Help me find one of these 3- feeling guilty

[MissAva]

Okay I have three rings which I like, the first two I adore! I honestly belive that I would be happy with any of the three. I was thinking about finding price qoutes to have them remade for me. However what Bill said struck home with me.

I would be quite annoyed if someone stole my research. So if I can fit it into the budget, the setting budget is sepearte. I want to try and buy the original, it only seems fair.
Ritani Endless Love Single Prong
Micheal B Princess Petite
Ritani Endless Love Thin Band
The thing is I am having trouble finding them online. I listed them in order of prefrence but the thing is we really dont want to spend oddles on the setting, and had alotted between 1-2k. I know this isn''t proably going to be enough.

I feel torn becuase though I would be okay with the last one it is not what my heart is set on...I know I am being so female.
If someone knows where/how to find them I would be really appreciative. Thanks!

 

[Mara]

I missed what Bill said which seemingly was something about copying designer rings...

BUT I am a huge fan of taking a general premise, aka a halo''d pave ring, and making it your own. Sorry but halo''s or pave or eternity styles are not a product of any one designer. Halos and paves and eternities have been around for years upon years, before MB and before Ritani etc.

So if you want a halo...have it made. Don''t COPY a design, but if you know you want a halo with split prongs and a pave shank, take that design in your head and make it real. Add filigree if you like it. Add 3 sided pave if you like it. Custom work is NOT that pricey and if you are not copying something down to a T then it''s not ''stealing'' a design..ESPECIALLY on something as generic as any of those settings you posted below.

When we were looking, I LOVED the MB settings. But they were $2400 and for what, .50ctw and I didn''t even like the head that they used on the rings. My jeweler''s wife had an eternity style in yellow gold 4 prong and Greg loved it. So we had a platinum eternity 4 prong made that was thinner than hers and more like the MB but with a head I really liked. And we got .72ctw for $400 less than the MB style. In a custom setting that we truly adored...and was truly ours.

So if you plan to COPY something exactly, and feel guilty, then by all means buy the designer piece. But if you can make a few changes to make it truly yours (which I prefer anyway!) then go custom.

My two cents.

 

[MissAva]

This is true. To have it custom made would be about 300$ then the orignal...though I am not a halo fan....are those links taking people to pictures with halos? Aww geez. What I dont like on all three are the heads but I am not sure if that will change in getting is custom.

 

[Maxine]

I would think the head is the easiest thing to change.....I had to have the head changed on my ering setting to accomodate the size of my stone......Therefore I got to choose # of prongs, how high/low it was set, etc........

 

[Mara]

why wouldn''t a head be changeable in custom? custom is exactly that, CUSTOM and built from SCRATCH. you can do whatever you want with custom (within reason of course) which is the beauty. So don''t be shy!

 

[Kaleigh]

Tiffany''s has a three stone loop ring that is a direct knock off of the Ritani three stone ring. I know because I bought it and then returned it because the stones didn''t have that wow factor. I think you can take a design and make it your own with a different twist. JMHO.

 

[MissAva]

I want it lower but I still want my band to set next to my e-ring without a spacer. But I dont like the look when to me it looks like they took an eternity band removed one stone and plopped down a head. I know what I am thinking but I am not sure that I am saying it right. The closest example of how I like the head to fit the ring is true Tiffany solitaire.Tiffany&Co which can be seen here by clicking enlarged veiw and then looking at the side shot. Perhaps this sort of head cannot be done with a thinner band.

 

[Mara]

personally i think my ring looks alot like an eternity band where they removed a stone and plunked a head down. the head is not incorporated into the design of the ring at all.

have you seen slammie''s fabulous ring set? one of my absolute all time fave''s, it''s in the picture gallery. anyway, she used a local jeweler here to do a pave eternity but with a basket head that is set into the ring, it''s a GREAT example of going custom and having the head fit into the ring and look like it''s ''one'', also she has a matching band made and it fits flush, but yet the basket head is not high at all.

check it out. when i get my ''final'' big stone upgrade and am done with making it bigger, i plan to have the same local jeweler or WF or similar make me basically a new e-ring set that matches slammies with maybe a few design mods, using all my same melee so that it''s similar to my existing set but more ''one''.

 

[Mara]

here it is, i swoon every time i see it.

 

[Kaleigh]

slammies set is one of my all time favs on PS!!!!!

