Voce's Gemstone Ramblings...

[voce]

...because I have a bunch of OMG moments that I want to share and things I want to discuss with other gem lovers!

Maybe my inner reaction upon seeing colored gemstones is just more dramatic than most people's. But when I see

I go !!! I think emeralds and paraibas have the best blue-greens. This is Columbian emerald, oil only, and the sheen of that color is incredibly beautiful, even if such clean emeralds only becomes affordable in small melee sizes.

But then when I see demantoid garnets like these...

the brilliance and brightness of top Russian demantoid garnet also make me go like !!!

I have a demantoid and paraiba 5-stone eternity style ring, and the demantoids glow more under the sun than the paraiba!

I guess top demantoid is really rare and is mined in a country where you have to pay the workers more than in Latin America, but oh my goodness the price! The 1.5mm melee demantoids cost more than 1.5mm paraibas from Brazil!

I think this thread will become a repository for things I adore but cannot afford. I need to start being a real adult now and budget less for bling.

 

[Rubybrick]

...because I have a bunch of OMG moments that I want to share and things I want to discuss with other gem lovers!

Maybe my inner reaction upon seeing colored gemstones is just more dramatic than most people's. But when I see

I go !!! I think emeralds and paraibas have the best blue-greens. This is Columbian emerald, oil only, and the sheen of that color is incredibly beautiful, even if such clean emeralds only becomes affordable in small melee sizes.

But then when I see demantoid garnets like these...

the brilliance and brightness of top Russian demantoid garnet also make me go like !!!

I have a demantoid and paraiba 5-stone eternity style ring, and the demantoids glow more under the sun than the paraiba!

I guess top demantoid is really rare and is mined in a country where you have to pay the workers more than in Latin America, but oh my goodness the price! The 1.5mm melee demantoids cost more than 1.5mm paraibas from Brazil!

I think this thread will become a repository for things I adore but cannot afford. I need to start being a real adult now and budget less for bling.

Are those Yvonne’s emeralds, they are amazing.

 

[T L]

I adore emerald, my dream gem! This video doesn’t do the stone justice! One of the finest emeralds in the world!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVnFM3_AVMs/?igshid=1s2l5w6p7pcfj

Where’s the picture of your demantoid/paraiba ring?

 

[Rubybrick]

...because I have a bunch of OMG moments that I want to share and things I want to discuss with other gem lovers!

Maybe my inner reaction upon seeing colored gemstones is just more dramatic than most people's. But when I see

I go !!! I think emeralds and paraibas have the best blue-greens. This is Columbian emerald, oil only, and the sheen of that color is incredibly beautiful, even if such clean emeralds only becomes affordable in small melee sizes.

But then when I see demantoid garnets like these...

the brilliance and brightness of top Russian demantoid garnet also make me go like !!!

I have a demantoid and paraiba 5-stone eternity style ring, and the demantoids glow more under the sun than the paraiba!

I guess top demantoid is really rare and is mined in a country where you have to pay the workers more than in Latin America, but oh my goodness the price! The 1.5mm melee demantoids cost more than 1.5mm paraibas from Brazil!

I think this thread will become a repository for things I adore but cannot afford. I need to start being a real adult now and budget less for bling.

The green and pink combo is very mesmerizing!

 

[voce]

@Rubybrick yes, those are 3mm emerald melees from Yvonne. I also love the mesmerizing pink and green combo! Both when it's pastels and when it's saturated neon like this!

@T L well, at $5.5M, that emerald is going to be in a lot of people's dreams. Here's my picture of that eternity style ring.

Both in person and on camera, the demantoids were SUPER neon, definitely more so than the 2.7mm paraibas they're right next to.

P.S. And look how pretty the demantoids are in my sunflower ring, as well! 1.25mm but mighty.

P.P.S. Oh, and the bright tiny gem on the very right of my Easter paraiba ring? That's demantoid as well, 1.25mm size. The bigger green stones in the paraiba inner halo are mint garnets, and you can see the difference in the glow of demantoids.

 

[T L]

That emerald is a comparable bargain next to a top Burma ruby, lol. $300k/ct for that huge top top top stone vs. $2million/ct for a maybe 5 carat Burma ruby gem?? Lol!! Wait! I blinked my eyes, I think it just went up to $3million/ct!

