orange and blue

[lavatea]

What do you think of these two stones put into a ring together? Are either or both of them too dark (I''m thinking bezels)? Is it going to be terribly noticeable that the garnet is larger? And if it is noticeable, will it look wonky or would it be ok?

garnet #599
spinel

 

[FrekeChild]

Yes it will be noticeable. I had two spinels (pink and lavender) that I wanted to put in the same ring. The pink was 5.2mm and the lavender was 5.5mm. The lavender overpowered the pink big time when they were next to each other. These stones are 5.9mm and 6.77mm, and to me that is a huge difference. Then again, it depends on how you set them. So, what are you thinking?

Also, I''d say that spinel is probably going to be too dark to bezel, but if you like that it''s dark, you like it. Having said that, you could ask Barry if he has more rough that is similar.

I think that if the stones were two different shapes it would look intentional, but with the slight difference of almost 1mm, it''s probably going to look like you were trying to match sizes and didn''t hit the mark...

 

[FrekeChild]

What about this garnet instead? Link

 

[FrekeChild]

Or this one? Link

 

[ma re]

You can also get one of those "genuine" orange-blue ametrines that are sold all over e-bay and have both colors in the same stone

Just kidding, those are fakes of course. In theory, you could find a bicolor tourmaline that has a combo of orange and blue, but it would probably take a loooong time to find one and it could be quite expensive. I don''t know if there''s a stone that could change colors from orange to blue, but I wouldn''t be surprised if some of them do. Of course, changing between two nice colors means megabucks, but it would be an interesting way to combine the colors you''re after. Or how about getting an opal who''s main color is blue, but has noticable flashes of orange? Can be found quite affordable. Or you can mix dominican (blue) amber with the regular orange(ish) one, and all you need is to find someone who could string you those two in a necklace or a bracelet. You can also try alternating carnelian and lapis. But I sense you''re pretty much set on faceted stones.

The spinel you found would probably be too dark to bezel, but if you would bezel only the garnet (and prong set the spinel) maybe you could balance them out. Also I''d think about using two different colors of metal (yellow or rose for the garnet, depending on your preference, and white or yellow for the spinel - just an example), joined together at the palm side of the finger. Would make for a very interesting design.

 

[chrono]

I do not recommend having the two set together:
1. Yes, the size difference is going to be obvious when set next to each other.
2. The colour contrast of light and dark will make that size difference appear even greater
3. The spinel, when bezeled, will appear even darker, probably might even end up blackish since it is quite dark to begin with.

 

[Gailey]

Orange and blue can look fantastic together, if you have the right shades of both. But it isn''t just about getting the colour right, it''s proportions too.

Flick through Stephen Avery''s work and you will see how a master does it.

 

[T L]

I don''t think those stones are going to show up as orange and blue, but more like black and brown.

 

[vinkalmann]

Date: 5/6/2010 2:59:14 PM
Author: Gailey
Orange and blue can look fantastic together, if you have the right shades of both. But it isn''t just about getting the colour right, it''s proportions too.


Flick through Stephen Avery''s work and you will see how a master does it.

Wow, those are some beautiful combinations of stones and color he has going on there

 

[lavatea]

Freke, I like the color of the second stone you linked very much. I really want a little bigger, though.

Thanks for the responses so far. You guys confirmed my suspicions about the stones being too dark.

 

[Indylady]

Are those your school colors? I think there was a poster that was a Gator recently who made an orange and blue engagement ring for his girlfriend.

 

[Indylady]

Date: 5/6/2010 2:59:14 PM
Author: Gailey
Orange and blue can look fantastic together, if you have the right shades of both. But it isn''t just about getting the colour right, it''s proportions too.


Flick through Stephen Avery''s work and you will see how a master does it.

Gailey, you know how to make my heart skip.

 

[lavatea]

Date: 5/6/2010 8:17:47 PM
Author: IndyLady
Are those your school colors? I think there was a poster that was a Gator recently who made an orange and blue engagement ring for his girlfriend.

Yeah, they are. I would be happy with just a nice blue stone, but that would require a larger stone. And I''m having trouble finding ones I like (and can afford) regardless of size. There seem to be plenty of orange stones that I like and can afford. But I just can''t see myself wearing a ring with just an orange stone every.single.day. I''m just not that in love with orange.

Maybe I should expand my budget for the stone (or stones) even if that means I will have to wait on setting it...

 

[Stone Hunter]

What about a 3 stone ring. The center could be blue and the side stones orange. Or center of orange and side stones blue all depending on what's cheapest/easiest to find in the larger size.

HTH

ETA: Gem 599 is 6.77 mm which is a very good size for a center stone.

 

[lavatea]

What do you think of this tourmaline? It''s not exactly orange, orange, but it''s a color I think I could wear everyday without cringing. Lol, I sound like an orange hater. I really don''t hate it, I promise.

Would a tourmaline hold up well to daily wear? Would this stone be ok bezeled?

 

[ma re]

Date: 5/7/2010 1:49:14 AM
Author: lavatea
What do you think of this tourmaline? It''s not exactly orange, orange, but it''s a color I think I could wear everyday without cringing. Lol, I sound like an orange hater. I really don''t hate it, I promise.

Would a tourmaline hold up well to daily wear? Would this stone be ok bezeled?

Not really, you''d need to be quite careful with it. In fact, the only orange stones I can think of that would be OK for daily wear would be imperial topaz ($$$), orange sapphire ($$$ if not BE treated) and orange diamond ($$$$$$$ if a natural color). So it would probably be best to keep orange as an accent and bring the main focus onto the blue.

Another idea that crossed my mind is to bezel a blue stone in high karat yellow gold, the kind used often in Indian subcontinent, cause I read that by alloying they can make yellow gold look almost orange. If I recall correctly the color is the result of a mixture of gold, copper and zinc (somebody correct me if I''m wrong), and I guess it wouldn''t be that difficult finding someone willing to try to get that alloy right for your project. Surface finishing, texturing etc. can also make the color seem deeper or lighter. You can, of course, go two-tone to cut costs. Here''s how that yellow gold can look: http://www.cpching.com/cgi-bin/i8_user_page.cgi?action=show&page_id=90

 

[T L]

Date: 5/7/2010 1:49:14 AM
Author: lavatea
What do you think of this tourmaline? It's not exactly orange, orange, but it's a color I think I could wear everyday without cringing. Lol, I sound like an orange hater. I really don't hate it, I promise.

Would a tourmaline hold up well to daily wear? Would this stone be ok bezeled?

Okay, this is coming from someone very very picky about orange, so please keep that in mind. Not everyone shares my views, and that' perfectly fine. I'm not afraid to say that I dislike most orange stones, and why? Dark or desaturated orange is brown, and brown is not a color that I find attractive in a gemstone. When orange is saturated, it can be very beautiful, but often times, it ends up having a brown component. I have a spessartite that I love, it's one of my favorite gemstones, because the orange component is so saturated, but 99% of all other orange stones don't do it for me.

The color of that tourmaline is more brownish to my eyes than orange. Some people may like that color, and it's a matter of taste. I'm only giving my personal perspective.

Tourmaline is not safe for everyday wear unfortunately. Care must be taken.

 

[soberguy]

I get that from orange too TL. It is sooo hard to find a true orange gemstone. I have seen a true orange diamond (which was so expensive I would have to save for about 120 years to buy it), and a true orange garnet. But my eye sees so many colors orange is almost impossible. Inevitably it is as you said, brownish orange, or orangy brown. Even reddish-orange isn''t that appealing for some reason...

 

[T L]

Date: 5/7/2010 11:25:50 AM
Author: soberguy
I get that from orange too TL. It is sooo hard to find a true orange gemstone. I have seen a true orange diamond (which was so expensive I would have to save for about 120 years to buy it), and a true orange garnet. But my eye sees so many colors orange is almost impossible. Inevitably it is as you said, brownish orange, or orangy brown. Even reddish-orange isn''t that appealing for some reason...

One of the reasons I''m also not fond of orange as a secondary color is because to me, it often adds a brown component to stones that are pink-orange, red-orange and yellow-orange. When I look for orange gems, I look for gems with orange as the primary and only hue. JMO, again, I''m aware that not everyone shares this opinion, and color is a matter of personal preference.

SG,
Since you mentioned colored diamonds, and sorry to slightly go off topic but . . .
I also saw a pure orange diamond at a museum, it was gorgeous. I do see modifiers a great deal in colored diamonds however, and that is the one gem I readily accept them in, as diamonds have great dispersive qualities and luster. A diamond with a vivid or pure hue is out of the price range for most mere mortals like me.