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Full Eternity vs. Half Eternity

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HOUMedGal

HOUMedGal

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 13, 2005
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Before too long, it will be time to have my wedding band made. So far, I''ve thought I wanted a half-eternity band to match my e-ring (which is half eternity). But lately I''ve been wondering if I want a full eternity band instead, and maybe with slightly bigger stones.

My e-ring is half eternity with .03 ct melee stones...I''m trying to decide if I should do a matching half eternity with .03''s or whether I should do a full eternity band with .04''s for a little more impact when I wear the wedding band alone.

Anyone have opinions/advice on full eternity vs. half? Or whether or not I should match the size of the melee to my e-ring or go a little bigger? I guess I''m concerned about damaging the melee on the bottom of the band if I go full eternity (that''s one reason why my e-ring is half eternity).

Suggestions? Opinions?
 
Delicious! I personally like half b/c I"m a hand lotion addict...and I don''t like taking my rings off constantly...something I''d do with full...I''m also sensitive b/w the fingers so don''t like a full no matter how it''s made...
 
Good point, MMM! thanks!
 
I vote half because 1) it matches and 2) you can actually use your hand more when you have a half. You won''t have the chance of damaging the ring or stones when you grab something.
 
Yes, I have to agree with the half eternity notion. I have been looking at bands and have found that the full eternity bands are not as comfortable, the stones are generally smaller, and from a dollars and cents standpoint it seems crazy to have those diamonds in the palm of your hand where no one sees them. The damage factor seems larger too.

That said, some folks love the idea of a full eternity band and it does give a different look. Maybe you should just go and try some on and see how you like the feel and the look of both.
 
I''m on the other side of the fence.
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I prefer full eternity. Of course, I''m not taking the cost factor into consideration which is a big one. My reason for liking full eternity is that when I wear a ring that is not wide, it spins on my finger, and to look down and see the ring shifted drives me insane!!! The remedy for me was to go full eternity, and I never worry about spin anymore. My e-ring is wide so does not spin like a thinner ring would.

How hard are you on your rings? Do you use your hands a lot while wearing them? I don''t wear my rings around the house and so don''t worry about hurting the bottom of the ring, but if you use your hands more while wearing the ring, that is also something to consider.
 
Thanks, ladies!

I agree, I was always in the "why have diamonds where you can''t see them" camp...until a little bug got in my ear and said "wouldn''t it be nice to have a full eternity wedding band so that when you wear it alone, even if it spins, it doesn''t matter??" But a half eternity WOULD match better, and I wouldn''t have to worry about damaging the diamonds on the palm side.

MissGotRocks, trying some on is a good idea. I think I''ll do that.

Say I decided to go with the half eternity...what do y''all think about the size of the melee? .03''s to match my e-ring, or .04''s for a little more impact when I wear the band alone?
 
I like the idea of a full eternity, but only if you know you''re not going to be constantly banging the bottom.

As for size, I vote for one that matches your e-ring. I just like the way a matched set looks.
 
Are you planning to have children? If so, half-eternity might be a better choice. For many women, their rings don''t fit the same post-delivery, and you cannot size full-eternity.

Maybe the solution is to go 3/4 eternity instead. That minimizes the potential for uneven look if it spins, but still gives you a way to size it.

I''d personally match the e-ring in terms of size of stones.
 
I like the sound of 3 pointers. It matches.
 
Date: 12/27/2005 10:50:30 AM
Author: diamondlil
I''m on the other side of the fence.
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I prefer full eternity. Of course, I''m not taking the cost factor into consideration which is a big one. My reason for liking full eternity is that when I wear a ring that is not wide, it spins on my finger, and to look down and see the ring shifted drives me insane!!! The remedy for me was to go full eternity, and I never worry about spin anymore. My e-ring is wide so does not spin like a thinner ring would.

How hard are you on your rings? Do you use your hands a lot while wearing them? I don''t wear my rings around the house and so don''t worry about hurting the bottom of the ring, but if you use your hands more while wearing the ring, that is also something to consider.
Click to expand...
ditto..............no question. more substance when worn alone PLUS the ring wears more unformly as it is allowed to spin and naturally gets rotated when put on and off
 
Well, regarding the semi vs. full eternity... there are pros and cons to each, of course. My set is semi-eternity, and honestly, the spinning annoys me. Sometimes the e-ring goes left, the w-ring goes right and I see plain plat at each end!!! I *used* to think that full eternity was a bit of a "waste" too... diamonds you "don''t see"... etc., but I got a full eternity diamond and sapphire RHR and WOW! THAT changed my mind REAL FAST! I just LOVE not worrying about it spinning, PLUS I LOVE how it looks from ALL SIDES. It''s beautiful even from the palm side. I love that for myself, and I love it when I extend my hand to someone for a handshake!

I wear my rings all the time but I am not extremely paranoid about them. I feel that they are made to be worn and enjoyed, and I don''t really worry much about "damage" to my RHR (and I am right handed). I know I would feel the same about my e-ring and w-ring set, too. I wouldn''t lift weights in them, but other than that... I do "live" in them.