Really fine demantoid is neon. You have a beautiful ring, as is the rest of your ring box. Most people never heard of drmantoid, or paraiba, let alone own them. Consider yourself very fortunate. Your demantoids really pack a color punch!! Gorgeous!

I have some demantoids, but they’re Namibian and not saturated. They sparkle though. This is a horrible pic of my largest loose in an empty setting.

 

[voce]

That is true, that fine emerald is nowhere near the price of what rubies are selling for. Secretly I think this is at least in part because most rich Asian people go for jade when they think of green, and haven't driven up the price as they have rubies. Michelle Yeoh, though...her emerald ring featured in the movie Crazy Rich Asians is TDF gorgeous as well.

Yeah, unfortunately the Namibian stuff is just not neon enough to be comparable to top Russian stuff. It's nice and has dispersion, but is less noticeable without the neon. Yours is a pretty nice size and cut, T L. The best Namibian demantoid I have ever seen is this one, same gem, shown on white and dark backgrounds.

I don't know how many grades exactly there are for Russian demantoids. Four? If the colors in the photos are true to life, then this finest Namibian material is close to second grade Russian demantoid material. Too bad I am in no position to collect this, as I splurged on a dream ruby that I'm still paying off on a 0% interest credit card payment plan, and I do have the car to worry about, too.

I think I am extremely fortunate to have found and stuck with Cecile Raley Designs. Wouldn't know what demantoid garnet is without them. My first project with them was that sunflower ring, and the halo was supposed to be green gems, and between tsavorite and demantoid Yvonne had recommended demantoid. Then once I saw how special they are in person, I bought out the best priced (probably older stock) top quality Russian demantoids they had in the shop. I had a hunch that the prices for them would go up, as would prices for paraibas. I don't know that I would be able to add any more demantoids to my collection in the future, because 1) I am starting to budget elsewhere and 2) these gems are costing more and more.

Oh, and for fun, I will post the picture of the Mahenge spinel I found on Etsy that led me to the shop that had this Namibian demantoid garnet.

Sure, the clarity isn't the best, but 11.3x10.7! Almost 12 carats. That saturated color!

At this point in my life, I just can't afford any more bling. My 1 ct ruby is the end-all-be-all, and I'm done buying paraibas, I think.

 

[T L]

That’s a pretty Namibian you posted, but they are shifty. They look better in sunlight I think. Mine is puke green under incandescent light (the photo). It’s 6mm cushion, so it’s a decent size, but the color

Yvonne makes rare gems more affordable, and her designs are lovely and whimsical. No wonder she’s so popular here.

That’s a nice size Mahenge. The clarity is no big deal nowadays as prices have skyrocketed. Paraibas are also crazy prices. . .but that blue!!!!

 

[Rad_Fan]

voce, here is that Michelle Yeoh's ring again!



Another ring

 

[T L]

She’s lovely!! I love her emerald!! Thanks for posting that. The bottom ring looks like a tourmaline, but not sure.

Victoria Beckham has a fine emerald ring as well, but I like the vintage style of Michelle’s better.

 

[Rad_Fan]

It could be a tourmaline, I originally thought it might be a Zambian emerald...

 

[voce]

Victoria Beckham is the celebrity with like 18 engagement rings all from herself and her one husband. If only all PS SOs were so supportive

 

[Rad_Fan]

I always curious what cut is Victoria's, cushion? It doesn't has that symmetrical flash/glow.

 

[Rad_Fan]

I also wonder if she keeps all those rings, or trade them in each time...

 

[arkieb1]

Don't forget Tsavs, they come in beautiful greens as well!!!

 

[CHRISTY-DANIELLE]

Thanks for the info on the Russian demantoids. It's a stone that catches my eye ,even though I'm not the biggest green fan, some of Yvonnes demantoids

 

[voce]

Yes, I forgot about tsavs. For some reason, they just don't give me the same reactions as emeralds or demantoids (just don't wow me like even though they are beautiful). Tsavs give me a cool beauty vibe, and I have trouble deciding how to set them.

