Are solitaire setting/mountings different?

[Ginaworld]

Hi All,

Wonder if someone can give me some advice or an opinion on a solitaire setting/mounting. I just looked at the platinum solitaire setting that my radiant diamond is going to be set in & I was a little disappointed; the head/mounting that the diamond is to be set in looked terribly bulky to me. Since I have no experience in this department, I'm wondering if this is just me or if lighter mountings are available.

The jeweler advised that it's important to protect the diamond with this type of setting, and he's been a good jeweler, but I don't want to be talked into this mounting just because he thinks it's the best way to go. If everyone else's opinions out there coincide w/his, I'll presume it's just my inexperience on this.

It's just that when he dropped the loose diamond in the setting, it seemed to get completely lost in the mounting. And it sort of seems wrong for a 2.04 diamond to be "lost" in a solitaire setting. Can I request a smaller mounting or one with less metal all around the diamond? Or should I stick w/this mounting to protect the diamond? Please help!

 

[Ginaworld]

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[Ginaworld]

I have to decide on this setting issue very soon; does anyone have any advice, suggestions, or opinions on the solitaire setting mounts? Thanks for any input.

 

[dimonbob]

Since we don't have any pictures, it is difficult to answer the question.
No, you don't want a lot of metal around your diamond. It takes away from your diamond and might even make your ring look ugly.
Then again, you don't want skinny weak prongs or your diamond will be lost the first time you hit it on something.
This is a hard call without seeing what you are talking about. Do not get in a rush. Get a third opinion from another jeweler. I don't care how nice your jeweler is, he may not be telling you the whole truth.
If you tell him to go ahead, you will be stuck with this ring that you think is too bulky. Slow down.

 

[pqcollectibles]

I think I understand what you're getting at, Gina. I was in a local B&M that carries designer settings. They all had cz's set waaaay down in the head. The prongs on all the rings were still straight and not formed as they would be when a stone is actually set. It was just to give prospective buyers an idea of what the rings would look like with a particular shape diamond.

I can't say for sure, but that might be what happened with your diamond. If the prongs were straight and not yet formed to fit, then your diamond could look like it was setting in the bottom of the head like the demonstrations I saw. After the jeweler works his magic fitting the prongs, the diamond should sit proudly at the top of the head where it belongs.

Hope this is what you saw??!!

 

[Ginaworld]

Hi PQ,

Yes, I'm pretty sure this is what I saw, and you're right, the prongs were still straight because it wasn't set yet. In talking to the jeweler more, he's understanding my concern with the bulkiness of the setting & has made me feel a little more comfortable about it-- he says that once it's polished, it will certainly look less bulky as this will also serve to thin out the metal (it was still completely rough).

I've addressed it with him more than once, so I can only hope he's really hearing me (he was the only jeweler who truly listened to what I wanted when I described the diamond I was looking for!) and will polish it down to a decent size.

Dimonbob: Thank you for your comments, I wish I could find this setting to post a pic, but it's been difficult; can't find a pic on the 'net showing good side views, only top. Anyway, the jeweler is setting it for me now & I will "attempt" to post pics of it to see if you all have more opinions on the setting (I can have it re-set if necessary). Thanks all!

G.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Gina, you might enjoy browsing the solitaire selection at www.stuller.com. That will give you an idea of what's available, and most jewelers have access to overnight delivery from Stuller.

 

[Ginaworld]

Thanks Rich!

I browsed the Stuller site but interestingly enough, I only found one mounting for a radiant cut diamond in a four prong Tiffany style solitaire (it's shown with an emerald cut in it, though) and it's almost identical to the one my jeweler is setting for me. So unless there are any other sites anyone else knows about, I presume that's the only type of (Tiffany style solitaire) mounting available for this cut. Oh well, I guess there's some piece of mind involved, knowing there's less of a chance the diamond will be chipped with this (hockey mask) type of mounting!

Speaking of hockey.... Go Wings!!!

Thanks for the site, Rich!

G.