is a 2mm band not enough for a .37ct diamond?

[Nardil]

Hi,

now that I have my diamond I am looking for the perfect engagement ring. However, when I talked to a local jeweller they said that I should have a 3mm band with at least 6 prongs. They wouldn't do a thinner ring with only 4 prongs because they want to be able to guarantee that it will last at least 25 years (but preferably 50 years) of daily use. I love the thin bands (2mm and less) though and I was wondering what your experience is? Are they durable enough?

They also said that it is a risk that the ring will spinn if I have a thin and light ring, does this happen with a 0.37ct diamond?

 

[craiguk]

That doesn't sound right to me. At 3mm the stone would be swallowed up by the setting wouldn't it? By my calcs the 0.37 would be approx 4.5mm in size?

There are plenty of reputable online dealers that would happily set your stone for you in one of their settings. There are also plenty of 2mm bands - some with 6 prong and some with 4 prongs. They set much larger stones in these thinner bands so I don't imagine that would pose a problem.

 

[tyty333]

I would go with a 2mm. 3mm is just too much on that size stone unless you are doing a tension setting.

Edit - I would probably only do 4 prongs....again, 6 prongs is going to be too much metal.

 

[mochiko42]

I have a 1.72 ct (~7.5mm) with a 1.9mm platinum shank/band. I would definitely go with 2mm or under for a 0.37ct

 

[Nardil]

Thank you for your replies, I will talk to some more jewellers and see what they say. The reason I chose a small diamond was because I wanted the ring to look petite so I hope it was just this specific jewellers opinion.

 

[tyty333]

Nothing wrong with the size of stone you picked...problem is you want to keep it in proportion. 3mm with 6 prongs is just too
much (IMO). 2mm or even 1.8mm if all metal and 4 prongs would let the stone get the attention.


You can look here for stones close to your size with 2mm, 4 prongs. Use the right arrow to go down to a stone that is closer to
your size.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/14k-white-gold-2mm-comfort-fit-solitaire-engagement-ring-item-7086

You can look here for stones close to your size with 2mm bands, 6 prongs.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/14k-white-gold-2mm-comfort-fit-solitaire-engagement-ring-six-prong-item-7995

3mm, 4 prong
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/14k-white-gold-thin-cross-prong-diamond-engagement-ring-item-121

3mm, 6 prong
I cant even find one on JA.

I think I would even drop down into the 1.8mm. This is 6 prong because that's all I could find.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/14k-white-gold-intricate-basket-solitaire-engagement-ring-item-41048b

I guess my opinion is all based on whether you want the stone to be the main interest or do you want the overall ring to get the
attention (no right or wrong answer). If you want it to be the overall ring then you might get a wider setting that has some
interesting feature to it.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I just want to add that going for 50 years in many settings can be unrealistic, especially if the setting is yellow or white gold. Settings DO wear down and may need full replacement or shank replacement after many years of continual wear. I've worn my 2mm ring (14k white gold), which is sturdy and well made, for about 8 years and the shank is thinning overtime and I don't even wear it all the time. You're best bet for longevity and strength is a hand forged platinum setting (made from extruded wire as opposed to cast) with a thickness good enough to match and make up for the "thinness" of the shank.

 

[telephone89]

Talk to another jeweller. You can absolutely do 2mm (or slightly smaller, espec with a plain shank, like 1. with that size. it sounds like they just dont know how to do it properly or dont want to.

 

[Garnetgirl]

My engagement ring was 14k yg, about 1.8 mm wide shank, with a 0.26 ct diamond, 4 prongs originally. Later reset to 6 prongs, when the old prongs were worn out. I liked the 6 prong better, as it made the diamond look rounder.

I wore this ring for 40 years (but took it off to do housework, gardening, etc). The part of the shank that's on the back of the finger was worn quite thin, but the ring was still wearable.

Hope this helps you with your decision.

 

[Rockinruby]

Another vote for getting additional input for something other than the 3mm, it sounds like that might overwhelm your diamond plus not look as petite as you wanted.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

2mm is totally fine. I wore my original 2mm gold setting for 30 years. Gold does wear over time and prongs have to be retipped. I really recommend platinum over white or yellow gold. Platinum may need polishing every few years, but that doesn't remove metal.

 

[Nardil]

Thank you all! Now I've contacted another jeweller and he gave me a price straight away, did not question my choice of model at all. Not as close to home but definitely worth it if he can make the ring as I want it to be.



