My new rings from BGD!

[diamondseeker2006]

I am not 100% sure that is right, but it is my best recollection after hearing it a couple of times!

I just posted pictures on sna's thread of his wife's first setting. Go look at the difference!!!

 

[MissGotRocks]

MGR...I saw where you said you are expecting your first grandchild in July! That is so funny that we are both getting our first around our 35th anniversary! Will they find out what it is? Is it your daughter or son? Do they live near you? We are having the best time with our baby!

Also, I have this vague recollection that maybe we have talked about our husband's car hobbies before. My husband has a 1960-something Porsche that he plays with. He restored and even older one years ago. But that is what our extra garage/shop is for, too! What kind of cars does your hubby restore?

My son and his wife are having the baby. They live about 45 minutes from us so close enough to get in a lot of visiting! I just had a conversation with her tonight about finding out what the baby is - there is another sonogram scheduled for 2/9. I did not know with either of my babies what they were and I preferred it that way. Today's world and technology is different but she wanted my opinion as to whether or not I would choose to not know again. I told her the reasons it worked for me so maybe it will be food for thought. For me, it was just the greatest surprise ever and was what got me through natural childbirth both times! I think my son wants to know though so I'm guessing she will probably decide to know ahead of time. Makes no difference to me - I just want healthy!

My husband has had many different cars but at the present time he is restoring a 1968 Camaro, a 1938 Chevrolet and a 1964 Buick Riviera. He has a 1950 Chevrolet pickup truck that he completely restored. He has done some for other people as well through the years. He loves doing it though. We made the decision a few years ago to stay in our current home even though it's really too big for just the two of us. We love this house and won't move at least until we both retire. We're still uncertain of where we'll end up so it didn't make a lot of sense to sell and build again not knowing if it would be permanent.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

My daughter at first said she wanted it to be a surprise. But one day she went to Babies R Us to buy a gift for a friend and she saw that whole wall full of nursery bedding! She suddenly realized that she loved the girl theme and boy theme and colors more than she liked the neutral, so that is what changed her mind! So they kept her name a secret instead! They did have a cookout last summer to reveal the sex of the baby, though, which was fun! I am glad your son and family are nearby!

(Oh, and of course, I didn't know what we were having, either, except for the 3rd one who was adopted! It was the greatest surprise! I can sort of understand wanting to do the nursery and get pink or blue clothes, though, so it would be hard for me to decide now.)

We moved because his extra garage at the other house was too small. Seriously. He wanted to add on to it and I thought that would be tacky and I told him we just needed to move because he wasn't going to be satisfied with even enlarging that one! Plus, we went ahead and bought a house with a downstairs master bedroom, so we can stay here a long time.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I hear you on the garage thing. They are dead serious about their garages! If we knew for certain we'd stay in this area we would have considered another house but between the uncertainty and probably ending up owing much more for a smaller house we made this choice. Through the years we've done so many things to this house to make it the way we wanted it that I also hated to give it up. I can deal with the house size - it's the electric bill and taxes that I hate!

I think the not being able to plan when you don't know what you're having will do them in too. They can't imagine shower gifts and such not knowing what the baby is - it makes me laugh when I look back and think about how none of us really knew what we were having in the day. I told her that most of the clothing I got was returned because the baby outgrew it or it was for the wrong season. I think they have grand thoughts about a baby being dressed up everyday - just doesn't happen that way! I'd much rather them get some of the big items they'll need rather than clothing but we'll see. My daughter and I are going to have a shower for her in the spring - should be fun!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

That will be great fun! My daughter's two best friends had a shower for her at my house, because they didn't really have a place to have it as one lives out of town and the other lives in an apartment!

We had lived in our other house for 23 years, so I know exactly what you mean!!! The moving almost killed me, so you are wise to stay where you are!

 

[blueiris]

I am not 100% sure that is right, but it is my best recollection after hearing it a couple of times!

I just posted pictures on sna's thread of his wife's first setting. Go look at the difference!!!

I read your comment in sna's thread and agree that the first one looks more squatty than sna's wife's new Vatche. But I can also see a difference between the way sna's wife's Vatche ring is and Bliss's Vatche, at least from the photos. Bliss's prongs seem to "cup" her diamond more. I know her diamond is a little bigger and maybe that explains the difference? But it almost doesn't seem like enough of a size difference - but what do I know! Not much, for sure! I'm sure you know much more about all of that, and I'd love to hear your thoughts, and you too, MGR!

