SP half eternity advice, please

[ndanaher]

Hi All, I came across this forum when searching for a wedding band. I want something really skinny and sparkly; I always thought I wanted a channel set half eternity band, but in the small width I wanted, I felt there was too much metal and not enough sparkle

Here are specs on my ring: 1.20 carats, 4 prong platinum setting (prongs are rotated 45 degrees), I color, SI-1 clarity, size 4 1/4 ... Photos attached are the best I could do.

I''ve recently become attracted to the SP Facet collection open setting to go with my solitaire e-ring. I''ve been looking at these from the facets collection:
1) "Platinum Shared-Prong Wedding Band, 9 Round Brilliant Diamonds, 0.47ct. tw"
2) "11 Round Brilliant Diamonds, 0.57ct. tw"

I wear my ring all day every day and plan to do the same with the wedding band on the same finger. Can anybody tell me their thoughts on how well this band would work for me (sitting flush against my e-ring setting, wearing on the prongs of my solitaire, rubbing on pinky and middle finger, etc)? And as usual, any photos of similar pairs would be very helpful!

thanks much.
-n

 

[Skippy123]

Your ring is so beautiful. I wish I had advice for you. Welcome to PS

 

[AmantdeChat]

I have the 9 diamond half eternity band. I really like it and it goes really well with my e-ring that you can see here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/sp-band-and-sk-e-ring.47314/

It doesn''t compete with my e-ring but gives it that extra sparkle I was looking for.''

Good luck!

 

[ndanaher]

Hi Amantdechat, can i ask how much your engagement ring is in carate weight (center stone) so that i can get an idea of the scale for my own ring? Pawel from SP suggested an 11 stone .57 ctw half eternity for me, and you have given me quite the argument to go for a 9 stone smaller weight (dainty and sparkly, just like you said!!)... so i''d love to hear more about your e-ring. I would prefer something skinny and shiny, really.
thanks
-n

 

[tulip928]

I don''t have a solitaire like yours, but here is a photo of my SP 11 stone, .60 tcw size 6 ring. At least it gives you a visual of the actual ring! I love mine!

 

[tulip928]

Here it is with a 1.3 ct pink sapphire -

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The main thing is to be sure the stones are set low enough that the diamonds don''t rub the prongs of you e-ring. You''ll probably have to try one on in order to tell that. Others have had problems in the past with various diamond bands rubbing the e-ring prongs and couldn''t wear them together all the time.

 

[ndanaher]

Thank you tulip! it''s great to see the scale of your band next to your pink saphire, since they are about the same size i''m considering. i also like the further away shot of the band, since that give a whole different perspective of how it looks on your hand. i think if i go any smaller than the .57ctw that Pawel suggested, I may be disappointed by how thin it is next to my e-ring or possibly want to upgrade somewhere down the line. (i''m a bit sentimental, so i expect to have this set ''forever'').

diamondseeker - i''ve read that concern elsewhere, and i think that my stone is set high enough and the prongs are shaped in such a way that a small ctw band wouldn''t be tall enough to rub, but then again, if it does, i can hopefully count on the return policy of SP and get something better.

 

[goldengirl]

I have the 11-stone, 0.33ctw SP shared prong. I''ve attached the best pic I have of my two rings together so you can get an idea of scale. My e-ring is a .41 and I wear a ring size 6.

I love my SP band and am actually going to be moving to the full eternity this month - and the matching e-ring setting as soon as I have the funds for it. This band sits very, very low - my e-ring setting is a knife-edge Tiffany style and the SP band doesn''t even sit as high as the e-ring setting. I did check my e-ring prongs today and there *are* some dings where the w-band rubs them... they''re thick enough that I don''t think it will be a structural issue but your mileage may vary.

The one concern I would have with your setting is that your prongs are at the 12-3-6-9 position (whereas mine are at 1-5-7-11"ish") so your 6-o''clock prong may be more likely to sustain damage over prolonged wear. If you can fit the two together and don''t see that as an issue (for example, I can''t see if the prong is recessed and protected by the shank) then you''d probably be fine.

Good luck - I love working with Pawel, he''s always so helpful!

 

[cakitake]

Hi ndanaher!

