New Anniversary Ring Project

[MrsT]

I recently celebrated my 30th wedding anniversary and became a grandmother!

PS members helped me 5 years ago with my diamond upgrade (WF 2.ct) and I was happy with my center stone but not the setting which was purchased locally and is a Christopher disign.
Because of my large ring size I have always regretted not being able to swing the 3ct center.

I was hoping to get some help with an idea I have to make my Round 2ct stone look larger on my hand. I had an unsuccessful day in the city yesterday in this effort. The remount I found that worked was a halo style ring. It was a rounded square halo with diamonds down the side.
Yes the center stone looked larger but it still didn't seem like enough. The ring was dull to say the least.

I am thinking about purchasing a 5 stone ring with large enough stones for an 8.25 ring size. I would wear this on my right hand.
Then hopefully I could remount my 2ct in a halo setting but I don't really know enough about this type of setting.

I think that is I will need at least .50 stones for the 5 stone ring. I want the ring to stand out but not look fake. I'd like to save money but I'd really like the ring to stand out.

I've attached an image of my round 2ct and my DD's engagement/wedding band to show how dwarfed my ring looks on my hand.
It's really bothering me. DD spent a fraction of what I spent and people stop her to admire her ring. I myself am thrilled she and her husband did so well with their purchase in the diamond district.

With all that said, I have a few questions.

Who makes a sparkly Harry Winston style halo ring for my 2ct at an affordable price point?

What size and quality of diamonds should I be seeking if I want a very blingy 5 stone for an 8.25 ring?



Thanks,
Mrs T

 

[SB621]

I alo have a 2ct RB that eventually I want put into a HW inspired halo, so I have done a little research on this. I think my top contenders are ERD, JbEG, and Leon. To me theirs are the closest to HW. I believe the setting starts around 2.5k for white gold by it has been awhile since I requested a quote. I would check their websites for pricing, but ballpark I would expect between 2-4k.

 

[MrsT]

Sarahbear: I'm not familiar with jbEG. I went on LM and saw things I liked. I need to do more reading up on stone size for halo settings.
I think 1 -3 points is the range I might like with 3pt perhaps being on the large size.

I wonder if anyone knows what size melee I should use for a ring like the one below?

img]https://www.pricescope.com/forum/files/img/MB%20halo.jpg[/img]

 

[MrsT]

 

[slg47]

I think with that much pave it would be more like 1/2 or 1 pt. JbEG is jewels by erica grace, they have a nice HW style halo.

 

[SB621]

If you search PS for JbEG (jewels by erica grace) halo you will see sevearl examples of beautiful HW halos.

I also agree with the previou poster that with the ring you posted i would do the smaller melee.

 

[MrsT]

Thanks I'll take a look.

 

[Christina...]

I love jbEG. This halo is amazing, and shown with a 2ct RB Hows this for some bling!!!

http://jewelsbyericagrace.smugmug.com/JbEG-Signature-Settings-and/Halos/The-Mimi-Halo-Featuring-a-2ct/16811401_S8zTRn#1268555331_3HfRFrT

This one has the larger melee that you were asking about...stunning!!

http://jewelsbyericagrace.smugmug.com/JbEG-Signature-Settings-and/Halos/Halos/12794584_q7FyT#960989614_ozgqR

 

[MrsT]

Christina: Thanks for adding those examples.

I like the second one. It's really helpful to know the stone sizes. The description of ring 2 states the halo uses 1.5 pointers and the shank stones are 2.0. I think any larger wouldn't look right.

I know my DD's ring has larger accent stones. I wish I knew the size of her accents diamonds. She doesn't know the specs but I think for a RB they would be too large.

I've been pouring through halo designs and finding that the construction of the ring varies widely between designers.
I wish there was a sticky on the anatomy of a halo e-ring because I'm getting confused. I've yet to find exactly what I'm looking for.

For example, what do you call a halo with the head stones on top and on the sides? Is that a two sided halo?
How do you know what height the gallery should be? How about the way the stones are set? Totally confused on this.

