Help!! Advice needed 3.52 carat

[haleyn17]

Okay, so I am needing some advice here. My husband surprised me with an upgrade to my center stone on my engagement ring. However I have a ring insert for my wedding bands and 2 separate bands that I received for our 1 year anniversary. My issue right now is what to do with the wedding bands because I feel like now that he upgraded the center stone from 1.5 to 3.5 the wedding bands are too much and take away from the center stone in my opinion. Looking for some insight on what other people have done with 3.5 carat rings for wedding bands or any advice on if I should leave it the way it is. They also set it in a North, south, east west direction in the prong setting instead of square so I am going to see if they can fix that but she said she didn't know for sure if they could do to the fact that the insert is like a cathedral band style. Pics posted below. Would love to hear your suggestions!!

 

[Frenchieglitter]

Congrats on your amazing upgrade!! I think you wear them very well! You're set looks beautiful!! Perhaps if you give it some time you'll grow accustomed to the larger presence? The symmetry of your bands around the high polish of the ering gives a nice contrast.

Or, have you tried stacking them differently? Perhaps alternate the bands (since they seem to be different sizes) then stack the ering on top to see if the center diamond will stand out more? You could have a lot of fun mixing up your stack day to day. But if you feel it's too much, or just not comfortable having all that stack going on, perhaps move a couple of the bands to your right hand?

Again congrats! What a fun problem to have would love to see more pics if you do play around with different stacking!

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Congratulations on the upgrade! The 3.5 looks amazing on your hand!

I would probably wear your anniversary bands on the other hand and let the honker on your left shine on its own (with the wedding bands)! As for your wedding bands, if they are a ring insert, does that mean the jeweler just swapped out the heads on your ring to make the 3.5ct fit? Or just essentially made the 3.5ct fit in the space of the 1.5ct? I’m not sure that that is very secure. It may be safer to have the whole set remade. You wouldn’t want to lose your gorgeous upgrade!

 

[mrs-b]

Hi there, @haleyn17

So, I'm with you - not a fan of the NSEW setting. Not sure why the jeweler decided to work against the natural shape of the diamond. I agree with @AllAboardTheBlingTrain - if the setting is not custom - you might want to go that route for safety's sake, and, were it me, I'd go with 6 prongs, as I never feel 4 is really enough on a stone of that size. It would also work *with* the round shape of the diamond. I also think you can find a jeweler who gives you a nicer set of claw prongs - something more elegant looking.

Re the bands: the two you're wearing in the photo directly above and below the solitaire - seem to line up better with the circumference of your soli. So I'd stay with those, tho I'd wear them together, both below your e-ring. That would make more of *them*, and take away from them surrounding your e-ring. The outer two bands, I'd wear together on your other hand, if they fit.

And that's just my best suggestions. But, as I always say, all taste is subjective.

Good luck!

 

[haleyn17]

Congrats on your amazing upgrade!! I think you wear them very well! You're set looks beautiful!! Perhaps if you give it some time you'll grow accustomed to the larger presence? The symmetry of your bands around the high polish of the ering gives a nice contrast.

Or, have you tried stacking them differently? Perhaps alternate the bands (since they seem to be different sizes) then stack the ering on top to see if the center diamond will stand out more? You could have a lot of fun mixing up your stack day to day. But if you feel it's too much, or just not comfortable having all that stack going on, perhaps move a couple of the bands to your right hand?

Again congrats! What a fun problem to have would love to see more pics if you do play around with different stacking!

Thank you for the response. They are all saudered because the ring surrounding the solitaire engagement band is an insert and then the outer bands are singles! So unless I had them take them all apart I can't change it up right now!

 

[haleyn17]

Hi there, @haleyn17

So, I'm with you - not a fan of the NSEW setting. Not sure why the jeweler decided to work against the natural shape of the diamond. I agree with @AllAboardTheBlingTrain - if the setting is not custom - you might want to go that route for safety's sake, and, were it me, I'd go with 6 prongs, as I never feel 4 is really enough on a stone of that size. It would also work *with* the round shape of the diamond. I also think you can find a jeweler who gives you a nicer set of claw prongs - something more elegant looking.

