slightly related to Dmitri's post

[Laneya]

Wasn't sure if this would be thread jacking, so I figured I'd do a seperate post.

I am looking for faux gems (glass, acrylic, etc). I need them in clear and garnet colors. I am looking for them in the approximate size & shape of a 1 or 2 carat solitare. Round is preferred, but not mandatory. No silver backs, but flat backs are ok (although I prefer true "diamond" shapes. I have checked all the major craft stores, and have done online searches, but I need them *without* holes (normally they have holes for beading) & I can only find them with holes. Oh, and I need tons of them. :)

I would be eternally grateful for any help!

[FairieTink]

Check fire mountian, they have lots of ring mounts there.

[Laneya]

Tried, couldn't find them. :( Thanks though.

[ambar]

There are some Sworski (I know I misspelled it) wholesalers out there with exactly what you are looking for!

[Ysobelle]

I have to ask-- for what will you be using them?

[Bean]

I looked at some on www.deadmentellnotales.com but thier's have small holes in them. They do have a wide variety of shapes and colors though, and are fairly cheap.....

['Nise]

Check again at fire mountin under Cubic ziconia. http://www.firemountaingems.com/shopping.asp?skw=KWGEMFACZIRCONIAWHITE
http://www.firemountaingems.com/shopping.asp?skw=KWGEMFACZIRCONIACOLORS
or their immatation gemstones
http://www.firemountaingems.com/shopping.asp?skw=KWGEMBIRTHJAN
http://www.firemountaingems.com/shopping.asp?skw=KWGEMBIRTHAPR
they are relatively cheap and you can pick you cuts and sizes.

Love
'Nise
Firemountain addict!

[Laneya]

Been away from the board for a bit, sorry! Thanks for the replies, ladies!

Nikki, they are for table decorations for my wedding. For each oval table, I have 3 large circles of garnet material (not sure what it is - sort of like a very sheer tightly woven soft netting?) with satin edging. I am laying them down the center of the table. In the middle of each circle, I am putting a large square 3-wick garnet candle on a square gold dish. I want to scatter the fake "diamonds" all of the material so they will sparkle in the candlelight. For the small table that the cake will go on, it will have a white tablecloth on it & I want to scatter the fake "garnets". Make sense?

[Ysobelle]

That's going to be beautiful. One of my favourite colours. Expensive, though! I wonder if you could somehow rent the garnets?

I'd love to see pictures!

[Laneya]

Nise, thank you - so far, those imitation gems are the best lead I've found!

[Laneya]

*sigh* I had hoped to find decent plastic ones & have it NOT be expensive. :(

I'll bring pics to PARF next season. We'll have to find you for Matt's annual wenching anyway. ;-)

I'll try to post them to my wedding website too: www.freewebs.com/mattandjodi

[sapphireandsage]

Just an idea, but if you just need these "garnets" to scatter on the table, I'd suggest not going with a larger cabochon, but with smaller faceted BEADS. Trust me - they'll catch TONS more light than the cabs will, especially if you get a faceted rondelle or bicone bead (diamond-shaped). Try looking here:
http://www.firemountaingems.com/crystal_beads.asp

IMHO, they'll look *much* better when artistically scattered on a table. Even a medium-sized 6mm bead will give you lots of sparkle and will achieve the effect I think you're going for. I'd stay away from a glass bead that has been firpolished though - they're not nearly as capable of catching and reflecting light as the crystal ones are. And if you don't have the funds for the Swarovski Crystal, the Celestial Crystal look every bit as nice...and costs less money.

When the festivities are over, you can collect your "jewels" and string them together into a necklace, bracelet and/or earrings - this way, you've created heirloom pieces that have real meaning to you that you can pass down for generations to come. And if you can't make them into jewelry yourself, you can send them to a jewelry designer like myself and have a set custom-made for you. ;)

Congrats! :)

[sapphireandsage]

Oops..you're going for faceted jewels, not cabs...it has been a long day! :)
But I stick by my suggestion of the crystal beads if you're trying to save money while achieving lots of sparkle. The holes won't be noticable in dimmed light, and they're much easier to recycle into something useful than a bunch of jewels. But....if you do go with jewels and want to try and recoup your money after the event, you can try selling them on eBay - jewels like that sell pretty well when put up for auction.