Antique e-ring help

[wandamas]

My bf finally hinted at getting me a ring. However after seeing all of the beautiful antique rings I want one too. This makes it very difficult for my bf to shop for me since I''m usually the negotiator of all major purchases in our home. With that said I need help. I am almost positive that I want an edwardian style ring with an old european cut diamond but thats about it. I live in NJ so I have access to NY easily but I have no idea what a reasonable price is since I have nothing to compare it too. Here are links to rings that I like so you have an idea of what I''m looking for.

(I''ve read thru many many forums and have an idea of color and the typical places to look for rings)

http://www.estatediamondjewelry.com/item.cfm?int_item_id=691&cat_id=1

http://www.faycullen.com/antique_diamond_engagement_rings/800/d619r2d.html


oh and any ring that looks like surFgirls!!!!!!!!!

Basic questions:

How do you make that kind of a purchase online?

Are any prices in antique places negotiable?

Do you appraise before or after you buy and how much is an appraisal?

How much info should the jeweler have about the ring?

THANKS FOR ANY HELP!!!!!!

 

[Skippy123]

I would send the ring you like to a recommended appraiser like Dave Atlas to look at it before purchasing if you want to be on the safe side; I don't think it would hurt to try and negotiate? Have you checked out Lang Antiques and S Singlestone, there have been some beautiful antiques come from them too. Welcome to PS

 

[surfgirl]

Date: 2/4/2008 8:41:56 PM
Author:wandamas
oh and any ring that looks like surFgirls!!!!!!!!!


Basic questions:


How do you make that kind of a purchase online?


Are any prices in antique places negotiable?


Do you appraise before or after you buy and how much is an appraisal?


How much info should the jeweler have about the ring?


THANKS FOR ANY HELP!!!!!!

Aw shucks wanda, my precious is blushing right now...Thanks for the nice words.

I will answer your questions as best I can:

1. How do you make that kind of a purchase online?

I personally would only buy a diamond - any diamond, but especially an antique stone - in person because each one is quite unique. You could, for example, take my specs of my stone and find one with the same 4Cs but it wouldn''t look at all the same. Each one was cut by hand and thus, each one retains a special character unique to that stone. They really need to be seen in person to know if they "speak to you" or not. This really shouldn''t be an issue if you live close to NYC as you''ll have plenty to choose from there!

2. Are any prices in antique places negotiable?

Everything in life is negotiable! I bought a very pricey watch in Neiman-Marcus and I negotiated the price, and I''m not even a good negotiator! But yes, you can try to negotiate on price. You might get a price reduction, you might not. But it doesn''t hurt to try if you do it politely and with a good attitude.

3. Do you appraise before or after you buy and how much is an appraisal?

Appraisals vary in price but usually are in the $100 range as a starting price. You should ONLY use an "independent" appraiser who is not affiliated in any way with selling stones or working in another shop that sells stones as it brings in a conflict of interest and it''s not uncommon for an appraiser that works in a shop to try to diss your stone and then offer you one of his inventory that''s "better". This is why you only use independent appraisers and you can use the top "RESOURCES" pull down menu to find an appraiser in your area and if need be, ask here if anyone has any rec''s on either those/that person or if we know of anyone else not mentioned.

As for WHEN to appraise, it depends on the arrangement you can broker with the seller. For my ring, it had no certs, and because I''d dealt with the seller enough for him to trust me (I guess), he just agreed to sign out the stone to me so I could get it appraised, and I brought it back within 24 hours. Most sellers probably will not do that so you can either buy it on approval, meaning it is clearly stated in your bill of sale that it''s on approval, pending your appraisal. Or, you can arrange for the seller to ship it to your appraiser and back again (you''ll probably have to pay for that shipping). The second option is the most common one. Please make sure you locate and secure an appraisal appt. BEFORE you actually go to buy the ring, that way you can go directly from the seller to the appraiser and know right away what you have and what it''s really worth.

