do tension settings shine/shimmer more?

[Excited]

Hello,

I have been thinking hard about a tension setting and i had a few questions to ask:

1) Does the fact that there is less metal in direct contact (on the side or underside) with the diamond make the stone itself look more brilliant?

2) They make for a beautiful piece when off the hand, but does it hold true when worn? Would your skin color show through the diamond?

3) is there anyone around the NYC area who sells tension settings?

Please let me know. And if anyone has actually seen a tension setting in person i would be especially interested in your comments.

 

[pricescope]

----------------
1) Does the fact that there is less metal in direct contact (on the side or underside) with the diamond make the stone itself look more brilliant?
----------------


If diamond is an ideal cut it doesn't matter. Only inferior cut diamonds will allow light to pass from the pavilion and can benefit from open settings. However, when the ring is on a finger there is no much light coming from beneath.


----------------
2) They make for a beautiful piece when off the hand, but does it hold true when worn? Would your skin color show through the diamond?
----------------


again, depends how well your diamond is cut and whether it leaks light.

 

[pkarmouche]

Hi there,

My first post to this forum, I'm glad I found it. I am preparing to purchase an engagement ring for my girlfriend...

I saw the Kretchmer tension mounts at a local jeweler, a photo of the one I really liked is attached. Very simple and shows off the whole stone. If I remember correctly the ring was over $2,500 and probably carries an extra price for setting the diamond (I didn't ask).

As much as I like this ring, I have been told by a friend (who is in the diamond business) that it would be a poor choice to mount a diamond. Why? Because the way the ring holds the diamond on two sides it will cause undesirable light reactions.

He said 8 prong is best, because the prongs are very small (do not block much light at all) and more importantly the prongs are in symmetry - and therefore will make the diamond sparkle more.

Do you guys agree or disagree? I like this mount but wouldn't want to lessen the impact of a quality diamond.

Thank you

Paul

 

[pkarmouche]

Bump?

 

[fire&ice]

I don't think anyone really knows for sure. IMHO, although I think those settings are really great, I would not feel comfortable setting a stone in them. But, someone made a good - the insurance companies don't mind insuring stones in this setting - I would imagine if many stones were lost - they would not insure.

 

[Ceillie]

Look at http://www.mickyroof.com/mr_gai.html

I love my tension setting. It is sturdy, and I have not fear of it slipping out of it's setting. It is as cool to hand around and show off as it is face up on my finger. My insurance company handled it without comment or complaint.

Gelin and Abaci has a wide variety of settings, some of the completely mind-boggling. I tried on a number of them before deciding on the one I pictured.

The up side is it is unbelievable easy to keep clean. The downside is that you cannot resize them.

You should find a dealer and handle them yourself. There is no substitute for touching them personally.

AND - my setting cost me less than 1k.

Ceillie

 

[T]

I've seen a few, and my significant other and I love the setting because you seen a lot more of the diamond on the side and underside since there is nothing that blocks your view of the diamond (not to mention the stone doesn't get caught in things since it's flush with the ring).

Do keep in mind though, if your gf has a small ring finger size then the setting may not look as good because tension settings tends to be (not always) wider and thicker than typical rings. It is usually in proportion to the diamond size, thus u may not be able to purchase a large diamond due to that constrain...Have u call the 800 number for the nearest dealer in the Kretchmer design tension ring ads in wedding magazines? I would suggest taking a look in person.

Good luck
-Terrence

 

[T]

Also...

designer tension setting rings USUALLY forces you to buy a diamond from the store that sells their rings, so your diamond selection probably won't be as good as pricescope's

Some local jewelers will make the setting for you, but won't give u much/any warrenty on it because of the higher risk (especially if you do not use Titanium or 14k/17k gold/white-gold).

My significant other and I really wanted a platinum tension ring, but it could not provide enough "tension" for the setting for us to be comfortable...thus, I ended up modifying our tension setting by having a small narrow "bridge" underneath the stone that connects the platinum ring so that the gap in the ring will not widen. It came out pretty darn good

-Terrence
ps-if interested, I could try to post a pic of it

 

[Ceillie]

I don't know if I agree that the ring will look odd on a smaller finger.. My ring size is pretty small, and the ring sits great - I did go with a simpler setting - vs some of the more outlandish ones in the Gelin & Abaci line, because I thought those styles were to "large" for my hand - but the setting I pictured above was beautiful with a one K stone in it, and I tried on a lot of "tradtional" settings that I thought were too much for my small hands as well, so I would not limit that to Tension settings.

The Gelin & Abaci rings were cheaper (apparantly) than the Kretchmer, and I found, a little more "feminine".

All these rings have to have the stones set by the manufacturer because the ring is made to to size of the stone. My jeweler would have sent off any diamond I had brought her, without complaint. I have no fears of losing my stone, and she waranttees the setting as long as I come in and get it cleaned on a regular basisn. My homeowners insurance covers the Stone.

Ceillie

 

[pkarmouche]

Thanks for the input.

The dealer I visited did say they would allow me to bring in my own diamond however I failed to ask if there is a fee for setting it (over and above the cost of the ring).

I'm still unsure if my friend is correct about the light being blocked from two sides causing a really nice stone to shine less.

Those Gelin and Abaci setting are beautiful. I need to find a dealer here in the SF area where I can see them in person too.

Paul

 

[Ceillie]

You should definitely look in person, but the way mine is set it is only “blocked” on the girdle on 2 edges, nowhere else. There is less contact with the setting than Prongs, which is the very thing that has everyone so nervous. IMHO it sparkles fantastic. Keep in mind the samples in the store are set with CZ's which lack fire by definition.

There was no setting fee because the jeweler did not set the stone - Gelin and Abaci did, and that is accounted for in the cost of the setting. If your jeweler wants to charge you for work they aren't doing, I would find another jeweler. I think I may have paid for the insurance for shipping the stone to the manufacturer, but I don't remember. And keep in mind - if once you have seen them in person, and you like the ring, but don't like the Jeweler - you can always go to one of the online sites that carries the Gelin & Abaci line. My jeweler was able to get in a couple of settings from them that were not in her case so that I could try them on and pick between them.

The biggest drawbacks, in my view, are 1.) you have to get a new ring to have it re-sized because the setting is made to the stone – and you cannot heat the ring or it will “break” the tension. I think they may recoup the metal from the old ring, so the new ring is cheaper, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. 2) Whether or not you (more importantly your Fiancée)are going to be constantly worried that you will lose the stone out of the setting.

My stone does not wiggle or twist at all… unlike a couple of the faux tension sets that I looked at in one of the mall stores. I have no fear of losing it, at least no more than I would have with prongs, and I lost a nice amethest out of prongs a few years back. And hey, that is what insurance is for.

If you cannot tell, I love my ring. It's art. It's science. It is unique.

Good Luck finding a jeweler in the area. Let us know, if you decide to get one, which one you pick out!

Ceillie

 

[stamp]

I like the tension ring so much. However, the size of the ring should be accurate and I suggest to have the ring size a bit larger as some times when my finger is swell in the morning, the diamond tip is touching my finger which is not feeling so good.