Please help me out - advice for a potential project

[Arkteia]

So I had several spinels and thought of a bracelet, but then I saw this on Pinterest. It is a museum antique piece so no trademark violation I assume.

 

[Arkteia]

And I have several spinels - again, not the best place to shoot, very dim, sorry

 

[Arkteia]

And several smaller onesView attachment 631680View attachment 631681

 

[Arkteia]

So I thought, ...maybe the large oval on top, a smaller oval or a heart in the middle, as I don't have a round one, a trilliant in the bottom and the four smaller ovals on the sides. They are more similar in size, one can be recut to match.

 

[Arkteia]

It would be a pendant or a "sclavage" a brooch that was worn on a ribbon band around the neck. I love them.

 

[Arkteia]

So on the original piece, there is melee and seed pearls. Knowing myself, pearls wont survive long as I usually prefer ultrasonic machines for spinels. Pearls will loose whatever luster they might have.

It will take a lot of melee. I plan to pull out diamonds from unused items.

Also, the cost. Somehow the ring that I had done last cost me a lot, ...maybe it is the amount of gold used. (And also the time it took).

So my question is, can you recommend a jeweler who could make a thing like this, a beautiful piece, at a competitive cost?

 

[Arkteia]

P.S. Here is the brooch. I don't have Photoshop. Any ideas about the jeweler and melee on a budget would be greatly appreciated

 

[Arkteia]

Another version to make something like this, but not sure I have enough stones. I have two larger darker pink Mahenges but not sure how it will look. It will probably remain my favorite museum piece

 

[qubitasaurus]

I actually think I'd prefer that broach with only the centre 3 stones. Or the centre 3 plus the nearest neighbouring row on either side. Could you make it happen if you were creative about changing the design a bit? The spinels are stunning, they deserve to be set in something you are smitten with and want to wear all the time.

 

[elle_71125]

Gosh, that would be stunning!!! I don't have any helpful advice. I just really wanted to chime in with a wowza!

 

[Catmom]

OH!!!!!!!!!!!! Make a brooch PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!! That would be awesome!!

 

[metall]

I like the design of the first broach much better than the ribbon one...the first one is delicate and absolutely stunning. The ribbon is more chunky than i generally like my jewelry. If you do the first broach look, i imagine you can make it a convertible broach/sclavage pendantpiece pretty easily...just by adding D rings to the backs of two stones farthest left and right....maybe a third where the middle stone is just to give more stability and give the ribbon another point of contact with the pendant/broach.

If you’re not pearl person i think you can 100% ax the dangly pearl bits and still keep very much the spirit of this piece. I mocked one up below...and looking at it with all the pearls gone...i think its a much more classic timeless look. The pearls were a bit dating and added a LOT of clutter. If you think that it might still be too much for your budget I imagine that the three additional dangle bits could be taken out to be more budget friendly....i put red lines where i would cut them off. BUT. I have to say i like this piece better with all three dangles...IF you HAVE to get rid of bits i recommend starting with the two side ones otherwise i dont think it'll look as good (something about the balance w.o that bottom pear) when you use it as a sclavage pendant.

Instead of diamonds...i wonder if you could throw more color at this broach. Maybe a mix of white sapphires and some stormy grey stones oohhh ooooohhhh ooooohhhhh orrrr use pastel blues/greens to add some interest...

Lol ok lemme stop this broach has got me HYPED up in design mode...picture below!

 

[whitewave]

OH!!!!!!!!!!!! Make a brooch PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!! That would be awesome!!

Yes, mmmmmmaaaaaaake a brooch please!!!

The spinels are so pretty

 

[Arkteia]

Thank you all who contributed.

I think I have enough spinels for the brooch. I don't have the pears but round ovals could work as well. The workmanship is very delicate, of course.

@metall, I agree, they look better without the dangly pearls. And I think we could work around the absent round, as I have at least several ovals and two heart-shaped ones.

I think your idea of using sapphire and grey spinel melee is interesting, or - I always wanted to see if Di Caprio is selling man-made melee, or only large diamonds?

Now I have to find someone who will be willing to work at it with me at an acceptable cost and normal time (several months is OK).

 

[Arkteia]

The spinels has become very expensive, and while I love these stones, I don't think that they have to be that expensive.

 

[metall]

Thank you all who contributed.

