Calling MARA...Can you help?

Hello Mara!!!   I hope I¡¦ve found you!!!!  You have contributed a lot this forum and I would love your expert opinion.  If anyone else wants to chime in, the more advice I have the better!!!  ƒº

MY first choice setting is available at the Shane Co.  the setting is by Lieberfarb and they only sell to a few distributors.  However, after reading on this forum, and educating myself I am leaning towards buying the stone online.  I am in the process of acquiring info to give my FF b/c he is not comfortable with the idea of buying online (that is a whole post in and of itself).  Anyway, from what I¡¦ve read in some of your previous posts, you would recommend The Shane Co for settings, but nor for loose stones.  So, my question is two-fold:

1. If we buy the setting from Shane Co and the diamond from WF or GOG, who would you have set the stone? And what procedures/precautions would you recommend?

2. Bob at WF can also get the setting from the designer.  It will be a little bit higher in price from WF than from Shane.  Plus, all the service that come with the Shane co setting i.e. the whole polish for free, re-shank the platinum, replace lost side-stones, etc.  warranty of the Shane co appeals to me.  That being said, would you still suggest its OK to buy the setting from the Shane Co, or would you have WF do the whole thing?

3. I have a few questions about seeing an online stone in person before you actually buy it, but that is a question for a whole other post (unless you can refer me to threads were this as already been addressed)

THANK YOU in advance for all your help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It¡¦s truly appreciated!!! 

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"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

-Albert Einstein

Thanks Mara!  You are a star!!

I like the idea of the setting from shane co, then have it sent to WF for setting. 

Would you want to see the loose in person before you had it set?  Or would you have it set site unseen?  Also, would you want to look at 1 or 2 from the same vendor, at the same time (is this possible)???) before you made your final decision?

Everything Works Out for a Reason