5 Stone Questions

[darksun]

Hi all!

I apologize in advance if this is the wrong place to post this. I have lurked for years, so I finally decided it's about time I made an account here. This website has been instrumental in assisting me in finding the ideal ring, leading me to 5 stone rings. However, I had a couple questions about 5 stone rings, and I figured this would be the place to get them answered because there's a ton of ladies (and gents, perhaps) with delicious and larger 5 stones on PS.

I am left-handed and hard on rings, so I am thinking of getting a low-set five stone ring as my engagement ring rather than a traditional solitaire to avoid the inevitable problems (i.e. writing, hitting my hand on doors, etc.). I've been looking at around 2.00 CTW, and my finger size is 6.5. So my questions are as follows:
-If set low, are 5 stone rings comfortable enough for daily wear?
-At 2.00 CTW, would the ring look ostentatious on a size 6.5? If so, what size would you suggest?
-With ~4.7mm stones, would SI clarity and Ideal cut suffice, or should I go for VS+ clarity and Ideal cut stones?

Thanks for helping me out everyone!

 

[SimoneDi]

Welcome to PS and congrats on coming out of lurkdom
I love, love, love 5 stones and I think you are making a great choice to get one in lieu of a more traditional engagement ring that may not be a great fit for your lifestyle. I think that a 2ctw will look awesome on your size 6.5 finger! I have tried multiple sizes (unfortunately still don't own one sad ) and I thought that 40pt each was big for my 5.5size finger, so I think that would look great on you. Any larger will most likely start rubbing into your neighboring fingers.

Regarding clarity, clarity sensitivity is really subjective, but at that size, I honk that you will be perfectly safe at SI. Stones may be a mix though VS and SI, I wouldn't discriminate. You are already looking at ideal cut stones, so that is fantastic. Cut is the most important and the one thing you should not sacrifice on. I color will most likely also be fine, but I would let your budget dictate the color.

With that said, what is the budget for this awesome purchase?

Also, a Q - are you set on all stones being the same (40pt each or so), or would you entertain a graduated five stone? You can probably go for something like 1 x 0.6 , 2 x 0.4, 2 x 0.2, or a more gradual graduation like 1 x 0.5, 2 x 0.4, 2 x 0.3. Again budget usually dictates sizes/color, etc.

Examples of both below:



Last comment regarding comfort - are you able to try out some 5 stone rings locally? I think that way you will best find what works for you regarding size. Usually, if low set, 5 stone rings are very comfortable. There are some gals here that wear 2ctw on size 4 and others who wear 1ctw on size 6, so you alone can really be the judge of what works best for you in terms of tcw.

 

[darksun]

SimoneDi: Thanks for the response! Personally, I would like to keep it around $7k, but I would be willing to spend a little over $8k for the perfect stones/setting. I did a little "simulation" on Blue Nile using the "Create Your Own 5 Stone Ring" function with 2.01ctw E/VVS1/Ideal cut stones and it came to approximately $6800 in a platinum setting. However, I feel that those stats were almost overkill, so I'm glad to know that VS and eye clean SI1 stones would be fine. When it comes to color, I am open to just about anything in the near colorless range.

As far as the graduated vs. same size, I think I want to keep all the stones the same size. For some reason, I like graduated 5 stone rings when the center is large, but then that defeats the purpose of keeping my ring lower profile.

Finally, I'll have to make a drive sometime to try on some larger rings. Unfortunately, I don't live an area where there are an luxury jewelry stores. The only jewelry stores in my immediate area are chain stores, and most of them don't have the larger 5 stone bands.

 

[PintoBean]

I recommend reaching out to IDJ. They made my 5 stone with MRBs and I still love it 6 years later.

 

[Queenie60]

I recommend reaching out to IDJ. They made my 5 stone with MRBs and I still love it 6 years later.

Ditto

 

[rockysalamander]

I am really rough on rings too. On my dominant hand, I stick to bezels after a lot of chipped and abraded stones. My pet peeve is that I dislike tube-settings. I want the side to have a nice view, not a boring vertical piece of solid metal.