Re the bands: the two you're wearing in the photo directly above and below the solitaire - seem to line up better with the circumference of your soli. So I'd stay with those, tho I'd wear them together, both below your e-ring. That would make more of *them*, and take away from them surrounding your e-ring. The outer two bands, I'd wear together on your other hand, if they fit.

And that's just my best suggestions. But, as I always say, all taste is subjective.

Good luck!

Congratulations on the upgrade! The 3.5 looks amazing on your hand!

I would probably wear your anniversary bands on the other hand and let the honker on your left shine on its own (with the wedding bands)! As for your wedding bands, if they are a ring insert, does that mean the jeweler just swapped out the heads on your ring to make the 3.5ct fit? Or just essentially made the 3.5ct fit in the space of the 1.5ct? I’m not sure that that is very secure. It may be safer to have the whole set remade. You wouldn’t want to lose your gorgeous upgrade!

Thats the only issue is right now it is all saudered as the insert means that the solitaire drops down in between it so its actually one piece that the engagement solitaire sits down in, I guess I could have them leave that and take the outer 2 bands off and wear them on the other hand? But they said they set it NSEW Because of the cathedral on the wedding band insert they said due to size the prongs wouldn't fit the other way! Attached below is a photo of the insert by itself and then the solitaire inside of it stock photos ATTACH=full]965756[/ATTACH]

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Thats the only issue is right now it is all saudered as the insert means that the solitaire drops down in between it so its actually one piece that the engagement solitaire sits down in, I guess I could have them leave that and take the outer 2 bands off and wear them on the other hand? But they said they set it NSEW Because of the cathedral on the wedding band insert they said due to size the prongs wouldn't fit the other way! Attached below is a photo of the insert by itself and then the solitaire inside of it stock photos ATTACH=full]965756[/ATTACH]

Just to confirm, the ring itself was made new/to fit your ring, but they did it this way to fit your wedding band?

I would personally want to get it redone to make it fit, I’m sure they can use the gold and diamonds from your wedding set in the reset to maintain the sentimental value. But if the ring was made specifically for your stone, there won’t be a safety concern, so you don’t need to!

 

[mrs-b]

Ok - it all makes sense now.

So - this is what I would do. It's not what you asked and I'll admit right off the bat - it's probably not what you want to do. But here it is, for pure aesthetics sake, given that I have a pretty fair idea what you paid to upgrade from 1.5 to 3.5ct. A diamond like that deserves all kinds of respect, so here it is..... (and, by the way - can we have the stats on that beauty pls?)

I'd dismantle/disconnect all 5 of the rings entirely. Have the melee removed and the metal melted down and have the 2 side rings remade, using the original stones and metal, into a double row wedding band. There would be no cathedral effect - it would simply be a double row band. And then I'd reset the solitaire with 6 prongs - or even 8, frankly. If you want the 4 prong effect - then I'd do 4 double claws. If you like 6 - then I'd so 6. But no way just 4.

So then you'd have your ering with a double row wedding band below it, made from your original diamonds and metal.

For the outer 2 bands, I'd have them remade also, using the diamonds and metal again, for a right hand ring. or a small pair of 'diamond huggies' earrings. Either would be really pretty and nothing would be wasted. You'd have a more traditional look, and your wedding ring would be reminiscent of your original ring - but more classical and less likely to date.

 

[haleyn17]

Just to confirm, the ring itself was made new/to fit your ring, but they did it this way to fit your wedding band?

I would personally want to get it redone to make it fit, I’m sure they can use the gold and diamonds from your wedding set in the reset to maintain the sentimental value. But if the ring was made specifically for your stone, there won’t be a safety concern, so you don’t need to!

Correct they used a whole new shank and prong setting to fit the new center stone.

 

[Leigh10]

Ok - it all makes sense now.

So - this is what I would do. It's not what you asked and I'll admit right off the bat - it's probably not what you want to do. But here it is, for pure aesthetics sake, given that I have a pretty fair idea what you paid to upgrade from 1.5 to 3.5ct. A diamond like that deserves all kinds of respect, so here it is..... (and, by the way - can we have the stats on that beauty pls?)

