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Advice on 10th Anniversary Ring

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rjdodd

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Hello everyone. First post, and I''d first like to thank everyone for everything I''ve learnt on PS so far (been lurking a while). I need a little adviced (a lot actually). I apologize in advance for the length of my post.

First a little background. My wife and I were married while both in graduate school - little income and no credit - and as a result I could only afford a cheap ring. It''s a little emerald sliver, but my wife likes(d) it. However, withour beating around the bust I feel that I owe her a real rock now for the 10th anniversary (June 28 - still got plenty of time). Doing a lot better now financially so I''m looking at a budget of arround $30k to maybe $35k (including the setting).

Couple of decisions I have made:
1) Dave Atlas for independent appraisal when I do pick a stone (already had a very helpful communication with Dave)
2) Leon Mege setting - his stuff is sparkly, my wife likes platinum, and I know nothing about jewelry.

But enough rambling and too the point. What I hope you can all help with is some advice on shape of stone first. My wife has a size 10 finger and what she calls short stubby fingers. Note that she is a pro pianist (accompanist / vocal coach) so stubby is a little relative.

My key questions are what shape stone and what size are appropriate? My goal obviously is to visually lengthen the fingers, rether than make them appear more ''stubby''. As I understand a small ring size makes stones look bigger, I assume the reverse is also true? I''m also hoping for a ring that can be worn everyday - but size could be a problem with the piano playing.

Any advice appreciated.

I''ll also keep you up to date as I got forward with this project, and a couple of other anniversary pieces I am getting (I have a cunning plan!).

Thanks.
 

diamondseeker2006

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What a wonderful plan! I always recommend round diamonds, because they are classic and never go out of style. An emerald cut would be nice as well. Possibly an oval, too. I don''t think a stone is going to change the look of the hands, but when the diamond is beautiful, that''s what people will be looking at anyway! I''d recommend looking at Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash for rounds, and I''d talk to Good Old Gold if you are interested in an emerald or oval, as well.
 

JulieN

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size 10 and stubby is a problem... i think medium bands look better on large fingers bc thin bands make the stone look big, but they make the finger look big, too! and stubby benefits with thin bands, as giving illusion of more finger length. so since contradictory, medium width is prob best, somewhere between 2.5-4 mm.

sorry about my English today; sick and tired.

round always appropriate. fancies look excellent in large sizes, you're looking at 2 ct+ with 30K budget.
 

rjdodd

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Thanks. The emerald would seem kind of poetic give I gave my wife an (real, but cheap) emerald engagement ring.
 

Ellen

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What a thoughtful gift!

Has your wife alluded to what shape stones she likes or dislikes?
 

rjdodd

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I know she doesn''t like pointy ones (pear, heart, marquis), princess is probly ok. I think any other shape would be acceptable if it was shiny enough
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Ellen

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Date: 1/5/2007 7:06:04 PM
Author: rjdodd
I know she doesn''t like pointy ones (pear, heart, marquis), princess is probly ok. I think any other shape would be acceptable if it was shiny enough
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Hmmmm. Well, if I try and think of a "slimming" stone, I personally lean towards an Emerald cut. They are lovely, no doubt, but, not THE sparkliest one out there. I have a small one (2/3 ct.) that I inherited early. I love it, but, it drives me crazy trying to keep it clean. They are not as forgiving as rounds when it comes to oil, fingerprints, etc. But they are very classy diamonds!

If I forget about slimmimg and go for sparkliest, round wins hands down.

I tend to think a Princess would only emphasize the short, stubby situation, but I could be wrong...


Maybe a round, but have the jeweler work with you on a band that might help with the "slimming" part? I know I have short fingers, not large and not slender, and a thicker band tends to look better on me.

As for size, woohoo, with your budget, and her hand size, I''d say maybe on a round, somewhere between 2 and 2.5 cts., depending on what color and clarity you went with.

I couldn''t even guess on an Emerald cut, but you could use the search feature at the top of the page.
 

Gypsy

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Okay... so I''m going to suggest really nice oval with two half moons like Kaleigh''s from Leon... or an oval with a pave halo from Leon.

Here''s my reasoning. She has large fingers. She needs a big stone. While Emerald cuts are nice and elongate the shape of fingers... they don''t have great spread. Ovals to have great spread and would be larger then an EC of equal carat weight and would still elongate the finger''s nicely if set North/South.

While rounds have great spread... ovals are less expensive than rounds per carat and still have the spread you want.

SO.... for what it''s worth... I suggest going with GOG (who has a good relationship with Leon from what I understand) for a nice oval and then deciding on either the pave halo or the half moons for the sides.

The pave is a sparklier ''blingy-er" look... and the half moons are very classic.

Leon does a fab job with with either frankly.
 

Ellen

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Now Gypsy raises a question. As this was replacing her engagement ring, I was thinking traditional. Do you think she''d like a 3 stone? It would be pretty. A halo on an oval would be nice too.

Here''s a thought too, would a wide spanding 3 stone bother her while playing? I have no idea, just thought of it.
 

jayreneepea

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Date: 1/5/2007 7:54:53 PM
Author: Gypsy
Okay... so I''m going to suggest really nice oval with two half moons like Kaleigh''s from Leon... or an oval with a pave halo from Leon.

Here''s my reasoning. She has large fingers. She needs a big stone. While Emerald cuts are nice and elongate the shape of fingers... they don''t have great spread. Ovals to have great spread and would be larger then an EC of equal carat weight and would still elongate the finger''s nicely if set North/South.

While rounds have great spread... ovals are less expensive than rounds per carat and still have the spread you want.

SO.... for what it''s worth... I suggest going with GOG (who has a good relationship with Leon from what I understand) for a nice oval and then deciding on either the pave halo or the half moons for the sides.

The pave is a sparklier ''blingy-er'' look... and the half moons are very classic.

Leon does a fab job with with either frankly.
I totally agree!! I''d love a 2 or 2.5 carat halo oval!
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However, I would casually bring up the subject (if you can find a way to do so) and find out EXACTLY what she wants! I''d hate to spend that kind of money and find out later she doesn''t even like ovals or princesses or rounds.
 

jayreneepea

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Here''s an oval suggestion

oval_halo.jpg
 

Gypsy

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Of course... there is an arguement to be made for combining the two ideas...

RTD-0984-61040.jpg
 

diamondseeker2006

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r411-15W.jpg


Here's a beauty! I'm thinking the split shank would be good for her size finger.
 

Gypsy

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r118-05W.jpg


This is also REALLY Cool... and less of a replacement e-ring... and more of a cocktail ring.
 

rjdodd

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Date: 1/5/2007 8:17:21 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
r411-15W.jpg


Here''s a beauty! I''m thinking the split shank would be good for her size finger.
Thanks everyone. I have to say this one is my favorite of all. I really like the way the oval sits and the halo. I do know my wife likes halos, she has an inherited ring which is halo ''like'' - and her engagement ring is also halo (and I use the term very vaguely here) ''like''.

I''ll be back when I really start shopping for the stone - early / mid february.
b
 
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