Ladies...assistance needed!!!

[Tony S.]

I recently purchased a 2 carat diamond and now I need a setting. The jeweler is really pushing for me to get a plain platinum setting with no side stones. Her theory was with the size of the diamond there is no need for side stones and that a wedding band with diamonds will compliment the stone better. I was wondering what your thoughts were??? Also, you can point me to any websites where I can view and shop around for settings??? Thank you in advance for your comments.

 

[mrssalvo]

Hi Tony,
It''s really a matter of personal preference. If I had a 2 carat i would LOVE to have Leon Mege make the setting you can check out his stuff here but some women prefer the look of a simple soitaire. Is your proposal a surprise? You could always get a temp setting for the proposal and let her be involved in picking out the setting if your not sure. There are also plety of women who have 2+ carat rings with sidesstones and they are BEAUTIFUL. Something else to consider is her ring size. If it''s small there won''t be much room for sidestones. good luck

 

[mrssalvo]

also check out this thread
it shows a bunch of setting with 3 carat centers and many have sidestones. that will give you some idea of how your 2 carat will look.

 

[bluedawg]

As mrssalvo said, it''s all a matter of personal preference. My most favorite, favorite look for a big diamond is a platinum solitaire setting with an eternity wedding band. For a 10th anniversary, you could then get a matching band to wear on the other side. Awesome look.

This combo is from Tiffany:

 

[canuk-gal]

HI Tony:

What is your girlfriend''s theory--I mean, what are her preferences? Are you at liberty to take her shopping with your for a setting, or is this intended to be a complete surprise? There are so many options and combinations of ER/WB styles that the it boggles the mind--hopefully you will be able to navigate your way through and find something that suits your furture intended'' taste and lifestyle, rather than your jewellers.

As for websites, try Leon Mage, Perlman''s, Tiffany''s, Blue Nile, and any of the vendors listed here above under the search function titled "Resources". Happy shopping!!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Tony S.]

Hey...thanks for your respones...My gf has no idea this is coming so she hasn''t been shopping with me or anything...I kind of want to do this on my own...I think I like the idea of the plain setting with the diamond band...that looks really nice....but if I get the plain setting and she wants to change it I will let her know that I have no problem with that...The sales person I am working with put one aside for me but now i have to decide if I want that one or not...I might go to Tiffany and check out their settings and have one of them custom made....I have to say that this post board is really an awesome resource...everyone is such a big help!!!

 

[pearcrazy]

Until you know her preferences why don''t you mount the diamond in the most inexpensive 14K white gold setting. If she likes the look of a solitaire, then you can see if she''s interested in platinum or a different styled solitaire mounting, if she wants sidestones then perhaps the two of you can go shopping for settings and matching wedding rings together and even start shopping for YOUR wedding ring

 

[jillxx75]

I have to agree. Especially if you are getting in to the custom designs at Tiffany... you'd be devastated if you spent all that time and $$$ to find out that she would have preferred something else. Let her pick. You can give a temporary setting with the stone, then go together. You never know. Personally I would prefer a fancier e-ring setting and a plain band for the wedding ring.

 

[Diamondsbybree]

With a diamond that size, I would just go with a nice solitaire setting. If she wants to get something different in the future, it will be fun for her to pick out what she wants...???

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 5/2/2005 11:32:20 AM
Author: jillxx75

I have to agree. Especially if you are getting in to the custom designs at Tiffany...

Tiffany does not set non Tiffany diamonds into their settings. . .You''ll have to have another jeweler replicate the setting.

 

[trid316]

My advice pretty much follows everyone elses. If you want to keep it a big surprise, then mount it in whatever solitare is most expensive. She will be extatic (spelling?) either way. And then afterwards, go pick out exactly what she wants.

That was GOING to be my route, before my GF and I went and looked together. See pretty much showed me the style she liked, and designed, so therefore, I had a good idea of what kind of e-ring she would want. Then I just picked out a ring w/ other stones, and went w/ that. Otherwise, I would''ve just went w/ a solitare, but I wasn''t sure what she wanted.

