Beanie asked about my setting so I am starting a new thread:
I got engaged in 1992 and picked out a beautiful diamond (RB 1.3/F/SI1/MB Fluor) but I wanted a really modern looking setting.
And then I finally saw the setting (Bypass Floater) at Nordstoms at a jewelry show where Paul Klecka was present. I immediately loved it and he agreed to set my stone in 18 kt. white gold. Over the course of three years the stone kept getting loose in the setting (three times) and had to be returned to Chicago to be :
1) have the setting tightned up and rhodium replated,
2) have the gold setting recast
3) upgrade the setting to paltinum (double the cost of 18 kt white gold) because I was then told that 18kt is too soft and that it would continue to loosen.
I was mad that Paul Klecka did not tell me this in the first place.
The ring is still nice but over the course of wearing it for 12 years, I found it has its drawbacks: The platinum setting is very high quality and very heavy compared to my present ring with the X-Prong from Vatche. However, quite a bit of the diamond girdle is exposed and I was always worried about banging the diamond somewhere and chipping the stone. Platinum is a hard metal, however it does scratch. With a setting that has such a substantial amount of metal, these scratches are more visable than on a more delicate setting. Sometimes I thought my ring looked like it was out of stainless steel. When my ring was really clean, i loved it and still do. But it was very unforgiving - with the slightest bit of dirt, hand cream, soap or oil and it looked horrible. I wore the ring day-day out for over 12 years. I will try to get a pictue of my ring. It is still sitting in my jewelry box waiting for my daughter to get older.
Barbara
I got engaged in 1992 and picked out a beautiful diamond (RB 1.3/F/SI1/MB Fluor) but I wanted a really modern looking setting.
I did not like the traditional four/six prong setting in which the diamond was set high. Side Baguettes and yellow gold were really popular back then. They "yellowed" my stone and the "cheap" baguettes took away from the diamond. Pricescope did not exist and you had to do a lot of research and comparisons yourself.
And then I finally saw the setting (Bypass Floater) at Nordstoms at a jewelry show where Paul Klecka was present. I immediately loved it and he agreed to set my stone in 18 kt. white gold. Over the course of three years the stone kept getting loose in the setting (three times) and had to be returned to Chicago to be :
1) have the setting tightned up and rhodium replated,
2) have the gold setting recast
3) upgrade the setting to paltinum (double the cost of 18 kt white gold) because I was then told that 18kt is too soft and that it would continue to loosen.
I was mad that Paul Klecka did not tell me this in the first place.
The ring is still nice but over the course of wearing it for 12 years, I found it has its drawbacks: The platinum setting is very high quality and very heavy compared to my present ring with the X-Prong from Vatche. However, quite a bit of the diamond girdle is exposed and I was always worried about banging the diamond somewhere and chipping the stone. Platinum is a hard metal, however it does scratch. With a setting that has such a substantial amount of metal, these scratches are more visable than on a more delicate setting. Sometimes I thought my ring looked like it was out of stainless steel. When my ring was really clean, i loved it and still do. But it was very unforgiving - with the slightest bit of dirt, hand cream, soap or oil and it looked horrible. I wore the ring day-day out for over 12 years. I will try to get a pictue of my ring. It is still sitting in my jewelry box waiting for my daughter to get older.
Barbara
300x240.png)