Purple Sapphire in Tiffany''s Round-Brilliant with Melee Diamond Border?

[vitarenovatio]

Hi all,

This is my first post, and I actually stumbled onto this site by accident. I am a complete newbie when it comes to jewelry, so I would really appreciate your help!

I would like to propose to my girlfriend. She is not a fan of diamonds and her favorite color is purple. Are there any trustworthy internet sites to acquire a purple sapphire? Are there any reputable places in the Los Angeles area? Also, do these gems follow the same grading criteria and certification process as diamonds (GIA, etc)?

I think this ring looks very beautiful:

http://www.tiffany.com/shared/images/engagement/rings/round_brilliant/melee.z1.jpg

Would a purple sapphire look weird as the center piece? Where would be a good place to go to get something like this made? Would a custom-made platinum setting like this (probably more than $4,000) be over-the-top for a $2000 1-1.5 carat purple sapphire?

Thank you all in advance...

 

[Love in Bloom]

What an excellent idea vita! I would suggest looking at The Natural Sapphire Company . The purple ones are listed under "unique" on the left hand side of the page. Another PSer, Selkie, got her sapphire from there and it is oh so pretty

.

Click here for Selkie's sapphire ring (I hope you don't mind me posting this Selkie!!!)

I would also ask for photoshop help to see what a purple stone would look like in the Tiffany ring you like. I think it would look fantastic, but unfortunately I do not have such photo editing skills

.

Oh, and welcome to PS!

 

[Love in Bloom]

Vita, you have very good taste!

 

[vitarenovatio]

Thank you! I checked out the site, and found this stone. Would this work? It says this is a "mixed brilliant." How is this different from a round brilliant?

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U2129

Next, where should I go to get the ring made? (Again, would a $4000 setting be overkill for a stone that is only $2300?)

Thanks!

 

[widget]

I think your project is thrilling, and congratulations for "thinking outside the box" and choosing to do a colored stone engagement ring! (and welcome to PriceScope!

)

I don't think $4000 is overkill...but you may not have to spend that much to get what you want, anyway.

If I were you, I'd call NSC and talk to them about what you're looking for...that way you can take advantage of their expertise and eyes in choosing a stone. Also..you mentioned that your girl prefers purple. They very well might have something 'purpler' that isn't listed on their site.

Kaleigh, a regular poster here, got a magnificent sapphire ring from them...hopefully she'll pop in here and give you a name to ask for.

As for mounting...some of the favorite custom high end designers around here are Maytal Hannah, Mark Morell, and Leon Mege. If you do a search, you'll find plenty of examples of their work.

And also, consider having NSC mount it for you. I've heard that Kaleiglh's ring is superb, and she's an excellent judge of quality.

One thought...If I were buying an unheated sapphire, I'd want an independent lab report with it. (AGTA or AGL). I notice that the stone you picked only has an in-house cert. I'm sure NSC would be happy to send off for an independent cert, if that's the stone you pick.

Good luck on your quest...would llove to follow your progress..

How exciting!

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[pricescope]

That's the oval you choose vitarenovatio and if you like exactly that setting you need a round, they are harder to find but it's a lot of variations of "purple" out there and sapphires come in all of them. I browsed that site for you and found this round to set into the ring, the second photoshop also changed diamonds in the shank to purple sapphires.

I choose this stone (too expensive) for the mock up because it's more to the proportion of the ring in your picture, i don't think it's 1.5 ct in the tiff picture.

And i don't think there should be any limits on a ring budget just because the center stone to be a sapphire if you like it.

 

[widget]

I just noticed your question regarding cut. I can't tell you exactly how they're different, but I can say that Round Brilliant Cut is mainly for white diamonds....aimed to minimize any color that might be present in the rough.

Colored stones, of course, are usually cut differently (Portugese or whatever) to maximize color.

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[pinkdreamer]

I love it with the purple! I agree with PriceScope, I don''t think you have the limit the cost of the setting in proportion to the stone you choose.

Also, where did you find that ring on the Tiffany website? I can''t seem to find it anywhere! I would love to see other angles....

 

[pinkdreamer]

Nevermind, I found it on the UK verison of their site... does that mean it would not be available in the states?

Here is the side view for those of you who like that sort of thing too... I like it! Would you be a able to set a wedding band flush to it?

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 6/11/2007 1:23:07 PM
Author: widget

I think your project is thrilling, and congratulations for ''thinking outside the box'' and choosing to do a colored stone engagement ring! (and welcome to PriceScope!

)

I don''t think $4000 is overkill...but you may not have to spend that much to get what you want, anyway.

If I were you, I''d call NSC and talk to them about what you''re looking for...that way you can take advantage of their expertise and eyes in choosing a stone. Also..you mentioned that your girl prefers purple. They very well might have something ''purpler'' that isn''t listed on their site.

