Please help with color-newbie pendant ideas/advice

[enbcfsobe]

OK, so despite my swearing off buying new clothes (mostly) in order to finance a house and wedding, after lurking on this board for a week or so I decided I really really really want a gemstone pendant (OK, so what I actually wanted was a diamond pendant, but that just isn''t happening). I''ve never specifically set out to buy any kind of gemstone-type thing before other than my e-ring and some pearls.

Anyway, Harriet and IndependantGal''s conversation on danburites has me leaning in that direction, but I''m still torn. Do I want to go for a diamondy-looking stone like danburite or maybe silver topaz? Or should I go for color? Part of me worries that a colorless stone will just look like a fake diamond, esp. since my e-ring stone is sparkly and firey. Maybe a colorless stone but not cut like an RB? I think other than colorless I''d be interested in yellow or green or blue (though my budget won''t allow for sapphires. I think I''d prefer round, oval, or maybe a trillian, but there are so many different stones in so many different colors/cuts/sizes.

Here''s what may narrow the decision about what to buy quite significantly -- I''m only looking to spend about $200 total. I think I want a fairly simple bezel solitaire pendant, maybe even the kind where the chain attaches to the bezel directly instead of going through a bail. Is there any reason that sterling isn''t okay for this type of setting? I generally wear white metal and don''t mind doing a bit of polishing, so that seems like the most economical choice, but if someone has reasons why thats a no-no, please do educate me since I know little about this.

Also, I''m not sure what happens once you buy a loose stone. How does it get set? Do you take it to someone local? Do you set them yourselves (I''m not sure I''m that handy w/ a pliers...)? Does the seller do it for you?

Sorry this is kindof long -- thanks in advance for your help!

 

[widget]

Well, I guess I''m old fashioned...in fact I KNOW I am lol...but I think white gemstones should be diamonds, and everything else colored. But that''s me.

Hmm about setting...most jewelers have catalogs of mountings. It might be a good idea to check with your local jeweler first to see how much it would cost to set a hypothetical stone, so you''ll have a better idea of how much you can spend on an actual one...

widget

 

[eac]

Apart from budget, here are some things to consider when buying a colored gemstone for a pendant:

* What colors do you tend to wear in your clothing? - I hardly ever wear blue or white, so a blue stone wouldn''t be good for me.
* What color are your eyes? - A blue-eyed friend of mine likes blue topaz and aquamarine.
* How big do you want the stone to be? - A big amethyst, citrine, garnet, blue topaz, or peridot will be much cheaper than a sizeable ruby or sapphire.

Once you buy a loose stone, you go to a jeweler and have them set it for you. It is good to have an idea of what you want - prong or bezel setting, in your price range. They may have catalogues of settings for you to choose from.

If I had a $200 budget for a colored gemstone pendant, I''d spend $50 on the stone and save $150 for having the stone set in 10k or 14k gold. Often, a prong setting is less expensive than a bezel setting. A round or oval stone will be less expensive to have set than a trillian.

Sterling is fine for these settings and will definitely keep your budget down. Pick a hard stone that can endure the cleaning you''ll be doing!

If you want to shop for a pendant that''s already made, go to an independent jeweler and has a mix of gold and silver items on offer. It''s my experience that jewelers who offer a good silver jewelry selection are more "budget friendly."

 

[enbcfsobe]

Ok -- you guys have me thinking about a few other things. I will try to narrow the field a little bit.

Widget, I''m still on the fence about the white stone. I''m thinking it would be cooler if it were a sculptural cut, like one of those snowflake-type things. Otherwise maybe color is the way to go to get some excitement, without any disappointment.

I will try to find a jeweler close by to inquire about settings -- the jeweler I used for my ring is out in the ''burbs -- it would probably cost me $200 in gas to keep going out there for another project!

I''m relieved to hear that sterling is ok -- I hope that will make this easier. I can always get it re-set when there''s more $$ available for such projects. I''ll consider the prong vs. bezel setting costs and price both.

I thought about going for a pre-set pendant, but I think a big part of the interest I have in this project is picking out my own stone. So, more about what I''m thinking about in a stone...

