***Paging Coati + ButterBean + Rainydaze***

[dreamer_dachsie]

Well I love your James Meyer solitaires so much that I just contacted the man himself and got a very reasonable quote for a three-stone version of Coati's and Rainy's rings! I have been wanting a three-stone for a while and this way it can be an heirloom piece and work of art. He has made such rings before but has no pictures, sadly, but he is working on a sketch for me now! ETA I didn't ask you first if you ladies would mind since I know from previous posts that you are flattered by people being inspired by your rings! I hope that is still the case!

From looking at your threads, I am more than satisfied with the quality of his workmanship, and with his artistry. But I have a few questions that I am hoping one of you lovely ladies can help me with... I don't want to bug him about some of these things until it is settled that he will be doing the ring.

1) What would you estimate the height of your ring to be off the finger? I think this question is particularly directed at Butterbean since her diamond is similar in size to my center stone (.80ct). I'm trying to visualize the look on the finger.

2) I noticed in the James Meyer Thread that someone mentioned that the bezel is approximately 1mm? Is this about right?

3) How did you handle the insurance for your loose stones when you sent them to James? Does he offer insurance against damage while setting the stones, or did you purchase insurance yourself/put it on your homeowner's rider? Coming from Canada adds complications to this issue for me since it is exceedingly difficult to get insurance against damage here or to insure loose stones. We don't have a Jewelers Mutual company here... I guess it is a risk one takes

4) Having seen this platform style of ring in person, do you think it would look good as a three-stone (.80 center and .40sides)? My finger is 6.5 so I got lots of real estate...

Thanks in advance for your help! I love each and every one of your rings excessively.

 

[rainydaze]

hi dreamer!

how exciting!

a three-stone from JM.... i am already drooling uncontrollably! yummmm!

let''s see....

1) i find mine is a bit high. i came up with 7mm to the top of my diamond, and 5mm to the top of the bezel. that would be the only ''issue'' i have with this ring, as i have knocked it a few times already. i am hoping i get used to it and stop. i think you can see in my pictures that there is room between the culet and the metal below it... i''m not sure if his design/propotions/balance would have allowed for it to have sat lower but had i thought of it i would have wanted it as low as possible. the crown is so high on this diamond that i feel like it is exposed, and it makes me nervous! that being said, if it could not be any lower, i would have still wanted this setting.

2) the bezel on mine looks to be about 1mm, maybe a hair more. i had hoped it would not be prominent and it is not - it is in perfect proportion to the diamond and overall piece, IMO, and serves as a delicate compliment.

3) not very well, so thank goodness it went smoothly! i submitted an application to jewelers mutual but it never got put through as i did not want to use the extremely inflated appraisal on the stone that came with it, and i dragged my heels about contacting jewelers mutual to see if adding a bit to the amount i paid would suffice. i sent them information on what i paid, but they wanted something more official. as far as i know, there were no other options for a loose stone. i mentioned insuring it to jim when i spoke with him and he seemed to get excited and said it was a good idea. i did not ask him if he covers damage while setting. sorry i cannot be more helpful on that point.

4) something tells me it will be nothing short of amazing - i hope it all works out so we can drool over it!

i hope some of that helps, and can''t wait to hear more as the process goes along.

(btw, i am absolutely thrilled for you, nothing less! and besides, i would be quite the hypocrite if i felt any different.)

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Rainy, thanks so much for your reply!

The height is an interesting issue. I wonder if he is willing/able to set the stone lower, or whether it is a design element--I imagine if it is set lower then it could compromise the appearance of the split shank and/or make the rounded ends appear too close to the band. My preference, like you, would be for a low setting.

For interest sake, I made a comparison collage of your ring and coatis and BBs... I hope that no one minds! The height looks similar, although Coatis culet looks closer to the shank. Her diamond is larger, though, so it could be that her stone is close to the shank despite being at the same heigt. Coati if you see this can you tell us whether you requested that your stone be set very low?

As an aside, this photo montage really shows how unique each ring is, even though they share design elements. The different metal colors--YG, platinum, and unplated WG--look so different and beautiful in their own ways

. I don''t know how I will choose a metal! And there are many subtle variations that you will only see with a hand made ring. Gorgeous, and makes me appreciate the hand-fabrication process even more!

