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Help! Channel set not what I expected!

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dantes67

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I ordered a .66 ctw, 11-stone channel set wedding band for wife for Christmas. When I ordered it I asked if they could make sure that the stones were flush up against each other because I did not like the look of gaps between the stones. I was told they could do that and it was even noted on the order.

I received the ring today and sure enough, there are gaps between the stones. The ring & stones are beautiful and the gaps all seem to be equidistant so it''s not a matter of poor craftsmanship. I called the vendor back (an on-line vendor highly-touted on Pricescope who for the time being will remain nameless) and was told by the production manager that they noted my request but could not place the stones flush with one another because it could end up causing damage to the stones when they cast(? - don''t know if that''s the right term) the ring. He said they left as small a gap as possible.

The reputation of this online vendor gives me no reason to doubt him but I''ve seen several other rings in my search that had the stones flush. I called another Pricscope online vendor and asked them about their channel set rings and they assured me that the process they use allows the stones to be flush against one another.

I''m obviously a novice so I''m asking for the opinions of others. The ring I ordered is fairly simple but I had to do a custom order because they did not have the exact ring I wanted. Custom = no returns. I was hesitant at first to order a non-retrunable ring but there were so many glowing reports on these boards that I went ahead.

What are my options? Thanks!
 

Cehrabehra

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Date: 12/20/2006 2:59:47 PM
Author:dantes67
I ordered a .66 ctw, 11-stone channel set wedding band for wife for Christmas. When I ordered it I asked if they could make sure that the stones were flush up against each other because I did not like the look of gaps between the stones. I was told they could do that and it was even noted on the order.

I received the ring today and sure enough, there are gaps between the stones. The ring & stones are beautiful and the gaps all seem to be equidistant so it''s not a matter of poor craftsmanship. I called the vendor back (an on-line vendor highly-touted on Pricescope who for the time being will remain nameless) and was told by the production manager that they noted my request but could not place the stones flush with one another because it could end up causing damage to the stones when they cast(? - don''t know if that''s the right term) the ring. He said they left as small a gap as possible.

The reputation of this online vendor gives me no reason to doubt him but I''ve seen several other rings in my search that had the stones flush. I called another Pricscope online vendor and asked them about their channel set rings and they assured me that the process they use allows the stones to be flush against one another.

I''m obviously a novice so I''m asking for the opinions of others. The ring I ordered is fairly simple but I had to do a custom order because they did not have the exact ring I wanted. Custom = no returns. I was hesitant at first to order a non-retrunable ring but there were so many glowing reports on these boards that I went ahead.

What are my options? Thanks!
channel set doesn''t give an illusion of flushness that beadset does.... the stones can''t touch but they can be close. I have a 10 stone channel set band on right now I could take a pic of.... do you have a pic of yours??
 

upgrading mama

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what shape are they??rounds won''t sit flush, but square cuts can ) I have a princess channel band with no gaps..
 

belle

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a picture would be GREAT
 

Kaleigh

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Date: 12/20/2006 3:26:52 PM
Author: belle
a picture would be GREAT
Ditto!!!
 

mrssalvo

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I agree a picture would help but channel set stones will all have a gap, that's what channel set is, there is no way for rounds to sit flush...

channel set rounds:
31.jpg


shared prong rounds:

37.jpg


pave, done with small stones:

09QQ18.jpg
 

dantes67

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The quickest way for me to attach a photo would be sending you the pics the online vendor sent me and I don''t want to identify them right now. The ring is beautiful and they''ve been very helpful and even got the ring to me 2 days earlier than expected. I don''t want to "complain" about them in Pricescope if my request/expectation may not have been feasible.

Sophie, mrssalvo & Cehrabehra all stated that round stones (which they are) cannot sit flush. I''m not disagreeing but why do you say that? What''s the reason they can''t sit flush, side-by-sde?
 

