shape
carat
color
clarity

Please HELP! Would you modify this setting?

Teachgirly

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
22
My bf and I are having a custom engagement ring made similar to these two settings (with a 0.9 ct marquise center stone instead of the round):
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/three-stone/vatche-round-and-pear-3-stone-engagement-ring-2357.htm
http://www.dvatche.com/index.php?page=collection&catID=2,9&id=100&alt=1

I adore how the side stones angle up to the center stone, mainly with the great hope that this will extremely cut down on the chance of snagging on clothes!

We asked for a slight modification for the band to taper lightly near the pears, like this one:
http://www.gemvara.com/jewelry/camille-ring/marquise-diamond-platinum-ring-with-diamond/lhzyy

Just yesterday, I saw this setting and just adore the indentations on the shank going up to the stones:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Elegant-Three-Stone-Marquise-Cut-Diamond-14K-Yellow-Gold-Engagement-Ring-/130963151509?nma=true&si=%252BUCbFBbgfqVEZXivUkqRWgG8PAk%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

(You'll need to scroll down to see it) The detail in the shank looks so exquisite to me!

So here's the question:

Would you modify the shank in my setting to include the indentations (is that what they're called?), or do you think they look so lovely in this picture because of the white gold "bands" between the side round diamonds and the shank? (I think it reminds me of elegant valances, lol)

If you think this would be a nice addition to my setting, do you know how much more work this would be for the jeweler? Approx how much more would be fair of him to ask for the modification? Would this add more time to making the ring? (If we approve the center stone this Wed, the wax mold will be ready by next week!)

I have seen a few settings online with the "diamond part" being done in white gold and the shank in yellow gold that has made me really wonder if I would like seeing that on my finger every day, but I think the one above is done in a very classy way!

Thanks in advance for the input!
 
Re: Would you modify this setting?

The "catches," of course:
-No CAD drawing, just a wax mold and then the final product. Is this a big no no? It's about $1k difference to go with an online company for the same ring, so we're hoping it's worth the risk. Has anyone done this?

-I had planned to have the ring made in 14k yellow gold with platinum prongs (I assumed for all the stones). Gold because my complexion is pretty pale and a little color can't hurt, right? And gold is shiny. :)

-Well, the jeweler said for this setting, he would make all of the baskets platinum with only the shank in yellow gold. My bf and I were worried about how this would look and he (being an engineer) doesn't like the idea of two metals that expand and contract differently would hold up in the long run, including wear on the gold from the platinum portion.

-We somewhat rashly decided one metal was better than two and picked all yellow gold. Of course, I hadn't thought about yellow prongs on the diamonds since I was planning on JUST PLATINUM PRONGS holding the diamonds in place over a yellow gold band. Now I don't know how big of a deal this is on marquise and pear prongs (with v-tips). I'm open to opinions/advice.

-If we ok the diamond this Wednesday, we need to have made final determinations for the ring so the wax mold can be made. My bf is so very stressed about the timeline (4-6 weeks) as he wants it ready before we visit family for Christmas.
 
Re: Would you modify this setting?

More details:

I like yellow gold (or possibly platinum), but I don't like the maintenance of white gold. We are working with a local jeweler (with excellent Yelp reviews) who has given us a great price for this ring that makes it doable (under $5k). There are a few catches, of course (see below).

I realize that many pics online are of CAD drawings that make yellow gold have a particularly strong, unrealistic color.

That makes me wonder if this one would actually look nice with the yellow prongs accenting the diamond more than detracting from it (which is what I think this picture depicts):
http://www.gemvara.com/jewelry/camille-ring/marquise-diamond-14k-yellow-gold-ring-with-diamond/lhzwr

Does this seem like a more realistic contrast of the yellow gold on the diamond?
http://www.allurez.com/index.php?file=product_build_detail&products_id=13307&category_id=65&Refid=shopping&

I'm not very fond of this one (when looking at the hand pic):
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/three-stone/3-stone-diamond-engagement-ring-542.htm

I'm not sure what I think of the center stone (imagining a marquise) having white prongs while the sides have yellow prongs. What's your opinion?
http://www.stevenstone.co.uk/ring-display.php?setting=681

Thoughts/opinions/ideas are welcome!

Thank you!
 
Why would different expansion rates matter? Unless you are going to dip your hand into boiling water and then stick it in the freezer? Wear rates are also unimportant. The most wear you're going to see is usually the shank, and the metal for that is fixed.

Get white prongs, gold or platinum, whatever makes you feel better.
 
#1 is the usual way to do it. I'm not really sure how #2 would be made in real life, I've never seen anything like that.
 
How does Option 1 get created? Two separate pieces and then fused together by melting the ends? (Yep, I really have no clue, but I'm interested in learning!) How does longevity of this option compare to rings made with only one metal (all gold or all platinum)?

Also, would you bother asking for the indentations on the band for my chosen setting, or will most of the finger coverage be diamonds anyway? (Marquise has L:W of about 1.65 (approx 9x5.4 mm, if I remember correctly)
 
Well of course when you have a plat head and a yg shank the two different parts of the ring have to be made seperately, and then joined together.
But as julie said, it is very, very common for rings to be made this way.
My two solitaire rings are made this way. It's a fairly standard thing for yg rings.

I would go for the indentations if you like, that seems a fairly simple design element to add, if you haven't signed off on the design yet.
 
Ok, I think most of this confusion/indecisiveness was brought on by last minute jitters since the "final decision" needs to be made in less than 48 hours!

After thinking about it more, I decided to go with my original feelings on what looks best to me on my hand: white metal with diamonds and yellow gold with colored gemstones.

So even though I found this new, beautiful ring, when I look at the original setting I found, I still adore it as is. :) The setting is captivating, and the simple shank compliments it without pulling the eye away from the main attraction. I'm going to go with all platinum. Thank you all for your input!

As for this beautifully elegant ring...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Elegant-Three-Stone-Marquise-Cut-Diamond-14K-Yellow-Gold-Engagement-Ring-/130963151509?nma=true&si=%252BUCbFBbgfqVEZXivUkqRWgG8PAk%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I'm thinking it might become the inspiration for my wedding ring (as a RHR)! Before seeing it, I figured I would just pick something already created since I was lucky enough to do a custom engagement ring (what a guy for letting me be part of the whole experience!) Well, that was a nice thought while it lasted! :D

Although the two-tonedness of this ring with the diamonds is just beautiful, making it as is (with marquise/diamonds) would be too similar to my engagement ring. I was already thinking about having a wedding band with gemstones (preferably one color or two if they aren't alternating), but maybe this can be worked into the design?

Possibly inspired by this one as well to replace the marquise and round side stones (possibly with pink sapphire instead of ruby)...
http://applesofgold.com/PRR3236RB.html

Thoughts? :)
 
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Top