Therefore, you''re other option, is to casually go look, and get an idea of what exactly she wants (style, designer, color, etc.)

Good luck!

 

[Diachi]

You might be surprised how many "simple solitaire" settings there are out there!

My advice? Go with an moderate priced, white gold setting with the intentions of having it re-set as soon as she decides what she wants...also, settings are one of those things that you don''t know until you try it what looks best on her finger, comfortablity, etc. so I think its important for her to decide. Also, there are MANY beautiful settings out there and "better" names then Tiffany''s that will set your stone in their setting-look around and check out your options!

Either way, you can''t go wrong with a rock like that! Me? I''d go for a classic, platinum four prong setting but even then there are choices! IE: knife edge, cathedral, designer vs. custom, etc.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 5/2/2005 10:59:26 AM
Author: Tony S.

I might go to Tiffany and check out their settings and have one of them custom made....

Settings like the Tiffany solitaire are available in quite a few places (including THIS, for example)... no need to go for a custom design. If this is to be a temporary setting only, you might as well spnd $50 on a white gold four prong thing just good enough to hold diamond on fnger for a short while.

If you are planning to buy an eternity band, keep in mind that those cannot be sized. Unless you know her ring size precisely, perhaps the jeweler could suggest a suitable arrangement.

Hope some of this helps.

 

[michela002]

Date: 5/2/2005 7:54:15 AM
Author:Tony S.

The jeweler is really pushing for me to get a plain platinum setting with no side stones. Her theory was with the size of the diamond there is no need for side stones and that a wedding band with diamonds will compliment the stone better.

Sorry, I''ll warn you I''m going to sound harsh on this jeweler, but I''m just trying to get my point across: who cares what her "theory" is? Her preferences and tastes don''t matter. I don''t mean it in the bitchy way. Just that what matters is that your girlfriend loves the ring. Don''t let the jeweler push you into getting something you''re not sure about. People have different preferences and all that matters is your GF''s preferences. There are plenty of ways to set a 2ct with diamond side stones or accents that will compliment the stone beautifully, and that might be what she wants. Maybe check out the Diamond Eternity Wedding Set thread for tons of examples of diamond side stones and diamond bands.

I echo other''s views - get a cheap temporary setting and let her pick her own setting. It''s the perfect compromise - the proposal is a surprise, but she also gets a say in some of it.

For example, Nice Ice has some settings for $215 that would do the job till you guys pick her "real" setting together. http://www.niceice.com/jewelry/solitaires.htm.

If you are sure you want to get the permanent setting now, then you''ll just have to try and suss out what she''d like better. Maybe ask a friend or her mother or something. Or base it by her taste in other jewelery - does she wear a lot of jewelery? Does she like simple, classic things? Or would she like a more ornate setting? (and like Valeria said, make sure you leave some room for resizing if you are getting an eternity-style e-ring band, unless you are 125% sure of her ring size! And even then I still think leaving some room is a good idea in case her fingers change over the years. Eternity rings are notoriously difficult if not impossible to resize.)

 

[katrina_33]

I agree with the other posters that a "temp" setting is always safe so she can select the final setting she''ll wear.

If you want this to be a total surprise, and want to pick it out yourself, I think a diamond band like the shared prong or eternity bands in the thread someone posted above would be lovely and a safe choice. With those bands, they''re still shaped like a simple solitaire, and don''t have the chunky three stone look or lots of ornate details that are riskier choices, but, it''s a little more sparkly than a totally plain band.

Once again, I think the best bet of all is to get a temp setting and let her pick, but if you don''t want to go that route, I think a thin platinum pave diamond band, and a four prong head is a great option.

www.solomonbrothers.com has TONS of options for settings, do a search for rings by Daniel K, Tacori, Krementz, Gregg Ruth, etc, for some of my favorites. Also check out Precision Set, Richard Landi, Vatche''s websites for great setting pictures.