Tanzanite

[valeria101]

It is at acstones.com ámong the gems with 'S' names. The stone is a rather large trillion with pretty good color.

 

[Mikesgirl]

Great site, AnA. There are some really beautiful and unusual things there. Thanks for telling us about it!

 

[kevin]

Hi Josh
just wanted to say hi...tell Kelly hi

for me...I figured you would like to see a ring i just finished up this evening it was a tough one....take care....
best regards Kevin

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Kevin...Wow...




I am glad to see you posting here...What a small world...

The inlay work on this ring is georgeous.....Absolutely stunning...

 

[pricescope]

Hi Kevin, it's great to have you here

Please post more of your works (picture, comments, etc)

 

[kevin]

Josh,


Thanks


The Tanzanite in the opal inlay ring is over 4cts...the stone was nicer than i could capture......hope all is well in Sitka and best regards....I will try and post some more opal cutting work and jewelry designs I have several i am working on...some can be seen at www.opalartinlay.com


Best Regards from Indian Territory

 

[AGBF]

Hi, Kevin-

I just came to post my news and saw that gorgeous ring! Wow!

I received two tanzanites today. They are both lovely.

The problem with the stones (both) is that I cannot set them with the pears I had hoped to use as accent stones. The pears, next to the wide oval, just spread out too much. Being unable to use the pears as I had hoped makes me have to rethink everything. I had thought the pears were bigger than I wanted as accent stones with my red spinel. I had planned to buy smaller ones. But the pears are useless here with this tanzanite. I don't want a plain tanzanite solitaire...so how can I frame it? I do own other diamonds that can be removed from settings...but they are all round. Do I want round stones around this oval? It looks huge to me, too. I am just not used to stones this size (around 8mm by 10 mm).

I don't know *what* to do!!!! I am thinking that I may need a smaller tanzanite, something between the size of my red spinel (7.5 x 6.0 x 5.1 mm) and these two (8mm x 10 mm) stones.

Although there is nothing I can do about it now, are the pears I own longer than usual for 1/2 carat stones? Do pears come in plumper versus more elongated shapes? The dimensions of mine are:

7.14 x 4.53 x 2.96 mm ( .55 carat) and 7.01 x 4.64 x 2.85 mm (.54 carat). Oh...and remember, these pears looked TOO big (plump) next to my spinel .

 

[valeria101]

----------------
On 12/1/2003 4:42:44 PM AGBF wrote:



The problem with the stones (both) is that I cannot set them with the pears I had hoped to use as accent stones. I am just not used to stones this size (around 8mm by 10 mm). I am thinking that I may need a smaller tanzanite.

Do pears come in plumper versus more elongated shapes?

----------------

I guess you will get used with the size easily: it is very reasonable, I would say. A 8X10 sits nicely East-West on my 3.5 size middle finger. The same puny support would hold anything up to 15mm width without complaint after a little training.

After all, the pears will be mounted at an angle: hopefully enough not to go beyond your finger size. If they do (I guess so), I would rather get a pair of either half moon or hart cut diamonds or use round one (perfect match, after all). A smaller tanzanite would probably look paler and not have the same value.

Also, why diamonds? How about colored sides. such as tsavorite or emerald, or orange sapphires. This would be a less clasic choice but quite fashionable, especially in a daring setting...

Does it show I love your project?

I certainly do!

 

[valeria101]

I almost feal bad about posting this! Hope you don't like round cuts AGBF...

 

[AGBF]

----------------
On 12/1/2003 5:47:54 PM valeria101 wrote:

----------------

I guess you will get used with the size easily: it is very reasonable, I would say. A 8X10 sits nicely East-West on my 3.5 size middle finger.
...
After all, the pears will be mounted at an angle: hopefully enough not to go beyond your finger size.
...
A smaller tanzanite would probably look paler and not have the same value.

----------------

Darn! I was hoping a smaller size would do the trick for me!!!! I don't think I like the idea of the pears being set at an angle to the center stone .

 

[valeria101]

I don't mean to impose my taste, AGBF... It is true though that tanzanite is expected to come in larger sizes, just because there are almost no other blue gems that do. Deeper colored tanzanites would still look blue below 2ct and probably cost the same as your current stones, but, in this size, why not sapphire? The same blueish-violet color is widely available and the material would be more enduring.

Really, my appologies for all this drama: there are basically noooo rings too big for me.

 

[kevin]

Hi Deb nice to meet you...


I dont know your tastes but I wouldn't do anything that takes from the stone you really want to be seen......I have seen some really nice stones crashed together like a car wreck but some people like that.....just put a little spray around your rose....


wish you the best with your ring


Kevin

 

[AGBF]

----------------
On 12/1/2003 6:10:10 PM valeria101 wrote:

I don't mean to impose my taste, AGBF... It is true though that tanzanite is expected to come in larger sizes, just because there are almost no other blue gems that do. Deeper colored tanzanites would still look blue below 2ct and probably cost the same as your current stones, but, in this size, why not sapphire? The same blueish-violet color is widely available and the material would be more enduring.


Really, my appologies for all this drama: there are basically noooo rings too big for me.----------------

I have not seen sapphires of the type to which you refer AnA (Valeria). When I first saw tanzanite I thought it was unique! So the answer to your question is: it never occurred to me that a sapphire would look like tanzanite!

Kevin, how would *you* frame an oval tanzanite? What would you consider *not* to be a car wreck?

And AnA again: I love the idea of emerald green stones (be they tsavorite or emeralds) with tanzanite...but not for me. My taste in jewelry is very conservative. (Only my politics are radical .)