Bunnifer

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Date: 12/20/2006 3:59:54 PM
Author: dantes67
The quickest way for me to attach a photo would be sending you the pics the online vendor sent me and I don''t want to identify them right now. The ring is beautiful and they''ve been very helpful and even got the ring to me 2 days earlier than expected. I don''t want to ''complain'' about them in Pricescope if my request/expectation may not have been feasible.


Sophie, mrssalvo & Cehrabehra all stated that round stones (which they are) cannot sit flush. I''m not disagreeing but why do you say that? What''s the reason they can''t sit flush, side-by-sde?

I''m certainly no expert, but rounds really can''t sit flush because of the nature of their shape -- even sitting next to each other as close as possible, they will have only one point of contact. The rest of the area in-between will be a gap, like mrssalvo''s first pic.

I''m not sure what you had in mind as a "flush" channel set for RBs, but could you post a picture (NOT of the current ring but one that exemplifies what you had in mind)? I''m not sure that I can picture it in my head...
 

mrssalvo

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dantes, if the girdles on round stones touch each other there will still be holes where the rounds are curved they aren''t straight lines so they can''t fit perfectly straight. the hole can be filled with metal/beads like the pave rings or the shared prong rings have prongs filling the gaps. also, girdle to girdle rounds touching is how they chip one another. it''s why many folks have had problems with shared prong rings scratching their solitaire settings or if it''s 2 shared prong rings next to each other the overhang, if there is any can damage the stone it hits. To me, it sounds like your vendor did the best they could getting the stones as close as possible but your definition and explaination of what you wanted and what channel set is probably left your sales assoc. confused. by the way, identifying the vendor is fine and it can help us see what you are talking about.
 

Dee*Jay

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Date: 12/20/2006 3:59:54 PM
Author: dantes67


Sophie, mrssalvo & Cehrabehra all stated that round stones (which they are) cannot sit flush. I'm not disagreeing but why do you say that? What's the reason they can't sit flush, side-by-sde?

Because they don't have flat sides. With round stones the part of each stone that protrudes the most (based on a static position) will be against the part of the neighboring stone that protrudes the most, and the stones will curve from that point.


ETA: Mrs. S. and I must have been typing at the same time!
 

mrssalvo

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ok, here''s a channel set asscher band..no gaps..staight lines of the stones make it possible:

7070.jpg
 

dantes67

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I guess I should clarify what I mean by "gap". I know there will be gaps due to the round stones (one small point of contact). What I wanted was all of the stones to sit flush, girdle to girdle. I understand a princess or asscher or radiant cut by the nature of their shape would sit flush. I''m simply saying I wanted each of the stones to be touching, girdle to girdle.
 

Cehrabehra

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Date: 12/20/2006 3:59:54 PM
Author: dantes67
The quickest way for me to attach a photo would be sending you the pics the online vendor sent me and I don''t want to identify them right now. The ring is beautiful and they''ve been very helpful and even got the ring to me 2 days earlier than expected. I don''t want to ''complain'' about them in Pricescope if my request/expectation may not have been feasible.

Sophie, mrssalvo & Cehrabehra all stated that round stones (which they are) cannot sit flush. I''m not disagreeing but why do you say that? What''s the reason they can''t sit flush, side-by-sde?
dante - we all know who made the ring, this isn''t your first post LOL People are allowed to be disappointed - it sounds to me like this is more of a miscommunication than that they did anything wrong anyway - unless you post the pics and there are huge gaps. Just post the pic already!!
 

Dee*Jay

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Oh--now your question makes sense! I couldn''t imagine that you couldn''t figure out why round stones didn''t sit flush all the way, LOL.

So, you''re saying that the stones aren''t touching? Definitely need pics at this point...
 

Cehrabehra

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Date: 12/20/2006 3:59:54 PM
Author: dantes67
The quickest way for me to attach a photo would be sending you the pics the online vendor sent me and I don''t want to identify them right now. The ring is beautiful and they''ve been very helpful and even got the ring to me 2 days earlier than expected. I don''t want to ''complain'' about them in Pricescope if my request/expectation may not have been feasible.

