Pave band - Leon, Tiffany, Cartier or others?

[clop]

Hi!

I'm shopping for my wedding band while waiting for my stone. I'm looking for a thin pave platinum band (1.5 - 2 mm), and am deciding between the following:

Leon r860: $1400 (quoted in March), 1.5 mm
Tiffany Legacy: $2800 !! when I last looked at this ring, it was $2400!
Cartier: ? am waiting for a return call with pricing

Is one better than the other? Are there other brands that are comparable and would be recommended? Ritani has the Endless Love, and a newer style without the border.

I quite like the look of the Legacy, when I saw it years ago, especially the milgrain edge. This came as a surprise to my friends who thought it 'too busy/antiquey' for my usual taste. Hence I am looking at Cartier with the smoother non milgrain border (which I quite like as well).

and lastly, is 1.5mm too thin? I'd like the band to be the same width as the engagement ring, but would not want the band to look too unsubstantial on it's own when worn alone. I am a 4.5

Thanks again! I'd appreciate any suggestions or recommendations.

 

[pixley]

I love that Leon band and am also awaiting a quote on that one. I like that he''s able to tailor within a tenth of a millimeter and I like how you can specify the size pave and everything, which I''m not sure you could do with Tiffany or Cartier (but I may be wrong). I also tried on the Legacy recently and found the millgrain a little distracting with my stone. From the photos I''ve seen, Leon''s bright cut smooth borders look ever so delicate and precise.

.

I''m a size 4 1/4 and would find 1.5mm too thin to wear alone - I tried on the Tiffany Metro which is 1.4 and it was tooooo thin to wear alone. I like Scarlet16''s new Leon e-ring which is a 1.8 mm thick, bright cut pave. It''s beautiful and delicate and PERFECT.

 

[Harriet]

I don''t have a band yet, but my e-ring shank is 1.6mm and I know that a matching band would be too thin.
P.S. Scarlet''s 1.8 is everything Pixley says it is.

 

[clop]

Thanks Pixley! I almost forgot Leon''s are customizable. Scarlet16''s ring is lovely, am off to see the pics. You''re right, I did try on the Ritani borderless one, I''m not sure if it was because of the thinness of the width, or lack of border, but it looked almost too delicate. I didn''t know about the Metro, thanks for letting me know! I''ll try it on for the width. lol while searching for Scarlet16''s posts, I also came across her Tiffany price increase thread

I''m looking forward to pictures of your ring!

Hi Harriet! Your ring is gorgeous!

I read your wedding band thread with pleasure. (I am in agreement with the other posters, DNA for rhr, and swap it to the left when e-ring is not worn). ooh, your shank is 1.6, cool, I wasn''t sure if they came thinner than 2 mm. Thank you for your input.

 

[scarlet16]

What a nice treat (on my break from studying for the bar) to read such lovely compliments!!!

Clop, I would TOTALLY go with the Leon. Not only is his price the most reasonable, but the work is simply immaculate! My bright cut with no millegrain is done so perfectly! I contemplated doing it with millegraine but it looks SOOO refined without it. However, if you like the millegrain, Leon''s is so fine, it would be beautiful as well.

I also debated for a LONG time whether I should go with 1.6mm or 1.8mm. I AM SOOOO happy I went with 1.8mm. It is totally delicate without being fragile. I don''t worry that it''ll bend but it is still very thin on my finger. Also, with anything thinner, I doubt you could wear it alone. How thin is the e-ring?

 

[clop]

Hi Scarlet16! I''ve just looked at pics of your e-ring, and was about to thank Pixley & Harriet again for pointing me to your pics. (Thanks again Pixley & Harriet!) I love your e-ring too!! The bright cut with no milgrain is perfect! I waver between milgrain and not, but I''ve yet to come across such a nice one as yours. lol I also need to refamiliarize myself with the different pave cuts/styles.

I was also leaning towards a thinner band, but will read your topics on that, and also try different widths on. lol I still have so much to read; I thought the asscher threads were numerous... I''m hoping my yet to be purchased e-ring (stone stone where are you?) will be the same width as my band. I''m deciding between r907, and one with pave down the shank - like yours. I love the look of the plain platinum with a pave wedding band. My fiance loves the pave down the shank. I initially thought a pave e-ring and band would be too busy - but Leon kindly recommended wearing the two on separate hands. Have you decided on a band yet? Err scratch that, I''m sure you did, I''ll be on the search for pics.

ps. Your cushion is perfectly divine.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Well, I bought the Legacy over all the others because I adore the tiny, fine milgrain! I tried on Ritani and others that were pretty, but I fell in love with the Legacy band! Anyway, I think 1.8 is the absolute minimum I would consider, but I like mine at 2mm better. Thinner ones just looked too skimpy with my e-ring. 2mm is really thin in real life. As a matter of fact, you lose some sparkle when you get into those very thin ones. I tried on a Daniel K one that was not nearly as pretty because the diamonds were just so tiny you could hardly notice them.