Anyway, I'll keep reading and trying to find answers.

Mrs T

 

[MrsT]

Re:Anniversary Ring Project - 3 Stone possibility

I'm heading in a different direction and hope that I can get some help.

With the price increases it's obvious that I can't upgrade my center stone to a 3ct. even if I choose a higher color. I can't believe the prices! I wonder if I should wait? OR...

After trying on many 7 stone rings and other mountings I realized two things. First, I love eternity style settings but they're not for this stage in my life. Larger fingers require larger rings/diamonds and a 2ct gets lost in those settings. I end up with the same look as my existing ring.

I did find that a three stone ring has great finger coverage as long as the sides are large enough. And, Leon Mege makes a gorgeous 3 stone halo but I wonder if it's almost too much for everyday.

The first image shows proportions that I think will give me the most finger coverage for a size 8+ ring size. The next images are styles I think are beautiful from LM.

At first I thought I would need 1ct. sides for a 2ct center. Now I believe that's not necessary. But what is the right balance?
I'm leaning toward .75 to .80 sides.

My next question is about the stone selection itself. If my center is an Ideal cut from Whiteflash. Do I need to be as particular with the sides. I'm thinking that sides that large will need to be ideal cut also but was hoping I could get beautiful stones that don't really fall in the realm of super ideal cuts.

Would love some advice.
Thanks,
Mrs T

 

[Sundial]

First of all congratulations on your 30th wedding anniversary and on becoming a grandmother! I actually love the setting you have now, but I can see what you mean that it gets kind of lost on your hand. I received a three stone anniversary ring six years ago that I wear as my wedding ring and I love the finger coverage that it gives me. Mine is set in a semi-bezel design with 1.24 carat center stone and .5 carat each sidestones. My sidestones kind of tuck under the center stone and I love the look, but I think it does make them look a little smaller than if they sat straighter with the center stone. I think you could go with .75 to .90 carats on each side of your 2 carat and still get some nice coverage and good proportions. In my opinion though I would stick with ideal cut diamonds because it would bother me if my sidestones were not as sparkly and eye catching as the center diamond. That Leon Mege design with the halos is just stunning, but for me it would be too much to wear on a regular basis. The other one is lovely though. Good luck with whatever you decide and please post pictures for us!

 

[Sundial]

Oh and then go ahead and add a nice 5-stone for your right hand. I got one of those for my anniversary this year (2 carats total) that I am wearing as a right hand ring. I love the extra bling it adds to the overall picture and it makes a nice compliment for the three-stone on my left hand.

 

[MrsT]

Wow that's a beautiful ring!

Thanks for answering my post!

I believe I'm headed in the right direction. And, you read my mind! I do hope for the 5 stone on my right hand. I was able to put this all together at a B&M store and really like it.

But, I do have a lot of jewelry with .04pt diamonds of beautiful cut that can be made into a right hand ring. I'm checking into that too.

Thanks you again,
Mrs T

 

[MrsT]

One year later....

I abandoned the project due to being unsure of the right way to go. But a trip to the mall got me dreaming again!

I would love to hear opinions about another option.

I'm leaning away from halo because I can't figure out what type of band works with it. I'm married 31 years now and a classic bridal set isn't right for me at this stage.

Can anyone suggest a way to design the E-ring remount if I was leaning toward a 5-stone band with .50pt size diamonds?
How do I match that to an E-ring band? Would it look ok with an eternity setting using 20 point diamonds? Will my center stone look too small with 20pt sides? Won't the larger stoned ring sit up too high?

I was able to try on a 40pt 5-stone with an eternity E-ring with a 3ct center and it looked very nice together. However my center is 2ct.

I like having the large 5-stone because my ring size is 8 so most things look to small on my hand.

I must say I do love coming back to PS and looking at all the wonderful bling.

The image below shows difference is size stones.

