Opinions Please!- Channel Setting

[gemgirl]

I am just curious what all of your opinions are of channel setting. Everything we see now is shared prong or micro pave''.
Is channel setting passe''?

I got engaged 12 or 13 yrs ago and my engagement ring was channel set which meant the matching bands had to be channel set. When I bought an eternity band, it was channel set. Then I have earrings, anniversary bands, diamond slides etc. all channel set, so that no matter what I wear, it all kind of coordinates. I''d hate to say how many thousands of dollars worth of fine jewelry I actually have that''s channel set.

Is any style really considered old fashioned?

 

[lyra]

I have a few channel set pieces. I recently bought a channel set band to go with my solitaire, but I didn''t think it sparkled enough, so I sent it back and bought a prong set (not shared) eternity band instead. More sparkly IMO. Channel set can be comfortable though. I guess I just prefer having the diamonds more prominently displayed. Not a big fan of micro-pave although it looks pretty.

I don''t think channel will ever be out of style really. Right now the trend is pave. Then it will be something else, but choose what you like best, otherwise you''d be updating every few years. Well, I guess if that''s an option, that''s okay too!

 

[Clio]

I do think shared prong and pave are more in style right now, but I''d say go with what you prefer. I personally like channel better for princess and other square stones (and I''m planning to get a channel-set princess band for myself), and I like shared prong better for round stones. I also like pave, but that''s a different kind of look.

If you have it and you like it, wear it with pride!

 

[woobug02]

WOOOOOOOOOOO I love channel set... I have prong and channel and I equally love them both... To me channel set is still very very beautiful

 

[climb2cloud9]

Date: 9/28/2007 10:03:44 AM
Author:gemgirl
I am just curious what all of your opinions are of channel setting. Everything we see now is shared prong or micro pave''.

Is channel setting passe''?


I got engaged 12 or 13 yrs ago and my engagement ring was channel set which meant the matching bands had to be channel set. When I bought an eternity band, it was channel set. Then I have earrings, anniversary bands, diamond slides etc. all channel set, so that no matter what I wear, it all kind of coordinates. I''d hate to say how many thousands of dollars worth of fine jewelry I actually have that''s channel set.


Is any style really considered old fashioned?

I prefer the look of the channel set. To me it looks cleaner. I recently ordered a 1.76/colorless channel set asscher diamond eternity band to go with my asscher engagment ring. I currently have a channel set wedding band and I really love the look. The blocky-ness of all the diamonds set in a row really match my asscher.

I don''t think I''ll have all my rings in a channel set style but for me, I love it as a wedding band. Maybe your next purchase could be a scattered diamond set or pave just to switch it up? Don''t trade in your channel set jewelry. I bet it''s pretty!

 

[climb2cloud9]

Date: 9/28/2007 12:30:42 PM
Author: Clio

"I personally like channel better for princess and other square stones (and I'm planning to get a channel-set princess band for myself), and I like shared prong better for round stones."



Couldn't have said it better Clio! Exactly!!

 

[february2003bride]

Date: 9/28/2007 10:03:44 AM
Author:gemgirl
I am just curious what all of your opinions are of channel setting. Everything we see now is shared prong or micro pave''.
Is channel setting passe''?

I got engaged 12 or 13 yrs ago and my engagement ring was channel set which meant the matching bands had to be channel set. When I bought an eternity band, it was channel set. Then I have earrings, anniversary bands, diamond slides etc. all channel set, so that no matter what I wear, it all kind of coordinates. I''d hate to say how many thousands of dollars worth of fine jewelry I actually have that''s channel set.

Is any style really considered old fashioned?

No.

 

[Fly Girl]

I have a channel set half eternity and recently got a bar set full eternity ring. The channel set is by far the more sturdy, durable and wearable ring. It may be termporarily less fashionable, but my guess is that pave is so popular right now that it will look dated in 10 years or so. I''d hang on to those channel set pieces and continue to enjoy them. Brides are still picking channel set wedding bands. They are a great choice and I don''t think wlil ever be completely out of style.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I just purchased a channel set princess band to go with my pear solitaire...love it! I think that channel set is so comfortable for everyday wear.

