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Help with design/selection for ER for Equine vet

pghdomer

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 28, 2015
Messages
4
Hi all,

I posted on here a few months ago looking for help and advice re: selecting and designing an ER for my gf. Unfortunately "real life" intervened a bit and this project had to be put on hold for a little bit. Here's the original thread, I'll summarize it below and my new questions. ([URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/looking-for-some-help-designing-an-er.216295/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/looking-for-some-help-designing-an-er.216295/[/URL])

The advice I got here was fantastic, but sent me down a little bit different road. Here's where I stand:

-Originally was looking @ Princess cuts. Concerns were raised re: the edges of the princess cut getting chipped, caught etc. based on her job (see below). GF has not expressed any huge preferences either way. This is to be a surprise so involving her is not part of my idea plan. Have had some family members do a little recon so I have some idea what she likes (square > round, not "too big", must sit low)
-Given the above, she had relatively big hands - have looked at a bunch of smaller-ish diamonds in person and honestly I think they'd get lost on her hand. So I'm looking 1.5-2ish carats.
-She is an equine vet. Thus, the setting becomes a problem - has to sit low, most likely. As discussed in the other thread, pave probably presents risks for losing stones with gloves on and off, hands in places we shouldn't speak of, etc. She may very well wear it on a necklace anyway at work or something (not my preferred since I'm sinking a lot of money into this, but I'm a surgeon and many of my female colleagues do the same thing .... ) I'm not a huge bezel fan - I think you lose a lot of underneath the diamond with such a setting and I don't necessarily love the "chunky" look. I did like the split shank previously.

So I guess what I'm looking for would be:

-advice on the stone. I'd like eye-clean (I'm figuring VS2 or maybe SI1 if the price was right), color H or better, VG or better cut. I've been looking at cushion cuts. Other have suggested Brian Gaving square H&A. Couldn't find a ton about this (is this a princess cut?) I'd be willing to select a different cut with a squarish-appearance if it faces up well.

-Advice on a setting. I liked split-shank in the stores I looked at, but the issue was that many of them sit pretty high on the finger. As much as I like pave and a high-sitting stone, not gonna be practical if I want her to wear it (and I do!)

-Budget is in the range of 15k. Mildly high is OK, lower would be great too. :-)

-Time frame is about 5 weeks - have a trip planned and would like to propose during that time. This could be adjusted .... but if i Don't set myself a deadline I'll keep being lazy about it because we're all "busy".... I know I'm pushing it!

ANY advice is appreciate. Have been reading a lot on this board lately and am very impressed with how much help you all provide to people like me. Please know it's appreciated.

-pghdomer
 
I work in a profession where I don't wear my ring to work. My friend is in the medical profession and she does not wear her ring to work either. Gloves can rip, things get banged around, especially when working with animals (large ones like horses at that.). My STRONG advice would be that you not worry about compromising on a ring that she can still wear to work because the chances are VERY high she won't want to or even be able to wear it at all. Instead get the ring that you both love, when she is not working she can wear it without worry, and she can have a simple band when on duty.
 
I agree that wearing her ring to work might not be the best idea given her profession. If she wants to wear her ring to work, then I would definitely do a full bezel.

Does she like vintage? You said she has larger hands, so the following rings came to mind. They will give her good finger coverage with square/rectangular center stone.

Square that sits low. Normally I wouldn't recommend this low of a color or clarity, but I couldn't see the inclusion and the color wasn't obvious (probably because of the bezel). I've seen this ring in person.
http://www.langantiques.com/engagement/2-17-carat-art-deco-style-diamond-ring.html

Unique cut center stone
http://www.croghansjewelbox.com/collections/estate-jewelry-rings/products/platinum-diamond-and-emerald-estate-ring

Very deco
https://www.1stdibs.com/jewelry/rings/engagement-rings/1930s-151-carat-gia-cert-asscher-cut-diamond-emerald-platinum-engagement-ring/id-j_882262/

They could probably duplicate this.
http://www.trumpetandhorn.com/hampstead-heath.html
 
sonnyjane|1452965742|3976826 said:
I work in a profession where I don't wear my ring to work. My friend is in the medical profession and she does not wear her ring to work either. Gloves can rip, things get banged around, especially when working with animals (large ones like horses at that.). My STRONG advice would be that you not worry about compromising on a ring that she can still wear to work because the chances are VERY high she won't want to or even be able to wear it at all. Instead get the ring that you both love, when she is not working she can wear it without worry, and she can have a simple band when on duty.

