James Allen or Blue Nile Petite Pave Setting?

[houserabbitz]

Hi All,

I'm sorry if this subject has been addressed to death, but I don't know which setting might be "better" than the other. My fiancé and I have been given a stone which was his great aunt's. It's a round cut, and is a half carat. I like the slender look of the pave and the thin band. I already have a Blue Nile ring, and it's simple, but still very beautiful, on top of their great customer service. I am torn between their pave setting:

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-engagement-ring-18k-white-gold_17884

and the similar James Allen setting:

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-white-gold-thin-french-cut-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-289

Is there much of a difference? It seems the diamonds' color and clarity of the JA setting is a little bit better than the Blue Nile Ring? Does it matter since the stones are so small?

I would like the most for my money, obviously, what do you guys think? Blue Nile will not offer their lifetime gaurantee if one buys a setting without one of their stones, while JA will, and will set my stone for $100.00. I am trying to stay under $1200.00 for this setting.

My last remedial question is, what is a cathedral setting?

ETA: I also really like halos with plain shanks. Due to the stone's size, I would like something super delicate, suggestions for that as well?

Thanks!

 

[msop04]

I like the JA setting, but no matter which one you choose, I would not recomment 18K white gold. I would do 14K, so that when the rhodium starts to wear off, it's not so yellow -- i.e. you can go longer without plating it. Also, 14K will save you some money.

 

[distracts]

My last remedial question is, what is a cathedral setting?

If you look at the rings you linked, you can see that the shank is just a circle, and the head just comes out of that. Rings with a cathedral have, like, a bit that comes out of the shank and reaches up to the head, and if you look at it from the side it looks kind of like the ceiling of a cathedral. This ring is a cathedral setting - http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-white-gold-double-claw-prong-0.18ct-pave-set-surprise-diamond-engagement-ring-item-22614

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I've had the pleasure of owning the BN petite pave cathedral setting and the sibling setting from JA. The quality of the JA was FAR superior to that of the BN setting. I have to imagine it'd be the same for the non-cathedral version. FWIW I don't care for cathedral settings. I think the stone sits too high and they look dated. I would go with the JA setting all day long. They also have fabulous customer service and their prices are fair IMO.

 

[houserabbitz]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies so far. I don't want the stone to sit "high", so that's good to know. The JA rep I have been emailing also sent me a link to a "claw" setting, which looks like it sits lower?

Does anyone have a JA Halo? I don't particularly like the pictures of them on their website; they look clunky and "metal-y". Are they delicate enough for a half carat stone? My "heart" setting is this:

http://www.solomonbrothers.com/JewelryDetail.aspx?ProductId=5323580
It's a Ritani.

I don't want a halo to overpower the stone itself. I also like the halo on Whiteflash, with a plain shank. Thoughts?

 

[Skippy123]

If you love the S. Bros setting, ask if they will mail it to you. They mailed me a setting and I purchased it and then they set my diamond.

My James Allen Pave set eternity, I love!!!

 

[houserabbitz]

Do you have pictures of your JA set, Skippy?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Halos are great for smaller stones. It's a great way to get more finger coverage if that's what you're looking for. A halo coupled with a thin pave band will really make your stone pop. I think the settings on JA look clunky because of the lighting. The prongs will be proportional to your stone size, so they wont be overwhelming.

 

[PattyCo]

Here is a James Allen halo that is a bit like the Solomon Brothers one you posted. It shows a .80-ish diamond in the center of it.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/14k-white-gold-pave-halo-engagement-ring-round-center-item-18301


Here is the same James Allen halo with pave set diamonds on the band. It has an .83 diamond in it.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/14k-white-gold-pave-halo-and-shank-diamond-engagement-ring-round-center-item-17445

For what it's worth, I have a rose gold setting from James Allen that hasn't given my any troubles.

I hope this helps .


Warm regards,
PattyCo