Tacori ring - buy sight unseen?

[MAchick]

So my BF and I are picking out an engagement ring (poor boy, I''m only involved because he''s seen me shopping and as he says "How can the perfect shirt be ruined by button placement?" I like to think that anything he bought me would be perfect but he''s not willing to risk it since he says I''m so picky about details)

Anyway, I love the Tacori shamrock collection (HT2196 in particular). I have a inherited 1ct marquise center stone for it, so the jewelers said they''d send the diamond to Tacori to be put in the setting. But I''m very very nervous that I''ve never seen the HT2196 in person, just the one picture on Tacori''s website. None of the places around me carry it. Also, the head is going to have to be changed to fit a marquis shape.

Would it be weird to ask the jeweler/Tacori to send sketches of what the ring will look like from different angles? I''m worried because some of their marquis heads are bezel-ish, and I definately want more prong-ish look. Also, I don''t even know how thick the band is, exactly what shape diamonds are where (the description says there are both round and princess cut stones) or how large my center stone is going to look inside it? Will it look dwarfed by the ring?

Sorry so long - I love the setting, but it seems sort of crazy to buy something so expensive basically sight unseen. And never having bought real jewelry before, I don''t know what''s normal to expect in this situation.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

That is a little scary. I tried on my Tacori setting (though it had a RB) but FI never saw it in person. By the time he brought me to the jewelry store they had sold the setting and never reordered it so he only saw it in their stock book. Neither of us ever saw it (or even a picture) of my setting with an EC. I was nervous but I was so in love with the setting I knew it would be fine. I am very happy with the results. Do they have any settings that are similar (similar shape/width)?

 

[mrssalvo]

I probably would not buy an e-ring sight unseen. That's a lot of $$ to spend on something you may not like. I think it'd be worth a small trip to a tacori dealer to see it in person. You will want to make sure they carry the setting or see if they can order it in for you to see when you get there.

 

[MAchick]

There are 3 Tacori dealers around me, but none of them carry that style or even any of the others in the Shamrock collection (I guess I''m the only one who likes it!)

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I just looked up the setting you were talking about and it is shaped very closely to mind (maybe it is the same, hard to tell from the photo). I know my setting is uncommon but I have seen the all diamond version at Reeds. I think if you could try one on similar and STILL love it than it is worth the risk. Tacori did not charge us extra to change the head on my setting. Do you like HT2210? It already is set for a MQ.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Can they order a sample for you to see?

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 2/6/2006 5:11:56 PM
Author: MAchick
There are 3 Tacori dealers around me, but none of them carry that style or even any of the others in the Shamrock collection (I guess I''m the only one who likes it!)

I would think they could/would order one in for you to see, have you asked any of them?

 

[FireGoddess]

Is this the setting you're referring to? I thought it was but it doesn't look like TER's ring shape to me...am I on the right page here? Then again, I could maybe see a resemblance with vertical shaping next to the center stone...

 

[FireGoddess]

I have to add that just trying to picture it, I could see a marquise stone looking STUNNING in this setting. However, I could imagine it being a little nerve wracking to order something sight unseen. Would any of the local Tacori dealers be cool with bringing one in, but you not being obligated to buy it if you don''t like the setting in person? Again, I can see it looking divine, but I''d at least like to be able to put my stone on top of the setting to get an idea of how it would look before committing!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

It is very similar to mine (not exact). I was just saying overall I thought it would give her an idea of what the shape of the setting would look like on her hand. Here is my setting from nice ice. I agree with you. I think a MQ would look great in that setting.

 

[FireGoddess]

With that picture of your setting TER it looks even more similar. From your avatar it looks slightly different - almost like the sapphires are part of the band instead of a vertical accent on each side. It''s so interesting - I think your ring looks way better with an EC than it even does with a rb stone! And I am definitely loving the idea of a mq in the setting above! Main concern for original poster is that your mq stone can hold its own in the setting - that it''s proportional to the size of the ring.

 

[Kaleigh]

No I wouldn''t buy sight unseen for many reasons. I would think one of the Tacori dealers could bring it in for you. They are lovely settings, but I''d want to see it in person before committing to it. From the pics, looks like a marquise would be very pretty. But I''d want to know for sure...

Just my 0.2

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 2/6/2006 5:32:12 PM
Author: FireGoddess
With that picture of your setting TER it looks even more similar. From your avatar it looks slightly different - almost like the sapphires are part of the band instead of a vertical accent on each side. It''s so interesting - I think your ring looks way better with an EC than it even does with a rb stone! And I am definitely loving the idea of a mq in the setting above! Main concern for original poster is that your mq stone can hold its own in the setting - that it''s proportional to the size of the ring.