Completely agree with this. I too work in the medical field and I do not wear my e-ring to work. I wear it at all other times though so don't be worried that it won't get a lot of wear. If she wants a little bling for work she can always get a nice eternity band that won't get snagged on gloves, etc.
 
What do you think of something like this with a cushion? It's low set but you can still see the side of the stone.
http://www.knoxjewelers.biz/products/bonita-2409

Here is a split shank that is relatively low that can probably be done with a square cushion.
http://www.knoxjewelers.biz/products/moselle


The other options, which I think would probably be good in your case would be to put it in an inexpensive temp setting
and then let her help pick out her "forever" setting.
 
Both my fiance and I are in the med field. She did not want any compromise on the setting style. Ladies in these fields are already making compromises when it comes to fashion. Why on a special piece like ER?? Because I took her to jewellery shops and casually talked about her style, I knew what she wanted. 6 prong knife edge. She is not able to wear it to work, but she cherish it on her days off and after work. You want to keep it surprise, but having some kind of conversation is important. Have a date and take her to a local jewellery store, and just watch and see what sparkles her eyes.
 
When you say that she has a larger finger do you know what her ring size is?

Have you considered doing a 5 stone ring instead of a solitaire type setting? You get much more bang for your buck it can be set low and is easier for if she wants to leave it on for work, might even be ok with gloves and such. Also if her finger is "bigger" you would get much more finger coverage.

You could have a beautiful 5 stone made with asscher cuts, square in shape but with cut corners so no pointy corners.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/5-stone-asscher-ring-by-david-klass.218213/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/5-stone-asscher-ring-by-david-klass.218213/[/URL]

Here is an example of what I mean.

Just putting a new idea into the options.
 
As always, lots of good ideas. You guys are impressive.

I think the sentiment is correct. I think that she is probably not going to wear it at work ... probably not practical. And that would open up a lot of other options that I find very beautiful (much more so than an inset band, etc.)

@Travelgal - thanks for the links. Those are beautiful, but I don't think they're her style.

@EB - I think this is a great idea. I'm leaning to this now - it allows me to keep it a "surprise" yet allow her some choice in the setting. Maybe it's a bit of a cop out, but I'd rather she be happy with it at the end of the day. And I know if I do it all, she won't want to change what I did, you know? But if I present it as a "temporary setting while we figure out what will work for you and what you like" then I think she'd buy into it. I just want her to like it. :-)

@tyty- those are very pretty. A bit too "much" for her I Think, but I do like the setting. Something like that that is simpler might very much be a good one for her ......

@flyingpig - I had some family do recon. I have some ideas but most of them are predicated around the idea that she is wearing it at work. The more I think about it and the more I hear from you guys the less good an idea that seems. I think she may have eventually reached that same conclusion as well, maybe we'll just help her get there. :-)

@lovemybling - I don't know. I'm working on figuring out the size. Your suggestions is very beautiful, btw. I do like that myself, personally. Not sure she'll love it though.


So if I went forward with this idea (buy the stone with a simple setting, let her change the setting) I have a few questions:

-Stone obviously becomes much more important. She wants something square. Princess would I guess be back in the running if we decide she's not going to use it at work. Those were always my first choice as well. Cushions seem to be a premium and don't face up as well IMO .... I guess there is radiant as well? Any of these choices make subsequent decisions easier or harder that I should take into account?

-Would you order the rock via internet (I've done a lot of looking on WF and GOG) and have it set locally then? I'm thinking getting the rock on my own would be the best financially. Or could ask a local jeweler to bring in what I want and set it temporarily .... bring her back in later to get what she wants. Any thoughts on the best way to do this?

Appreciate everything you guys. Thanks
 
If she likes square stones, might she be interested in a radiant or asscher cut? They're squarish but without those fragile corners.
 
I agree with VRBeauty, princesses have sharp pointy corners. My friend who is a jeweler says that those types of stones are the ones she see crack or chip more than any other stone.

So maybe look for a square radiant if you want a more brilliant facet pattern but for me I LOVE LOVE asscher bold flashes and I think it is a more unique cut.

:bigsmile:
 
I think the idea of presenting the chosen diamond in a temporary setting, allowing you both to choose the perfect ring together is a fantastic strategy.

I think the advice to go for a square cushion or radiant makes a lot of sense. Brian Gavin has marvelous looking H&A cushions. Brilliantly Engaged has Mark T and X Factor modern cushions. Good Old Gold is another place I would check out.

