A Question for those with full (or 3/4) Eternity Bands

[DelsFan]

I have a short question and a long one:
Short: Do you girls with full (or 90% or 3/4) eternity bands worry about what you grab with your hand while wearing your ring: purse straps, car keys, boxes, broom handles (heaven forbid), etc.? Or, after a week or so do you just forget about the whole thing and lift and grab and function like you always have?

Longer: (Sorry to give so much information, but if I don't then people have questions I "should" have answered!)
I am (still) trying to decide on a ring style for my fiancee, the decision has come down to either a 3/4 eternity (eleven-40 point stones) or a graduated five stone (1.0 carat approx. center stone plus smaller stones). My honey indicates she would wear the ring by itself most of the time but for special occasions she would add a wedding band. She has tried on both styles; the center stone in the three-stone ring she tried on wasn't too high and the full eternity she tried on (40 pointers in size six (she is a size 5.5) didn't hurt her adjacent fingers. She says either style would be great, surprise her. She doesn't want a solitaire ring. We are both middle aged and she is somewhat conservative so we aren't looking for "too" much bling! However, I will be looking at EFG color stones with "super" Ideal cuts.

Here is a photo of Zestfullybling's beautiful five-stone with wedding bands; a concept we would consider transferring to an eternity:


And here is a photo of Hawaiianorangetree's fabulous graduated five-stone; if we go this way we would consider something similar:


It's time for me to "do something"; I'll be glad to hear any advice you have!

 

[soxfan]

I have a 3/4. I would NEVER do a full eternity band because I would be too afraid of it getting beat up. As it is now, I am always repositioning mine to make sure the diamonds aren't towards the back where I would smack them if I grabbed something. That's just me, though. I think it depends on how hard you are on your rings?

 

[yssie]

I have a "90%" eternity (it's a Uprong and the stones go all the way around minus one U for sizing). I also have a multi-stone Ering like HOT's that spins a bit, so sometimes the stones wind up palm-side.

I've made a habit of being careful with my left hand - I try to avoid carrying keys/opening doors/handling heavy objects with my left hand as a matter of course, so I don't need to pay special attention when wearing delicate rings because it's already natural.

I had my engagement ring re-worked soon after the engagement and I wore a plain silver band in the meantime. I tried to wear it as I'd been wearing my engagement ring - during the day, taking it off for sleeping and doing dishes and whatnot... silver because it scratches and dents easily and I figured I may as well take the opportunity to find out just how hard I am on my fourth left finger. It was pretty shocking, and it was excellent incentive to develop some new habits before my ring came back!

You didn't ask but of the two styles you're considering I'd vote eternity paired with a plain band. It's a blingy, classy, mature look that screams "married", I think

 

[DelsFan]

...You didn't ask but of the two styles you're considering I'd vote eternity paired with a plain band. It's a blingy, classy, mature look that screams "married", I think

Thanks both of you for your replies; and your opinions! I've "struggled" with this (very low) five-figure decision for a few months now - your "blingy, classy, mature look" is exactly what I would be looking for in an eternity ring.

Let me add:
if we do the five-stone I would almost certainly opt for the euro-shank - it looks comfortable and seems like it would remove most of the spin factor.

For me it is coming down to the "can't go wrong, won't spin too much, will always look great, not too worrysome" five-stone
vs
Unassuming at first but maybe (I think I'm right) stunning on second glance, plus maybe a bit more elegant and much less common (for a 50 year-old), "large-stoned" eternity band.

 

[yssie]

...You didn't ask but of the two styles you're considering I'd vote eternity paired with a plain band. It's a blingy, classy, mature look that screams "married", I think

Thanks both of you for your replies; and your opinions! I've "struggled" with this (very low) five-figure decision for a few months now - your "blingy, classy, mature look" is exactly what I would be looking for in an eternity ring.

Let me add:
if we do the five-stone I would almost certainly opt for the euro-shank - it looks comfortable and seems like it would remove most of the spin factor.

For me it is coming down to the "can't go wrong, won't spin too much, will always look great, not too worrysome" five-stone
vs
Unassuming at first but maybe (I think I'm right) stunning on second glance, plus maybe a bit more elegant and much less common (for a 50 year-old), "large-stoned" eternity band.

Oh, I can guarantee that no-one anywhere will ever look at an eternity with 40pointers and think "unassuming"!!

 

[AprilBaby]

I have a full eternity and I never worry, its insured. As you say she is middle aged so you don't have to worry about gaining baby weight. Mine is about .25 to large so if I did gain I would be fine (btw I'm 54). I love to wear it alone. Look around and there are some great photos of eternities with rolling rings, love that look!

 

[baby monster]

I wear 3ct eternity on daily basis but usually take it off when at home or at the gym. My daily life is low on manual labor - desk job, child care, grocery shopping. Haven't come across a situation where I had to think about which hand to use so as not to damage the ring.

 

[Christina...]

I wear a 3/4 and went in that direction specifically because I was afraid of damage to stones. Like soxfan, I find that I'm constantly repositioning my ring to make sure that no stones will get damaged. I've been surprised at how much abuse a ring really does take in the course of a day...bumps doing laundry, carrying groceries, opening jars and doors. I don't sleep in my rings but occasionally I'll lie on my bed and read and I've bumped my rings against my cast iron headboard more times than I like to admit!

