Archive for the ‘jewelry’ tag
Design Ring Sapphire
Need idea for unique engagement ring (no diamonds)?
I am about to propose to my girlfriend and need to get a unique engagement ring. She works in the jewelry business and knows A LOT about jewelry. She considers diamonds to be boring and unoriginal – something for the brainwashed masses. Her favorite stone is garnet although I don’t think garnet is fancy enough for an engagement ring. She also likes tourmaline and has mentioned moissanite as being an interesting stone (but it looks like a diamond I think). I think she might like sapphires too. She looks very good in yellow gold although I know white gold is the trendy thing these days.
She hates traditional settings and likes artistic geometric designs.
Can anyone offer a suggestion on an engagement ring stone (definitely no diamonds) and setting for a person highly knowledgeable about jewelry? Or maybe something completely different for an engagement ring idea?
OOH FUN!
Garnets actually can be really interesting. They come in all colors – start looking into Tsavorite Garnet (green) and Malaya Garnet (pinkish/red). Blue sapphires are my favorite stone in the world. Also, spinel is a very hard/durable stone which comes in a variety of colors and it tends to be pretty affordable.
Take a look at the stones on Jeff White’s website (he is a master stone cutter). You could even commission him to custom cut a stone for you.
http://www.whitesgems.com/cutgems1.htm
For inspiration, here are links to some of my favorite colored center stone rings (they do all have diamond accents):
Sapphire: http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=452
Emerald: http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=276
Tsavorite (scroll down to second post): http://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=46513
Quite possibly the prettiest sapphire ring EVER: http://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=75275
Look for the perfect stone first and then start to consider the setting. You’ll also want to seek out good custom jewelers to possibly design your setting.
Have fun with this and congratulations!!!!
Edit: Regarding moissanite, I wouldn’t recommend it. Its normally considered a diamond substitute for people who cannot afford or do not want to pay the price of a genuine diamond. It often has a gray/green tint which is not attractive. Its also created in a lab. If your girlfriend likes color, I think you should go all out and get her some real color, not a cheap diamond substitute like moissanite.
SAPPHIRE & DIAMONDS ANTIQUE ART DECO DESIGN RING 3.71CT – KNR INC. 0.3.wmv