MrsT

 

[Mrs.W 514]

have you considered a 3 stone reset? It would give you the finger coverage you are looking for. With a 2 ct center stone you could do half carat sides and it would look amazing/huge and blingy. I also totally love this setting. http://www.whiteflash.com/engagemen...e-butterflies-diamond-engagement-ring-230.htm

I am a little confused though. Are you planning on wearing your e-ring with the five stone or is the five stone a RHR? If it is a RHR I would get the larger stones. If you are planing on wearing your e-ring and the 5 stone together I would go with smaller stones in the 5 stone.

here are some treads for you to look at for reference
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-3-stone-ring-is-finally-here.144645/
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/eternity-band-and-5-stone-band-makeover.157133/

 

[MrsT]

Mrs W:

Thanks for the links. I do want to wear them together but have the option of wearing the 5 stone by itself when I want less bling.

I spoke with a reputable vendor from this website and priced out the purchase of side stones but the side stone size recommended for my center stone was 1ct each. My first diamond is 80pt and when I used it to envision the proportions I felt the advice was correct for 1ct sides.

But, I wonder if I should consider the e-ring with .50ct sides? At least there would be continuity in design. But, I would like the ering better with more than 2 side stones unless they were the larger size. Maybe 4 -50pt sides? Oh it's so confusing. I wish I had access to a jewelry design program so I could try different design possibilities.

The images linked of the 3stone brings up another question for me. As mentioned in previous posts I tried on a 3 stone ring with a 3ct center. I don't recall the setting feeling uncomfortable or looking too high but I didn't take note of the setting. Do some settings have lower profiles than others? The u-prong seems to sit high and I'm not sure I would like that. I have to go back to the B&M store and look at the setting.

As far as a RHR goes, I am going to create one with old diamond jewelry that I don't wear anymore. I have some very nice 4pt diamonds I want to set in rows for my right hand.

 

[MrsT]

Another option for a 3stone setting might be to use pears as the side stone.
I hope this is ok to post but I love MrsV's idea here:


I wonder if 50pt 5-stone ring is too large a proportion for pear sides. It's becoming obvious to me that it's all about proportions and ring finger size.

 

[motownmama]

First off, I'm not trying to be catty, but I think your stone is much much more beautiful than DD's. It has so much sparkle and vibrancy. I like the 3-stone idea with the pears. I also like the first set you posed in the string of pics on 7/10 (partial bezel??). That is SO classy looking (I worry that it needs a thin spacer though). You have beautiful and youthful hands btw.

 

[MrsT]

MM: lol! When DD and I are together, people gush about her ring. In sunlight you do see hint of color but it is a very sparkly oval and perhaps the image doesn't do it justice.

I agree the bezel design from 7/10 image seems to have just right proportions. I need to find out what the specs are.
I also like the proportions of the pear set too. I'm going to show them to the vendor and see what they say. I'm waiting to hear from them.

Thanks for taking an interest.

MrsT

 

[diamondseeker2006]

For what it is worth, I think your current setting is classy and gorgeous and I love it 1000 times more than a halo type ring. I'd choose yours over your daughter's any day! Just don't tell her! The thing is, though, a wider band makes the stone look smaller, so you may want to go to a three stone to get more finger coverage, but do go with a thinner band regardless.

A band with .50 stones is going to be hard to wear with an e-ring of any kind because the stones will sit too high and scratch the e-ring. You would absolutely have to wear a plain spacer band in between that would be wide enough to prevent the rings from touching. I really think a band with stones that large will take away from your e-ring diamond. And I am afraid that putting sidestones on the e-ring and a band of .50's is going to be a little much. Most here who have large three stone rings wear a more delicate wedding band in order to let the 3 stone ring stand out. Yssie is one who comes to mind but she did change her setting to a 5 stone, but same principle. MissGotRocks is another who chose a smaller Tiffany band to wear with her larger 3 stone ring. I need to check and see a couple of others that come to mind.

