HELP...Increasing size of side stones for ring setting

[LIGemzGal]

Hi Everyone---So glad I found this forum. I could certainly use any suggestions. I've been struggling with the sizing of the last set of stones needed to finalize the re-build of my engagement ring. As the years have gone by my tastes have changed. I'm no longer interested in diamond center (Surprise) but have swerved over to colored gemstones, and also decided to "piece" together/build this ring myself, if you will. I found this mounting on Stuller and it is what I've based my stone purchases upon.

14K White 8x8 mm Asscher Engagement Ring Mounting

123960 / Engagement Ring / Unset / 14K White / Asscher / 8 x 8 mm / Polished / Engagement Ring Mounting

www.stuller.com

I've been loving yellow sapphires and so I purchased a 3.35 Ceylon unheated/untreated octagonal/Asscher cut sapphire--GIA certed as my center stone--just arrived yesterday--its gorgeous!. The two side stones are round brilliants which are each .30 and E/IF and of course GIA certed. I'm now searching for the melee stones along the shank, which I'm hoping to have them in the D/E/F range and either ideal cut or H&A, if possible. The current sizing of the melee in the Stuller mounting is .01 or 1.5 mm. I'd like the melee to be a bit larger, so I planned on modifying the shank from having ten .01 stones to having two larger stones on each side with each stone being .15 (3.45 mm) and .10 (3.0 mm). My ultimate question is do you think the side stones that I want to use are too large to where it would make the ring look awkward? I'm going for the WOW factor but don't want to be trashy/cheap looking. Honest thoughts/opinions appreciated. Have a wonderful evening and thank you for reading my long post!

 

[DauphineMucha]

Photos of your sapphire would help.

 

[LIGemzGal]

As requested----photos of the sapphire

 

[LIGemzGal]

Here are the two .30 side stones I purchased:

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD14203135

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD13029291

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I think

As requested----photos of the sapphire

its going to look amazing !
Far far far away from cheap and trashy

But pick what you like,
for you,
its you who will be looking at it all day,
Its your money paying for it,
do it because you absolutely love everything about it 100%

 

[tyty333]

I think if you are going to the effort to buy your own stones that I* would have bought better matching side stones.
Your first stone does not appear to be cut that well (high crown/high pavilion). One has a table of 56 the other 60 which
may not be that big of an issue because they are on either side of a stone but if I* was going to the effort I would have
made sure the tables were closer in size and both were well-cut.

You can play around with diamdb.com a little to see how the .15 will look next to your .3 stones and how the
.15 will look next to the .10. Some people cut the circles out and put them side by side to see the sizing but that may
be difficult with this size stones

I used the default sizes but you might want to enter the real numbers on your .3 stones.

2.85ct Asscher (7.96×7.96×5.17) vs 0.3ct Round (4.35×4.35×2.62)

Compare 2.85 carat Asscher (7.96×7.96×5.17mm) vs 0.3 carat Round (4.35×4.35×2.62mm) on actual diamond size and finger coverage (58.29mm² vs 14.86mm²)

www.diamdb.com

0.3ct Round (4.35×4.35×2.62) vs 0.15ct Round (3.45×3.45×2.08)

Compare 0.3 carat Round (4.35×4.35×2.62mm) vs 0.15 carat Round (3.45×3.45×2.08mm) on actual diamond size and finger coverage (14.86mm² vs 9.35mm²)

www.diamdb.com

0.15ct Round (3.45×3.45×2.08) vs 0.1ct Round (3.02×3.02×1.82)

Compare 0.15 carat Round (3.45×3.45×2.08mm) vs 0.1 carat Round (3.02×3.02×1.82mm) on actual diamond size and finger coverage (9.35mm² vs 7.16mm²)

www.diamdb.com

Just looking at the different sizes in diamdb...they seem like they will work well together.

Have you asked stuller whats the best they have to offer in the .15 and .10 sizes?

Edit...another thing you want to double check on is the depth of your stone compared to a diamond. From diamdb it looks like
close to an 8mm diamond depth will be around 5.17mm. If you're stone is a lot deeper it will set differently next to the stones
on either side (dont want to block them from view). May or may not be an issue but want to make sure.

Edit...this is sort of what I'm talking about.
Here is a 3 stone example from DK where it looks like the side stones are raised a little bit so that you can see them from the top.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[partgypsy]

My take: the size of the center stone plus side stones is going to take up a lot of finger real estate. The tiny melee for that style of ring is for some decoration of the shank of the ring (pretty hidden by your fingers). I'm not sure adding more stones there will give you a lot more wow factor, and may actually be a little annoying on the hand?