Very pretty ring! I have a facets collection 11 stone 0.33ctw ring in size 4.5 that I wear as my w-band next to my 6-prong solitaire. From my experience, I can tell you that:

1)It''s hard to find a diamond band to sit flush when your e-ring prongs stick out at the 12 and 6 o''clock positions. To try to minimize the gap, I had my e-ring shank made wider (approx 2.5 mm) so that the w-band would sit along the shank and not just at the prongs. In general, the wider shank does the trick, but I''m a lab researcher and work with my hands a lot and my rings never stay put. One moment I''ll look down and they''ll be flush, the next moment there''s a gap.

2)After wearing the w-band for only a week, I noticed that the prong on my e-ring was getting scratched. Eventually, the Facets band wore a groove into the prong. For some people, fear of scratching the prongs prevents them from wearing their rings together. However, (and I may be in the minority here) I choose to continue to wear both my rings because the damage can only really be seen when carefully scrutinizing the rings and my jeweler has said that the structural integrity of the prong is not compromised. (And for me at least, the e-ring setting was not that expensive, so it''s not like I''m damaging a work of art like a Leon or Mark Morrell piece.) I''ll try to post some pictures so that you can get an idea of what sort of damage that I''m talking about. I was also afraid that the tiny stones in the Facets band would be pushed around and dislodged by rubbing against my e-ring, but the metal in the band is very sturdy and no stones have come loose in the 2 years that I''ve been wearing it.

3)The Facets band is very comfortable to wear. The stones don''t poke into the sides of my fingers, but the band is substantial enough that I know when I have it on.

Even though I had issues at first with the gap and prongs getting scratched, I still love my w-band! Every time I get my rings cleaned while browsing at a "maul" store, I always receive compliments on the quality of the stones and how they sparkle. I hope this helps you make an informed decision! Good luck on your search!

~Courtney

 

[cakitake]

So you can get an idea of the size, here''s the Facets band alone

 

[cakitake]

Here''s a close up of the set so you can see the gap

 

[cakitake]

and a more realistic view of both rings together

 

[cakitake]

Here''s a close up side view of the damaged prong. You can see that there is a small groove in it, compared to the side that doesn''t sit next to the w-band.

 

[cakitake]

And here''s a close up front view of the scratches on the damaged prong.

 

[ndanaher]

Thanks courtney for your photos and your experience with the rubbing. If I had a nicer camera, i''d try to take some more focused shots of my ring on my hand. my "12:00 and 6:00" prongs don''t seem to start as low as yours and are actually a little bent (not straight), so perhaps the rubbing would be different?? and as long as the integrity of the e-ring setting isn''t compromised, i think i''ll be ok with anything cosmetic (i scratch the heck out the ring as it is already while wearing it every day!). i''ll just have to get my e-ring jeweler on board so i can get the ring polished up every so often.

 

[ndanaher]

btw courtney, you have a beutiful e-ring and your set looks beautiful together. i love simple settings

 

[cakitake]

Thanks for the compliment! You can see in this picture that my prongs do go all the way down to touch my finger and that there’s actually a lot of metal down there. I can''t quite tell by your picture, but it looks like you have enough metal in your prongs so that wear by the Facets band wouldn''t be unsafe. Some people actually have the base of the prong notched so that the w-band can sit flush. If you trust your jeweler, I would ask his opinion. Something to keep in mind though, is that the rings are not static on your hand. My jeweler shaped the prongs in my e-ring specifically to minimize the rubbing between the two rings. When he presented them both to me, I noticed that he had done an excellent job and that the Facets band actually does fit under the prong without touching. However, when I wear the rings, they are always shifting and tilt whenever I grasp something, put on gloves, wash my hands, etc. I deal with this by always wearing the same side of the e-ring next to the w-band and no one else can tell the difference. If you think that you might be ok with cosmetic scratches, I would suggest that you go ahead and order the band. You will have a few days to try it out next to your e-ring, and if you’re not satisfied, you can always return it. Good luck!

 

[Camilla]

Courtney your rings are *gorgeous!!!* They look so wonderful together...more pictures? Please

?

 

[Gothgrrl]

I have a SP bar set band. It does sort of rub against each other some what. But I figure as long as the prongs are sturdy, then I will be ok. And I really love the look of them together. Just like Courtney said. There is a slight gap, but it doesn''t bother me.

I just love my band. It''s a little firecracker.

 

[Gothgrrl]

And a side view...

 

[ndanaher]

thanks everybody for all the great input and photos. i think it''s great that there is a place online where people can share honest experiences and talk specifics about their jewelry... it really helps others to make an informed decision! my fiance and i hope to make this purchase in the next month or so, so i''ll try to keep you all posted on what we get.