4. How much info should the jeweler have about the ring?

With antiques, it''s a crap shoot. My seller had no information on my ring at all, and unless your stone comes with a cert or some sort of provenance (and most dont unless they are very "important" and significant stones), your seller will more than likely have bought your stone at a large antiques fair, or a private vendor, another dealer, or an estate sale. It''s very difficult to know the history of a ring unless it''s got maker''s marks that are known to the antique world and can pin point where it might have been made. Most dont have those marks however.

Lastly, if you do a search on antique stones/OECs/OMCs/Transitional Cuts, etc., you will find many threads with a ton of places to start looking at. I''d start with those in NYC since you''re closeby:

M.Khordipour, Michael Goldstein Ltd., Fred Leighton, etc. Do a search on antique jewelry in NYC and just start wandering around the city hitting the smaller places too. There''s countless dealers in NYC that carry antique erings, you''re in the best place to look already...Enjoy your search!

 

[wandamas]

Thanks Skippy & Surfgirl.

Another question. Is getting an appraisal the only way you know if you are paying fair cost or when shopping around enough you start getting an idea of what is a fair price?

I really like the one from estatediamondjewerly.com but I think that 16.5K is a bit pricey for 1.55 OEC in J color and VS2 clarity from looking around. I know being close to NY is a positive but you''d be surprised what a complete pain in the rear it is to get into the city lately.

Thanks again for your help and I''ll keep posting with my findings. Also, is a tacky or even allowed to take photos of the ring on you at the jewelry store. I know its a huge no no when you go dress shopping so I don''t know whats allowed.

Thanks again.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Hi Wanda,

Welcome to PS!

I agree that you should go to the shops to check out antique rings before you decide to purchase. You mentioned that you are the negotiator, and it will be difficult for your bf to shop -- is there any reason why you don''t plan to go shopping with him? I would highly recommend. Best way to get exactly what you want!

Given that you are in NJ, I have to recommend my jeweler -- Peter Suchy in Stamford, CT. They are right off the parkway, just a few exits in from NY. The shop''s address is on their eBay page: Peter Suchy. We did go to NYC, but were rather directionless at the time, not knowing exactly what shops to go to, etc. so I can''t comment on what a good productive experience would be like there. I will say, however, that I love Peter Suchy''s shop. I had e-mailed him through his eBay address, told him what I was looking for, and he told me he had a few things to show me. He has a lot of inventory, much more than what''s on his site. Here the link to my ring: My OEC

I did not negotiate on the price of the ring, although I could have tried, I didn''t feel like I needed to at the time. I had done some research on-line, e-mailed some other vendors recommended on here, was quoted prices on stones, etc. I had one of the price lists with me and checked it after he told us how much the stone was. The cost of the stone was well within and slightly below some of the other prices, so I figured we were getting a fair price.

Good luck in your search and let us all know how it goes!!

 

[surfgirl]

Date: 2/5/2008 11:25:13 AM
Author: wandamas
Thanks Skippy & Surfgirl.


Another question. Is getting an appraisal the only way you know if you are paying fair cost or when shopping around enough you start getting an idea of what is a fair price?


I really like the one from estatediamondjewerly.com but I think that 16.5K is a bit pricey for 1.55 OEC in J color and VS2 clarity from looking around. I know being close to NY is a positive but you''d be surprised what a complete pain in the rear it is to get into the city lately.


Thanks again for your help and I''ll keep posting with my findings. Also, is a tacky or even allowed to take photos of the ring on you at the jewelry store. I know its a huge no no when you go dress shopping so I don''t know whats allowed.


Thanks again.

Wanda, yes, I also thought that the price on that $16.5k ring was a bit overpriced,...but a lot actually. Assuming an appraiser said it was what they say it is, I''d probably think that should be closer to the 10k mark. Another option is to go only with GIA cert''d stones and that way you''d be more certain you were getting what the seller say''s you''re getting. You''ll probably pay more for a stone with a GIA cert but it''s buying piece of mind as well.

You can certainly ask if they will allow you to take a photo of the ring so you can look at it more when you get home. I think most places would probably allow that.

