Possible Peter Torraca Aqua

[vizsla]

hi! i don''t post on this thread, but i *do* droool over all of your colored gemstones - one day hoping to have a beauty all of my own. that day may be sooner than i think.

a little background: aquamarine is my birthstone... i have always loved the watery light blue color, but have only discovered recently (thru reading this thread) that aquas can be much more ''blue'' than i ever imagined. originally, i wanted a sapphire right hand ring - and was actively searching for a montana blue/yogo sapphire to keep in line with my love of the more ''watery'' blue color i love - alas, each time i thought i found a stone, i would get a tiny ping in my heart thinking that an aqua would be just as pretty.

coupled with aqua as my birthstone, DH and i are expecting a boy in october! finding a ''blue stone'' to celebrate his birth became more of a priority (for me than ever.

the price of this stone is totally reasonable, so that is not really an issue.. i''d like to get a sense of appropriate color/size for the price and possible setting ideas from your pooled wisdom! (p.s. possible halo? side stones? - setting budget approx $500)

i have until today to decide.
thanks in advance sooo very much!

stats:
madagascar, square cushion, 2.16c, 7.78x7.78x6.02
it does have a few feathers, but in the most recent picture he sent i can''t see a one.
here is the picture from his website

 

[vizsla]

and the most recent picture he sent

 

[Stone Hunter]

I think it''s a GREAT size and I love the most recent photo he sent you. I like the cut and would want to do something with double claw prongs. But that''s me and it may not appeal to you.

Do you plan on wearing this ring every day? If so I''d keep the diamonds in the setting to a minimum -- yeah that''s against the latest PS trends. But a stone of that size can hold it''s own.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Lovely! I'd set it in a simple bezel setting like Mochi has on her asscher cut chrysoberyl. I think if you search you can find pics... But that is more that $500 I jus trealized

 

[vizsla]

i guess i should qualify my budget ... if i want to wear this soon after his birth i would have to keep the setting price to $500 buuuutttttttttt if i wanted to keep saving my pennies i could possibly go up to $1000 by making it a christmas/push present

i LOVE double claw prongs... really haven''t seen them much in ''stock'' settings. links?

you think the size is good? i was hoping it wouldn''t seem too small.... i know it''s HUGE for a diamond, but always thought i could get away with wearing a bigger gemstone. i love love love neatfreak''s asscher setting... that''s probably way out of budget too huh?

ohhh i''m excited this might be my first gemstone!!!!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Ooo, the aqua is just beautiful!

 

[mousey]

First- that Aqua looks wonderous! Just a thought- I don t have kids, but I did do a lot of babysitting for new babies, and I took off jewelry (bigger rings for the littlest ones, and when they got big enough to pull, dangly earrings in particular- I learned that the heard way, ouch!), so you could use the babs as an excuse to wait for the more expensive setting. That said, I don t have kids, so obviously ignore if you want, and that aqua looks nice enough to be in a plain setting.
ps a huge congrats on having a little boy- how exciting.

 

[ma re]

It''s hard to suggest anything when you still haven''t seen the stone for real to tell us how it behaves in diferent lighting conditions.

But judging from these photos, I''d suggest the following; since it''s to celebrate the birth of a son I''d go with something simpler and more unisex, unless of course you''re really into feminine designs. Since this stone is not exactly small, if you''d go with side stones they''d have to be, say, at least 3 mm each (otherwise they''d turn into accents) and with your budget that wouldn''t leave much money for the ring itself.

Because of that I''d keep this a solitaire cause a) a ton of tiny diamonds might take away attention from the center stone and b) most of such settings in your price range isn''t very well made and I''m sure you''d like something that will last a long time.

So I''d probably go with something like a shank that tapers towards the back (or maybe a split shak) and has those wide, flat prongs that "fold over" the cut corners - if you know what I''m talking about

But I''m sure others will come up with some even better suggestions.

Enjoy the process

 

[mousey]

ps, someone told me that aquas are bigger per carat size than diamonds (something about the density being different), I dunno if this is true (?), but if it is then your aqua will look bigger than the same carat sized diamond.
Also, personally, I think it would be a great size for a ring.

 

[Nomsdeplume]

I like it a lot! Go for it!

 

[D&T]

I love it! just my own personally opinion, I love the bezel look on square stones. But I also like the delicate halo look around the stone as well especially with a light colored stone, it just makes it pop in a sense.

 

[PinkTower]

I love it. You can always send it back if you don''t. I have dealt with him, and he is a pleasure to work with. That cut is so beautiful and different. Very antique; I have not seen it before. And what a nice size; I quess having sort of an asscher outline with cushion facets kept it from getting too deep.