 

[Hera]

For me, yellow gold channel settings do look a little dated, but I do like the look of white gold channel settings.

 

[vespergirl]

I really like channel settings for asscher, baguette and princess stones, but I prefer shared prong or pave for round stones. I have a channel-set asscher band that matches my engagement ring. I''ve seen some beautiful channel-set rounds at Tiffany''s - they always have channel set, and IMHO, all of their jewelry is really classic. Channel-sets are very popular in their "celebration ring" section - check out their web page.

Precision Set also has some of my favorite channel-set rings. I love the pics on their website too.

 

[Haven]

Date: 9/28/2007 7:52:38 PM
Author: vespergirl
I really like channel settings for asscher, baguette and princess stones, but I prefer shared prong or pave for round stones. I have a channel-set asscher band that matches my engagement ring. I''ve seen some beautiful channel-set rounds at Tiffany''s - they always have channel set, and IMHO, all of their jewelry is really classic. Channel-sets are very popular in their ''celebration ring'' section - check out their web page.


Precision Set also has some of my favorite channel-set rings. I love the pics on their website too.

Ditto--asschers, baguettes, and princesses look great in channel settings, but I iprefer rounds and ovals in a shared prong setting. I love pave, too, and I originally thought I would want a pave engagement ring, but when I saw pave next to shared prong in person it was love at first sight with those shared prong eternity bands. I think this is 100% personal preference, and while some jewelry will look dated over time, if YOU love it, then it doesn''t even mater.

 

[gemgirl]

Hi everyone,


Thanks so much for your opinions! I was just curious. I''m not going to get rid of any of my jewelry, I truly love it all and it''s such really good quality. The majority of my diamond jewelry came from Fortunoff, everything except for my weddng set which was custom made. I had planned on resetting my wedding set for my tenth anniversary which will come next Spring, but a trip to Italy seems like a better way to spend all those thousands.

I just think it''s interesting that you can look at womens'' wedding sets and know when they got engaged and married. A marker in time........ I think all diamond jewelry, as long as the diamonds are very good quality- is beautiful! (Well, OK....... everything except those pieces that we see on the ugly jewelry pages!)

Thanks!

 

[marcy]

I like channel set anniversary bands. In fact I had one and traded it for something else and now I miss it. It is a different look than prong mounted stones but I like both of them.

 

[wolftress]

I think channel settings will always have their place. They''re classic, far more comfortable than pave and I think they securely hold diamonds in without too much fuss. My friend recently got married with a classic half-eternity channel set band and it looks stunning. There were fireworks and sparkles going everywhere. It made me want to get one too (my wedding band is bezel set).

 

[nebe]

My RHR is channel set, and I love it. I feel the diamonds are well protected and it looks flawless when I have it polished (Once a year, if that) Plus it looks so finished. I would never buy a bangle or earrings that weren''t channel set, personally. I have pictures up here somewhere of my ring, you could look through my posts if you want to see.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

My wedding band is a channel set eternity band. I chose it for a few reasons. Having lost a melee in bead setting before it seemed like a safer setting. Also it is VERY comfortable. Mine is with princess diamonds so no spaces. Just fluid sparkle.

ETA: I have only been married for a year so I do not consider this style to be outdated.

 

[musey]

Date: 9/28/2007 7:52:38 PM
Author: vespergirl
I really like channel settings for asscher, baguette and princess stones, but I prefer shared prong or pave for round stones.

Exactly what I was thinking. I was wrestling in my head over whether I really thought channel settings were passé, because I do like channel set especially for baguettes.

I agree with vesper, it's really only with round stones that it looks dated, to me. Those pieces look almost like they weren't well thought-out, a conflict of design. I think it's about the "spaces" that rounds leave (that Tacori alluded to).

