One of the oddest questions of the year

[Diamond_14]

Hi everyone,

This is probably going to be one of the oddest question of the year but I am hoping to get some people's thoughts.

I really like my diamond in a lot of lighting; however, in direct spot lighting and dimmer lighting it often gets these dark tips on the north and south ends almost like a shadow. I asked about this on here before and learned this is just a characteristic of a lot of oval diamonds. I have tried to get over it, but it really bugs me and I cannot stop thinking about it. :/


I don't want to hurt my fiancé's feelings and I really want to keep the stone (outside return window, used in proposal, etc.) so I am trying to fix this with the setting if at all possible.

I have been playing around with aluminum foil of all things (See foil in below photo) trying to see if another setting or modifying my current setting would help eliminate this effect. It seems like if I add prongs on the north and south ends that I may be able to hide this darkening tips effect. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about this or has any thoughts on if this might work in practice if get another setting? I was thinking maybe some larger ornate looking prongs at the north and south ends may work if they exist.... I really appreciate any ideas anyone has or ideas on settings that could help hide the tips or an expert I could reach out to for help resolving this problem.

Thank you.


IMG: Foil on north and south ends seems to largely get rid of the darkened tips.

I

 

[Alybetter]

I was really liking this oval setting I saw on Etsy. It might solve your issue; not sure how you feel about bezels, though.

 

[Diamond_14]

I was really liking this oval setting I saw on Etsy. It might solve your issue; not sure how you feel about bezels, though.

Thank you very much for pointing this out. It is a beautiful setting. I will definitely keep it in mind. I need to do a little more experimentation on the optics of the stone I have to see if a bezel would eliminate the shadow I am seeing. Thanks again!

 

[Diamond_Enthusiast]

I came across CVB's Dahlia setting on DistinctiveGem's website that is very pretty! It has larger ornate prongs that could partially cover the dark tips. Description mentions setting can be customized with six or eight prongs.

The Dahlia Solitaire with Diamonds

The CvB delightful "Dahlia" style solitaire combines elegant simplicity with a light & feminine flair for a uniquely gorgeous alternative to a simple six or eight prong setting. Shown here with a millegrain detail knife edge shoulder This solitaire offers you the ability to add...

www.distinctivegem.com

 

[Diamond_14]

I came across CVB's Dahlia setting on DistinctiveGem's website that is very pretty! It has larger ornate prongs that could partially cover the dark tips. Description mentions setting can be customized with six or eight prongs.

The Dahlia Solitaire with Diamonds

The CvB delightful "Dahlia" style solitaire combines elegant simplicity with a light & feminine flair for a uniquely gorgeous alternative to a simple six or eight prong setting. Shown here with a millegrain detail knife edge shoulder This solitaire offers you the ability to add...

www.distinctivegem.com

Thank you very much. That is a gorgeous setting and I think those are the right type of prongs that could help with this. I wonder if those type of prongs have a specific name.

 

[WDWDiamond]

David Klass does a lot of different prong styles. He is very recommended here on PS.

David Klass Jewelry on Instagram: "Diamond Ring #love #ido #adiamondisforever #diamondring #showmeyourrings #ringsofinstagram #stackingring #weddinginspiration #gold #goals #luxury #marthastwartweddings #jewelry #finejewelry #finejewellery #jewelryde

82 likes, 6 comments - davidklassjewelry on December 2, 2021: "Diamond Ring #love #ido #adiamondisforever #diamondring #showmeyourrings #ringsofinstagram #stackingring #weddinginspiration #gold #goals #luxury #marthastwartweddings #jewelry #finejewelry #finejewellery #jewelrydesigner...

www.instagram.com

 

[Diamond_14]

David Klass does a lot of different prong styles. He is very recommended here on PS.

David Klass Jewelry on Instagram: "Diamond Ring #love #ido #adiamondisforever #diamondring #showmeyourrings #ringsofinstagram #stackingring #weddinginspiration #gold #goals #luxury #marthastwartweddings #jewelry #finejewelry #finejewellery #jewelryde

82 likes, 6 comments - davidklassjewelry on December 2, 2021: "Diamond Ring #love #ido #adiamondisforever #diamondring #showmeyourrings #ringsofinstagram #stackingring #weddinginspiration #gold #goals #luxury #marthastwartweddings #jewelry #finejewelry #finejewellery #jewelrydesigner...

www.instagram.com

Thank you very much! I appreciate the suggestion. I will reach out and see what David thinks.

 

[fussykiki]

I have pinned this one in my Pinterest folder. This one might work.

 

[caolsen]

North - South prong orientation might be a simple fix. Here’s my oval with that arrangement.

 

[Diamond_14]

I have pinned this one in my Pinterest folder. This one might work.

Thank you! I appreciate you sharing this. It is really pretty!

 

[Diamond_14]

North - South prong orientation might be a simple fix. Here’s my oval with that arrangement.

So pretty! Thank you so much for sharing. This might work well for sure. I wish there was an easy way to see if this would work for my stone without a large investment.

 

[seaurchin]

Personally, I don't think I'd put more money into this to try to hide the parts of the diamond that you don't find acceptable. I'm not sure but I don't think it is all that likely to resolve the issue completely anyway, and settings are expensive.

