LAD Acacia arriving soon! Help me pick a wedding band :)

[Shannon74]

Hi PS Community,

First, I want to say a huge thanks to the creators, moderators, trade, and prosumers for all of the time and expertise that you dedicate to make Pricescope the amazing resource that it is. While, I don't comment much, I'm on here daily. I've learned so much from you all and I've had a lot of fun in the process! You guys rarely fail to impress me.

Now, a quick intro...
Last January, my husband told me that he wanted me to pick out an engagement ring for our 22nd anniversary in June. My very first diamond...Yay!!! Thankfully, I stumbled onto Pricescope early on in my search! I thought I knew exactly what I wanted, a Harry Winston style halo with a cushion. Then, I saw so many other beautiful options on PS! I realized that I wanted something more unique, vintage inspired, and I loved old cuts!

I started working with Erica from Love Affair diamonds in September. After changing stones and settings a few times, I finally decided on a beautifully faceted 1.21 ct AGS I SI1 OEC to be set in LAD+CVB's platinum Acacia. Erica said that my ring should be ready and in my hands this week! I am beyond excited and can't wait to see my ring on my finger!!

So, now onto my question...
Which wedding band will look best with my setting? Pave or shared prong?
My preference is shared prong with the biggest stones that I can pull off. More important to me is getting what will look best with my e-ring. I would love to hear ideas and suggestions! My budget is $3k or so. Finger size is 6. My e-ring is 1.9 mm wide x 1.6 mm tall. I don't mind wearing a spacer and I'm fine with pre-loved.

If you want to cut right to the chase, you can skip the details below and just tell me if you like shared prong or pave best with my e-ring. If you like shared prong, what size stones? Any particular ring or style you want to suggest? I'm open to ideas and I really appreciate any advice you want to offer.

Otherwise, here are my top contenders -

Brian Gavin - I already ordered the Dream half eternity from Brian Gavin (shared prong w/ 11 x .05 melee) in December, but I haven't received it yet. I'm obviously second guessing my choice. It's absolutely gorgeous! I LOVE that I'll be getting super ideal cut stones and that the band sits low on the finger (1.8 mm tall). What I'm questioning is the price and stone size. Since I'm in Texas, almost 10% of my budget went to sales tax. That's money that could go towards diamonds if I went with an out of state vendor. This was at the top of my budget and I feel like I want bigger stones if I max out my budget. I know I'm paying for top quality. I just don't know if I prioritize this level of quality over carat weight. http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/wedding-and-anniversary-bands/eternity-bands/dream-half-eternity-platinum-5392p

Sasha Primak Royal Crown - I contacted Pearlman's for some price quotes (Bill is amazing btw). Since Pearlman's offers a 20% discount, all of the bands that I inquired about are similarly priced to the BGD Dream. The only exception is the .50 ctw 11 stone, which is $800 less than the dream. Stone quality = VS, G+, ideal cut.
11 stone (.50 ctw) - http://www.sashaprimak.com/pid492
7 stone (.75 ctw) - http://www.sashaprimak.com/pid605
Full eternity (.05 melee, 1.12 ctw) - http://www.michaelcfina.com/sasha-primak-bridal-jewelry-platinum-diamond-shared-crown-eternity-JS-WB127-PTQ4.html

Pearlman's Bridal Collection - I can get either a U-prong or trellis style 7 stone band. I absolutely love the trellis band and 1 ctw is very tempting! I'm just not sure if a trellis will look good with my setting or if almost 15 pointer stones will be too big for my 1.21 OEC. I could also go with .50 or .75 ctw for either band. I'm guessing that the u prong will sit lower but I need ask for the measurements.
Trellis - http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/pearlmans-bridal-jewelry/wedding-bands/207EE1/
U-Prong - http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/pearlmans-bridal-jewelry/wedding-bands/210EE1/

Leon Mege Pave - I REALLY wanted to get my setting from Leon Mege. I tried to work with him but he proved to be too difficult for me. I'm not bashing him. I'm just extremely meek, so it's hard for me to work with strong personalities. I'm still kicking myself for not growing a backbone and going after what I wanted. Sigh...I can't go back, but a LM wedding band sure make me feel better! I came across a pre-loved band that I think I would really love. My concern is that it's only 1.6 mm wide and it's 1/4 size too big. I'm not too worried about the size because my e-ring will keep it in place, right? Thoughts on the width? Another option is to order the width I want from Leon's website. Since a band is more straightforward than an e-rings. I don't see me having any issues.
Here is the closest I can find of the pre-loved band (it's .54 ctw I think) https://leonmege.com/portfolio/shop-now/wedding-bands/thin-fishtail-micro-pave-wedding-band-detail