Sophie, mrssalvo & Cehrabehra all stated that round stones (which they are) cannot sit flush. I''m not disagreeing but why do you say that? What''s the reason they can''t sit flush, side-by-sde?
if you put a round cup in a square box - are the corners filled? If you put two round cups in a rectangular box - are their spacesbetween and around them? The only way you''re going to fill a long rectangle is with squares or rectangles circles do not simply fit into square boxes all that well. Hence the old adage about square pegs and round holes. It doesn''t work that way either ;-)
 

Cehrabehra

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Date: 12/20/2006 4:20:47 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Oh--now your question makes sense! I couldn''t imagine that you couldn''t figure out why round stones didn''t sit flush all the way, LOL.

So, you''re saying that the stones aren''t touching? Definitely need pics at this point...
ditto - need pics.
 

AndyRosse

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Definitely need pics!
 

mrssalvo

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well, the vendor was honest in the reason they told you. round stones can damage one another if they are touching and the vendor thinks that casting the ring with them touching will cause them damage. I guess the sales person should have explained that to you so you understood on the front end that there is no way for rounds to touch in a channel set setting but again, channel settings have a definition of their own and if you said you wanted a channel setting that's what they did. WF will never risk their integrity and workmanship to produce a product that isn't safe or sturcturally sound IMO. I also believe there is a partial refund (80%??) if you are really unhappy. I'll have to check their website though and see if their policy has changed since I bought from them.

ETA: well I see they did change their policy to no refunds on custom so you'll probably have to see what you can work out with them if you are truly unhappy, but since you ordered a channel set band and they gave you a channel set band you really don't have a case for a refund.
 

dantes67

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I''m a very accomplished web surfer but pretty inept when it comes to anything else computer related. I tried to attach the file with my pics but the file is too big and I don''t know how to make the necessary adjustments to condense it.

Now that others have mentioned the ring is from WF, let me say again the ACA stones are beautiful and they got me the ring ahead of schedule. I would certainly work with them again although I would probably do a few things differently.

I decided to show the ring to some of the ladies I work with (various ages). All of them thought the ring was beautiful and nobody commented on the "gaps". I''m fairly confident that my wife won''t have a big problem with it so I likely won''t look to send it back to make any changes.

I guess after hearing so many people comment on how their WF ring exceeded their expectation I was disappointed that it didn''t turn out how I''d anticipated.
 

mrssalvo

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dantes, I''m sorry you are disappointed, that defintely is no fun. However, do you have pictures somewhere of a ring like you were wanting them to make with no gaps? sometimes our disappointment comes from inaccurate expectations which is what it sounds like here. again, I''m sorry and if you said you wanted the stones touching and the WF rep didn''t explain why that''s not possible I clearly see how that would be surprising but the ring sounds like it was made exactly how a channel set ring is supposed to be made. sounds like you just don''t really like channel set rings????
 

dantes67

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No, I like channel sets a great deal. Again, I envisioned each of the stones touching girdle to girdle (apparently I threw everyone off by using the word "gap"). Using the cup analogy mentioned earlier, I envision the "cups" in a square box sitting as close to each other as possible - the lip of each cup in contact with the lip of the cup next to it.

I know I''ve seen other rings in person where the round stones sit girdle to girdle. Maybe I''m not seeing with my naked eye that these stones have been compromised by setting them in such a way. I just know the space between the stones on my ring seems a bit larger than other comparable rings.