Having said all that, there are still times that I wish that I had gone with a full eternity. The spinning does start to drive me a bit crazy, but I'd still be fearful of damage, insured or not, I don't want the headache of replacing stones.

I really enjoy my eternity band and if I could go back and do it all over again, I think that I too, would consider a larger ct weight instead of a solitaire. As far as bling factor, I think a large eternity or 5 stone beats a larger solitaire hands down!

 

[IE_Princess]

I have five full eternity bands (100%); I wear them stacked together and with solitaires and I don't think I really think about it at all. They are insured.

 

[Dandi]

I have a full eternity made up of 20 pointers, and I never worry about it. If I'm going to pick up something heavy or do the dishes etc, I take it off, but for everyday stuff like carrying keys, shopping etc, it has never been a problem. A big fat eternity paired with a plain wedding band is one of my absolute all time favourite looks You and your lady have wonderful taste!

 

[sarahb]

I adore my eternity, & if it were me (also in my 50's)--I'd land on the eternity. It is perfect.

It is quite comfortable & just the right amount of bling. Mine is also a 'nearly full' with the exception of a small sizing bar. It has 12 .5's. Make sure to come back & show us your choice!!

Best of luck with your decision!
sarahb

 

[UrsTx]

I have a full eternity band that I use when stacking rings - one ctw so the stones are pretty small at about 3 pts each. It was my wedding band until I recently changed bands, so I used to wear it everyday. I never thought about it when picking up things or working with my hands - except when it came to the usual situations when you should remove your rings (cooking with food, using household cleaners, etc). It's also insured so I never think about possible damage.

 

[UrsTx]

I'd like to add a comment I heard on tv before about eternity rings: it's nice to wave hello to someone and have a little sparkle on the underside of your hand. I like the idea of that.

One last thought. I used to have a half eternity ring that would spin on my finger so I was constantly moving it back into place so the stones face frontward. It drove me nuts!

 

[madelise]

I have a 2.45 ctw 3/4 eternity made up of eleven 22-23 pointers. I thought it was uncomfortably obtrusive because of the thickness (depth + setting) of the sides, where my ring finger touches my pinky and middle finger. It bothered me a bit for a while, but then I realized I was only squishing my fingers together because I was thinking about it. Naturally, at rest, our fingers aren't flexed and stretched out, tight against each other. It no longer bothers me.

I think a 3/4 eternity would look fabulous with a WB or alone. I'd prefer just the eternity of same-sized stones, so that it lines up more flush with a wedding band vs. a graduated 5-stone, which I think looks better on it's own. Just my preferences, though, and I know others don't feel the same!

 

[purplesilk]

My vote goes to the five stone band plus plain band: classy combo at any age!!!
If correctly sized, no particular spinning problems with half circle diamond bands: my 7 stone ring doesn't spin, but my slim 3/4 eternity band is always up side down because it's a bit larger than my actual ring size.

 

[Ally T]

I wear a full eternity ring (1.75 carat) and never worry about it. It does get the odd bash but it goes to my jeweler every 6 months for checking, claw tightening & on 2 occasions, reshaping as it has become slightly oval. For me, regular check-ups are key to looking after it & so i absolutely do not worry about wearing it. But it is fully insured & part of who I am - my rings are worn constantly & feel like a part of my hand now

For the record, I vote full eternity with 2 plain bands. Absolutely classic & elegant & beautiful.

 

[dtnyc]

My wedding band is an eternity band from the 50s. 20 .08 stones all the way around.
I wear it pretty much 24/7 and only take it off for rare /extreme situations and I am left handed so I do a lot with my left hand.
I have had no issues in the 7 yrs I have worn it.

 

[DelsFan]

Thank you all so much for your advice! Decision will be made this weekend; I'm working with a couple of PS Vendors but time will be soon be getting short. I'll be in D.C. all next week; if nothing works out I guess a day trip to ERD and IDJ will be in order! I think it is less than 4 hours (plus time to find a parking place!) from DC to NYC.

Thanks again for helping a guy out!

 

[dtnyc]

I think it is less than 4 hours (plus time to find a parking place!) from DC to NYC.

It's only less than 4 hrs if you are driving like 85 mph the whole time and hit zero traffic- and definitely not any time over the weekend. I live north of DC, used to live in Manhattan. There is some miserable traffic going on on the NJ turnpike, so it's been not a fun drive for the last 2+ yrs. Amtrak is fantastic though.

 

[rainydaze]

I realize you are making the decision this weekend (now) but here's one more last-minute experience. I have a tiny eternity and I definitely think about it. I love it and wouldn't have chosen a non-eternity, but I have a plain wedder that I find myself opting to put on more days than the eternity. When I do wear it, I do indeed find myself aware of it throughout the day and/or removing it for this or that, which quite frankly I don't always want to deal with.

I'm a SAHM so grabbing a broom handle is just one of many daily activities that make me think about having the eternity on and should I or shouldn't I (use my left hand, take it off, perform that task....). And I don't consider myself anal by any stretch. Like Yssie indicated, once you know how much damage a ring can take from the daily stuff, forget abuse, it's hard to unknow it.