I remember you talking about this ring. it is beautiful. I would have the prongs in yellow gold.

I know you want yellow gold, but..........the purple would look stunning in white gold.

Are you are going to be wearing this all the time, then go with what you prefer. But, if it is going to be a special occasion ring, I think white gold is a dressier look.

Can he show us how it would look in white gold?

I think I might prefer doing without the design on either side of the stones. Let the stone design be the center of attention.

I agree with Sheila. The band has a celtic look, and the diamond/amethysts do not. Could you try it with a more simple band?

Beautiful ring!

It is your ring, so you should get what you want. That said, I worked in the jewelry business for years designing and even casting my own designs and setting stones.

IMHO I think this ring has too many design elements. Either go with the main stone and celtic band or a plain band with the side stones and the diamond. Did you explain elsewhere why you want the celtic design and amethysts? I think those stones make it more like a cocktail ring and not a wedding band.

Have you looked on ebay at diamond rings with celtic bands? It might give you some ideas. Again, go with what you like.

Pretty.

In the drawing, it looks like there is a gap between the celtic symbol and the settings for the stones which looks like it could catch on things. I'd want that smoothed out.

IMO I think there is too much going on with two metals and two contrasting designs. The head is lovely in white gold but it clashes with the strong geometric of the yellow gold Celtic design. It needs to be either graceful and classic like the stones in the head or heavy and geometric like the Celtic type design. I would prefer yellow gold throughout and a narrower band perhaps with filigree? That's just my taste..take it for what it's worth. :-)

It's your special ring so anything goes. Get a b&w line version and color it in however many times until it looks perfect. I'm happy for you.

I used to wear nothing but yellow gold, but now I have three very nice rings in white gold. Your ring would look STUNNING in white gold - for some reason, the yellow gold in conjunction with the purple stones just looks.... cheap. I would keep the Celtic knot and do the whole thing in white gold. IMO, YMMV.

I really appreciate all the ideas; please keep them coming.

Eld & Chi - the jeweler said he will send drawings showing both white and rose gold, too.

SheliaJoyce - Yes, less can be more and I have tendencies to go overboard at times.

CAFlowerLover - I do wish you were here to share design ideas in person. I'd love to hand you the stone and say "Surprise me!" :)

Annie - This is a rough drawing; he's going to show me the design from underneath and how the two ends of the shank are connected.

Elizabeth - your taste and ideas sound lovely! The band is 3mm wide at the bottom/widest point. I think this huge photo makes it appear too large.

Lindsey - I will ask him to draw/set just the diamond in a bezel setting of white gold, and then drop the amethysts down just a hair and have them set in yellow gold prongs.

I was afraid a bezel setting would hide too much of the diamond.

Kitty - That's so sweet. What's even easier, "Scott" will color it for me on his computer.

ChloeCat - I will consider white gold...I really want the ring to be "pretty."

The "Rest of the Story"...

Six years ago, at anniversary 19, I asked DH to not give me anything expensive for it or future anniversaries. I wanted him to to save what he would have spent each year to go toward a 25th anniversary ring.

What I had planned was an amethyst ring set in a "Princess Di" style, but not as large as hers, of course.

I told him six years ago so he could have saved up for it very easily.

He "forgot."

This last April (anniversary in June) he asked "What did you say you wanted for a 25th anniversary gift?"

He really forgot. He didn't save. He's a man.

Then last year Mom gave me her loose 3/4 ct. pear-shaped diamond. I certainly did not need two new rings (I don't "need" even one.) and I didn't want to shell out $$ for a "Diana" ring all at once ...

That's when I decided to surround Mom's stone with amethysts.

Then I saw a diamond ring with Celtic knots on the side and I went down the rabbit hole! I wanted them, too!

I do appreciate hearing what changes you would make. My feelings won't be hurt and I love young ideas.

The ring that stirred my Celtic soul...but I don't want diamonds set into the band.

And I love the halo look, but I wanted larger stones than usually seen on a lot of the halo rings - and I wanted amethysts!

Here's white gold with a colored stone and Celtic knots.

How fun to design your own special ring. One of the things that I see is that your dream Celtic ring has the Celtic design looped and rounded instead of pointed at the outer edges of gold. The points of that feature in your CAD seem to be incongruous (maybe not incongruous, but too chunky maybe?) with the shape of the stone settings. The diamond is pear shaped? I do think that it's kind of getting lost with all the other elements and colors.

I know you said you didn't want stones down the sides, but what if you designed it to really highlight the diamond and put the amethysts on the band?

More like this with the amethysts replacing the side diamonds:

Here's one where the Celtic design also mimics the shape of the diamond, as the one above does:

I think I like Oly's examples of the celtic knots being much, much smaller. I think that is what is throwing things off for most people.

