Please help me decide.

[nanllyn]

I ran across this forum during a search to find photos of actual sized diamonds to determine how big it really looks.

I''m looking to upgrade my ring but I''m at the very beggining of my search. My husband told me to pick out what ever I wanted. Sounds great except, I can''t find exaxctly what I want. I found lots of settings I like but usually they were set with a different shaped stone than I want. I am trying to build my own and without seeing the actual finished piece, I just am afraid of getting the wrong thing. So please help.
I was looking at a radiant or princess cut. I want something fairly simple. I would said I have average fingers but not really thin as I went from a 6 to 6.75. I can''t decided between 1-3 carats. I''m just afraid to get the wrong size and it look too big on my finger.
I''m attaching a couple of settings that I found. Please give me some opinions on what you think.

 

[nanllyn]

I couldn''t get it to attach more than one photo so here is the other setting I''m considering either in a radiant or princess cut.

 

[nanllyn]

One more setting I''m considering. I thought that an Asscher, radiant, princess or even a heart would be pretty on this setting. Which do you think would look the best and what size? 1-3 carat.

 

[sxn675]

I love the last setting you posted. Also, take a look at the champagne diamonds setting at Whiteflash - I think that would look lovely with a princess or a radiant. As for too big - is there a such thing??? I think it depends a bit on your budget.....

 

[sydneycasandra]

My two cents...

I originally wanted a princess cut (years ago), then decided I didn''t like the square look, so went for radiant (dream for a long time), then decided I liked the way an asscher would let the wedding band fit closer to my ering, then I decided I didn''t like the windmill pattern so I chose flanders, and then the day before we finalized my custom ring, I went and tried on radiants and decided that was really what I wanted all along. GO TRY SOME ON! I wear a 5 1/4 ring and don''t have exceptionally long fingers, my fiance and I both agreed that the elongated stone looked better on me. Also something to consider is that a princess cut has sharp corners, bad for the clumsy or those who wear latex gloves at work (like myself.) Another point is that unless you have a high mounted setting, a radiant will be even harder to get a wedding band to fit closely around... I am ending up with a curved wedding band to sit up directly next to the ring, if you don''t like that look, consider a taller mounting. As for stone size, although bling is great, consider what is truly appropriate to your hand for everyday wear... smaller hands might look better with a smaller ring, while girls with larger hands/longer fingers will be lucky enough to be able to carry off a 3+ carat. We haven''t finalized the stone selection for our setting, but it''s going to hold somewhere between a 2.3-2.6, and it is a solitare style with only "accent" stones set flush into the band. I''m hoping it''s not too big.

In closing... go try some on! I loved some of the really unique cuts like octagon, etc, but decided for a ring I will wear everyday I wanted something classic which wouldn''t go out of style, I can always get a gemstone ring in a fancy cut.

Good luck!

 

[nanllyn]

Thanks for all the advice. I thought about a colored diamond but that is a whole other decision. I really like the very light pink or canary diamonds.
I too have gone back and forth between settings. My original wedding ring my husband picked out was a 1/2 carat heart solitare. I thought I would stick with that again since it is like the one my husband picked out for me. I still love hearts but honestly, most are not really heart shaped anyway. Then I saw an emerald cut with princess cuts on the side. That was really pretty but still not quite what I was looking for. I really like the princess, radiant and asscher. I love the look of the asscher but I have not seen one in real life and thought it would not sparkle as much as the radiant or princess cuts do, due to less faucets. Is this right or am I wrong? I do like the thought of not having such sharp corners, because I am always scratching my husband or catching it on my clothes.
Anyway, I do want to put a wedding band with it. Since I only have a gold one now and I'm changing to white gold or platinum then I will have to change it as well. I could go with just a plain band but I think I would like for it to have matching diamonds as the paved or side diamonds that will be on my wedding ring. How high does the setting have to be in order to put a band with it? I guess I'm clueless here but that is why I'm here. I know you are very knowledable about these things and can help. I'll be sure to post a photo once I get my ring made.
Thanks for the advice and anyone else that has a comment, please send them. It is just such a big purchase that I want to make sure I have all the info needed to make the right decsion.
Thanks again,
Nancy

 

[kbaker]

I love the first setting. Who is the designer or company that makes it?

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

Hey Nancy! Welcome!

You are in the same situation that I am currently in, and although I have been searching for a few months now I still have not even narrowed down my choice to a specific SHAPE yet. However, the first thing I would recommend is going to a B&M store and trying on different shapes of stones in various carat sizes. Unless you are like me and think that they all look great it should help you narrow down your choices between shapes. I see that you are leaning towards a square cut stone but then mention the heart shape, these are two dramatically different shapes and each will elicit a different look. So you would have to determine exactly what 'look' you are going for. Secondly, deciding between 1-3 carats is a HUGE spread. Again I suggest trying on various sizes to see what is most comfortable for you to wear daily, you may find that if you enjoy the heart shape maybe 1.5 carats is large enough but in a radiant you might think that 2.5 is ideal, it will just depend on your comfort level. By viewing different stones in person you will also get a feel for what you can tolerate color wise, this will be a major factor in pricing. Lastly, you have not revealed your budget but naturally this will play a large role in the whole process. Unless your budget is unlimited you will most certainly have to rank the importance of your preferences, for instance do you value size over cut, or can you sacrifice clarity for a higher color? Everyones tolerance to these things is unique to each individual and you will have to find yours. Oh and depending upon your budget you may need to find a balance between your stone and your setting, some people prefer to get their dream setting and adjust their stone size as time goes on and some prefer to spend the max on the stone and upgrade their setting later. These are all things you should also factor into your search, but I would definitely say to start by trying on various shapes and sizes and ranking them from your most favorite to your least favorite and moving on from there. Goodluck and let us know how your search goes.

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

Date: 7/3/2005 1:41:56 PM
Author: kbaker
I love the first setting. Who is the designer or company that makes it?

I agree KB, I LOVE that setting...wonder how it would look with a nice large princess center and pink diamonds as the melees

 

[nanllyn]

THanks so much for your answers. It really gives me a lot to think about. I guess I will have to go try some on but I hate to use up the saleperson's time when I'm probably not going to buy through them. I know of someone that is a friend of a friend that will design jewlery for you if you have a photo so that is why I'm trying to narrow it down first. She told me about this website to look for the settings and then he can design the ring in any diamond I want.
Here is the website she gave me for the settings. Actually they have tons of settings to choose from

http://www.cubiczircon.com/engagement-shop/pdetail.asp?pid=ER39N

This is my favorite setting. I'm thinking about 1.5 -2 carat princess cut for this one. Just not sure if I can add a wedding band and it look right.

The other two I can't remember for sure. I looked at so many sites and just saved the photo to help me with my choices.
Have a great day.
Thanks,
Nancy

I just found this wedding band that would go nicely with the 1st ring. With the setting the way it is I don't think you can set a wedding band against it.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009RIOMU/sr=1-16/qid=1120420491/ref=sr_1_16/103-8675182-4225433?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=3887251&s=jewelry&v=glance