New ring- need advice

[jennalyns]

Here are the pictures of my new ring! It''s really late
and these aren''t very good, I''ll take more tommorrow.
It is absolutely beautiful, the workmanship is
awesome. Diamond is gorgeous... I can''t find the
inclusions w/the loupe, yet. The sparkle is blinding!

Need some advice, however- It is a stunning ring...
but it is just different enough from my old one that
it''s bothering me a lot. I need some opinions and
advice. It is beautiful... and maybe it will just take
some getting used to... but for some reason, it
doesn''t sing to me the way the old design did.

I
think the straighter sidestones make it look more
traditional, and not as unique as my original. If I
were to send it back to WF to tweak, I''m sure they''d
have to remake it to make the changes, and it will
take another month, and I''ll have to pay international
shipping both ways... Brian was right, it does look
very similar in person, but the sidestones being
almost level is the factor that bothers me most. I am
fully aware that changing the center stone''s size
would make a small difference, but I feel that if the
sidestones were angled like the original, the center
wouldn''t have made as much of a difference in the
shape. And, I also said from the beginning that if the
design couldn''t be matched with the bigger stone, I
would stay with the smaller one... Am I being too
nitpicky?? It''s not that I don''t like the new
design... I''m not sure what to do. It is very
gorgeous.... the lines are just different...

I was hoping that the differences wouldn''t bother me as much as they do... Advice please!

 

[jennalyns]

.

 

[jennalyns]

comparison shot. new one is much better constructed...

 

[jennalyns]

.

 

[jennalyns]

sides

 

[jennalyns]

.

 

[jennalyns]

sorry if there''s too many pictures. please let me know honestly what you all think. haven''t decided for sure what to do... but am definitely losing sleep over this....

 

[valeria101]

It is very beautiful on your hand

If the two rings (old & new) would have been side by side in a jeweler''s case for you to choose from in the very beginning... which do you think would have won ?

 

[AChiOAlumna]

jenna...

I can see your concern, especially right around the center stone, however, I think it''s a beautiful ring!! Because there are SOME differences, it may take some getting used to it...If you''re not happy with it, then you need to call Brian and ask him what could be done to increase your satisfaction....i don''t think you''re being nitpicky by any means. You need to be happy with your custom ring....

Also, there''s a matching wedding band, correct (I remember from your previous posts)? Try it on with the wedding band and see if it makes a difference to your liking...Remember when I posted my ring that looked similar to yours in the YG with the Marquise? I didn''t like it when I didn''t have the w-band to go with it, but I also knew that once I had the whole set on my finger, I LOVED that ring!! See if this is the same for you...if not...then don''t settle...you''ve spent WAY too much time, money and investment to settle...

Let us know what you decide...but I think your ring is g

rge

us!!!

 

[michela002]

Wow ... it looks beautiful, I love it! I can see what you mean, but the difference is pretty slight. However, you need to be 100% happy with it. Since it''s a custom job (and therefore there''s nothing to be gained by sending it back ASAP for a refund) what if you wear it for a week/month/etc to see if it grows on you, but do scout out what can be done about it. And also I agree with AChiOAlumna - you will only be engaged for a short amount of time, but married for the rest of your life, so if you love it with the wedding band then perhaps you can deal with the slight differences until you are wearing the set? Suss out your options, but I say give yourself a bit of time to get used to it before changing anything. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised.

 

[Kaleigh]

It''s a beautiful ring!!! I''m of the school that if it really bothers you now, it''s going to bother you later. I would call Brian and have a chat to see what can be done to make you happy. Let us know what you decide. You are NOT being nit picky at all.

 

[AndyRosse]

Date: 4/17/2005 4:47:17 PM
Author: jennalyns
comparison shot. new one is much better constructed...

Hmmm...I see exactly what you mean. I wonder if WF could just ask more metal to the "swish" round the stone, top and bottom. If you look at the two, I think that is the biggest difference. If more metal was added, then the curvature would be more dramatic. Not sure I''m making much sense, I wish I had photoshop and could play around with the pics!!

