Help with Grandmother''s diamonds

[2Artists]

I''m looking for some suggestions or advice on what to do with my wife''s Grandmother''s diamonds. Sadly she passed away years ago. My wife was very close to her Grandmother. She wanted my wife to have the stones from her ring. There are two main stones we have to work with. One is an Old European cut that is .60 carats the other is a .25 carat that was apparently right on the brink between Old European cut and round brilliant. The appraiser ended up calling it round faceted. There are also 8 single cut very tiny accent stones that have a fair amount of wear on them. My father in law (her dad) always wanted to use one of the stones for a ring. By the way we recently got these stones appraised for him.

We really want him to be able to use one of them-even though he is insisting he doesn''t really need one we think he would really love one. He wants us to figure out who gets which diamond. We really want him to have first choice. So we are looking for some suggestions so we can help him figure out which would go best on a men''s ring for him. Some background on him: Ever since I met his daughter he has welcomed me into the family like a son. He has always been loving and supportive. He is an incredibly selfless man always putting others ahead of himself and doing tons of silent service for others, even strangers he doesn''t know. He is the best. No one deserves this more than him and we feel he deserves the best. Currently he and my wife are involved in a strange match of "no you go first, I insist" and "no no no after you". Each one wants the other to have the best pick and both are a wee bit stubborn.

I plan to get my wife a e-ring that is either an antique diamond or an amazing sapphire in a bigger size than these. If we go with sidestones on her ring we are thinking of half moons or bullets or the like. So her Grandmother''s stone would be likely used for a pendant that my wife could wear close to her heart.

My wife has researched a ton on the forum on men''s bands with diamonds to try to figure out which would look best on her Dads ring. I know its not everybody''s taste to have a diamond on a men''s band but we know her father likes the style. He is very artistic and and design-forward but in a conservative field (law), but he is a very talented in the arts also. His original wedding band according to my wife had a diamond chip in it. The ring he now wears as a wedding ring is a pretty iced out ring with onyx and diamonds. So regardless of differing opinions he likes diamonds on rings.

We would love some suggestions for which of the 2 larger ones would be best for his ring. He won''t tell us which one would be best so we were hoping that some of you could!

I am going to try and get some good photos of the diamonds and I will post them here a bit later. Thank you so much for your time.

 

[2Artists]

Here are the specs on the 2 main stones:

.60 carat OEC
5.31 X 5.25 X 3.40 mm
VS1 G color


.25 carat round faceted
3.91 X 3.99 X 2.90 mm
VVS1 F-G color

here''s a sort of bad picture of them on my fingers.
I''ll post more pictures tomorrow. Thanks again!

 

[elrohwen]

Congrats on having such pretty diamonds to remember her grandmother by! I posted a picture of my fiance''s family ring on a post about men''s rings:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gentlemen-show-me-your-rings-please.86592/
You can''t see the diamond becaues it had already been removed for my ering when I took the pic, but it was a 1.67ct OEC. Defintely some bling! I can''t say I''m a huge fan of diamonds that big on a man''s ring (though I love it on my ring

), but multiple generations of men in my fiance''s family have worn it with pride (fiance is of the anti-diamond mindset, so he would rather give it to me than wear it himself). Since your FIL already likes diamonds it sounds like he would love either one, large or small. Maybe you can find men''s rings in B&M stores that he can try on to see what that size stone would look like on his finger? Or maybe he can pick out a setting he likes and the setting will dictate whether a large or small stone would be more appropriate.

Good luck with your diamond resetting project! And congrats on the beautiful OECs!

 

[strmrdr]

Have a ring made up for him with the larger one then leave it to her in his will.
That will solve the who gets what problem for both of them.
He gets to wear it so she is happy, she gets it but at a much later date so he is happy.

 

[purrfectpear]

I''ve seen few (actually can''t even think of one) attorneys who wear more than a chip in a band, so I have a hard time imagining a lawyer wearing a larger than half carat stone

On that basis, I would say mount the smaller stone for FIL, but then you know him best.

Does he wear a tie every day to work? Perhaps a bezel set tie tack?

 

[2Artists]

Thank you elrohwen for posting that. That is a very nice ring and a cool story to boot. Also we looked through that thread and it jogged my wife''s memory as to what her Dad''s original one looked like. The diamond was bigger than a chip in fact and she said said that Tuckins1 husband''s ring is very similar to her father''s original wedding band. A classy nice sized diamond detail. We are pretty positive that that is how he would set the stone whichever one it is. In a simple sleek band setting. It is hard to try to figure out which one he wants. He said he won''t do anything with it for a long while because he already has a gold ring and a platinum ring. He said he is not interested in doing anymore rings for himself right now. But we still want to get his stones that he will use in the future to him along with the appraisal we got for them. He is coming out here this week so it is a good time to get it to him since he will not want to mail them when possible.