 

[wandamas]

Wow Loves Vintage! I Love your ring too!!!

I will be shopping with my bf. His only involvement will be to take the credit card out of his wallet

I will def. look into Peter''s website and no Conn. is not far away at all.

Surfgirl - Thanks for the opinion on the ring, I compared the stone at various places that I found from searching the forum and it didn''t add up. That is my fear of shopping in NYC.

Thanks for all the warm welcomes! You guys are all so sweet. It''s an overwhelming feeling for me right now since we''ve been dating for almost 6 years and live together. I never thought it would be a big deal since we are practically married anyway but I find myself a nervous wreck when the time has come to actually make it official and get a ring!

 

[surfgirl]

wanda, if you really love that ring, you should make a reasonable offer, based on what you know about old stones. You can always say that you feel, based on what you''ve seen and learned about old stones, that $12,000 would be a more reasonable price given that it''s not cert''d...Nothing wrong with trying.

 

[wandamas]

Surfgirl: I''m not quite sure its "the one" just yet. I''ll have to actually see it in person and drool over the counter to know its "the one". I saw these 2 in Lang Antiques that I thought were pretty but they keep referring to "style" does this usually mean its not an original piece? Does one pay more if it is?

Give me your thoughts!

http://www.langantiques.com/detail/10-1-2019.html

http://www.langantiques.com/detail/10-1-2002.html

 

[surfgirl]

The first one is Ringster''s ring...Do a search for her and you''ll find her thread in SMTR...lovely design. I believe when they say "style" it is usually a repro setting and in the case of those you linked, the center stones are old with repro settings. No big deal. The newer settings are actually probably sturdier in a way.

 

[wandamas]

Oh I know that is Ringsters ring. I pasted the wrong link. This is the other one.

http://www.langantiques.com/detail/10-1-1242.html

 

[Loves Vintage]

Wow! I love that ring! It''s funny, I looked through their rings after you posted yesterday and wondered why you didn''t pick that last one too.

I spoke with someone at Lang Antiques. She was very, very nice. If I recall correctly, they will send the ring out to you and allow you to send it back (for a small restocking fee, perhaps) if you do not love it. So, you should definitely ask about that if you find something that you are really interested in a ring on-line.

It sounds like you are just starting your search though, so you should probably spend time in some shops first to see what you like on your hand, to get a better idea of what you really want.

Happy Searching!

 

[wandamas]

Loves Vintage - Isn''t that ring gorgeous! You are right I am just starting to search. I also contacted Peter and he is doing a search for me, thanks for giving me his info. I am going to get to some shops soon and take a look in person so I can really leave teary eyed with excitement. I like to see what''s online so I can keep options open incase I don''t see anything I like locally. I would consider having lang ship me the ring just to see it but I KNOW that its not within my BFs price range.

I wish I lived closer just so I can try it on for the fun of it.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 2/6/2008 11:33:08 AM
Author: wandamas
Loves Vintage - Isn't that ring gorgeous! You are right I am just starting to search. I also contacted Peter and he is doing a search for me, thanks for giving me his info. I am going to get to some shops soon and take a look in person so I can really leave teary eyed with excitement. I like to see what's online so I can keep options open incase I don't see anything I like locally. I would consider having lang ship me the ring just to see it but I KNOW that its not within my BFs price range.

I wish I lived closer just so I can try it on for the fun of it.

Yay, I'm glad you contacted Peter. It is much easier to see a bunch in person to get to know what your preferences are, but it's good to see what's on-line too, and having the option to know that you are not locked into a purchase makes it a bit easier to buy on-line. I hear you on the price range. Fortunately, Peter had a lot of options available for much less than that. Although, he also has lots for much, much more.

Given that they are in Fairfield county, that's to be expected a bit. A lot of their stock comes from people in the community . . . .

I'll probably get my wedding ring there too!! I have one set aside right now. It is engraved and there are little diamonds patterned throughout the ring, some are really tiny, and they really look like they are little sparkly stars embedded in the ring. Tee-hee!! Not sure yet though, will probably go back in a few weeks to see if anything new hits my fancy. It is an antique ring so the engraving is quite worn. That's my only concern, though they said they could freshen it up a bit.

