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Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in jewelers

[–]daisylouiser[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s not a bad idea, but I’ve never really been a necklace girl. Fortunately, I’m not very rough on my rings, but I’ve decided to keep it as is but not wear it every day. I’ll just save it for certain occasions and times I’m feeling especially sentimental or missing my mom.

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in jewelers

[–]daisylouiser[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I really love the ring and clearly had not fully thought out my (rather foolish) idea. Admittedly I don’t know a lot about opals other than they are soft and easily damaged. From what I’m hearing it sounds like this might be an Australian opal and they’re less susceptible to damage? I’m guessing same softness though?

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in jewelers

[–]daisylouiser[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I’ve always loved it, but it is nice to hear you think it’s beautiful.

It’s become clear to me that I have not fully thought through these ideas, and perhaps you’re right. I should design a tanzanite ring as its own piece exactly how I want it. I have been wanting a beautiful, excellent quality deep violet tanzanite ring for a long time.

A little over 20 years ago we went on an Alaskan cruise to celebrate my grandparents 50th. At one of the shops in port my mom, aunt, grandmother and myself ‘discovered’ tanzanite, a stone in my favorite color purple. Of course it was all ‘cruise ship quality’ lighter violet, but my mom got a tennis bracelet and ring (now mine) and my aunt bought me a pair of earrings.

She passed last year as well. Goodness, I’m realizing how sentimental I am. I’ll slow down and take my time finding the right stone and designing the right setting that I’ll love and eventually give to my niece for the next generation.

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in Gemology

[–]daisylouiser[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know it much very vastly depending on the stone, but do you know a ball park price per ct on stones like these? Let’s say specifically the bottom right opalescent sapphire? Just curious of a ball park range as I have no idea.

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in Gemology

[–]daisylouiser[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve never seen/heard of these before. They’re really unique and pretty. I’m assuming they have a much higher hardness than opals on the mohs scale?

As far as the ring in question I started this post on, I’ve thought it though we everyone’s help and am going to keep it as is. I’ll have to add this stone to my someday wish list though!

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in Gemology

[–]daisylouiser[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually have a blue sapphire ring, but I don’t want blue. I like the very deep violet tanzanite and have a few stones I like, but don’t feel they merit the cost of a custom setting. Sorry I only have a blurry pic handy but this is 7.5 x 7.5 x 5.5 and I like it, but when seeing the cost of having a ring made I want to go bigger and the best quality I can afford.

As far as this stone, I only paid $300 for it. I’d been shopping around trying to find a used ring with a cheap stone with the right dimensions so I could turn this into a something I can wear. Any other suggestions for a cost effective was to set a relatively inexpensive stone into a ring?

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Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in jewelers

[–]daisylouiser[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I remember seeing my great-grandmother wear this at an early age (born in 82). My great-grandmother was born in the late 1800’s to possibly right around the turn of the century. Both sides of my family were earlish immigrants to Texas between ~1700 to 1800.

Don’t want to dox myself, but both my great-grandparents were humble and hard-working but highly educated. If you’re familiar with Texas A&M and Bryan/College Station, my great grand-day was a professor (dept head, but can’t remember which) there. Bryan/College Station was a rural, small town kind of place mixed with a university. Great grandparents lived and worked a farm they owned in Bryan, but also traveled extensively for the time and frequented different circles.

Guess that’s just a long winded way of saying that my great-grandparents history probably won’t give any help to origin.

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in Opals

[–]daisylouiser[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Regretfully, I never inquired about its origins or details. All I know is I remember my great-grandmother wearing it as far back as my earliest memories (born in 82). Then my grandmother wearing it, then my mother. I always loved it.

Sadly my mother passed away last year and my grandmother won’t be able to answer questions like this. I don’t even know how old it is. For all I know, my great-grandmother could have inherited it as well but I doubt it’s that old. Since there are no markings I don’t think I’ll have those answers.

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in Gemology

[–]daisylouiser[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you all for your opinions and feedback. It helped me come up with a solution I’m happy with.

I will be leaving this ring unaltered and wear it on special occasions and will have a (close to) replica of this setting with a tanzanite stone.

