Eternity band worth the $?

[absolutelyradiant]

I'm itching to get a diamond/platinum band for my right hand. But as I'm browsing online, I'm completely torn between spending the $ on 5 or 6 larger stones or getting bunch of smaller stones eternity band-style.

My argument for not getting the eternity band: you don't even see half the stones because they're beneath your finger.

Has anyone else debated this and if so, what did you end up getting?

I love this one from 1.2ct ring BN: http://www.bluenile.com/princess-cut-diamond-ring_364?track=si

Then I love this too 2ct : http://thefacetscollection.com/item.cfm?item_id=1959

With the eternity band, I really can't afford to go much bigger than 2ct total weight. I've never owned an eternity band - is 2ct total big enough to pop?

Thanks for sharing!!! Truly appreciate your 2 cents.

 

[Miss Sparkly]

I have debated it and I ended up with a five stone ring. Several of my friends work for a local jeweler and have said that eternity bands are terrible for worn prongs, chipped diamonds and loose stones. Even the act of grabbing door knobs and carrying something in your hand will wear on the ring more than a half eternity. There's also the issue of sizing. One gal put sizing beads in her eternity but that seemed pointless to me. Isn't the idea that if it spins you'll always see diamonds? In that case a euro-shank would do the trick. Besides, by doing a five or seven stone you can get more bling for your $$$

 

[luv2sparkle]

I would get the band for your right hand. It does have more bling and presence. If you were getting it to wear on your left hand
either with a e-ring or to wear without your ering, I would say go for the eternity. I have both and I think the eternity is stunning
and classic. It is the piece I wear the most. You would be surprised how much the underside of you hand is seen. I have worn mine
for almost three years and I haven't lost a stone or seen any damage. Mine came from Facets.

I think the eternity is the ring that most people aspire to have. The band would have more presence on your right hand though.
Good luck, can't wait to see what you choose!

 

[DRE06]

I elected to go with the 3/4 eternity wedding bands. In my opinion, you get the best of both worlds.

With diamonds going 3/4 the way around, you don't have to worry about keep adjusting the ring so you don't see the band part, and you also aren't paying for the diamonds on the bottom of the ring that people never see.

 

[missy]

As with everything re jewelry it really does come down to personal preference. I debated for a while and ended up getting an eternity band about 7 years ago and never for one second regretted the choice. I love that no matter how it may move I only see diamonds. It is so sparkly no matter the position. And not that this matters at all, but I always get from people oooh, do the diamonds go all around, how beautiful! I have a shared prong eternity wedding band and the stones are 10 pointers and I have never had any issues (yet) with a stone falling out or anything like that. And I am by no means gentle on my jewelry but I am not rough with it either though I tend to be somewhat of a klutz. So far so good and I would do it all over again and in fact when I reset my ER a few years ago it was also on an eternity band and I love it!

 

[Circe]

I like eternities, because it feels somehow luxurious to me to see diamonds from every angle ... closest comparison, I guess, is to how diamonds "face up" white. Sure they do, but you see them from the side, too, so if you don't like warmth, even a stone that faces up white will bug! It's nice to see the glint of stones when you move your hand, turn it, gesture, gesticulate. If I want a band-type ring, I want an eternity: if I want a ring with a top and a bottom, I want something a little fancier than a straight-up 5/7/9 stone. Totally subjective, though - any chance you can go and try some on?

P.S. - Two carats is totally big enough to pop.

 

[baby monster]

It's matter of preference. You need to try both styles and see what feels/looks better to you. I would suggest getting cheapie faux rings in both styles (check out ebay) and wearing them for couple of weeks to see what you prefer.

I prefer eternity bands because my rings always spin. I find them very comfortable and never had any issues with chipping or prongs. You can't go wrong with Facets - their quality is great. I've worn an eternity from them for 3 years with no problems and just got my upgrade from them as well.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I'd definitely do a 5 or 7 stone for a right hand ring. If you are right handed, I think an eternity would take too much punishment and cause wear to the prongs and possibly chip diamonds.

 

[OCmom3xboys]

I would to 7 stones

Here is my story, (I ended up upgrading my 5 stone to an eternity). My left ring finger size is 5 and my right hand is 5.5. I ordered my 5 stone ring in a size 5.5, I had plan to wear it to replace my wedding set for everyday wear and wear it as a RHR when I do wear my wedding set. It just kept spinning, more so in somedays. So I bought a cz eternity band to get the feel of the thickness and it was fine. I've had it since August 2010, and I love it!

