New Leon setting = smaller looking diamond??? Please HELP...

[peppermintpatty]

Melanie I didn''t see this last picture until after I posted. I reaaallly wonder now if Leon did that to proctect the head of your engagement ring. I have a feeling you will either have to live with it like that, or wear your rings on separate hands.
My heart goes out to you! I am going through somewhat the same thing with Tacori and Michael b. rings. I sure do wish it wasn''t so hard to fit the er and wb together. I don''t know how you feel about it by I don''t need to have my rings sit flush, but so many engagement rings seem as though they''ll be wrecked by the wedding band.
Hopefully this will all be worked out to your satisfaction. I don''t feel you should have to pay for a whole new band. JMHO!!!!!
Again best of luck to you and let us know how everything works out!!!!

 

[Bia]

style="WIDTH: 99%; HEIGHT: 78px">Date: 6/20/2008 2:04:59 PM
Author: peppermintpatty
Your new ring is gorgeous! I think your diamond looks bigger in the LM ring! I can see by your pictures that it sits lower in the LM, but I think it looks beautiful!

I''d have to agree...it looks slightly bigger to me. BTW, it is gorgeous. I think I can now say I am definitely going with Leon.

 

[surfgirl]

Melanie, it''s not about carat size, it''s about quality and I think you have a lovely stone. It seems like the side shank needs to be thicker in order to not tweak sideways with wear, like taking it on/off everyday. I''d talk to Leon about it though, see if it can be altered or not. But in the end it might just be a structural issue that you cant get around.

 

[Melanie611]

Update: I just emailed Leon. With all your advice, I think I'll keep the ering as is. The low setting and added shank depth might be a plus later on if I plan to wear it on a daily basis. And looking at some misshapen silver rings I wear, this might give me some added security. It kind of reminds me of the Ritani Endless Love rings, but I think the diamonds in those are set deeper?

Anyway, I asked him to change the band, which will probably be easier than changing the ering. I know he told me it would require making a whole new band. Maybe he could reuse the platinum and diamonds? Here hoping he's willing to do it >. I've heard stories about his artistic temperament...Wish me luck everyone

 

[Rhea]

I like the new setting, but the difference in depth between the wedding and engagement rings would bother me as well.

 

[DMBsGirl]

I think your diamond looks bigger in the Leon! it is gorgeous btw. I agree with you on the wedding band though, it should be the same depth, this would bother me too.

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 6/20/2008 4:44:07 PM
Author: Addy
I like the new setting, but the difference in depth between the wedding and engagement rings would bother me as well.

Ditto. I also echo Demelza -- honestly, I don''t see a visual difference in the size of the diamond between settings. Looks great (and BIG!) in both!

But that difference in the DEPTH of the two rings might just drink me bonko!!!

I don''t know what the solution is... if you have the w-ring made as deep as the e-ring, then it would block the side view of the beautiful head somewhat, I agree. But what''t the alternative? A less deep, potentially thicker (width) e-ring shank... and there goes the ultra-thin look we love.

THIS is a problem I hadn''t ever really thought about. But I am with you, purchased as a set, I would have expected a total match in width AND depth. OY!

Please keep us posted.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I think that you diamond looks great in the Leon ring. I am in the camp that thinks it looks bigger in the new setting as well. I can see how adjusting from a high to low setting may be difficult, but there are so many benefits to a low setting. It will be less likely to get in the way of your daily normal activities. This may not be significant now, but think about daily activities like pulling bags out of the trunk of the car, quickly going though a closet for something you lost. I think your setting is less likely to get in the way, and therefore you may be more likely to be confortable wearing it without as much worry. I know a lot of women on pricescope wear their rings on a daily basis, but I know a lot of women who don't wear their engagement rings, or upgraded because it was getting in the way of their daily life.

I see the difference in the band, and I see how you could be bothered by it. I would assume "matching" would mean width and depth, and would not think to elaborate further if I were getting a ring made. I hope you can get something worked out.

ETA: If anything, your ring has proven to me that Leon's work does look good with smaller stones.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 6/20/2008 9:14:32 PM
Author: Lynn B

Date: 6/20/2008 4:44:07 PM
Author: Addy
I like the new setting, but the difference in depth between the wedding and engagement rings would bother me as well.

Ditto. I also echo Demelza -- honestly, I don''t see a visual difference in the size of the diamond between settings. Looks great (and BIG!) in both!

But that difference in the DEPTH of the two rings might just drink me bonko!!!

I don''t know what the solution is... if you have the w-ring made as deep as the e-ring, then it would block the side view of the beautiful head somewhat, I agree. But what''t the alternative? A less deep, potentially thicker (width) e-ring shank... and there goes the ultra-thin look we love.

THIS is a problem I hadn''t ever really thought about. But I am with you, purchased as a set, I would have expected a total match in width AND depth. OY!

Please keep us posted.

I totally agree. Depth difference would drive me batty. It was one of the things I was looking for when I was wedding band shopping and that kept bugging the heck out of me about some otherwise gorgeous bands. I would have it re-done. I don''t know if I would have him re-use the stones and everything though. Maybe just consign the band with him if he allows that? I''m sure it will sell in no time.

 

[Rhea]

I kinda agree with consigning the already made ring but I also kinda agree that it wasn''t your fault that it was made differently therefore he should remake the ring knowing that the current ring will sell. Maybe I''m being a brat but several other jewellers on here would take the wedding ring back and fix it with very little to no charge. I often think that Leon gets a wide berth simply because we can blame the artistic temperament or the fact that his work is beautiful. Hopefully that will be the case with Leon as well. You have yet to say what his suggestions and charges were for fixing the band.

