New Year's Resolution - Designing with Fabulous Gemstones

It's the beginning of a New Year and with that comes the annual list of resolutions. Of course I have all the regulars on my list, but I have also included some fun items this year. One of my resolutions for 2009 is to design new jewels featuring some stunning torus ring gems I purchased on a buying trip last year.

Above is a gorgeous 1.91 carats marquise shaped fancy purple sapphire set with a vibrant mandarin garnet. The purple sapphire is natural (unheated) and was originally mined in Madagascar. It measures L 12.75 x W 6.6 millimeters. In the center is a 1.8 mm round 0.03 carat mandarin garnet from Namibia.

The simplest way to describe a torus is a sort of doughnut shape or basically a circle within a circle. In fact, the torus is a common form seen throughout nature such as in whirlpools, lunar and solar eclipses, the iris of the human eye and natural phenomena like tornadoes and hurricanes (i.e. the eye of a hurricane).

According to the cutter, each gemstone TorusRing™ is individually carved with negative facets that create unique displays of brilliance. The Torus ring can be done in round, oval and marquise shapes.

I purchased this specific gem because I loved the rich purple hue that danced with light as I moved it around on my hand. I set a vibrant orange mandarin garnet within the center that, in my opinion, is the perfect complement to the lush purple hue of the sapphire.

This unusual gemstone now needs a good jewel to showcase it's dazzling brilliance and beautiful colors. I think that the shape and size of this gem is best suited for a ring design.

One thought I have for a ring design is to bezel set it in 18kt yellow gold with a soft satin finish. The band could be of a simple rounded design and accented with tiny colorless diamonds like my Tingle Ring Design.

Here is an example of a Platinum Tingle Ring I made with a beautiful alpine cut fancy purple sapphire and small colorless diamonds. I love the simplicity of this design, the soft look of the satin finish and the striking cut of the purple sapphire.

Another thought would be a two-tone effect, like my Smooth as Silk design. The ring shown above features a dramatic asscher cut diamond bezel set on the diagonal within a platinum band accented with a yellow gold stripe.

Since the feature stone is purple, I think the reverse pattern of a yellow gold body with platinum stripe would be more approriate, like my Bogota Bling ring design featuring this rare Trapiche Emerald. This ring is mostly 18kt yellow gold with just a narrow stripe of platinum for contrast.

The concept would be to set the marquise shaped purple sapphire vertically along the length of the finger and then accent the shoulders of the band with perhaps some small round diamonds channel set within the platinum stripe.

Perhaps a more rounded band design like the Alpine Tingle ring but with the two-tone effect like the Smooth as Silk ring and a total width somewhere in between the two designs would be a nice look.

Well then there is the more dramatic approach to things, like my Secret Garden design which is really one of my favorites. This is a design that I create in platinum or yellow gold then hand engrave with a rolling scroll and flower pattern which is then treated with a blackening material to provide sharp contrast.

A Secret Garden band style would also allow me to bezel set the marquise shaped purple sapphire horizontally for a more unique look. I would then set mandarin garnets within the centers of the flowers to complement the mandarin garnet in the center of the purple sapphire.

With so many wonderful options from which to choose, perhaps one of my readers will allow me to create a spectactular ring for them featuring this exceptional gemstone.

The cost for this purple sapphire and mandarin garnet torus gem is $3,885.

If you would like to purchase this torus ring and discuss design options, please send me an email.

Now on to my next Resolution ....... another special design of course !!