 

[pixley]

Date: 5/28/2008 4:45:00 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Well, I bought the Legacy over all the others because I adore the tiny, fine milgrain! I tried on Ritani and others that were pretty, but I fell in love with the Legacy band! Anyway, I think 1.8 is the absolute minimum I would consider, but I like mine at 2mm better. Thinner ones just looked too skimpy with my e-ring. 2mm is really thin in real life. As a matter of fact, you lose some sparkle when you get into those very thin ones. I tried on a Daniel K one that was not nearly as pretty because the diamonds were just so tiny you could hardly notice them.

Deary me

. I feel I owe DS2006 an apology - I promise I didn''t mean to imply that the Legacy bands aren''t delicate, because they are all that and more! I really love that band in person. Unfortunately, for me, there is a critical mass regarding ornamentation on a wedding band, and beyond that point, my solitaire can''t stand up to the band, especially ones with milgrain. Don''t know whether it''s due to the size of my stone

, or because it''s a cushion going up against round melee, but I definitely noticed the Legacy band more than my e-ring when I tried them on together. It''s breathtakingly delicate and precise and the melee is incredible, but darnit if that beauty didn''t still the whole show next to my little cushion.

 

[clop]

Thanks for sharing your experiences ds2006. The Legacy was the first ring that I saw years ago that I loved - I think that was the first thin pave I''d ever seen (I didn''t see much jewelry at that point...) I didn''t realize you lose sparkle with a thinner band; will have to investigate that. My stone will be ~1.5 ct; one of the reasons I liked a thinner band was so it would make the stone a bit more substantial

Sorry for the back and forth, I know it may be aggravating that I flip flop between the two (milgrain vs not) quite a bit. I do love them both and am having a hard time deciding.

Pixley, do you think it''s bad that I''m getting the band before the e-ring? What if they don''t compliment eachother in the end? I hadn''t thought 2mm band would look overpowering to my ring. lol I guess that''s not much of an issue for me as while I may not need an e-ring before the wedding, I definitely need a band! I''ll ask Leon what he recommends.

Thanks everyone, still deciding between milgrain & not, but have decided on Leon. Thanks again for sharing your advice, it''s helped tremendously. I''m sure I''ll be entrenched in Scarlet16''s 1.6 vs 1.8 thread a while

 

[meffaman]

Oh boy....... My wifes surprise e-ring and wb will be arriving shortly and I changed her wb to have millgrain because I thought it would give it a little character. I went with Precision Set. The e-ring (3 stone) doesn't have any engraving or pave. Now I'm kinda beside myself wondering if I made the right choice.....

Not trying to hijack this thread, just wanted to chime in.

 

[pixley]

Date: 5/29/2008 10:34:07 AM
Author: clop
Thanks for sharing your experiences ds2006. The Legacy was the first ring that I saw years ago that I loved - I think that was the first thin pave I''d ever seen (I didn''t see much jewelry at that point...) I didn''t realize you lose sparkle with a thinner band; will have to investigate that. My stone will be ~1.5 ct; one of the reasons I liked a thinner band was so it would make the stone a bit more substantial

Sorry for the back and forth, I know it may be aggravating that I flip flop between the two (milgrain vs not) quite a bit. I do love them both and am having a hard time deciding.

Pixley, do you think it''s bad that I''m getting the band before the e-ring? What if they don''t compliment eachother in the end? I hadn''t thought 2mm band would look overpowering to my ring. lol I guess that''s not much of an issue for me as while I may not need an e-ring before the wedding, I definitely need a band! I''ll ask Leon what he recommends.

Thanks everyone, still deciding between milgrain & not, but have decided on Leon. Thanks again for sharing your advice, it''s helped tremendously. I''m sure I''ll be entrenched in Scarlet16''s 1.6 vs 1.8 thread a while

Hi clop,

I don''t think it''s bad to get the band before the ering, especially if you LOVE the band, but I will say that it was harder for me than I thought it would be to find a band that complemented my simple e-ring setting. The ones that I thought I would love (which were mushroom set pave bands) didn''t look as nice as I thought they would next to my ring. They were either too thin to wear alone or too blingy and proved to pull my eyes away from my ering - but my ering is an old fashioned, newly cut cushion which is only 1.01, so that may be why it''s been tricky - if it were a RB, I might have had a different experience. Leon has seen every combination and is pretty quick to make recommendations as to what goes well together and what doesn''t, so definitely discuss it with him.

 

[pixley]

Date: 5/29/2008 11:04:56 AM
Author: meffaman
Oh boy....... My wifes surprise e-ring and wb will be arriving shortly and I changed her wb to have millgrain because I thought it would give it a little character. I went with Precision Set. The e-ring (3 stone) doesn''t have any engraving or pave. Now I''m kinda beside myself wondering if I made the right choice.....

Not trying to hijack this thread, just wanted to chime in.

I wouldn''t worry about it at all! I would think a three stone e-ring wouldl have plenty of presence to stand up to a detailed WB. Sounds wonderful!

