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Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon Mege!

Scintillating

Scintillating

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Aug 10, 2005
Messages
1,192
Hi guys,

I need some help and advise.

I've recently gotten a bonus at work and I have been looking for new eternity bands to pair with my Leon Mege Engagement ring. Leon priced out an eternity band to match my ring at $2,200. I don't know about you guys, but that's a big chunk of change for a little blingy band so I've been looking around exploring my options. I have been wearing the e-ring alone or with a plain 2mm platinum band.

Here is the thread on my engagement ring https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/scintillatings-gog-and-leon-mege.39139/

file.jpgScintWArrowweb.jpg

I have two issues:

1. When I was ring shopping I looked and my ring under the loop - and to my horror the milgraine appears to be GONE! The little channel walls are now smooth.
  • - I don't do anything rough with my ring..... did this just happen over time?
    - I do clean my ring with windex and an extra soft toothbrush almost every day. Did I cause this? Did I smooth out the milgraine?

- What do I do about this? I loved the millgraine edging.
- Do I contact Leon about having it redone?
- Do I find someone here in Boston to do it?
- Who on earth would do as good a job as Leon?
- I can't bear to be separated from my ring for very long. I feel naked without it.

2. What should I pair with my engagement ring?

A. I was thinking about an exact match, but that seems kind of boring and small for $2200.
B. I was also thinking about same style made by Leon but wider than my engagement ring so it could hold it's own when I wear it by itself. What would be a good width to go, and not look odd?
c. I was thinking about pairing a Facets Collection shared prong eternity band with it. About a 1.25 carat band. Would the different diamond settings styles look weird together? I was kind of inspired by the one linked below, but mine isn't as large.

http://bios.weddingbee.com/pics/117752/Untitled.jpg

Help! First and foremost I'm concerned about what to about my engagement ring. Advise would be really helpful!

Secondarily, I'd really appreciate opinions on an eternity band.

thanks,
scintillating....
 
Re: Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn A Way off my Leon Mege!

Ya know, I've been wondering about the whole milgrain disappearing thing myself. I clean my e-ring every day with a baby toothbrush and I worry about the possibility of polishing away the milgrain. I've had the e-ring for 9 months now and it does seem to be deteriorating a little bit, but I'm not sure about what's "normal". I am going to ask BGD about mine, so I would suggest asking LM about yours.

As far as an eternity band goes, yes, I think $2200 is a bit much. I would look into other vendors. What is your budget?
 
Re: Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn A Way off my Leon Mege!

Thanks little Misfit!

So, I've had my e-ring since Dec 24th 2005, so that's over 6 years now. So that's a significant span of time. If I were you, I'd just windex and rinse with hot water. I've got myself mentally convinced that I did this with my baby toothbrush and windex.

Victor Canera quoted the same price as Leon. So, it seems like the going rate.

I was in a local jewerly store, Barmakian in Natick, their pave was quite inferior. I was constantly distracted by the spaces and dark spots. Quality is definitely important to me.

:(

Scintillating
 
Re: Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn A Way off my Leon Mege!

If you go back to Leon, you have to be prepared for the I told you so speech. You know how he feels about wearing wedding bands with e-rings.
 
Re: Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn A Way off my Leon Mege!

My husband's wedding band's milgrain is completely worn off. It took about 8 years to happen to his plain milgrained 14K band. :shock:
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

Thanks Charmy. I usually wear it by itself. I've worn it with the plain band maybe a handful of times, literally.

The other option is to wear the enagement ring on my right hand. Which it's too small for... so I'd have to have it sized up.

Then I could wear a larger facets collection eternity band on my left hand.

I love that look, ering on right, wedding on left. I do feel like it looks best for BIG Erings and eternity bands. And while, I think the world of mine, it isn't a 2 carat rock.

Scint....
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

The milgrain wearing off is just standard wear from wearing it every day for a number of years. Gold is a relatively soft metal and it will wear away slowly over time. It is probably not a direct result of you brushing it with a baby tooth brush.

I agree that 2200 is a little steep for a matching band. You should look around for an antique band that doesn't match you band exactly but is a similar style. I really like this band and think it would be beautiful with your ring. Plus its below your budget so you could get a few :naughty:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-DIA...s_with_Diamonds_Gemstones&hash=item2a15dcd29b
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

Thanks Mrs. Williamson,

My ering is platinum. Is it supposed to happen with platinum too? Platinum is supposed to displace but not wear away, right?

Pretty, band, love that seller - I am always looking at their store. 5th avenue jewelers, Deena's jewelers Anyone buy from them?

