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Eternity ? Half way around ? We are confused !

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A

akila

Rough_Rock
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Jan 16, 2007
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My wife and I have been doing the rounds since last week for a diamond ring in a platinum setting. This was what we were sure of. After visiting several jewellers, we became convinced that a channel-set eternity band of ~ 1 ct was our choice. Prices quoted varied from $1600 to 3000 for G/H/I color & VS or SI.

Now, a visit to another jeweller today has thrown a spanner in our thinking. He recommended that if you plan to wear the ring on a daily basis, then the eternity band is not a great idea. He mentioned not being able to resize (which we knew and were OK with) but also that eternity bands take a much heavier wear and tear from daily use.

What does the forum think ? Are eternity bands a bad idea for daily wear ? Are we better off with getting a half-way around ring (don''t know what they are called, since we haven''t been paying any attention to them)
 
The bottom of the ring does take more abuse then say the top, so overall the ring will show more wear I guess you could say. But that doesn''t mean it''s a poor design or you should re-think your purchase. If you''re not concerned about the resizing issue then go ahead and get one I say. If they do a poor job setting, then of course you''ll have problems with stones falling out, etc. But the only wear that should occur on a platinum eternity ring is that it will get scratched up over time. But if the job is done well, and they offer a relatively low cost service to polish the ring to like-new condition, it should look beautiful for a very very long time with no issues. And if it''s a high polished band all the way around, polishing it is very easy and simple.
 
back in the day an eternity ring went all the way around and an annivesary ring went partly around.... but I''ve heard so many people call what IMO is an anniversary ring an eternity ring or complicate it by saying half eternity or 3/4 eternity... I dunno... I on''t think it really matters what you call it as long as you can describe it lol
 
Is your wife hard on her jewelery? Does she slam her hands on tables etc? I think that''d be my only reason for not going with the eternity and perhaps choosing an anniversary style-ie 5/7/11 stone ring.
Are you opposed to buying online? Have you looked at the facets collection on this site? I bought my eternity ring from them 4 years ago this April and absolutely love it. it''s a smidge over a carat in a platinum channel set ring. The price was good and the diamonds are f/g vvs/vs.
 
If it were MY ring (and oh how I wish I had one), I would choose the half eternity just because the bottom diamonds do get subject to a lot of wear and tear.

*M*
 
my future wedding band is a half- eternity with 9 diamonds, total 0.5 carat , and I choose this over a full eternity ring because I''m pretty careless and like to bang my hands on the table... I think it''ll depends on the person''s lifestyle...
 
I chose the half eternity for other reasons. My thinking is that I would rather have the diamonds on the top of the band where they will be seen rather than on the underside where no one really sees them much. Basically you could have twice as many on top ;-) I love the look of the full eternity and there are some beauties on this site, but they are just not for me.

JMHO ;-)
 
I went with diamonds across the top due to the wear I felt the ring would get anytime I grabbed a door knob or handle, etc. And I do think the sizing issue is very important. Most women will have at least a slight change in size over a lifetime.

But if I did get a full eternity ring, it would not be my everyday wedding ring. I''d only wear it on special occasions.
 
My FMIL gave me her eternity wedding band... and over the years the bottom baguettes had taken a beating. She offered to have them replaced for me, but I thought about it, and how I wear jewelry and decided that a half-eternity would probably be better for me anyway. It''s a personal choice, your wife will be wearing it... what does she think?
 
My rings are half-eternity (bottom half is metal) and I would do nothing differently if I had to do it again. The bottom of the bands do get abused more, even though I am very careful with my rings, and I prefer having the metal there so I don''t worry about it. From the top, you can''t tell they''re not full eternity rings!
 
How popular are:
1. Half eternity rings
2. Half chanel set rings

As wedding bands? And do people often have several (e.g. a plain band and an anniversary) ring to alternate?

And do people prefer this at all over the plain band - especially in the traditional solitaire setting? Or better yet -who has pictures of a half-eternity or half-chanel set ring next to a single solitaire?
 
Eternity bands are not necessarily bad for daily wear *if* they are set properly and your wife is not hard on her jewelry. For me, I''d go with a half eternity because I don''t trust myself to not damage the setting on the underside of the band, not to mention I work with special ed students so I don''t want to take the risk. If you''re not worried about resizing (in which case I''d recommend a 3/4 eternity) then go for it!

It''s your opinion...imo you''re better off going with a half eternity band just for the peace of mind that you won''t damage and/or lose the diamonds in the band where they won''t be seen anyway. HTH!
 
if I get an eternity band I will get full. I just like knowing they are full.
 
Date: 1/16/2007 8:23:23 PM
Author: tanalasta
How popular are:
1. Half eternity rings
2. Half chanel set rings

As wedding bands? And do people often have several (e.g. a plain band and an anniversary) ring to alternate?

And do people prefer this at all over the plain band - especially in the traditional solitaire setting? Or better yet -who has pictures of a half-eternity or half-chanel set ring next to a single solitaire?
Click to expand...
Diamond wedding bands seem to be very popular here, at least! I have always worn a diamond wedding band and never had a plain one, although for a time I did wear a plain band above my e-ring sort of as a ring guard. Here''s a picture of my 7 stone band with a solitaire. There are many, many others posted on this site, however.

New Rings 045e.jpg
 
I have a anniversary band (channel set diamonds half-way around) and it is great for daily wear. Have worn it daily for many years. I always wanted an eternity band though, so I got one about 6 months ago. I can''t wear it for many activities, I try to be very careful, and I already had to have it repaired once.

I did have to have the anniversary band resized after my second baby. Knuckles got bigger and have stayed that way.
 