 

[scarlet16]

Date: 5/29/2008 12:44:26 PM
Author: pixley

Date: 5/29/2008 10:34:07 AM

Author: clop

Thanks for sharing your experiences ds2006. The Legacy was the first ring that I saw years ago that I loved - I think that was the first thin pave I''d ever seen (I didn''t see much jewelry at that point...) I didn''t realize you lose sparkle with a thinner band; will have to investigate that. My stone will be ~1.5 ct; one of the reasons I liked a thinner band was so it would make the stone a bit more substantial

Sorry for the back and forth, I know it may be aggravating that I flip flop between the two (milgrain vs not) quite a bit. I do love them both and am having a hard time deciding.

Pixley, do you think it''s bad that I''m getting the band before the e-ring? What if they don''t compliment eachother in the end? I hadn''t thought 2mm band would look overpowering to my ring. lol I guess that''s not much of an issue for me as while I may not need an e-ring before the wedding, I definitely need a band! I''ll ask Leon what he recommends.



Thanks everyone, still deciding between milgrain & not, but have decided on Leon. Thanks again for sharing your advice, it''s helped tremendously. I''m sure I''ll be entrenched in Scarlet16''s 1.6 vs 1.8 thread a while

Hi clop,

I don''t think it''s bad to get the band before the ering, especially if you LOVE the band, but I will say that it was harder for me than I thought it would be to find a band that complemented my simple e-ring setting. The ones that I thought I would love (which were mushroom set pave bands) didn''t look as nice as I thought they would next to my ring. They were either too thin to wear alone or too blingy and proved to pull my eyes away from my ering - but my ering is an old fashioned, newly cut cushion which is only 1.01, so that may be why it''s been tricky - if it were a RB, I might have had a different experience. Leon has seen every combination and is pretty quick to make recommendations as to what goes well together and what doesn''t, so definitely discuss it with him.

FYI - I originally wanted Leon to just make the e-ring and the wedding band at the same time. He actually cautioned against it. He said they are custom pieces anyway so it''s not like they are going anywhere and if you happen to not like the e-ring, then it''ll be bad to already have the wedding band. So I would recommend getting your wedding band done first.

 

[clop]

Date: 5/29/2008 12:46:29 PM
Author: pixley

Date: 5/29/2008 11:04:56 AM

Author: meffaman

Oh boy....... My wifes surprise e-ring and wb will be arriving shortly and I changed her wb to have millgrain because I thought it would give it a little character. I went with Precision Set. The e-ring (3 stone) doesn''t have any engraving or pave. Now I''m kinda beside myself wondering if I made the right choice.....


Not trying to hijack this thread, just wanted to chime in.

I wouldn''t worry about it at all! I would think a three stone e-ring wouldl have plenty of presence to stand up to a detailed WB. Sounds wonderful!

Ditto to Pixley''s post! The detailed band would be lovely with your ring Meffaman. So nice of you to surprise your wife! I''d love if my fiance picked something out for me (as I love both styles pretty equally). Can''t wait to see your pictures.

Pixley, I may be in the same boat as you. I think there are more combinations that suit RBs than other cuts, or smaller cts. Though if the finished products together don''t go as well as I''d like, I''ll probably do as Leon initially suggested, to wear the e-ring on the right hand. I hope the price from his initial quote hasn''t gone up too much. Thanks again for being so helpful and offering such prudent advice!

Thanks Scarlet16, that''s very good to know. It makes a lot of sense. Thank you for easing my qualms, and for your recommendations!

 

[meffaman]

Date: 5/29/2008 4:45:22 PM
Author: clop

Date: 5/29/2008 12:46:29 PM
Author: pixley

Date: 5/29/2008 11:04:56 AM

Author: meffaman

Oh boy....... My wifes surprise e-ring and wb will be arriving shortly and I changed her wb to have millgrain because I thought it would give it a little character. I went with Precision Set. The e-ring (3 stone) doesn''t have any engraving or pave. Now I''m kinda beside myself wondering if I made the right choice.....


Not trying to hijack this thread, just wanted to chime in.

I wouldn''t worry about it at all! I would think a three stone e-ring wouldl have plenty of presence to stand up to a detailed WB. Sounds wonderful!

Ditto to Pixley''s post! The detailed band would be lovely with your ring Meffaman. So nice of you to surprise your wife! I''d love if my fiance picked something out for me (as I love both styles pretty equally). Can''t wait to see your pictures.

Pixley, I may be in the same boat as you. I think there are more combinations that suit RBs than other cuts, or smaller cts. Though if the finished products together don''t go as well as I''d like, I''ll probably do as Leon initially suggested, to wear the e-ring on the right hand. I hope the price from his initial quote hasn''t gone up too much. Thanks again for being so helpful and offering such prudent advice!

Thanks Scarlet16, that''s very good to know. It makes a lot of sense. Thank you for easing my qualms, and for your recommendations!

Thanks for the reassurance. Boy, what an emotional rollercoaster this ring buying business is.