He originally wanted one of the tiny diamonds but I think he was thinking that they were bigger than they actually are. I think that he thought that the small stones were more like the size of the one in his original ring or to get an idea of that look at Tuckins1 ring. I think he pictured one of them looking more like that when it would be way smaller in fact. So we know one of the 2 bigger ones will be better and we are trying to figure out the pros and cons of each. The big one has a fair bit of wear around the edges and the small one is in much much better shape around the edges. It is a toss up.

We wish we could get him into a store to try on stuff but unfortunately that is a pipe dream and not his style. However if it was me I would do that in a second no big deal. But he would rather us figure out the details for him. So just picture it in a ring like Tuckins1 husbands.

Thank you strmrdr for your thoughts. We hope he lives a million more years. He is around 50 and he is a great man. We want him to have the best ring possible!

Purrfectpear I hear what you are saying-he is one of the heads of his firm but yeah lawyers tend to be pretty conservative in dress. He wears different stuff at different times in their various offices. Plus he travels a great deal. The tie tack is a good idea but I have never seen him in one and we are fairy sure he wants it in a ring. That was our concern with trying to figure out which one to do. Which one will look the very best in a ring for him. Our concern with the bigger one was if the depth would make the band to deep or be too over the top for his needs. His iced out ring is squared off onyx with small diamonds running down one side. We think that ring is a more fun ring for him and he would want this one a sleek and simple band. I will post more pics of the stones tonight after I get home from work. Thank you again for all your help.

 

[2Artists]

To get a better idea of his style, CrookedRock a while back mentioned that Leon told her and her FI to look at www.abrasha.com for mens wedding bands saying Leon said if he wore a wedding band he would go there. We were curious and looked them up and sure enough some of the bands seemed to be her Dad''s style. I think he would like the Comfort Fit Bands,the wedding bands and the look of the one color tension set without it actually being tension set. Maybe just a line on the band as a design detail. But I think he would want platinum or white gold not stainless steel. That gives a better idea of his style though.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Since you mentioned it, tension-set is actually my favorite for a man if he wants a single stone. I think it looks really classy. If he doesn''t want it to be showy or blingy, what about taking the .25 and having it set in a more simple ring as a surprise diamond? My husband has one and loves it.

 

[HeartingDiamonds]

How about a belcher setting? They were a popular men''s style and should be a perfect fit for an antique diamond such as the OECs you have. They''re very comfy rings too.

 

[2Artists]

Thank you MonkeyPie and HeartingDiamonds for your time and for the intriguing ideas. Tension sets are cool looking- I think if he went with that type look he would go with one that looked like a tension set but was not literally. That might be a problem with the girdle because have some wear around the edges. So having them set in the band would keep them safer I would guess. I agree that a belcher style would be very appropriate with an old diamond but I don''t think that it would be his taste.

Here is a link for the rings we thought seemed most like his style: Abrasha.com. That page has frames so I can''t link directly to the ones I want to highlight- look at ''wedding bands'', ''comfort fit bands'' and ''tension set bands''. We realize it''s not period-appropriate to put it in a modern style band, but that feels like more his style so that''s probably what will end up.

 

[2Artists]

Here are some pics as promised... (and these stones are still dirty! Goodness). They need a professional blasting I think. We did the best we could at home- these were taken under warm kitchen lighting. My wife is kinda obsessed with warm-toned lighting so taking these at night means they''re lit very golden. These stones look much more clear in actuality. I don''t have a macro lens so I''ve done the best I can do here...

 

[2Artists]

Another view- fiery!

 

[2Artists]

and just for scale by my hand:

 

[kimikocat]

I agree with the idea to go with a tension setting, if the diamond can be set that way. The style is very clean and modern, and not over the top at all.

Those are lovely stones, nice and bright with lots of fire. What type of pendant will you create with the other stone?

 

[Rhea]

I like the idea of the tension setting for your FIL. I would chose the diamond for him based on how wide the setting is. I personally would probably make a ring for him with the bigger stone if it were me.

Asquareguy''s asscher tension set

Kenny are two other men who spring to mind who have fairly large diamonds for themselves. I couldn''t find the threads I was looking for (not enough time) but their old posts may have some ideas.