My green center stone floral ring is my sphene sunflower. I also have a demantoids garnet with oval lavender sapphire sidestones. I hate to duplicate both the same style and the same color combination, but my oval tsav from rare gem lover had not inspired me even though l liked the color a lot. I did recently send it in to Ivy and Rose to set in one of their halo style settings.

However, during Yvonne's New Year sale I acquired a suite of small Kenyan tsav baguettes, and those DID inspire me. I'm thinking of setting them with some assorted other gems that are small in size to make a colorful crown. I will set this in rose gold once I complete some other projects and have saved the funds to set this.

I'm less worried about people copying this design of mine, so I guess I can give you all a preview. Because most people don't buy suites of small stones like I do and go straight for the centerpiece, I hope this will be more difficult to duplicate.

 

[Bluegemz]

Yes, I forgot about tsavs. For some reason, they just don't give me the same reactions as emeralds or demantoids (just don't wow me like even though they are beautiful). Tsavs give me a cool beauty vibe, and I have trouble deciding how to set them.

My green center stone floral ring is my sphene sunflower. I also have a demantoids garnet with oval lavender sapphire sidestones. I hate to duplicate both the same style and the same color combination, but my oval tsav from rare gem lover had not inspired me even though l liked the color a lot. I did recently send it in to Ivy and Rose to set in one of their halo style settings.

However, during Yvonne's New Year sale I acquired a suite of small Kenyan tsav baguettes, and those DID inspire me. I'm thinking of setting them with some assorted other gems that are small in size to make a colorful crown. I will set this in rose gold once I complete some other projects and have saved the funds to set this.

I'm less worried about people copying this design of mine, so I guess I can give you all a preview. Because most people don't buy suites of small stones like I do and go straight for the centerpiece, I hope this will be more difficult to duplicate.

A crown ring would be great with those! Love that you bought a suite of stones. It expands the imagination, as so often, the focus is one center piece, and the designs reflect that. Whereas with multiple stones and no center focus, there is a vastness or feeling. I guess that’s part of the appeal of gem bead necklaces, and gemstone bracelets for me. Those are a really fabulous range of shapes and colors.

 

[doberman]

... I need to start being a real adult now and budget less for bling.

Aw, that's no fun! But I'm in the same boat.

 

[voce]

Thank you, @Bluegemz! I love how you have so many utterly unique pieces, so many of which are quite sizable. I only have a variety of colorful stones that are smaller, since I can still count on one hand the number I have that reach the 2 ct mark, only 4 or 5.

I hope by setting my smaller mighty stones in innovative ways, I can build a collection of unique smaller rings that I can wear with each other. I'm planning to have the crown ring be a statement piece for the index finger, and wear simpler pieces to pair with on the middle and/or ring fingers.

 

[Bluegemz]

Thank you, @Bluegemz! I love how you have so many utterly unique pieces, so many of which are quite sizable. I only have a variety of colorful stones that are smaller, since I can still count on one hand the number I have that reach the 2 ct mark, only 4 or 5.

I hope by setting my smaller mighty stones in innovative ways, I can build a collection of unique smaller rings that I can wear with each other. I'm planning to have the crown ring be a statement piece for the index finger, and wear simpler pieces to pair with on the middle and/or ring fingers.

Thank you! What a lovely compliment. Variety is important to me because I just feel like wearing different styles. I don’t think I could chose one over others for any length of time. Regarding size, I just can’t pull off small stones though I REALLY wish I could. I’m 5’10” plus 2 inches added with my regular shoes. My hands long too, so that leaves me out for dainty pieces. They ‘get lost’ on me completely. I could stack rings, but I don’t have enough that really work together. Would love to make some star sapphire stackers someday.

I think the crown ring would be fabulous to wear with others. Truly, that would look amazing!

 

[T L]

Regarding size, I just can’t pull off small stones though I REALLY wish I could. I’m 5’10” plus 2 inches added with my regular shoes. My hands long too, so that leaves me out for dainty pieces. They ‘get lost’ on me completely. I could stack rings, but I don’t have enough that really work together. Would love to make some star sapphire stackers someday.

Oh wow, I thought I was the “Amazon woman” of this board! Lol! Everyone posts such small dainty hands. I’m too gargantuan to pull off tiny rings as well.