 

[MissAva]

Sorry Mara, that was not directed at you. I love slammies set but 1) I am sure that it is way out of my price range 2) it is still a little high for my taste.

 

[Mara]

I didn't think it was directed at me, but it is like mine so I could relate.

Slammie's is just an example, again with CUSTOM you can do whatever you want!

Also her diamond is a 2c..what size are you considering? That makes a difference, esp in things like depth of diamond.

Oh and if I recall correctly, prices were not exhorbitant on that ring set. Definitely not as expensive as going designer like the MB set if I recall.

 

[MissAva]

1.4-1.7 It will be bought it oct maybe nov but most likely oct. I know this is not the be all and end all of things in life but it is so important to me. And though I

the Ritani shared prong ring I have not been able to find a single dealer near me who carries it (I tried it on in Rochester NY and fell hard). Getting it custom made will actually be more expensive then buying it from Ritani, the jewler in Roc said it was 1600, custom was 2600. I dont know why but I have thought custom was supposed to be less expensive. Also if I go custom on the second style then they will make the band wider, only go 3/4 of the way around the band with the stones slightly less tcw and it is only about 300$ less.

 

[MissAva]

Okay not to sound like I am stalking you Miss Mara but do you ever worry about the head of your ring. Has it ever hit anything hard? I am quite the spaz and I worry that if the head is too high the ring wont make it. Facets Ring does this one look similair to the Ritani shared prong? It is pretty spiffy looking but If I pop the head off I will still be in deep kimchee.

 

[Mara]

Honestly, I don''t feel like my ring is necessarily any large amount more dangerous than a lower set head. I am pretty clumsy and hit it sometimes, and I never really worried about it but now that Laney chipped her ring, I am more paranoid. But I have had it for almost 3 years now and I think I am instinctively a bit more careful about that hand (knock on wood)...but if I worried alot I''d have had it set into a bezel.

I don''t know if you know this, but at first I wanted a very low set basket head. I didn''t want a high head at all. But that is how the ring came out. I didn''t like it at first. But it grew on me and now I love it! When I try on lower set heads, I don''t really like them as much! Definitely not like I used to. Plus the higher head makes the diamond look bigger IMO...I feel like even if I try on a lower 2c ring that it looks smaller than mine. Maybe it''s mental but that''s just the way it is for me now.

 

[cutes814]

Date: 7/20/2005 5:20:16 PM
Author: Matatora
I love slammies set but 1) I am sure that it is way out of my price range 2) it is still a little high for my taste.

Matatora,

The prices on Slammie''s set is very very reasonable. And the head is set very low, for some reason the picture makes it look higher than it actually is in real life. I''ve seen her setting in real life at the place she got it done.

Anyway, I am having my set made as I type (modeling after Slammie''s set but no stones on the e-ring, just plain with a few pave on the basket, and the w-ring will be 2/3 the way around with pave) and the part I love the most is that with custom settings, you can have it whatever way you like, and you won''t run into someone with the exact ring.

It''s weird that you say the jeweler quoted you higher than the retail price. Custom made is usually a lot less than buying a designer piece. My whole set cost probably less than just the e-ring setting if I was to buy a designer piece. Maybe that particular jeweler is highballing (word we use in the car industry) you. Meaning he is quoting high, so it''ll leave room for negotiation (if there is any). Try shopping other reputable jewelers in your area. You can bring the pictures of the designer pieces that you like and alter the head, if that is the only thing that is bothering you. And you won''t have to feel guilty about "copying" a designer''s setting. I don''t think you can actually copy the exact setting...something will tend to be different, i.e. stone size, width of ring...etc.

I find it a lot of fun to take a picture into the jeweler and start altering the design to totally my own. You have a say in how big you want the melees to be, how many diamonds you want, what kind of prongs...etc...you get the picture.

Have fun with it. I hope some of this helps.

 

[MissAva]

Thoose qoutes were from WF...do they highball?

 

[cutes814]

I don''t think WF highball. I thought the quote was from a local jeweler, because some jewelers do that. I used to work for a jeweler 8 years ago that did that (I''m in the car industry now). They highball just in case the customer wants to negotiate, so they have a little wiggle room. Did you try shopping jewelers in your area? Maybe you can get some good prices from them.

 

[mrssalvo]

I don''t think WF high balls but there definitely a price for "custom." sometimes is less expensive, sometimes it''s not, it just depends. It''s very possible for a designer setting to be less depending on what their costs are in making the ring verses that of a custom handmade piece.

