Pave Settings

[PrincessPeach]

How do pave settings (including micropave), hold up as far as stones remaining secure? Has anyone had problems? Or have any suggestions??

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

There have been many many threads about this on PS, you can search in the upper right hand corner of the page.

Pave is definitely one of the more delicate settings to have, so it''s not recommended for people who are hard on their hands or have jobs where they''re prone to bang their rings a lot. Also, stones can be lost while cleaning your rings in an ultrasonic cleaner, so you should be careful with that as well. Most jewelers (in my experience anyway) have some sort of warranty on the setting when you buy it. It could be for the first 6 months or the first year. They''ll fix anything in that time period. I personally lost a stone about 3 months after getting my ring (and right before my first PS GTG). I put the ring in my US cleaner. My jeweler replaced the stone free of charge because it was within his 1 year window. I made sure I put my ring in the cleaner a few more times within a year so I could have any "loose" stones fixed before the warranty was up. I''ve not had any issues with it since (knock on wood!)

 

[LAG2010]

I have a pave setting and lost one 4 months after getting the ring. Luckily, my jeweler has a lifetime guarentee on the setting, so he replaced it for free.

You definitely have to be more careful with this type of setting, but I love the way it looks, so I definitely think it''s worth getting one.

 

[Blair138]

I have a pave RHR and have lost stones 3 times. I have thankfully found them each time and had it fixed free of charge. I no longer wear it on a day to day basis for this reason.

 

[mrssalvo]

how well a pave ring will handle wear and tear totally depends on the designer and quality of the ring. Not all pave is created equal and you usually will get what you pave for. Even high end pave rings are not made to be worn 24/7 in my opinion. They should be babied and taken off if doing anything at all that would cause the ring to hit something..i.e weight lifting, gardening, even some cooking etc. It''s possible for even the most well made ring to lose a stone from time to time b/c there are only tiny pieces of metal holding the stones in and if one of those get knocked off the stone can become loose and fall out. It usually is not expensive to replace maybe $20 or so but I would recommend a pave owner having someone local to service it b/c it can become quite expensive if you have to ship your ring back and forth to have a stone replaced even if the designer will replace it for free.

 

[jodyblair]

For those of you who have lost stones, what metal was your ring made out of? I recently got engaged and my ring is bead set (which from what I understand is very similar to pave). My fiance and I originally looked at platinum settings, but decided to go with white gold. Now I am concerned the white gold may not hold up as well.

 

[Sundial]

I have a Hearts on Fire three stone ring in 18 kt. white gold with tiny bead set pave on three sides of the shank. I have worn it daily for over four years now with no problems and no lost stones. I''ve even had it sized twice and I''ve cleaned it in an ultrasonic cleaner. I do use reasonable care when wearing it though and I take it off around the house or when I go to the gym. I love the extra little sparkle of the pave on my ring!

 

[Nov2109]

I have a three sided pave e-ring with pave up the prongs. I wear it everyday, and usually fall asleep with it on. I also wear it to the gym if I am going straight from work as I don''t want to leave it in the car/locker. I''ve had it for little over a year and have had no issues with loose stones/lost stones. I do however take it off when I was my hands/dishes etc, the soap tends to get stuck in the pave and I think it makes it look dull!

My ring is set in 18k white gold, and is very well made. I know the setting was imported from somewhere in Europe, I just cant remember the details! The designer did a wonderful job, so I agree, it all depends on how well the setting is made.

I would only recommend having it put through an ultrasonic by the jeweler you buy it from. That is one of the ways they test for loose stones and it helps get your ring cleaned. Steaming is the best from what I have experienced.

Our jeweler also offers a lifetime guarantee on all of their settings but luckily I have had no issues, and I''m not that easy on my ring!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Durable is the opposite of pave. Pave is beautiful but delicate. As long as you know what you are getting into you should get what you love.

 

[TheDoctor]

Had a meeting with a new client today, who had lost a stone and was looking for a new jeweller.
The previous jeweller, my competitor, suggested that "there is a reason why you have insurance." Case closed. No warrantee. No satisfaction. Pathetic.

I can''t abide by the statements of any jeweller who subscribe to this "donkey dust" notion that there is no way to guarantee pave.
Stones don''t just come out of settings for any old reason other than poor original workmanship or poor choice of materials.
The ring I have shown in this photo has been with the client, worn daily for 3 years. We clean this ring with a top of the line industrial strength ultrasonic cleaner nearly every 3 months. No lost stones, no loose stones, no bull.

If your jeweller is suggesting that you can''t clean with an ultrasonic for any reason at all, including the risk of loose or lost stones, it''s time to find a new jeweller.
I''ll challenge any other manufacturer/vendor on this. You have simply got to stop passing your responsibilty onto insurance companies, as this bull costs everone a lot of unnecessary coin.

 

[bleeblue]

Sorry to hijack - but TheDoctor - that is an AMAZING ring!

 

[TheDoctor]

Thank you.
I''m not taking the full credit.
My apprentice, Sara, mapped out, drilled all of the pilots, created the bearings, and set all of ths stones.
This after 4 years of methodical study. She could replace me at the bench when it comes to pave''.

Sure, a student can go to one of the trade schools and learn the basics for a $12,000.00 fee.
They are still in need of supervison for several years, but the diploma gets them a position in a trade shop.
Something terribly wrong here.
The trade is asking you to accept failure and this is unacceptable.

Sara is with child and will be leaving my employ in March. She will always be a part of my family. I am so very proud of her.

 

[Londongirl1]

I think experiences with Pave settings can really vary. My original ering setting was a split shank pave in 18 kt white gold. Some of the stones became lose so I decided to change it to a solitaire setting (which I''m very happy with now). If you like the look of pave then definitely go for it - it just didn''t work for me.

 

[radiantquest]

I have a pave split shank. It was about 8 months after I got it that I realized that I was missing a stone and had some how shatter/cracked/chipped another. I don''t remember hitting my hand, but I am a clumzy person and I usually forget about things like that right after it happens. I took it in and they replaced both diamonds for me free of charge.

Then about two weeks later I was holding it and dropped it on our concrete porch and knocked another one out. I can''t believe it, but I actually found the diamond. This was important because that meant that I would get it back sooner because they would not have to find another diamond that went perfectly in the spot.

I have had no issues since. I am pretty hard on my hands and I wear it 24/7. I sleep in it and all. The only time I take it off is when I am putting lotion on or cooking and I need to use my hands and do not want it getting crusted up.

Keep in mind though that if you decide to get pave try to get a lifetime warranty on it like I did because if one of those babies falls out it looks terrible. It is like a missing tooth.

 

[ponder]

I have had my pave split shank knife edged halo from WF for over a year. No loss of pave.

I would not say that I baby my ring, but I work in healthcare and do not wear my ring daily for infection control purposes. I only wear my rings Fri-Sun and I do take them off when cooking, gardening, working out. I am not so afraid of loosing the pave as I am of having to clean preventable junk from the ring.

I don''t have an ultra sonic, but I have been good so maybe Santa will bring one.

I would just go with reputable vendor. You get what you pay for.