OK decision time, need to pick a setting for my e-ring

[LtlFirecracker]

So about 2 months ago, I got engaged with a beautiful 1.148 ct BGD H&A and I love it. I have really enjoyed it as a solitaire and want to keep it that way, and am trying to find the right setting. Right now I am torn between Leon and BGD to create my setting. I know in the past I said I am not sure I want to work with Leon....but I admire his work so much, and this might be my own chance to have something by him for a long time.

As a refresher,

Here is how the rings look on my hands

Here is my diamond in the current 2 mm temp setting

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Option #1

BG Tiffany setting without the knife edge, the band is only 2 mm wide

Link is here

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Option #2 and #3

The Grace setting vs the Leon setting. I would see if Leon would be willing to make the band about 1.8 mm thick, I need a ring that can stand up to small children who are ready to put up a fight (as they often do when I try to look in their ears).

Here is the Leon ring

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Here is the Grace

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Here are my thoughts:

Leon

Pros:

Hand made setting -- very important to FI, although he says I should get what I want, but I love my handmade settings from Etsy, I love how they fit my stones just perfectly
Could do my wedding band at the same time - I want to use him for that

Cons:

Would a Leon solitaire look good with my diamond? I know it is small for Leon
Dealing with Leon

Brian Gavin

Pros:

He is 3 hours away - I could see the setting in person and decide.
Great customer service

Cons:
CAD/Wax
Could not do shank below 2 mm (not sure if I need a thinner shank though)

 

[SparklyOEC]

I love the Grace for any solitaire! Lucky girl getting to choose between LM and BG...I''m jealous!

 

[EHR2009]

Tough call...If you are going with Leon for a wedding band anyway, I would just do both with him. If not, I would stick with BGD because those two settings look too similar to me to justify using Leon with the pros and cons that you listed.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Do you plan to wear your ring to work ltl? Seems like you do from your post... I am worried about all of those delicate settings holding up over time for an "active" lifestyle like you have.

I really like the Tiffany half-round shank though, the head is so open and swoopy while also being safe.

For a simple solitaire, I just don''t see the Leon benefit.

 

[Mrs W]

I would personally persue the Leon bc although the Grace is gorgeous I think the Leon is still better. Also, I like the fact that Leon can get his shank under 2mm, I serisously think that Leon setting would look good with any size diamond.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

SparkleyOEC - The Grace is a beautiful setting....I fell very lucky to have these options

EHR2009 - It is tough, I have been having this debate in a month, and that is why I finally created the post.

Dreamer - My FI would go nuts if he found out I was not wearing my ring to work, he gets mad when I don''t wear it to the gym! That is until I explained to him why. I figure anything will be better than the open 4 prong it is in now. I was not looking at a Tiffany style setting b/c the band was too thick for me, I thought this might be a nice compromise. A 6 pronged setting and a thin band.

MRS W - me and my FI are kind of liking the lines of the Leon too after really looking at the two. Plus, I do think the head seems to fit the stone a bit better. But my stone is smaller than the one in the picture, so I am not sure how it would look. After seeing Whibty''s new ring, and how thin the sides are, I realized that I really want Leon to do my w-band.

 

[Laila619]

Date: 3/1/2010 10:17:53 PM
Author: Mrs W
I would personally persue the Leon bc although the Grace is gorgeous I think the Leon is still better. Also, I like the fact that Leon can get his shank under 2mm, I serisously think that Leon setting would look good with any size diamond.

Ditto! The Leon looks the most elegant and fluid IMO.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Go with Leon. If you went another route, you would be thinking what if and potentially have regrets.

 

[Collee]

Date: 3/1/2010 9:28:07 PM
Author: LtlFirecracker
Here are my thoughts:

Leon

Pros:

Hand made setting -- very important to FI, although he says I should get what I want, but I love my handmade settings from Etsy, I love how they fit my stones just perfectly
Could do my wedding band at the same time - I want to use him for that

Cons:

Would a Leon solitaire look good with my diamond? I know it is small for Leon
Dealing with Leon

Brian Gavin

Pros:

He is 3 hours away - I could see the setting in person and decide.
Great customer service

Cons:
CAD/Wax
Could not do shank below 2 mm (not sure if I need a thinner shank though)

Does Brian have a stock setting of the Grace or an almost complete setting in the works that you can view prior to making a decision? If so, I would go this route.

Is there a decent price difference?

Tough decision as they are both beautiful.

 

[allycat0303]

Leon. I like a 1.8mm shank, and I love the fluidness of the setting. One of my bands (wedding) is really small. I think like 1.5 mm (with diamonds) I wear it everyday and haven''t had any issues. I actually tie both the rings to my scrubs and then lean on the operating room table with it. I haven''t had any issues at all.

 

[motownmama]

I vote LM - best of luck!!!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I vote Leon too. I know he can be tricky to deal with, but with a simple setting I can''t imagine there would be too much to argue over with him. And if you''ve been lusting and dreaming about a Leon setting, then you should go for it!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Thanks for your input everyone,

I think If I am going to do the 4 pronged setting, I am going to go with the Leon.

But I am still considering the 2 mm Tiffany style head

Got it narrowed down to two, so this has been helpful .

 

[arjunajane]

based simply on your pros and cons, it seems BG Grace would be the better choice?

many posters are saying they love the thinner shank of the LM, however considering your post about children I would go with a 2mm shank.


Your diamond looks very nice with 2mm at the moment.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

So here is my biggest concern about Leon, I am sure my stone would look it''s best in one of his solitaries.

I am not interested in this setting, but if you click on the smaller picture, you will see what a stone that is essentially the same size as mine looks like in a Leon solitaire. Too plain?

click here

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 3/2/2010 8:20:52 PM
Author: arjunajane
based simply on your pros and cons, it seems BG Grace would be the better choice?


many posters are saying they love the thinner shank of the LM, however considering your post about children I would go with a 2mm shank.



Your diamond looks very nice with 2mm at the moment.

Thanks,

I don''t think 2 mm or 1.8 mm will be a huge factor in my decision, I would not go below 1.8 mm with the job I do, I just don''t trust angry toddlers

.

If I go with BGD, I would look at both setting in person before making a decision. I love the Tiffany head, I just never liked thicker knife edge band.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

If Leon can do the 1.8mm do that for sure. If not, I''d do the Leon or the Grace depending on the price difference. you can go wrong with either of those

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 3/2/2010 10:33:39 PM
Author: Bella_mezzo
If Leon can do the 1.8mm do that for sure. If not, I''d do the Leon or the Grace depending on the price difference. you can go wrong with either of those

Thanks. Been seeing lots of beautiful Grace setting lately....why do I have to be so indecisive?

 

[Dreamer_D]

I had not actually seen that BGD with the half round shank and the tiffany head before, and I really love it! Go try them on, it will really help make your decision.