 

[Polyhex]

I think it will look amazing. You should post your finger size and the dimensions in mm of the yellow sapphire, I see a comment above that the sapphire may take up too much finger real estate but sapphires are heavier than diamonds and usually cut deeper to increase the color. So the mm dimensions of your gorgeous yellow sapphire will help.

For the comment you received about the .30 stones not matching, a 4% table difference on a 4.25mm stone is going to be 0.17mm difference and very very hard to ever notice in real life. I think you did a wonderful job picking the stones.

 

[LIGemzGal]

My take: the size of the center stone plus side stones is going to take up a lot of finger real estate. The tiny melee for that style of ring is for some decoration of the shank of the ring (pretty hidden by your fingers). I'm not sure adding more stones there will give you a lot more wow factor, and may actually be a little annoying on the hand?

Good point and I definitely thought this as well. I wear a size 6.25 on that finger so I was concerned about how much "real estate" all of the stones would take up on my finger; and whether the larger melee would be hidden. Maybe it's just me wanting "more"!

 

[LIGemzGal]

I think it will look amazing. You should post your finger size and the dimensions in mm of the yellow sapphire, I see a comment above that the sapphire may take up too much finger real estate but sapphires are heavier than diamonds and usually cut deeper to increase the color. So the mm dimensions of your gorgeous yellow sapphire will help.

For the comment you received about the .30 stones not matching, a 4% table difference on a 4.25mm stone is going to be 0.17mm difference and very very hard to ever notice in real life. I think you did a wonderful job picking the stones.

My finger size is 6.25. The dimensions of the sapphire are 7.96 x 7.71 x 5.96 mm. You are !00% correct in that sapphires are heavier than diamonds and this one is definitely cut deeper than a similarly sized 8x8 diamond Asscher would be. I do agree with you about the very small difference between the .30 diamonds. I don't think it'll make any noticeable difference visually. Especially since they'll be seated either side of a colored gemstone. Although I must admit that I would have preferred a slightly smaller table than the 60% on the first stone---it doesn't really sit in the ideal range, but I digress. I can't lie, I do prefer whiter less inclusive diamonds so that was my ultimate goal. My first engagement ring was an H VS2 H&A that I purchased from Good Old Gold. Loved that ring like I love my kids!!! (Ha ha) Although it was in the near colorless range, the freaking fire that that stone exhibited was out of this world. People would notice the stone before they noticed me! Jonathan at GoG, and the entire team, were phenomenal when we purchased that stone. But unfortunately we had to sell it back to them due to dire financial straits at that time. But again, I digress. Although I'm a huge fan of H&A stones, and would have loved for the two .30 stones to have been that I simply just couldnt afford to purchase E VVS H&As right now. And I sort of didn't feel that it was necessary considering the color and clarity of these stones. I'd really prefer for the melee to be H&A (I know some people frown upon melee H&A) because they will undoubtedly give the ring even more fire. But again, that's just me wanting more

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Who is setting these stones? Because the one selling the setting and setting the stones should be ordering the excellent cut melee to set in the setting. That's all you need, excellent cut, D-E color, VS clarity.

I would make all the melee stones the same size. Adding two larger stones next to your 30 point side stones will not be a good move, in my opinion. I'd stick with the .01 for the shank.

 

[LIGemzGal]

Who is setting these stones? Because the one selling the setting and setting the stones should be ordering the excellent cut melee to set in the setting. That's all you need, excellent cut, D-E color, VS clarity.

I would make all the melee stones the same size. Adding two larger stones next to your 30 point side stones will not be a good move, in my opinion. I'd stick with the .01 for the shank.

Because I am modifying the Stuller mounting, I am now having the mounting custom made by a jeweler in California. I've given them the dimensions of all of my stones except the melee, since I'm still indecisive about that. They are creating the new mounting based upon the size of the stones as well as in relation to the Stuller mounting, so I don't anticipate any issues there. They will ship the mounting to me and I will have my local jeweler set them.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

To be honest, I think you are making a mistake. The maker of the setting needs to set the stones. David Klass is a jeweler in CA that hundreds of PS members have used for custom work. He would do CADs for you to approve. He would order the melee for the shank. What if your local jeweler doesn't do a good job on the prongs? You might have to have the whole ring remade. No one can start on this project until you decide on the shank size. Does this person making the mounting provide you with CADs? I can tell you after being on this forum for almost 15 years that when you have a custom setting made, that jeweler is the one who should order the melee and set the stones. That way, if there are any issues, that one person is responsible. I would venture to say that most local jewelers do not have benches at the skill level of those who are known for custom work. The setting of the stones is very important and good prong work requires skill. Do a search on here and see some of David Klass' work. There are other great ring makers, but he is reasonable and does do CADs and has high quality work.

