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Upgrade from 3-stone to 5-stone

cluelessupgrade

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Messages
24
Some of you've followed my attempts to upgrade my 3-stone e-ring to a 5-stone by incorporating my existing 3 stones (1 ctw) as side stones. Although it was my husband's idea to upgrade my ring as a Christmas present, we both agreed we wanted to incorporate the existing stones if possible, since he sold his prized possession--a Les Paul guitar--to buy my original ring, & we wanted the new ring to represent how far we've come in 17 years together. We had this done by our local jeweler, & it's been a real learning process for me! My hubby & are are both attorneys who have almost 50 years combined in the practice of law, but knew nothing about diamonds!!After purchasing 3 different center stones, I think I finally found one that fits the proportions of the surrounding stones. I have been on the fence about whether the most recent center stone we chose is nice enough, but I've decided to keep it for a bit before I decide. I wanted a trellis design originally, but our local jeweler could not do one that I liked, so I went with straight prongs, which had to be reworked because the end stones rubbed & cut into my pinky & middle fingers! Today was the first day since I got the newest stone to take pics in the sun, and I must say, I'm having second thoughts about needing to upgrade the center stone. I still think I will have a custom trellis setting done at some point, but for now, I'm going to enjoy wearing this ring, so I thought I'd post it on this forum.

Here are the details:
Center stone GIA XXX 2.03 H SI2. Surrounded by (2) .43s and (2) .25s, ring size 4.5.

The snowy remnants of Jonas gave a great backdrop to get some outside shots, which I'll also share! Thanks for taking a look!!

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SparklySoprano

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 21, 2014
Messages
661
It looks really pretty from here! I love the coverage on your finger. Truly eye-catching, classy and elegant. I hope you feel settled on your stone, or make a decision to feel more settled. I know how that can feel. :wink2: But, definitely enjoy for now!
 

marcy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 27, 2007
Messages
25,489
It really looks pretty. :appl:
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,342
Beautiful ring! :love: Take your time and decide what, if anything, you'd like to change! Trust me, MANY members here, including myself, have changed setting or diamonds multiple times as we figured out what we really wanted!
 

AprilBaby

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
12,660
Spectacular!!!!
 

sarahb

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 20, 2012
Messages
1,976
It is a beautiful ring, congrats on your upgrade!! :appl: :appl:
 

cluelessupgrade

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Messages
24
Thank you all for your nice comments! :D I've overthought this to the point of being self-conscious about it not being as nice as I wanted, so I needed to hear that it's really ok. I feel sure I will upgrade the center stone to an SI1 to get better clarity, and when I do that, I want to have a nice trellis setting made. I definitely DON'T want to rush into anything, however! I have a LOT to learn and am going to keep reading on this forum and taking my time (and saving my pennies!) ;-) Thanks so much again!!
 

MissGotRocks

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 23, 2005
Messages
14,341
cluelessupgrade|1453693362|3980993 said:
Thank you all for your nice comments! :D I've overthought this to the point of being self-conscious about it not being as nice as I wanted, so I needed to hear that it's really ok. I feel sure I will upgrade the center stone to an SI1 to get better clarity, and when I do that, I want to have a nice trellis setting made. I definitely DON'T want to rush into anything, however! I have a LOT to learn and am going to keep reading on this forum and taking my time (and saving my pennies!) ;-) Thanks so much again!!

It is beautiful and sparkly and you do need to enjoy it now! You surely won't be the first PSer to second guess your choice but be comfortable for now that given your own circumstances (cause everyone comes at it from a different circumstance) that you have the largest, most beautiful and sparkly stone that is available to you. It is 2+ carats, GIA certified and purchased from a dealer who will offer you upgrade options. That's nothing to sneeze at - many would like to be able to lay claim to all of that.

This is a diamond education forum where stones can be nitpicked to death for learning purposes. However, that doesn't mean that everyone owns picture perfect diamonds. In fact, there are members here who don't want the super ideal cut stones either as they have different preferences for stones cut in a different flavor. You might grow so fond of this diamond that you never want to part with it and that's all OK too. I do agree with your decision to hold tight on resetting for the time being; given time you may want to upgrade, do a completely different type of setting - whatever. It's not a contest so there is no rush!

Above all though, enjoy your beautiful ring and all the love and thought that went into creating it. Each diamond - even if cut to the same exact specs - has its own beauty and personality. Wear it with pride - catch it flashing in the sun in the car, as you walk past a mirror and powder your nose, in the grocery store and during that candelight dinner. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!!
 

Rockinruby

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
2,740
It's very pretty! Lots of finger coverage and very sparkly! :appl: :appl: :appl: Congratulations! Wear it in good health and happiness!
 

Acinom

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
May 15, 2013
Messages
10,535
Gorgeous look! You have a beautiful ring.
 

LLJsmom

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Messages
12,239
Congratulations! Your ring is very gorgeous. PS can be a blessing and a curse. You find out how beautiful a setting can be and then you see the deficiencies of your own. I have been down the same road. I had a five stone that looked almost exactly like yours. I also wanted a u-prong kind of setting to start out with too.

http://www.alinkandco.com/diamond-lattice-rings/

It was way too expensive so I settled for a setting made by a local jeweler which never made me happy. Wasted $4+K. Stupid. So I saved up until I could afford the setting I really wanted, and it took two years and a visit to Victor Canera to figure it out. I converted the old setting into my current five stone.

Good luck and enjoy your ring until you get there. It really is beautiful and blingy.
 

JDDN

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
2,334
Beautiful and very blingy :) .

I'll mirror the others to take your time and figure out what you want. In the mean time, enjoy your sparkly ring!!
 

cluelessupgrade

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Messages
24
Thank you ALL so much for your support & taking time to post your nice comments! :love:

MissGotRocks, special thanks for the pep talk & understanding! LLJsmom, I saw your beautiful 5-stone re-do, but I didn't know the back story!! Dealing in custom diamond settings is not for the faint of heart! :shock: But, it does help to have someone to talk with who can relate.

Having said that, as an update to my saga, my sweet DH has encouraged me to reach out to my local jeweler and try to get a stone I am happy with, so I've asked to see how much more it would cost to upgrade to a nice SI1 stone. I've asked for GIA/AGS certificates of diamonds I could get and the price, and if it looks doable now, I'll post those on here for feedback. Then I'll decide whether to go ahead with a new setting or just wait a bit longer. I have quotes for a nice trellis setting from both IDDJewelry and Brian Gavin, so I feel sure once I get the right stone, I can work towards a setting I love as well. Unfortunately, VC told me they could only make it for me if I bought the center stone from them, which is not an option, so that's out, but I do have some options, which makes me very happy! So, stay tuned! :)
 

MissGotRocks

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 23, 2005
Messages
14,341
Wonderful! Best of luck in looking for another stone - we'll be waiting to see what your diamond options are!
 

LLJsmom

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Messages
12,239
Hi clueless (I'm just going to call you CU from now on. You're not clueless anymore...)

I'm happy for you that you can go for the SI1 stone. It's smart to do it now, so you don't have to potentially redo the setting again when you do get it.

I'm so sorry that VC can't do it for you unless you get the stone from him. That has not been my experience, but he did say that he has gotten lots of orders lately.

Now you can take your time and find a setting that is truly what you want. No more settling, even if it takes longer... :bigsmile:

Can't wait to see how it goes.

I will do some digging and see what I can find. I can tell you're going for BLINGY!!!
 
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