Memoire Purity Collection - 99% Pure Plat??

[cinnamon013]

The Memoire Purity Collection states that they are made with 99% pure platinum. Would this be sturdy enough? I thought the reason most platinum is 950 is to give the metal durability.

Here''s a link to the rings:
http://www.memoire.com/catalog/collections.aspx?collection=167

and the link where they state the platinum content:
http://www.memoire.com/index.aspx?par=metal_platinum

Here''s a FAQ page about them:
http://www.memoire.com/index.aspx?par=news#ReadMore

BTW, even though it looks like the stones are far apart, these rings are gorgeous! They appear so much more sparkly than the shared prong ones, which are a sparkle fest to begin with. The blown up picture doesn''t show how petite the ring really is, the bars are tiny.

I emailed with Bill at Pearlman''s - these rings come G / SI but you can upgrade to G / VS. He says the VS upgrade is about 20% more, and not really necessary because the SI stones are definitely eyeclean. He''s going to check some $ for me on Monday as they are closed today. The only ones he has listed on his website are more tcw than I''m interested in.

Any way, I''m just wondering why they would go with the 99% platinum on these?

Also, at the B&M that carries these in our area, she said that Memoire will replace lost stones for life. Anyone know if this is true? I forgot to email Bill at Pearlman''s this question.

 

[rainydaze]

haha, cinnamon whenever i come across someone with the rings i am considering it is always you!! you have good taste!

i AlSO spoke to bill pearlman earlier this week about the memoire petite prong .5ctw. it''s not part of the 99% collection, but i''m curious to hear more anyway.

may i ask why you are considering the memoire over the matching WF band? they sure are beauties, aren''t they (the memoires)!!!! bill didn''t mention the vs2 but did say si1 was fine (though from mem''s site i knew you could go highter color clarity). that''s good to know about the pricing for it.

i''m still chuckling about this.

 

[cinnamon013]

Date: 7/6/2007 3:43:46 PM
Author: rainydaze
haha, cinnamon whenever i come across someone with the rings i am considering it is always you!! you have good taste!

i AlSO spoke to bill pearlman earlier this week about the memoire petite prong .5ctw. it''s not part of the 99% collection, but i''m curious to hear more anyway.

may i ask why you are considering the memoire over the matching WF band? they sure are beauties, aren''t they (the memoires)!!!! bill didn''t mention the vs2 but did say si1 was fine (though from mem''s site i knew you could go highter color clarity). that''s good to know about the pricing for it.

i''m still chuckling about this.

Our tastes much match!
The petite prong I asked him to check on is a 9 stone, .5 ctw. And the purity 7 stone .25; the purity 11 stone .38; and well, a few other small total carat weight. Remember in my other post I said they were too expensive and I wasn''t going to consider them? Well...I am at least going to find out the pricing! I tried one on with my micropave ering, and they are just so pretty. I know everyone thinks the multi stone rings wouldn''t go, but they look beautiful together in person. It''s a case of "you just got to be there" to see how it looks. Very blingy in a not overpowering sort of way. The pictures of all these rings (my ering, the eternity bands, etc) make the diamonds and the features of the ring look huge. In reality, they are tiny, little, delicate things. These Memoire bands are the same height as my ering, they don''t overpower it.

I am considering it because my original wedding band was substantial and I wore it alone, no diamonds. Then, I went with a large channel set round eternity band, it was substantial. Now that I finally have my diamond, I put it in what I consider my "Cinderella" setting. It is petite, shimmery, and just lovely. I do want to have a little more ring on that finger, though. Adding in the matching pave band would/will be a beauty, but I''m just not sure it''s what I want. I''d love to have a blingy little multi stone ring to go with it instead. Thus, the consideration of these Memoire bands.

Have you heard back from Bill about the pricing? There are only 3 stores in my area that carry them. I''ve looked at Hyde Park, called BBB, and Neimans. The Neimans clerk refused to give me pricing over the phone for the ones they had in stock. That didn''t sit well. At our large B&M, Hyde Park, the pricing was around $1800 for a small ctw one, but I can''t remember which one it was. I feel Pearlman''s would be able to beat any of their prices, so I''ll just wait to see what he says next week when he can call Memoire.

In the meantime, I''m really anxious to see what folks think about this 99% plat thing. These are the bar set ones and they are pretty in person.

 

[rainydaze]

you just desribed exactly the reasons the memoire appeals to me as well. they just have a sparkle and presence to them that i haven''t seen in other diamond bands or the tiny paves. and that''s the effect i like, a *little* diamond presence but nothing overpowering or too subtle either.

i had the memoire petite prong in platinum .5ctw quoted by a b&m and it was in the 1800s and by pearlman''s who was substantially less. naturally wg was a lot less, and the 11 stone petite prong platinum was in the 1600s (b&m).