 

[beach]

I just emailed him asking about the height because he is making my ring this week in all plat with a 1.19 H VS1 center. I will let you all know what I find out!

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Beach Great! I noticed in other theads that Coatis is 6mm, and rainy said her's was ~7mm but I'm not sure if they are measuring to the same point... to the bezel was 5mm for Rainy. Do you prefer a lower setting or do you have no preference?

ETA Beach you and I joined PS on the same day, how funny is that?

 

[beach]

This is going to be a RHR so I prefer it to be lower. I hope this style will still look good on the right hand. Thoughts? It looks like the bezel height is the same for the rings above and the variation is due to the diamond size and crown height off the bezel. We will see

Dreamer: My fiance actually joined the site the same day as you and when he gave me the ring he also gave me the account. He said that his job was done

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Beach

I think it will look great as a RHR, but then I am not very traditional at all when it comes to jewelry. What style is your engagement ring? I stalked your posts

and couldn''t find a thread about it...

I have always liked RHRs worn on the middle finger, don''t know why, it just seems less traditional. I have noticed that on the red carpet celebrities like Jen Aniston often wear RH bling on a strange finger, like the pointer finger, and at the expense of sounding like a groupie I think that always looks cool. Plus if worn that way there is no worry at all about a solitaire looking "engagementy". Is this ring for fun or is it to commemorate something?

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

I think that JM likes to set stones at a particular height? Attached is an example of a three-stone ring that looks similar in height to the solitairs, above. The side stones here really angle steeply relative to the center diamond. I would prefer less of an angle in my ring, since the side stones are similar in diameter to the center diamond.

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

oops

 

[beach]

Date: 3/31/2009 11:08:33 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Beach

I think it will look great as a RHR, but then I am not very traditional at all when it comes to jewelry. What style is your engagement ring? I stalked your posts

and couldn't find a thread about it...

I have always liked RHRs worn on the middle finger, don't know why, it just seems less traditional. I have noticed that on the red carpet celebrities like Jen Aniston often wear RH bling on a strange finger, like the pointer finger, and at the expense of sounding like a groupie I think that always looks cool. Plus if worn that way there is no worry at all about a solitaire looking 'engagementy'. Is this ring for fun or is it to commemorate something?

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/thank-you-whiteflash-and-richard-sherwood.102128/

Here is a thread he did a while back. It has some pictures. I was thinking on my right ring finger so if I wanted to swap I could wear it as an ering too. This is a fun ring and is actually the original stone he picked out for my ering. As you can see, we ended up changing the stone.

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Date: 3/31/2009 11:37:47 PM
Author: beach

Date: 3/31/2009 11:08:33 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Beach

I think it will look great as a RHR, but then I am not very traditional at all when it comes to jewelry. What style is your engagement ring? I stalked your posts

and couldn''t find a thread about it...

I have always liked RHRs worn on the middle finger, don''t know why, it just seems less traditional. I have noticed that on the red carpet celebrities like Jen Aniston often wear RH bling on a strange finger, like the pointer finger, and at the expense of sounding like a groupie I think that always looks cool. Plus if worn that way there is no worry at all about a solitaire looking ''engagementy''. Is this ring for fun or is it to commemorate something?

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/thank-you-whiteflash-and-richard-sherwood.102128/

Here is a thread he did a while back. It has some pictures. I was thinking on my right ring finger so if I wanted to swap I could wear it as an ering too. This is a fun ring and is actually the original stone he picked out for my ering. As you can see, we ended up changing the stone.

Gorgeous!

 

[beach]

Jim responded to my email and stated that he sets the stone at the optimum height in relation to the band. He said if it is set too low, it will look squat and he likes to set it high enough to give it a graceful and lyrical profile.

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Date: 4/1/2009 1:54:47 PM
Author: beach
Jim responded to my email and stated that he sets the stone at the optimum height in relation to the band. He said if it is set too low, it will look squat and he likes to set it high enough to give it a graceful and lyrical profile.