 

[wandamas]

I fear having to look for a wedding band because then you are worried about matching the antique e-ring that took so long to find in the first place.

And what do you do for the guys, do you even attempt to find something to match or let them get whatever the heck they want. I don''t think I''m going to have a very long engagement since he prob won''t even propose he''ll get the ring I find and say ok there it is let''s plan a wedding

 

[surfgirl]

Dont worry about finding a wband, there are tons of old bands to be had, along with new repros to boot. I found a wband much easier to find because with antique erings, it''s usually best to find something delicate that doesn''t overwhelm the old design of the ering.

As for your FI''s wband, I had no interest in forcing Mr. Surfgirl into getting a wband that was old or that matched my ring because if you''re going antique, it''s really not possible to be too matchy matchy anyway. I say, let your guy choose a ring that he loves because ultimately, he should be happy with his ring too, right?

LovesVintage, may I implore you to not get that wband re-engraved? Part of the gorgeousness of an old band is the worn characteristics and to me, seeing parts of the engraving, but not all, is part of the charm and history of such a ring. Just my opinion...

Wanda, what size ring do you wear anyway? If it''s between a 4-6, you will have plenty of antique band choices.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 2/6/2008 3:49:13 PM
Author: surfgirl
Dont worry about finding a wband, there are tons of old bands to be had, along with new repros to boot. I found a wband much easier to find because with antique erings, it''s usually best to find something delicate that doesn''t overwhelm the old design of the ering.

As for your FI''s wband, I had no interest in forcing Mr. Surfgirl into getting a wband that was old or that matched my ring because if you''re going antique, it''s really not possible to be too matchy matchy anyway. I say, let your guy choose a ring that he loves because ultimately, he should be happy with his ring too, right?

LovesVintage, may I implore you to not get that wband re-engraved? Part of the gorgeousness of an old band is the worn characteristics and to me, seeing parts of the engraving, but not all, is part of the charm and history of such a ring. Just my opinion...

Wanda, what size ring do you wear anyway? If it''s between a 4-6, you will have plenty of antique band choices.

SG - I have to visit that band again this weekend. They said they might be able to "freshen up" the engraving a bit. Not sure exactly what freshening up means, but I don''t think they intended to re-engrave. It may not be the bank for me after all. I should probably expand my search from just their shop. The band did really complement my e-ring though. Like I said, I should take a second look.

I''m not sure I''ve seen your band. What does it look like and where''d you find it?

Wanda - I agree that finding a band shouldn''t be much of a worry either. You could always have a band custom made to your liking if need be.

 

[wandamas]

Thanks gals, you are right I should concentrate on an e-ring first.

Surf- the last time my ring size was between 4-6 I was 4 - 6 years old

Last time I bought a ring I believe it was a 7 3/4. I have pretty hefty fingers from getting them jammed playing softball back in the day.

 

[LGK]

Just FYI, I think all the settings you''re looking at are new repros- relatively nice ones, but new settings for sure. Which is actually not necessarily a bad thing.

First, it means that you could buy the stone separately and get the setting to fit the stone, rather than being tied to exactly what the original antique ring was. That''s what I did recently; I got an OEC through OldWorldDiamonds.com and had it set in a (temporary) repro setting. I was able to put a lot more $ into the stone doing it that way, rather than having to shell out for a platinum setting too. I would personally say that OWD was a great experience, they have an excellent return policy (no restocking fee a la Fay Cullen) and the owner was really helpful; he told me several of the stones I''d liked online were not so great in person and the one he steered me to was GORGEOUS in person. So, even if you have to buy at a distance rather than in person, the owner can help be your "eyes" and you can return it with no problem if it isn''t right for you.

The other thing is, as I discovered, you can get an antique stone set in a new setting insured through Jewelers Mutual but not an antique setting with antique stone. Odd. If you were thinking of insurance through them, its something to consider.