 

[cinnamon013]

Date: 7/6/2007 5:59:49 PM
Author: rainydaze
you just desribed exactly the reasons the memoire appeals to me as well. they just have a sparkle and presence to them that i haven''t seen in other diamond bands or the tiny paves. and that''s the effect i like, a *little* diamond presence but nothing overpowering or too subtle either.

i had the memoire petite prong in platinum .5ctw quoted by a b&m and it was in the 1800s and by pearlman''s who was substantially less. naturally wg was a lot less, and the 11 stone petite prong platinum was in the 1600s (b&m).

You are my mind matcher...hehehe

I just called a little mall store independent in St Cloud, MN that I went to a month or so ago when I was traveling in that neck of the woods for work. Turns out, he used to work for Memoire a looong time ago! He was so nice and helpful. He actually connected with his Memoire rep via IM, and found out the prices for 2 I''m most interested in, and then called me back. The B&M prices you mention above are higher than what he just gave me. I am waiting on a couple of things at this point to make this decision - my bonus that I get on July 31, my quote from Pearlmans, and to make up my mind if I want to go this route (7 or 11 stone purity) instead of the matching one at WF, that now would be less than these. With my WF $100 repeat customer, and my $50 online survey, that one is definitely less. Less appeal to me at this point, though too.

 

[katiedid]

cinnamon, sounds like you''re making headway on the memoire research! Good for you. I''m glad you''re considering all your options before making the decision. You mention the $50 WF survey thing. I filled that out too. And I also submitted the referral $100 for myself. I know they got the referral submission. How do you know if you are getting the $50 survey gift? Does anyone know how long it takes to get that? I think the referral gift card ships out within a couple of weeks of your order.

 

[rainydaze]

hehe

that''s pretty cool about your connection!! sounds like you''ll have a tough choice. right now i am leaning towards pearlman''s - he was in the low 1700s for the one i want (can we ''talk'' about price quotes on PS?) and i really liked him. of course, he''s backed by so many here too. the jeweler i was working with i thought i liked but am slowly losing confidence in. i''m sure i could negotiate him down (the b&m), especially since i''m buying a semimount as well, but i''m not sure it''s worth even trying. i have a few more ducks to line up before i dive in myself, like you, but i''m getting excited!!

it can be hard to opt for the more expensive option when a more financially practical one is staring you in the face, but as is often said here and elsewhere, it''s not worth it in the end if for a little more you could have had ''OMIGOSH I LOOOOVVVE IT'' vs ''hey this is nice''. sounds like the memoire is

for you. i know it is for me!! (actually, i realized today that i think a woman i have recently met has a tiny memoire and it immediately caught my eye. i''m hoping to have the opportunity to ask her if it is in fact a memoire, and if so, i can say they are as beautiful out in the ''real world'' as they claim to be.)

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have really enjoyed my Memoire ring! The stones are set low and do not hit the e-ring prongs. So may shared prong bands are set too high. I look forward to hearing what you girls decide!

 

[cinnamon013]

Date: 7/6/2007 10:41:44 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
I have really enjoyed my Memoire ring! The stones are set low and do not hit the e-ring prongs. So may shared prong bands are set too high. I look forward to hearing what you girls decide!

Can you give us some pictures on your hand? What are the specs of yours? # of stones and total carat weight?

What do you know about the 99% plat?

 

[starryeyed]

Hi Cinnamon.

You have great taste! My brand new wedding ring is a Memoire Single Prong eternity band from the Purity collection. I''m trying to recall what the jeweler told me about the pure platinum.... It''s only the Single Prong that comes with this pure platinum. The single prong is totally unique - I love it! The low profile is wonderful.

Memoire has three grades of stones. The regular grade is G/H SI-1 minimum. The A+ grade is F VS1 minimum. The A++ grade is F VVS1 minimum. The jeweler accidentally ordered the regular grade and I wanted the A+ grade. When the correct ring arrived, I saw both qualities next to one another and could tell the difference. The salesperson could not.

Pearlman''s had given me a quote, as did Solomon Brothers. They offered the same pricing. I went with the local jeweler and paid the sales tax because my DH preferred to deal locally.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 7/6/2007 11:38:56 PM
Author: cinnamon013
<

What do you know about the 99% plat?

cinnamon, I don't know much about the 99% plat. but here's what Pearlmans wrote about it in the gallary pic:

5 years in the creation this ring comes with a written guarantee that if a diamond falls out it will be replaced. Most platinum has a Vickers system of hardness of 120 at 95% pure. This ring has a Vickers rating of 215 Really hard![/u]




Bill P actually told me Memoire took a hammer to the ring to test it out when creating the line to make sure stones and plat. stayed intact

 

[rainydaze]

hi starryeyed,

i''m glad you shared our experience with the quality...... i tend to be able to discern color variations and have been wondering if i should go with the F/VS grade or just trust everyone that ''i won''t notice the diff''. i''m pretty sure i will too, especially now that i know someone else did as well. may i ask, in what way did you notice the diff? with the color? or the clarity? was it just not quite as bright and sparkly?

thank you for your input!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 7/6/2007 11:38:56 PM
Author: cinnamon013

Date: 7/6/2007 10:41:44 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
I have really enjoyed my Memoire ring! The stones are set low and do not hit the e-ring prongs. So may shared prong bands are set too high. I look forward to hearing what you girls decide!

