Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Advice for Spacer Bands, please?!?!!

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
galvana

galvana

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 4, 2008
Messages
884
Hi All
I have a prong set e-ring and just picked out a prong set eternity band for my w-ring. BOTH platinum. Im very excited.!!
emteeth.gif

Now i need your help in finding a 2mm or 1.5mm platinum "spacer" band to wear between the two of them. Platinum prices have skyrocketed and EVERYWHERE i look
a 2mm band is $300 plus!I wouldn''t even mind a used one.......just something!
I went way over budget on my w-ring (i couldn''t help it) so i was honestly hoping to spend about $100 for the spacer as i have read that
it will overtime get scratched and need to be replaced! My questions are:

1) where can i find a 2mm plat. spacer for $100 or so?
2) Can i get white gold OR palladium? or would it be BAD to "mix metals"
emangry.gif

3) will getting white gold OR palladium hurt my e-ring or w-ring?

I would be fine with getting white gold or palladium but i have read so many places that its very bad to mix metals so i need your advice! Please and thank you all!

Alicia
36.gif
 
Have you spoken with any local jewelers? Before I got my sapphire spacer I was planning to have a platinum spacer made--I got a quote of about $100 for...I think it was 1mm or 1.2mm---but that was 6 months ago. The jeweler told me it might bend over time, but I didn''t mind having another one made if that happened.

I would probably consider palladium as well. I would pair palladium with platinum over white gold--at least palladium is in the same family. Over time, you may notice a slight difference in color between the two metals, but I think a thin palladium band would serve its purpose.
 
I have spoke to local jewlers. Well Barmakian was quoting me $400 for a 2mm - maybe i''ll call zales, and kay and see if they''ll make me a 1.5 and what they''ll charge. I''ll call now and let you know.
I have emailed many places on line and they say they wont make a 1.5mm?? i dont understand why.


I love your spacer! where did you get that? is it platinum? are you other rings platinum? thank you so much for responding!
19.gif


So you would go with palladium? you dont think it would damage the platinum do you?? I dont care about replacing it or it bending, i just dont want to do anything to "hurt" the e-ring or w-ring.
 
Have you checked Amazon.com?

They have a great collection of wedding bands for very good prices. I believe that they have platinum bands in their "Amazon Collection"

Not too sure about the prices of the platinum bands, but I got FI''s white gold wedding band from them and I''m beyond thrilled with the quality and price!
 
Thank you ! I just found a 2mm palladium band on HSN for $80! Now here''s another question. I am a size 6.5
they only have size 6 and 7 --- anyone know if the spacer band should be snug? if yes i''ll get 6. i think the 7 may be too big?
thoughts??

and you dont think palladium will hurt my platinum rings? THANK YOU!
1.gif
 
Hey, Alicia. That's weird, Barmakian is where I got my quote. In all honesty, their pricing seems to fluctuate more than other jewelers. In the process of creating my eternity ring I would receive quotes that were anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500 for the same quality diamonds (F-G,VS) in the same setting (platinum). I should have known to go with another jeweler at that point.

My sapphire spacer came from an estate jeweler in CA. I wanted a thin french-cut sapphire (we were married in Sept.) band from the 1920's and I needed it to be channel set in platinum so that it was safe against my other rings. It took me awhile to find one, but I am in love with it and it works like a charm.

I bought a palladium band to use at a plain wedding band and did a lot of research about wearing it with platinum in case I decided to wear it with my e-ring or my half-eternity since they are both platinum. Nobody seemed to think it would be a problem, especially since it was just a band. I was told that it would wear the same as platinum and that it would not damage the platinum at all. Unfortunately I can't tell you how it wears because I ended up returning it and getting a rolling ring instead.

I know that a platinum spacer would be ideal, but if it's over your budget then it might be worth it to try the palladium--I saw that www.weddingringhotline.com has a 2mm palladium band for $72 and if you call them they may be able to make you a 1.5mm palladium band for even less. They're really nice and very accommodating. They are also really knowledgeable about palladium and answered all of my questions. Oh, and they're great about returns, so if you get the band and decide you just don't like it, returning it is easy.
 