What happened that they were made at different heights anyhow? I honestly want loads of communication from anyone and especially distance working on something so important to me.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 6/21/2008 4:42:47 AM
Author: Addy
I kinda agree with consigning the already made ring but I also kinda agree that it wasn''t your fault that it was made differently therefore he should remake the ring knowing that the current ring will sell. Maybe I''m being a brat but several other jewellers on here would take the wedding ring back and fix it with very little to no charge. I often think that Leon gets a wide berth simply because we can blame the artistic temperament or the fact that his work is beautiful. Hopefully that will be the case with Leon as well. You have yet to say what his suggestions and charges were for fixing the band.

What happened that they were made at different heights anyhow? I honestly want loads of communication from anyone and especially distance working on something so important to me.

This crossed my mind as well, I have to admit.

 

[orbaya]

Date: 6/20/2008 11:39:20 AM
Author: Melanie611
Here it is with the band. Notice the difference in depth?

It is beautiful! I don''t see that LM makes your diamond appear smaller at all. I just think you aren''t used to a lower setting. I''d give it a little bit of time.

I can see what you mean by the different heights of the bands. That would personally bug me and I would need to have it fixed so it matched the e-ring.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I think that the LM setting is gorgeous, and it does not make your stone look smaller to me. That being said, I hope that you and LM can come to some sort of fair agreement on the wedding band issue. Good luck!

 

[NeverEndingUpgrade]

Your Leon is awesome! So classic and beautiful. I do think Leon has a "thing" about matching wedding sets which is why he made the band different. When I was talking to him about making me a ring, he said something along the lines of If you have to wear a band with it. I think he really sees his designs as stand alone designs, which I have no problem with but I too wanted a set. I eventually went with a Tacori set but I still would like a Leon one day!

Your e-ring would go with so many band styles. Is he going to charge you full price to make a whole new one? If so, maybe you could look at other designers to see if you like something. Maybe something like the Sheldon Speyer Mini Mania rings.

 

[sna77]

Date: 6/21/2008 4:45:43 AM
Author: Gypsy

Date: 6/21/2008 4:42:47 AM
Author: Addy
I kinda agree with consigning the already made ring but I also kinda agree that it wasn''t your fault that it was made differently therefore he should remake the ring knowing that the current ring will sell. Maybe I''m being a brat but several other jewellers on here would take the wedding ring back and fix it with very little to no charge. I often think that Leon gets a wide berth simply because we can blame the artistic temperament or the fact that his work is beautiful. Hopefully that will be the case with Leon as well. You have yet to say what his suggestions and charges were for fixing the band.

What happened that they were made at different heights anyhow? I honestly want loads of communication from anyone and especially distance working on something so important to me.

This crossed my mind as well, I have to admit.

Leon sounds like a jacka$$.

Neat, he does great work--so do other people... For me, I''d find someone to great work with, who isn''t a jerk... Reading this and Crooked Rock''s thread is enough for me to know that I''ll look elsewhere for custom things in the future... Mark Morell is in Concord, Ma--just 15 minutes from where I look... If / when I need something high quality custom designed, I think I''ll look there...

 

[Isabelle]

Date: 6/21/2008 4:42:47 AM
Author: Addy
I kinda agree with consigning the already made ring but I also kinda agree that it wasn''t your fault that it was made differently therefore he should remake the ring knowing that the current ring will sell. Maybe I''m being a brat but several other jewellers on here would take the wedding ring back and fix it with very little to no charge. I often think that Leon gets a wide berth simply because we can blame the artistic temperament or the fact that his work is beautiful.

And to this point, one of the most talented jewelry designers of the 20th century was Jean Schlumberger and you never heard of him mistreating a custom-creation customer during his tenure at Tiffany. Screaming at customers doesn''t mean you have talent, it means you have issues. If he weren''t self indulgent he would be able to churn out incredible custom work along with incredible customer service. The two aren''t mutually exclusive after all, and in fact, they are rather dependent on one another.

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 6/21/2008 10:09:01 PM
Author: Isabelle

Date: 6/21/2008 4:42:47 AM
Author: Addy
I kinda agree with consigning the already made ring but I also kinda agree that it wasn''t your fault that it was made differently therefore he should remake the ring knowing that the current ring will sell. Maybe I''m being a brat but several other jewellers on here would take the wedding ring back and fix it with very little to no charge. I often think that Leon gets a wide berth simply because we can blame the artistic temperament or the fact that his work is beautiful.

And to this point, one of the most talented jewelry designers of the 20th century was Jean Schlumberger and you never heard of him mistreating a custom-creation customer during his tenure at Tiffany. Screaming at customers doesn''t mean you have talent, it means you have issues. If he weren''t self indulgent he would be able to churn out incredible custom work along with incredible customer service. The two aren''t mutually exclusive after all, and in fact, they are rather dependent on one another.

Here Here

 

[Melanie611]

Update: Thanks for the support, everyone. Actually, Leon was VERY understanding about it. He suggested I wait a couple days to make a final decision. In his words, he didn''t want me "disappointed." I just received a response from him saying he''s willing to make me a new band. I just have to pay the cost of shipping. Yay!

His workmanship is truly beautiful.

 

[Ellen]

I''m so glad things went well with him for you Melanie!