I guess it all depends on the style too. Do you have a picture of the type of ring you''re considering getting or even a picture of something similar? is it channel set, bezel, prongs, shared prong, etc?
 
Here''s is my e-ring along with my future wedding band... half-eternity with 9 diamonds...

ring and band.JPG
 
Date: 1/16/2007 8:24:37 PM
Author: mrssalvo
if I get an eternity band I will get full. I just like knowing they are full.
Click to expand...

ditto!

though this thread is making me think about it..
33.gif
 
Here''s my e-ring and my future .50ct channel set half eternity band...


princessbandk.jpg
 
Date: 1/16/2007 8:24:37 PM
Author: mrssalvo
if I get an eternity band I will get full. I just like knowing they are full.
Click to expand...


Yeah, same here. I know it''s not necessarily the ''practical'' way and I''ve debated over this same issue but I think I''m going to go with a full eternity just because it''s my ''forever'' wedding band.

Also, I''m a bit worried about spinning and having the metal side show half the time. I''ve been watching people with half eternity rings just out and about and I notice it when theirs are half side up or bottom side up and I know that it would bother me. My rings are always looser when it''s cold either due to A/C or winter and I don''t want it to be overly tight when it''s warm so spinning is a likely problem for me.

However, if that won''t bother you- I really do think it''s more practical to have it metal on the bottom since I''ve realized how much i''ve banged the bottom of my e-ring and i''m so glad it''s metal *sigh*.
 
I have an eternity band and I love it!! Mine is prong set and in the begining it did take a little getting used to but I just felt so luxurious to have diamonds all they way around
18.gif
. I imagine if you went with a channel setting I imagine there would be a little more comfort? Has she tried on an eternity vs. a half, its really a super personal choice.
 
I''m in a smaller town. Nothing the size of NY or Chicago. But still, we have several very nice B&M''s. Shops that market Branded stones and jewelry. And I can''t find a full eternity band to try on.

After seeing the gorgeous rings on PS, I went in search of full eternity bands to decide what I would like. What looked and felt good on my hand.

None! Shops here simply do not carry them or offer them.

I''ve asked in every store. The answer is the same.

"We had problems with chipped and lost stones. Or the customer''s ring size changed and we cannot resize those rings." And they won''t even order one in for a person to look at or try. All they offer is 50%, 75%, and one shop offers a 90%.

The store owners here have summarily decided what customers can and cannot have.
38.gif
 
Date: 1/16/2007 11:02:08 PM
Author: Finding_Neverland
I''m in a smaller town. Nothing the size of NY or Chicago. But still, we have several very nice B&M''s. Shops that market Branded stones and jewelry. And I can''t find a full eternity band to try on.


After seeing the gorgeous rings on PS, I went in search of full eternity bands to decide what I would like. What looked and felt good on my hand.


None! Shops here simply do not carry them or offer them.


I''ve asked in every store. The answer is the same.


''We had problems with chipped and lost stones. Or the customer''s ring size changed and we cannot resize those rings.'' And they won''t even order one in for a person to look at or try. All they offer is 50%, 75%, and one shop offers a 90%.


The store owners here have summarily decided what customers can and cannot have.
38.gif
Click to expand...

I''m on the same boat here! no eternity bands around hehe..
 
I have an eternity band. It is an estate piece and is a smidge (1/2 size?) too big, but my e-ring and a v. very thin plain platinum band hold it in place w/o an issue- and I figure that if my fingers "grow" w/ kids we will be in good shape.
My eternity band (I was always told that if it''s not all the way around it''s not an eternity band, but a ring) is an estate piece and is probably around 50 years old- each stone is individually set and I figure if it made it 50 years, it will make it another 50.
I think w/ a channel set eternity band the metal channel edges should protect the stones.
I have 9-stone channel set ring and I wore it everyday for years and it spun around a little, and never had any wear issues.
 
If I were going to get one and wear it on a daily basis, I''d go for the half.
 
Both my engagement ring and wedding band are full eternity bands -- I''ve had no durability problems, and I''m not particularly careful. Also, my rings were made by Quest Jewelers who DO offer lifetime resizing of eternity bands -- essentially they''ll remake the ring. If you have your heart set on the eternity band, don''t be scared off. Besides, channel set bands are even more durable.
 
How about 3/4 of the way around?? This ensures that you won''t see metal if your ring spins a little, you get to save a little money, it''s sizeable, and it''s fine for everyday wear!! If I were to do a re-set I think this is what I would do.
 
Date: 1/17/2007 2:10:02 AM
Author: kcoursolle
How about 3/4 of the way around?? This ensures that you won''t see metal if your ring spins a little, you get to save a little money, it''s sizeable, and it''s fine for everyday wear!! If I were to do a re-set I think this is what I would do.
Click to expand...
This is what I am getting a 3/4 with 1.08 tcw. Garry from Precious Metals assures me it will be comfortable to wear and in the few minutes I had one like it on it felt fine. In fact it felt fine and looked wonderful
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I''ve full, 3/4 and half eternity bands, and I find all of them equally comfortable to wear, but that''s probably because the stones are tiny. If you''re looking at bigger stones, it might be better to get them in a half eternity style so they don''t rub between your fingers. The resizing factor of the 1/2 & 3/4 bands are good to have though!

The underside of the band does get banged around a bit, if you''re like me
2.gif
, so I wouldn''t wear my full eternity if I know I am going to be lifting heavy stuff.
 
I am hoping for a 3/4 eternity band style setting as well. For those of you that already have one what would you suggest in terms of the melee size? How many stones? Also what would you suggest in terms of the width? I was thinking 2.3mm. My finger is a size 5.5 My center stone will probably be a little under a carat.
Thanks
 
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