 

[motownmama]

I have both and like the look of both. If you get a 1/2 eternity make sure it's sized correctly and add sizing balls to keep it upright. I like the look with the metal showing on the sides, AND I also like my full eternities, especially for stacking - it's just a neater look to my eye.

 

[absolutelyradiant]

Thanks for all the great points. I'm righthanded as well so I was concerned about all the daily wear. I don't work in construction or anything but my wedding band is pretty scuffed on the bottom from just daily stuff so I shudder to think what my right ring would look like! Yikes!

I guess I'll try and find some cheapies to see how they look. If I were to go with an eternity band, I'd choose channel setting. Would that be a pretty secure hold for the stones?

Really helpful reading everyone's take on the band difference. I have a radiant solitaire wedding set. If you look closely, you can see the platinum band has a few dings and scratches on it. I get it polished once a year but I don't really mind - feels more "lived in" with some scruffs.

Please share if you think a channel set eternity band for everyday wear is a bad idea.

Thank you!!

 

[motownmama]

I have 10 channel set bands - so I guess you could say I'm a fan. Another great option is bezel set (I've got 1).

 

[Haven]

I think it all comes down to which look you prefer.

As for wear and tear--my engagement ring and my wedding band are both platinum shared-prong eternity bands. I've been wearing the engagement ring since September of 2007, and the wedding band since July of 2008, and I've only once needed a stone replaced and that was after majorly slamming my hand into a metal dumbbell. (Yes--I was a dumbbell and wore my set to the gym. But once I got there I was too scared to take the rings off and lock them up in my locker, so I wore them.) Anyway, my jeweler fixed the ring while I waited, charged me nothing, and that was the end of that. I'm pretty hard on my rings so I don't think the strength issue is enough to scare someone away from an eternity band.

The bottom line is that this is jewelry. You have to care for your jewelry no matter what it is. I would get the look you like best and care for it as if it is a precious item, because it is a precious item!

 

[junebug17]

I love the look of both, but I went with a five stone band. A friend of mine had gotten an eternity band, and it looked very lovely, but she lost a stone fairly quickly after she got it. I know I based my decision on one example but...well, that's what I did! Being right-handed, I was afraid I would knock it around too much, and I liked the idea of the larger stones. Really just a matter of personal preference, and there is an elegance to eternity bands that is so appealing.

 

[Farleysmom]

I also love the look of both. I had a 5-stone ring that I changed into a 9-stone ring as I wanted a more wrapped look. I also have a couple of eternity bands, both of which have 4 claws holding each stone. My original 5-stone and eternity ring were shared-prong settings. I know others have never had an issue with a shared-prong setting but I had problems with loose stones with the eternity ring almost immediately after wearing it. Since I have changed to 4-prong settings I haven't had an issue and I wear my rings 24-7.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I'm itching to get a diamond/platinum band for my right hand. But as I'm browsing online, I'm completely torn between spending the $ on 5 or 6 larger stones or getting bunch of smaller stones eternity band-style.

My argument for not getting the eternity band: you don't even see half the stones because they're beneath your finger.

Has anyone else debated this and if so, what did you end up getting?

Thanks for sharing!!! Truly appreciate your 2 cents.

yep,that's the reason why i'd prefer a 5 stone ring.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I do think channel settings will be more durable as an eternity ring.

 

[LALove]

I'm itching to get a diamond/platinum band for my right hand. But as I'm browsing online, I'm completely torn between spending the $ on 5 or 6 larger stones or getting bunch of smaller stones eternity band-style.

My argument for not getting the eternity band: you don't even see half the stones because they're beneath your finger.

Has anyone else debated this and if so, what did you end up getting?

Thanks for sharing!!! Truly appreciate your 2 cents.

yep,that's the reason why i'd prefer a 5 stone ring.

I don't agree with this- I have a full eternity and I see the side and bottom stones all the time. Like right now, holding my iPad I'm seeing the side and bottom stones. I also notice them when I'm at work typing and in so many other normal daily situations. That's the exact reason I prefer eternity bands to 5 stones- I like seeing bling from every angle

I actually had a 5 stone first with 40 pointers and liked it a lot but I didn't love not seeing diamonds all around. Both are lovely but, like Circe said, to me personally, a full eternity just feels more luxurious.