 

[bright&shiny]

@tyty333 This is amazing - thank you for sharing this! I'm looking to set a 'soon to be mine stone' in a 3 stone setting. What a great tool!!!!

 

[LIGemzGal]

To be honest, I think you are making a mistake. The maker of the setting needs to set the stones. David Klass is a jeweler in CA that hundreds of PS members have used for custom work. He would do CADs for you to approve. He would order the melee for the shank. What if your local jeweler doesn't do a good job on the prongs? You might have to have the whole ring remade. No one can start on this project until you decide on the shank size. Does this person making the mounting provide you with CADs? I can tell you after being on this forum for almost 15 years that when you have a custom setting made, that jeweler is the one who should order the melee and set the stones. That way, if there are any issues, that one person is responsible. I would venture to say that most local jewelers do not have benches at the skill level of those who are known for custom work. The setting of the stones is very important and good prong work requires skill. Do a search on here and see some of David Klass' work. There are other great ring makers, but he is reasonable and does do CADs and has high quality work.

Obviously I will be provided with CAD images by the person making the mounting. What reputable designer wouldn't provide those and what person with half a brain wouldn't ask for them? I've sent the measurements for all of my stones to them, and that's what they're basing their CAD images upon. It's fine that you're a fan of David Klass's work, but very unfair and biased to assume that I or anyone else, would have a bad experience if they don't utilize David Klass and highly unfair to assume that we'd select someone grossly incompetent when we're spending $$$$ already. Frankly, the skill set of the person who is making my mounting is not even a concern of mine because I've already seen their work. And you are 100% incorrect in that the maker of the setting needs to set the stones. Many many people purchase settings separately and have their stones set elsewhere. I live in NYC and can have my stones set anywhere, my local jeweler (Good Old Gold is a few towns over from me and where I purchased my first engagement ring at---thanks Jonathan!) or anywhere in the diamond district where the folks who work there do settings all day and all night in their sleep (hypothetically speaking). And they have the tools and capability to rectify any immediate issues with the melee or stones---should any issues arise. I appreciate the concern.

 

[Myshinybestlife]

You are right most jewellers would give you a CAD and work with you till its confirmed.
I can't wait to see what you come up with, I love the concept of bigger stones for the side stones. Good choice with a custom setting. It definitely gives you the flexibility to change things around. I am working on a ring with chunkier side stones too

 

[LIGemzGal]

You are right most jewellers would give you a CAD and work with you till its confirmed.
I can't wait to see what you come up with, I love the concept of bigger stones for the side stones. Good choice with a custom setting. It definitely gives you the flexibility to change things around. I am working on a ring with chunkier side stones too

Nice. Would love to see how that turns out!

 

[LIGemzGal]

Finally nailed down the 6 melee for the shank, which I just purchased from K. Rosengart (who was super friendly and helpful by the way). Color in the D-G range but she told me to request E in the comments and she'd make sure that's what they are; and they are VVS clarity and H&A. They are in the size range 3.00 to 3.05 mm or an approx carat weight each of .107. I am so thrilled that I stumbled upon her website. I've sent those measurements to the jeweler to incorporate into the shank design. Finally feel like this is going somewhere!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, center stones are set all the time by another jeweler. Most people buy ready made settings with melee stones already set. You were speaking of having one person make the metal setting, you buy all the melee stones, and someone else set them. That is definitely not common. The reason I warn people is we have seen many setting problems on this forum over the years. If the setter cracks a diamond (or your center stone) that he didn't provide during setting, I will assume you've discussed who will be responsible for that, since it sounds like you have all your bases covered.

Just FYI, I have never used David Klass for a project of my own, so I am in no way pushing him for any reason other than he successfully makes alterations to existing designs all the time, sources the melee, and sets everything with nice quality and fair pricing. Also, top quality hand forged benches (Victor Canera, Leon Mege, Steven Kirsch, etc) generally do not provide CADs, because they make the rings by hand and do not provide more than a drawing, usually. I am very glad your bench jeweler is highly skilled. I am assuming it is not the jeweler where you got your engagement ring, because even though I loved their diamonds and still have two, I had two occasions where I had the worst prong work ever from them. So that's another reason I try to help others avoid the same kinds of mistakes. All bench jewelers do not have the same skill levels. I am sorry you took my concerns personally. I am sure your ring will be everything you hope for.

