20th Anniversary Choice

[muscarel]

Hi everyone. I’m a new member here but have been using all of your threads to get me as far as I have come.

My wife and I are celebrating our 20th year anniversary this year. I’m looking to get her a ring as a gift. I think I am down to selecting either a 5-diamond ring or eternity band. Given the realities of budget, I am having to pick between a 1.5-2 ctw 5-diamond ring or an eternity band with .15-.2 carat diamonds (about 2.3-3 ctw). I am not looking for either ring to be matched up with her engagement ring but of course that would be up to her. Either would be set in platinum to match other jewelry. I am torn between the larger diamonds in the 5-stone versus the eternity band which which although smaller, has more diamonds and seems traditional for an anniversary.

For the women out there, I’d appreciate your advice on which you think she’d prefer for our 20th anniversary. All advice is welcome!

 

[heididdl]

Eternity band. IDjewelry best bang for your buck.....

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

5 diamond ring! Since most of the diamonds on an eternity are hidden behind the finger anyways, why not get larger, but fewer diamonds. That way all 5 diamonds will be visible on the finger, and have a larger appearance! Plus eternities can more easily damaged from day-to-day wear. I have seen MANY beautiful 5 stone bands from ID Jewelry on here! do a quick "5 stone band IDJ" search on here and you'll see a ton of great threads showing how pretty they are. congrats for you and your wife! She'll love it!

 

[Morenita21]

I think both are lovely ideas. I have a seven stone anniversary ring but also love an eternity band. I didn’t go with the eternity band because you can’t get it re-sized and my weight fluctuates.

 

[seaurchin]

To be honest, I'd much rather be consulted since it's such an expensive purchase. While a surprise is fun, I don't think it's fun enough to give up the chance to get what she really wants over.

 

[tyty333]

How big is her engagement ring? Is it a round brilliant or other shape?

 

[RunningwithScissors]

I'd personally want to be involved in the selection. I second what sea urchin said above.

If her finger size or her weight fluctuates then an eternity band is not a good choice. They can't be resized if she gains weight. If she looses weight you could get sizing beads added but personally I've always found those uncomfortable.

 

[muscarel]

How big is her engagement ring? Is it a round brilliant or other shape?

Her engagement ring is 1.2 ct. it is round brilliant.

 

[muscarel]

Thank you all for all of the replies so far!

To those noting I should maybe include her, I normally would agree 100% as that is how I typically operate BUT she has hinted many a time that she’d love to “just be surprised” one day.

it has crossed my mind though which is why I am also asking about return policies so that I can hedge the purchase in case she wants a different design, etc. I haven’t gotten that far yet but I should have asked about that as well. Is there such a thing?

 

[diamondsR4eVR]

I love an eternity band as well as a 5 or 7 stone ring. You can’t go wrong with either, IMO. Check out the recent thread that talked about a 5 and 7 stone ring from Costco. It can give you a nice idea if that’s the direction you end up going. I just love an eternity emerald cut diamond band! That’s my dream ring. However, I agree with others about not being able to resize an eternity band. But I did enjoy my eternity band for about a decade before it was too tight. GL and happy shopping!

 

[tyty333]

Is there anywhere you can go see 1.5-2 carat 5 stones. I just think that you shouldnt outshine her ering. You are right there on the border with
2 carat total weight. I wouldnt go any bigger.

You have to be cautious with an eternity. If her weight fluates much it could be a problem. Especially if you are surprising her and not quite sure
of her ring size. You can put in a small sizing bar but then you still have to worry about spinning somewhat. I have a 1.4ctw 7 stone (see avatar). Its
a size 7 and I get full finger coverage. A 5 or 7 stone 1.5-2 ctw would be lovely. Sounds like you'll need to go somewhere you can return it in case
its not what she had in mind. I would talk to ID Jewelry. Tell them you want PS quality stones. Make sure it's returnable.

5 Diamond Band Ring | Anniversary Bands

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I forgot to ask what size finger she has?

Edit...I also saw on Instagram the other day that ID Jewelry is making eternity bands that are half round and have emerald cut. So, depending
on your mood you could have one side or the other up. Not suggesting this as a surprise but thought they were interesting.

 

[siamese3]

I have both a 5 stone and eternity and wear the 5 stone more. My shared prong eternity is stunning however it's more delicate and the stones do get damaged occasionally and need to be replaced. I have eternities that are channel set or bead set and those get worn more often because they are hardier, for lack of a better word. I wear my 5 stone both on my left or right hand, but don't wear it with my engagement ring. My shared prong I don't wear with my ering either. I think it depends on her lifestyle and preference and how tough she is on her jewelry and if she is a 24/7 wearer or occasional or occasional. I'm sure she will love either! Congratulations on 20 years!

 

[siamese3]

I forgot to add that my 5 stone is kind of shaped so it won't spin as I like my rings more on the roomy side.. I have learned that it's either all the way round for me because whenever I have gotten a round band that isn't full it spins and that personally drives me quite mad, lol..but again, personal preference, as many people like a 1/2 or 3/4, especially for sizing and safety of the stones.

 

[AprilBaby]

The eternity band. Size 1/2 size up. My center diamond was on a three stone with a WF .10 eternity and was gorgeous. Just the right proportions. I got tired of the 5 stone moving around. That was .20 stones. I’m married 40 years.

 

[MamaBear]

Eternity band. Not every gift needs to be practical! It’s such a romantic piece and she won’t wear it everyday. That in itself will make each time she does wear it special! Let us know what you decide!

 

[muscarel]

You all are great! What a wonderful forum of people.