 

[vizsla]

ohhh thanks so much for your suggestions! ... if you think accent diamonds would take away from the stone... what about something like what woo bug had created for her oval. i really love that setting/stack (i hope she doesn''t mind if i repost). i think i have a picture of it hidden somewhere.... do you think i could find a setting like this (with split claw prongs) between $500-$1000? - would it do the stone justice.

maybe not with all of the stacking bands....

 

[mousey]

I think that setting would be super cool. I think Barcelona had a stone set in a rope type setting too (I think it was a whiteflash custom setting). I love the rope type settings.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Congratulations on the birth of your son!

The colour of that aqua is stunning, but I would wait until you get it into your hands before you make any decisions on how to set it. Quite often, the stone tells you how it wants to be set.

 

[brandy_z28]

Date: 7/16/2009 1:08:08 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier
Congratulations on the birth of your son!

The colour of that aqua is stunning, but I would wait until you get it into your hands before you make any decisions on how to set it. Quite often, the stone tells you how it wants to be set.

Congratulations, boys are so much fun!!

I agree with LTP. Gorgeous cut on that aqua! I''d wait until you have it in your hands before deciding on a setting. I had a few stones surprise me with their appearances when placed in white and rose gold settings even when I thought I knew how I wanted to set them.

 

[vizsla]

aww thanks!

and i totally agree about waiting until i have it... i will wait until i get the stone and post pictures... i really wanted to get your opinions on the color/size etc... sounds like you all think it''s a winner just like i do i''m going to email peter! i''m so excited.. my first loose gemstone purchase... eeeaaakkkk!

 

[ma re]

That setting could really work nicely; I'd even think of setting the aqua at an angle (diagonally) to accentuate the "X" the middle bands make.

 

[Linda W]

Date: 7/16/2009 2:15:38 PM
Author: ma re
That setting could really look nicely; I''d even think of setting the aqua at an angle (diagonally) to accentuate the ''X'' the middle bands make.

I agree!! You come up with great ideas!!! I love the color of that aqua.

 

[Catmom]

It''s a beautiful aqua!! I can''t wait to see more pictures.

 

[chrono]

Yes, an aquamarine will be larger in size for the same carat weight as a diamond. As you see, your 2 ct aquamarine is 7.8 mm. A 2 ct diamond will just hit the 7 mm mark, maybe 7.5 mm if it is shallow. It looks very pretty on the hand and if worn carefully and occasionally, it will not get overly scuffed up.

 

[Gailey]

Vizsla,

Congratulations on your beautiful aqua and welcome to the "I own a Peter Torraca Asscher" club.

Ma Re makes a good point about keeping it simple. Consider Ellen''s stunning aqua in a Leon setting:

 

[Cind11]

I think you are talking about this setting...

 

[BWise]

Lovely lovely aqua! You can''t go wrong with it!

 

[T L]

Nice cutting.

 

[vizsla]

gah! cind11 WHERE is that setting from?!?!?!?! yes!! i luuuuvvvvv it!!!!! and ellen''s of course.. that leon can do no wrong!

as i started pouring over all things aqua here on PS ... i really do love a little diamond sparkle paired with that blue .. BUT i also love the idea of a more simple setting to showcase the cut and color ...... i started thinking i could *always* get some thin thin diamond stacking bands for either side of the rope setting in the future....

but seriously, who''s delicious

ring is that?!?! i must stalk their thread

i''m totally going to hack peters aqua in that setting

stay tuned for the world''s worst photoshop job....

 

[vizsla]

teeehhhheeeeee

 

[Stone Hunter]

Yes I think it works in this setting. And like you said thin thin diamond bands can add sparkle later on. It is also a more casual setting than Ellen''s Aqua.

 

[Cind11]

Date: 7/17/2009 8:27:00 AM
Author: vizsla
gah! cind11 WHERE is that setting from?!?!?!?! yes!! i luuuuvvvvv it!!!!! and ellen''s of course.. that leon can do no wrong!

as i started pouring over all things aqua here on PS ... i really do love a little diamond sparkle paired with that blue .. BUT i also love the idea of a more simple setting to showcase the cut and color ...... i started thinking i could *always* get some thin thin diamond stacking bands for either side of the rope setting in the future....

but seriously, who''s delicious

ring is that?!?! i must stalk their thread

i''m totally going to hack peters aqua in that setting

stay tuned for the world''s worst photoshop job....

That delicious ring is mine. The setting is from Brian Gavin Diamonds. The only downside is that it does sit up rather high, so when I wear it, I have to be careful not to bang my hand around.

 

[vizsla]

haha.. i stalked you and found your beaaaaauuutttiiffuullll ring
insomuch as i would never ask a woman her age.. i also would never ask how much she''d paid for her baubles... however, would this setting be in my price range??

also, did brian gavin set the stone for you as well?
thanks so much!!!