The 3/4 eternity is a neat concept... but if I were doing it again, I''d go full eternity. The sizing issue is a big "plus" for that (semi or 3/4 eternity) - that''s for sure... but like I said, I have seen full eternity now first hand, and I love it. It just seems sort of "magical" to me... to have the full "unbroken" row of beautiful, sparkling diamonds. And knowing me, every time that little plain part of the band worked its way around to the front I would be annoyed!!!!

Now as regards your 2nd question... I absolutely think larger stones in the w-ring would work beautifully! As long as the "style" of the rings is the same, I think it looks GREAT and "matches" just fine. My e-ring has 3 pointer ACAs and my w-ring has 5 pointers. I did it that way on purpose so that the w-ring would have a little more *bling* for wearing on its own, if I chose (which I seldom do -- but I could!
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) I think it is a lovely look - and surprisingly UNNOTICEABLE when both rings are being worn together. Just a little larger "sparkle" going on. Although 3 pointers in your w-ring would also be nice, of course, and would keep your overall band width narrower if you are all about *THIN*!

Here''s a photo of both rings together...

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Here''s another one showing the 3 pointers w/ the 5 pointers...

sharedprong3and5s.jpg
 
And here''s one of the w-ring alone. There''s a lot of bling from those perfect little H&A 5 pointers!
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(FYI : ring size 4.75)

w-ring alone.jpg
 
I'll chime in from full eternity perspective....I think depending on how you have the stones set (and how insanely anal you are about protecting them...) that a full eternity would be just fine for most people. But if you do want them to match, then get a 1/2 eternity. I think there was a gal on here who did full eternity with a 1/2 e-ring and it bothered her that the e-ring was not full eternity eventually. How matchy are you? I am VERY matchy which is why I thought about my e-ring AND w-ring together when we were shopping, I knew that it would bug me if they weren't really well matched. I also went with 2 pointers in my w-ring and 3 pointers in my e-ring...I don't mind the tiny difference at all, it is really barely visible. 5 pointers in your w-ring would definitely be more impact when worn alone...my little 2 pointer w-ring gets pretty lost on it's own but then again I rarely wear it that way, something seems so wrong about putting my expensive diamond in the ring box (and Greg asks me about it too!!) and not wearing it.

I don't remember how your stones are set, Annie, is it shared prong or 4 prong like mine? I really have to say yet again that I had no idea what a smart choice 4 pronging my melee would be in light of all the durability and lost stone issues that have come up as this style has gotten more popular. I bang my hand all the time on the counter or something and it is not even a big deal at all. I'm pretty clumsy too and sometimes I bang my diamond head.
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Can you get into a store and try on some rings? This helped me out when I was finalizing my w-ring thoughts. I went into Joe Escobar which has tons of eternity rings and similar and tried them on. All different shapes, sizes etc. Helps to see what looks good with your existing piece!
 
I think either full or half eternity would look very nice. Everyone else already brought up al lthe issues I can think of with the two diff styles.
I''d go with the same size diamonds as you e-ring. I think otherwise it might look like you tried to match, but were off. And since you are having it made, no reason not to get the perfect match!
 
I vote half eternity as well.
They will match, and since you're going to be a physician, I think comfort and wear are big considerations. I tried full eternity, and it just didn't work for me. I adjust my rings all the time, so the shifting doesn't bother me. What did bother me was the feeling of the full eternity, and the stones on the bottom just seemed extraneous.
I think that a wedding ring that was a bit larger than your ering band would look just fine.
 
Thanks for the help, everyone!!! It's great to throw ideas out to you guys, because you always bring up ideas and considerations I hadn't thought of!

Lynn, you hit the nail on the head...you described so well what attracted me to the idea of a full eternity in the first place!! The perfect circle of sparkling diamonds, the little sparkles on the palm side even when you can't see the back of my hand, the beautiful view from all angles...ahhhh. :) Thanks for the pics of your rings...it is really hard to tell the difference b/w the .03's and the .05's!! WOW! I was thinking the biggest I could get away with and still relatively match my e-ring would be .04's, but you make me wanna go for .05's! hehe!

Mara, my side stones each have 4 prongs. I haven't had any issues with worrying about my sidestones during the past 7 months of wearing my ring every day during pretty much everything I do. Like Lynn said, I don't lift weights in them, but I do pretty much everything else. I feel pretty confident in the way my e-ring sidestones are set, because I have smacked my hand on a few things, and nothing appears out of place or damaged, thank goodness. :)

I am kinda tempted to go a little larger in the wedding band...I'm not terribly matchy-matchy, so I don't think it would bother me for them to be two different sizes, or one half and one full eternity. Plus, I do anticipate wearing my w-band alone quite often, doing hands-on work as a physician (as much as I'll hate to leave my e-ring at home!)

I guess I like the idea of my wedding band being something that I love on its own and not necessarily have it so matchy matchy to my e-ring that it looks strange on its own. Not that half-eternity would look strange on its own, but...as Lynn so eloquently stated, a full eternity is very tempting!!

ETA: I will definitely get to a store and try on some rings!!! Not sure when, since I'm about to start my clinical rotations, which means that life as I know it is about to change big time, but I'll do it before I have to make a decision!!
 
