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