 

[AndyRosse]

Actually, after some thought, I think the biggest difference is at what angles the sides with the channel set stones meet around the center stone. I drew yellow arrows on your pic (hope you don't mind) so you can see what I'm talking about. The black arrows are pointing to my ill described point made in my previous post

.

 

[FireGoddess]

It''s going to boil down to personal opinion I think, but I really love the new ring...even more than I like the old one! But in the end it is your ring on your hand, and you need to love it. I suggest perhaps wearing it for a week to see if you like it. Perhaps let WF know that you''re wavering on whether you like the new design or not - maybe they can at least let you know what your options would be.

I do love the new ring. However if the angle of the old one is what you loved most, I can see why you''re doubting the new one. I do suggest giving it a shot, and if you still don''t love it, have it redone at sharper angles...

 

[diamondlil]

Jennalyns, I like both rings very, very much. I think they each have their own look, although they are very similar. Ultimately, you are the one who has to be completely satisfied though. This is a ring you will be wearing for a very, very long time, and if a little thing bothers you now, it will fester in your head until it drives you nuts. Then you will look back and wonder why you did not try to correct the situation sooner. I would call Brian and let him know you are teetering on what to do. I truly believe WF will want to make you happy and keep you as a life-long customer, even if it means redoing the rings.

After talking to Brian, maybe you can live with it for a few weeks. I know with me, I tend to overanalyze things. Plus, there is always a bit of buyer''s remorse that plays with my head. After a week or two, those things fade a bit from my mind, and I can begin to enjoy my purchase. For me, it''s like that with every big-ticket item.

DiamondLil

 

[jennalyns]

Michelle, that''s exactly what I''m talking about, with the arrows you put in the picture! I know, I keep looking at it and I''m just not sure what to do... I emailed Denise and let her know that I was wavering on what to do... I already emailed her and told her I loved it- which I do, it IS beautiful! She must think I''m crazy. I''ll probably call Brian on Monday and see what they can do... I know they will fix it if I decide to send it back, I just need to decide how to go about it. My "inspection period" is until the 24th, so I think I''ll wait a couple more days to decide what to do. I think the main thing is, if I''m thinking about it this much, I should probably have them fix it now, because like ya''ll said, if it bothers me now it will probably keep bothering me. And, for the money we spent and the fact that it''s something I''m going to wear forever, I don''t want to just settle... The old ring, every time I look at it it makes me smile, this one is gorgeous and very high quality, but it is so different from the one my fiance gave me, it doesn''t make me feel the same way... Does that make any sense?

I''ll try to take a picture of it with the band, I don''t really like the way the new band curves. That is definitely getting fixed. I''ll post a comparison shot if I can get a good one.

Thanks for reassuring me that I''m not completely crazy!

 

[AndyRosse]

Jennalyns, I can completely understand what you mean when you say that you look at the old ring and smile, and this one is just different. It''s funny how just looking at something so personal can just bring back thousands of memories, feelings, etc... My fiance and I had an awful time with the first e-ring he purchased, and forever now, when I look at a round stone with tapered baguettes, all the bad memories come flooding back.

And while I''m sure the new ring will always be slightly off because of the bigger stone, I must say, I really do like the curves on the original one. You are absolutely right when you say how unique it makes the ring look!

 

[jennalyns]

Well I just got some good pictures of the rings with the bands, but my work computer won''t let me upload them. Argh! I''ll post em when I get home. Thanks again!

 

[Patty]

I can see the difference that you are talking about. In the original ring, the sides seemed to hit the center diamond at higher and lower points on the sides. Now the sides hit the centerstone closer to the middle of it. I prefer the look of the new one, but it''s not my ring! I''m sure that WF will do whatever it takes to make you happy. You just need to decide what that is now!

 

[WTNLVR]

The third picture posted with both rings-the ring on the right looks the best IMO. It is more symetrical and evenly balanced. Though both are nice -the second like I said- IMO is the better of the two.

 

[elmo65]

I think the second ring (new one) shows off the center stone better than the old one. You should have it the way you love it, but I vote for #2 also!!!

Just my humble opinion....

 

[headlight]

Wow -- Stretch4, you have great eyes!