I'd dismantle/disconnect all 5 of the rings entirely. Have the melee removed and the metal melted down and have the 2 side rings remade, using the original stones and metal, into a double row wedding band. There would be no cathedral effect - it would simply be a double row band. And then I'd reset the solitaire with 6 prongs - or even 8, frankly. If you want the 4 prong effect - then I'd do 4 double claws. If you like 6 - then I'd so 6. But no way just 4.

So then you'd have your ering with a double row wedding band below it, made from your original diamonds and metal.

For the outer 2 bands, I'd have them remade also, using the diamonds and metal again, for a right hand ring. or a small pair of 'diamond huggies' earrings. Either would be really pretty and nothing would be wasted. You'd have a more traditional look, and your wedding ring would be reminiscent of your original ring - but more classical and less likely to date.

Excellent suggestions!

 

[haleyn17]

I am a very visual person I am sorry. So is this essentially what you are referring to with a double band under engagement ring?

 

[mrs-b]

I am a very visual person I am sorry. So is this essentially what you are referring to with a double band under engagement ring?

No. 2 separate rings. One is the ering with a plain shank. The second is a diamond wedding ring, with 2 bands of diamonds.

Imagine the ring you posted immediately above, with no large diamond in the middle. Just 2 bands of melee-sized diamonds. That would be the wedding ring, made from your metal and diamonds. Then, a second ring, which is your solitaire, with a plain band. That would sit above the wedding band (not soldered).

If anyone can help me out here with pictures, that would be great.

 

[mrs-b]

Here you go:



Thanks to @Kiwibird85 who originally posted this image.

 

[mrs-b]

And here is @mommylawyer's version IRL:



Just an absolutely classic set, and you'd never say that the band/s overpower the ering. Plenty of bling, that works together.

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

@haleyn17 to offer another suggestion, you could also have your ring insert remade into two single bands (without the cathedral bit) so that you can choose to wear it the way you originally did, or the way @mrs-b recommends. For added flexibility. Either way though, I would explore the option for sure, and definitely choose to reset your ering into a more protective and secure setting!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I think such a large and lovely diamond deserves a custom, well made mounting. So I agree with Mrs B and would start from scratch with the setting so I was not constrained by any of the existing pieces.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Yes, I too would just start over. I think you could make a much better look of the ering with wedding band. I think @Mrs-b’s suggestion makes perfect sense!

 

[haleyn17]

Here you go:



Thanks to @Kiwibird85 who originally posted this image.

Oh yeah I do like that, do you think they could take my existing bands and make that cause from when I met with the place today they are making it sound like that would cost more than the diamond upgrade?? I'm wondering if I shouldn't have them just take it apart and just have the engagement ring on the plain solitaire and then take it to someone else to have them remake it, my issue right now also is that my husband bought the lifetime warranty from them and in the state it is in currently saudered I would have to have it unsaudered and i can't have anyone but their jeweler work on it without voiding warranty.

 

[mrs-b]

Oh yeah I do like that, do you think they could take my existing bands and make that cause from when I met with the place today they are making it sound like that would cost more than the diamond upgrade?? I'm wondering if I shouldn't have them just take it apart and just have the engagement ring on the plain solitaire and then take it to someone else to have them remake it, my issue right now also is that my husband bought the lifetime warranty from them and in the state it is in currently saudered I would have to have it unsaudered and i can't have anyone but their jeweler work on it without voiding warranty.

It can definitely be done. But given the work they've shown so far, I would suggest switching jewelers.

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Oh yeah I do like that, do you think they could take my existing bands and make that cause from when I met with the place today they are making it sound like that would cost more than the diamond upgrade?? I'm wondering if I shouldn't have them just take it apart and just have the engagement ring on the plain solitaire and then take it to someone else to have them remake it, my issue right now also is that my husband bought the lifetime warranty from them and in the state it is in currently saudered I would have to have it unsaudered and i can't have anyone but their jeweler work on it without voiding warranty.

I don’t live in the US so perhaps I’m coming at it from the wrong idea of pricing, but they suggested that upgrading your ring to a 3.5 carat would be cheaper than remaking these rings?!

Where I live, this project wouldn’t cost more than a few hundred dollars at most. I know the US is expensive though for labour. Still, how much could it be?

