Voce's Gemstone Ramblings...

[CSpan]

Here's my ring selection for the week:

OMG your Emerald looks like velvet here.

 

[voce]

Look what arrived just in time for Christmas: a little emblem of spring, but with enough red and green too be totally appropriate for Christmas.

 

[voce]

nothing like a full jewelry box to remind myself I have enough rings. This is not including the 20 or so in other boxes. I've stopped buying loose stones, but I've still got more to set...
Would it just be enabling myself to order a ring box holding 108?

 

[Pennyc]

Wow @voce no words I am off to zoom in on this collection

 

[CSpan]

OMG OMG OMG! I saw the dragonfly on his site and was so excited! It is so darling and looks like it just alighted on your hand. Long time coming but so very worth it.

And I vote for 108. Gotta have goals.

 

[icy_jade]

This is not including the 20 or so in other boxes.

Umm can we ask to see the other 20 plus rings too. And more pics of your collection pls.

 

[Acinom]

I sooooo loooove your collection. Very beautiful and inspiring

 

[voce]

Wow @voce no words I am off to zoom in on this collection

Um, thanks, Pennyc? I use small and medium size stones for rings. The huge ones I tend to make into pendants. Hopefully some of these can give you ideas on how to set your own small but mighty gems.

OMG OMG OMG! I saw the dragonfly on his site and was so excited! It is so darling and looks like it just alighted on your hand. Long time coming but so very worth it.

And I vote for 108. Gotta have goals.

Yes, it was definitely worth the wait.

Umm can we ask to see the other 20 plus rings too. And more pics of your collection pls.

I'm periodically changing which ones go into which box, haha. So until I work out a more permanent sorting arrangement, and the rings stay put in the same box, I just don't think it's something that I'm inclined to do. I have more loose stones to set, for instance. 4 paraibas, 2 spinels, an emerald, and 2 spess, and 1 blue sapphire for the major ones.

Should I arrange the rings by metal? Jeweler/bench? Should I set aside the ones I personally designed from the ones I acquired as is, or separate the custom settings from where I just picked stones to fit into CRD, Stuller, Daniel M styles?

Ok, here's a compromise. These 10 rings are the ones that will be in my box for the next week. We'll see if I get good sunlight to take more thorough pictures of the rest. It's very challenging to take group shots because as soon as I make one look the best, a tilt window shows up in another.

I sooooo loooove your collection. Very beautiful and inspiring

You have amazing rings yourself, Acinom. I'm floored that you'd find my collection inspiring.

 

[leslie1956]

I saw your dragonfly ring in Dan's shop, but I think it even looks prettier on your hand

 

[icy_jade]

Should I arrange the rings by metal? Jeweler/bench? Should I set aside the ones I personally designed from the ones I acquired as is, or separate the custom settings from where I just picked stones to fit into CRD, Stuller, Daniel M styles?

Personally I arrange by color. Seems easier that way and quite a joy to see a rainbow whenever I open my ring drawer

 

[voce]

Personally I arrange by color. Seems easier that way and quite a joy to see a rainbow whenever I open my ring drawer

That totally makes sense for your collection. A lot of my rings have multiple colors, however, so I'm not likely to achieve a rainbow effect.

 

[Polyhex]

The dragonfly is wonderful and what a great use of small but mighty stones!! I love it!

 

[T L]

Such a beautiful collection. The dragonfly is adorable and so colorful.

 

[voce]

Thank you @Polyhex @T L @leslie1956
I'm putting it away for now. Because it's lots of prong set small stones, I don't want it to snag on my knit sweaters and cardigans. When spring comes and I can wear short sleeves again, I will be sure to take it out to the garden to play and photograph the garden critter rings with plenty of light and greenery.

 

[minousbijoux]

nothing like a full jewelry box to remind myself I have enough rings. This is not including the 20 or so in other boxes. I've stopped buying loose stones, but I've still got more to set...
Would it just be enabling myself to order a ring box holding 108?

Apart from the wonderful colors of your collection, what amazes me is the speed with which you've created them. It seems to me that many of them were designed and completed within the last 3 years. So impressive!

 

[2Neesers]

I love your new dragonfly ring and your entire collection!

 

[voce]

Apart from the wonderful colors of your collection, what amazes me is the speed with which you've created them. It seems to me that many of them were designed and completed within the last 3 years. So impressive!

I think part of the speed is the mentality that whatever I'm spending on bling, it has to be with my own money before I get married and have kids. Once the collection is complete, which I hope will be soon, it will stay put for years and years because when I have kids the funds will have to go to pay for other expenses.