I really love your first rendering in this thread; it speaks to me. Distinctive and a complete amalgamation of all you wanted. It's really pretty.

Oly's second ring picture is simply stunning! Except for the stones down the band - I wouldn't like that.

But it wouldn't be a ring to wear while mixing up a pie crust. Can you imagine flour and shortening down inside those knots? Lol.

I scrolled back up to look at your rendering again. After looking at the other examples, now I think the blue stones in your sample are too large, subtracting from the effect of that wonderful diamond.

I thought I'd post my pendant, the only purple amethyst I own. I think it clashes with the tiger eye...or anything else it's put next to. Purple amethyst is common, cheap...like adding Apache tears to your ring. I think your getting a reaction to the amethyst stones for several reasons....but they are not "currently" held in high esteem. That could change, ie: yellow diamonds are NOW popular. :0)

Isn't amethyst a pretty soft stone? And, like all forms of quartz that have their color formed by irradiation, amethyst can be faded by ultraviolet light (sunlight).

It might not be a good choice for a ring that you plan to wear every day, but for special occasions only.

I am far from knowledgeable about gemstones, other than what I learned in my university soil science courses. But I do remember the softness and fading issues.

The yellow gold seems to really compete with the beautiful stones and design, but white gold would be subtle, yet enhancing.

Light colored gems stones are enhanced by white gold and platinum. Colored stones can hold their own against yellow gold. Dark stones surrounding a white one confine the white stone -- and seal it against light entering from the sides. A mounting should not overwhelm the stone it carries.

This is why we see Princess Diana's *large* sapphire framed in white diamonds. It's a precious stone, 'dressed' in diamonds, as befits its quality.

Look at Olychick's example where a central diamond is outlined by colored stones against an outer surround of diamonds. The colored stones 'measure' and minimize the central diamond within a field of white. "Look, here is this small diamond. We circled it for you."

Idea: What if you bought one 3/4 carat pear amethyst to pair with the diamond, in whatever-color mounting? Less mounting cost. You have your purple and white. Two 3/4 carat stones would allow a stronger mounting.

ChiSue, it's interesting you brought up the "two-pears" idea.

I had found this vintage ring on-line as an "idea," to use with amethysts, but it's way out of my budget.

Pesky budgets! :)

Matti5, my Mom prefers the white gold, too! And it's her diamond...I almost feel obligated to the white.

I know I'm the oddest person on Earth, but I don't like wearing white gold. I tried. It's not "pretty" on me.

And to make this ring in white gold, and then not want to wear it...oh my.

Rhizo, "soil science" sounds interesting. You should see the top soil here in ND...it goes down, rich and dark, for feet, and feet, and feet, and feet.

I feel guilty enjoying all this rich earth while my family works so hard to garden in the rocky clay of the Ozark mountains.

Amethyst is a 7 on the Mohs scale. I don't wear my rings when I cook, wash dishes, garden, or do housework. I have an emerald-cut amethyst my Grandmother gave me in 1972. It's still beautiful - and I wore it almost nearly daily for 20 years. (With the above restrictions.) I'll have to get a photo of it.

I felt the same way, but after wearing white gold for a few months, I realized it really is more-flattering on my skin than the yellow gold. And yellow gold is just "dated" (although when I started wearing precious metals, yellow gold was "in" and white was "out").

Idea: go to WalMart and buy one of their $10 silver-colored rings and wear it for a few days (until it turns your finger green) and see how you can live with the color.

Caroline, I totally understand as I feel the same about yellow gold, it just doesn't look or feel right on me. I have some beautiful rings in yellow gold that DH has given me, but I rarely wear them.

The only "obligation" you have is to do what makes you happy :)

I used to wear only yellow gold. Till one day I saw a ring I loved and it was in white gold. I bought it and from then on I only wear white gold or platinum. I thought the same thing you did till I made the jump. I agree go pick up a decent looking cheap ring to wear around the house and see how you feel.

I love Celtic jewelry. However I absolutely agree that the knots on your design are overwhelming everything else. Look at that 2nd ring Oly posted the knots are airy and feminine. Your knot is heavy and masculine. Minimize the knots, thinner and airy not solid, raise the center stone to make it the center of attraction, consider instead of all amethyst for the halo alternate with diamonds and I think the halo stones should be smaller which should be less expensive for the stones. Having diamonds in the halo allows the light through. I would definitely have everything in the settings part white gold no matter what the band is and I definitely would not use rose gold with this combination! Definitely not.

You are going to have a beautiful ring no matter what! Just make sure YOU love the design.

Raven, I'm calling Scott this afternoon. The original amethysts are 3mm across; I'll have him draw them smaller and alternate with diamonds. That combo may lighten it up a bit.

