Dear Calla – Weird and Pretty Gemstone. What Do I Do?

Dear Calla GoldDear Calla,

There’s this watermelon tourmaline that my grandfather mined in Southern California decades ago in his collection. I passed on the dining set so my sister would let me take it. And I liked that dining table. Anyway, I now have this long pink to green tourmaline and want to set it very specially.

When I look at it next to white diamonds it looks less special. Do I figure out what gems look good next to it first or pick a setting style first?

Gems beat tables and chairs


Dear Gems,

Sometimes white sparkly diamonds compete with the delicate look of a special gemstone. Try a monochromatic look where you choose a similar colored gemstone for accent. Another option is to pick side gemstones that are neutral and not bright.

In my view the most important part of setting a special gemstone is to support it with a meaningful design. In other words don’t just let someone plonk it into a four prong setting. Have a crafted design to honor it and set off its beauty.

In my client Leslie’s necklace with the blue tourmaline we ended up using a blue diamond as a monochromatic choice to set it off the best.

Another client Lori needed the soft non-competitive neutral of champagne diamonds to set off her unusual opal.

Calla

Before and After Tourmaline Enhancer

A Monochromatic Blue Diamond is the Perfect Accent for this Blue Bi-color Tourmaline

black rhodium pendant with opals

Champagne Diamonds with Black Rhodium were the Subtle Neutral Colors we Chose to Honor Lori’s Yawah Nut Opal

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About Calla Gold

Calla Gold is a Personal Jeweler and Author who takes pride in working with clients one-on-one to integrate their personal sense of style and taste into custom designed jewelry and repaired jewelry pieces.   Unlike typical Santa Barbara jewelry businesses, Calla Gold has no brick-and-mortar location. Calla Gold comes to you, bringing you the jewelry collection you want to see and collaborating with you to create unique custom jewelry. Calla also works with at-a-distance clients.

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