I also get how you don't want to complain about the diamond before you're even married since a diamond is often a major expense for a couple and there's the sentimental thing and all that.

So if it was me, I'd probably put a mental time limit on it and let it go for now. Then, say for your third anniversary, talk to him about an upgrade and maybe have this one made into a pendant (then it's seen at more of a distance and YOU won't see it anyway haha). JMHO.

Sometimes it's a bit of a letdown after the excitement of the engagement and wedding and so on is all done with. So it can be very nice to have something big to look forward to a ways down the line too.

 

[tyty333]

Just thought I'd post this for ideas

Instagram

www.instagram.com

Does the darkness go away when you cover the bottom (pavilion) of the stone or do you have to physically cover the top (crown)
of the stone to "hide" the darkness.

David Klass can do a mold of your design that you can sit your stone in if it is fixable by cupping the pavilion. Of course if your
just coving it with prongs you wont be able to see that until the setting has been completed.

 

[Diamond_14]

Personally, I don't think I'd put more money into this to try to hide the parts of the diamond that you don't find acceptable. I'm not sure but I don't think it is all that likely to resolve the issue completely anyway, and settings are expensive.

I also get how you don't want to complain about the diamond before you're even married since a diamond is often a major expense for a couple and there's the sentimental thing and all that.

So if it was me, I'd probably put a mental time limit on it and let it go for now. Then, say for your third anniversary, talk to him about an upgrade and maybe have this one made into a pendant (then it's seen at more of a distance and YOU won't see it anyway haha). JMHO.

Sometimes it's a bit of a letdown after the excitement of the engagement and wedding and so on is all done with. So it can be very nice to have something big to look forward to a ways down the line too.

Thank you for your response and thoughts. I agree this would be a good way to approach it. I really wanted to love this ring forever, but having a mental time limit helps for sure.

 

[Diamond_14]

Just thought I'd post this for ideas

Instagram

www.instagram.com

Does the darkness go away when you cover the bottom (pavilion) of the stone or do you have to physically cover the top (crown)
of the stone to "hide" the darkness.

David Klass can do a mold of your design that you can sit your stone in if it is fixable by cupping the pavilion. Of course if your
just coving it with prongs you wont be able to see that until the setting has been completed.

Thank you for your input! Unfortunately it seems I have to cover parts of the crown. I contacted David and he suggested a cup setting. He said this would fix it, but it would make the diamond less sparkly though overall.

Unfortunately, I am not convinced the cup would even fix it based on my personal experiments with the stone. If I knew it would, I would probably do it, but I hate to spend almost 1K and then have it not work :/

 

[Diamond_14]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts. I just wish I had a second chance at this. If it wasn't an engagement ring, I would just sell it and take the loss and start over. I appreciate the support and being able to share with others.

I was very involved picking the stone. So I just feel like I failed in a lot of ways. I just didn't notice this aspect of the stone until it was too late. I think I was so focused on if there was a bowtie or not that I just didn't think about other parts of it. I like the stone a lot except when I see those dark tips (which happens a lot unfortunately). I would love to be able to fix it with the setting, but if that isn't possible, then I will likely follow @seaurchin 's idea and mention a possible upgrade in a few years.

 

[seaurchin]

@Diamond_14 - I hope you don't feel too bad. I think what you've described about picking out a first diamond is pretty much the norm.

 

[Diamond_14]

Maybe I will contact the jeweler who set the stone to see if it would be possible to set it in another setting with prongs on the north and south ends temporarily to see if it would fix it.

@Diamond_14 - I hope you don't feel too bad. I think what you've described about picking out a first diamond is pretty much the norm.

Thank you so much for your kind words. I am probably being way too hard on myself.

I will definitely try to lighten up about it for sure. I am grateful to spend my like with my Fiancé.

My brain just gets stuck on things and it is just stuck on this diamond right now unfortunately.

 

[LLJsmom]

Maybe I will contact the jeweler who set the stone to see if it would be possible to set it in another setting with prongs on the north and south ends temporarily to see if it would fix it.


Thank you so much for your kind words. I am probably being way too hard on myself.

I will definitely try to lighten up about it for sure. I am grateful to spend my like with my Fiancé.

My brain just gets stuck on things and it is just stuck on this diamond right now unfortunately.

It's ok. All of us here have or still experiencing "diamond stuck in brain" affliction. And you are not the first one to discover something they aren't in love with about their stone. I'm on my fourth one and TBH, there is room for...

So yeah, don't be hard on yourself. @seaurchin 's idea is a good one. Heck, any reason to upgrade is a good one. And this will make a lovely pendant. Imagine that in a bezel set east to west. Best of luck.

 

[Diamond_14]

It's ok. All of us here have or still experiencing "diamond stuck in brain" affliction. And you are not the first one to discover something they aren't in love with about their stone. I'm on my fourth one and TBH, there is room for...

So yeah, don't be hard on yourself. @seaurchin 's idea is a good one. Heck, any reason to upgrade is a good one. And this will make a lovely pendant. Imagine that in a bezel set east to west. Best of luck.

Thank you so much. I appreciate your kind words