Engagement Ring Advice Needed

[wilsonao]

Hello everyone. I''''m going to be popping the question in a few months to my girlfriend and have been searching for a ring that''''s right for her. I''''ve poured over a lot of different sites but for the msot part all I find are really gaudy, over-the-top diamonds precariously stuck onto a setting. Now, that''''s fine for some people but my girlfriend ahs specifically requested to not have anything of the sort. So I''''d like any help possible in finding this "non-traditional" ring. The requirements are as follows:

1. No solitaire/three-stone, etc. She leads an active lifestyle (sports, work, etc.) and getting her ring caught on something all the time from diamonds sticking out is not ideal.
2. The optimal style she''''d like is one with gems/diamonds going all the way around the ring. I saw this referred to in a few different ways on sites and I don''''t want to confuse anyone by using the wrong term.
3. Diamonds are not neccesarrily required. Taaffeite, Benitoite, and other gemstones that have an interesting story behind them are great (if I could find them anywhere).
4. It should go well with the ring she wears now which is a hand-me-down Tiffany heart-shaped ring which looks a bit simialr to this but not quite (http://www.tiffany.com/Shopping/Item.aspx?sku=GRP00141&mcat=148204&cid=287466&search_params=s+5-p+3-c+287466-r+101323339-x+-n+6-ri+-ni+0-t+)


Any advice would be wonderful. Should I jsut go the easy route and get her a matching Tiffany or do you think I can do better somewhere else? What ideas do you have for something that would be interesting but not over the top strange?

 

[CrookedRock]

Ok So...
1 you need a ring that sits low... this is a low halo... http://store.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry/view/3700/1016/
2 you seem to want pave... http://store.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry/view/3700/1016/
3 You have to decide about what stone you want and what shape... There are some amazing sapphire rings on this site.

Not sure what the budget is here, but that will make a difference. Do you want to have a custom ring made, or would you like to find something already ready to go??

There are some great close out deals right now... do you like something like this?
http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-specials/closeout-jewelry/rings/231CO1/8/

If you can narrow it down a little more we would be happy to help!

 

[FrekeChild]

Knowing the metal she prefers would be good too. And in what way is her ring similar to the Tiffany one you posted?

From what you''re describing it sounds like you want an eternity band of some sort...

 

[Elmorton]

If she''s active, maybe a 3/4 eternity, so there aren''t diamonds on the underside of her hand?

 

[musey]

Date: 2/26/2008 8:19:59 AM
Author: CrookedRock
Ok So...

1 you need a ring that sits low... this is a low halo... http://store.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry/view/3700/1016/

2 you seem to want pave... http://store.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry/view/3700/1016/

These two links are the same, just FYI (the halo you intended to link is not there).

 

[musey]

Wilson, I think we need some clarification from you.

Points 1&2: She leads an active lifestyle, but wants diamonds/gems set into the band ALL the way around (this is usually referred to as an eternity band... not necessarily pave)? Having stones set into the band is more risky than having a high-set solitaire. Each individual stone is at risk of getting knocked out.

That said, I would suggest you have the stones flush-set (sometimes called burnished, or gypsy-set) into the band. Like this (although obviously with them lined up):

Point 3: In general, diamonds and then sapphires are the safest way to go with wear-all-the-time pieces. This is because these stones rate highly on the Mohs Scale of Hardness (<- click to see scale), making them more resistant to "injury." Keep in mind, also, that while both are at the upper end of the scale, diamonds are still 90 times harder than sapphires.

There are people on these boards with engagement (and other) rings made with other gemstones, but generally speaking, they save them to wear on special occasions lest they be damaged from daily wear. Having another type of gemstone in her ring would defeat the purpose of your looking for a ring that wouldn't be damaged from sports, etc. as she would need to remove the ring for that type of activity.

Point 4: The only requirement in having rings "go with each other" is (usually) same metal color. Yellow gold with other yellow gold pieces, white gold with platinum or palladium, etc. So we need to know in what way her ring is similar to the one you showed us, because if it's not the metal color, there's really no consideration that need be taken from that ring.

That said, I mix colors, and many other women do as well. It's a matter of preference.


You've also made no mention of budget. Is this because your budget far exceeds what she wants? If so, great. If not, we'll need some limits set in order to help you.

 

[movie zombie]

agree with the stones in band concept....or a tension set sapphire.

movie zombie

 

[musey]

If it were me, I'd recommend something like the Halo Bezel Ring from Whiteflash.

...Because I get the feeling from your post that you don't want a solitaire or three-stone because of what you perceive to be the "danger" of that type of setting, not based on her actual preferences.