LOL! Spoken like a true artist!

 

[ButterBean]

Hi Dreamer! I only now saw this thread, and have not been on much lately due to work. By now, you probably have your JM ... I will look for it. Anyway, if not, the height from my finger up to the millegrained bezel is abut 5mm. At first, it seemed high to me, but if you look from the side, it really does look better this way. You can trust Jim to get the proportion and scale just right - he REALLY IS that good! Best wishes on yours.
- BB

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 4/1/2009 1:54:47 PM
Author: beach
Jim responded to my email and stated that he sets the stone at the optimum height in relation to the band. He said if it is set too low, it will look squat and he likes to set it high enough to give it a graceful and lyrical profile.

I have to say I like this response -
I too asked Jim about the height of my ring after this thread, and he said he had set it as low as possible (while presumably
maintaining the design).
Either way, it was already finished !

But I trust his eye completely.
I think these settings are not *the lowest* ones around, but all of the elements are so well balanced, it doesn''t seem noticeable..
I hope that makes sense?!

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 4/7/2009 5:28:40 AM
Author: arjunajane

Date: 4/1/2009 1:54:47 PM

Author: beach

Jim responded to my email and stated that he sets the stone at the optimum height in relation to the band. He said if it is set too low, it will look squat and he likes to set it high enough to give it a graceful and lyrical profile.

I have to say I like this response -

I too asked Jim about the height of my ring after this thread, and he said he had set it as low as possible (while presumably

maintaining the design).

Either way, it was already finished !

But I trust his eye completely.

I think these settings are not *the lowest* ones around, but all of the elements are so well balanced, it doesn't seem noticeable..

I hope that makes sense?!

I trust his eye too, AJ. He builds a piece around the stone, and he understands his designs like no other. My ring is 6.5mm off the finger. Perfect height for my stone. I like that it is still showcased, but low enough for my comfort.

Excited for your ring AJ!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 4/7/2009 1:08:07 PM
Author: coatimundi

Date: 4/7/2009 5:28:40 AM
Author: arjunajane

Date: 4/1/2009 1:54:47 PM

Author: beach

Jim responded to my email and stated that he sets the stone at the optimum height in relation to the band. He said if it is set too low, it will look squat and he likes to set it high enough to give it a graceful and lyrical profile.

I have to say I like this response -

I too asked Jim about the height of my ring after this thread, and he said he had set it as low as possible (while presumably

maintaining the design).

Either way, it was already finished !

But I trust his eye completely.

I think these settings are not *the lowest* ones around, but all of the elements are so well balanced, it doesn't seem noticeable..

I hope that makes sense?!

I trust his eye too, AJ. He builds a piece around the stone, and he understands his designs like no other. My ring is 6.5mm off the finger. Perfect height for my stone. I like that it is still showcased, but low enough for my comfort.

Excited for your ring AJ!

Hey Hon,
good to see ya!

That's what I figured, he has created these designs from scratch and perfected them, he knows what will and won't work.
I am someone that prefers low rings for sure, however I'm not worried about it.

I'm excited too!!

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Date: 4/7/2009 10:07:49 PM
Author: arjunajane

Hey Hon,
good to see ya!

That''s what I figured, he has created these designs from scratch and perfected them, he knows what will and won''t work.
I am someone that prefers low rings for sure, however I''m not worried about it.

I''m excited too!!

Me three!

In the end I am not going with a JM ring... I am getting a Linda Penwarden in stead! Went to her store today and was loooooving her bezels!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 4/9/2009 10:34:20 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 4/7/2009 10:07:49 PM
Author: arjunajane

Hey Hon,
good to see ya!

That''s what I figured, he has created these designs from scratch and perfected them, he knows what will and won''t work.
I am someone that prefers low rings for sure, however I''m not worried about it.

I''m excited too!!

Me three!

In the end I am not going with a JM ring... I am getting a Linda Penwarden in stead! Went to her store today and was loooooving her bezels!

Hey dreamer - my ring is sitting in customs right now, and will be until next week - you have no idea how frustrating, lol..

I haven''t heard of that designer before, but I liked the pics you posted in the other thread.