Maybe others can chime in about palladium and platinum? I''m not sure of the pros/cons of either and have no earthly idea if they will "hurt" each other.

Great price on HSN...my personal preference would be the half size. I wear a 4.5 - 4 is waaay too snug and 5 nearly falls off - you can always try it out and see if the size bothers you (I''d personally go a size up) and if it does bother you, HSN has a great return policy, right?
 
I don''t think that palladium will hurt the platinum, but if you really want the same metal for peace of mind, it might be worth it to go with platinum. Check out www.weddingringhotline.com. Not only do they have the 2mm palladium band for $72 (and in a size 6.5), but they also have 2mm platinum bands for $207. Yes, it''s still $107 over your budget, but it might be worth it to you....
 
$207 is a great price for a platinum band - I''ve been looking everywhere and the cheapest I''ve found is still over $300. Personally, if you go with platinum, I think the budget must be raised - or else you won''t find much if anything
20.gif
 
I just purchased a 2 mm palladium band for $135 (incl shipping) from e-weddingbands.com

I, too, have a shared prong ering and wedding band, however, when I received the spacer band, I did not like the way it looked with my rings, so I will be returning it.

Before you buy anything online, I''d suggest you go into a jewelery store and try on some bands to see if you like the look!
 
Thank you New England Lady! Im starting to think i may just get the palladium and be done with it.
Thank you for sending me that link, $72 works for me AND Im going to call them to ask about the 1.5mm too.
Or maybe i should just get the 2mm. i would hate for it to be too side though.........What is the width on your spacer?
 
Mine is 2.5mm, but I am a size 8 with longish fingers. I'd do 2mm or smaller for a plain band. I agree with impatient--before you order, try some 2mm on and see if you like the width. I must have tried on dozens of ideas for spacers before making a decision. I even ordered a couple of fake bands to wear in between to see if I liked the style.
 
Impatine One,
Thank you - i checked ewedding bands this morning and its $343 for 2mm platinum. You got a great deal! what size is yours?
I do like the look, I picked out a 2mm plat band at Barmakian and I was all set to get it at $400, but then i decided to get a bigger eternity wedding band,
3.2mm w/2.35 CT weight --- (originally i was going to get 1CT weight, 2.5mm) sooooooo now that my wedding band is more expensive. i have decided to
not get the $400 platinum band from them too. But i did like the look.
I was inspired by some i actually saw posted on here.

New England Lady
Oh WOW, ONE MORE THING - i just went to weddingringhotline.com
and the platinum is up, when you click on add to cart to see current price, the price changes to $300.15
yikes! I did it for the palladium and its changes to $97.20
geez - lol
 
Oh geez, that''s a big price jump! So sorry to post the misinformation, I had no idea the prices jumped after checkout!

sounds like palladium is the way to go.

Do you mind if I am a little nosy about your eternity band? Are you happy with it? I don''t know anybody who has another Barmakian eternity band, so I''d really like to get your opinion about yours...
 
I love my eternity band, its still at Barmakian so i dont have it yet. But I love it.
We went and i was going to get the 1ct. but i really wanted bigger stones, so he found me a larger one, identical to the 1ct just bigger.
I can''t believe the price though.............. I was going to get it at signedpieces but barmakian''s price was better?!?!? to my shock!
its 2.23 CT, 3.2mm, G/H, VS/SI, 21 diamonds. $3000. and platinum!
signed pieces has a 2.11 CT /3.1mm which is $3847 for my size

the only difference is signed pieces is f/g, vvs/vs and mine is g/h vs/si................ but i think i got a good deal and the difference
between F/G VVS/VS and G/H, VS/SI isn''t that great - is it? what do you all think?
 