I know getting someone else to touch the rings would void their warranty, but their work isn’t great. I would suggest switching jewelers as well, and people here may be able to suggest good ones. I see David Klass suggested a lot on here.

 

[Dreamer_D]

It’s true that you won’t save much reusing the small diamonds in a new band. Most of the cost is labour and gold in that context. If you don’t have a sentimental attachment to the rings I’d start over there too. Any jewler can do this work. I’m not sure what the warranty supposedly covers but usually those aren’t worth much at all.

From what you said about the cost of the work relative to your upgrade I assume it’s a lab diamond? It might change the math on how you are thinking about this work and these changes. You can still purchase a setting made by Stuller for example for not very much, they have many beautiful designs. But I would go to a different jeweler for that personally. It sounds like you might have been working with a chain retailer up to this point and they are going to over charge and under-deliver on quality.

If you don’t want to do that then personally I would unsolder the rings and wear the solitaire paired with a plain gold band as that feels like a cleaner look that will keep the focus on the main diamond.

 

[mrs-b]

From what you said about the cost of the work relative to your upgrade I assume it’s a lab diamond?

If so, that might change things.

@haleyn17 - *if* this is a lab diamond, ask the mods to move this thread to the lab diamond forum. And if it's not, and you have a jeweler who suggested to you that resetting the bands or the ering would be almost as much as the upgrade cost, then you *definitely* need a new jeweler!

 

[haleyn17]

It’s true that you won’t save much reusing the small diamonds in a new band. Most of the cost is labour and gold in that context. If you don’t have a sentimental attachment to the rings I’d start over there too. Any jewler can do this work. I’m not sure what the warranty supposedly covers but usually those aren’t worth much at all.

From what you said about the cost of the work relative to your upgrade I assume it’s a lab diamond? It might change the math on how you are thinking about this work and these changes. You can still purchase a setting made by Stuller for example for not very much, they have many beautiful designs. But I would go to a different jeweler for that personally. It sounds like you might have been working with a chain retailer up to this point and they are going to over charge and under-deliver on quality.

If you don’t want to do that then personally I would unsolder the rings and wear the solitaire paired with a plain gold band as that feels like a cleaner look that will keep the focus on the main diamond.

Yes unfortunately the original ring is from rogers and hollands so our lifetime protection plan would be void on the diamond or all the rings while they are saudered. Not worried about losing the lifetime protection on the surrounding bands as those aren't worth much after you buy them anyway so yeah thought about just having it all separated and seeing another jeweler for their quote on what could be done with it. I asked about taking the insert out and resetting them in a paved style engagement band to hold the center stone and that's when she told me it would be more than the diamond due to labor costs but I also feel like you are right with the corporation over charging and under delivering custom work. I plan on going to a local jeweler this week and getting their advice and a quote on what could be done

 

[haleyn17]

It also is a lab grown diamond. Which I feel like have the most sparkle my last one also was a lab grown my husband hand picked to put in my engagement ring

 

[haleyn17]

I also have a secondary insurance policy on everything so I'm not really worried about losing the protection so much on the wedding bands as those are not as pricey to replace

 

[MissGotRocks]

This will probably be moved to the lab grown forum shortly. If you don't see your thread about your ring, look there.

 

[haleyn17]

Only thing lab grown is center stone not bands and surround diamonds which I'm referring to as the area I needed advice

 

[elle_chris]

Congrats on your upgrade.

I have a 3.76ct that's in a 6 prong solitaire and just switch out bands with it.
In your case, I'd have it reset, and just wear one, maybe two bands at at time with it.

Keep it simple with a stone that size.

 

[haleyn17]

Thats what I'm thinking it definitely needs simplified I liked this setting better with the smaller stone. They basically told us it would be an even swap as far as changing the prongs and diamond went but didn't say it would completely change the look of the ring. Do you have photos of yours?

 

[elle_chris]

Thats what I'm thinking it definitely needs simplified I liked this setting better with the smaller stone. They basically told us it would be an even swap as far as changing the prongs and diamond went but didn't say it would completely change the look of the ring. Do you have photos of yours?

Oh, I have a ton of photos . These are some of the bands I wear with mine