MGR, many congratulations on becoming a grandmother soon! I'm so happy for you! You are very lucky to have your son and daughter-in-law fairly close to you. And congratulations to you as well, DS, on the birth of your own grandchild! I didn't know you are a grandmother and you too are so fortunate to have your daughter nearby. Now you can both spoil your grand-babies!

I knew the sex of only my last child, and that was because I had to have an ultrasound to make sure he wasn't too big for the delivery scheduled for the next day. During the ultrasound, he was face up and there was no way NOT to see! He was deemed "small enough" for me to deliver (10 days early, due to my 4th child being quite large), and weighed in at a paltry 10 lbs., 10 oz.! Good thing we didn't wait 10 more days!

I love "old" cars (that is, cars from the 50s and 60s - which is when we were all born, so they can't be TOO old, can they?) Fun hobby!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Blueiris, yes, our first granddaughter was born in mid-November! It seems too strange to be somebody's grandmother, but the sweet baby makes it worth it! I can't imagine 10lbs. 10 oz.! Good think he came when he did alright!

I know, I am worried about prongs, really worried. I don't think Bliss' stone was really set high. It is a large stone and the prongs do cup it more. If you look at the real Tiffany setting, they are definitely not set high:

http://www.tiffany.com/Engagement/Item.aspx?GroupSKU=GRP10001#f+0/0/0/0/0/0

But I don't like the way sna's first setting looked at all. I think Vatche's prongs look better. I am almost tempted to tell them nothing about the height and let them do it the way they normally would. My stone is smaller than sna's so it does worry me how mine might look. This is why I have a love/hate relationship with all this. I love it when it all works out perfectly and I hate the uncertainly of not knowing whether it will or not! If settings were still $500, I wouldn't care. But at $2000, you can't just toss the setting and start over (although I have wasted a couple already!!!)

 

[MissGotRocks]

I'm probably more of a fan of the squatty cupped look - I love swoopy prongs! I also think a diamond that sits up a bit higher is very pretty but not very practical either. It is hard to find that happy medium.

I don't know exactly what makes a difference in the way they set the stone - instructions, different people setting them, whatever. I think I almost agree with DS though that giving directions may make more of a problem than letting them do what they think is best. From Ame's experience, it seems as though they have a mindset of what they want their finished product to look like and don't give a lot of wiggle room. I'm sure the stone diameter does make a difference though - just by sheer weight it would seem that they can only push a larger stone down so far as opposed to a smaller stone being able to fit down into the prongs lower. Here again, I don't know how they determine what to do so it's hard to interfere with their thinking. Set high may mean one thing to one setter and something completely different to another.

At any rate, I'm indeed anxious to see sna's wife's ring finished and on her hand. I think from his multi-angle photos we'll be able to see better how the finished product turned out. It's a beautiful setting and a beautiful stone so I don't think it can be very wrong!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I do agree, MGR, that they very likely have limits on how much they honor customer instructions! I think the only thing I am for sure going to request is the 90plat/10iridium. Although I will have a better feeling about all this when the setting comes!

 

[blueiris]

Blueiris, yes, our first granddaughter was born in mid-November! It seems too strange to be somebody's grandmother, but the sweet baby makes it worth it! I can't imagine 10lbs. 10 oz.! Good think he came when he did alright!

I know, I am worried about prongs, really worried. I don't think Bliss' stone was really set high. It is a large stone and the prongs do cup it more. If you look at the real Tiffany setting, they are definitely not set high:

http://www.tiffany.com/Engagement/Item.aspx?GroupSKU=GRP10001#f+0/0/0/0/0/0

But I don't like the way sna's first setting looked at all. I think Vatche's prongs look better. I am almost tempted to tell them nothing about the height and let them do it the way they normally would. My stone is smaller than sna's so it does worry me how mine might look. This is why I have a love/hate relationship with all this. I love it when it all works out perfectly and I hate the uncertainly of not knowing whether it will or not! If settings were still $500, I wouldn't care. But at $2000, you can't just toss the setting and start over (although I have wasted a couple already!!!)