 

[Polyhex]

I just used Karen Rosengart to buy large melee as well and I thought her prices and quality were terrific. She recently added I-J melee, which is plenty white for me, and the largish melee (.1 -.15) are gorgeous and display tiny arrows.

 

[LIGemzGal]

I just used Karen Rosengart to buy large melee as well and I thought her prices and quality were terrific. She recently added I-J melee, which is plenty white for me, and the largish melee (.1 -.15) are gorgeous and display tiny arrows.

That's good to know. I did Google her extensively before purchasing and found nothing but excellent reviews of her service and the quality of her stones. I felt completely comfortable using her. So much so that I've just cancelled my Blue Nile order for the 2 side stones (lucky for me they hadn't shipped yet) and will now be getting the two .30 stones from her. BN couldn't compare to the quality she was able to offer and her stones are .31 instead of .30 and are in the exact E/IF range with triple excellent GIA and no fluorescence. I'm so thrilled I can't even contain myself! As soon as BN refunds back to my card I'm grabbing those stones!!!!

 

[LIGemzGal]

Yes, center stones are set all the time by another jeweler. Most people buy ready made settings with melee stones already set. You were speaking of having one person make the metal setting, you buy all the melee stones, and someone else set them. That is definitely not common. The reason I warn people is we have seen many setting problems on this forum over the years. If the setter cracks a diamond (or your center stone) that he didn't provide during setting, I will assume you've discussed who will be responsible for that, since it sounds like you have all your bases covered.

Just FYI, I have never used David Klass for a project of my own, so I am in no way pushing him for any reason other than he successfully makes alterations to existing designs all the time, sources the melee, and sets everything with nice quality and fair pricing. Also, top quality hand forged benches (Victor Canera, Leon Mege, Steven Kirsch, etc) generally do not provide CADs, because they make the rings by hand and do not provide more than a drawing, usually. I am very glad your bench jeweler is highly skilled. I am assuming it is not the jeweler where you got your engagement ring, because even though I loved their diamonds and still have two, I had two occasions where I had the worst prong work ever from them. So that's another reason I try to help others avoid the same kinds of mistakes. All bench jewelers do not have the same skill levels. I am sorry you took my concerns personally. I am sure your ring will be everything you hope for.

Thanks.

 

[LIGemzGal]

Hi All----to give you an update, attached are renderings of the various stages of the mounting thus far. It's definitely a work in progress and taking longer than I thought it would. I like the U prong setting style and wanted that setting for each of the prongs. I was torn between having the arch on all of the prongs but then decided that I only wanted them on the prongs of the the larger stones.The ring has morphed into a 3 stone ring with side stones, which wasn't what I had intended when I started this design but that seems to be where my aesthetics keep leading me and is where the style seems to be flowing to. I can't lie, I've changed my mind several times over the past 2 weeks but I think I'm in the home stretch as per the last picture. Not sure if that's even a legit style, but seems to be what I'm gravitating towards. I hope to have a final version today or tomorrow with the correct stones in place (yellow sapphire in center, etc) so I have a better visual. I'll share once received. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

 

[LIGemzGal]

Just realized that perhaps this entire post should go into the colored gemstones thread since i'm dealing with a yellow sapphire.. Sorry just now realizing that. Not sure if it can be moved there.

 

[LIGemzGal]

Hi Everyone---So glad I found this forum. I could certainly use any suggestions. I've been struggling with the sizing of the last set of stones needed to finalize the re-build of my engagement ring. As the years have gone by my tastes have changed. I'm no longer interested in diamond center (Surprise) but have swerved over to colored gemstones, and also decided to "piece" together/build this ring myself, if you will. I found this mounting on Stuller and it is what I've based my stone purchases upon.

