Post by pauly1 » June 6th, 2007, 12:19 pm

So I’ll get right to the point. I’m close to buying an engagement ring, and I really want it to be something special. After looking at thousands of rings over the last 5 or 6 months, here’s what I’ve come up with. I absolutely love the setting below, but I want to make sure the center stone I’m selecting will be the right compliment.


The Setting: I thank MAchick for posting this back in 2006, otherwise I never would have thought of it. http://www.pricescope.com/forum/rockytalky/my-new-ring-custom-from-greenlake-jewelry-works-t45126.html
 It’s just beautiful. I hope she doesn’t mind me stealing the design, well…..parts of it at least….we’ll get to that later. I’ve already called Greenlake Jewelers and to my surprise the setting is within my budget. So I’m going the custom route.


The Stone: I’m adamant that the center stone will be an Antique cushion cut. More specifically, an Old Mine Brilliant. I’ve been researching this cut like crazy and I can’t than Boston_Jeff, and Cehrabehra for providing such valuable information. I’ll be working with a private jeweler in my search for the stone, and from everyithing I’ve read, it could take a while. Here are the specs I’m going to provide him with, thoughts and suggestions are certainly appreciated.


Antique Cushion, Old Mine Brilliant, 8 pavilion Main (NOT MODIFIED BRILLIANT)


Carat:  1.60 - 1.75


Color: D – H


Cut: Good, Very Good


Clarity: IF – VS2


Polish/Symmetry: G, VG, Exc. / VG, Exc.


L/W: 1.10 (Approximately)


Culet: Slightly large, medium


Table: Nothing over 55%


Depth: 63% - 67%, nothing under 60%


Girdle: Medium to thick, faceted


Flour: ?


The Problem: As I said earlier, I want to make sure the setting and the stone compliment one another. Because this particular stone is fairly original, the settings chosen seem to be very understated, letting the stone stand alone. I couldn’t agree more, but at the same time I just love the originality of the Greenlake setting, and don’t would love to see it on her finger. However, when push comes to shove, I don’t want the setting and the stone to be fighting for attention. That said, do you think this stone and setting would work well together, or should I pick one or the other? I realize that I’ll probably get 20 people who love it and 20 who think it’s not the right combination. I’ll deal with that if it happens.


Back to the setting: As I said above, the design of the setting will be very close to what’s posted, but not identical. Obviously the setting posted is for a marquis, so the top of the setting will needs to change somewhat to accommodate the cushion. The side profile of the setting will not change at all, and by side I mean looking at the surprise sapphires head on.  However, there are 4 round side stones in the band, which I don’t particularly want. I think this will definitely take the attention away from the center cushion, and therefore I’m looking for other suggestions. I’m entertaining the idea of continuing the leaf engraving as it appears on the side, but I fear it will be too much of the same thing. I would love to hear any suggestions you might have on the alternatives. My intent is to keep things simple and not detract from the center stone. At the same time, I don’t want it to be flat platinum either; it needs to stay in tune with the rest of the setting. Remember this is custom, so I’m not really limited.

I thank you guys so much for your input. I can''t tell you how helpful this board has been.

-Paul