Are Channel Set Rounds Passe?

[yellowsparkles]

Ok. Another thread has me thinking seriously about my 1/2 eternity channel set ring. yes, I was married in the early 90s....I didn''''t realize that channel set rounds are passe or something of mass produced cheap jewelery. Granted, mine is not a brand name, but it is hand set and it still sparkles like crazy.

Am I wrong, or are there still channel set rings still being made? I love mine because it is something I can wear and not think about.

 

[iwannaprettyone]

If you love it don''t worry about

. Just because a rude jeweller implied channel sets being cheap doesn''t mean you should feel this way about your band. Hey if it sparkles it sparkles!!!

It is all about preference.

 

[metro]

I was married in 2002 and I have a half eternity channel set band w/rounds. I LOVE MY RING! It''s a timeless and classic and given the chance to have another w-band, it would be the same style - with larger of course

 

[Cehrabehra]

IMO there is no such thing as passe except thoughts of things as being passe LOL I hate "fashion". It is so limiting and elitist and I think people should feel free to like whatever they want and allow it to endure without judgment.

 

[mrssalvo]

Tiffany still sells rings and wedding bands with them so I don't think they are passe. I do think they were a huge trend in the 90's and it dates the style, much like many of the pave rings will date this decade down the road, but I think they still look classic to me and if someone likes them, there is nothing wrong with that..

ETA: metro, are those precisionset rings? those are very pretty!!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 6/6/2007 3:28:36 PM
Author: metro
I was married in 2002 and I have a half eternity channel set band w/rounds. I LOVE MY RING! It''s a timeless and classic and given the chance to have another w-band, it would be the same style - with larger of course

I love my channel set as well.... they''re so durable, never have to worry about the diamonds. Ditto the larger bit

 

[neatfreak]

I think that this comes from the fact that soooooo many Zales and Kay''s jewelery stores are stocking practically nothing but channel set round bands right now. It''s now trickled down from the high end retailers to the lower end, just like any trend.

I think *most* are pretty ugly IMO. But then again MOST of them are poor quality, yucky stones, and icky metal work. I would take a beautifully made one from Tiffs, Leon, or another quality retailer any day though. But I do think that they are not "trendy" right now due to the fact that they are all over the lower end retailers. But if you followed trends with erings/wbands we''d all be switching ours every few years!

 

[metro]

Date: 6/6/2007 3:28:36 PM
Author: metro
I was married in 2002 and I have a half eternity channel set band w/rounds. I LOVE MY RING! It''s a timeless and classic and given the chance to have another w-band, it would be the same style - with larger of course

 

[metro]

Date: 6/6/2007 3:30:00 PM
Author: mrssalvo
Tiffany still sells rings and wedding bands with them so I don''t think they are passe. I do think they were a huge trend in the 90''s and it dates the style, much like many of the pave rings will date this decade down the road, but I think they still look classic to me and if someone likes them, there is nothing wrong with that..

ETA: metro, are those precisionset rings? those are very pretty!!

Yes ma''am, sure is! I''ve had this pic has been in my fav folder since my engagement! I actually took this pic with me to my jeweler when I had my w-band made because I wanted my stones to sit close together w/o any space.

I''ve got to get me a full eternity from Precision!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 6/6/2007 3:32:11 PM
Author: neatfreak
I think that this comes from the fact that soooooo many Zales and Kay''s jewelery stores are stocking practically nothing but channel set round bands right now. It''s now trickled down from the high end retailers to the lower end, just like any trend.

I think *most* are pretty ugly IMO. But then again MOST of them are poor quality, yucky stones, and icky metal work. I would take a beautifully made one from Tiffs, Leon, or another quality retailer any day though. But I do think that they are not ''trendy'' right now due to the fact that they are all over the lower end retailers. But if you followed trends with erings/wbands we''d all be switching ours every few years!

I don''t see how it is a trend. AT least not a new trend. I got mine from a nicer mall jeweler (not zales or kay) back in 93. I don''t think it has trickled down.... I think they''re easier to set these days because they can be set before casting which makes them cheaper and easier to mass produce.... but they''re also very durable in that the diamonds are well protected.

 

[metro]

And another just cuz I love my band and I wanna show it off!

Passe my @$$!

 

[yellowsparkles]

Date: 6/6/2007 3:40:50 PM
Author: metro
And another just cuz I love my band and I wanna show it off!

Passe my @$$!

I love your rings. Mine resembles yours. Hand set and no gaps between stones.

I have to laugh. I re-read my orignal post and I was NOT married in the early 90s.... I was married in 2000. We lived together five years before and met in 1990. Hmmmm.. It all seems to blend together.

 

[iwannaprettyone]

Date: 6/6/2007 3:40:50 PM
Author: metro
And another just cuz I love my band and I wanna show it off!

Passe my @$$!

Gorgeous!

 

[dianne]

Date: 6/6/2007 3:40:50 PM
Author: metro
And another just cuz I love my band and I wanna show it off!

Passe my @$$!

Metro--You go, girl! I think your band is gorgeous!

 

[decodelighted]

For me it''s not about being in style or not ... I just don''t like the way channel set rounds show spaces. It''s a nit-picky little *personal* preference. My sister''s wedding band has channel-set rounds in it and she LOVES it ... only a few years old, not cheap, not "mass-produced".