A little girl! I know you're enjoying every minute with her.

I'm worried about prongs too, for you and for myself. Like MGR, I am more a fan of the cupped look. It makes me really nervous to think of all of this! I too have have wasted a couple of settings in the last 10 years (and more over the years before that). Do you know if the setting is shipping to you today, or tomorrow? I'm so eager to hear your thoughts!

MGR, I'm not familiar with Ame's experience with Vatche so I'll have to find her thread(s) about that. I can't wait to see the photos of sna's wife's ring, too. You're so right that the setting for sna's wife's ring is beautiful and so is the stone! I love how much care and thought he has put into his wife's rings; what a sweet husband.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Here is a picture of a 1.2 ct. stone set in the Vatche. I don't remember if I posted it before. It looks more like the real Tiffany to me. But different size stones are just going to look different in the setting, for one thing. (I do not believe Ame's experience is typical.)

 

[blueiris]

That photo does look a lot like the real Tiffany - good find! You're right, it just makes sense that different sizes of stones will look different in the setting. Sna's wife's ring is going to be the closest to mine in size (that I'm aware of, anyway).

I had time to do a little searching and I saw that Ame has a Vatche Royal Crown but I didn't find anything more yet, so I don't know what the issue is/was. I'll keep looking when I get more time. I hope it was resolved to her satisfaction.

I looked at the photos of sna's wife's ring again this morning, and saw that Bliss commented that it does look a little higher than hers. I like the way the one on WF's site looks; to me, that looks just perfect. That stone is bigger than mine by quite a bit, though.

If you or MGR (or anyone else) is looking for an ultrasonic, mine conked out and I just bought a new one. It's made by Rayn and was a little more expensive than the others I've had, but it's far better than the others I've had, too. I got it on Amazon. So far, I'm really pleased with how well it cleans - sparkle, sparkle!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

That is good to know about the ultrasonic! I still have a Sharper Image one, but I am sure it won't have a long lifespan!

I don't think Ame's issues were resolved but let's just say that while I am quite particular, Ame is extremely so. She is also unhappy with her wedding band made by another designer. Mr. Vatche himself worked on her ring when it was sent back. I do not recall ever seeing another complaint about their rings here. If there are, they are scarce. There are TONS more complaints about Leon rings, for example. So while every ring maker will have less than 100% satisfaction over time, I'd say that Vatche is one of the best.

One of the things to keep in mind about sna's wife's ring is that her finger size is around a 3. So that is one reason the head looks large in proportion to the shank.

Update: I am going to have to have the setting delivered Thurs. because I have to go somewhere tomorrow morning and can't be here until noon for a delivery. So one more day to be patient!

 

[blueiris]

I found one thread about Ame's Vatche - not the original thread, if there is one, but enough so that I gathered what she didn't like about her ring through the different remakes. I'm not really worried about that sort of thing or the quality of Vatche; as you say, there are many others with Vatche rings who have had no problems. My main concern is making sure that the ring looks how I want it to look, if I'm going to the trouble and expense to change it. I'm hopeful that the information we'll get from sna's upcoming thread, and from your own look at the setting will be very helpful to both of us, and again, I so appreciate you taking time to photograph and measure the setting!

Thursday will be here before you know it!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yay! Today is Thursday! So the ring will be here by 10:30am eastern time. I think I will start a thread on that setting and add a few pictures from Bliss and sna of their finished rings so that people doing a search for the setting can see them all in one place. Then we won't take up another three pages here on my setting search! However, please feel free to discuss it here. I may also make comments here for those of you who are considering this setting as well.

 

[blueiris]

Yippee! Thursday is here! I can't wait to hear what you think. And see your photos! I think it's also very helpful that you were just at Tiffany and tried on the actual rings, so you will really be able to compare.

Great idea to start a thread about it, and that will be so helpful for others considering the setting! I have a feeling it will be a popular setting, since the other Tiffany repros have been, and this one is better.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I agree. It is so wonderful to find a repro that is so close to the quality and look of the original. I am also glad I just went to Tiffany's and tried on a few of the real ones! They have 30 more minutes if they are going to meet their deadline!