Oh, just a note for someone who asked. I don't want to spend more than $3,000. That's the absolute max I'm willing to spend.

Scintillating.....
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

I remember your beautiful ring! I really think you should go with a band from Leon. I think that will look best. I don't think I'd like a shared prong band with your e-ring, not to mention most of them eat into e-ring prongs especially with Leon's low heads in his e-rings. Maytal Hannah could make you a nice milgrain band, but I would feel unsure of having anything custom made that I couldn't see beforehand...other than having Leon make one to match. Victor Canera makes an incredible engraved band that can have diamonds part of the way around and that is my only other thought. This is one he made for a PSer in 18k gold, but obviously it can be made in platinum. His engraving is gorgeous!

http://www.victorcanera.com/jewelry/band-with-bright-cut-pave-and-engraving.html

Oh, and I do think you shouldn't use the toothbrush on your ring on a regular basis. I have a couple of very old rings with intact milgrain and my Legacy band still has the milgrain intact. There really couldn't be any other likely explanation for milgrain to disappear on the top of the shank. The bottom would be where the normal wear would generally occur. I do think you should have Leon redo it. I wouldn't trust anyone else to work on it.
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

Future Mrs. Williamson!!|1322020621|3067353 said:
The milgrain wearing off is just standard wear from wearing it every day for a number of years. Gold is a relatively soft metal and it will wear away slowly over time. It is probably not a direct result of you brushing it with a baby tooth brush.

I agree that 2200 is a little steep for a matching band. You should look around for an antique band that doesn't match you band exactly but is a similar style. I really like this band and think it would be beautiful with your ring. Plus its below your budget so you could get a few :naughty:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-DIA...s_with_Diamonds_Gemstones&hash=item2a15dcd29b
Click to expand...


My band is plain, no mil grain so I can't help there, but I did want to chime in and say how much I like that ring! Very cool!

As for your e-ring, I'd go with Leon to repair the milgrain. Also, maybe wear the e-ring on the right and a blingy band on the left? It's a cool look.

Good luck!
BoulderGal
 
Re: Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn A Way off my Leon Mege!

CharmyPoo|1322019410|3067324 said:
If you go back to Leon, you have to be prepared for the I told you so speech. You know how he feels about wearing wedding bands with e-rings.
Click to expand...


Charmy.. I haven't heard this one before... in his opinion.... that's a no,no? UHoh I am a double no, no.. one on each side.... :nono:
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

My husband's wedding band is completely smooth now but started out as a 7 mm faceted gold band.
It's 10K which I thought at the time, would help. It wore off in about 5 years. And he took it off to fly
every few days. It's like 2 styles in one :lol:
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

I love my miligrain bands, but I can't help but stack them since they look so purty that way! I just sort of resign myself to the fact they need to be re-done every few years. The nice thing about platinum is that you never "lose" any metal, it just gets shifted around I hear. I sent my plat van craeynest in for a facelift recently, and it now looks good as new!
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

Thanks Diamond Seeker, and all,

I appreciate the thoughts. I think you're all right. No more tooth brush. I'll talk to Leon about fixing it. I'll also order a band from Leon, ultimately, I don't think I'll be happy with anything else.

Do you think it would be okay to have it made wider than the ering so that I can wear it by itself. My ering is 2.2mm wide. How wide should I go?

Scint....
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

Leon recommends a toothbrush as the way to clean your platinum ring. But metal against metal is always going to cause some wear. Diamonds against metal will cause the metal to get scratched and rubbed off.
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

I've read no posts except your OP.


So I apologize in advance if I missed something.

Please do not pair Faucets band with your Leon Mege.
The manufacturing techniques are different and your Leon would blow it out of the water. The effct would be jarring imo.

I wish I could give you advice about milgrain but have no experince with it.
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

Scintillating|1322259849|3068797 said:
Thanks Diamond Seeker, and all,

I appreciate the thoughts. I think you're all right. No more tooth brush. I'll talk to Leon about fixing it. I'll also order a band from Leon, ultimately, I don't think I'll be happy with anything else.

Do you think it would be okay to have it made wider than the ering so that I can wear it by itself. My ering is 2.2mm wide. How wide should I go?

Scint....
Click to expand...

Sure, I think it could be a little wider. But if you do that, the cost will go up due to the diamonds being larger. My daughter's band by Maytal Hannah is 2.5mm and I love it! You can really tell a difference compared to my 2mm Legacy band. And to make you feel better, the Legacy band is now $3300, so Leon's pricing is actually good for the quality, I think.
 