I think I have enough spinels for the brooch. I don't have the pears but round ovals could work as well. The workmanship is very delicate, of course.

@metall, I agree, they look better without the dangly pearls. And I think we could work around the absent round, as I have at least several ovals and two heart-shaped ones.

I think your idea of using sapphire and grey spinel melee is interesting, or - I always wanted to see if Di Caprio is selling man-made melee, or only large diamonds?

Now I have to find someone who will be willing to work at it with me at an acceptable cost and normal time (several months is OK).

I think that if you have two hearts...I suggest putting them at the top where the left and right hand stationary oval stones are with the points facing away from the center stone....the largest oval you have can go in the middle (set EW) between the two hearts. The round can be replaced easily with a squat-ish oval (set NS), the pears can be ovals easily...just keep the proportions the same.


haha! you could try contacting @Bron357 ...she has a bunch of pretty blue tanzanite melees up on Loupetroop. not sure if it would be enough though....

 

[Bron357]

Yes, supplies of the blue ones are relatively low, when compared to the Rubellite tourmaline.

 

[Arkteia]

Yes, supplies of the blue ones are relatively low, when compared to the Rubellite tourmaline.

Rubellite is interesting

 

[metall]

Yes, supplies of the blue ones are relatively low, when compared to the Rubellite tourmaline.

Rather low you say? I mean...yes comparatively....but damnnnnn if it wouldn't be such a mess....and probably a waste....id suggest you pull a T. Swift and take a gem bath!

 

[Arkteia]

I think that the larger diamonds could be substituted by 2mm pink spinels, and for smaller ones, diamond melee would do.

 

[chrono]

Simply gorgeous! But the labour cost and skill required... this is my main concern. I’ll have to think this one over a while. Not too many I trust for such a complex project.

 

[metall]

I think that the larger diamonds could be substituted by 2mm pink spinels, and for smaller ones, diamond melee would do.

That sounds beautiful !!!

 

[Arkteia]

Simply gorgeous! But the labour cost and skill required... this is my main concern. I’ll have to think this one over a while. Not too many I trust for such a complex project.

Yes, the cost... I was even thinking, substituting the spinels for tsavorites? They are smaller, so less gold, but I would have enough, and even a beautiful round. But red spinels and diamonds are classic.

P.S. the Foundry is making melee, but for own huge man-made diamonds. I would be almost inclined to buy MM diamond melee as the fact that deBeers officially entered man-made diamond market tells me that unofficially, small diamonds have been probably man-made for a while as no one would check them. I don't know how to pursue it and whether it will really cut the cost.

 

[Arkteia]

I like the design of the first broach much better than the ribbon one...the first one is delicate and absolutely stunning. The ribbon is more chunky than i generally like my jewelry. If you do the first broach look, i imagine you can make it a convertible broach/sclavage pendantpiece pretty easily...just by adding D rings to the backs of two stones farthest left and right....maybe a third where the middle stone is just to give more stability and give the ribbon another point of contact with the pendant/broach.

If you’re not pearl person i think you can 100% ax the dangly pearl bits and still keep very much the spirit of this piece. I mocked one up below...and looking at it with all the pearls gone...i think its a much more classic timeless look. The pearls were a bit dating and added a LOT of clutter. If you think that it might still be too much for your budget I imagine that the three additional dangle bits could be taken out to be more budget friendly....i put red lines where i would cut them off. BUT. I have to say i like this piece better with all three dangles...IF you HAVE to get rid of bits i recommend starting with the two side ones otherwise i dont think it'll look as good (something about the balance w.o that bottom pear) when you use it as a sclavage pendant.

Instead of diamonds...i wonder if you could throw more color at this broach. Maybe a mix of white sapphires and some stormy grey stones oohhh ooooohhhh ooooohhhhh orrrr use pastel blues/greens to add some interest...

Lol ok lemme stop this broach has got me HYPED up in design mode...picture below!

@metall, I am thinking, much as the dangly sides can be cut off, the lower trilliant, not. With the trilliant, the shape is a triangle, without, a much less eye-pleasing figure, a trapeze. The dangling sides are beautiful, but without them, it is still OK.

 

[lilmosun]

Drooling in anticipation. I would personally not compromise on the melee given the value of spinels and labor costs. I might simplify the design a bit to save on costs instead.