Blue Nile Floating Diamond - I just found this band and it's on sale. The measurements are very close to the band of my e-ring. It's 7 stone, 1 ctw, 1.9 mm wide x 1.5 mm tall (vs 1.9 mm x 1.6 mm e-ring). It reminds me a lot of the Sasha Primak Bands except it's a floating diamond design. I really love the look of this band. Plus, it's more carat weight for less money. My concern is the quality of the diamonds and craftsmanship. Are my concerns valid? What cut quality does Blue Nile use?
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-ring-platinum_9717?elem=img&track=product

Ok - so those are of the pieces that I'm considering. I do wonder if I should get something vintage or vintage inspired. Maybe something with milgrain? Or, maybe a band with alternating marquise and round shaped? Maybe a band from Singlestone? A few are in my budget and a Singlestone band would be amazing with my e-ring! I have also thought about looking for a pre-loved Tiffany shared prong. I found a couple on eBay, but I'm a little nervous buying from ebay. I also worry about the stone quality. I definitely want super sparkly ideal cut stones.

If pave is the way to go, I need vendor suggestions or specific bands to look at because I don't know much about shopping for pave. I think I would rather spend under $1500 for a pave band so that I could get a shared prong or trellis band to wear as a RHR is a year or so. However, I flip-flop on this too. A big part of me wants to take advantage of my full budget and get the best wedding band possible. Ugh, I hate being soooo indecisive!

Thanks for taking the time to read my long post. I'm terrible at being concise and I apologize for that. I do immensely appreciate your time and any help or advice you can offer. I'm seriously struggling with this decision. I'm ready to be done with the shopping/decision making and soooo ready to start wearing and enjoying my rings!

Thanks again for everything!
Shannon

List of attachments.
1 - My diamond (also here's a link w/ videos and more pics - https://loveaffairdiamonds.smugmug.com/Vintage-Rings/1j21ct-Old-European-Cut-Diamond-/i-r9jqnjM).
2, and 3 - CADs of my e-ring
4 - finished example of my e-ring (but with a much larger diamond)

 

[Shannon74]

Oh wow! My above post didn't look that long on my iPad. I'm about to go edit and reduce that monster, but I want to upload some pictures of my top contender first. I included the links, but I know it's easier to have pictures uploaded. So here you go!

List of attachments -
1. BGD Dream band - 11 stone .55 ctw
2. Sasha Primak Royal Prong - 7 stone .75 ctw
3. Pearlman's Bridal Collection - 7 stone Trellis 1 ctw
4. Pearlman's Bridal Collection - 7 stone U-prong 1 ctw

 

[Shannon74]

List of attachments -
1. Leon Mege Le Coeur 1.55 mm band (pre-loved is 1.6 mm .54 ctw)
2. Blue Nile Floating Diamond - 7 stone, 1 ctw

 

[Niel]

I'm inclined to say the bands you've picked may overwhelm your delicate ring.

I'd buy a thin wedding band that is bright or bead set, something that could be millgrianed.

Sense I love the look I'd also stack it with a plan of textured band in between for a stacked look. But not everyone loves that look so that's not part of my initial suggestion lol

 

[Niel]

Something like this, in my opinion,would me my vote

 

[Niel]

Also your diamond is stunning I thought it was icy white looking, shocked to see its an I

It's going to be a stunner. Love the itty bitty table.

 

[tyty333]

I very much agree with Niel. I don't really like any of your choices
With your ering. Your ering needs to be the main attraction. I think
You need something very fine and petite to go with it. Again, like
The band that Niel suggest.

Maybe just a small (1.8mm) migraines band to go with it.

I would buy one of those other rings for a RHR.

You might also ask LAD for a suggestion.