In regard to a three stone ring, Kaleigh has a Tiffany three stone with pears. Her center is over 2 carats and the side pears are in the .30's each. For rounds, I would think you'd want at least .50 on each side. So the pair option could cost less if you really liked it.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

This thread should help you a lot. Be sure to go to the second page where they are showing three stone rings with diamond wedding bands. Fancydiamonds is talking about wearing her band with 15 pointers with her e-ring and she wears her 2.5 ct. 5 stone band on her right hand.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-brian-gavin-truth-3-stone-ring-in-platinum-priceless.165877/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-brian-gavin-truth-3-stone-ring-in-platinum-priceless.165877/[/URL]

 

[distracts]

IMO what I would do with your e-ring is make IT into a 5-stone. 2 ct center, .75 ct sides, and then about .3ish on the ends. It would be big, blingy, and yet very different from your daughter's (or most other rings). Kind of like Yssie's, but with different proportions: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/its-here-my-5-stone-8-prong-trellis-reset-by-dbl.170161/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/its-here-my-5-stone-8-prong-trellis-reset-by-dbl.170161/[/URL]

Because your stone is ideal cut, I think you should also stick with stones that have ideal light return, though they don't need to be super-ideal.

Then if you wanted a different wedding band, you could do a nine-stone band or a slender eternity.

 

[Laila619]

I think the problem is just your current setting. A 6 prong solitaire would make your stone pop much more! Right now, the width of the shank on your setting is almost as wide as your diamond, so it all gets lost. 6 prongs also create an illusion of a bigger stone since the prongs at 12 and 6 o'clock make the stone look fuller.

I also think a 3 stone with .85 or .90 each sides would be AMAZING!!

 

[MrsT]

Well, it's my morning time with sparkle. I've been drooling over the links and other "Show me the Ring..." posts. Wow, there are some amazing jewels to see on this site.

The problem is I love so many ideas. Right now I'm realizing as suggested that the large 5-stone with my E-ring (whatever way I set it) is going to rub against it and sit too high! I didn't realize that when viewing the pictures. A spacer is an interesting idea.

But, after looking at the "Show me your 2-3ct " post I'm starting to analyze the proportions and maybe I have a solution. However, what looks to die for on forum members hands with the tiny ring size fingers will look too small on my 8.25rs. Darn nuckles

Would using a 3-stone with .75 RB sides work with the 5-stone with the .50ct's like Yssie's eliminate some problems?

I was wondering if someone could re-cut my original engagement diamond. It has a big chip in it. If I could keep it around .75 I could save some money and use it as one of the sides. I guess it depends on how big the chip really is. I doubt I could keep enough size.

I was considering the suggestion of a spacer and thought there are some interesting ways to do that too. For one, a gold spacer interests me since I like to wear yellow gold and white gold. And, my dream RHR is bordered in yellow pave diamonds.

Lots to think about. Thanks for all the very good advise. I'm going to try to organize my thoughts and if you guys don't mind show examples of what I narrow it down to.

Thanks everyone, love the help you are all so kind to give.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I'm sorry, MrsT, but I have to say that a band of .50's is a standalone band for the other hand. I think it would look really bad with a three stone e-ring with 2 carat center and .75 sides. I posted a link above where fancydiamond says she doesn't wear a band larger than 15 pointers with her large 3 stone ring. What happens when you do that is that it competes with the e-ring and just makes the center stone disappear into a sea of bling. If you want your e-ring to look larger, do add the .75 side stones, but wear a smaller wedding band of maybe 10-20 point stones max. I am trying to think of a nice way to put this, but I think trying to put too much bling on one finger is just overkill as opposed to a more classy look.

Just looking back at your pictures, a wedding band the size of your daughter's might work. But many here do think diamond bands take away from a three stone ring and wear a plain band, like Yssie, I believe. A plain band in between might add a little separation and help not make all the diamonds blend in together which protecting the e-ring, but a band of .50's is just too large. Even .30 5 stone bands here are worn alone.

 

[MrsT]

Back from mini vacation...