 

[MissAva]

I am nervous about doing anything locally because for us there are 3 localites AL, NJ, NY AL has 9% sales tax NY has 8.25 and NJ is way more expensive then anywhere else. Also since we are college students (22) people tend not to take us seriously and that is frustrating.

 

[cutes814]

I'm your age too (turning 23 next month). I think what you have to do when shopping local jewelers is go in knowing what you want, asking to see any styles that might be similar and TELLING them what it is that you want based on pictures or settings that they have in stock.

And always always make sure to negotiate. If they give you a price (regardless if it is highballing or not), you can always lowball them (meaning giving a price that you know is too low). They will say it's ridiculous (or impossible to get it done at that price or whatever). When they do, then ask them what is a reasonable price because what they quoted you is way too high (even if it isn't). They'll give you a slightly lower price, you give them another price that is even lower than the price they just gave you, and so on. That's what negotiations are about, going back and forth until both parties find a comfort zone.

Let me give an example in case that paragraph was a little confusing. Let's say the jeweler gave you a price of $2400, you say, "OMG, that's too much. Is there any way we can get it done for $1500?"

They say no, that's impossible. You ask for them to give you a better price. And they say maybe they can do $2200.

You say that's not much of a difference from the original price. "How about $1700? I really want to purchase it but I can't if it's those prices!" (or some sort of saying like that).

They say no, and you say, "Okay $1800 is the most I can do."

They say no, "How about $2000?"

You say no, "I'll do it for $1900. And that price should include tax!(Just throwing that in, because a lot of customers said that to me when I was selling jewelry. Of course you have to pay cash to avoid paying the tax.)"

Okay, I hope I painted a clear enough picture. Of course the senario is not going to be EXACTLY like that, but something to that extent. Almost all jewelers allow some room for negotiation (some more and some less), it's up to you to ask. If not, more profit for them.

And if they don't give you a better price, walk! There are other companies out there. They really try their best to earn your business. No one likes to see their business walk in, negotiate and walk out. They will try their best to sell it to you.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 7/20/2005 5:08:44 PM
Author: Matatora

I want it lower but I still want my band to set next to my e-ring without a spacer. ... I dont like the look when to me it looks like they took an eternity band removed one stone and plopped down a head.

This sounds like a 'cathedral' type ring - with some tappering element between the band and the head of the ring. The traitional 'Cartier' solitaire and the Lucida and Ribbon Tiffany rings follow this recipe. So does the W-prong at WF and Vatche's Lucida style ring... And this one below does it yet a whole different way

Jewelryexpert turned a version of this ring for a smaller stone - a sapphire. It must be somewhere on their site...

Whiteflash did a version of the traditional Cartier with pave shoulders a while ago. Quite beautiful, that ring ! I can't remember for the life of me whose it was.

It must have been close to this, but with a simple basket and perhaps without that 'bridge railing' between the upper and the lower bands.

Edited to add

k.. found it ! see original thread here

 

[MissAva]

I want it to look they way a cathedral does from the top but not from the sides. I am not fond of the higher settings. Lord I am such a pain in the bum!

 

[Kaleigh]

You''re not a pain, but most cathedral settings I''ve seen are high on the sides. That''s how they achieve the cathedral look, so to speak.

 

[Maxine]

Do you like any Vatche settings??? How thin do you want the band?????

 

[MissAva]

I didnt like the vatche bebauce the head on it is soo odd looking, I havent not seen it in person though maybe it looks diffrent in real life. Plus it is more expensive. I just dont have 2300 for a setting. I do like the way they attached the head though so maybe if I could find it for less, or something like it! Thanks great suggestion!
Ring I am thinking of

 

[Maxine]

Here are SOME of the ones by Precision Set (picture might be distored...tried to make it smaller!)

 

[Maxine]

I like this Vatche, but with a larger band.....(also over 2K!!)

 

[Mara]

I''m personally not a fan of very many Vatche settings, they are too ''strong'' for my taste.

Mata...if you can''t get or afford the setting you really want now then why not just get a plain solitaire, or something with a bit of jazz to it and then get the dream setting later?

 

[MissAva]

He has stated that if I ever changed anything that it would break his heart. I was teasing and said I would jsut set it a different way later and he visably paled. He wants the ring he puts on my finger to be the one forever. We are both a little anti-change. Like I said this is a one time thing, no changing setting no upgrading stones.