapes for the center gemstone (in no particular order): emerald cut, pear (faceted or cabochon) cushion, asscher, briolette (long and slender).

I going to try to post a picture of the three diamonds to show what I am working with. I took some pictures using my prehistoric digital camera and a loupe; most were horrible, but I might be able to salvage one pic out of the lot. I used incandescent backlighting in a room with very little sunlight, but you may see some faint bluish action in the larger diamond.

 

[RockHuntin]

Here is one picture I was able to salvage; I can''t tell if you can see the faint glow of the center diamond in the less-than-ideal lighting conditions.

 

[ma re]

In case I haven''t mentioned, at www.gemstone.org you have a lot of fun and informative articles about gemstones, great for newbies (lots of photos too). It might help you in choosing gemstones, as there are (for example), some historical connotations with certain varieties as well as legends and lore about them, so you might find some interesting stories or symbolism that you and mom might find interesting. It could point you in the right direction.

 

[RockHuntin]

Thanks, Ma re! That was a great resource - I spent some time looking through it and know it will help me with this project - its really fascinating to explore the wealth of information on gemstones, as well as all the pictures, and legends! I'm enjoying the process a lot, and am very happy I found out about Pricescope!

On that note, I want to wish everyone a very happy New Year! I hope 2010 brings all of you happiness, peace, good health, and prosperity!

 

[ma re]

Two more:

www.suwagem.com - website of a jeweller that has articles online, which are part of the owner''s book about gemstones. Very useful, not just for choosing gems, but with coming up with a design too. Tons of stuff to read, one of my favorite resources.

http://www.palagems.com/quality_4cs.htm - what makes (and what doesen''t make) a great gem; one of the best articles on the subject, very useful.

 

[RockHuntin]

Thanks, Ma re! So sorry for the delayed response - the year started off busy. Those websites are great resources - they will definitely help develop my better understanding and appreciation of gems!

I did stop by some jewelers in my general area and checked out a moonstone as well as some sapphires, tourmalines, aquamarines, rubies, citrines, heliodores, chalcedony, spessartites, and some other gems. The moonstone I saw was already set in a necklace (they didn''t have any loose ones on hand); I must say, the moonstone looked pretty darn cool - as a gem, it will definitely work if I decide to go for a serene transparent blue glow.

Since I happen to like the look of a diamond halo, I thought I would look into getting one for my .75ct diamond. I figure it works with lots of my designs, and enhances the diamond nicely; it also lets me play with scale, proportion, and contrast. I mentioned my little project to three jewelers and got the impression a diamond halo in 14kt white gold would run me between $700-1,000 for between 1/10 - .25ctw of diamonds in the H/I and SI-1 - I-1 range.

I wasn''t sure if that was reasonable (haven''t bought enough to know), so I got the idea that I might be able to find a small diamond circle, and have a basket or head mounted into the center for my .75ct. Well, I was walking through a department store today looking for rubber-soled sneakers to wear with a suit (a peculiar purchase - a whole other story) and found a .25ctw diamond circle necklace in 14kt white gold in their jewelry department; it features 10 round brilliants. I had my .75ct on hand, and after asking permission, tested it out. It "floats" right in the center of the circle. I bought it on sale and figured I would take it to a jeweler to do a sanity check.

I found a mom and pop jewelry store with some goldsmiths on staff. Because the center of the circle is pretty small, they suggested using a four pronged head rather than a basket. Based on what they described, I estimate that the diamond would sit about three or so mm above the circle. I was quoted about $150 for the task. So, the total cost for this part of the project, including both the diamond circle and the mounting/labor, would be around $510 - is that reasonable?

I will to post some pictures of the circle on its own and with the diamond in the center to get your opinions on my idea.

 

[RockHuntin]

Here is a pic of just the circle diamond pendant.

 

[RockHuntin]

Sorry - that was enormous (and blurry).

 

[RockHuntin]

Here is a pic of the .75ct sitting in the center of the circle pendant. Let''s see if this goes better(?)

 

[chrono]

The picture of the expected final result looks pretty good although $510 seems a little expensive. Perhaps labour is more expensive where you are? The 4 prong WG peg head should be around $100 or thereabouts.

 

[oddoneout]

I like A and C. If you stick with all diamonds then it matches everything and you don''t have to worry about your mom''s taste in coloured stones.

 

[oddoneout]

I see you''ve gone with the halo idea. I think the stone looks great in that setting. By the way it''s very sweet that you''re giving the diamond to your mom. Also all your jewelry ideas/designs are amazing.

 

[Harriet]

I like the chalcedony ones. They''re more unusual.

 

[RockHuntin]

Hi there, Chrono: I was thinking the combined cost might be a tad steep - the necklace cost $360 on sale, and the labor/mounting work was quoted at $150. Maybe I am going about this the wrong way. In terms of a desired goal, I would like my deep .75ct face up a bit larger by blurring its boundary with a halo of diamonds. If I can''t accomplish this, I could try a halo with an air-line (or just skip the halo). I checked out LOGR, but they don''t seem to have many pendants as of now, and I prefer the look of a slide rather than a bail. On another note, I haven''t been active much in the past week or so, but wanted to mention that you have an amazing spinel ring! Congrats!

Oddoneout: Thanks for the kind words! It''s my first design project, and the process has been a great learning experience (thanks to all the great PSers!)

Harriet: I do like the cool subtlety of the chalcedony. I also had the chance to see a moonstone in person, and was quite impressed. They are both definitely still in the running.

 

[chrono]

Now that you’ve explained it this way, the pricing seems more reasonable. I did not realize you’ve factored in the cost of the necklace (and halo) into it. And thank you for the compliment on my new spinel ring.

 

[Gypsy]

What colored stone did you decide on. At first I loved H, then I loved a ton more as the thread progressed. Can't wait to see the final product.

 

[RockHuntin]

So sorry for the delay; unfortunately, I haven''t made any progress with the project. I''m taking a huge exam in exactly one month and have been dedicating all my free time toward studying.

Pricescope is a great outlet when I need a break, so I may post sporadically over the next month. Once the exam is out of the way, I will be able to dedicate much more time and attention to the project.

On a random note, it seems lots of people have acquired variations of yellow, brown, green, or gray diamonds; I''m very intrigued by these hues. Can anyone recommend an online retailer? or suggest a retailer to avoid?