ETA: I also agree with Missy's point that others notice too - I always notice eternity bands on others because of the sparkle on their whole finger when they move their hand. In that way it's like earrings- you don't see them all day long but others see the pretties.

Maybe you can buy a cheap cz eternity and 5 stone to wear for a week or so and see which you prefer? I'd at least go to a jewelry store and try each on.

 

[missy]

I'm itching to get a diamond/platinum band for my right hand. But as I'm browsing online, I'm completely torn between spending the $ on 5 or 6 larger stones or getting bunch of smaller stones eternity band-style.

My argument for not getting the eternity band: you don't even see half the stones because they're beneath your finger.

Has anyone else debated this and if so, what did you end up getting?

Thanks for sharing!!! Truly appreciate your 2 cents.

yep,that's the reason why i'd prefer a 5 stone ring.

I don't agree with this- I have a full eternity and I see the side and bottom stones all the time. Like right now, holding my iPad I'm seeing the side and bottom stones. I also notice them when I'm at work typing and in so many other normal daily situations. That's the exact reason I prefer eternity bands to 5 stones- I like seeing bling from every angle

I actually had a 5 stone first with 40 pointers and liked it a lot but I didn't love not seeing diamonds all around. Both are lovely but, like Circe said, to me personally, a full eternity just feels more luxurious.

Yes, same here. I am always seeing the side and bottom stones on my eternity all the time. And others notice as I previously said because I get so many comments on how pretty my ring is and the people commenting usually mention about how the diamonds go all the way around so others notice too. Not that it matters because it is what *you* prefer of course.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I think a full eternity band is beautiful - just not always so practical for everyone.

For a combined 25/30 anniversary gift (I traded in a ring that I had received for my 25th anniversary (had major durability issues) I opted for a two carat, five stone Memoire band. Each stone is .40 so by getting a five stone band, I was able to get much larger stones than I would have had with an eternity ring. The stones go from finger to finger and the ring gives the look of an eternity band. It is super comfortable and I don't have to worry about damaging the underside stones. Car doors, car keys, doorknobs - everything I grab with my right hand - seemed to me like it would be a danger to the ring. Maybe it wouldn't have but I couldn't be happier with my five stone band - I've no regrets!

 

[absolutelyradiant]

Do you have a picture Missgotrocks? Sounds beautiful!

 

[LALove]

Do you have a picture Missgotrocks? Sounds beautiful!

Here's her thread
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/brown-just-walked-right-up-to-my-desk.42147/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/brown-just-walked-right-up-to-my-desk.42147/[/URL]

Ps seeing MGR's lovely band and your ering reminded me of this gorgeous set I saw while on my honeymoon years ago. I was in line at the airport and the lady in front of me had her hand on her luggage about a couple feet away and I was mesmerized by her set the whole time I was in line- she had a large princess cut in a solitaire setting paired with a 5 stone with maybe 30pt RBs. I couldn't take my eyes off it!! The look was very blingy and classic. I think it'd look nice with a full eternity as well but what I liked about her set is how it "matched"- bling on top and shiny gold from the side. Would you wear the 5 stone with your ering or as a RHR? Either way you cant really go wrong- both are lovely and classic.

On a quick google search I found a few cheap cz eternity bands ($25) and 5 stones. If I were you I'd purchase something like that in the size you're considering and wear them for awhile to get a feel for what you like best. I didn't do that- I first bought a 5 stone with 40 pt stones, wore it for a week and then decided I preferred an eternity so returned the 5 stone and ordered a full eternity with 30pt stones then decided I missed the size of the 40pts so returned that and ordered a band with 40pts- wasted a bit of shipping $.

 

[hoofbeats95]

I have a colored eternity band - blue topaz with diamonds. It's the only one I have. And while I like it, I don't love it. The reason is that I worry about the stones on the bottom. When I knock the bottom of a band against something I don't think twice about it, when I do that with this band, I stop and look. Also - I'm sorry but those stones get dirty! There is no way around that. They get dirty fast IMO. So while maybe it can spin and look great in whatever position, I find that untrue. I don't want the dirty stones on top. I find most of my jewelry doesn't spin anyway. So that isn't an issue for me. I dream of owning a bezel band from BGD, and while I like the full eternity, I can get more bling on top from the half. And I just don't feel enough people see the bottom of my hand for it to matter. And if they do, those stones are dirty and oily! Ugh! JMO.