Deb

 

[kevin]

Dear Deb,


you could frame it with some really bright pointers all the way around the main oval.....to seperate the the round tanzanite or sapphire stones from the oval....so they could all breath a little....the smaller sapphire sounds like a good idea they won't wash out when they get to smaller sizes as much........this is just a random idea for you...don't want you to think I am imposing my ideas on you....just wanted to give you some ideas...


Best Regards Kevin


P.S. earlier i thought you where mixing the spinel with the tanz and pear diamonds

 

[elmo]

AGBF, I think my "current favorite" accompaniment to an oval center stone would be half-moon sides...no taking away there as half-moons always play a supporting role I think. Small trapezoids might also be cool if you want to add angular to the not-so-angular

. The melee all around looks a little too cliched to me.

 

[AGBF]

----------------
On 12/2/2003 8:28:49 AM elmo wrote:

AGBF, I think my 'current favorite' accompaniment to an oval center stone would be half-moon sides...no taking away there as half-moons always play a supporting role I think. Small trapezoids might also be cool if you want to add angular to the not-so-angular

. The melee all around looks a little too cliched to me.----------------

I believe it is too BIG for me. The Princess of Wales had a sapphire set like that and I do not dress the way she did! (I believe that Sarah, the Duchess of York has a ruby set that way, too.) I go for delicate, classic jewelry.

 

[valeria101]

Just one Q...

it seem that the pears alone would be about 15mm in length when set "in line", prongs and all. How wide can the top of the ring be in total?

I suspect that aside the pears thre would be about 5-6mm left to cover, and this would only allow for a disproportionaltely small round or ovel (same story as the spinel). The proportions of the ring might be saved by an elongated center: a marquise or an elongated fancy cut of sorts.

Sapphires in "tanzanite" color are plenty... but what shape and size (face-up surface and dimensions) would march those pears?

 

[AGBF]

This ring is shown on The Tradeshop's website. It is one they custom designed for someone. The pear accent stones *DO* turn down, I see. I am wondering if one of the 10mm x 8mm tanzanites I am holding would look good flanked by the pair of diamond pears if they were turned down...the way I said I hadn't wanted them . Or should I be looking for a smaller tanzanite (or a sapphire)?

 

[valeria101]

The side stones are a bit inclined in most rings: if they are not you will obtain an unusual "flat-face" look indeed. Not that there is something wrong with it: but these technicalities are often overlooked, and I can't keep my writing still anyway!

 

[AGBF]

----------------
On 12/2/2003 10:04:47 AM valeria101 wrote:

The side stones are a bit inclined in most rings: if they are not you will obtain an unusual 'flat-face' look indeed. ----------------

My question is, then, what will an 8mm x 10mm tanzanite look like with the size pears I have...compared to The Tradeshop ring? Will they work? Or will I be wearing pears between my fingers?

 

[valeria101]

----------------
On 12/2/2003 10:47:38 AM AGBF wrote:
My question is, then, what will an 8mm x 10mm tanzanite look like with the size pears I have...compared to The Tradeshop ring? Will they work? Or will I be wearing pears between my fingers?----------------

No way to know unless I get some idea of the size of the Tradeshop ring. Do you have it around? The best measure would be it's diameter, the second best is to get the size (on the US ring size scale, I guess) of your intended ring so I can attempt to convert. I'll take it from there. Your Q was also mine (the "just one Q") post above

My bet is that the pears will be too big, but my fingers are not a reliable benchmark (something like pen-size). Hope I can actually help...

 

[valeria101]

Still Me

I trully believe that the ring below, with it's 5cts center and "slightly below 1ct each" sides does fit on someone's finger (and not necesarily a sizr 15 one). It is really up to your jeweler to set things straingt. It seems to me that his advice and your oppinion on wether the sides match the center are key.

Of course, I would love to see go forth with the previous Q-s though, as you might guess!

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Hey Kevin..I wanted to post this ring because I thought it was one of the most elegant rings I have seen...Very detailed....

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

More Favorites.....

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Hey Kevin..This looks a lot like the ring you made for Kelly...

 

[AGBF]

Valeria/AnA,

I could not find the size of the ring made by The Tradeshop and I do not know how wide a ring could be and still work for me. The size of my finger isn't the only factor; there is also my aversion to large pieces of jewelry that must be factored in .

I regretfully returned the tanzanite to Pala Gems today. I had a chance to see those stones next to some truly gorgeous, very well saturated tanzanite and they just did not measure up. I am not going to attempt to buy tanzanite by mail again.

I did get to rest the tanzanite of that size (one of the two 8mm x 10mm Pala stones)in an setting with pear diamond accent stones on the sides and feel that that is the way for me to go. My pears, held up next to the tanzanite, looked even better-in better proportion-to the tanzanite than the pears in the setting did.

Now all I need is some tanzanite .

 

[valeria101]

Ugh! I am so glad you went that way with Pala's stones. I hope your jeweler can be a good gem broker and provide what you want.

If the project is not pressing, I would still give a call to Allthatglitters and Steveperrygems. Both store owners are gem fanatics who work all the way down the supply chain just like Pala does. Your are obviously looking for a nice collection item (albeit a rather small sample), so it would be nice, I think, to deal with like-minded people. I have found that it usually takes some effort to get gem suppliers to show their best things.

I am sorry to hear that this process has been frustrating. Hope it works out for you...

 

[AGBF]

This is the photo of some tanzanite Steve Perry Gems has. I objected to its shape.

 

[valeria101]

The bad and the ugly!