Calling Kenny - Sizing and Boone tension rings?

[Lula]

Hi, Kenny -- I have a few questions for you about your Octavia and asscher-cut diamonds set in tension settings. Specifically, the rings you had made by Boone in titanium.

1. How does the sizing of titanium tension rings compare to the sizing of other wide bands? I'm specifically wondering if the small "gap" or opening in the metal under the stone allows the ring to fit a little looser on your finger, again compared to a typical band, which is a closed circle.

2. I know titanium is lighter in weight -- anything else you can tell me about the differences between titanium and other metals? Dings? Finishes (e.g. brushed) needing to be redone?

I e-mailed Bruce with link to my stone, and got the green light (no thin girdle or inclusion issues).

I'm having a bit of a personal "gold price revolt."

I'm just not willing to pay for another gold (or platinum) setting, with gold sitting at nearly $1600 an ounce, and with many sources saying it will no doubt go higher as this debt ceiling nonsense plays out. That means trying to get an accurate quote on any custom or special order settings is very difficult. I just bought a beautiful 18 kt. and platinum setting on ebay and it's going to cost me several hundred dollars just to get the two bands sized up one size. Adding a platinum bezel to the ring to hold the diamond is $$$$ more. So I'm holding on to that set for a while until prices stabilize and going with the only bargain metal out there -- titanium.

And I also keep thinking about your statement that prongs (and no doubt bezels) are like a prison for a diamond

Thanks for any input, Kenny! And any other tension ring owners, please feel free to add your feedback.

 

[kenny]

Well I can't answer your question as to how size x in a tension setting compares to the same size in a conventional ring since I've not had both, but I can only assume they are the same.
Discuss this with Bruce; he myst have years of feedback from customers by now.
You may want to discuss "comfort fit" where the inner edge of the hole is more curved.
That's what we got and I like it.

Yes there is a tad bit of the circumference with no metal but I'm not sure how much difference that makes.
One thing you may want to discuss with Bruce is the clearance between your skin and the culet.
He likes to provide what he feels is plenty of room so the culet never scratches your skin.
That's groovy unless you have a large diamond that rides very high or you want it to be lower and don't mind it touching your skin.
Just something to think about.

What shape of stone is it?

I have noticed no real difference between the wear of my platinum Gelin Abiaci brush finish and my Boone brush finish.

I was told by one or both makers to just use a green scotch brite pad to renew the finish myself.
That works but personally I actually prefer to let a random patina to build up.
I don't do liposuction or plastic surgery either.

Titanium is a zillion times lighter than platinum.

I think you are going to LOVE letting your stone out of the prison bars of prong settings.
So much light can get into and out of the rock.

 

[Lula]

Thanks, Kenny, for answering my questions and adding a few things I hadn't even thought about: comfort fit; culet height.

My stone is round, and a little over 3/4 carat. http://www.winkjones.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=763

Bruce looked at the link and responded "Wow, what a great cut diamond." Yes, I agree -- it's well-cut with nice color and clarity, so why cover all that beauty-liciousness up with prongs or a bezel? Lightbulb moment.

Bruce said he thought his Venus style would probably show the stone off the best. It's a bit masculine, but in tension rings, I prefer a more linear design over the bypass or "swirly" designs.

To get some idea of styles and proportions, I tried on several Kretchmer designs. I liked the hard Omega http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/steven-kretchmer-jewelry/rings/07O1/more than the round Omegahttp://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/steven-kretchmer-jewelry/rings/22O1/. The platinum version of the round Omega was very heavy -- almost too heavy for comfortable wear. But the metal was beautifully crafted and polished.

I know I do not want the culet touching my finger, but my stone is not large, so raising the culet above my finger won't make the ring overly tall.

I also know that I want the width of the ring to be slightly wider than the diameter of the diamond so the girdle of the stone is not "hanging over" the edge of the ring.

Thanks again, Kenny, for your suggestions.

My next step is to notify Jeweler's Mutual of the reset, to make sure I'm covered. After it's set by Bruce, Wink will write a new appraisal for it. The store I visited to see the Kretchmer rings said my diamond would sell for $6500 -- that's a lot of money for a 3/4 carat weight diamond. Diamond prices have gone crazy.

ETA: Here's a link to a PS blog post on tension settings with photos of Kenny's great collection: https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/engagement-rings/tension-setting-styles

 

[kenny]

Gorgeous diamond!!!
I was looking for inclusions but couldn't make any out on the plots on my monitor.

If they are near the girdle you can ask Bruce to cover them up with metal.
Or alternately you may instruct him to place them near the metal but keep them visible so you can always identify your diamond.
Your call.

Besides making the ring wide enough so the girdle would not touch the surface the ring was placed on, you can also have Bruce make the metal come above the table so if you bang your hand on something the diamond will not touch.
Of course this will result in a slightly more hunky-looking ring so it's your call.

 

[Lula]

Thanks, Kenny. The diamond is very clean. One of the pinpoints is off to the side of the stone; the other is in the table next to a tiny needle. I can only see the inclusions under 20 or 30x magnification. I can't find them with my 10x loupe. The metal of the setting *might* cover up the pinpoint on the side of the diamond, but the diamond would still be identifiable as mine by the table inclusions.

I do think I will have Bruce set the stone a bit lower, even though it will bulk up the setting a little bit. I want the diamond to be as visible as possible from all angles, but I also want a fair amount of protection for the stone.

I like the industrial look of the titanium and I do not have dainty hands, so I think the combination of the brushed titanium with the precision cutting of the stone will look pretty cool.

The nice thing about Boone is that you can put all these specs into the order form and get the ring customized quickly and simply.