Can you give us some pictures on your hand? What are the specs of yours? # of stones and total carat weight?

What do you know about the 99% plat?

I only know what I have seen on the site and what mrssalvo wrote about the 99% platinum. I do know that more than one jeweler has told me that Memoire bands were "the best". Now I wouldn't mind having a Tiffany band because they are also set low, but they are a good bit higher in price than Memoire! I am away from home for the weekend and do not have pictures stored on this laptop. But I'll try to remember to post some tomorrow night! My ring is 7 stones at .75 carats, so the stones are 10-11 points each. It covers the top of my finger. You just have to get more stones if you go with smaller ones. I think that size goes well with my diamond which is 1.63, yet I also love the sparkle of the smaller stone bands as well. One of each would be nice!

(I also got the A+ grade. It seems like it was about $300 more for mine. But I do not have a full eternity.)

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/7/2007 7:09:51 AM
Author: mrssalvo

Date: 7/6/2007 11:38:56 PM
Author: cinnamon013
<

What do you know about the 99% plat?

cinnamon, I don''t know much about the 99% plat. but here''s what Pearlmans wrote about it in the gallary pic:

5 years in the creation this ring comes with a written guarantee that if a diamond falls out it will be replaced. Most platinum has a Vickers system of hardness of 120 at 95% pure. This ring has a Vickers rating of 215 Really hard![/u]




Bill P actually told me Memoire took a hammer to the ring to test it out when creating the line to make sure stones and plat. stayed intact

but they''re making it out like the platinum is why its so strong which we all know is highly unlikely - what is more likely is that somehow they have like 1% titanium or something (I doubt they''d tell) and can get quite a lot of volume per weight and make it really tough. I think its great they''ve figured it out, but making it out like having more platinum is the reason is just... almost a lie LOL

 

[cinnamon013]

Thanks for all the info! I was away from home today and was pleased to see all of the replies on this thread, especially to hear a bit more about the various grades. I''ll have to check them out and see if I can tell the difference.

starryeyed,
Can we see some pictures of yours as well?

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 7/7/2007 7:17:58 AM
Author: rainydaze
hi starryeyed,
i''m glad you shared our experience with the quality...... i tend to be able to discern color variations and have been wondering if i should go with the F/VS grade or just trust everyone that ''i won''t notice the diff''. i''m pretty sure i will too, especially now that i know someone else did as well. may i ask, in what way did you notice the diff? with the color? or the clarity? was it just not quite as bright and sparkly?
thank you for your input!!

Hi Rainydaze.

Yes, I could definitely notice a difference. I am color sensitive, so the regular grade looked more beige. It also wasn''t as sparkly or crisp. I could definitely see the difference with my loupe too.

When they first gave me the wrong ring in the regular grade, I felt it was "fine" with my naked eye, but I wasn''t excited about it. I was definitely disappointed when I looked through the loupe. When the right ring in the F VS1 minimum quality arrived, the side-by-side differences were more obvious, so I understood why I wasn''t initially thrilled.

That''s not to say that the regular quality stinks - it doesn''t, it''s very nice. I''m just color sensitive and quite picky. Now I''m even wondering what the A++ quality is like.

 

[rainydaze]

thanks starryeyed! your experience is a great help to me. i''m going to ask for pricing on the F/VS grade and see what comes back. i think i might always wonder/wish i''d gone a bit higher. though, i''m looking at a band with 1 pointers. i wonder if it really would matter in ones that small? well, that''s soemthing else to ask. and if it''s similar to the price difference you found, then it''s probably well worth it.

sorry cinnamon, i know this was your thread about the 99% platinum and i''m not talking about that at all!!!

thanks for letting me sidetrack!! are you any further along in your own decisionmaking?

 

[Nicki]

I''m SO glad I read this thread! I''ve been looking at diamond bands for a while now, and these look just about perfect. Would you guys mind posting up what you find out regarding prices and availablilty of the smaller rings?

 

[cinnamon013]

Date: 7/9/2007 10:04:51 AM
Author: Nicki
I''m SO glad I read this thread! I''ve been looking at diamond bands for a while now, and these look just about perfect. Would you guys mind posting up what you find out regarding prices and availablilty of the smaller rings?

Nicki,
The prices I''ve received on these rings are terrific. I am looking at the smallest carat weights to go with my ring, but I would say they are very affordable. I''ve gotten quotes from Pearlmans and a jeweler in Houston - Roberts Fine Jewelry. I''ve talked with Bobby, the owner there, and he is awesome, and his prices on Memoire are great. I highly recommend working with either of these two places to get a really good price, and excellent customer service. I haven''t decided which band I will get, but the more I think about it, the more likely I am to go with a Memoire. Also in the running are some Facets and Whiteflash bands, but the Memoire bands will sit low and give me a great look. They even have some pave I''d love to have, but it is a bit out of price range for what I want to spend.