 

[elle_71125]

Look what arrived just in time for Christmas: a little emblem of spring, but with enough red and green too be totally appropriate for Christmas.

How did I miss this? It’s so pretty! I love the color play, especially from the green wings to the blue green of it’s tail.

 

[dk168]

I would order another box as I am certain you are likely to fill it up in no time!

DK

 

[voce]

Now that the stock market is in misery territory, I jumped ship to focus on bling again.

I started with Canadian nephrite and an emerald cab.

Then some gahnite possibly to go with the emerald.

 

[voce]

Then, I became interested in jade, and serendipitously was able to acquire a few lavender pieces in my size (much larger than average because of palm size) through @Burmesedaze.

I am head over heels in with my new bangles.

The one I'm wearing on the left wrist with my Fitbit is not an exact color match for the lavender band, but it looks quite pleasing to me and feels quite comfortable.

 

[voce]

I also have two bluish lavender bangles to wear on my right wrist. One is more even tone, the other has moss green running through it.

I think the bluish lavender goes well with paraiba!

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

I also have two bluish lavender bangles to wear on my right wrist. One is more even tone, the other has moss green running through it.

I think the bluish lavender goes well with paraiba!

I have to say, you are rocking all your new jade! They're beautiful

 

[Burmesedaze]

Love how you rock those bangles! Lavender always rules!

BTW, if you should wish to wear 2 on the same arm, remember to put a soft bracelet or such in-between. The Taiwanese ladies use some soft vine bangle to do that, but something softer than jade to cushion the 2 bangles would work.

 

[Acinom]

Gorgeous bangles. Beautiful colour play.
Did I indeed read correctly that you have 4 loose Paraiba’s? Can you treat us on a group shot?

 

[voce]

Gorgeous bangles. Beautiful colour play.
Did I indeed read correctly that you have 4 loose Paraiba’s? Can you treat us on a group shot?

Thank you, Acinom. Unfortunately, I've already sent in the faceted loose ones to be set by Yvonne in the coming months, so I don't have all of them all together. Since you asked so nicely, I decided to show you the remaining ones I have, which are all cabs (apart from the melee).

Paraibas #1 and #2 already with Yvonne. They are respectively a 7x5 pear and a 5.55mm round that I very much.


Paraiba #3, a 6mm round cabochon I plan to set after those projects. I've already put it in the layout I want to set it in, which is identical to the one I'm going to use for the Russian emerald. These two future rings will be set back to back after the three rings with the gems in the right box on the top picture are set. You see why with so much color already with these projects, I'm opting for a simpler approach with my emerald cab...


Here's paraiba #4, a glowy trillion that will likely get a simple platinum Gatsby trillion setting.


And a group shot of paraibas 3 and 4 and friends (there's a bonus 4x3 paraiba cab anda purple sapphire cab in the same box with paraiba 4, and some paraiba trillions in the layouts in the tray containing paraiba 3). Please note that due to paraiba 3 being a cab and the other gems in the sticky lid tray being faceted gems, what you are seeing in the group shot is the bottom of paraiba 3, not the juicy top part that you see, in the picture above.

 

[voce]

Calling @deorwine because I think she'd be interested. I was playing around with my rings before starting the housework and gardening work I do on the weekends.

I just love these rings I did with Inken!

 

[ChaiK]

Now that the stock market is in misery territory, I jumped ship to focus on bling again.

I started with Canadian nephrite and an emerald cab.

Then some gahnite possibly to go with the emerald.

@voce, what is nephrite like? Is it a dead green or a good green? I ask because I am looking at something nephrite but worry that the iron content is so high the green won't be bright. Your thoughts on colour would be much appreciated and I thank you in advance.

 

[voce]

@voce, what is nephrite like? Is it a dead green or a good green? I ask because I am looking at something nephrite but worry that the iron content is so high the green won't be bright. Your thoughts on colour would be much appreciated and I thank you in advance.

Can you clarify what you mean by dead green? I find there's more yellowish green when I look at nephrite. The best ones are an apple green. Good nephrite does look vibrant in sunlight. Don't expect to find any bluish greens in nephrite, as you might find in jadeite.

 

[ChaiK]

Can you clarify what you mean by dead green? I find there's more yellowish green when I look at nephrite. The best ones are an apple green. Good nephrite does look vibrant in sunlight. Don't expect to find any bluish greens in nephrite, as you might find in jadeite.

Is it only in sunlight that the nephrite looks bright?

The UK light can take the life out of certain gems.

A dead green would be like a very deep dark green.

Your nephrite bracelet is lovely! Not at all yellow or lifeless.

I am looking at Siberian nephrite and was hoping the green would be not so deep dark dark green.