HouMedGirl,
Congrats on the (long) path to becoming a physician! My hubby is a resident. For some reason medical women (at least the ones we know) seem to do the silliest things with their e-rings! Two acquaintances have lost their e-rings at work due to tying them onto their scrubs and having it come undone. Another took off her ring set to do something and forgot it on a counter. I''m sure you wouldn''t do that, but just a word of caution! Sadly enough two of these people did not have their rings insured and by the time they noticed the ring was gone, it was too late.... very sad... Most of our female doc friends do just what you mentioned and wear only their w-band while at work.
Gail
 
Annie, after reading your update I would think that a full-eternity with 4 prong melee would make you happier, esp if you plan to wear the wedding ring alot on it''s own, I''d go for ~5 pointer eternity!! But see what you think in the stores too!! Good luck gal!
 
Another point to consider is whether you are left or right handed. I have an eternity wedding ring and engagement ring, with a 7mm spacing bar on each (so they''re almost full eternity). I''m so glad we got the spacing bar included because the base of the rings do get a bit of a battering, just from everyday use such as picking up the phone handset, holding a cup of tea, grabbing shopping from the car, picking up files in the office etc, etc. Because I''m left handed it''s only natural that I use my left hand more. However, because of my rings, I find myself far more careful and at times find myself using my right hand, just to protect my rings on my left (I know that probably sounds stupid). In hindsight I think it would have been more practical for me (being left handed) to have half eternity, but then again I think if the wedding band twisted round, I''d be irritated with the platinum part of the wedding band showing up. Full eternity is gorgeous, but it''s just a matter of being a little more careful when using that hand. I love half eternity and full eternity - they both have their pluses and minuses. A good compromise is, like Aljdewey mentioned, go for 3/4s of the way round, with sizing bar, it certainly helps.

Lynn B - your rings are gorgeous.
 
Gailrmv - thanks for the word of caution. :) I can''t believe that she tied them to her scrubs!!!! I certainly don''t trust the waist on my scrubs enough to do that! I''ve seen female docs wear necklace chains and put their rings on the chains while at work...which I guess would be OK, but I think I''ll probably just leave my e-ring at home and wear my wedding band alone.

Mara - I''m beginning to agree.
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I won''t make any decisions until I''ve tried some rings on, but a full eternity with nice sized and securely set melee is starting to call to me....

MiniMouse - good point. I''m right handed, so won''t be as much as an issue for me.

I think a 3/4 eternity is a good idea too, so that you have the sizing option intact...however, I can also see myself being disappointed that I didn''t go full eternity every time the ring spins around and I see the metal spot.
 
I have both a full eternity diamond band and a 5 stone band. I wear the 5 stone band a heck of a lot more. I love the *look* of the eternity band, but it is so not practical for me. I am also paranoid (although not as much as Ame
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) and check the bottom of the band all the time.

The stones in my eternity band are I think 4 points each, and there is not much of a presence if I wear it alone (which is usually how I wear it). The stones on my 5 stone band are 15 points each and for me, that is the minimum I like for a ring that is meant to be a stand alone band.

It sounds like you really want the full eternity. If you plan on that being your main ring for everyday wear, that''s probably what I would go with. I don''t think going one point bigger in size than the melee in your e-ring will be really noticable.

Oh, and I am also one of those that have left my rings sitting on the counter after washing my hands. Luckily, it was on the counter in the pharmacy where I work but I remember the sick feeling in my stomach when I realized I didn''t have them on.
 
My new ''eternity'' wide band diamond ring has a small sizing bar on it. It''s actually irritating me. I don''t like how it doesn''t look like the rest of the ring. I am considering having it entirely sized OFF because then I could wear it on my right ring finger instead of middle finger. Not sure yet....

Interestingly enough the ring was new when I got it and the sizing bar is already getting a little battered use on it with some scratches. So I must be fairly hard on my hands. But my eternities don''t have a problem at all, so actually I am GLAD I didn''t get plain metal to get all banged up because I KNOW the diamonds can handle it, they have for almost 3 years now with no problems! Knock on wood of course.

So kind of an alternate view to getting or not getting them, I would probably only want eternity from now on (well made of course) BECAUSE the plain metal bar and then watch it gets all nicked up bugs me. I prefer that something stronger (and easily replaceable should one fall out) take the hit. Maybe I will never be a plain solitaire girl after all. hmmmm.
 
My vote is for full eternity.....friends of mine have hte half and it drives them crazy when their rings rotate and don''t match up with the ER!

I plan on getting eterntity bands for my ER too!
 
Yeah, I''m thinking full eternity more and more....and maybe 5 pointers...
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I have an eternity 5 pointer and it looks pretty good on solo. It actually overwhelms my e-ring, but my ering is much smaller than yours is, I believe.
 
Have any pics of that sparkler, Logan??
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Not Logan
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but I found a better photo of my .05 pointer for you!
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w-ring.05pointers.jpg
 
I vote for full eternity. Love how you don''t have to worry about it turning on your finger.
 
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