That said, channel settings (like anything else) can really give themselves a bad name with poor design. They can look elegant (think horizontal baguettes or tiny asschers) or clunky, as

Example of channel set bands "done right," IMO:

 

[sera]

Date: 9/30/2007 3:51:19 PM
Author: musey

Date: 9/28/2007 7:52:38 PM

Author: vespergirl

I really like channel settings for asscher, baguette and princess stones, but I prefer shared prong or pave for round stones.

Exactly what I was thinking. I was wrestling in my head over whether I really thought channel settings were passé, because I do like channel set especially for baguettes.


I agree with vesper, it''s really only with round stones that it looks dated, to me. Those pieces look almost like they weren''t well thought-out, a conflict of design. I think it''s about the ''spaces'' that rounds leave (that Tacori alluded to).


That said, channel settings (like anything else) can really give themselves a bad name with poor design. They can look elegant (think horizontal baguettes or tiny asschers) or clunky, as


Example of channel set bands ''done right,'' IMO:

I completely agree with vespergirl and musey. I do like channel set Asschers, baguettes and princess
if they don''t have thick channels so they have clean lines and are delicate. I tend to not care much for channel set rounds though there are the occasional channel set round rings that are the exception.

As I''m looking for a setting, I''m too worried about "will this look dated?" at some point, my perspective is more about "do I like it?" and "will I still like it years to come or is it a style I would get tired of?" If you like channel set rounds, get channel set rounds.

 

[ice_princess]

I''m a big believer of wearing whatever you feel most comfortable with and look the best in. I don''t blindly follow fashion myself because IMO some fashions just look crazy (80''s shoulder pads/leg warmers comes to mind

) I love channel set myself so I say if you love it, wear it!

 

[happyfeet1988]

Nebe, I love your right hand ring! It looks more like bead set stone to me than channel though. Either way, it''s great. I like channel set. I think done right they can be classy, clean, and sleek

 

[nebe]

Is it? I never know what to call it!! Thank you though

 

[gemgirl]

Musey,

Those are absolutely gorgeous! Perfection!

 

[Harleigh]

Well, shoot, I hope to heck it''s not such a dated look that you would have to get rid of it all, because I just picked out 2 channel set bands in July and won''t get to wear them until next July, so I say pooh on that!

If you go back and look through my threads, you''ll see that the jeweler I ended up going with told me how great the look I wanted was and how nice it would look on my hand, whereas the other jewelers I visited couldn''t believe I wanted such a (insert nasty look of distate here) "dated" look...I replied with, "I''ll take that to mean ''classic'' thank you very much!" and proceeded right on outta their stores... Here is a https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pix-of-my-birthday-engagement-ring.65684/ to my ring pictures, which also has a link to my LIW page with some pix...not sure if any different in either...I really need to post more pictures since I had the setting fixed, but you get the idea!

So, back to your question...it really burns me up...I chose something I

as I was trying to recreate a set my mom has that was supposed to come to me...it has my grandma''s diamond from my grandfather from WWII, my great-grandma''s diamond band and my mom''s wedding band all put together with another diamond band that came from only God knows where...so, since she won''t give it up, I decided to make my own. (She still complains about mine being bigger now...I told her, if only she''d given me what Grandma intended in the first place, we wouldn''t be having this problem now, would we???

)

I personally have always loved round stones, and all of my friends are getting either princess, emeralds or asschers right now, so I knew I wanted something completely different from what they all have...how funny that it was something as simple as a round diamond! I also personally LOVE pave settings and have several pave rings myself, but I also feel that that is what all of the jewelry stores are pushing at this time as it''s the "in" thing, and I didn''t want something I might regret later on. I tend to get bored very easily and am not sure I would absolutely "love" the ''in'' looks 5 years from now, so I chose something I''ve loved for over 20 years...I figured that was a safe bet of some everlasting like on my part!

