Calling custom design experts-esp. LadyluvsLuxury

[Gayletmom]

I have been browsing here for a few days and am impressed with your collective knowledge and resources. I have a bad news/good news situation: the bad news is that I lost my engagement ring, the good news is that it was insured and now I am working on a new stone and ring (and an upgrade). I''m not sure where to start but while browsing I have seen a couple of beautiful custom rings on this forum, especially the yellow gold stunner by Ladyluvsluxury.

I suppose my first task will be to purchase a stone. I''m leaning toward a round diamond in the 2.5-3.5c range. My husband and I are educating ourselves as it has been almost 20 years since we bought the original ring. I''m reading all of the tutorials and other resources on this site and others. I''m also looking for a couple of reputable internet dealers. My plan is to talk to two or three on the phone, see who I click with, and then possibly travel to see a few stones. I''m reading alot about cut and the importance of it and it sounds like, after checking the stats, you really need to see each stone. Would you guys agree? Any other thoughts?

The second question, which is still a few months down the road, is where do I start if I want to custom design? I don''t have any design experience. I plan to keep looking at settings but when I went to my local jeweler I found that I liked specific elements of different settings but not necessarily the whole package. Is it unwise to design your own if you are a newbie?

Finally, what do you all think about mixing a platinum engagement ring setting with 18k yellow gold bands? I am rather attached to my wedding band which is a 18k, simple, relatively narrow one. It has a small groove where the enagement rings nests up against it and is a little higher at that point (not the same height off my finger all around). I am considering having a matching gold band made for the other side and going with a platinum setting for the diamond. Then again, I love the yellow gold but I haven''t seen a setting that thrills me other than the pics from LadyluvsLuxury.

Thanks for reading this far and for your input!

 

[neatfreak]

1. Whiteflash and Good Old Gold are my go to vendors for rounds. They are awesome and have fabulous upgrade policies. If you buy an ideal cut stone from one of them you don't really need to go see it in person IMO. They also have return policies, but a gorgeous round is really a gorgeous round, so it's unlikely you need to go there (but I highly recommend it if you have the time and the money because it's fun!).

2. I would see as MANY settings as you possibly can, on your hand, decide what style you like, then we can all help recommend some custom designers. It really depends on what style you want because certain designers really excel in certain areas. You also need to decide if you want a DESIGNER or a benchman. A benchman will execute a design you have. A designer wants to design the ring themselves. I designed my own ring and it was a fun process. But it does take patience and good communication. But even a newbie can do it with the help of an experienced benchman.

3. It's not a great idea to mix metals long term because of the different densities of the rings. If you are ok with one of them getting worn down over a long period of time though, then it's not the end of the world.

And just FYI: Ladyluvsluxury hasn't posted in over a year...so it's unlikely she will respond.

WELCOME!

 

[geckodani]

Date: 11/29/2008 10:05:06 PM
Author: neatfreak
1. Whiteflash and Good Old Gold are my go to vendors for rounds. They are awesome and have fabulous upgrade policies. If you buy an ideal cut stone from one of them you don''t really need to go see it in person IMO. They also have return policies, but a gorgeous round is really a gorgeous round, so it''s unlikely you need to go there (but I highly recommend it if you have the time and the money because it''s fun!).

2. I would see as MANY settings as you possibly can, on your hand, decide what style you like, then we can all help recommend some custom designers. It really depends on what style you want because certain designers really excel in certain areas. You also need to decide if you want a DESIGNER or a benchman. A benchman will execute a design you have. A designer wants to design the ring themselves. I designed my own ring and it was a fun process. But it does take patience and good communication. But even a newbie can do it with the help of an experienced benchman.

3. It''s not a great idea to mix metals long term because of the different densities of the rings. If you are ok with one of them getting worn down over a long period of time though, then it''s not the end of the world.

And just FYI: Ladyluvsluxury hasn''t posted in over a year...so it''s unlikely she will respond.

WELCOME!

Ditto to all of that! I do know that LLL''s set is the WF Knife Edge Pave, but in yellow gold. *I believe* she''s the originator of that design.