Antique Versus Contemporary Settings

[Snicklefritz]

I am relatively new to PS but have been overjoyed at the wealth of honest knowledge, and considerate opinion that is shared by all the lovely PS members. I am currently in the process of scouting out the ever elusive perfect e-ring. Luckily, my BF is completely fine with me picking out what I want, within a reasonable price range of course.

With that said, I have noticed that my tastes have changed multiple times, and gone from one end of the spectrum to the other. I initially started out thinking I would like a contemporary, split shank e-ring with diamond accents. I loved the clean lines and minimalist styling of contemporary settings. However, after trying on a gorgeous antique-looking e-ring with milgrain, filigree, accent stones, etc, I find myself somewhat taken with its ornate decoration. It''s far more stylized than the contemporary settings at which I''ve looked. I am confuse by the near 180 degree switch in my taste.

To all you helpful PS members, if you have an antique or a contemporary setting, what is it about it that you love, other than the diamond of course? Has anyone else had this problem? If so, how did you resolve it? And lastly, for those of you with antique-looking settings, have you ever grown tired of the ornate detail and wanted something simpler? I know the answer is probably just a matter of taste, but any thoughts you might have would be most appreciated.

 

[Maisie]

I had a setting made which is sort of antique looking. I will post a picture. I have gotten tired of that look and am now going back to a plain solitaire. I just found mine to be a bit big to wear everyday. I missed the simplicity of the solitaire. Have you tried loads of different settings on?

 

[Maisie]

...

 

[ohiojagerguy]

I actually just purchased a antique style semi mount last night from a local store. Three days ago when I went into the same store by myself to look for simple mounts for a 1 carat princess cut. I took her out and about Sat evening and she fell in love with the antique style with the micro pave diamonds and the milligraining, so don''t feel bad about changing your mind. I am glad I took her Sat or I would have bought a mounting she may have not liked> We both love the antique look. We have looked at close to 1500 semi mounts in person since Sat through last night and we narrowed it down to three so I can''s stress enough, if the bf is giving you the option to pick out the semi mount run with it (from a guys experience). The semi mount which I purchased last night (wish I had pics right now) is gorgeous. I also think antique settings with well cut/color/clarity diamonds looks amazing, one of the reasons why we went with the setting we did. We took pictures of what she had liked and took them to other stores to compair as everything started to look the same. Just do your homework, take pictures and compair, and in the end get what you want that fits into the budget. Also dont be afraid to negotiate. You would be suprised what you can get if you do some talking...

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 2/17/2009 3:49:43 PM
Author: ohiojagerguy
I actually just purchased a antique style semi mount last night from a local store. Three days ago when I went into the same store by myself to look for simple mounts for a 1 carat princess cut. I took her out and about Sat evening and she fell in love with the antique style with the micro pave diamonds and the milligraining, so don't feel bad about changing your mind. I am glad I took her Sat or I would have bought a mounting she may have not liked> We both love the antique look. We have looked at close to 1500 semi mounts in person since Sat through last night and we narrowed it down to three so I can's stress enough, if the bf is giving you the option to pick out the semi mount run with it (from a guys experience). The semi mount which I purchased last night (wish I had pics right now) is gorgeous. I also think antique settings with well cut/color/clarity diamonds looks amazing, one of the reasons why we went with the setting we did. We took pictures of what she had liked and took them to other stores to compair as everything started to look the same. Just do your homework, take pictures and compair, and in the end get what you want that fits into the budget. Also dont be afraid to negotiate. You would be suprised what you can get if you do some talking...

OJG,

Will you be able to post photos for us?

We like photos here, and I'd love to see what you and your gf have decided upon.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Snicklefritz,

I went through much the same thing when I started looking for my e-ring. I was in love with the HoF split shank setting, but coul dnot get my mind off of an estate ring that I had tried on. I kept looking and looking and looking and found my ring about a month later.

Perhaps you should look into a more streamlined vintage setting so that you can avoid an overly ornate setting, which you seem to be worried about.

I will try to post some ideas later.

 

[Snicklefritz]

Maisie your ring is gorgeous! Thanks for putting up the pics.

I have been to a few jewelry stores and tried on probably 30 settings. I''ve only found a couple that have REALLY caught my eye. The antique one I have referred to seems to make the other rings look too simple - strange because I thought that''s what I wanted. I actually went back to the shop today and tried it on again, and I think I liked it even more than I did the first time I saw it.

I guess I like ornate, detailed clothing, but I just never thought I was an antique-style person with regard to rings/jewelry.

Perhaps finding the perfect ring will help me further define my identity. What an unexpected channel for self realization!

 

[atroop711]

I''ve always love antique or vintage inspired rings. I''m not a clean lines gal...I''ve had my ring for 4+ yrs now and I''m still so in love with it. There is nothing I regret or want to change. I do love that my ring is different than what most have. I like different.

 

[Snicklefritz]

Thanks OJG, Loves Vintage, and atroop17 for the input! Your comments were very helpful and calming. I''m starting to feel more at ease with my new liking for antique e-rings. I suppose I''ll just keep trying rings on and see if my tastes change again over the next few months. I guess time can be the only tried and true determinant in this case.

If anyone else has any comments, I''d still love to hear them.

 

[DentD]

I am very much a simple clean lines person. For my e-ring, the simpler looking the better! Personally I wanted the main focus to be on my center stone instead of having diamonds or detailed metalworking around it.

I know how funny and weird it can be to go into a store having one style in mind and finding your tastes lean in the complete opposite direction! For my wedding gown I wanted just a simple floor length white sheath gown but I ended up getting a very detailed gown that had to be ordered from Spain.

 

[paeony]

I appreciate both styles for different reasons, but definitely lean toward antiques. I figure- if I still love these 50+ y/o styles, they aren''t going out of style anytime soon!! in contrast--if I went with something contemporary, would I be tired of it in a few years?
(also, I''ve always been drawn to milgrain...)