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Educate me on shank (heavy vs regular?)

Lane03

Lane03

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 27, 2012
Messages
54
I am going to be getting a family diamond reset into a simple tiffany style setting, and am a bit confused on the difference between a heavy shank or non-heavy shank. I have done quite a bit of research on here over the past 2 weeks, and from what I understand the shank is the the actual ring that goes over the finger. I assumed that a heavy shank would be wider/heavier than a non-heavy shank, but when the jeweler looked up the dimensions for the rings in the book from Stuller they had the same dimensions, but the heavy shank weighed 0.13 grams more. How can the dimensions be the same but the weight different? The rings I was looking at are linked below:

http://www.stuller.com/products/170309/1685015/?groupId=8226
http://www.stuller.com/products/140309h/84207/?groupId=7521

On another note, does anyone know what the other alloy is that Stuller mixes with their Palladium rings? I've read quite a bit on palladium vs platinum and pretty much understand the pros/cons of each. One thing that threw me was the below article with Scott Kay where he said the big negative with Palladium is when it is mixed with 5% ruthenium as that it shows cracks/bubbles. They use something other than ruthenium that prevents this. I couldn't find anything online about what the other 5% is with Stuller's Palladium.

http://www.modernjeweler.com/print/Modern-Jeweler/Tipping-Point/1$87
 
Yes, the shank is the band part of the ring. The head is the part with the prongs that hold the diamond.

I am not seeing a width on either of those settings, but the heavy one looks a little thicker in the profile view. If this is for a permanent setting, I'd go with the heavy version and either platinum or 18k white gold or 14k X1 white gold in the case of the heavy version. My understanding is that palladium is more complicated to have sized because not all jewelers have the capability to do so.
 
Thank you for the reply. After looking into it more I found out they are actually slightly different rings and not the same ring with just a heavier shank. On an unrelated note, I really love your Tiffany style setting, I think it's from Vatche? I would love to get that, but it is unfortunately out of my price range and I believe that has a knife edge. I am trying to find a platinum (possibly palladium) Tiffany style setting without the knife edge which is proving difficult. The ones I posted above are the closest I could find in my price range (under $1000) even though they are more "classic 6 prong" than "tiffany style".
 
Thanks! I really love my setting but I will agree that it is on the pricey side. I am almost certain Vatche would make it with a rounded shank for those interested in that. But I think Christina gave you some great options that are nicer quality than Stuller but not as expensive as Vatche. The only thing I am not 100% sure about is whether they will set a family diamond. I have a vague recollection that some vendors won't due to the either the stones not being certified or else just that the stone's sentimental value couldn't be replaced if it was damaged during setting. I will think a little more about other options.

(That last link Christina posted is probably the Stuller setting or an equivalent one that all jewelers carry.)
 
Thanks to you both. Yes, I have already run into an issue where a vendor (Whiteflash) wont set my family diamond due to me not having a GIA cert (I do have an appraisal and the diamond plotted, but that isn't enough). I understand their reasons and have no hard feelings about it. I do have a local jeweler who I've heard good things that is willing to set it for me. They suggested I look at Stuller as they buy lots from them and said their offerings are good quality and within my price range. I am sure they would be willing to set my stone in a setting I purchased elsewhere, but depending on the cost of the setting and what they would charge me for setting something I didn't buy from them, it may not be within my budget. I am locked into platinum or palladium due to allergy reasons.

EDIT: mom2boys, thank you for the link. That and the Vatche are my favorites, but unfortunately out of my budget.
 
The BGD Tiffany replica is available in 18k too. I know you mentioned palladium, and I'm not sure if BDG will work with it on request but you could email Leslie and ask.

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/classic-tiffany-style-half-round-18k-white-gold-5478w18

ETA I'm not sure of the pricing but here are a couple of more options.

http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/catherine-classic-6-prong-solitaire-engagement-ring-pid-42-16.html
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/abby-cathedral-solitaire-diamond-engagement-ring-bpid-37-16.html

I like the Abby a lot, but a wedding band would not sit flush with this style.
 
Christina,

I emailed support at BGD to see if they would reset my family diamond, and I received a reply from Jamie saying they would without me having the cert - so that's good news. I just replied asking if they would be willing to do the setting in palladium since platinum in that setting is out of my price range, and I also asked if there was any chance their white gold doesn't contain nickel. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
BGD may set your family stone without a cert, but you will almost certainly need proof of your own insurance on the stone (I did when I worked with them), and to get that, you'll need an appraisal. Total up the cost of the appraisal and the insurance policy, and it can be about the same as getting a GIA cert (of course, you'll still need insurance on top of that if you're sending it off for setting, and your local insurer may require insurance, too).
 
To address the original questions; both of those are listed as Comfort Fit bands and I think the difference is simply in how much 'comfort fit' is on the inside of the band. That's my understanding of the comfort fit designations, anyway.

As for the metals you are looking at; yes, you can alloy white gold with palladium for a nickel-free option, but not everyone is going to have it/work with it. You will need to make sure anyone you take it to for sizing, repair, maintainence is familiar with either straight palladium or a palladium white gold. It's also a softer result than a nickle white gold, so I would just be aware of that and keep a close eye on your prongs to catch any tweaks early.

It's can be a rock an a hard place between price of platinum and a nickle- free option, but I think palladium is gaining in use, as an alloy and on it's own, so the options are out there! Good luck!
 
You will need an appraisal for insurance purposes, and most vendors require you insure the diamond during setting if you didn't purchase it through them. I believe that JM is one of the only insurers that will cover a diamond while it is being set, so you could start there. Sending the stone to GIA for grading takes as many as 6 weeks as I understand it. I have heard recently that they are beginning to work through the backlog so maybe less, but if you have no plans at this point to eventual sell the stone then I wouldn't bother with a report at this time. I think a good appraisal with give you all the information that you need at this point. There is a list of PS recommended appraisers in the tabs above if your interested. Good Luck with BGD!
 
I should have mentioned I already have it insured and appraised. I will have to check if my insurance covers the stone while it's being set, if not I may need to switch the insurance over to someone else. Christina, you mentioned JM. I assume you are referring to Jeweler's Mutual? The diamond will never be sold, as it has been in my family for several years and am planning on it staying that way. So spending the money on getting it certified isn't really worth it.
 
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