I have picked out my setting! (D&T get in here!) And I have metal questions.

[stepcutgirl]

And it's none of them I have said I wanted so far! And it's not a custom halo! It is...It is...the Sholdt semi bezel like D&T's! (Do you feel like I'm stalking you D&T...by the way I love what you've done with the living room!)

I called Sholdt and asked them to also send a sample like D&T's but they told me they could not as it was already out on loan...well they sent one! I wasn't super interested in that setting because I'm not a big channel fan but this channel is so fine that it doesn't even really look channel set. I stood there trying on that ring and the plain bezel for a long time...and I just couldn't decide. I loved them both but my bf really liked the one with the little diamonds much more and since I liked them both so much I couldn't pick I let him.

The jeweler I was at had some halo settings and he let me drop my sapphire into them but I kept coming back to the Sholdts. I am really happy and I feel like the little diamonds will really help set off the sapphire. Yay!

Now comes my question...what white metal. I wanted platinum but it is so much more expensive than palladium and WG. My only concern with WG is that in the past I have had a reaction to YG. When I wear it...I turn greenish black in the area that the gold touches. Its got to be a chemistry thing because it happens to my mom too. And I'm not talking cracker jack gold either. So do you think I would have issues with WG? I'm a little afraid of WG because I am allergic to everything and constantly developing new allergies. So if it was you would you save up the extra for platinum, or go WG or Palladium?

Here is a pic of D&T's for reference.

ETA-I want opinions from everyone I just wanted to make sure D&T saw this thread.

ETA 2-I wear a WG pendant everyday and I have had no issues with it, I also have not had it turn yellow on me and I wear it without ever taking it off since Christmas of 2006.

 

[packrat]

Yay! I''m so glad you went w/the Sholdt! I''m not sure about the metal..it''s been years but I remember a time or 2 that my wg bands gave my finger a greenish tinge, but it never lasted-like my body had some weird reaction for whatever random reason, and then it went away after a day or 2. It doesn''t do it anymore. (mom has had that happen before too) I guess maybe since your pendant doesn''t do it, a ring shouldn''t, right? Hm..lotta talkin for not a lot of help.

I''ll just say

yippey for Sholdt!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

D''oh! I was planning on a sapphire and sholdt ring someday too...in a few decades hehe.
I think it will be drop dead GORGEOUS!!

 

[Fly Girl]

Stunning setting, SCG. That is a beautiful ring. Fitting for your beautiful sapphire.

With your allergy issues, I wouldn''t take any chances...it would be platinum for me. I''m assuming this is a daily wear ring.

 

[stepcutgirl]

Thanks! Is there any reason why I should not get palladium?

 

[Michael_E]

Maybe. If you are exceptionally sensitive to this metal then you may develop an allergy to it. There are a few articles available on line that focus on this, though most are concerned with palladium as an alloy in dental applications. Here''s one that might be of interest to you: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-79560264.html

 

[baby nurse]

That is such a beautiful setting, stepcutgirl! (you helped me locate the picture for the setting in my thread the other day) I received that sample from Pearlman''s this morning, as well as R484-1PD and it''s a work of art. I had never seen palladium in person before and I think it''s lovely-- I would probably choose that over white gold, to play it safe. Best of luck in your decision!

 

[stepcutgirl]

Thanks Michael! BN-Which setting are you going to go with?

 

[PinkTower]

I would go with the platinum. I have had to have my diamond studs and my engagement ring reset into platinum due to a gold allergy. It would have been more cost effective to have done them right in the first place. My jeweler did not seem too fond of palladium; I cannot recall why. I believe he considered it brittle, but I am not positive.

I love your setting.

 

[stepcutgirl]

Ya know...I thought I had heard somewhere that palladium was brittle. I mentioned this to the jeweler and he said absolutely not. He said he would reccomend pd over pt because pt will scratch up and dent up faster and that even though more people prefer it he has no idea why. Sigh...there is so much information out there and I find most of it more confusing that I was prior to reading it. The difference in cost is $800.00!

I have emailed Sholdt to see if they use nickel or palladium as their alloy. I read somewhere on here that that mix of WH is hypoallergenic. That may not be right either.

 

[baby nurse]

It will likely be either R484-1PD or R297-1D (which I have yet to see since it was already out when I asked about it). Your setting is the one with the most "oomph" but I''m afraid it might darken my stone. You''re in the final stretch... can''t wait to see your pictures!

 

[stepcutgirl]

Ooohhh..I really like the 484! When are you thinking of getting yours set? I think mine is still 1-2 months away. Can you post pics of your sapphire? Is this for an ering? Is your sapphire darker than mine? Don''t look at my avatar pic, check out my thread on it...it''s darker IRL than the avatar pic.