Get ready to cringe - I had considered alternating the amethysts with emeralds (DH's birthstone.) Talk about a happy circus! And emeralds love yellow gold.

But I already have a pair of emerald and amethyst earrings, and a non-matching pendant with an amethyst, surrounded by emeralds.

The earrings are screw-backs; I'll eventually get them converted to French hooks.

A second pear *diamond* or *emerald* would be expensive, but what would a 3/4 carat pear *amethyst* cost? (The ring you picture looks like it has much larger stones -- flashier than I'd like.)

I like your earrings -- pear emerald 'leaves' and diamond and amethyst 'flowers'.

I like as shown.

A few point to consider:

The design seems to have many crevices that can catch and hold dirt.

I can not tell from this one view (but you can get a better reading). For these stones to remain bright, their pavilions must remain clean. (The pavilion is the part of the stone below the girdle.) The function of the pavilion is to act as a multi-facted mirror to return light up through the top and to the viewer's eye. The light return is diminished as the pavilion facets become coated with grime. Therefore, it is important that the lower part of the stone can be easily cleaned or completely protected from the environment. You'd be surprised how much sparkle can be returned to a gem stone simply by cleaning its pavilion.

Can the pavilions be cleaned in this setting?

JemDandy - I will address that with Scott! I am always cleaning my jewelry. I'm all about the sparkle!

ChiSue - Thanks, I love the earrings, too. They were an Etsy find. I had Scott check them out - 14k gold, natural stones, and while the emeralds do have a couple small dark spots, they look lovely on. The amethysts really sparkle.

It is rare to find a natural emerald that does not have dark inclusions. That is one mark that may differentiate natural emeralds from lab grown ones. The critical feature is the location and size of the inclusion. Small inclusions near the girdle do not detract as much as larger inclusions or inclusions near the apex of the pavilion.

Emeralds have a dark axis. This axis is labeled the "C" axis and runs lengthwise of the natural crystal. Light traveling along this axis is much reduced. The farther it travels in the "C" direction, the more dim it gets. This characteristic dictates the design of the cut. Emerald cuts favor light travel perpendicular to the C axis and minimizes travel along the C axis.

Just a thought about switching from yellow gold band to white gold band (I don't know all the proper names). Oftentimes, white gold is dipped in rhodium plating to make a shinier finish which enhances the appearance of the stones. If that is done, you'll need to do maintenance from time to time, depending on how often you wear the ring and how quickly the plating wears. My chemical balance tends to wear off rhodium plating fairly quickly, altho a friend doesn't. Anyway, jsut something to consider.

Raise a cheer for a sudsy ammonia soak, soft brush, polishing cloth!

Question:

Last winter -- two days before we left for Maui for three months -- I found a crushed earring in a parking lot. I forgot about it when we came home. Now I'd like to know what it is.

I have only the loose stone and the post with its mashed prongs. Can I tell if the mount is sterling, white gold or platinum? The stone is round; faceted; under one carat; lively; no foil backing. It scratches window glass. Is there a simple way I can tell if this is a diamond or something else? I don't know a jeweler. I do have a loupe, but don't know what to look for. Is a refractometer required?

If this has value, I'd like to advertise it as 'found' -- but I don't know what it IS!

Take it to any reputable jeweler in a private shop. You don't have to know him personally. He can easily tell you what the stone and metal are. There should not be any charge.

I've done this with a couple pawn shop deals and have been very pleasantly surprised.

I would not take it to any chain store/mall jewelry shop unless you know they have an accredited jeweler in house. Most of the people there can't tell carat gold from gum balls.

Yes, a couple of my pieces of jewelry, and myself, have been traumatized by good meaning but inept chain jewelry shop clerks.

Update...

Here it is, all finished. I picked it up February 3. I love it; it’s very comfortable - and it sparkles like a holiday.

It’s a bit too wide to wear stacked with my wedding band, but it is comfortable there. I can wear it on my left index finger, or right hand ring finger.

Please overlook my red, dry, swollen fingers! It’s too bad I didn’t have this when my hands were young and supple!

The top photo is closer to the true colors.

Lovely ring it turned out great:-). Your hands deserve rings and more as pay for all the work they've done all these years. :-).

What a gorgeous ring.

Very pretty!

Very lovely...

Yes, very pretty. But, I would like to see it on your right ring finger. Not a fan of such a lovely ring being displayed on the pointer!

It turned out great! I really love it

Thank you for rewarding us 'consultants' with photos! Happy Anniversary!

It looks nice worn with your wedding ring. You kept the original design....good for you!

Your vision was realized! It is gorgeous on you.

Lovely! I know you will enjoy it for years.

It's very pretty.....that center stone is stunning. I agree though, it belongs on your ring finger. Enjoy!