E-ring advice

[Apoc]

Hi all,

I have been thinking about proposing for some time now and have put quite some thought into the how, all the while thinking that finding the right ring would be the easy part. Boy was I wrong
My brother and some recently engaged friends of his pointed me to this site and it opened up a whole new world for me. There is so much information on here that I really feel to have learned a lot in a short time. There still is a lot of ground left to cover, but this website has been amazing!

On to my questions:

1) My gf has pretty slender hands and fingers, she is a size 5 1/8 (european size 50) and she doesn't like anything too extravagant or heavy for jewelry. Therefore I was thinking about a relatively small diamond (0.5-0.65 ct) which is also a bit easier on the budget (we both started a job in januari and are paying for a car and rent, etc). I did some research and after reading a lot of good feedback about goodoldgold I looked into the following diamonds:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8590/
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8413/
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8412/

Since the general idea seems to be (and I agree wholeheartedly with it) to assign as much of the budget into the diamond (they are forever..) I think these 3 would be suited (factoring in VAT, customs, etc).
Obviously I am very new at this, and one can only learn so much in a short time, so I would greatly appreciate any feedback on these diamonds or even other suggestions with similar characteristics are welcome!

2) The setting is giving me a headache
There are just so many beautiful options. Currently I'm thinking about something classic but elegant like a classic 4 or 6-claw, or a petite cathédral pavé. I believe a very narrow ring (width <2mm) would go very good with the size of her fingers and the diamond.
I have some doubts about the possible materials too. I know she loves the color of both white gold and platinum and there's pro's and con's to both I suppose. Although she has slender and fragile-looking fingers, she goes through life pretty wild and careless. After a weekend at her parents (who own horses) she often comes back with some scratches and bruises, so the durability of a platinum ring would be welcome. Then again, I hope her E-ring would mean enough to her to take good care of it, and I wonder if the platinum is worth the extra money. I also read something about Palladium rings, but they don't seem to be as available as the other two. Feedback or shared experiences would be very helpful!

3) If I'm finally deciding on the diamond and if it would come from GOG, I was wondering the following: do they still provide settings and service to complete the ring? Settings added to cart appear to be 1$ (which just can't be right) so it made me feel there's something wrong there. Obviously I would contact them before making a purchase this important, but it would be nice to know stuff like this in advance or read some experiences from people who bought there and also can share a bit about shipping etc.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to respond. I'm only planning to buy an E-ring once in this life, so everyone who helps me out to do the best I can earns a big tip of the hat!

 

[yssie]

All those stones look good. Decide what requirements you have for clarity (does the stone need to be completely clean to the naked eye from 6" faceup, from 12", from the sides?) and have GOG vet them to your specifications - different vendors have different definitions of the term "eyeclean" that may or may not meet your specific wants.

If you think she'll be hard on her ring I definitely think you're right to keep it simple - stay away from very thin (IMO sub-2mm) shanks, delicate designs dripping in pave - all of that means either more maintenance and babying, or more headache and possibly heartache. Can you find out what type of setting she prefers specifically - and prongs, bezels? I'm thinking a plain low bezel sounds like a great fit, if she likes the look...

waterlily's WF custom (now a stock setting):




echidna's Scholdt semi-bezel:




Thread w/ a ton of bezels here: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-us-your-bezel-rings.121897/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-us-your-bezel-rings.121897/[/URL]


Plat vs. gold - there are a thousand threads on this. The prices of the metals are surprisingly similar these days, but how that translates into stock/custom designs I have no idea! Things to keep in mind:
Platinum - patinas, requires regular polishing to keep shiny, no plating, heavier, hypoallergenic
White gold - requires plating to get that bright white chrome finish, how often plating will be necessary will depend on her skin chemistry and how she wears the piece. Can't polish regularly but stays shiny through scratches. Rare nickel allergy issues.
There are other gold alloys that don't need plating to stay white, probably more expensive "specialty alloys" though - something else to inquire into.

I've never worked w/ GOG so hopefully someone w/ personal experience will chime in on that. If you have specific questions about the process you can always call and ask, too

 

[Amys Bling]

Those stones look great- verify with the vendor that they are eye clean.

If she is rough on rings- I don't know that a ver thin shank will be durable enough!! Also pave, if hit just right can knock loose- so think of that when looking for a setting.

 

[slg47]

I am going to agree, a very thin shank and micropave might not be practical. Do you think she will wear the ring all of the time?

I love that Sholdt semibezel setting but there are certainly many other settings that are beautiful, elegant, and more 'sturdy' than a 1.8 mm micropave.

All 3 diamonds look great, ask if eye-clean to your standards or if you are worried maybe go with the VS2. I know GOG carries settings and can also custom-make settings so I would ask them.

Also I think the width of the band should be more proportional to the length of the finger than the width/size (if that makes sense). I have a size 5 finger and I think I could wear a wider shank because I have long fingers. 2-2.5 mm is still not 'big' but is more sturdy than the sub-2 mm shanks.

 

[Gypsy]

Here's another vote for the Shodlt semi bezel:

http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/sholdt-jewelry/rings/08ZZ1/

Although I love this setting too: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/home/ring-details/?product_id=5716 I'd add milgrain to the inside of the bezel if it were me.