Hi All
OMG i had to post this, Kay Jewelers just quoted me 2mm platinum band. $618 !! LOL
 
I''m going to be completely honest, I''m not feelin'' my eternity band from Barmakian. I bought my eternity band right when I found this site and didn''t have a lot of time to shop around. The price was great---I have F/G stones and they are VS. The quote for a 1.5 carat band in platinum was $1,800, but I ended up doing a half-eternity for comfort and it was $1,200...I think? They accidentally made it in white gold instead of platinum (I found out when a prong broke) and it wasn''t the right size. At that point, I just wanted my money back so I could buy a signed pieces eternity, though the SP band was more expensive. Because the ring was custom, they wouldn''t give me a refund, but they did remake the ring.

I think that experience sort of fed into my frustration with the ring, but there are 2 things that drive me crazy about it: the wonky hand-made holes on the inside of the ring. I realize that for hand-made settings, the holes won''t be perfect like they are with machine-drilled rings, but mine don''t line up at all and are different sizes. Also, the difference in cut quality with the Barmakian band, especially next to a SP band is like night and day. After comparing it to a SP band, I made the mistake of looking at my little stones through an idealscope. It wasn''t pretty! There are two or three stones in my band that are pretty well cut, the rest are not cut well (lots of light, light pink--they leak!)

There''s nothing I can do about it now, it''s my wedding band and it means too much to me to give up. I think that in the future I might buy a SP eternity, but keep this one for sentimental reasons. I don''t think it looks BAD, I just wish I''d been more focused on quality--I didn''t think it would matter because my stones are only 6 points each, but as it turns out it does matter.

My friend has a beautiful 5-stone ring from Barmakian and I think the TCW is 1.5 carats--her stones look pretty brilliant. Also, her e-ring came from there and it looks stunning. I''m not sure if I just got a bad bunch of stones, but just want to tell you that if you''re NOT happy with the ring once you get it, don''t be afraid to push back. I hope that you love it and that it''s perfect, but if it isn''t let them know! I only state this because it IS your wedding band and you should love it.
 
oh my god, wow. so what are the specs for the stones you have from barmakian???
and you said the difference in quality compared to a SP is night and day? did you get a SP one too and hold them side by side.?
Im suprised - my 1ct eternity that i was originally going to get was VERY SPARKLY and beautiful for a thin 2.5mm eternity
and the larger one that i am getting is even bigger, same ring - same setting- just larger stones, same specs, i have not seen the larger one in person (going this weekend)
but everything is identical just larger. now im scared, it better be identical and just as sparkly, but then agian - if it isn''t. then i''ll go back to the 2.5 mm 1ct one as i did love that too --.
i dont understand what happened with yours? did they confirm the specs? what are they ?
 
the specs on the stones are 6 points each, F/G in color and VS in clarity. The color and clarity are great--no inclusions and no warmth, but the cut is just blah. I don''t know if my stones just came out of a not-so-great batch or what. The ring is definitely sparkly, I mean it doesn''t look BAD, but when I saw it next to a SP band (we had a Boston GTG for PS members last winter), THEN I could tell a real difference. Since I saw my ring next to a better quality ring and looked through an idealscope at my stones, I haven''t been happy with the quality. That''s not saying yours won''t be great, but if there is anything about the ring that bothers you, please tell them. Even if it is a pain in the butt for them. I''ve been married for 8 months now and still regret not pushing harder for my money back on this ring. Since finding PS I''ve become super picky about cut quality, so it''s more of a mental problem for me. It''s not like people walking down the street would say "that''s a poor-quality band", but in my head I know it is and it bugs me.
 
oh my gosh, i want to make sure i read that correctly. you had a get together in boston for pricescope members? and you got to see someone''s signed pieces ring?
i always wondered if their stuff would look at "great" in person as i hoped it would.
now see, you are teaching me something, i thought IF the color is good, and IF the clarity is good. than you ring is good.
i dont understand about yours........ you said its F/G in color and VS in clarity and that it is sparkly - but that the cut is just blah? how can that be?
33.gif

im confused, forgive my lack of knowledge. lol
but f/g and vs are on the high end........and if its sparkly doesn''t that mean the cut is good? isn''t sparkly all that matters? im so new at this!