OWD didn''t negotiate on price for me- and I did ask, and even pointed out the following tidbit too... didn''t help, the price was still firm

. Most of OWD''s stones are virtual-listed through Fay Cullen for a bit less, but then you have their return policy to contend with, and the stones aren''t actually there at Fay Cullen... myself, I opted to pay $100 more and go through OWD directly. If you feel like being a bit evil I suppose you could have Adam at OWD look at the stones, then buy through Fay Cullen, but I couldn''t do it that way

Many antique dealers/stores will negotiate on price, however.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 2/7/2008 1:00:38 PM
Author: wandamas
Thanks gals, you are right I should concentrate on an e-ring first.

Surf- the last time my ring size was between 4-6 I was 4 - 6 years old

Last time I bought a ring I believe it was a 7 3/4. I have pretty hefty fingers from getting them jammed playing softball back in the day.

An interesting point about antique settings -- when I first started looking for an e-ring, I had my ring finger sized as an 8. Next place that measured me said 7.75. When we selected my ring, he said that I''m probably a 7.5 in a new ring, but because the shank on my ring is so narrow, I needed a 7, otherwise it would fall off my finger. The 7 fits perfectly. So, I guess my point is that sizing is not necessarily universal with older rings. The ring that I like would need to be sized up a tad, which they said they could do with no problem.

 

[surfgirl]

LV, the ring size is wonky with antique rings...AS you mentioned, many have very thin shanks, mine does, and I think it''s about 7-3/4 and honestly, it probably could have been a 7.5 in cold weather. But wider bands are usually an 8 on me. One also has to take into account the issue of fingers swelling in summer and shrinking in winter, I know mine do. This can be offset by getting a thin band to wear in front of the rings that''s slightly smaller in size, to hold the rings in place in winter, and leave it off in summer, if that makes sense...?

I''ve gotta run right now but you can see photos of my wband with ering on my SMTR thread here:

https://www.pricescope.com/forum/op-requested/at-last-my-antique-ering-t61580.html

As for ladies wanting antique wbands with larger hands, I''ve come across quite a few lately in the size 7.5-8.0 size so when you''re ready to buy, re-post and I can dig up shop contacts and you can call them and ask if they''ll photograph and email you pix of the rings and if they''ll send on approval...They CAN be found but it''s the sort of thing that you have to constantly be on the lookout...

 

[wandamas]

Little Grey Kitten - Thanks for the info. I would love to have an original Antique Ring but I''m starting to open up to new settings just incase I don''t find an original I like anytime soon. I want to get married next spring in Dominican Republic or Mexico and because Hurricane Season starts in June that doens''t leave me much time to find an e-ring. I''d say I would like to have it by no later than Easter.

As for insurance, I would def. insure it. I thought insurance was thru homeowners insurance I never even thought of an independent insurer and nevermind that they wouldn''t insure it if it was an original antique (ladies with original antiques help me with this one). I am glad you said that Fay carries the OWD diamonds because I browsed thru both and thought what are the odds that they both have the same exact diamond

I guess I should start looking into diamonds too. What do you mean by temporary setting?

LV - thanks for the ring size info, everytime someone brings donuts into the office lately I say no thank you i''m trying to lose finger weight but maybe now I can have one

Surf- I''m glad you brought me back to your thread. I love looking at your ring

The band is so pretty. It looks so delicate. Question, Is it ok for there to be a small gap between your e-ring and the band? When I showed my BF some of the antique rings with that curved band around the diamond he was horrified.