Good luck!
 
I would go for a nice large square cushion. 15k is your budget so you can get close to or at 2 carats. Ignore the vendor scores on these, they are all exceptional stones.

https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Cushion/GIA-Certified-2-02-Carat-G-Color-VS2-Clarity-Diamond-316NEQ
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Cushion/GIA-Certified-1-91-Carat-H-Color-VS1-Clarity-Diamond-3P6VXA
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Cushion/GIA-Certified-1-8-Carat-F-Color-VS1-Clarity-Diamond-5DV2NX

And put it in a gorgeous three stone with pears. I recommend Brian Gavin for the setting they did the one here below and you can see how gorgeous and clean that profile is. Plus, It will give her maximum coverage over the top of her fingers, since you said her fingers are on the larger side. And it will allow for a flush fit straight band.

IMG_0317_0.jpg
BrianGavin_SqHearts2b_070160.jpg Nice low profile and won't catch on things.

She can do a great pave wedding band for that extra sparkle. But this would be clean, easy to maintain, classic, elegant and sturdy.

I like the prongs on the one below here personally. But this is the look that I think would be great for her.

5 weeks is about the time it would take BGD to do that setting for you.

You can buy any of the stones above, with confidence that you will get a fantastic stone. I highly recommend a generic cushion because you will get a LOT more or your budget than a branded cut like a hearts and arrows, with very little loss of performance.

40defa0f-e9f4-760b-3b0f-0b54597ea238.jpg
 
This is a ring that I love, for its clean lines and low profile that can be worn under a pair of gloves:

151-norse2b__1_.gif

This is my own RHR, re-set as low as possible from a bezel set solitaire setting that was too high for my liking (a costly mistake that I made for not getting involve with the setting design). I can wear it under a disposable glove, and believe it will work with a Princess:

ecreset_d.jpg

DK :))
 
Here's a radical thought:

What if you were to present her with the engagement ring, oo lala happy dandy, and then as she very sadly takes it off to go to work, present her with a matching necklace? Presumably something she could always wear to work? Just thinking what I would like if I were in her shoes :D!
 
pearaffair|1453219730|3977928 said:
Here's a radical thought:

What if you were to present her with the engagement ring, oo lala happy dandy, and then as she very sadly takes it off to go to work, present her with a matching necklace? Presumably something she could always wear to work? Just thinking what I would like if I were in her shoes :D!

LOVE this idea!! :bigsmile:
Doesn't have to be anything big - just something she can smile at during the day ::)
 
Yssie|1453222151|3977952 said:
pearaffair|1453219730|3977928 said:
Here's a radical thought:

What if you were to present her with the engagement ring, oo lala happy dandy, and then as she very sadly takes it off to go to work, present her with a matching necklace? Presumably something she could always wear to work? Just thinking what I would like if I were in her shoes :D!

LOVE this idea!! :bigsmile:
Doesn't have to be anything big - just something she can smile at during the day ::)


I think this is an excellent idea! I also think that many people in the medical field wear their engagement rings on a chain as a necklace when at work. I think this vendor has a really cool spin on how to do that, and it looks pretty (IMHO). http://www.emilyc.com/shop/

I think maybe getting that + the e-ring would be a wonderful surprise, especially since it means you are taking her profession into account when ring shopping :appl:
 
lovedogs|1453222808|3977957 said:
Yssie|1453222151|3977952 said:
pearaffair|1453219730|3977928 said:
Here's a radical thought:

What if you were to present her with the engagement ring, oo lala happy dandy, and then as she very sadly takes it off to go to work, present her with a matching necklace? Presumably something she could always wear to work? Just thinking what I would like if I were in her shoes :D!

LOVE this idea!! :bigsmile:
Doesn't have to be anything big - just something she can smile at during the day ::)


I think this is an excellent idea! I also think that many people in the medical field wear their engagement rings on a chain as a necklace when at work. I think this vendor has a really cool spin on how to do that, and it looks pretty (IMHO). http://www.emilyc.com/shop/

I think maybe getting that + the e-ring would be a wonderful surprise, especially since it means you are taking her profession into account when ring shopping :appl:

Myself, I'd be too nervous to wear an e-ring around my neck. The necklace chain would have to be REALLY sturdy, and I've have to promise myself to never play with it... that being said, I love the styles of the ones you linked to! They look really nice!! Perhaps I'll have to change my tune ;)
 
I'd say band for work and leave that e-ring locked up at home during work hours!
 
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