am i being crazy? re: prong symmetry

[youjane1]

They never seem symmetric to me! I looked at this pic last night and they seemed all screwy. Then looking this morning they look OK. Am I being crazy???

 

[laine]

I think it looks off because the prongs don''t line up with their arrows. Your mind tries to make the arrows appear to be lined up, straight up and down, which makes the prongs seem shifted. In person, I would imagine the arrows arent as prominent, so you don''t get the same optical illusion.

 

[youjane1]

That''s a good point...still, looking at the side prongs relative to the band it seems like they''re off. Maybe the picture is at a very slight angle, I just don''t want to have to ship it back for an adjustment!

 

[jaz464]

I think it looks perfect

 

[strmrdr]

They look eye strait to me.

 

[jetmal]

are you looking at the prong that is at 7 or 8 o''clock?? If anything, that one might be a tiny tiny hair off, in my eye....but I dont know that it would be enough to drive me crazy in person or not....I''m just really scrutinizing it now, becuz you asked.

I think the ring is just gorgeous!

 

[youjane1]

Yeah I''m talking about the lower ones to the left and right of the 6 o''clock prong.

 

[blodthecat]

Date: 4/25/2006 7:37:16 AM
Author: laine
I think it looks off because the prongs don''t line up with their arrows. Your mind tries to make the arrows appear to be lined up, straight up and down, which makes the prongs seem shifted. In person, I would imagine the arrows arent as prominent, so you don''t get the same optical illusion.

I thought exactly the same...it''s because the arrows aren''t lined up with the prongs.

 

[cpster]

It actually does look off to me. I''m looking at the space between the 2:00/4:00 and 7:00/10:00. When comparing the left side with the right, look at the shank. At the 7:00 position, there is more a of a visual gap between that prong and the shank than on the right side. It''s very minor, and it just depends on how particular one is.

If you haven''t gotten the ring shipped to you already, why not ask WF to make the minor adjustment? And if you want the arrows aligned a certain way, just ask. Do it now before they ship it out to you.

Great looking ring BTW!

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

I also see what you are talking about...it''s almost like the whole lower half of the head is treaked a bit to the right?

I don''t think it is just the arrows, although that may exaggerate the issue.

I have prongs that are a tiny bit different and it makes me obsess to. Would anyone but you (or us looking at a blown up pic) notice? No. But why not get Whiteflash to fix it if YOU notice it....you will feel better, it seems.

 

[glitterata]

It looks fine to me. I agree the placement of the arrows may be making it look screwy. Did they set it that way to cover an inclusion?

 

[Rod]

YES!!! You''re being crazy. The ring is perfect. The illusion is the alignment of arrows. You''re seeing the ring at a maginified level you won''t see in person.

I''m afraid as a member of PS, you''ve already become afflicted with DOCD. Sad, as we thought you might escape the disease, but........welcome to our little infected club........

You have Diamond Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (DOCD), an illness many of us suffer from on this forum. DOCD, discovered by Dr. Brillianteering in the early 1900''s, is a manifestation of mental anomolies when perfectly sane individuals become the owners of high quality diamonds and the setting those diamonds reside in. What typically occurs for an accurate DOCD diagnosis is euphoria upon the purchase of a nice gem or setting, followed by self doubt, and ultimately downright concern that the purchased stone or setting has somehow magically changed in appearance while the owner slept.

While there are no known medications available to combat DOCD, many people have reported the symptoms are reduced or completely eliminated by visiting chain jewelry stores, such as Zales or Kay, or having lunch with a friend who has jewelry of poorer quality than the DOCD sufferer.

 

[KristyDarling]

The prongs at 4 and 8 o''clock are misaligned. I''m looking at how they''re positioned relative to the shank, and they''re not even.

 

[youjane1]

that''s what I''m saying! I''m an engineer so I do tend to obsess over things like this. And I know it''s more of an art than an exact science and that''s a magnified picture but like I said I''d rather address it now than after I receive the ring from them. I''ll see what they say, I don''t imagine it will be a big deal to move the prong a couple degrees.

 

[FireGoddess]

It could be the picture but to me something looks 'off' between 6 and 8 o'clock prongs, especially relative to the band. The prongs at 6 and 12 don't seem to be in a straight line, and the prong at 8 isn't as close to the band as the prong at 4. That's what I see in the first, head on picture.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 4/25/2006 10:44:34 AM
Author: wallermama

...Would anyone but you (or us looking at a blown up pic) notice? No. But why not get Whiteflash to fix it if YOU notice it....you will feel better, it seems.

Magnified photos give a different perspective than reality, particularly due to shadows/reflections and the way things appear in 2D versus 3D. As an internet company we feel such photos are a boon for our customers to have, even though they may become subjected to superanalysis.

Wallermama''s point is a good one: Much of this is about a piece being ''mind clean.'' I noticed this thread so I pulled the piece this AM. From a prong symmetry standpoint, I feel that one prong could be adjusted slightly. It will be a fractional adjustment and we''re glad to make it for Youjane''s peace of mind, though with the naked eye it is not obvious.

Youjane, I think it would be an excellent exercise for you to return to the thread when you have the piece in your hand - and comment on how it looks to the naked eye in 3D compared to the mag photos.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Regarding prongs and arrows lining up - there is a relevant article in our Knowledge Base Q&A.

Excerpt: "For professional jewelry setters, typical priorities are durability factors, keeping inscriptions visible, placement of prongs to hide inclusions (if any), etc. 'Arrow' orientation is not a common consideration. In fact, when we bring on new jewelers, they undergo a learning curve to understand that positioning of 'arrows' in our diamonds may be a consideration, since clients acclimate themselves to the level of diamond quality and photography we offer. We break this news to them at the same time we inform new platinumsmiths that their hand-crafting will be photographed from every angle, magnified larger than life and sent out for customer analysis."

With an ACA the inscription's visibility is a priority for the setter. Remember that while wearing a diamond normally it is dynamic and 'arrows' won't be visible unless it is held static with the proper amount of obstruction.

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

I have to say that I misread this post and thought that you were looking at the actual ring. So it may be completely fine in person. But....if one prong is a bit off, I''d have it corrected, too. The beauty of a drop dead gorgeous solitaire like that one is ALL in the details.

It''s much harder to perfect plain things, no? If there was a bunch of pave and blingness, you''d never have noticed, I''ll wager.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Hey Dr. Rod, maybe your DOCD definition could be in the PS glossary. LOL.

 

[Rod]

Date: 4/25/2006 12:19:51 PM
Author: JohnQuixote
Hey Dr. Rod, maybe your DOCD definition could be in the PS glossary. LOL.

Hey John,

Feel free to put it there!!!!!

 

[belle]

i can tell you that the look of the prongs being off in person will be absolutely miniscule if even you notice it at all. it''s amazing how small and uneffectual they are in relation to the whole ring. especially once your eyes are mezzzzzmerized by the sparkle.