So here is the update: I went to see some sample rings to get a better idea. The 2 ctw 5-stone seemed to be a nice size, not overly large but enough that it is definitely noticeable. The price seemed close to a 3 ctw eternity (0.20 stones). The eternity seemed a little small with .20 ct but stunning nonetheless. I’m attracted to it’s classic style. Nonetheless, I am leaning 5 stone since she does tend to wear her rings 24/7 and the sizing does concern me.

All of this has made me realize that I definitely need a place with a good return policy especially if her heart tells her she wanted something a little different (or a lot!).

I priced out with a local New York City jeweler and also WF and IDJ. For the same price as the NYC Jeweler, WF would offer their “A cut above” diamonds while the jeweler would not provide any certs at this size. Although the Jeweler wouldn’t have certs, he said he would use F/G VS stones which are just a little lower in clarity that WF. Of course that would be on his word and I’d never know about the quality of the cut. IDJ had the best price (by $2,500 so appreciable) but lower quality diamonds and without any certs (G color, SI “average”) so I am back to assuming they are as advertised.

Return policies for online companies were generous (30 day) which in the absence of everything else, is too big a deal to ignore. I may have no choice but to use the online companies.

Need to make a decision soon!

 

[seaurchin]

There's a thread around here somewhere about Costco diamonds. They seem surprisingly nice, from what I saw. Maybe something to check out, anyway.


Edited to add: Here it is.

Show me your Costco diamonds.

So many people on this thread have gorgeous jewelry they purchased from Costco. I would love to see more.

www.pricescope.com

 

[muscarel]

I should have added another Q: Anyone have issues with the IDJ “stock” rings (non-certified but G/SI quality). I love the idea of the ideal cut dimensions and Certs of WF but the IDJ ring looked nice to my untrained eyes.

 

[diamondsndogs]

I say go with the 5 stone. My wedding set is a 1.5 round brilliant center diamond set in a 3/4 eternity ring for the engagement ring and a 2 ct. eternity band as the wedding ring.

A couple of years ago I bought myself a 1.5 ct. 5 stone band (so each diamond is .30). I can't tell you how many times I wear just the 5 stone when I don't want to have the bling or worry about the delicacy of my wedding set. The 5 stone has plenty of presence on its own....

 

[KristyDarling]

Honestly, 5-stones and eternity bands are such different animals. I highly recommend you check with your wife to see which she prefers. Or, maybe you can maintain the surprise aspect by giving her a card on your anniversary that says you're taking her ring-shopping, where she can choose one or the other....or maybe even something else that might catch her eye.

Edited to add: Just read the thread and I see that your wife specifically requested a surprise, so good for you for doing your research and being ready with return policies, just in case! You are a very thoughtful husband.

 

[LLJsmom]

Here is the thread on five stone rings. If she does not already have either, I would go for a five stones myself, just because I can get larger stones for the same price. If you had no budget, I would get the five stone size in a full eternity.

But a five stone is a work horse. She can wear it worry free, holding heavier things, gripping things, and not worry about damaging it. At 40 points each, for a total of 2 ctw, ideal cut stones would sparkle like crazy. I definitely encourage going for the whitest and best cut stones available.

And at 40 points, I would definitely get certs. I think WF can do that for you right?

Here is a thread on 5 stones for you.

The 5 Stone Ring Thread!

My son has a macro lens for his phone so I ask him to take some pictures of my five stone so here is some updated pictures, .75 total weight (.06 on irradiated blue diamonds) all VS1 E-F color

www.pricescope.com

If you buy from any vendor other than WF, I would choose my own stones. For 40 point, F color, VS quality stones, they seem to be in the $900-$1100 range on BlueNile. Not chump change. This will definitely be a forever piece. So be picky.

WF seems to charge about $1100-$1300 each. I am sure you will not regret going for what you feel is the best. It's a piece that I am sure she will wear often, and you will be looking at it all the time too.

 

[jepr]

Did you tell IDJ you want PS Quality diamonds? I love my 5-Stone F-SI1 Ideal-Excellent with them!

 

[JenC]

Did you tell IDJ you want PS Quality diamonds? I love my 5-Stone F-SI1 Ideal-Excellent with them!

Hi! Can you clarify what PS quality means at IDJ? I also read something about a PS price there?

I’m looking at purchasing an oval eternity band from them with .40 pt stones. I am concerned about getting what I’m paying for in terms of quality, color, etc.

I’ve read great reviews but it’s a big purchase so I’m still cautious. Trying to get as much feedback as possible to help my decision.

thanks

 

[muscarel]

Hi everyone. Ended up going with IDJ. Just over 2 ctw (0.43 ct each). Stones were absolutely beautiful. I wouldn’t worry at all about the quality. They over-delivered even without “certified” stones. She loved the ring!

 

[NicoleNeedsHelp]

Hi everyone. Ended up going with IDJ. Just over 2 ctw (0.43 ct each). Stones were absolutely beautiful. I wouldn’t worry at all about the quality. They over-delivered even without “certified” stones. She loved the ring!

No pictures? Sounds like a beauty

 

[muscarel]

No pictures? Sounds like a beauty

I don’t have any on my wife’s finger (her “nails weren’t done enough for a photo” she tells me) but I have one from IDJ that they sent me before I picked it up. It’s a snapshot from the video they sent me. Enjoy!

 

[NicoleNeedsHelp]

I don’t have any on my wife’s finger (her “nails weren’t done enough for a photo” she tells me) but I have one from IDJ that they sent me before I picked it up. It’s a snapshot from the video they sent me. Enjoy!

What a great choice you made!

 

[lillibear]

That’s beautiful!!!