Noob needing lots of advice

[kRenee]

I've been looking for something like this since our five year anniversary. We're now coming up on ten years... Still haven't quite found it.

What I want:
- a sapphire anniversary band
- square or baguette cut
- no visible prongs
- yellow gold
- set as low as possible, it's going with a simple gold wedding band

But:
- do I want it all the way around? I hate having to spin my rings (to keep the stones on top), but I've heard not-good things about eternity bands
- what setting is best to avoid stone loss?
- what is a reasonable price to pay?

The place I found the photo wants almost $600 for it. They DO have it in yellow gold, which amazes me. I think that's the only one I've ever found.

So, what's the good, the bad, and the ugly for a ring like this?

 

[mercoledi]

Hi,
There are few bands like what you're looking for out there. It's a channel-set full eternity with square/carre cut sapphires. The cost will vary with the quality of the sapphires. I know Facets used to make one, Blue Nile does one in white gold and Tiffany does one in platinum. Most of what I was able to find in YG were estate pieces. I'm sure Natural Sapphire Co could make one too, but their rings are pricey because the stones are untreated. Know that a full eternity band can't really be sized up or down; for this reason many people get half or 3/4 eternity bands that leave some space for re-sizing slightly. If I run across a nice one, I'll post for you. Congrats on your anniversary!

ETA: I found this one one ebay that looks to be in good condition but needs a bath badly. I don't know anything about the seller, it's just the only piece I could find.

 

[glitterata]

Hey, I just bought two of that exact ring in platinum! Mine are estate pieces, probably from the ''20s or ''30s. I found them at a flea market for $200 each. I''ve been wearing them on either side of my (plain platinum) wedding band, or sometimes surrounding my grandmother''s e-ring from that period.

Which doesn''t help you at all, I know, but I found the coincidence striking.

Anyway, do you know how stable your ring size is? Does it vary a lot over the seasons? Do you gain and lose weight much? If your ring size is stable, you might like the full eternity style, but if you expect you''ll need to resize it, better go for something with a plain back.

 

[Sagebrush]

Krenee,

Before you buy a ring, I suggest you learn a little something about sapphires. The ones in the image appear almost black, but if you want an onyx why pay sapphire prices.

You can read a free chapter on sapphire from my book by following the link below.


Best,

 

[ma re]

Regarding stone loss, a combination of a full eternity and a channel setting is not a good idea. Full eternity in general requires more care, but you obviously heard that. If it''s not an expensive piece that might not be a problem, but I''d think twice about it anyway. An inexpensive piece may easily become expensive over the years if you do a lot of repairs and/or stone replacing.

You said you wouldn''t like visible prongs - is a continuous line of stones the only thing acceptable? If not, think about a bar setting or flush setting, cause they''re easier to repair and I think they do a better job protecting the stones (especially flush).

Here are some examples of settings:

FLUSH - of course, you can have stones closer together

BAR - it doesen''t protect the stones from the top and bottom, but I think that''s not a probable location of damage anyway