Re: Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn A Way off my Leon Mege!

Mayk|1322063192|3067674 said:
CharmyPoo|1322019410|3067324 said:
If you go back to Leon, you have to be prepared for the I told you so speech. You know how he feels about wearing wedding bands with e-rings.
Click to expand...


Charmy.. I haven't heard this one before... in his opinion.... that's a no,no? UHoh I am a double no, no.. one on each side.... :nono:
Click to expand...

Leon doesn't like people wearing wedding bands with his rings. One reason is that he sets diamonds exceptionally low, and almost any diamond wedding band will scratch against the e-ring prongs. I wore my Legacy band (metal sides) next to his classic solitaire and didn't have much of a problem, but I could see slight marks where the wedding band rubbed the prongs of the e-ring. I think it is a mistake to put diamonds on the doughnut of the e-ring unless one plans to wear the ring alone because that could really cause problems when worn with another ring. But if you have smooth metal against smooth metal, then there is nothing wrong with wearing bands next to each other. Knowing what I know now, I would not let Leon set my diamond as low as he did. Medium-low would have been better.
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

I wear a Facets band with my Leon e-ring. I don't think it looks bad at all, in fact, I love it. I do wear mine with a spacer band that Leon made though. The stones are 11-12 pointers so the size doesn't even compare to the size of the pave. All you really see is stones.

I would love to have a matching ring to go with my Leon though. If you have the chance to get that, Scinttilating, I would pick that. I don't
think you will ever be sorry. I am sure Leon could re-milgrain for you. I won't be using a toothbrush any more after reading this!
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

Thanks ImDanny, DiamondSeeker, and Luvs2Sparkle,

DiamondSeeker and Luvs - I LOVE your sets!

My wedding ring is a little 2mm platinum wedding band, so if I use that as a spacer, I think I'll be okay. My e-ring is 2.2mm wide, so I think that that 2.5mm might be a good idea, because it'll stand out a little more. I think the difference should be subtle. I'll be able to wear it on it's own and it'll be able to stand it's own. I'm okay with spending a little more, if it's a little more stand out..... That's part of what appeals to be about the facets, all the diamond for the money. A big diamond look.

You guys watch.... I'm going to wimp out and do exactly what I said I wasn't going to do, I'm going to have an exact match made and be matchy matchy.

Thanks for all your thoughts! I really appreciate it. Why does jewelry make one emotional?
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

I doubt it was the baby toothbrush. Most likely just normal wear from clothing, reaching into pockets etc over 6 years.

My suggestion, though, is if you did not notice the milgrain was missing why bother fixing it ;)) Who knows how long it was worn away for.
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

Dreamer_D|1322335497|3069178 said:
My suggestion, though, is if you did not notice the milgrain was missing why bother fixing it ;)) Who knows how long it was worn away for.
Click to expand...

Ditto. I think it looks nice without the milgrain :)
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

Scintillating!

I have not seen you in a long time.

I have a leon ring, I wear it with a wedding band EVERY DAY. No issue with rubbing off of the miligrain whatsoever.

I've had the ring for 6+ years too. I would just bring it to Leon and tell him to put it back on. Personally, I don't even a poop about the speech. It's my ring, I'll wear it however it makes me happy, and that's the end of the story.

As for a wedding band, my husband bought me a a beverely K wedding band (In platnium). I'm not sure of the price, as I was sick at the time. But I know it was a lot less then Leon. The band is 1.3 mm and is very delicate...I don't have a big ring either. I get a lot of compliments on the set.

ETA: sorry, 1.3 mm. I had nothing to do with this purchase, so I don't know much about it. My husband said it was 1600$ in platinum.
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

I don't think that $2200 is a bad price for a Leon eternity band. I have been looking at rings lately and I was a bit shocked how much prices have gone up since I last bought anything. If I had a Leon Mege engagement ring I would buy the eternity band from him....but thats just my opinion :))
 
Re: Picking an Eternity Band & Millgraine Worn off my Leon M

Allycat! BIG HUG! I hope you and hubby are well! You have one of my all time favorite rings! If I could do it over again!!!! I'd add a halo like yours to my ring! Ally, can we see shots of your set - pretty please?

Thanks ladies, I'm just glad I got my ering 6 years ago. Prices these days are astonishing. We have a good friend who is a chef, just came to us for advise on what to do for an engagement ring for his entended. He doesn't have a big budget at all, and she's got her eye on a Harry Winston-esque halo - which will not happen with his budget.

Thanks everyone for chiming in!
 
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