New studs or reset project?

[Hudson_Hawk]

So my one Christmas request this year was a pair of diamond studs. FI hasn''t quite been convinced by the online avialability/quality of diamonds so we''re doing this through the same B&M store where he purchased my ering. We were talking about the earrings this weekend, and we decided to go to the store to try some on to see what the sizes were like on my lobes. 18kt white gold settings with .33-.4 stones with excellent cut and SI1-2 H specs fit into our budget and look OK on my lobes. They''re modest yet noticible from 10 or so feet away. I was surprised, because I figured anything smaller than .2 would look chippish. So we like those, they''re in our budget and at that price I wouldn''t be nervous about wearing them every day. Great.

Here''s my dilemma.

While we were there, I tried on a pair of .60 tcw just to see the size difference. I love this size! It really fills out my ear lobes while remaining understated and elegant. However .60 tcw with the specs above is a bit out of FIs Christmas budget. I have a ring that was given to me by my father for my college graduation. It''s a 18kt white gold solitaire setting with a .33 H VS2 RB. Problem is, it looks very engagementy. I''ve been wearing it in place of my ering when that''s in the shop or when we travel, but other than that, it''s not getting any wear at all. My latest idea is to use that stone to make a set of .60 or so studs. I think the price would be manageable and I''m pretty excited.

I''m just concerned about FI wanting to get the .33 set. I do like those, and I would wear them, but I think I want the .60 set more. Fi thinks there''s something wrong with him using the stone and adding to it and giving them as a gift. He thinks it makes him sound cheap. I did tell FI where the ring was, so that if he decide to surprise me, I wouldn''t necessarily know about it (I wear the same jewelry every day and rarely go into my jewelry box. But I think if this happens it''ll have to be on my own.

Here are my questions:
Do you think FI is right and my .60 plan makes him sound cheap?
If I have a set of .33 and a set of .60 do you think I''ll wear the .33 or will I wear the .60s more?
Which set would you get?
Would a set of .33s look ok with jackets (thinking of ways to spice them up and make them different).
Should I wait on the .60s and have them made a few years down the road?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

This is the ring

I''d use. please excuse the bad pics.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Or...there''s this other one I have (about the same carat wt, not sure of specs). once again please excuse the bad pics.

 

[aljdewey]

Here are my questions:

Do you think FI is right and my .60 plan makes him sound cheap?

I disagree with your FI. It''s not cheap for him to set a budget he''s comfortable with. Your wanting to contribute something else of value that you don''t wear much in the interest of getting something you''d really love and enjoy doesn''t make him cheap, either. He''s being stubborn and he''s letting misguided pride get in his way.
If I have a set of .33 and a set of .60 do you think I''ll wear the .33 or will I wear the .60s more?
I can only speak from my experience.....you won''t wear the .33s once you get the .60s if that''s what you want/love.

Which set would you get?
I''d get the .60s. I understand that it''s the thought behind a gift, and if you were asking him to exceed his budget and place himself under undue hardship, I''d think that was a bad idea. BUT....the point of gift-giving usually is to give the recipient something they''d really want/like to have as well.....the gift should be about pleasing the recipient, not just checking off the box. If you can work together to achieve that goal, I don''t see why he objects.

Would a set of .33s look ok with jackets (thinking of ways to spice them up and make them different).
.33s would look phenominal with jackets; look up Steel''s thread with her .33s with jackets. They end up having the same diameter presence on the ear as a 1-ct stone. THAT SAID.....they are also VERY blingy, and some folks might find them a bit too much for everyday wear (although I''d not likely suffer that problem.

) If that''s you, then you should concentrate more on the studs (which might feel more understated).

Should I wait on the .60s and have them made a few years down the road?
That''s really your call. If I were in your shoes with him not bending at all on online vendors and being a stinker about adding funds, I''d probably rather have something else (digital pic frame, yada yada) instead of studs and wait until you can swing them. If he were willing to do online with a trade-up-able vendor like I did with WF, then yes, I''d get the .33s because I could upgrade them later (which is what I did with mine).

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

*sigh* Maybe I should take both rings to the jeweler and see what he says about the specs of both. If they''re similar in size and quality then maybe I should tell FI to hold off and make the studs out of both of those.

I do love the idea of jackets with the .33 set....


Oh, and if the other stone isn''t used(from the ring I don''t wear) it''s hopefully going to go into a Ballerina pendent at some point!

 

[Fred333]

I really like the look of that ring.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Which one, the first? Yea, it''s got a really cool kind of art deco look to it. I wasn''t thinking about getting rid of the ring all together, it''s just that in the solitaire it looks like an engagement ring so I don''t wear it. I was thinking about eventually having a colored stone set into that setting if I used the stone for this project. Here are some other views of the setting: