Plat deco setting needs 5mm stone

[glitterata]

I found a nice deco platinum setting with single cuts that needs a 5mm stone. Suggestions? As you can see, it originally had long, thin, rectangular colored stones on each side, probably synthetic sapphires (common in the 1920s), now missing. I would probably want to have them replaced, which might affect how the center stone would look. Of course, I wouldn''t HAVE to replace them with sapphires; I''ve seen deco rings with synthetic ruby or even emerald instead. Or I could just leave the holes empty--they''re symmetrical and not too noticeable from a distance.

 

[glitterata]

Gosh, that photo was huge! Here''s another angle, hopefully smaller.

 

[glitterata]

And one more. I was thinking maybe a dark, stormy blue-gray spinel, but I''m not sure that would look nice with sapphire-blue sapphires in the empty rectangles on the side. Thoughts, anyone?

 

[jewelerman]

GLITTER,
You knew i would be first to respond to this post!
first...this is a great ring!we want to hear the story behind its acqusition!
2-I agree about the date of design and manufacture.
3-Leave the sides blank...the cost of finding gems or having them cut to fit will be costly and take time and can be done later it you get a wild hair to do so. besides it will be costly to build up the metal to hold the stones in.
4-you can have any color gem in the center you want!i would go with a med blue sapphire(syn or genuine)
5-this is going to be a good thread ,i can feel it!

 

[swimmer]

Just lovely setting, yes, spill the story!

 

[glitterata]

Thanks, folks! Here''s the story: It was a dark night in a speakeasy in Chicago. We were lifting our glasses when a hammering came on the door. A bust! Madge, who was doing the Charleston on a tabletop near me, made a dive for the back door, but the cops poured in. Sammy the Fish held them off with his walking stick. "Quick, Madge! Hold still!" I whispered. I threw a tablecloth over her head and topped it with a fringed lampshade. "That''s it, sister! YOu''re coming with me," snarled a burly brilliantined officer, grabbing my by the upper arm. "No monkey business! And get those pearls out of my hair!" After I made my way out of the slammer using a diamond file I''d hidden in my spats, I dropped by to see how Madge had fared. Mistaking her for a lamp, the authorities had neglected to arrest her. Weeping tears of gratitude, she gave me this setting... No, really, there is no story. I bought it on ebay.

 

[glitterata]

So it''s going to be hard to replace the synthetic sapphires? Too bad! I was hoping it would be a matter of popping in some standard-sized stone. But that makes my choice of center stone more flexible, I guess. I''d like something pretty but cheap (because, well, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I''m rather cheap myself). I have no objection to synthetics, but I thought 5mm might be small enough for something natural to be affordable.

 

[jewelerman]

Very funny story!...or is it just a story?...it couldnt hurt to check with a jeweler or two to get quotes on the side stones ect...

 

[glitterata]

Nobody has any suggestions? Maybe these pictures will help. These are some stones I bought a few years ago when I was thinking about what to do with another ebay setting. They''re all the wrong size for this one--they''re 6 mm and this setting wants a 5 mm stone--but they might give you the general idea. First a not very nice grayish pink tourmaline:

 

[glitterata]

Next, a red spinel. Unfortunately, this stone is a bit too big for this setting--it''s 5.6 x 5.7 mm.

 

[glitterata]

Another shot of the red spinel. It''s not quite so dark in real life. I like this stone and went to look for something similar in the right size, but boy have the prices gone up since I bought this several years ago!

 

[glitterata]

A light gray spinel. I like this stone a lot, though the picture isn''t doing much for it. I have another darker gray spinel that I''ll post next. But they''re both the wrong size (6mm) and I can''t seem to find any gray spinels anywhere anymore. They were abundant and inexpensive when I bought these in 2004 or so.

 

[glitterata]

Here''s the darker gray spinel. It''s a little bluer than the lighter one.

 

[glitterata]

A medium blue zircon. Boy have these gone up in price since I bought this one!

 

[glitterata]

A darker blue zircon.

 

[glitterata]

A synthetic ruby. Like the rest of these stones, this is the wrong size (and sitting crooked--sorry about that), but it should be cheap and easy to get in the right size.

 

[glitterata]

Last one: A CZ, to give the idea of what the setting would look like with a diamond, which I imagine is what it originally held. Opinions, anyone? What look do you like best?

 

[glitterata]

Oops, forgot to attach the picture.

 

[Selkie]

Date: 7/14/2008 6:37:21 PM
Author: glitterata
Thanks, folks! Here''s the story: It was a dark night in a speakeasy in Chicago. We were lifting our glasses when a hammering came on the door. A bust! Madge, who was doing the Charleston on a tabletop near me, made a dive for the back door, but the cops poured in. Sammy the Fish held them off with his walking stick. ''Quick, Madge! Hold still!'' I whispered. I threw a tablecloth over her head and topped it with a fringed lampshade. ''That''s it, sister! YOu''re coming with me,'' snarled a burly brilliantined officer, grabbing my by the upper arm. ''No monkey business! And get those pearls out of my hair!'' After I made my way out of the slammer using a diamond file I''d hidden in my spats, I dropped by to see how Madge had fared. Mistaking her for a lamp, the authorities had neglected to arrest her. Weeping tears of gratitude, she gave me this setting... No, really, there is no story. I bought it on ebay.

Hahaha, you''re awesome!

 

[Selkie]

What about white sapphire for the center? Then, if you were ever able to find colored emerald cuts for the sides, you wouldn''t have to worry about matching the center? I dunno, just a thought. I have a similar setting, antique filigree, with a similar dilemma.

 

[glitterata]

Thanks, Selkie. I don''t know, I''m not sure a white sapphire would look good with the diamonds--I think if I wanted a diamondlike stone that wasn''t actually a diamond, I''d rather use a CZ.

 

[MustangGal]

I love all of them! And your story is great

I wonder if the prongs could be opened up just a little bit to fit that red spinel? Then if you ever got stones for the sides you could do rubies.

 

[jewelerman]

Stone needs to sit down in the setting,its designed that way...the stones you are showing are to large...or are these just for show for examples...

 

[glitterata]

I know these are all too big--they''re just to give an idea of what the colors and textures would look like.

 

[Elegant]

Date: 7/15/2008 4:37:29 PM
Author: glitterata
Here''s the darker gray spinel. It''s a little bluer than the lighter one.

I think this one is beautiful. It looks great with the color of the setting...in my opinion.

 

[Kismet]

The blue zircons are my favorite, followed by the pink tourmaline.

 

[innerkitten]

I wouldn''t think it would be a problem to have a jeweler put in a stone of that size and it shouldn''t be that hard to get hold of a 5mm round.
I''d go for a pale blue or green myself.

 

[Pandora II]

Nice spess would be my choice...

 

[glitterata]

I''m pretty sure I can''t set stones that big in this setting. The prongs are too much part of the design. If only I could find a nice 5 mm dark gray spinel! They seem to have vanished. I also like the dark zircon. But I''m seriously considering...a diamond! I''ve had an unsatisfied craving for years for a well-cut modern diamond with strong blue fluorescence. All my diamonds (which is to say, both my diamonds) are old-cut heirlooms. I don''t mind inclusions--in fact, I like them--so I''m thinking about getting a well cut I1.

Though the zircon looks very nice, doesn''t it? Or if I could only find a nice dark gray spinel the right size... If any of you see one in your wanderings, please let me know!

 

[glitterata]

Well, it turns out the setting wanted a 5.5ish mm stone and I got...a diamond! One of Paul''s Infinity diamonds, from Wink.

It also turns out my local jeweler was able to replace the missing sapphires for not too much money. He happened to have stones the right size, so he didn''t need to have them cut.

You can see see photos in Show Me the Ring:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/73-infinity-in-antique-deco-setting-thanks-wink-paul.93267/