Show me your antique and antique inspired settings/rings please

[LLJsmom]

Another setting I am swooning over right now...contacted the vendor but no reply yet...anwyay, he's selling the whole ring so cannot buy setting separately but OMG this is TDF beautiful. 10 prongs though...that's a lot of potential snagging and cleaning challenges lol.

I love this 10 prong. It looks so wonderful. He prongs look very delicate. I hope you will seriously consider it. Bubbalah is plenty big enough to stand up to it.

 

[missy]

I love this 10 prong. It looks so wonderful. He prongs look very delicate. I hope you will seriously consider it. Bubbalah is plenty big enough to stand up to it.

I love it too and think it would look beautiful for Bubbalah. However it's not an available setting but maybe I can have it made...though I would rather not do custom.
I found another setting too but will text you about it later.

 

[ringbling17]

I found this on Etsy

https://www.etsy.com/listing/399810...ng&ref=sr_gallery-1-20&organic_search_click=1

 

[missy]

I found this on Etsy

https://www.etsy.com/listing/399810787/antique-art-deco-vintage-estate-diamond?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=vintage platinum mounting&ref=sr_gallery-1-20&organic_search_click=1

Thanks @kayla17...These are the same people I have been speaking with on eBay...ultimately not going to work out (too shallow) but I so appreciate you looking for me!

I am disappointed as I have not heard back from someone I contacted a few days ago...it's the owner of the setting I linked above and while that setting is not for sale (the whole ring is for sale) I was asking for further info. I think I will email him one more time and hopefully he will respond.

And I really appreciate any links to potential settings. Thanks so much.

 

[missy]

OK I heard back from the dealer and the setting I am in love with cannot be purchased as it is part of a ring. I don't want to make a copy because I will be disappointed and want to avoid that if possible.

Will share the setting I love first. This is the one I cannot get.







Next up is a very pretty IMO setting I can purchase...what do you think of it? It is made of single cut diamonds so I don't think it will compete with Bubbalah rather I think it will complement her sparkle and style and chunky facets. But I have trouble visualizing and want to know what you guys think. Yes or No? Too much or just right? Part of me feels this might be the setting but part of me is worried as I cannot visualize things well and might be making a big mistake. So would appreciate your thoughts please.

 

[lissyflo]

I think it’s a lot more intricate than the other settings you’ve posted. It’s not one I’d have thought to post here if I’d seen it, based on ones you have indicated a liking for. But sometimes our ‘perfect’ doesn’t fit our usual preferences! That’s no help is it?!

 

[missy]

I think it’s a lot more intricate than the other settings you’ve posted. It’s not one I’d have thought to post here if I’d seen it, based on ones you have indicated a liking for. But sometimes our ‘perfect’ doesn’t fit our usual preferences! That’s no help is it?!

@lissyflo Haha no to the contrary it is helpful as it mirrors my thoughts exactly. Not a setting I would have thought I'd be drawn to for myself but there you have it. That is why I am questioning it and thinking about it and taking my time...though it could go poof as it is the only one available. But then it was not meant to be. And as I have been saying I am enjoying the halo setting for now...though as soon as I find the "right" setting I am ready to put her in her permanent home.

One fact I am clarifying in my mind is I am leaning towards a setting with an antique/vintage romantic feel as opposed to the clean modern fluid lines I admire in other settings. But those fluid clean modern lines don't feel quite right for my Bubbalah.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[rainydaze]

Hmm, my first reaction was similar to lissyflo's. It also doesn't look a true antique (aka been around the block, even a little) to me, but knowing you it must be to pass muster. It almost looks like an antique that was never given her due (aka loved and used), and now was recently rediscovered in some jeweler's lost overstock to be resurrected so that she may finally shine in her glory!

In all seriousness, the side is lovely but more detailed than I picture being to your taste. I think is all the milgrain coverage. However the seeing the top view sort of changed my mind... from the top I really dig its look and it would make Bubbalah the star for sure.

 

[EC8]

Hi @missy, not sure where you saw this setting, but for your awareness, there is a repro on eBay that looks like it's twin, item #163366122360.

