Red Spinel with Pair of Pears

[AGBF]

Jan and Brad (Diamond Brokers of Florida) just sold me two pear shaped diamonds to mount with the red spinel they sold me previously. (This is a slow project, folks!) The pears aren't large, but I am hoping they don't overwhelm the spinel. Brad originally photographed the spinel with two pears he happened to have in his store and I got used to seeing it flanked by those, smaller, pears.

Maybe I will post that old picture as well as the one of the stones I bought to show you the difference between the two "looks". Then everyone can comment on which look he prefers and why. Threads become interesting when everyone is asked for his opinion

. I am unsure whether this thread should be here in "Show Me The Ring" where finished diamond rings go or in the "Colored Stones" forum. After all, there is no ring (yet) and the center stone is a spinel. On the *OTHER* hand, the spinel is old news; it is the diamonds which are the *NEW* purchase.

What to do? Etiquette, etiquette!!!

 

[AGBF]

OK, this is my spinel flanked by two pears that belonged to Brad and Jan. Brad had my spinel in his shop and I asked him to place two pear shaped diamonds next to it so that I could see how it looked. I liked the look and intended to buy similar pears once I had the money for Phase Two of my ring project. So this was the look I originally wanted.

 

[AGBF]

I cannot remove the darned picture. I wanted to remove it and put one of a more reasonable size in. This one looks as if my stones all just drank a bottle of Alice's "Drink Me" juice . Leonid, can you help me to shrink this photo? (Darn! Darn! Darn!)

Deb

 

[AGBF]

Here is another attempt at posting a photo of the original pears (which I never owned).

 

[AGBF]

What is wrong here!? I am attempting to post a jpeg that is supposedly of very modest proportions (around 2' x 3"). Why is it exploding? I have to go pick up an adorable young man at the bus station. (He is *gorgeous*!!!) I can't keep him waiting. See you all later!!

 

[AGBF]

This is an attempt at posting the spinel with the pears I actually bought. If I post the picture at all, I'd like opinions on whether the pears are "too big". (I will keep them anyway, but I may decide to mount the stones differently!)

 

[AGBF]

LEONID!!!!! HELP!!!!!

 

[Kamuelamom]

Looks like it's AGBF's day for technical challenges...

I'm here for ya girlfriend!

Leonid, the Hero, where are you??

BTW, I like both pairs of pears.

It's kind of hard to tell from the large picture, but I do not think that the second pair is too big. I actually think it will give the ring more body. The first pair will help the spinel to be hightlighted a little more, ya know? I guess it depends on the look you want. Either way, a stunning combination. I *LOVE* that red spinel.

 

[winyan]

Deb

No matter which pears you pick, that ring will be gorgeous, because that spinel is gorgeous!

I can't wait to see the finished project!!

win

 

[Aprile]

Hi AGBF!

I've been anxiously following your spinal saga since you first showed it on the other place. I LOVE

the pairs you chose & think it will look wonderful.

Now, let's see if my tech skills are any good today.

 

[Aprile]

Oh grrrrrr

I shrunk that wayyyyy down. Well, no sense posting the other one.
Back to the drawing board for me...

 

[Kamuelamom]

My turn. This is a comparison shot.

Where the heck is the picture? It *does* show it attached...

I'm with you Aprile, grrrrrr.

 

[Kamuelamom]

One more try (crossing fingers...)...

 

[AGBF]

K-mom and Aprile,

Thank you so much for your help! I feel surrounded by love here. Sisterhood is powerful! (And I am very courageous to say this because it dates me and shows my advanced age).

 

[Giangi]

AGBF,

What a beautiful pair of diamonds! I really like the proportions. Your **gorgeous** spinel will look very bright with these stones. I think you make a smart choice. But as you know we all want DETAILS!

Also, what about the setting? Will it be custom made by Brad and Jan?

 

[AGBF]

Hi, Giangi!

I will look up the proportions for you. (I should have known you would be after them, you being one of our mathematical types!!)

Now that you have praised their appearance I won't be as afraid you will tell me the diamonds have terrible angles or some such thing .

No, Jan and Brad will not be setting the stones. They have set single stones for me many times, but with a custom piece involving three stones I feel more comfortable doing it locally. I want to be able to see the actual ring before it is set forever!!! I am lucky to have a local jeweler who does great custom work. He was the one who made my solitaire and its jackets, although I bought the stone in the solitaire from Ray Elsey of the Tradeshop.

 

[Giangi]

Hi AGBF,

Oh I see. I'm sure it will be a real show-stopper.

DON'T forget to take tons of pics!

 

[AGBF]

On 7/6/2003 2:24:10 PM Giangi wrote:

"What a beautiful pair of diamonds! I really like the proportions. Your **gorgeous** spinel will look very bright with these stones. I think you make a smart choice. But as you know we all want DETAILS!"

I had to dig to find the details, but here they are. I compared them to Dave Atlas' chart for pears. What do you think?