If you want prongs though, I generally think x-prongs are very sturdy and fluid. And this is my favorite x-prong for a stone of the size you are considering: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/home/ring-details/?product_id=5436

 

[Apoc]

Wauw, thanks for the quick reply's!

The comments on shank width and pave make a lot of sense, so I will certainly keep that in mind. She probably won't wear it all the time since she works in a chemical lab at the university, but it would be a shame if she wouldn't wear it all the time outside of work out of fear of damaging it. So a more sturdy shank it is.
I'm wondering though slg47: it seems right that one with longer fingers could wear a wider shank, but doesn't it make the diamond look smaller in comparison?

On the setting, the bezel settings look really nice, but I don't think it's exactly her cup of tea. It got me looking through some 'showing off' threads though and that gave me a better idea of what I like, and what I think she likes. I believe I will be going for some prongs, and the setting you linked, Gypsy, looks absolutely stunning!

I will definitely contact GOG for some info now and I almost can't wait to hear back from them. I guess I have something to look forward to when coming back from holiday (leaving for 1 week on thursday). I never thought finding the right ring would be so exciting and so much fun

 

[yssie]

Wauw, thanks for the quick reply's!

The comments on shank width and pave make a lot of sense, so I will certainly keep that in mind. She probably won't wear it all the time since she works in a chemical lab at the university, but it would be a shame if she wouldn't wear it all the time outside of work out of fear of damaging it. So a more sturdy shank it is.
I'm wondering though slg47: it seems right that one with longer fingers could wear a wider shank, but doesn't it make the diamond look smaller in comparison?

On the setting, the bezel settings look really nice, but I don't think it's exactly her cup of tea. It got me looking through some 'showing off' threads though and that gave me a better idea of what I like, and what I think she likes. I believe I will be going for some prongs, and the setting you linked, Gypsy, looks absolutely stunning!

I will definitely contact GOG for some info now and I almost can't wait to hear back from them. I guess I have something to look forward to when coming back from holiday (leaving for 1 week on thursday). I never thought finding the right ring would be so exciting and so much fun

Awesome! It's nice to see someone having fun with it, too many people only find us when they're out of steam

Good luck! I'm certain that GOG can get you a setting in that style, it's quite popular and common, so you can have one vendor take care of the entire process (much easier and less risky than having a different vendor set the stone).

I agree with slg, it's the fingers that determine how the diamond looks more than the shank style/width IRL. In the blown up photos here on PS shank width, height, style can make a huge difference, but IRL when you're looking at the entire finger/hand it's a very different thing! So I kinda think the stone is going to look however it's going to look on her hand, and shank thickness will have a very minimal real-world visual effect.

 

[LGK]

Wauw, thanks for the quick reply's!

The comments on shank width and pave make a lot of sense, so I will certainly keep that in mind. She probably won't wear it all the time since she works in a chemical lab at the university, but it would be a shame if she wouldn't wear it all the time outside of work out of fear of damaging it. So a more sturdy shank it is.
I'm wondering though slg47: it seems right that one with longer fingers could wear a wider shank, but doesn't it make the diamond look smaller in comparison?

On the setting, the bezel settings look really nice, but I don't think it's exactly her cup of tea. It got me looking through some 'showing off' threads though and that gave me a better idea of what I like, and what I think she likes. I believe I will be going for some prongs, and the setting you linked, Gypsy, looks absolutely stunning!

I will definitely contact GOG for some info now and I almost can't wait to hear back from them. I guess I have something to look forward to when coming back from holiday (leaving for 1 week on thursday). I never thought finding the right ring would be so exciting and so much fun

Awesome! It's nice to see someone having fun with it, too many people only find us when they're out of steam

Good luck! I'm certain that GOG can get you a setting in that style, it's quite popular and common, so you can have one vendor take care of the entire process (much easier and less risky than having a different vendor set the stone).

I agree with slg, it's the fingers that determine how the diamond looks more than the shank style/width IRL. In the blown up photos here on PS shank width, height, style can make a huge difference, but IRL when you're looking at the entire finger/hand it's a very different thing! So I kinda think the stone is going to look however it's going to look on her hand, and shank thickness will have a very minimal real-world visual effect.

Yeah, for real. On PS it seems like anything over 2mm shank is considered large. IRL, 2mm is freaking TINY. You can easily have a 2mm or slightly larger shank and still have a dainty-looking ring on the finger. And even adding a little more metal makes a big difference in sturdiness.

If you're going prongs, consider 6 prongs- for sure more secure than 4. If you bend or snap a prong on a 4 prong setting, the diamond is most likely to fall out. You can do the same on a 6 prong setting and it's still secure.

Good luck!

 

[Apoc]

Awesome! It's nice to see someone having fun with it, too many people only find us when they're out of steam

I guess it's just the feeling of secretly knowing you're doing something that's going to make the gf really happy while she is completely clueless. And knowing that I am making a good and informed choice really makes me feel like I am doing the best I can to make her happy and that she will really like it too

I just sent an email to GOG to inquire about the diamonds and asked some info on different options for a setting. Can't wait to hear back from them! I will get back to this thread when I'm back from the holiday.

 

[Apoc]

Everything with GOG went great, the proposal went terriffic and she absolutely adores the ring!
Thanks everybody for helping me out, on-hand pics will be posted as soon as I get to making some

 

[slg47]

yay!!! looking forward to pics