On another note, I wanted to share this sweet thread with my friends here:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/forum/post3106624.html#p3106624']https://www.pricescope.com/forum/post3106624.html#p3106624[/URL]

 

[diamondseeker2006]

It is here and I LOVE it! It is a little more delicate than the real Tiffany. I felt like the Tiffany ring was a little bulky, to be honest. I like this one MUCH better, actually! I am working on pictures now! I am also going to call and order the setting.

 

[blueiris]

Eeeeeeee! I am thrilled for you, and to hear such a glowing report! I'll be watching for the photos!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I am going to post a few here for now and make the other thread maybe tonight when I have more time. I will also measure for you later. But I took pictures from the side that show these bands next to it. I think the Legacy band was 2.0mm high and the Memoire 2.3 and they both work great!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Now with Memoire band of almost 11 pointers:

 

[MissGotRocks]

That's great that the bands work - that was my only fear! Good deal DS - so glad you like the ring - it looks very pretty!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Thanks, MGR! That was my concern, too, but the doughnut keeps the higher one from touching the head of the setting. However, I wouldn't wear ones that were higher than these, probably, without a tiny spacer just to be safe.

 

[blueiris]

Great photos - and the ring looks FABULOUS on you! And it does work with both of your bands (and of course, your new Tiffany band, too!) I hope you will sometimes wear it with your Memoire; honestly, at least from the photos, that band doesn't look too big at all for that size of stone.

I'm so glad you love it! I am really happy for you, and can't wait to see your new stone set in it. I'll watch for your new thread and more pics!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Thanks, MGR! That was my concern, too, but the doughnut keeps the higher one from touching the head of the setting. However, I wouldn't wear ones that were higher than these, probably, without a tiny spacer just to be safe.

Yes, I saw that small doughnut and it looks like it works great! You probably won't have any other bands that would set up higher than the Memoire would you? So glad that it all works for you - truly happy for you!

 

[janetjoan64]

Yay! So happy for you! I cant wait to see the ring with your new stone! I cant believe tis only been a week sincewe went to Tiffanys! Seems like we have both acomplished a lot in that time!! Confratulations DS!!

 

[mrssalvo]

DS, it looks fantastic and I'm so glad you love it and are getting it!!! I know you are not going to regret it one bit!! So exciting

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Thanks MGR, blueiris, janetjoan, and MrsS! I was really uncertain about how I'd feel about it before it came, but seeing it helped immensely! It is just a plain solitaire, but I was not going to buy it if it didn't work perfectly with the two bands above.

janetjoan, this one is a little more delicate than the Tiffany rings, which I like. So it was VERY helpful that I tried those last week! I am questioning keeping that 2mm milgrain platinum band now, because I am not sure I would wear it much once I get my e-ring back since I always wear one of the diamond bands with it.

And yes, blueiris, I do actually like it better with the Memoire than my old settings. I think the thinness of the shank makes it look better with the Memoire than the ones that were a little wider. Now I am tempted to upgrade to a full eternity! But we'll see!

 

[blueiris]

Thanks MGR, blueiris, janetjoan, and MrsS! I was really uncertain about how I'd feel about it before it came, but seeing it helped immensely! It is just a plain solitaire, but I was not going to buy it if it didn't work perfectly with the two bands above.

janetjoan, this one is a little more delicate than the Tiffany rings, which I like. So it was VERY helpful that I tried those last week! I am questioning keeping that 2mm milgrain platinum band now, because I am not sure I would wear it much once I get my e-ring back since I always wear one of the diamond bands with it.

And yes, blueiris, I do actually like it better with the Memoire than my old settings. I think the thinness of the shank makes it look better with the Memoire than the ones that were a little wider.Now I am tempted to upgrade to a full eternity! But we'll see!

I think seeing it was such a wise idea! Now you have no doubts. I may see if I can have one sent to me too, when I get to that point.

As for upgrading to a full eternity, you get an emphatic "YES!" vote from me. I love full eternities.

I'll be watching for your new thread, and looking forward to any more photos you post. (Edited to remove my question about the newest Tiffany band, as I see you said above you may not wear it much.)

 

[janetjoan64]

Oh no! Would you be able to return it? Or could you wear it along with the other 2 rings. I think that is a very nice look.