Stone Number 1:

Weight: .54 carat
Color: D
Clarity: VS1
Lab: GIA
Table (I assume!!): 56
Depth (I hope!!): 61.4
Girdle: M-STKF
Culet: None
Polish: VG
Symmetry: Good
Fluorescence: None
Dimensions: 4.64*7.01*2.85


Stone Number 2:

Weight: .55 carat
Color: D
Clarity: VS1
Lab: GIA
Table: 54
Depth: 65.3
Girdle: T-STKF
Culet: None
Polish: VG
Symmetry: Good
Fluorescence: Faint
Dimensions: 4.53*7.14*2.96

 

[Giangi]

The numbers are really good!! Also, the bow tie is very slight so I'm sure this pair will burn your eyes.

 

[Hest88]

Purty. I must admit, though, I'm really bad at spatial issues, and the only way I could really tell the difference between the original and final is if the pictures were side by side. Both look great to me!

 

[Maria D]

I am trying to post an image of the two pictures side by side, with the spinel approximately the same size in each picture so that you can get a better idea of the size of the two sets of pears in comparison to the spinel. I hope it works! FWIW, I think both look great.

Maria

 

[Kamuelamom]

Maria D,

You are *g-o-o-d*! That's exactly what I was trying to achieve a few posts ago, but found out I am more technically challenged than I realize...

The pics look great!

 

[AGBF]

I am looking for a piece of tanzanite that will look good with the larger pair of pear accent stones (which is the pair I own). I decided that I truly preferred the look of the red spinel flanked by *SMALLER* pears, so I thought I could use the bigger pears with a bigger oval, center stone than the spinel. Thus the search for oval tanzanite. (Is everybody paying strict attention? There will be a quiz!)

If I find an oval tanzanite stone of about 8mm x 10mm I think the larger pear of pairs will frame it nicely. Then, in the future, I can get a SMALLER pair of pears from Jan and Brad for my spinel. A pair the size of the first pair Brad photographed with the spinel.

This is a VERRRRRRRY, long and boring story!!!! Sorry!

 

[strmrdr]

Wow I love that spinel.
Yummy!!

 

[caratgirl]

I love the proportions of the larger pears, they are just beautiful, and seem to be cut much better than the smaller set. However, if you have decided to get the smaller ones for the spinel, that'll look great too as long as the cut is as nice (I thought that the pears in the first photo were cut a bit off). Beautiful spinel, of course & good luck hunting down that perfect tanzanite!

 

[AGBF]

OK...I said this was going to be a long project. I hope I live long enough to see the spinel set in a ring!

The larger set of pears pictured above that I bought to go with this spinel I ended up using to set a piece of tanzanite. I thought they were too big to go with the spinel. That ring (the tanzanite with the pears) HAS been completed!

But then I still needed stones to use with the spinel. I decided on two round brilliants. I bought the ones in the photograph. (They are sitting in the pile of my carpet for the photos.)

The spinel is an "untreated 1.78 ct. Burmese red spinel... measuring approx. 7.5 x 6.0 x 5.1 mm". Richard Hughes, who signed the letter from Pala when I bought this wrote, "The world''s finest red spinels come from Burma''s Mogok Stone Tract and this stone is a particularly fine example, exhibiting an intense red color similar to that of a red traffic light."

The round brilliants I bought are both D color, VVS1 clarity, and are each .34 carat. They are hearts and arrows with AGS certificates. This photo does not do any of the stones justice, but it was the best I could do today. Don''t look for a ring soon. I can''t afford to have one made yet. The stones all go into the safe deposit box until I have saved some more money.

I hope that if you are bored silly with this ring that you are just avoiding the thread!

Deborah

 

[jenwill]

verrah naaahce! I like the rb with the spinel. Do you have the tanz with pears posted somewhere?
ETA: and brave brave agbf for having white carpet!

 

[mingagreen]

Hi Deborah,
Oh how I love that spinel! I have been eyeing them up for awhile for a RHR . And I like tthe look w/ the two rounds. Do you have any pics of the ring you had made w/ the 2 pears? I would LOVE to see it.
lisa

 

[AGBF]

Here is where the pears I bought went .

As for my "bravery" with the white carpet, it is no such thing! We moved into this house and it had white carpeting in TWO rooms. I immediately removed it from the bedroom and *WOULD* have removed it from the living room if my husband hadn''t been in love with it. The dog, who never lived with carpeting before and smelled the three dogs who used to live in the house, thought carpeting was where one was supposed to relieve oneself. I used so many containers of Resolve on that carpet that I should take out stock in the company! But I really, really, really digress! Here''s the tanzanite ring!

Deb

 

[diamondlil]

Lovely Deborah! I have recently fallen in LUUUUUV with red spinel.

My birthstone is ruby, but since I can''t afford a nice 2 ct ruby at this point, I am seriously considering a red spinel. Your is beautiful! I like the oval with round side stones. I can''t wait to see the finished ring someday.

DiamondLil