 

[Novel]

OOOh, so exciting! Like MTG, I''ve always dreamed of a sapphire in that setting. Cannot wait to see it!!

 

[baby nurse]

484 is really nice, it''s the one that Pearlman''s sent me in palladium. The semi-bezel is in white gold and I''m dreaming of future stones that I could set in it! I too have a Malaya garnet coming in a few weeks from Jeff and would love to see it in that semi-bezel.

Your sapphire is a beautiful color

Mine is similar but a little darker. I will post pictures as soon as I figure out how take them close up. So far all I can capture is the color.

No, it isn''t for an ering, but for a RHR. I''m hoping to set it soon but it''s the first stone that I get set and I still have to figure out insurance, etc.

 

[stepcutgirl]

Thanks Novel!

BN-On the inside of the WG one...what does it say? Does it by any chance say 18k pd? I'm trying to see if they alloy their WG with palladium or nickel. I have sent them an email to ask but well...I'm inpatient.

I didn't get a WG sample. I had 3 samples and 2 were palladium and 1 was 18k YG. What do you think about the feel of the palladium compared to the WG? I wish I had them in front of me to check out. We didn't have the money on hand to have Pearlmans ship me samples so I had them sent to my jeweler. I spent some time with them but now I'm all like was the height of the one I want too high? And I didn't even know about the prong one like you got with the channel set diamonds! I went from certain to waivering in just a few hours!

I wasn't able to get good pics of my stone. You can see that from my JW thread. I was able to capture the color...but never got detail in my pics.

ETA-Can you post pics of the two rings you did get to show the difference?

 

[Arkteia]

Beautiful setting. Can not wait to see the ring!

 

[baby nurse]

Wow...I thought my vision was better than this... all I can make out on the inside of the ring is "750" and "Sholdt". Sorry.

I''ll tell you what I see with these two rings but bear in mind that I''m really, really green. So take it with a grain of salt

The palladium (484) looks whiter than the white gold (semi-bezel) and doesn''t feel quite as heavy, but then the weight thing could be because of the type of setting (once again, green)? Because the semi-bezel does seem to have more metal to it. Also, the palladium doesn''t seem to have as shiny a finish as the white gold, but then again, maybe they spent more time on the semi-bezel''s white gold finish because of its style.

I will post pics of the two rings either tomorrow afternoon or evening. I have two little ones and I never stop running with them!

Oh, I didn''t know that 484 existed either until I took a closer look at the Sholdt site. They didn''t carry this one at Pearlman''s and I asked Bill if he could get a sample for me. He''s the most accommodating man.

I''m sorry if I''ve placed any doubts in your mind re your setting decision. Your semi-bezel is just about the prettiest ring I''ve ever seen. If I were braver I''d take the plunge and set my sapphire in it (I may still do that

) but I think my stone will flourish in a more open setting.

 

[stepcutgirl]

Thanks Cras!

BN-You haven't placed any doubts in my head. I am just one of those people with setting commitment issues and now I am second guessing myself. I think if the semi bezel sat too high I would have noticed...but now I'm what if I didn't ing myself. And I pretty much dismissed the fremont solitare they sent but it was the plain one not the one with diamonds on it and now I'm wondering if it would look better for the same reasons you are! Ugh!

ETA-Just called my jeweler he still has the settings...I'm going back for another look.

 

[StonieGrl]

SCG: SpecTACular!

And would either of you be offended if another PSer used that setting for a stone?

That is the solitaire setting I''ve been ''searching'' for, could not seem to describe to a jeweler what it was (the four clips or split half bezel) and the channel set yet not looking especially channel set diamonds along the shank that run up into the head.

Wow. Love it.

I checked this jeweler''s website, they are in Seattle.

I know Seattle well. I have frequent flyer miles...My husband loves Seattle too.

BLING TRIP!

 

[PumpkinPie]

wow - that''s the perfect setting for that stone

 

[stepcutgirl]

Thanks and I wouldn''t be offended at all! I went back to my jeweler today and looked over the settings again...I love it. Everything I was afraid I didn''t pay attention to yesterday I checked out well today. I love this setting!

And just because there was talk of it in another thread...the difference in height between the plain semi bezel and this one is this one is 1mm taller than the plain semi bezel.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I think that you should get Plat if that is what you really want and if you are worried about wg. I know it feels like a lot more money, but in the grand scheme it is not (as long as you can afford it I mean), and you will be happy you go what you really wanted.


I am so happy that you have found your dream setting!

 

[Arcadian]

thats a fantastic setting that will really look great with your stunning stone!

I''ve got a few weirdnesses with white gold (only in my ears and only 14k) If you''re fearing having any type of allergy, then go with plat.