 

[2Artists]

Thank you so much Kimikocat and Addy. Tension sets can be so great looking when done right. When he comes out this week I will get his thoughts on them and see what he thinks. My main concern with them is over security for the stone. We researched them a lot on PS and read about couple freak misfortunes that happened with them. There was one where someone had their diamond fall out when they went to the theater or something I think. There was debate over whether clapping caused it. In the posts on it seemed to be split between some people thinking that they were secure and some saying no way. So that worries us with a stone that has is main value in its sentimental history. He would be really upset if something happened to it. So that is the main concern. Also since the girdles have some typical wear from their age-so that could be a problem with the edges exposed. The big one especially has some wear. I wonder if that could be a problem with the setting process too but I don''t know. We have wondered if one with a similar look would be better than one that was literally tension set.

We also think he might set it like his original wedding band. Maybe something that looks like Jax172 husband''s diamond ring. We are really curious to see which he likes the best in person when set on his hand. Which he has not done before. We feel it is a 50/50 toss up. He might like the big one for its sparkle but he might hate the wear on the edges also. He is a real detail person and has eagle eye vision like his daughter. Or he might like the smaller one because it is more pristine and more like his original wedding band. We are trying to get all the legwork done for him because that is not his favorite.

When I held it up on my own finger I thought the smaller one looked more proportionate for a band but I am not a huge diamond guy as far as wearing them myself so what do I know. Also his finger width is a different size then mine.

We would do a very simple pendant with it. We are extreme minimalists as far as what we own. I don''t mean we live in a steel box with 2 forks but we like having a very zen amount of stuff. Her ideal pendant would be a simple solitaire that could be worn alone or with an attached pear gemstone on the bottom. Same with earrings. Dual use. Not sure if that is possible. Or if we get the small one it might be possible to put on the ring I am trying to figure out for her. But not as a side stone. Depends on which he likes best.

I like Asquareguy''s ring-nice! I will have to track down the others too. Thanx a mil!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think the .60 is a lovely size for a pendant for your wife, and the .25 would look nice set in a plain man''s band. I really do not like larger stones on men.

 

[2Artists]

Yeah if it was me I would go with the .25 in a plain band too but I am a dude with zero diamond wearing experience!

 

[kimikocat]

Date: 6/13/2008 7:54:57 PM
Author: 2Artists
Thank you so much Kimikocat and Addy. Tension sets can be so great looking when done right. When he comes out this week I will get his thoughts on them and see what he thinks. My main concern with them is over security for the stone. We researched them a lot on PS and read about couple freak misfortunes that happened with them. There was one where someone had their diamond fall out when they went to the theater or something I think. There was debate over whether clapping caused it. In the posts on it seemed to be split between some people thinking that they were secure and some saying no way. So that worries us with a stone that has is main value in its sentimental history. He would be really upset if something happened to it. So that is the main concern. Also since the girdles have some typical wear from their age-so that could be a problem with the edges exposed. The big one especially has some wear. I wonder if that could be a problem with the setting process too but I don''t know. We have wondered if one with a similar look would be better than one that was literally tension set.


We also think he might set it like his original wedding band. Maybe something that looks like Jax172 husband''s diamond ring. We are really curious to see which he likes the best in person when set on his hand. Which he has not done before. We feel it is a 50/50 toss up. He might like the big one for its sparkle but he might hate the wear on the edges also. He is a real detail person and has eagle eye vision like his daughter. Or he might like the smaller one because it is more pristine and more like his original wedding band. We are trying to get all the legwork done for him because that is not his favorite.


When I held it up on my own finger I thought the smaller one looked more proportionate for a band but I am not a huge diamond guy as far as wearing them myself so what do I know. Also his finger width is a different size then mine.


We would do a very simple pendant with it. We are extreme minimalists as far as what we own. I don''t mean we live in a steel box with 2 forks but we like having a very zen amount of stuff. Her ideal pendant would be a simple solitaire that could be worn alone or with an attached pear gemstone on the bottom. Same with earrings. Dual use. Not sure if that is possible. Or if we get the small one it might be possible to put on the ring I am trying to figure out for her. But not as a side stone. Depends on which he likes best.


I like Asquareguy''s ring-nice! I will have to track down the others too. Thanx a mil!

2Artists--

There''s a jeweler who does tension settings in SF, and he told me that a well-set tension is quite secure, but you need to make sure that the jeweler who creates your ring is familiar with the technique. Done poorly, it can cause all kinds of problems. I have a friend who has a tension set e-ring, and hers has been an unending source of problems. The stone seems to jiggle loose frequently and she''s been back to her jeweler a few times to have the problem fixed. So if you''re not sure if your FIL is up to dealing with the potential pitfalls that come w/ a tension setting, I''d go with another style that''s clean/minimalist, but not so troublesome. You could maybe even take him to a jeweler who does good custom work and sit them down to talk shop. My jeweler loves projects like these.