Vintage Collet Setting. Each stone is in its own bezel.

No bezel between each stone (David Klass)

Side views


Individual Bezel + cool side view

 

[tyty333]

If I had your budget and since this is your engagement ring, I would go with Whiteflash in the G/H range and get ACAs with this setting.

https://www.whiteflash.com/right-hand-rings/skye-five-stone-u-prong-diamond-right-hand-ring-570.htm

I have a 1.4ctw 7 stone from ID Jewelry. I really love the ring but upon close inspection the stones on either side that go down between my
fingers are not as well cut as the ones in the middle that you see all the time. I would have paid a little more to have all of the stones be of the
same nice quality if I had know that was going to happen. Going with branded stones from Whiteflash prevents something like this. They'll
all be branded ACAs and all of the same quality no matter which stone you are looking at (especially important in the size stones you are looking at IMO).

 

[PierreBear]

Hello! Good luck on your 5 stone journey! I love the idea of a 5 stone ring instead of an engagement ring. I actually wish I did that but just wear my 5 stone as a RHR now. I find that 5 stone rings are very comfortable. When the setting/sizing/spacing is done appropriately, my middle finger and my pinky finger graze the side of the diamonds but in general, my fingers just feel the band (which you can't really see in the photo). No issues with discomfort at all.

I don't think 2 CTW on a size 6.5 would be too much if that's what you are worried about. I attached a photo of mine that are 0.4 ct each on a size 3.75 finger. I personally feel like I went the biggest I could go and could have opted to go smaller in hind site. It does attract attention that I'm not used to. I would encourage you to try on as many rings as you can will help you know your comfort level in sporting size of rings. Can't wait to see the end product and love all the advice everyone already provided on the quality of stones!

 

[SimoneDi]

I support the ACA suggestion and I was also going to recommend BGD, I know that they don't have as many 40pts at the moment, but I am sure that there will be some soon!

Do you have a timeline in mind regarding this purchase?

PS I looked at the BN stone selection, they label them "ideal"cut, but the ones you looked at have VG for Polish and Summetry, something that we don't generally recommend here. I support for BGD and WF, I will also say that you will have better upgrade options if you ever want to change color, clarity, size, etc.

 

[alene]

I recently got a 2-carat 5-stone and find it comfortable and wear it daily. Mine is graduated, but I don't think it would make a huge difference in terms of wearability. If you're going with GIA/AGS graded stones, you should most likely be safe with SI1, if not SI2, but you can always ask the vendor how eye clean the stones are. If you're really rough on your rings, consider a bezel setting. Here's a photo of mine (also 6.5)

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

Hi Darksun,

This sounds like a interesting project - many people will love a 5-stone ring for an engagement ring.

I will simply echo the sentiment that a low profile, secure setting (perhaps bezel) would be a good choice for your left-handed, "rough" usage

 

[LLJsmom]

The setting for a five stone will be crucial to the comfort of it. I have a five stone that is set really low and is very comfortable to wear done by a local vendor. When I first considered a five stone five years ago, I ordered one from Blue Nile. Extremely UNcomfortable. Would not recommend BN for a five stone. I am a 4.5 finger and ordered 30 pointers. I think 40 pointers for a 6.5 would be great, lots of presence and finger coverage.

I would go with the suggestions from other PSers about IDJ or whiteflash. Personally, I would go with ACA's from WF since this is to be your engagement ring. Or I would consider some of the bezel options pictured above.

 

[darksun]

Thank you so much for your advice! I just now remembered my login again (leave it to me to forget), so seeing all this is very helpful! I tried on a 2 carat 5 stone ring at Costco to get an idea of size, and it was PERFECT. Blingy enough but still practical. Now I will have to reach out to IDJ, Whiteflash, and BGD to see who can make my dream low/comfortable/secure setting.

If anyone has anymore setting ideas, feel free to post!