 

[KristyDarling]

Personally, I LOVE that setting, Missy. I've never seen anything like it! It's rare to see something so detailed, yet completely allows the diamond to shine. It's also very delicate in scale, which I really like for a large stone.

 

[missy]

Personally, I LOVE that setting, Missy. I've never seen anything like it! It's rare to see something so detailed, yet completely allows the diamond to shine. It's also very delicate in scale, which I really like for a large stone.

Thanks Kristy! And thanks @rainydaze and @EC8 ! Rainydaze yes the top view is simple and understated. I love that. I also love the fine details.

Agree on all counts. It’s not a true antique setting but if it’s beautiful irl and Bubbalah looks good in it I’d be pleased.

Thanks @Bonfire !

I think it’s very pretty and regal looking! I’m going to turn the question around to you. You say you can’t visualize, but do your eyes like the design? Do you like the blingy crown-like basket? Do you like the delicate shoulders? What drew you to it as a contender? We are all happy to chime in but only you know (even though visualizing is a challenge) what makes your heart sing! It’s fun to see all of these beautiful settings you are considering!

Yes,my eyes find the design aesthetically pleasing. It has old world charm imo. That’s what drew me in. Feels romantic and soft. But if it will be the best home for Bubbalah I am not sure.

I like many different types of settings. Obviously. That’s my problem.

I’m beginning to think my dh is right. I need more than just one setting for her. Lol I thought he was crazy for suggesting it 3 months ago but now I’m beginning to see not so cuckoo after all.

 

[Bonfire]

Thanks Kristy! And thanks @rainydaze and @EC8 ! Rainydaze yes the top view is simple and understated. I love that. I also love the fine details.

Agree on all counts. It’s not a true antique setting but if it’s beautiful irl and Bubbalah looks good in it I’d be pleased.

Thanks @Bonfire !



Yes,my eyes find the design aesthetically pleasing. It has old world charm imo. That’s what drew me in. Feels romantic and soft. But if it will be the best home for Bubbalah I am not sure.

I like many different types of settings. Obviously. That’s my problem.

I’m beginning to think my dh is right. I need more than just one setting for her. Lol I thought he was crazy for suggesting it 3 months ago but now I’m beginning to see not so cuckoo after all.

I really like that idea missy. That really would be the best of both worlds, and she truly is stunning in her present setting.

 

[ringbling17]

@missy I found this one tonight on eBay. I can’t link it but here is the item number
183464020161

 

[missy]

@missy I found this one tonight on eBay. I can’t link it but here is the item number
183464020161

Thanks so much @kayla17!

That's the same seller and actually the same setting as we were discussing on the previous page. The seller I was chatting with on eBay who is very nice. He actually built those prongs up for me (without asking me though lol) because I said the setting was too shallow. When we were talking about the setting and I expressed my concern about the depth of the basket he said he would talk to his bench and then voila before I knew it he contacted me ok he built the prongs up and it will fit.

I appreciated him wanting to make it happen for me but the setting wouldn't look right IMO. I don't want the stone looking too big for the setting with very long prongs. If that makes sense. But I am keeping in touch with that seller in case he gets anything else in that might be good. He also showed me another setting (on his eBay site) but it was a bit too much going on for my taste in a non elegant way. I noticed he increased the price by a few hundred from when I was in discussion with him about it...it was I think $1895 before I passed on it and I guess since he built up the prongs he increased the price.

I have not ruled out the setting I shared on this page (pink background) and that seller is holding it for me till next week. Not sure if it will be too shallow or not but I know the only way I will know for sure is to order it and see.

I really like that idea missy. That really would be the best of both worlds, and she truly is stunning in her present setting.

Thanks @Bonfire!

In the meantime my search continues...part of my problem is I do like the setting she is in currently though my gut says she would be better in a solitaire she looks super pretty in this non conventional ER setting. @Bonfire you are not the only one who keeps telling me how beautiful the ring is like this...even my dh loves it. And my dad. And a number of people actually.