I am not into seeing a lot of metal, so I like the less metal around the center stone on the new version. However, with that said, I can see how the extra metal really adds to/makes an impact in terms of the design element, so I can see how you would want more metal.
The other issue, as Stretch4 pointed out, is the placement of the side stones in reference to the center stone. This is what I think is a crucial issue in terms of what is bothering you. The new version has the sides stones basically all in a line, almost just like a diamond ring with channel set band. However, your ring is to create that variation, so that the sidestones are coming out of the center stone at different points.
While the new version is absolutely very pretty, I can see that it is not your original design and I, too, would be losing sleep.
If this is not what you want, I think it is worth it to go without the ring for another month and get it right for the rest of your life (or however long you plan on staying with that design).

 

[jellybean]

As everyone else has said, YOU have to be the one to love it.

That being said, I like the new ring better b/c I think having the channel set side diamonds on a less severe angle than your original ring makes it more fluid looking on your hand. (Sorry if I''m not making any sense - It''s 12:45am here!) My original e-ring had a bypass design very similar to your original ring and it bothered me (I didn''t pick it out).

Give it another day to see if it grows on you.

 

[jennalyns]

Here is the shot with the bands. I don''t want to take a picture of it on because I think it''s bad luck since we''re not married yet. I don''t really, however, like the way it looks on with the new band...

 

[jennalyns]

This is the shot of the old band. It looks MUCH better on, because of the shape.

 

[jennalyns]

here is my attempt to illustrate what I want done to the new one. I''m going to call Denise and/or Brian in the morning and see if they can fix it. I really, really hope they can do this... Thank you all for your comments and support.

The new one, I agree with you all that it is beautiful. I LOVE the stone, and even the tiny ACA sidestones make a huge difference. However, I wore the ring all day at work today... and it still doesn''t make me smile when I look at it. I think on someone else, I would be impressed... but it''s not me. I feel like if I keep it, I will be settling, and you all are right, we spent way too much money and emotion to have to settle...

My fiance said, it looks more traditional. That''s what sums it up for me, I LOVE the bypass, nontraditional, funky look of the old one. This one is more elegant and feminine... but more traditional, and it is a beautiful look, but not as "cool" (for lack of a better word) as my old one... does that make sense? And, there''s the fact that I picked the old one (before I knew about PS, it was at a mall store, hence the yellowing white gold!). My fiance bought it for me because he knew it would make me happy, and was perfect for me. The new ring, while gorgeous, doesn''t look enough like the ring he gave me. I know the stone is different, but I really think that they can make it look a lot more similar...

 

[jennalyns]

here''s what I want changed of the bands.

 

[jennalyns]

Last picture tonight, I promise! To show an example of the styles that we both love... This is my original engagement ring. It''s .10, in 18K white gold. He picked it out, it was a surprise, and I adore this ring. When he gave it to me, he told me he would get me a "bigger" one

later, but he really wanted to get engaged then (so did I!). We were only 23 at the time and both had NO money, and he didn''t want to put my ring on credit, which I''m glad he didn''t. I absolutely treasure this ring. He wanted to just put a bigger diamond in it when we had enough money to upgrade last fall, but I don''t want to alter in it any way, and I never will. I wear it on my right hand now, took the picture on my left because I couldn''t hold the camera still.

I think this ring is why I like my half-bezel setting so much, because it is very similar to my original ring. We''ve been engaged since Christmas of ''03, getting married summer ''06. I know it''s a long engagement, but due to work circumstances we''re apart right now, in different cities in Japan. Working on fixing that situation for next school year.

 

[elmo65]

Well, with the bands, I still prefer the new one... I am so sorry you are not happy. Good luck with your decision ....

See what WF can do for you if you are not loving your ring, but know it is absolutely beautiful if you can not change the outcome!!!

 

[jennalyns]

Hi! They are going to remake the ring for me. I''m relieved! I know that means I made the right decision, that I felt so relieved when Denise wrote me back to say they would remake it. I''m sending it back today, and I don''t have to send my original ring this time, so I don''t have to have a naked finger. Thanks for all of your support and advice, I really appreciate it. I''ll update when it''s done!