White Gold Emerald Ring, Question About Emeralds
Q: My husband and I have been married 7 years. He didn't buy me an engagement ring before we were married, we chose to sink all our available funds into a house, instead. However, now, (for a combination of reasons), he wants to buy me an "engagement-type" ring. That is, a narrow band with a solitaire stone or central stone with smaller flanking stones. No cocktail/dinner rings, or heavy gold bands, or anything like that. I want a natural emerald, NOT set with diamonds, preferably emerald cut (or maybe oval cut). I'd also like it set in white gold, as I wear mostly silver jewelry and my wedding band is white gold.
A: Our shopping in jewelry stores determined that ALL emeralds we could find were (a) set it yellow gold, and MOST were (b) set with diamonds. There also seemed to be a trend of the darker green stones being marquis cut with a heavy gold band. We found a couple with slim bands, but they tended to be birthstone rings, and the emeralds were VERY small with accent diamonds. So, we decided to go the "custom" ring route. My husband loves to buy things online, and decided to buy the stone himself. We found an auction emerald that was 1.73 carats, touted as "eye-clean" when facing up with a color rating of 9.5 out of 10. He bought it in auction, and when it arrived we took it to the jeweler to see why the stone didn't seem to match the decription (it was VERY light green, it was obviously very cloudy with several easily-seen flaws, had color zoning that wasn't mentioned) and we were told the stone was obviously mis-represented. He also mentioned that the stone was cut rather "deep" (4.8 mm), and that it would be best in a pendant (if set in a ring, it would have to be built "up" for the setting, and therefore be at higher risk of accident). The heavy flaws in this stone also made it much more likely to be damaged, which was basically the death-knell for keeping the stone. Wearing a tall ring that the stone can be shattered in any time I'm not paying close attention to it, is NOT the sort of ring I want :). We're returning it. While in conversation with the jeweler, he told me some things I wanted to check out. (1) That an emerald somewhere between a carat and two, a good dark green color with minimal flaws, in a cut I like would prolly range between $300 and $500 just for the stone, then there would be the white gold setting cost, and labor. (2) Buying a stone ourself would end up in a ring costing more overall money, because jewelers have to be concerned that they might break any stone they set. He has some deal with his gem distributor to help cover the cost of stones he breaks that he purchases through them. If we bring a stone in, he dosn't have that safety, and so he has to charge more as a sort of "insurance", and that all (most?) jewelers do this. (3) We should find a setting we want, and then arrange for stones that fit in the setting. He said it's much more difficult to set a particular stone than find a stone for a particular setting. He also mentioned that there are some cases where these concerns are usually not addressed (for example, re-setting a heirloom stone). However, if there is no sentimental attachment to a stone, and finances are being closely watched, then, we should consider all these factors before buying anything else. If you've stuck with me so far...can anyone out there provide feedback on what we (my husband and I) need to do in order to start planning this out? Money is a big concern, about $500 total is what we're discussing now, though, that becomes flexible depending on how much time we can take (within an additional hundred or two). Obviously, I will not be able to get a perfect, huge, incredibly dark emerald for this amount of money. What I'd like to do is get the most "stone" and the least "setting" (beyond being sturdy enough to hold the stone in place) for our money. Im sorry to be the one to tell you this but please dont shoot the messanger (and keep in mind I`M not trying to sell you something). The type ring you want and the type stone you are planning to put in it, are not very compatable with everyday use. Emeralds are soft stones, fairly easily chipped and scratched, with inclusions that make it realitivly easy to break. If you take that type stone and put it in an engagement style ring where it sits up high, you are going to have a ring with pontential problems. Couple that with the fact that good emeralds can cost as much as good diamonds and you have potentially expensive problems. Wellllllllll, that depends. If you get a good enough deal it would more than make up for any extra the jeweler felt it was necessary to charge you. The problem is, where do you find this great deal. You have to know an awful lot about emeralds to get those good deals. Emeralds are dyed, oiled, stabelized, synthesized, and any number of other things that general John Q public cant identify. Buy something from a reputable dealer in your area, get what they say in writing, and then let them set it. If you insist on buying a stone one place and getting it set somewhere else, you might be able to get a price break by signing a note releasing them from responsibility if the emerald is chipped or broken during setting (although they may make you do that anyway). Sounds like someones trying to sell you an emerald. If theres any gem dealers that do that I would love to buy stones from them. To the best of my knowledge no one does. If your jeweler is going to take financial responsibility for your emerald they deserve a premium.The same things that make it an impractical stone for an engagement ring, make it a very hard stone to set. I think you are going to need to do alot more shopping. Check a number of stores that carry alot of emeralds. A store that specializes in emeralds