And I don''t want to overstate my disappointment. I went with WF and paid a bit more to get the ACA stone melee and I''m still excited about giving my wife the ring. I haven''t figured out yet how I''m going to be able to wait another 5 days. She has no idea she''s getting this and I''m sure she''ll love it.
 

mrssalvo

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well, pricescopers tend to be way more caught up in the tiny details that most people don''t see, you''re a pricescoper now and i''m impressed you even recognize and can desribe the setting. my hubby wouldn''t know the difference b/t any of the styles I posted in this thread. I''m sure your wife will be beyond thrilled
1.gif
 

dantes67

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Thanks, mrssalvo. When I make a big purchase I like to do a lot of research. All of you in the Pricescope forum have been given me a great education thanks to your intelligent posts and willingness to answer those who come here with questions. My weeks of lurking before I actually posted were a big help and I appreciate everyone''s input.
 

Cehrabehra

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I just took some pics of my ring for you - and mine are butted up one against the other, but the quality is inferior. Mine is a 1/2 carat 10 stone ring - so these are .05 stones or 5 pointers. This ring really hasn''t been cleaned or polished in ::muffles voice:: 13 years either so I apologize for that lol But hey! santa''s getting me an US I think :D Anyway, I''d like to see the pics of your ring... I bet it''s gorgeous. They might also have spaced it the way they did to get full coverage across the band... I dunno... you can see where the stones end on mine. If mine had ACA stones I''d want there to be a bit of gap to protect them.... but not too much...

cbchan1.jpg
 

Stone Hunter

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Please post a photo. Then we can compare it to the one Cehra posted.

I am sorry you were expecting something different than what you got. But, your wife will be just thrilled with the surprise.
 

innerkitten

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My wedding ring has a strip of channel set diamonds that seem to be round and they are close enough so that i do not see any gaps.
 

kenny

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I would not want two diamonds mounted so they touch.

Materials expand when hot and contract when cold.
If a row of diamonds were set so they all touched and were firmly held in place couldn't they chip each other when they and the metal holding them expand and contract?

I think it is possible there is a very tiny gap between the stones in many designs that look like they are touching.
Where's that microscope?

Calling all experts:
Do competent jewelers set rows of diamonds to they actually touch?
 

Cehrabehra

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Date: 12/21/2006 12:21:28 AM
Author: kenny
I would not want two diamonds mounted so they touch.

Materials expand when hot and contract when cold.
If a row of diamonds were set so they all touched and were firmly held in place couldn''t they chip each other when they and the metal holding them expand and contract?

I think it is possible there is a very tiny gap between the stones in many designs that look like they are touching.
Where''s that microscope?

Calling all experts:
Do competent jewelers set rows of diamonds to they actually touch?
kenny- I think you''d be hardpressed to find an expert that would say - sure let them touch! I''m not sure I care if mine touch or chip for that matter....they''re awful small lol
 

Londonchris

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Ok,lets straighten this mess out!

Round channel set stones CAN touch girdles no problem (looks best as well).
Obviously bigger stones create bigger "gaps" but they can still touch.
It is not UNSAFE for the stones UNLESS #1 jeweller needs to make ring bigger or #2 stones overlap.
The reason for the gaps and the vendors response is the key word "CAST".
This means the stones are set into a WAX model and then the molten gold gets poured into a mould (basically).
The gap are necessary here otherwise the rush of hot metal would/could cause the stones to crush together and be damaged.
IF you want touching stones they generally are set by HAND by people like ME who can then adjust each stone one by one.
THIS setting in wax is a great idea for big companies and can be used for some very tricky designs which are very very difficult to hand set.
It`s much quicker and cheaper BUT it takes work away from the real craftspeople.
I guess thats technology for you.

Hope that helps.
 

Mokey

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Dantes, I know exactly how you feel. I would rather them touch, but that is the OCD in me coming out. I would accept the gaps IF they are uniform with all of the stones. I hate to see channel set rings that some have gaps, some are touching, some gaps are bigger than the other, all in the same channel! If the gaps are all even, then there explanation makes sense and as long as the gap isn''t huge I am sure it will be stunning. You can also send the pics to the mods and they will post them for you. We would all love to see them!
 
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