 

[surfgirl]

Date: 2/7/2008 3:36:45 PM
Author: wandamas
As for insurance, I would def. insure it. I thought insurance was thru homeowners insurance I never even thought of an independent insurer and nevermind that they wouldn''t insure it if it was an original antique (ladies with original antiques help me with this one). I am glad you said that Fay carries the OWD diamonds because I browsed thru both and thought what are the odds that they both have the same exact diamond

LV - thanks for the ring size info, everytime someone brings donuts into the office lately I say no thank you i''m trying to lose finger weight but maybe now I can have one

Surf- I''m glad you brought me back to your thread. I love looking at your ring

The band is so pretty. It looks so delicate. Question, Is it ok for there to be a small gap between your e-ring and the band? When I showed my BF some of the antique rings with that curved band around the diamond he was horrified.

wanda, my ring is supposedly an antique stone and the setting is supposedly antique/deco but probably the stone was re set in it at some point, according to two appraisers but that''s the thing with old rings, unless they''ve been in your family and you know for sure their history, there''s really no way to know if it''s all antique or not. But that said, I never had any issues with Chubb not wanting to insure an antique ring. All Ralph asked for was a recent appraisal, which I provided, and the only thing indicating it was an old ring was in the appraisal the type of stone is listed as "Old European Cut", nothing about the age of the setting and never was I asked about the setting so I dont think it matters to Chubb, just FYI.

As for finger fat, I feel you as a size 7.75=8.0 girl! I hate not being able to try on rings in stores because I''m not the perfect size 6.0 ring size...

Lastly, I love the look of a slight gap between ering and wband. There''s a thread on SMTR somewhere recently about that very issue. I like the way it looks. And I agree that the curved wband look isn''t for everyone...what I dont like about curved wbands is that they dont look right alone, and with a straight band you can wear it alone or stack it and it looks great.

 

[surfgirl]

Date: 2/7/2008 3:36:45 PM
Author: wandamas
As for insurance, I would def. insure it. I thought insurance was thru homeowners insurance I never even thought of an independent insurer and nevermind that they wouldn''t insure it if it was an original antique (ladies with original antiques help me with this one). I am glad you said that Fay carries the OWD diamonds because I browsed thru both and thought what are the odds that they both have the same exact diamond

LV - thanks for the ring size info, everytime someone brings donuts into the office lately I say no thank you i''m trying to lose finger weight but maybe now I can have one

Surf- I''m glad you brought me back to your thread. I love looking at your ring

The band is so pretty. It looks so delicate. Question, Is it ok for there to be a small gap between your e-ring and the band? When I showed my BF some of the antique rings with that curved band around the diamond he was horrified.

wanda, my ring is supposedly an antique stone and the setting is supposedly antique/deco but probably the stone was re set in it at some point, according to two appraisers but that''s the thing with old rings, unless they''ve been in your family and you know for sure their history, there''s really no way to know if it''s all antique or not. But that said, I never had any issues with Chubb not wanting to insure an antique ring. All Ralph asked for was a recent appraisal, which I provided, and the only thing indicating it was an old ring was in the appraisal the type of stone is listed as "Old European Cut", nothing about the age of the setting and never was I asked about the setting so I dont think it matters to Chubb, just FYI.

As for finger fat, I feel you as a size 7.75=8.0 girl! I hate not being able to try on rings in stores because I''m not the perfect size 6.0 ring size...

Lastly, I love the look of a slight gap between ering and wband. There''s a thread on SMTR somewhere recently about that very issue. I like the way it looks. And I agree that the curved wband look isn''t for everyone...what I dont like about curved wbands is that they dont look right alone, and with a straight band you can wear it alone or stack it and it looks great.

Also, just FYI as you look for wbands that are antiques - the way to know if they''re really old bands is to look through a loupe and see if the diamonds are single cuts, which have about 8 or so facets around them. They send off chunkier fire/light bursts which to me, look best with the chunkier faceting of old cut stones. If you see a ring has modern RB melee, it''s either an old ring that has had the stones replaced at some point, or it''s not an old ring. So invest in a loupe and make sure you look carefully if getting a real old ring is important to you. I am astounded at how many times even really high end antique dealers have no clue what they''re looking for and they tell me the stones are single cuts when clearly they''re RBs...

I think some of my close ups of my wband on my SMTR thread you can see the single cuts more magnified...

 

[wandamas]

I''ll browse thru the threads about the band. I''m hoping to go into NYC tomorrow to go to a few different shops but its supposed to rain!

