Help with Eternity Band

[jeffko8]

I have been following along with a lot of these forums the last month or two, pretty much since I have decided that I want to buy an engagement ring for my girlfriend and I have finally decided to make my first posting. We have looked at rings a bit and she really likes the eternity type rings. I have been doing some research on different types of eternity banks and have come to like the 3/4 eternity bank from WF. (she also commented on wanting a 3/4 for resizing purposes in the future). See link to the WF band I am considering below

http://whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Diamond-Settings/Diamonds-for-an-Eternity--3-4-_1070.htm


So i guess to my questions. I have a few concerns that I was hoping those of you with eternity bands could help me with.

1. I am concerned about the width of the band as she has a very small hand and has expressed that she doesnt want the ring to be too bulky. She has a size 5.5 finger and the width of the WF ring is 2.3 mm. Will that be too wide when adding the matching wedding band to it? Also, if anyone has this ring, could you please show me a hand picture because it is hard get an idea of the size in the WF picture and i would feel much more comfortable seeing it on a hand. I have seen a few hand pictures on other threads, but i am not sure if they are custom made bands with different widths than the standard one pictured in my link.

2. My budget will allow for approximately a .8 to 1 ct. diamond in the engagement ring. will this be an adequate size stone to not get lost in the eternity band?

3. For those of you with eternity bands and more specifically WF eternity bands, how is the durability of the bands? They look more fragile than standard bands without diamonds and my girlfriend has said she doesnt want to change her ring after she gets it, so will an eternity band hold up to an average wear and tear. Also, how is the Whiteflash craftmanship on these bands? do you feel they are well made?

I realize that I have asked a lot of questions, but i really want to make sure that I get this right and want to make sure I do all I can to get her the perfect ring. I hope I will get some replies to my questions and if anyone has any additional comments to make or thoughts to consider about eternity bands or doing business with Whiteflash it will be very helpful for me.

 

[snlee]

Welcome to PS Jeff!

I wouldn't worry about the width of the rings being too wide. I wear a size 3.5 and my rings are about 2.2-2.3 each so a total of about 4.5mm and they have never felt too wide (and I prefer thin rings too).

A .8 to 1ct is on the larger side and would look great in this setting.

My wedding band is a WF eternity band and I love it. Eternity bands are more fragile than plan bands but I haven't had any major issues. I had one stone come out of my band in the ultrasonic cleaner. I had a local jeweler fix it and haven't had any problems since. The good thing is that melee is fairly inexpensive to replace IF anything ever happens.

I highly recommend purchasing from WF. I've made a few purchases with them and they are awesome! Their customer service and workmanship is great!

 

[katiedid]

Ditto--my wedding band is a WF eternity band and it''s very well made, excellent quality all around. And I don''t think 2.3 mm is too wide--it''s actually still very thin in real life. Good luck!

 

[jeffko8]

Thank you for your reply snlee and I am glad that you are happy with your band and with WF''s service. I have found that working so far with WF has been a good experience. I look forward to hearing some other opinions on the eternity bands.

 

[jeffko8]

what about the comfort of the 3/4 eternity band?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

2.3 mm is very thin. I''d just be sure to ask WF about wearing the e-ring with a matching eternity ring and whether they will damage each other. Hopefully they are made so that the metal hits metal. But others have had problems with this in the past, so be sure the WF rings are made so that the diamonds do not rub the other diamonds or setting.

 

[jeffko8]

Thanks for the advice diamond seeker. I will make sure that I ask about that. has anyone else had a problem like this when matching the eternity band with the eternity e-ring?

 

[Haven]

This is a gorgeous ring, very nice choice! I must admit, I'm biased, though, because my FI just proposed (yesterday!) with a cushion solitaire on a shared prong full eternity band.

My center stone is 2 cts, and the stones in the eternity band setting are 4 pointers, which seems to be the same size as the WF setting you're thinking about. Here's a link to my SMTR thread with tons of different shots, perhaps the handshots can give you an idea of how the 4 pointers look.
My Ering

Now, I wear a 5.75, and the center stone is bigger than what you're looking at, but I must say that the eternity band looks MUCH daintier in real life than they do in the pictures. It does have a HUGE bling-factor, though, I mean SHOCKING, which you also can't capture in pictures. Everyone who has seen my ring has commented on how incredibly sparkly it is, and they aren't just paying lip service.

As for your durability question, this is a shared prong band and I've read a bit about shared prongs being more fragile than, say, a channel set band, but this makes sense because you only have two prongs between the stones rather than four prongs or a channel keeping them in the band. However, if this is the look you like, go for it--with regular check-ups from a local jeweler, and some care on your GF's part, the band will hold up well. And if a stone does fall out, they are so small it doesn't cost much to replace them.

I can't speak to the craftsmanship of WF rings, but I've seen many, many WF pieces on Pricescope and they've all looked incredible.

Good luck!

ETA: I just saw your other two questions.

My ring is very comfortable, after only two days, mind you, but still it feels great.

As for two shared-prong eternity bands damaging each other when worn together, that is a risk. If the girdles of the diamonds rub together they can damage each other or the platinum on the bands. However, check with WF to see if they can make the metal stick out beyond the diamonds and you won't have a problem.

 

[sera]

Date: 9/5/2007 11:31:08 PM
Author:jeffko8
2. My budget will allow for approximately a .8 to 1 ct. diamond in the engagement ring. will this be an adequate size stone to not get lost in the eternity band?

I tried on a .90 Asscher and a .75 Cushette with an eternity band that had 4 point diamonds (I''m not sure on the width of the band but it was the Ritani single shared prong)... it was LOVELY! The diamonds in the band were a nice size... sparkly... noticeable... but did not take away from the center (they both faced up about 5.2mm).

 

[jeffko8]

Thank you for your replies as they are very helpful. I just want to make sure I get the right ring, because it is such a big thing and I want her to really like it.

 

[Hera]

I actualy have a ring set like the one you are looking into buying except the one I bought was from Ritani. The engagement ring that I bought originally had a setting for a one carat or like a .75 or something. I changed the heading for a 1.29 carat center stone. I do think the set is pretty, but I did change the setting because I thought it did detract from the center stone. Now I just wear a solitaire setting for the engagement ring and the Ritani eternity band.

The engagement ring is a 3/4 style eternity ring btw

also, if you look closely, the stones in my engagement ring and the stone fom my wedding ring are similar in size but not exact. If you purchase a setting like this you may want to double check the size of the stones. They are just minutely different.

Here''s the link:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/memoire-engagment-ring-help.67307/