I don''t think it matters WHAT you choose, there will always be another trend coming along the bend and someone somewhere will probably tell you it looks dated, no matter how beautiful, how much you love it, etc...you just can''t win. I say to heck with them...if YOU love it, that''s all that matters. I guess since my look is supposedly so "dated," people will just assume that my FI and I have been married forever...oh, never mind...they''ll probably just assume that since we''re getting so old!

How about some pictures of your pretties gemgirl???

 

[angeline]

Harleigh, you''re a breath of fresh air. I LOVE your set. And please do post more pics.

Sorry for the slight diversion from topic at hand

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 10/1/2007 10:09:46 PM
Author: angeline
Harleigh, you''re a breath of fresh air. I LOVE your set. And please do post more pics.

Sorry for the slight diversion from topic at hand

Thanks, angeline! I hope you got some amusement out of my rant up there! Thank you for the compliment, too! I took some more pictures...I just have to figure out how to get them on here again....ooohhhh Andreyyyyyyyyy! (Poor guy''s gonna end up hating me!

) I''ll post them in my own thread, though!

 

[gemgirl]

Hey Harleigh,

We have pretty similar tastes. I orginally wanted the channel settings because the diamonds are secure and have a protected edging around them. I''ve always gone for what pleases me and not what the trend is. I was also strictly a yellow gold girl at the time and the whole package- yellow gold with channel setting just looked so right on my finger. It also fit my classic style of dressing- tailored, very Jones New York, Kate Hill, Anne Klein. Now I kinda'' enjoy having my own wedding set with a gorgeous 1.51 ct GIA certified pear in the center AND my Mom''s platinum fishtail 1.30ct flawless round. (Well it''s either VVS1 or IF, we''re still debating that. I have to take it to my friend who''s a master gemologist appraiser, and I have to wait until my Mom passes on to take the stone out of the setting). In any case, now I enjoy white and yellow.

Just for the record, in every single piece I own that''s channel set, the girdle of every round diamond touches the girdle of the next round diamond in the channel settings. There are no spaces. They are just continuous flowing rivers of diamonds. I''ve never been drawn personally to angles and corners, so I''ll never own a princess cut, asscher or emerald cut. Heck, I have my Grandmother''s 2.5/3.0ct. F/G VS baguette eternity band in size 10 (!) and I''m wondering what I''ll ever do with all those stones.

I wish I could post pictures of my things. I have plenty of jewelry! I just can''t get my photos to upload onto this site and to be honest, my pictures aren''t clear like all of yours are. I have to work on it.

 

[Siamese Kitty]

Gemgirl,

I'm with Harleigh-I absolutely love this look! I've just started looking at rings with my BF and after the time I've spent on PS, I was sure I would be in love with shared prong bands (which I do like, BTW). We were at Tiffany getting some ideas (I'm in the market for a simple solitaire, too)and I tried on both the shared prong and channel set bands. Know what? The channel set won hands down in my book, and BF thought so, too. Call me crazy-I actually think channel set rings can look a little *more* modern sometimes

. Maybe because they are sleek and have more metal? In any case, your rings sound gorgeous-hope we can get some pics soon!

PS I just turned 30 to give an age perspective.

ed:sp

 

[ponderer]

Passe, no. Not currently the trend, yes.

I too love pave, but for daily wear I love my channel set bands. Does this make me old or out of date, god I hope not, I''m only 27. I am attaching the only pic I currently have of the set I wear. You can see half of it as I am trying to take a pic of my moms new stone.

I get complements on this set all the time. And I mean the grab my hand and say "Oh my god I love that" kind of complements from mid twenties, upper middle class, trendy females.

I find the look very sleek and modern, yet classic.

 

[ponderer]

Oh, and by the way, I am LUSTING after a baguette or EC channel set eternity band like the one from precision set or facets. I cant wait to stack them all together!

Will it be overkill? I dont know, but I cant wait to find out!