Is a sure fire way to tell that the original ring has been manipulated, looking at the side stones and if any are RB but the center is OEC??

I plan on taking pics of anything I like and with my ring size I''m sure it will be of the ring half way on my finger.

 

[surfgirl]

Date: 2/8/2008 9:42:37 AM
Author: wandamas
Is a sure fire way to tell that the original ring has been manipulated, looking at the side stones and if any are RB but the center is OEC??

No, not really because it could mean that the original side(s) fell out or got damaged and were replaced with tiny RB melee because the person working on it didn't know much about antiques or how to procure single cuts (this is the theory about my ring because one of the half moons has an open culet so the appraisers thought the tiny side rounds might have fallen out at some point and were simply replaced with tiny RBs...).

As I said before, there really is no way to know for sure if the setting/sides are new or not unless they're obviously new cuts. But, for example, a few weeks back I saw a 5.5ct OEC in a gorgeous setting with many diamonds all over it. The tiny melee were clearly RBs through a loupe, the metal of the setting was very new, shiny white and looked brand new to me, the millegrain looked perfect and usually millegrain gets smushed over time from minor wear and tear to the edges of the setting...I asked if it was a repro setting and the saleslady said it was original but she didn't know the difference between single cuts and tiny RB melee so there you go. I think the center stone was obviously re set into this new setting. You get to know the finer points once you start looking at a lot of stone but you've gotta use a loupe.

ETA: Old rings typically have wear and tear on them from life. So even though the store might have had the ring re-rhodium plated to make it shinier and whiter, you should probably be able to see some light scratches, etc. and look at the edges of the setting...the edges might be uneven, or have places where millegrain has worn off, etc. All those imperfections are signs of age and are a good thing when looking for an antique/vintage piece.

 

[wandamas]

Thanks for all the helpful info Surf.

So we didn''t get to see any rings this weekend because the jewelers in NYC are mostly Jewish Owners and are closed on Saturdays

And this week its hella-cold so I am not going to be able to get into the city. On the other hand my BF and I seem to really like the one ring from Lang and have even begun to call it "precious" while sipping on some wine.

Although we have not seen it in person yet we feel this ring is just beautiful and a mix of modern and antique and different than just about every ring I''ve seen from my friends (3-5 weddings a year for the last 4 years, I''ve seen many) There are 2 problems.

1. Its 17.5K and we just don''t have that kind of money especially when trying to afford living in North Jersey.

2. The stone looks kind of odd. It might be the pic but it seems that the table of the stone is really high up. I''m not sure if you guys see what I''m talking about. (any thoughts or am I crazy)

 

[wandamas]

Sorry I posted the wrong pic. The stone looks odd to me from the side profile.

Also has anyone seen this setting elsewhere?? If you go to singlestones homepage its the first ring on the top of the stack. I would consider buying the setting or having it replicated if someone is able to do so.

 

[surfgirl]

That is one of my fav rings on the Lang site! The reason the stone looks so high on top is that it is probably a borderline OMC/OEC. The older the stone, typically, the smaller the table and the steeper the crown. That crown looks jacked up on an steep angle precisely because it''s an old cut. If you compare that stone to my stone, you will see that my stone has a larger table and shorter, less steep crown, making it closer to modern RB proportions, which in turn indicates that my stone is most likely a Transitional Cut which incorporates both the chunky faceting of the OMC/OEC, but with larger table/shorter crown, thus bridging the gap between OEC and RB. If you prefer stones with a larger table/shorter crown then you want to be looking for a Transitional Cut. Ringster has one that either is Transitional or darn close. I''m not sure if FacetFire''s stone is considered Transitional or OEC...It''s all relative and the devil is in the details. My appraisal says "OEC" because Chub doesn''t need to know that it''s Transitional, only that it''s an antique stone.

Can you tell us your budget so we can perhaps look around for you?

Lastly, you cant count out a stone like the one above until you see it in person.

 

[LegacyGirl]

I really like that setting. It''s beautiful.