The more I wear her the more I love her and my biggest problem is I cannot imagine how she would look out of this setting. She has been in a halo for the past 50 plus years. Have not seen her in a solitaire though Grace took photos of her naked. I think she would look beautiful in a solitaire but a part of me is concerned that I might not love her as much for a few reasons. One being I am used to her large and in charge go big or go home size now. Second of all her facets are so well defined in this enclosed setting I worry would it be as beautiful out of the enclosed setting? And last but definitely not least she is quite protected here in the current setting. I want her to be protected as she has extremely thin areas on the girdle. So some of my thoughts. But ultimately I do feel a solitaire is the way I want to go. And maybe it will be the setting the seller is holding for me till next week. I have some thinking to do...

In the meantime since you have been super helpful some background eye candy to share because

This is the (custom) halo setting she was in (from winter 2016-summer 2018 ) the year and a half prior.
Next to Bea/Bella at the July 2018 JAW Show.




And then after I bought her from Grace she went back into her "original" halo setting from the previous (for 50? years) owner.

Here she is back into the original halo setting and on @LLJsmom just this past October. Reunited with her old setting.
I think she looks super glamorous (and omg super huge!) on LLJsmom!



and since I am sharing photos of Bubbalah on others...omg look how beautiful she looks on @madelise



And those other rings Hubba hubba.

But I digress. LOL what can I say. I love big beautiful diamonds. Guilty.

 

[MarionC]

Hubba hubba!

 

[EC8]

A bit different from the others posted already (perhaps not your style?) but an antique, seems like it might work with your stone size, would protect the girdle...
202304508158 On EBay

 

[missy]

A bit different from the others posted already (perhaps not your style?) but an antique, seems like it might work with your stone size, would protect the girdle...
202304508158 On EBay

Thanks @EC8 I also spoke to that seller. A woman and she was lovely too. Ultimately I feel that setting is too busy but I did consider it and what can I say? Great minds. You lovely ladies are helping me search and I so appreciate it. Seems there is limited inventory though as we keep finding the same pieces. But it is worth it and please continue linking anything you think might work...you never know when you will find something I missed. Thank you!

And FWIW I do like that setting. But I think it is too ornate for Bubbalah...but I enjoy the beautiful design and love that it is an antique.

 

[Bonfire]

Missy, with every picture you post of Bubbalah I gasp at her dazzling presence. That setting seems to really flaunt her gorgeous facets and sparkle. You wore Bea as a solitaire for a long while. We get used to things a certain way. When you show pictures of Bubbalah with other solitaires, she by FAR steals the show! She’s fancy and bright not shy and demure. I still think she looks like a happy ray of sunshine! Take your time. Sometimes great loves are a slow burn!

 

[Ally T]

I agree with @Bonfire I think a change can sometimes feel very daunting, regardless of what the issue is, but sometimes that change is for the better. I would say, and you are welcome to tell me to pipe down obviously, to stick with her in this glorious setting for 12 months. If at the end of that time you still have an itch to scratch for a solitaire, then start the process.

Occasionally it’s important to live with something for a while to appreciate it in its entirety. And sometimes after we live with something for a while, we want to take a hammer to it. At least then you’ll be certain of what exactly you do or don’t like about the current setting

 

[mrs-b]

I agree with @Bonfire I think a change can sometimes feel very daunting, regardless of what the issue is, but sometimes that change is for the better. I would say, and you are welcome to tell me to pipe down obviously, to stick with her in this glorious setting for 12 months. If at the end of that time you still have an itch to scratch for a solitaire, then start the process.

Occasionally it’s important to live with something for a while to appreciate it in its entirety. And sometimes after we live with something for a while, we want to take a hammer to it. At least then you’ll be certain of what exactly you do or don’t like about the current setting

Ok, well, I've been very 'Switzerland' about this so far but I actually do have an opinion....

I really think you should leave her as she is. For 50 years she's bonded with her setting - I suspect she'd feel lonely out of her flower setting and suffer a crisis of identity without her petals. Perhaps it would damp her glow, or mute her joyful demeanor - who can say? But for a long time she's had the support of fourteen tiny friends, and she's sparkled and shone happily. Take her out, and it might have the same effect as stripping a flower from its garden setting and asking her to be just as beautiful in a sterile room, rather than her natural lush surrounds.

I'd leave her. There is no shortage of beauty in this setting, and so little to be achieved by putting her into a setting alone. This from someone who wore a 17mm floral e-ring for a decade and loved every minute of it.