Kaleigh, a regular poster here, got a magnificent sapphire ring from them...hopefully she''ll pop in here and give you a name to ask for.

As for mounting...some of the favorite custom high end designers around here are Maytal Hannah, Mark Morell, and Leon Mege. If you do a search, you''ll find plenty of examples of their work.

And also, consider having NSC mount it for you. I''ve heard that Kaleiglh''s ring is superb, and she''s an excellent judge of quality.

One thought...If I were buying an unheated sapphire, I''d want an independent lab report with it. (AGTA or AGL). I notice that the stone you picked only has an in-house cert. I''m sure NSC would be happy to send off for an independent cert, if that''s the stone you pick.

Good luck on your quest...would llove to follow your progress..

How exciting!

widget

Yes I bought from TNSC and am thrilled with my ring!! The stone, the setting are both incredible. I dealt with Steven, he is great to work with!!

 

[Love in Bloom]

Those photoshop pics are so sweeet!!!

 

[jstarfireb]

Gorgeous setting! I like it better with all diamonds in the setting (i.e. the one on the left). I think it''s OK to go for a more expensive setting, not despite the low price of the stone, but because of it. With a sapphire, you have more room in your budget to get an awesome setting than if you were to buy a diamond. However, if you can have this type of setting made for less than Tiffany''s prices, go for it!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think I''d use Maytal Hannah or Leon Mege for that project. And I love purple sapphires, but I prefer those that are bluish purple more than the pinkish-purple one you first posted. A lighter one would be lovely, I think.

http://www.maytalhannah.com/

 

[Gypsy]

Leon Mage at theartofplatinum has made a very similar setting to that one. Go on his site and find it then tell him you want a qoute for a similar setting to HIS setting. He''s much nicer if you send him one of his settings and ask for something similar, rather than an outside designer and ask for a copy.


Although, if you want to avoid the Leon attitude-- I''d get qoutes from Engagementringsdirect and Maytal Hoffman. Honestly, if it were me? I''d go with them anyway, might be less expensive.

 

[vitarenovatio]

Wow! Thank you all for all your insightful responses! I will definitely keep you guys posted on my progress.

I was thinking about using around a 1.5 carat stone for the center, while the one on Tiffany''s website is probably much bigger. Do you guys think that this would throw things off proportion?

I will give the Natural Sapphire Company a call tomorrow and see if they have anything they haven''t put up on their website. I also agree that light blue probably looks better than purple, but purple is my girlfriend''s favorite color. Off the top of your head, do you know if they have some sort of inspection policy or return policy?

Next, I will contact Leon Mege and Maytal Hannah and see if they''re willing to make this for me.

BTW, Gypsy, are you referring to Maytal Hannal or is there someone else named Maytal Hoffman?

Thanks!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Maytal Hannah was Maytal Hoftman before she was married. She used to work for Tiffany so she knows their work very well. Her highly magnified pictures are excellent and I wouldn't hesitate to use her.

And I think a stone around 7.5mm would be lovely set in that setting! You need a little more weight in a sapphire to equal the size of a diamond. So go by the diameter of the stone instead of weight. You'll need to look in the closer to 2 ct. category.

 

[widget]

For sure they have a return policy...I don''t know the details...but I''m sure it''s fair.

Maytal Hoftman and Maytal Hannah are one and the same. One''s her maiden name.


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[Harriet]

I know nothing about sapphires, but your idea sounds wonderful.

You could try Richard M. at www.artcutgems.com. He's in the LA area.

 

[monarch64]

Maytal''s designs are so beautiful...

I''ve just been lusting after that emerald ring she has on her site, I may have some very pleasant dreams about it tonight, lol!

I love the idea of a purply sapphire in a gorgeous setting, V. good luck in your e-ring quest! You''re in good hands here!

 

[pinkdreamer]

Her rings are beautiful! I have heard a lot about her but never seen the site before, thanks for posting it diamondseeker! Will Maytal work with stones that are purchased elsewhere?

I too have spoken with Steve at NSC, and he was excellent.

 

[StonesRock07]

I think a mixed cut purple sapphire will knock your soon to be fiancés socks off. I have also been a customer of NSC http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/ Steve worked with me to have a custom design made for the sapphire that I purchased from them. The stone was beautiful and the mounting that we designed show cased it beautifully. I love sapphires because they are hard and my day to day activities can be performed with out fear of damaging the stone. When you call you might want to just tell Steve at NSC that you had the tiffany''s setting in mind they have this cool machine that takes computer designs and makes wax models for casting.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 6/12/2007 7:16:12 AM
Author: pinkdreamer
Her rings are beautiful! I have heard a lot about her but never seen the site before, thanks for posting it diamondseeker! Will Maytal work with stones that are purchased elsewhere?

I too have spoken with Steve at NSC, and he was excellent.

Yes,you can supply the main stone and she will supply the little melee for the setting.