Here is a real-life shot of the ring. This is curiopotter's GORGEOUS ring, and is from this thread.

You can see that the band slopes up to the halo (which is what the metal/diamonds surrounding the center stone is called). This makes the center of the setting quite secure in that nothing can be caught between. It would just slide up and over.

 

[musey]

I forgot to answer this question:

Date: 2/26/2008 6:55:32 AM
Author:wilsonao

Should I jsut go the easy route and get her a matching Tiffany?

No. Please don't. I don't think I know anyone who'd want to wear/own two matching rings unless they were stacking bands. I especially wouldn't want to receive an engagement ring from my husband-to-be that was an exact replica of something I already owned

that would be WAY confusing to me.

 

[FrekeChild]

Ok to go along with what Musey suggested, with the burnished setting, still maintaining the solitaire, but very safe: link I give you the Tiffany silver stacking band with one teeny tiny diamond. Or this Tiffany: link but obviously it doesn''t have to be Tiffany. I''m just obsessed with their site right now. Heh.

Honestly if it were me, I wouldn''t do pave because it''s so fragile (for me anyway-and I''m very active with my hands) and go with perhaps a bezel set solitaire or even semi-bezel set. Like this: link except not pink tourmaline obviously.

 

[wilsonao]

Wow, thank you all for such quick help!

>> Not sure what the budget is here, but that will make a difference. Do you want to have a custom ring made, or would you like to find something already ready to go??

I should have stated before... I can spend anywhere up to around USD $3k. I''m 25 and have a good-paying job but I don''t really want to break the bank. Also, I don''t think she''d like it if I spent more than that anyway. :p

>> Knowing the metal she prefers would be good too. And in what way is her ring similar to the Tiffany one you posted?

She likes yellow gold. The ring is similar in that it''s the same shape, with a slightly similar heart design, although the heart design is much smaller with fewer diamonds.

>> If she''s active, maybe a 3/4 eternity, so there aren''t diamonds on the underside of her hand?
Yes, I believe eternity rings are what i was getting at.

>> She leads an active lifestyle, but wants diamonds/gems set into the band ALL the way around (this is usually referred to as an eternity band... not necessarily pave)? Having stones set into the band is more risky than having a high-set solitaire. Each individual stone is at risk of getting knocked out.

Thank you for this. She plays tennis, golf, and has to use her hands a lot at her work (I guess everyone does actually unless you''re a professional soccer player or something ). The flush-set stone style looks very interesting. That''s how they are set in her Tiffany heart ring by the way.

>> In general, diamonds and then sapphires are the safest way to go with wear-all-the-time pieces.

What about other gemstones such as Alexandrite? Would that be hard enough to go the distance? Her favorite stone is turqouise but I don''t think that would be hard enough.

>> Because I get the feeling from your post that you don''t want a solitaire or three-stone because of what you perceive to be the "danger" of that type of setting, not based on her actual preferences.

Actually, its mostly her preference. She doesn''t really like the look of big diamond solitaires or three stone settings.

>> I don''t think I know anyone who''d want to wear/own two matching rings unless they were stacking bands. I especially wouldn''t want to receive an engagement ring from my husband-to-be that was an exact replica of something I already owned.

Thanks for the advice. I of course wouldn''t get one that looked too similar if I went that route but I can see where you''re coming from there.

Again Thank you everyone for this great advice... You sure do know your stuff!

 

[wilsonao]

Update:

I found this nice Cartier ring that goes for around $2900. While towards the edge of my budget for this, it certainly looks nice. Any thoughts on maintenance issues or anything like that?

 

[iheartscience]

That''s a great ring, but it is usually used more for a wedding band than an engagement ring. However, if your girlfriend really, truly does not want a traditional diamond engagement ring, then it''s a definite option. I would also make sure that she is into the Cartier name, because that''s a big part of what you''re paying almost $3k for.

From your first post, though, it seems like she does want a somewhat traditional engagement ring because of the halo and gemstone aspect. What about getting a sapphire (from what I understand, they''re very hard so they can be worn daily) and doing a bezel halo like the one Musey posted?

I have a 3/4 eternity three-sided pave engagement ring from Whiteflash and I''m not particularly careful with it, and have yet to have a problem with it. If the ring is the correct ring size for her, it should not shift around much, so no diamonds will be on the underside of her hand, which is where the ring would most likely be harmed.

 

[february2003bride]

This is a bit above your budget but has 3 of the items you were looking for: 1)a halo 2) a sapphire and 3)pave:

http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-specials/previously-owned-jewelry/rings/089PO1/8/

Hope this helps!

