(another) question re: micropave

[lover in athens]

hi!
i''ve been a bit of a lurker over the past few weeks and have finally decided to ask for help!
i''m really interested in a micropave band for my ering, and possibly a halo type look for the setting with cushion cut diamond. i''m VERY new to this so please bear with me! the 2 looks i really love love love are the harry winston micropave and the vera wang (don''t know what it''s called but it''s ring #7 on her website!!).

my boyfriend will be having a ring custom made. my ring size is 3.25-3.5. is it true that micropave on such a small band is a really bad idea? a jeweler today told us that the MAXIMUM number of diamonds that i could have on my band is 3 (!) because otherwise the diamonds would be really unstable (i think she said due to "stretching" issues with such a small ring size). i was hoping to have micropave all the way around. is this possible or is she right???

thanks for the input!! you guys are great and i love reading all the posts.

 

[kcoursolle]

Welcome

!

I''m not an expert around here, but I do own a pave ring. My jeweler said that the strength limitations of micro pave depended on the thickness of the band. He would not under any circumstances go under 1.4mm for pave on one side of the band. This is very very thin by the way, I would have been fine with 2mm as well. If you want pave on three sides of the band you will have to go thicker, probably to 2mm or more.

I don''t see any reason why you couldn''t have diamonds go all the way around the band as long as the band was thick enough to support the diamonds. Your ring size is small, but if the ring is custom made, I don''t see any problems putting diamonds all the way around. In general it is difficult to resize micro pave bands, so this could be a problem though.

By the way a cushion halo ring sounds beautiful! There are a couple others on this site that have one. If you do a search for cusion halo or look at the show me the rings folder you can find them.

 

[angelainjapan]

Hi and welcome!

I have the Harry Winston micropave ring you mentioned and my ring size is 3! The diamonds go all the way around the band, so it's definitely possible! My band is very thin but it feels substantial and not flimsy or too delicate at all. I wear it everyday and it's very comfortable on my finger. The HW craftsmanship is awesome!

You can see more pics of my ring here: Loving my Harry Winston cushion pave ering

Good luck!

 

[lover in athens]

thank you guys so much!
angela, i actually mentioned you to my boyfriend yesterday telling him "well, i think there''s a woman on pricescope who has even smaller fingers than me with the harry winston..."!!! believe me, i have looked endlessly through your threads and think your ring is absolutely gorgeous! in fact, doing a google search for more pictures of the harry winston ring is how i initially discovered pricescope (through you!!).
i am definitely encouraged and so happy that you haven''t had any problems with your ring!
thanks again.

 

[SoonIHope]

Hi Athens & welcome to PS!!

I actually have the (um, smaller version of the) Vera Wang ring you mentioned (with a cushion)! The band is just a teeensy bit over 1mm and is very well crafted and sturdy (and SPARKLY!) However, I do want to mention something that is a bit of popular opinion in the PS community...many jewelers refuse to go under 2mm in band width with pave because they say they cannot make it strong enough to keep from breaking/having stones pop out - and I think you should believe them!! If you are going to go with a very narrow band, I would highly recommend sticking with a Vera Wang or Harry Winston (or Michael B, Daniel K, Ritani, Leon Mege...there are a few others) - namely, sticking with a company which specializes in narrow micropave bands, has made ten million of them and KNOWS how to do it without jeopardizing the integrity of the band. Going custom has many benefits, but if your jeweler is not extremely well versed in making very narrow micropave bands, there is a pretty good chance that it won''t stand the test of time. So I would suggest either looking for a pre-made design by a designer known for their micropave, or keep looking until you find a custom jeweler who is VERY confident that they can make such a narrow band sturdy enough for regular wear. Okay, I realize your question wasn''t really specifically about band-width, but just wanted to put that out there!

In any case, Angela in Japan''s ring is one of my all time favorites, so if THAT is your inspiration, you certainly can''t go wrong!!!

Good luck, keep us updated, and make sure you POST PICTURES when you get it!!!!!

 

[angelainjapan]

albicocca, I totally agree with everything you just said!

I just wanted to add that it looks like we are band twins! Mine is just over 1mm as well and is super sparkly and sturdy too! Your ring is also one of my all time favorites! I love that both of our cushions have good spread making them look larger! Your ring was one of the inspirations for mine!

I'll be getting the matching wedding band this winter and it will make my ring have that split-shank look, just like yours! I can't wait!


Athens, thanks so much for the kind comments! I'm glad you made it on to Pricescope. The weather has been nice so I was thinking to take a few more pics of my ring. Look out for them in a day or so.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 5/22/2006 10:19:33 AM
Author: albicocca
Hi Athens & welcome to PS!!

However, I do want to mention something that is a bit of popular opinion in the PS community...many jewelers refuse to go under 2mm in band width with pave because they say they cannot make it strong enough to keep from breaking/having stones pop out - and I think you should believe them!! If you are going to go with a very narrow band, I would highly recommend sticking with a Vera Wang or Harry Winston (or Michael B, Daniel K, Ritani, Leon Mege...there are a few others) - namely, sticking with a company which specializes in narrow micropave bands, has made ten million of them and KNOWS how to do it without jeopardizing the integrity of the band. Going custom has many benefits, but if your jeweler is not extremely well versed in making very narrow micropave bands, there is a pretty good chance that it won''t stand the test of time. So I would suggest either looking for a pre-made design by a designer known for their micropave, or keep looking until you find a custom jeweler who is VERY confident that they can make such a narrow band sturdy enough for regular wear.

I agree with this 1000%. Very well said albicocca

 

[cutey TT]

Hi There.

I have the Ritani Endless Love w/ halo and my ring size is 4.5. I specifically requested for my band to be made eternity-style because I did not like the look of the small sizing bar that all Ritanis usually have, and I love the modification. My band is definitely less than 2 mm...very, very delicate looking, but definitely sturdy. I wear my ring practically 24/7 and have had no problems to-date.

I''m pretty sure your jeweler is not comfortable making such a thin micropave band, and it really shouldn''t have anything to do with your ring size. My recommendation is that if you are sure that you want this style then maybe you should forego the custom route and look into some of the manufacturers who are known to do this and do it well (such as those listed by albicocca).

Here are a few pics of my ring, taken by Pearlmans upon completion:

 

[lover in athens]

hi again! thanks for all the help... you guys are great!
just went in to the local jewelers to look at 2 new cushions that just came in... both 2 carats. they are GORGEOUS. i''m so glad that ultimately it''s my boyfriend''s decision on exactly what to get because i''m way too indecisive to ever actually make up my mind!
anyway, i''m loving seeing all of your pictures. albicocca, LOVE the vera wang... at first i was so completely leaning towards the harry winston and now i''m completely torn again!! YIKES.