And I LOVE that it's a jewel and has all the design elements that entails - not just a big diamond in prongs. She has a statement to make, and she's making it beautifully. And, let's face it, it's just so YOU. Her quirky, out of the box, vintage, joyful demeanor reflects you perfectly. Which is, I think, why those who know you best think she's ideal for you as she is.

 

[missy]

Missy, with every picture you post of Bubbalah I gasp at her dazzling presence. That setting seems to really flaunt her gorgeous facets and sparkle. You wore Bea as a solitaire for a long while. We get used to things a certain way. When you show pictures of Bubbalah with other solitaires, she by FAR steals the show! She’s fancy and bright not shy and demure. I still think she looks like a happy ray of sunshine! Take your time. Sometimes great loves are a slow burn!

@Bonfire aww thank you. I love reading your posts and this one really made me stop and think. I feel like I am fighting against loving this setting because it's not what I had in mind when I think of my ER. But you are right. I need to allow myself to enjoy and love wearing her as is. She is super pretty in this setting for sure. And as a dear friend said to me the other day " Bubbalah is stunningly beautiful and will shine in whatever setting she is in" and I just need to "own" it and rock it if that is what I decide to keep her in for now. Sage advice indeed.

And you are so right when you write "Sometimes great loves are a slow burn"....how could I not realize this? When this mirrors my dating relationship with my own dh...the great love of my life but it took me half a decade to realize it! LOL. So yeah sometimes great loves are slow burns. And with a setting it is so much easier if I decide OK this setting isn't my forever love and change it. So what am I in such a hurry for...I am going to take your advice to heart and enjoy her as is for now and if a setting comes along that I cannot live without then OK easy peasy enough to change her to a new setting.

 

[missy]

I agree with @Bonfire I think a change can sometimes feel very daunting, regardless of what the issue is, but sometimes that change is for the better. I would say, and you are welcome to tell me to pipe down obviously, to stick with her in this glorious setting for 12 months. If at the end of that time you still have an itch to scratch for a solitaire, then start the process.

Occasionally it’s important to live with something for a while to appreciate it in its entirety. And sometimes after we live with something for a while, we want to take a hammer to it. At least then you’ll be certain of what exactly you do or don’t like about the current setting

@Alex T thank you for chiming in. That is me to a T. Change is daunting and I have analysis paralysis (or is it the other way around lol) and am sort of frozen in place. Love the setting as it is now and scared a change will make me love her less. Though if I analyze my feelings I believe I could only love her more in a solitaire where she will be the star of the show and shine brightly. As my good friend said with this ring it is the overall finished piece that is gorgeous but as a solitaire she will be the true star of the show with the emphasis on her only.

Please never pipe down and always feel free and confident to share your real thoughts with me. I always want to hear them and always welcome what you have to say. Thank you dear Alex.

 

[missy]

Ok, well, I've been very 'Switzerland' about this so far but I actually do have an opinion....

I really think you should leave her as she is. For 50 years she's bonded with her setting - I suspect she'd feel lonely out of her flower setting and suffer a crisis of identity without her petals. Perhaps it would damp her glow, or mute her joyful demeanor - who can say? But for a long time she's had the support of fourteen tiny friends, and she's sparkled and shone happily. Take her out, and it might have the same effect as stripping a flower from its garden setting and asking her to be just as beautiful in a sterile room, rather than her natural lush surrounds.

I'd leave her. There is no shortage of beauty in this setting, and so little to be achieved by putting her into a setting alone. This from someone who wore a 17mm floral e-ring for a decade and loved every minute of it.

And I LOVE that it's a jewel and has all the design elements that entails - not just a big diamond in prongs. She has a statement to make, and she's making it beautifully. And, let's face it, it's just so YOU. Her quirky, out of the box, vintage, joyful demeanor reflects you perfectly. Which is, I think, why those who know you best think she's ideal for you as she is.

Hahaha so glad you decided to leave 'Switzerland' @mrs-b. I always want to hear your thoughts. Love what you wrote and your description so beautiful. And very flattering. Thank you so much. Sharing your thoughts have really helped me with this entire process and I appreciate you and all your posts.