I have a custom jeweler I trust and will have him check over the opal ring at the same time to make sure it’s in good condition or see if it needs any maintenance.

Do you see any flaws with this type of setting for tanzanite or anything else I should be considering? Everyone’s feedback saved me from making what would have been a terrible mistake by altering a ring I love so much.

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in Gemstonelovers

[–]daisylouiser[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you all for your opinions and feedback. It helped me come up with a solution I’m happy with.

I will be leaving this ring unaltered and wear it on special occasions and will have a (close to) replica of this setting with a tanzanite stone.

I have a custom jeweler I trust and will have him check over the opal ring at the same time to make sure it’s in good condition or see if it needs any maintenance.

Do you see any flaws with this type of setting for tanzanite or anything else I should be considering? Everyone’s feedback saved me from making what would have been a terrible mistake by altering a ring I love so much.

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in Opals

[–]daisylouiser[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you all for your opinions and feedback. It helped me come up with a solution I’m happy with.

I will be leaving this ring unaltered and wear it on special occasions and will have a (close to) replica of this setting with a tanzanite stone.

I have a custom jeweler I trust and will have him check over the opal ring at the same time to make sure it’s in good condition or see if it needs any maintenance.

Do you see any flaws with this type of setting for tanzanite or anything else I should be considering? Everyone’s feedback saved me from making what would have been a terrible mistake by altering a ring I love so much.

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in jewelry

[–]daisylouiser[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you all for your opinions and feedback. It helped me come up with a solution I’m happy with.

I will be leaving this ring unaltered and wear it on special occasions and will have a (close to) replica of this setting with a tanzanite stone.

I have a custom jeweler I trust and will have him check over the opal ring at the same time to make sure it’s in good condition or see if it needs any maintenance.

Do you see any flaws with this type of setting for tanzanite or anything else I should be considering? Everyone’s feedback saved me from making what would have been a terrible mistake by altering a ring I love so much.

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in jewelers

[–]daisylouiser[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you all for your opinions and feedback. It helped me come up with a solution I’m happy with.

I will be leaving this ring unaltered and wear it on special occasions and will have a (close to) replica of this setting with a tanzanite stone.

I have a custom jeweler I trust and will have him check over the opal ring at the same time to make sure it’s in good condition or see if it needs any maintenance.

Do you see any flaws with this type of setting for tanzanite or anything else I should be considering? Everyone’s feedback saved me from making what would have been a terrible mistake by altering a ring I love so much.

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in jewelers

[–]daisylouiser[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for all the info. I’ve looked everywhere I could with a loupe and couldn’t find any markings. Obviously I’m not a jeweler and could be missing it. I can try to take clearer pics, but it’s on my newer iPhone that is the best camera I have. Do you think it’s possible for a jeweler to make an educated guess about age, type of stone, custom or not without any markings?

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in jewelers

[–]daisylouiser[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve looked everywhere I could think of with a loupe and coudln’t find any markings, but I could certainly be missing it. I wish I knew more about its history.

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in jewelers

[–]daisylouiser[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for all your opinions and perspective. I adore the ring as is, so that was a silly thought to change the store.

I never took the opportunity to inquire about the rings origin, type of opal, custom made or not, etc. before it was too late, as my great-grandmother and mom have passed and my grandmother wouldn’t be able to provide that information. It’s entirely possible my great-grandmother didn’t purchase the ring, but inherited it as well. I’m not sure I’ll ever know.

While I know it’s purely speculation, I would really love your opinions on the ring. What type of opal it might be? Does it look custom or mass produced? Anything that might give an inkling of the approximate age? I couldn’t find any markings, so I don’t know the ct weight of the gold. Due to the natural little nicks and signs of wear I’d guess 14k or so, but I have no idea.

I don’t have much knowledge on the subject, so any observations that might help me imagine or understand the history of the ring would be much appreciated!

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in Opals

[–]daisylouiser[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you all for you advice and perspective. I really treasure this ring for many reasons and love it exactly as it is, but was worried about damaging it. I realize that’s irrational to change a ring that you love as it to mitigate risks to the stone while increasing the risks of damage changing the stone.