-A

 

[stepcutgirl]

Thanks DD and Arcadian. I suppose we could afford platinum but with us paying for our own wedding and money not being plentiful I feel like that 800 dollars could be spent wisely elsewhere.

I''m kinda leaning to palladium. Anybody have any words of warning against that metal?

 

[baby nurse]

Here is the picture of my sapphire that you had asked about. It was taken in natural light (cloudy day).

ETA: This was actually taken under fluorescent light. I was thinking of a different picture.

 

[baby nurse]

And here is one of the two Sholdt settings I asked Pearlman''s to send.
The one on the left is the white gold semi-bezel, the one on the right is the palladium Fremont R484 that I''m considering. My sapphire is on the far right. It was taken under natural light.
I''ll post more pictures tomorrow in a separate thread to avoid hijacking yours!

 

[stepcutgirl]

Your sapphire is soooo pretty! I really like both of those settings!

 

[D&T]

oh SCG!!!!-- I'm so sorry I haven't been on much, so I completely missed this thread....

Anyhow Sweetie! I haven't read all the post yet, however, if I were in your shoes, I would do it RIGHT the first time, which means, save up a bit more for the platinum. Since I've reset like five times now... I could have easily afford two platinum of this ring

now...lol so that is my take (which I should have done it right the first time). I'm sooooo glad that you have chosen this setting, the channel set is very delicate, its not a very typical channel either. will you get a matching band ? I think I might sometime down the road... but a plain band would be equally beautiful!

ETA: LOVE LOVE LOVE this ring, I can't ever stop staring at it- fine craftsmanship and all. soooo I'd love to see many PSer's with this ring...the more the merrier

 

[stepcutgirl]

Yay D&T! I was afraid you wouldn''t see this post. I''m not sure what I''m going to do about wedding bands...but I have a few ideas. Yes, there will bands and not band. If bf gets a plain band I likely will get a 2mm version of his and then a wedding band of diamonds, if he gets one with diamonds (which he likes, we found one in the local store that is titanium with a channel set band of yellow diamonds down the middle which is a nice nod to my ering) then I will get two diamond bands. I''m thinking of either two tiny french cut bands (budget permitting) or maybe two danielle bands or maybe one of both? I think with my center being a sapphire it will be beneficial to have diamond wedding bands.

As far as metal I think we are going to go palladium, we can afford it much easier and he agreed that down the road, should it be the wrong choice we will reset into platinum....when we aren''t trying to save for a a wedding shortly after the engagement! `

I did have the opportunity to look at the one I''m getting (like yours) and the one like elle chris has side by side (i recall height difference conversation) and the difference is 1mm.

Whats your opinion of my wedding band ideas?

 

[D&T]

Date: 3/14/2010 12:41:27 PM
Author: stepcutgirl
Yay D&T! I was afraid you wouldn''t see this post. I''m not sure what I''m going to do about wedding bands...but I have a few ideas. Yes, there will bands and not band. If bf gets a plain band I likely will get a 2mm version of his and then a wedding band of diamonds, if he gets one with diamonds (which he likes, we found one in the local store that is titanium with a channel set band of yellow diamonds down the middle which is a nice nod to my ering) then I will get two diamond bands. I''m thinking of either two tiny french cut bands (budget permitting) or maybe two danielle bands or maybe one of both? I think with my center being a sapphire it will be beneficial to have diamond wedding bands.

As far as metal I think we are going to go palladium, we can afford it much easier and he agreed that down the road, should it be the wrong choice we will reset into platinum....when we aren''t trying to save for a a wedding shortly after the engagement! `

I did have the opportunity to look at the one I''m getting (like yours) and the one like elle chris has side by side (i recall height difference conversation) and the difference is 1mm.

Whats your opinion of my wedding band ideas?

Great idea!

as for wedding band options, I''m currently undergoing a remaking of my 5 point diamonds by Michael E at Gemshoppe into a full bezel band from adwar, so I will have that shortly and will be able to show pictures of. If you are not into matchy, I think the Danielle jazz band would be stunning of course (maybe even with alternating sapphire colors and diamonds?) I don''t have that anymore. The only problem when I tried to match another channel set band was the pointer size of (Honey channel band from WF) didn''t match up too well ( it was just too noticeable for me since the yellow gold did offset and showed the apparent difference in the diamond sizes too much for me

). but then again, if you aren''t concern with matchy that''s no problem, I''ve worn, plain bands, and milgrain bands, I actually prefer the plain bands with this ring, but if you have a few options , it''ll be fun to switch it up. I''m also considering yellow sapphires and diamonds alternating at some point as I love yellow stones. I think you have lots of options with this ring, since the sidestones is just a line of shimmery sparklies that won''t compete too much with any diamond wedding bands especially in white metal. How fun!!! yay! sooo Happy for you to find the ring!