 

[VRBeauty]

While I like the two Leon Mege rings to compliment your lovely Acacia, I agree that a band small diamonds (did I just say that???) and milgrain detail would really set your e-ring off. Maybe something along these lines - though not necessarily from Tiffany...

http://www.tiffany.com/jewelry/ring...wse&searchkeyword=&trackpdp=bg&fromcid=616859

Or

http://idjewelry.com/0-32-ct-f-g-si-diamond-straight-wedding-band-in-18k-white-gold-wb6191w83jj.html

http://idjewelry.com/0-23-ct-f-g-si-diamond-straight-wedding-band-in-18k-white-gold-wb7109w83jj.html

 

[foxinsox]

I think any one of these would suit that gorgeous ring really well
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/erika-winters-bridal/lily-wedding-band#.VpxP0Pl96M8
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/erika-winters-bridal/viola-wedding-band#.VpxP0fl96M8
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/erika-winters-bridal/imogen-wedding-band#.VpxP0_l96M8 (this one is my favourite for your ring)
http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/the-alexandria-eternity-band-cvb-paraiso-collection/
http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/the-geneva-eternity-band-cvb-paraiso-collection/
http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/the-zurich-eternity-band-cvb-paraiso-collection/

You could also look at horizontally set French cuts in an eternity for bling that won't overwhelm your centre stone - something like the one pictured in this thread [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/poll-help-me-choose-a-wedding-band.200215/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/poll-help-me-choose-a-wedding-band.200215/[/URL]

 

[Shannon74]

I tried to reduce my post but I was too late to edit. Ugh...it's embarrassingly long! Sorry!

Niel - Thanks! I haven't even seen my diamond in person yet, but the video stole my heart. The color play is what got me!

I was afraid a shared prong wouldn't look right with my ring. I was also thinking that the wedding band should have milgrain like my e-ring. I'm going to cancel my order for the BGD dream band tomorrow. I do want to eventually get a shared prong for a RHR, but I'll want to get bigger stones.

So..is the 1.6 mm pre-loved LM band too thin?

I like the idea of stacking bands. Would I want to get the bands all the same width? Or, should the plain band be thinner? I was thinking about getting the pave band 1.9 mm like my e-ring (or 1.8 mm since I may want to get a stock band) and then get a 1.5 mm plain band?

Tyty333 - thanks for your input as well. It's what I needed to hear. I really wanted the shared prong to work, but I was already guessing that it wouldn't.

VRBeauty - I know, right? It seems so backwards to look for smaller diamonds than my budget affords. Yet, I know it's not smart for me to get something that will distract from or compete with my center stone. I love the Tiffany band you suggested. I don't think I've noticed it before. It does look perfect!

Foxinsox - I forgot about Erika Winters! I approached her about making my setting for the first stone I bought. It was an under 1 ct antique cushion and it was too small for her to set in the setting I wanted. I returned the stone for my current stone and then LAD came out with Acacia. I think it has a similar feel to Erika Winters. I've always loved the Imogen, so that's moving the very top of my list!

Thanks everyone for all of the suggestions. You have all been very helpful!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I don't like shared prong or other modern style rings at all with an antique style ring. I think you should get one of Caysie's bands to go with it. I don't think there is anything that would go better with it. That is a beautiful ring that you chose!

 

[Shannon74]

Thank you Diamondseeker! Since I've always dealt with Erica, I forget to look at Caysie's etsy page. She has my setting on her first page, so I can see it next to several of her bands. I can tell that I definitely want milgrain and vintage inspired.

I think I'll ask Erica to take pictures of a few of the bands with my e-ring before she sends it to me.

This one is my favorite (it's also the 2nd band from the top on your first photo). This may be a band that's a part of LAD+CVB's try before you buy program. I ask Erica about that too.

 

[tyty333]

I found this picture of a ring made by David Klass that I think would go well with your e-ring. I would have it made with points more
like the points in your e-ring (thinner, longer points).

 

[tyty333]

I did find this on Leon's site if you are still hankering for a Leon Mege.

https://leonmege.com/portfolio/view-all/sacred-band-bright-cut-pave-millegrain-detail

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Thank you Diamondseeker! Since I've always dealt with Erica, I forget to look at Caysie's etsy page. She has my setting on her first page, so I can see it next to several of her bands. I can tell that I definitely want milgrain and vintage inspired.

I think I'll ask Erica to take pictures of a few of the bands with my e-ring before she sends it to me.

This one is my favorite (it's also the 2nd band from the top on your first photo). This may be a band that's a part of LAD+CVB's try before you buy program. I ask Erica about that too.

That's a really pretty one! I think there are many that would look good! I don't have a picture, but another design that CVB can do that I think would look good with your ring are alternating marquise and round bezels. There are more pictures on IG (cvb_id) and on FB (CVB Inspired Design). Definitely check with Erica as she may have other suggestions that will look nice with your ring design.