What do you think about these two settings?

Four prongs (customised for a round cut)
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/lyric-solitaire-engagement-ring-for-princess-cut-diamonds-by-vatche-1756.htm

or six prongs
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/felicity-solitaire-engagement-ring-by-vatche-1613.htm

I'm scared that they won't look as elegant with a smaller stone. When I look at this ring: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/14k-white-gold-intricate-basket-solitaire-engagement-ring-item-41048 (thanks for the link tyty) it looks really elegant with a larger stone but not as good with the 0.4ct diamond..

 

[mochiko42]

My husband and I bought our wedding bands from this store. The site's in Japanese but you can look at the photos to see some examples of rings with small center stones (~0.2ct) if you're concerned about the look of different settings /prongs etc. (in Japan people tend to get sub-carat stones but with super high color and clarity so settings for small center diamonds are common)
http://www.iprimo.jp/smt/engagement/rings/

 

[Sphene]

love the rings with the companion stones how unique and very symbolic

 

[tyty333]

Thank you all! Now I've contacted another jeweller and he gave me a price straight away, did not question my choice of model at all. Not as close to home but definitely worth it if he can make the ring as I want it to be.



What do you think about these two settings?

Four prongs (customised for a round cut)
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/lyric-solitaire-engagement-ring-for-princess-cut-diamonds-by-vatche-1756.htm

or six prongs
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/felicity-solitaire-engagement-ring-by-vatche-1613.htm

I'm scared that they won't look as elegant with a smaller stone. When I look at this ring: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/14k-white-gold-intricate-basket-solitaire-engagement-ring-item-41048 (thanks for the link tyty) it looks really elegant with a larger stone but not as good with the 0.4ct diamond..

I like the fist two settings because I have to agree with you on the 3rd one. When you look at a .4ish the basket is sort of cut off
short and choppy looking (as you said, not as elegant).

 

[decisively_unsure]

2mm is totally fine. I wore my original 2mm gold setting for 30 years. Gold does wear over time and prongs have to be retipped. I really recommend platinum over white or yellow gold. Platinum may need polishing every few years, but that doesn't remove metal.

No need for me to post now.

 

[Rockinruby]

I like the settings you've chosen, but prefer the first two for your stone. I'm so happy to hear you've found another jeweler for a second opinion, etc.

 

[Nardil]

Again, thank you everyone for all the help! I went to the other jeweller today and it doesn't seem like anyone sell vatché here in Sweden. They could make a ring from scratch but I found a similar one with an 1.85mm shank in platina. It was almost half the price so even though I think I like the Vatché ring a bit more I decided to go with the other one! So excited I looked at some larger bands just to compare and they were way to big for me and my diamond (but I'm sure they could look good on someone else).

Great link for rings with smaller diamonds mochiko42, I almost didn't dare to look because they were very pretty and I was scared I would change my mind again

 

[momhappy]

Sounds like you made a good choice - I was going to suggest that anything larger than a 2mm band might overwhelm your stone size (as would a 6 prong setting).

 

[Nardil]

It is finished! I am so glad I didn't go with a wider band, it would definitely have overwhelmed my diamond. Sorry for the bad quality and the unpolished nails



and a close up att the diamond

 

[Niel]

It is finished! I am so glad I didn't go with a wider band, it would definitely have overwhelmed my diamond. Sorry for the bad quality and the unpolished nails



and a close up att the diamond

It's beautiful! Glad you stuck to your guns

 

[Rhea]

Very pretty! The portions look right - good job!

 

[Sphene]

Very elegant right chose with 4 prongs lets the diamond shine

 

[Garnetgirl]

What a beautiful ring, Nardil. It's feminine, dainty and elegant. You were successful in getting the proportions to look just right. It looks great on your hand - the yellow gold shows the diamond off nicely. Wear it in good health!

 

[marymm]

Sooo pretty! And a lovely presence on your hand - Congrats on your beautiful ring!

 

[junebug17]

Oh that looks perfect! Excellent choice!

 

[tyty333]

Very pretty! I think the proportions look good!

 

[Nardil]

Thank you everyone! I'm really pleased with the design. Not as pleased with the jeweller though so I might see an other one to make the prongs more even..

It is actually in white gold, I'm not sure why it looks so yellow in the picture, it is really white irl. Here's a better one

 

[iluvshinythings]

It's beautiful. The proportions are perfect and it looks great on your hand.