I have seen pendants and earrings that detach exactly as you described. I was surfing Antiques Roadshow when I saw a pair of spectacular detachable earrings--they could be worn as simple diamond studs (if 1 ct studs can be called "simple") and the "tails" were chandeliers with rubies and diamonds, and they detached from the studs. I think they were 19th century. Again, you''d need to work out the mechanics, but a good jeweler woud probably find this project fun! You could do the pear drops in diamonds, or in a different stone. What about sapphires? Or tsavs?

 

[2Artists]

Yeah that is right in line with our concerns on that type setting. That is exactly what I was thinking of with the detachable earrings and necklace. Transformers jewelry! I''ve seen jewelry sets from India that have parts that are detachable also. Some royal things too. I don''t know if it would be possible to find a jeweler who could easily do it. We would want a very secure or double clasp and adjustable length and a pear that is blue(like her eyes) or golden (like her hair) or just clear in color. She''s open to the type stone.

She talked to her Mom about the stones and her Mom much preferred the idea of the smaller one much better-she would be OK with whichever one he picks though. He will be here in a day or so so hopefully the mystery will get solved.

 

[LollyBear]

I love tension setting but would worry over the safety of such a sentimental stone. I think the smaller stone in a bezel set band like this would be perfect for her dad. I feel the larger stone would overpower this type of setting, but would look fantastic as a solitaire pendant.

 

[LollyBear]

Here''s a similar setting with a round stone so you have a better visual.

 

[LollyBear]

Btw, I love the idea of a pendant that you could add a drop to when you want to dress it up. Whatever you decide, I hope you''ll share the final products with us.

 

[2Artists]

StephensBride thank you very much for the photos. I can really see him setting it in something like the second one in particular. I really like how that is proportioned. I am going to show him pictures of the different ideas when he gets here. We will absolutely post pics of the final product of what we do with the other stone and his too when he gets around to making something with it!

 

[Diamond*Dana]

They both look like beautiful stones...that said, I would probably chose the smaller one for the FIL. I don''t like big bling on men, but of course that is just my opinion. Whatever you chose, I am sure that it will be lovely.

 

[kimikocat]

If you like the designs that StephensBride posted, you might google designers like GlenAbaci and maybe look at some German designers as well. I''ve seen a lot of really great, clean, modernist jewelry by German designers. Sometimes they do it in a smaller scale and a larger scale, and they could be his/hers, but they could also just be androgynous.

 

[2Artists]

Well the eagle has landed. Also known as my FIL just got into town. He had massive plane delays and had to head right off to meetings but in the seconds we saw him we tried the stones on his fingers. He came by our place to drop his dog off so we had a bit of time with him. My wife thought the big stone looked pretty on him (yeah "pretty" her words not mine) and I liked the smaller one.

I should mention that she got her really thin fingers from both her parents so to me the big one looked too big on him for my taste. I thought it looked like a solitaire size on him. On thicker fingers it would look different. I think the small one looked better on him. To me it was more in proportion and maybe more fitting with his field. But of course it is his choice. I think a big one that was a square would be easier to get away with on his finger width than a round perhaps. She thought the big one looked just fine on him and he wasn''t so sure about it till he looks at them more. He does want to put the one he picks in a band setting not a setting that sticks up if that makes any sense.

We will see him again on Saturday (he is in a different city right now)and he said he will figure it out then. My wife will be happy with whichever one he doesn''t want just to have something of her Grandmother''s.

Thank you so much Diamond*Dana and kimikocat for your comments. I agree with you Diamond*Dana about which one would work better on him-but again his choice

Kimikocat thank you for the ideas I looked up GelinAbaci is that right? It was the closest I could find and I thought some of their men''s rings were really interesting and nice looking. Thank you those were great suggestions.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Well let us know what the final decision is, and how both are set

 

[2Artists]

I also wanted to say that big diamonds do work OK on some guys. Whatever floats your boat it all depends. We have been talking a lot about men''s diamond rings in general trying to get this thing all figured out. My wife loves diamonds on men much more than I do that''s for sure. I''m more meh on the subject. We were talking in the car about why some people love diamonds on men and some hate them. We like having weird conversations.

We tossed around various theories. She thinks diamonds on guys are just fine but was trying to figure out why a lot of other people don''t like them. She said she thought that because it is harder to do hard labor with your hands wearing diamonds, some people don''t like them on men because it might look like they are less able to do hard work spur of the moment. This coming from a gal who loves power tools. Home Depot does make her giddy. She thought maybe it is not necessarily on a conscious level even.

I do know that my friends and people I work with would laugh at me and I would take a great deal of ribbing if I showed up wearing an enormous diamond. I could slip under the radar with a small one but would not hear the end of wearing a huge one. I guess it depends on your circle also. But some guys can get away with it just fine. Deep thoughts.

 

[2Artists]

We will definitely keep you posted.