I will go see mine on saturday - i was in love with the 1ct eternity, but it''s thin, only 2.5mm and i wanted something "bigger" - we said yes to it last weekend (the 1ct) but
after we left i was thinking about it and thinking maybe it was a mistake as it wasn''t REALLY what i wanted as i wanted a larger one.............they did have a 2.75CT that i loved --but it was $4000, so i called and asked if he had something in between the 1Ct i got and the (Huge to me) - 2.75 i loved.
He called me and said they had a 2.23CT (exact duplicate to the 1ct) just bigger and it was in my size. so i could get the one in the case.
he said he was holding them side by side and they were exactly the same, just 2.23 is obviously larger and exactly what i want.
so i said i''ll take it. - im going to go see if this weekend to confirm that it is, what i think it is.
 
If you''ve seen it and love it, then there are no worries!

I didn''t realize you were able to get yours out of the case--the fact that you''ve already seen it and know that you love it is great. I thought they were making it custom and hadn''t seen it yet.

One thing you''ll notice on pricescope is that cut is always the first criteria--I didn''t realize it was important in smaller stones. My high color and clarity aren''t really all that relevant because the cut on my stones is just mediocre. Yes, it sparkles, but the performance is only okay when compared to superior-cut stones like the signed pieces band. Because the stones Barmakian uses in its eternity bands are uncertified, the cut can be hit or miss. I just don''t think they are as stringent--that''s why the fact that you''ve seen it and love it is so important.
 
Right, but again, i only saw the 1ct. eeeeeeeeeek!
i saw the 1ct and loved it, it was very nice. and we got it, but only put a down payment on it and we left.
then after i was home i was 2nd guessed myself as i knew i wanted something bigger.
so i called two days later and asked for him to find me a duplicate ring but bigger, and he did. and thats how i got the 2.23 ct.
but i have not seen in yet in person. im going this weekend.
i will let you know and i pray its as great - but if it isn''t i can stick with the 1ct. and yes - lucky for me, they BOTH are my size. so i am buying what i see there.

back to the spacer band, so it looks like..........
ebay - platinum 2mm $199 start bid, 259 buy it now
but i dont know if the place is any good. this one is "court shaped"
http://cgi.ebay.com/A-Solid-Platinum-950-Court-Shaped-Wedding-Band-2-mm_W0QQitemZ330232820813QQihZ014QQcategoryZ92862QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and this one is "comfort fit" $199 start bid, $225 buy it now
http://cgi.ebay.com/PLATINUM-RING-2mm-COMFORT-FIT-WEDDING-BAND-BANDS-RINGS_W0QQitemZ270233776242QQihZ017QQcategoryZ92862QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

do you know the difference with these two, court shaped and comfort fit?

then i found palladium 2mm for $100
what would you do? go with palladium? i dont know what do you think, as for only $125 more i can get platinum?
 
i found the answer to my question.............

Court shape wedding rings are also known as comfort fit and they have a domed inner and outer .They are available in medium weight (approx 1.8mm thick) and heavy weight (approx 2.3mm thick).Standard widths available for these wedding rings is 2mm up to 8mm but any width is available to order. Court shape wedding rings are considered to be the most comfortable to wear, although some people find the heavy weight ring too bulky.

BUT should i just get platinum for 100 more?
 
I think that you WANT the platinum band.

If you buy the palladium band, will you be happy with it? Or, in time, will you regret not buying a platinum band? I know it''s only for a spacer, but if you think that one day, you will want platinum to match the rest of your set, then I feel that the extra $100 is well worth it. IMO
 
i think you are right.........just like i wanted the larger eternity band, and wasn''t happy with the 1ct. LOL
i really like your spacer, may i ask how much it was? i''d like to copy you -
20.gif
 
excuse me cleopatra, for a minute there i thought i was responding to new england lady! lol sorry
but i agree with what you said, i think i want the platinum spacer and should just get it. ughhhhhhhhh
so expensive for everything! lol
 
I assume you mean NEL''s spacer - as I don''t have one...