I really appreciate honest opinions. Thanks so much for all the replies.

Diamondseeker: I'm curious about your avatar image. That's a beautiful ring. What are the proportions? I had the chance to try on a pave 3-stone ring the other day and I just loved it. They were radiant cut but the ring looked beautiful. I'm still clinging to the Leon Mege pave three stone design since it will also give decent finger coverage.

I'm still a little confused about putting a 3-stone with a 5-stone when I see how nice MrsV's looks. (7/18 post) Of course, she has the pear sides. I did a search and found that .50 pears work nice with a 2ct center like MrsV's. I believe her 5-stone has 30pt RB's.
I think this style is still a possibility. Maybe the .50 5-stone is too large but I'm still not sure. Also, pears will be more affordable I believe.

I did learn something the other day. I tired on a 3-stone RB that actually fit. The specs made no sense at all so I don't have a clue as to the proportions. It looked like a 1.75 center with 1ct sides but we couldn't figure it out. However, it looked really good on my hand I could wear it alone and not feel like I need more.

Now I need to decide which way is best round or pear sides? I'm so worried that the pear sides are going to look the same as my existing setting. Somehow I thing RB's give the right coverage and drama I'm looking for.

If I go with rounds I think 1ct sides is the best. If my center is a H&A Ideal cut center do I need to match the same quality for the sides or can I get away with an Excellent cut over Ideal should I decide RB's are the way to go? Who would you recommend I go to for the side stones in the NYC area. I want to see the diamonds in person to see how they'll look with my center stone.

 

[VRBeauty]

Mrs. T - JBEG has an antique 5-stone that I enquired about and decided against because it would be just too much for my 6.25 ring finger. Maybe something for you to consider as a right hand ring? The stones are old mine cut, which are not everybody's cup of tea, so you might want to ask about an inspection period.

Last listing on this page:
http://www.jewelsbyericagrace.com/antique_vintage_and_reproduction_rings_page_2

More photos here:
http://jewelsbyericagrace.smugmug.c...orian/23448138_s2595R#!i=1894511532&k=ZRdnf5P

 

[Snow_Miser]

IMO what I would do with your e-ring is make IT into a 5-stone. 2 ct center, .75 ct sides, and then about .3ish on the ends. It would be big, blingy, and yet very different from your daughter's (or most other rings). Kind of like Yssie's, but with different proportions: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/its-here-my-5-stone-8-prong-trellis-reset-by-dbl.170161/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/its-here-my-5-stone-8-prong-trellis-reset-by-dbl.170161/[/URL]

Because your stone is ideal cut, I think you should also stick with stones that have ideal light return, though they don't need to be super-ideal.

Then if you wanted a different wedding band, you could do a nine-stone band or a slender eternity.

I think this is the VERY BEST idea!! Yessie's ring is a show stopper--SO gorgeous! This style will give you great finger coverage and major bling factor!

 

[MrsT]

Three Stone Mounting Help needed

I started looking for the diamonds for the 3-stone ring.

I'm debating whether to use .90ct or .80ct sides.

I saw Yssie's ring and what a gorgeous piece. That was some project. For some reason I think my ring shouldn't taper due to my large hands. I'm trying to get some coverage.

If I had my way, I'd like the mounting to allow for a band to sit next to it. I stumbled on Moms2boys three stone and saw it with two lovely eternity bands and loved that. I think I could also do a larger eternity in 15pointers too.

I need help with the setting? What should I know about Trellis vs. Basket. I'm leaning toward Trellis because I want a lower profile.

I know this is really awful but I'm actually thinking about trading in my 2ct center for something larger. It would mean I'd have to sacrifice on color and cut because the prices are so high. What if I found a 2.75 RB in H or I color. Is it crazy to upgrade size and sacrifice color and clarity? I wouldn't be happy if I saw a tint of color. But when I see the bling on theses forums the diamonds are gorgeous and they are sometimes J in color. I guess I'd have to see the color in person.