14K White 8x8 mm Asscher Engagement Ring Mounting

123960 / Engagement Ring / Unset / 14K White / Asscher / 8 x 8 mm / Polished / Engagement Ring Mounting

www.stuller.com

I've been loving yellow sapphires and so I purchased a 3.35 Ceylon unheated/untreated octagonal/Asscher cut sapphire--GIA certed as my center stone--just arrived yesterday--its gorgeous!. The two side stones are round brilliants which are each .30 and E/IF and of course GIA certed. I'm now searching for the melee stones along the shank, which I'm hoping to have them in the D/E/F range and either ideal cut or H&A, if possible. The current sizing of the melee in the Stuller mounting is .01 or 1.5 mm. I'd like the melee to be a bit larger, so I planned on modifying the shank from having ten .01 stones to having two larger stones on each side with each stone being .15 (3.45 mm) and .10 (3.0 mm). My ultimate question is do you think the side stones that I want to use are too large to where it would make the ring look awkward? I'm going for the WOW factor but don't want to be trashy/cheap looking. Honest thoughts/opinions appreciated. Have a wonderful evening and thank you for reading my long post!

Hi All---Here are the pics and details on the finished engagement ring re-make. 3.35 ct octagon cut unheated/untreated vivid yellow eye-clean Ceylon sapphire, two .31 ct (each) E/IF H&A side stones and .60 ct (.10 ct each) H&A E/VVS melee stones (both sets of diamonds courtesy of Karen Rosengart) along the shank. I tried photographing in various lighting conditions, but of course, since Im not a professional photographer I can't capture the intensity of the sapphire and diamonds. On the train ride home yesterday after getting the three larger stones set, the sun was peeking through the window and I held my hand up to the light. I was just moved to see a rainbow effect of colors under the sapphire. Wasn't sure if those were the flashes due to the H&A sides or what, but it was simply breathtaking. This is such a perfect ring to me and I am thrilled that this project captured my vision. I told my husband that I'll take a 2 year break and come back to him to replace the yellow sapphire for the yellow diamond that I saw at the jewelry shop that set the stones. Needless to say, he wasn't amused! I posted this in the colored gemstone but thought I'd put the pics here for anyone who had been following my project. Mods can feel free to remove if not applicable.

 

[Myshinybestlife]

Hi All---Here are the pics and details on the finished engagement ring re-make. 3.35 ct octagon cut unheated/untreated vivid yellow eye-clean Ceylon sapphire, two .31 ct (each) E/IF H&A side stones and .60 ct (.10 ct each) H&A E/VVS melee stones (both sets of diamonds courtesy of Karen Rosengart) along the shank. I tried photographing in various lighting conditions, but of course, since Im not a professional photographer I can't capture the intensity of the sapphire and diamonds. On the train ride home yesterday after getting the three larger stones set, the sun was peeking through the window and I held my hand up to the light. I was just moved to see a rainbow effect of colors under the sapphire. Wasn't sure if those were the flashes due to the H&A sides or what, but it was simply breathtaking. This is such a perfect ring to me and I am thrilled that this project captured my vision. I told my husband that I'll take a 2 year break and come back to him to replace the yellow sapphire for the yellow diamond that I saw at the jewelry shop that set the stones. Needless to say, he wasn't amused! I posted this in the colored gemstone but thought I'd put the pics here for anyone who had been following my project. Mods can feel free to remove if not applicable.

Its gorgeous, that yellow is beautiful. I love the chunky look. I can only imaging how sparkly this looks.

 

[maryjane04]

Wow that is some major bling. I love the presence it has on your finger. From end to end sparkly. The yellow sapphire looks right at home in that setting. I'm actually looking for a yellow sapphire myself and I am glad I saw yours!

 

[LIGemzGal]

Wow that is some major bling. I love the presence it has on your finger. From end to end sparkly. The yellow sapphire looks right at home in that setting. I'm actually looking for a yellow sapphire myself and I am glad I saw yours!

Thanks so much! I cannot tell you how the photos just do not do this ring justice. I've been trying not to stare at my hand all day but I'm simply in love. But all in all I'm glad this project is finally wrapped up and I can move forward to others!!!!!

 

[LIGemzGal]

Its gorgeous, that yellow is beautiful. I love the chunky look. I can only imaging how sparkly this looks.

Thank you. I am extremely pleased with the sapphire. While at the setter yesterday I actually looked at some yellow diamonds and my sapphire was definitely on par with some of them in terms of color. But yellow diamonds are yellow diamonds!!!!!.

 

[maryjane04]

I am not trying to enable you by looking for yellow diamonds lol but Alex Park of Parks Fine Group on instagram has some really good deals on yellow diamonds.

I really like that your sapphire looks light yellow in some photos and then a deeper yellow in others. I was actually looking at a golden yellow sapphire yesterday to put in my old setting.