I think getting the platinum band is an excellent idea. Paying $100 for something that you''re "just ok" with is $100 wasted IMO. Spending $200 on something that you''re completely satisfied with is money well spent!

I have a white gold set - so small bands such as 2mm are way cheaper than platinum bands - I''m lucky - I have the pick of the litter at dirt cheap prices! haha! I may buy a spacer one day - I just love the look of stacked rings!

Let us know what you decide on! We''d love to see pics, as always
9.gif
 
Cleopatra. I know! i have tried twice to download a pic of my e-ring for all to see but i keep failing. I will have my fiance help me tonight at home!
my e-ring is nice and he picked it out all by himself, i had no clue he was even getting it.
I''ll post the pic tonight but its
1.03 ct princess cut prong set center stone
.45 ct princes cut prong set on either side of center
and 4 round pave set stones on either side of that.
the round diamond eternity looks perfect with it. and i like the look with the spacer, i dont mind seeing it as i liked the stacked look.
and i think you are right. i must get platinum.
LOL
 
sounds like the court and comfort fit will be the same.

If it were me, I''d probably just go ahead with platinum so you don''t have to worry about it over time--you know it will wear the same and there will be no wearing issues.

I see what you''re saying about the eternity band now--you''ve seen the 1 carat, but not the 2.23 carat--that one you''re seeing on Sat.
Since you haven''t bought the eternity band yet, I would seriously consider getting the SP band instead. I''ve learned that you get what you pay for--Barmakian''s doesn''t charge as much because their stones simply aren''t as nice. If I could go back and get a SP band instead, I would in a heartbeat. If you go on Saturday and love the band, then by all means go ahead and get it, but if you look at it (bring a loupe or use theirs to inspect inclusions, look at in different lightings to trace warmth, examine the holes on the underside, make sure the diamonds are all lined up perfectly, examine the prongs, etc.) and feel that the quality isn''t what you want in a wedding band, then forget it and go with SP so you KNOW you''ll be getting a great band.

I think I negotiated my spacer down to $500. The ring is very old, so there are a few dings, but upon receiving it I immediately louped all the stones and there ar no chips and surprisingly very, very little wear on the stones at all. The color is a nice, bright blue so overall I was really happy about the price. I saw it on a website...I think it was www.tracodero.com. It was originally listed for closer to a thousand, which I thought was good considering the price of platinum, so I was surprised when the jeweler accepted my counter offer. I had a month to return the ring if I didn''t love it, but I really felll in love.

Deciding on a spacer took 6 months for me. I was just going to get a plain, very thin platinum band, but then decided to go with something more sentimental. I decided I wanted sapphires because we were married in September. At that point I started looking at art deco diamond and sapphire bands. I even ordered a fake one (which solved the problem of rubbing until I could make a decision). I went to lots of jewelers around Boston to try to find a diamond and sapphire band that I loved. I ended up back at Shreve Crump and Low (where we bought the e-ring) and they were great. The SA suggested I go with something less "busy"--and suggested a thin, sapphire-only band. He was right, adding a third band with diamonds and sapphires was taking away from my set...so at that point I''d made up my mind. I knew I needed a channel set band so there wouldn''t be any issues with stones rubbing--because the band was channel set I wanted square stones (no spaces) and got quotes from many PS vendors for carre-cut, french-cut or princess-cut stones. They were all between $1000 and $2000, which was more than I wanted to pay for a spacer.

I know this story is getting long, I''ll wrap it up. Basically, a few weeks later I saw my ring online and loved it--the width was perfect (2.5mm), the sapphires were French-cut which was exaclty what I wanted (we were engaged in France) and I loved that it was made in the 1920s because the estate where we were married was built in 1927. Also, the price was cheaper than all the quotes I''d received. I decided to email the jeweller and give her a lower offer and she accepted...to my surprise, haha. Anyway, that''s how my spacer came to be.

When you go to Barmakian on Saturday, see what they all look like together--the eternity band, the spacer (I know they keep 2mm bands in stock), and your e-ring. I think you''ll get a much better idea of how they all look together once you see them! These decisions are tough!
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top