 

[Bluegemz]

Oh wow, I thought I was the “Amazon woman” of this board! Lol! Everyone posts such small dainty hands. I’m too gargantuan to pull off tiny rings as well.

The good side of this is that nothing is too big to pull off, right? I love the ‘go big or go home’ motto sometimes! But honestly, if I could pull off dainty pieces, I’d have quite a few more.

 

[FlashyFlamingo]

Oh wow, I thought I was the “Amazon woman” of this board! Lol! Everyone posts such small dainty hands. I’m too gargantuan to pull off tiny rings as well.

I’m with you all! I’m 5’10” with long fingers. My Dad always joked and called them ET fingers. Dainty gets lost on these ET fingers.

 

[T L]

The good side of this is that nothing is too big to pull off, right? I love the ‘go big or go home’ motto sometimes! But honestly, if I could pull off dainty pieces, I’d have quite a few more.

I just wish I was more dainty. My kids tell me I remind them of the Winter Warlock from “Santa Claus is Comin' to Town.” My brother is 6’5” though and huge!! He couldn’t even pull off my rings!
@FlashyFlamingo
Long fingers are nice! Mine are huge and fat.

 

[lilmosun]

@voce - I had the tsav set bookmarked but couldn't figure out what to do with them...so happy they went to someone more creative than me.

I am not only not dainty but short with size 8 fingers Because I limit what I will allow myself to spend on any piece of jewelry, I have to find settings that provide finger coverage for my small stones.

 

[Bluegemz]

I just wish I was more dainty. My kids tell me I remind them of the Winter Warlock from “Santa Claus is Comin' to Town.” My brother is 6’5” though and huge!! He couldn’t even pull off my rings!
@FlashyFlamingo
Long fingers are nice! Mine are huge and fat.

I’ve got a brother that is 6’4.5” and he’s huge also . Kind of refreshing to feel small around him. I’m happy that others can relate, because a large percentage of jewelry sizes and styles I wouldn’t even consider for myself, as much as I might like to. But, I love admiring on others!

 

[voce]

@voce - I had the tsav set bookmarked but couldn't figure out what to do with them...so happy they went to someone more creative than me.

I am not only not dainty but short with size 8 fingers Because I limit what I will allow myself to spend on any piece of jewelry, I have to find settings that provide finger coverage for my small stones.

Haha, yeah, I didn't pull the trigger on this tsav suite until I had the idea to set them with other tiny gems to make my own "tiny crown jewels". I'm not into (boring) baguette clusters. Thanks for not begrudging me for getting the set.

My fingers are also short and stubby, and it doesn't help that I hate the feel of long nails. They interfere if I type or if I so much as scratch my back (sensitive skin; it hurts).

Unless it's the pinky, there's no way I can fit into any ring that's under a size 7, and my index finger is a size 9.5. Hoping that if I lose weight, my fingers will get smaller. I would describe my hands as pretty darn meaty right now. My mom weighs 60 lb less, and her largest digit is size 7 or 7.5! My sub-carat gems would look so much better on me if my fingers were skinnier.

 

[lovedogs]

Haha, yeah, I didn't pull the trigger on this tsav suite until I had the idea to set them with other tiny gems to make my own "tiny crown jewels". I'm not into (boring) baguette clusters. Thanks for not begrudging me for getting the set.

My fingers are also short and stubby, and it doesn't help that I hate the feel of long nails. They interfere if I type or if I so much as scratch my back (sensitive skin; it hurts).

Unless it's the pinky, there's no way I can fit into any ring that's under a size 7, and my index finger is a size 9.5. Hoping that if I lose weight, my fingers will get smaller. I would describe my hands as pretty darn meaty right now. My mom weighs 60 lb less, and her largest digit is size 7 or 7.5! My sub-carat gems would look so much better on me if my fingers were skinnier.

I am so jealous of people with size 4/5 fingers! They can wear 1ct and it looks big, whereas I feel like 1ct looks very silly on me without a halo

 

[icy_jade]

I am so jealous of people with size 4/5 fingers! They can wear 1ct and it looks big, whereas I feel like 1ct looks very silly on me without a halo

That’s me as well. I actually did a size test irl and 2 ct diamond on me is like a 1 ct on someone petite... :roll