Channel-setting *in general* I like ... and have a channel set cross pendant with princesses (cheap AND mass-produced!

) and my e-ring has channel set tapered baguettes (handmade, not cheap!.

)

 

[diamondfan]

I think there are certain trends that come in and back out again in jewelry. Those were never my taste, but I think what you love is what matters. If you enjoy it, that is all that matters, though I would tend to think that style is not as common right now.

 

[kcoursolle]

Naw, they are as classic and timeless as a tiffany solitaire. Right now pave is totally in, but this won''t always be the case.

 

[Joolskie]

It is definitely a classic style. My anniversary band is made up of rounds which were hand set by my jeweler in a channel. Not cheap and not mass produced. It sparkles like crazy and I feel like a tractor trailer could run over my hand without hurting the stones.

Preferences are preferences. I can totally understand why some people might not like channel set rounds due to the spacing issue. I am not a huge fan of square stones and the spacing of the rounds does not bother me at all.

The way I look at it... if my anniversary band is passe at the moment, it will be back in vogue a few years from now anyway. And in the mean time, I am going to continue to enjoy wearing it.

 

[pricescope]

When it's done well it's beautiful imho, when not - it's a disaster. But you can say that just about anything...
I will move this thread to RT if you don't mind

 

[chrono]

I''ve seen lots of Mark Morell work with channel set diamonds in the bands. It doesn''t mean that it''s passe, or cheap or mass produced. I think it''ll end up considered being one of the classics.

 

[Molly1024]

I got married last June and my wedding band is a half eternity with channel set rounds- it''s sparkly and durable. I wanted something blingy but that I could wear on an everyday basis without worrying abou losing a stone.

Does this thread perhaps stem from the fact that LM posted his opinion on channel set rounds when describing a client''s ring?

 

[gailrmv]

I think it is a classic look and beautiful when well done. My orig set was channel set and was mass produced and not well done. Stones came loose and fell out. The diamonds were OK, not super sparkly. What really bugged me was that they were not set evenly. It kind of soured me on the style. Later I tried on an eternity band of ideal cut stones, and they were set so close together you could seriously not detect spaces (they were small stones and so sparkly.) I loved that look and hope to own one of them someday!

 

[asscherisme]

I love my channel set band! I have a 1/2 one and an eternity one as well. They are hand made with ideal cut stones and sparkle like crazy. I like that I don''t have to worry about them cutting into other rings close by.

 

[Pandora II]

I love channel set rounds - I''m always drawn to them in photos, and I think they look elegant and sleek.

Agreed, you need good quality stones and a nice finish. I think they are a very classic look.

I had them put in my e-ring and I''m about to order a channel-set wedding band with rounds.

 

[surfgirl]

I think it's preposterous (boy, there's word you dont get to use that often, huh?) to think that something as timeless as channel set rounds is somehow passe just because lower end retail chains are carrying them. I mean, Kay's has had channel set bands since forever. It's nothing new. Any high end shop stocks/sells channel set round bands because they ARE timeless and elegant and not fussy...easy to maintain without alot of coddling. My wedding band is an Art Deco era channel set band. They've been around since that era at least so to me, saying they're passe or out of date is like saying solitaires are "out". Which is silly, right?

That said, I also dont get the many comments I read where people dont care for channel sets because of "the gaps" between the stones. I dont think there are gaps per se. I think when you have prong set, you get prongs where the "gaps" are and therefore it gives an illusion that there are no gaps when really, you're just seeing prongs instead. I have two channel set eternity bands and both have no gaps between the stones, other than on the edges (where there would be prongs if it was prong set). Personally, I love the clean lines that a channel set provides and as someone above said, when they're done well and nice stones, they are beautiful! Wear yours with pride.

 

[happyfeet1988]

Metro, I LOVE your wedding band, you are seriously making me rethink getting a shared prong band! I don''t think channel set is passe at all. But, I also think there is a huge difference between a beautiful piece like yours, and the frozen spit channel sets from the mall. They aren''t evenly spaced and just don''t look right. But I believe that a well made channel set band will be something that never goes out of style.

 

[kcoursolle]

Check out facets, they have some loely channel set rings in a variety of tcw sizes and diamond shapes.

 

[WinkHPD]

Well made high quality channel set bands will never be passe, especially now that some of the mele is being cut in H&A quality cutting!

Wink

 

[hikerchick]

I definitely don''t think they are passe . . .
Jewelry is such a personal thing. I love channel set diamonds. My ering has channel set diamonds in the band and my wband will also be channel set to match. Everyone has preferences. Some people prefer trendy, others classic and yet others just what pleases their eye regardless of the trend or not.

Also, I think it is silly to make blanket statements because there are always exceptions to every rule:
For example, i am not a lover of most antique settings but I love Ellen''s OEC ring
and I don''t like a lot of metal around my diamonds so even though I love channel set, I don''t like bead set.
And even though I like the clean smooth look of channel set, I don''t like knife edge tiffany settings, so go figure . . .
My point is . . . if you like it what does it matter what the masses say?

And channel set . . . low end? NO WAY !!!

Metro, I love LOVE LOVE your rings.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I love my channel set band...it is durable and it doesn''t have any prongs to snag on anything!