*What I wear: a lot of black, khaki, brown, grey, and white. My favorite color is purple, but it doesn''t suit me much. I wear very little red. Usually I''ll supplement with green, ivory, pale yellow.
*My eyes: light brown, kindof like tiger''s eye colors with that honey-gold undertone. I am pretty pale, though not translucent. My hair is the same as my eyes.
*What I already have: other than costume jewelry, I have pearls, a lot of modern-ish silver pieces (many mistake them for Tiffany''s even though they are not copies of anything T&CO sells, but they''re all from independent artist at fairs), some old-fashioned, demure gold pieces from great-grandmothers. my only colored pieces are some silver earrings with a little bit of onyx, an antique citrine (orange) briolette lariat, and a glowing turqouisey opal pendant/earrings that FI bought me.
*Size: my workplace is pretty conservative, so nothing too big. I rarely wear big jewelry anyway -- I don''t think I have any pendants, even costume stuff, that is larger than 1 inch in diameter. I haven''t learned all that much about sizes for colored stones yet, but I don''t think I''d want anything that was larger than a dime size, including the setting. But I do want it to be visible -- not just a chip. I guess maybe 8-12 mm?

 

[monarch64]

Ooo, yellow topaz/citrine or peridot come to mind when reading about your colors!

 

[enbcfsobe]

I''m definitely leaning towards yellow, green, or maybe something a little brownish? Anything other than topaz, citrine, and peridot I should be looking at? Are there preferred cuts for these colors/species?

 

[enbcfsobe]

Ok, so I took a look around at some of the sites that people here seem to like...and here is what i found that looked interesting and relatively affordable. I''d appreciate any thoughts/comments/ideas!

Peach Topaz
Mint Tourmaline
Nifty Amythyst Set -- for earrings & a pendant or 3 on a chain (like by the yard but with the large on in the center)
Citrine Cushion
Peridot Cusion
Peridot Round
White Topaz Trillion -- ok, so back to the white but i don''t think this looks remotely like a diamond -- it just looks cool (plus these Topaz Rounds could be matching earrings?)

 

[Clio]

Those are some pretty choices. I really love the mint tourmaline from Daniel Stairs. I bought a spinel from him, and from what I can tell his stones are really beautifully cut. Plus, I''m partial to tourmalines.

I also like that amethyst set. I''m a sucker for concave faceting, and you could make earrings later when your budget permits.

It really comes down to what appeals to you and what you think you''d wear. The prettiest pendant in the world won''t be any good if you don''t like to wear it.

 

[gemnut]

I was going through Dutton''s Diamonds a few days ago and I had sort of singled out that cushion cut concave peridot, I believe they also have a pair of concave cut stones for earings the same color that would make a yummy set!
All of the stones you found are beautiful, but I vote for the Peridot.

 

[enbcfsobe]

OK...some more questions...

1. Which, if any of these, can be put in the US cleaner?
2. Will these choices look ok w/ white metal? Or would YG be a better choice?
3. Any more votes? So far, one each for the Mint Tourmaline, Amythyst set, and Cushion Peridot

 

[enbcfsobe]

Hmmm... so I'll continue the conversation with myself...

Self, didn't we have a nice email from Daniel Stairs?
Why yes, self, we did. We're arranging with him to send us a pretty mint tourmaline.
Ah, self, what a wonderful thing. Now our sparkly preciousssss will have some minty company.

Seriously, though, thanks for the input! The tourmaline wins. I'll follow up with pictures when it gets here!
Any thoughts on what to go with for the setting would be much appreciated!

 

[enbcfsobe]

Here's one I saw that was totally non-traditional but very interesting.

Love it? Hate it? Maybe too much metal for just one stone?

 

[chrono]

I think that''s a great setting. The coolness of the metal goes very well with the minty green.

 

[enbcfsobe]

thanks, chrono. i really thought it was nifty. i'm only able to find it in 6.5 and 7.4 mm (stone is 7.2mm) sizes at the moment, though, based on some online sleuthing. i will have to talk to the jeweler...