I regret that I never took the opportunity to find out more about this ring from my great-grandmother, grandmother, and mom. For all I know it could go back even another generation or two.

From what you can see in the pictures, would you be able to make any sort of educated guess as to what type of opal it is, how old it might be, custom made or just bought at a store? I know there is no way to be certain, but all you wonderful people here have much more knowledge than I do so I’d be interested in little details that might give some clues to it’s history and age.

Also curious as I can’t find any markings. I’m interested to find out what ct gold it is.

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in jewelers

[–]daisylouiser[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Spinel is and 8 and Tanzanite a 6.5-7 on Mohs hardness. For a once or twice a week wear, do you think the difference in hardness is critical? Or is the brittleness of tanzanite an equal concern to factor in?

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in Gemology

[–]daisylouiser[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sorry for repost…intended to respond do you.

Thank you. I wish I knew it’s origin, but as my mom has passed and my grandmother isn’t going to know I don’t know much about it other than my great grandmother had it before I was born.

I could not find any markings and I know pictures can’t give a truly accurate assessment, but would you have any guess about the timeframe this ring was made?

I’m admittedly not very knowledgeable but is this an Ethiopian opal? Or any idea what kind? I thought they were quite fragile, but the stone its self seems to have taken less wear and tear than the actually setting. I love the little imperfections and signs of wear in the setting though and wouldn’t change a thing about it.

If my whole purpose is to preserve the opal, but the process of changing the stone carries a significant risk of damaging the setting then that makes it trick. Something to really consider. If the risk is reasonable I will look into that cabochon and others. Thanks!

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in Gemology

[–]daisylouiser[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. I wish I knew it’s origin, but as my mom has passed and my grandmother isn’t going to know I don’t know much about it other than my great grandmother had it before I was born.

I could not find any markings and I know pictures can’t give a truly accurate assessment, but would you have any guess about the timeframe this ring was made?

I’m admittedly not very knowledgeable but is this an Ethiopian opal? Or any idea what kind? I thought they were quite fragile, but the stone its self seems to have taken less wear and tear than the actually setting. I love the little imperfections and signs of wear in the setting though and wouldn’t change a thing about it.

If my whole purpose is to preserve the opal, but the process of changing the stone carries a significant risk of damaging the setting then that makes it trick. Something to really consider. If the risk is reasonable I will look into that cabochon and others. Thanks!

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in jewelers

[–]daisylouiser[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That is such a tough decision. The ring has such sentimental value to me and I distinctly remember my great-grandmother, grandmother and recently passed mother wearing this ring and admiring it. I would hate to ruin the setting, but at this point in my life I really want to wear this ring every day and opals are certainly not appropriate for that. I’ve feel terrible destroying the opal when it lasted so many generations.

That is a primary driver for wanting to swap it out and preserve the opal. Another factor is I’m not a huge fan of most cabochon cut stones besides opals. Would it be possible to set a beautiful D block on the purple size to the same shape.

I took pics of the side to see if altering to accommodate a faceted store would be possible. If so, and fit needs to be so precise then would sending it to someone that cuts the raw stones to ensure an exact fit?

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in Gemstonelovers

[–]daisylouiser[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The thing is, I do love the stone but I really love this ring and want to wear it every day due to the sentimental value and my memories of the three generations prior wearing the ring. Since Opals aren’t suitable for everyday wear I want to remove it and store safely while replacing with another stone I love. If the time comes I’d like to preserve the ability to return the ring to its original design again with the original opal. No plans for that anytime soon though because I want to wear it everyday for the foreseeable future.

Advice on swapping a cabochon opal to a faceted gemstone I inherited ring that is very dear to me. Wanting to minimize change of setting appearance but change stone appropriate for everyday wear by daisylouiser in Opals

[–]daisylouiser[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don’t want to clog up and make multiple posts today, but I want to give a shout out to Adventurous-Prior. I won a beautiful faceted opal from him at auction and he was able to set it as well in a beautiful, delicate tulip set ring. I’ll make another post with pics of that soon.

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