 

[musey]

Date: 2/27/2008 2:52:20 AM
Author: wilsonao

>> I don't think I know anyone who'd want to wear/own two matching rings unless they were stacking bands. I especially wouldn't want to receive an engagement ring from my husband-to-be that was an exact replica of something I already owned.

Thanks for the advice. I of course wouldn't get one that looked too similar if I went that route but I can see where you're coming from there.

To be fair, you did ask if you should get a "matching" ring, which to me means, well, matching.

Author:wilsonao
Should I jsut go the easy route and get her a matching Tiffany?

That's what my response was referring to.

Here are some eternity styles that would be safest for an active lifestyle. Do keep in mind that many women just choose to remove sensitive jewelry while cleaning/gardening/playing sports/etc. so you could go with another setting style (like shared-prong or bead-set). Unless you know that she will want to wear it at all times, in which case I would suggest going with one of these three.

The images I'm including are just for setting-style reference, since you did say that she prefers yellow gold and all but the last are in platinum. Once you've decided what design you want to find, we can help you locate an existing piece OR recommend a process for a custom-made ring.

Here ya go!

 

[musey]

Date: 2/27/2008 4:06:32 AM
Author: wilsonao
Update:

I found this nice Cartier ring that goes for around $2900. While towards the edge of my budget for this, it certainly looks nice. Any thoughts on maintenance issues or anything like that?

I love rolling rings. I own one. To me, it is not a "forever" type of ring, partly because they are "en vogue" right now, and partly because mine is uncomfortable in certain situations (when I am gripping something in my hand, for instance, and you mentioned that your girlfriend plays golf often).

Unless she is into the Cartier "name," you can get similar rings from rollingring.com for a smaller price tag. Mine is from there and I am quite happy with the quality, though I haven''t seen the Cartier in-person so I can''t speak to a comparison between the two.

 

[PrettyBlues]

Hi, I am new here

though I have been lurking for a while.

Perhaps I shouldn''t be giving advice *just yet* but I thought of something that seems perfect.

It''s a bezel set (so good if she''s active) sapphire with pave.

Won''t try attaching pics just yet, but here is the link:

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Jewelry/Rings/Jewelry=J876

 

[PrettyBlues]

Oh and I forgot to mention, it''s under budget as well

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 2/28/2008 3:36:50 AM
Author: PrettyBlues

Hi, I am new here

though I have been lurking for a while.

Perhaps I shouldn''t be giving advice *just yet* but I thought of something that seems perfect.

It''s a bezel set (so good if she''s active) sapphire with pave.

Won''t try attaching pics just yet, but here is the link:

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Jewelry/Rings/Jewelry=J876

Welcome to PS Pretty Blues!!

For your very first suggestion, I think you got a great ring! It does meet his wants nicely without breaking the bank. Which is what I was going to touch on...a halo eternity setting is going to be about 3,000 before adding the stone...so I think Pretty gave you a great ring to consider for the money!

 

[musey]

Good find, pretty blues!! That sapphire has great color, too

If only it were in yellow gold. I do love blue sapphires in YG, though, maybe they'd re-set it.

ETA: Here is the SNC ring that PB suggested:

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 2/28/2008 3:36:50 AM
Author: PrettyBlues


Hi, I am new here

though I have been lurking for a while.


Perhaps I shouldn''t be giving advice *just yet* but I thought of something that seems perfect.


It''s a bezel set (so good if she''s active) sapphire with pave.


Won''t try attaching pics just yet, but here is the link:


http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Jewelry/Rings/Jewelry=J876

While the ring is gorgeous, I would say NO WAY to something with pave for someone who is so active. But the same ring without pave would be gorgeous too!!!

 

[musey]

Date: 2/28/2008 11:59:17 AM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 2/28/2008 3:36:50 AM
Author: PrettyBlues
Hi, I am new here

though I have been lurking for a while.
Perhaps I shouldn't be giving advice *just yet* but I thought of something that seems perfect.
It's a bezel set (so good if she's active) sapphire with pave.

Won't try attaching pics just yet, but here is the link:
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Jewelry/Rings/Jewelry=J876

While the ring is gorgeous, I would say NO WAY to something with pave for someone who is so active. But the same ring without pave would be gorgeous too!!!

He'd need to switch the setting style of the side diamonds to bezel/burnish/channel/etc... since he'd have to commission a separate ring anyway to get yellow gold, I don't think it would be too hard to switch the sidestone setting as well.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Cross Jewelers has some wonderful yellow gold rings for active women and I think the style would be great with her other ring.

http://www.crossjewelers.com/style/active/default.htm