Thanks FG! I love it with an EC so much better. It was a risk to get the setting without knowing for sure what it would look like but I don''t regret it at all. I think the shape of my setting and the one MAchick posted is really great with longer stones (EC, MQ, oval) it really works well with the vertical row of stones. When I saw my setting they had a 1ct RB CZ in it so I think you shouldn''t have a problem with your 1 ct MQ. MAchick just so you know a band does sit flush with mine so it probably would with your setting as well. Maybe you could post your stone and someone can do some photoshop magic so you can get an idea of what it would look like...

 

[MAchick]

Wow, that angle looks quite different from the picture on the Tacori site. Thank you so much FireGoddess for posting it. I definately am going to have to talk the jeweler again about bringing a sample in and if they won''t, then I''ll just have to start looking again...or maybe make a trip to NYC. I have very short fingers and I need a thinner band so they don''t look like little stumps! I still like the ring though! Darn it.

Thanks so much for helping! This site may be my new best friend.

And TER, love the sapphires...hrrrmmmm, maybe I will look into that too.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Have you seen this angle?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Here is my setting in all diamonds...

 

[MAchick]

I hadn''t seen it in any angle but the one in the tacori website/book.

Hmmm, the BF thinks I''m insane and the band isn''t thick in any of the pictures. He''s much more artistically inclined then me, so I generally trust him. The second angle looks thin again to me. Well, the jeweler should be able to give me the band height measurements easily enough. But in the end I really think I''m going to have to find a way to see it in person.

Do y''all have any other suggestions of places besides Tacori to look for a vintage, engraved but delicate look? I''m having a hard time finding something I love. If this Tacori ends up a dud, I don''t know where to look next.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I am in love with kirk kara''s settings. I have never seen them in person mind you (the closest dealer is 3 hours away) but visit kirkkara.com they are beautiful. They e-mailed me and told me they could send any setting to any jeweler for me to see in person (I bet Tacori would too).

 

[FireGoddess]

A good friend of mine has the Charlotte ering by Kirk Kara (shown below with matching wedding band). Her ring is divine. She has a rb in the setting though, not a princess, so they are amenable to different stone shapes!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Gosh, I''m getting diamond fever again! Whew! I was almost set to send my diamond back this morning, and then I see all this Tacori!

Tacori E-ring, where did the clear Tacori picture come from? The ones on Nice Ice are hard to make out very well. I somehow missed yours on there! I love it with your emerald cut the most!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

FG- that is my FAVORITE kirk kara setting!!! I thought about getting the band for my w-band but it might be too much. They have some pretty pave settings to.

Diamondseeker- The nice ice pictures aren''t the best, I know, but oh well. He has such the online Tacori selection it is fun to flip through. The clear one is from Bill Barnes.

MAChick- Tacori has many "delicate" settings. I wouldn''t worry about the band being thick. 6mm looks porportional on my finger. Do you know the measurements of your diamond?

 

[momof3crazykids]

When I was looking at Tacori I had my local jeweler call and get Tacori to send a setting in. Tacori didn''t have one made up so they sent the wax instead. I thought that the wax was good enough because it let me see the proportions of the ring and I could set my stone (I was looking for a setting for a sapphire) in it. Maybe Tacori could even send you a wax with a Marquise head before you make your final decision. I would read all of the threads on Tacori because some Pricescopers have had some bad luck with them. Good luck with ring hunting and I love Marquise (I''m one of the few on here that loves this shape

) so I can''t wait to see what you decide.

 

[MAchick]

Just thought I''d send in an update to all the lovely people who replied to me. I decided that I had to go see the ring in person so I called the Tacori dealers around me again and one of them had just got the ring in! (of course the place that was farthest to get to). Anyway - I got down there is afternoon and tried on the ring. I still love it, its a little thicker then I wanted, but I think I''ll just go without a wedding band or get an eternity wedding band and move the ering to my right hand.

However, a new problem has cropped up...I spent all day yesterday looking at ring pics in the Eye Candy post and now I''ve found a couple of other candidates for settings! I sort of like the East-West set marquise. Hmmmm...

Also, I love the Kirk Kara!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I am so glad you got to see it in person. No decisions need to be made. I love east-west MQ but I personally think it looks better with larger stones (2+ cts).