Search is Over; Now Setting Questions

[jbernste]

Well, I think my search for the right stone is finally over. It all came down to who had the right stone at the right time. I''d been looking at several stones from Whiteflash, and had nothing but pleasant dealings with them, but ultimately NiceIce had what I was looking for. I bought this stone from them, received it today, and it''s truly beautiful. Everything I wanted. I''m having it appraised on Monday and, assuming all goes well there, I plan to have it set later next week. This brings up some setting questions. I plan to set it as a solitaire in platinum.

1) 4-prong vs. 6-prong -- in a 1.74 ct. round stone, would I be more secure with a 6-prong? I''ve notice a diversity of opinion on this subject.

2) High setting vs. low setting -- my aesthetic preference is for a higher setting, but it sounds like that may not be the most practical. Thoughts?

3) I just don''t want a Tiffany-style setting. I actually really like it''s look, but don''t really want to buy a replica of something genuine. That said, can anyone suggest a simple but beautiful platinum setting? If I can go 4-prong, something like the Dvatche x-prong feels right. In 6-prong, maybe something like the Dvatche royal crown? The thing is, I''m having it set here in NYC with someone that NiceIce kindly connected me with, and he doesn''t carry Dvatche. Are there non-branded settings like those I could point him to?

Thanks so much to everyone here for all their help. You guys have made this process alot of fun.

 

[Mara]

Personally I am not a DVatche fan of the XProng solitaires....it's almost like a Tiffany in that so many people love them and have them!

I love 4 prong as well. 6 prong works on larger stones, so it would definitely work on this one, but I just don't like the look of too many prongs. As for it being safe, are you having the ring insured? If so, get what you like to SEE...and don't worry about safety. My motto anyway.

For a suggestion on a platinum setting, check out WhiteFlash's selection. I absolutely love the Fine Line by Le one...they have it in a thumbnail (small picture) on the site with what looks like a monster stone (estimating around 1.75c or 2c from comments Lesley made to me in the past) and I love how thin and delicate the setting is and really just showcases the massive stone. We considered this setting originally and went with something custom and much more elaborate but I love this setting. Very classic, simple and beautiful. It's around $700 in platinum I believe.




Also we considered another platinum setting from them, can't recall which one but it's similar. Has cathedral shoulders though. Also around $700 in platinum.




Those are my 2 suggestions as something different, not too pricey, but still very classic and beautiful. The stone looks amazing, I think that is an EXCELLENT selection. Congratulations!!

 

[Mara]

Here is the fine line thumbnail I was talking about. LOVE how huge the stone looks. The max stone for this setting would be 2c, so this stone can't be bigger than that and Lesley mentioned to me once that Brian noted he didn't think they had photographed anything larger than a 1.50c in the setting...so this picture could be of a 1.50 or a 2c or maybe in between!

High vs low setting is a huge preference thing. I wanted a very low setting but needed a higher one so that my wedding ring could sit flush against the engagement ring (something to consider when shopping), so when I got the ring, it seemed to sit really high, but I quickly got used to it and now I really like it. When I try on lower set rings, I don't like them AT ALL, they feel flimsy and short. It's amazing how quickly tastes change as you get used to something and love it. I also don't catch the ring on anything with the higher head. However there is such a thing as too high of a head. I like a happy medium.




Here is the product page for the Fine Line:






http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/Fine-Line-Platinum-Solitaire-by-Le_691.htm#

 

[glitterata]

I agree with Mara that the Dvache x-prong looks like it's supposed to be the Tiffany Lucida.

However, the LE Fine line that Mara mentions looks to me as though it's trying to be a Cartier. It's lovely, but if you don't want a setting that's imitating a more famous setting, that might be a consideration.

 

[jbernste]

Thanks for the input. I like the Le setting you mentioned, too. In fact, I can't believe I didn't mention it in my earlier message because I think it's the one I like the best. I'm going to do some more checking, but I haven't yet seen the Le settings anywhere but Whiteflash. If I really like the setting and the setter doesn't carry it, I wonder if he wouldn't mind be buying the setting separately and just having him set it?

 

[Mara]

Well Mr. Le is WhiteFlash's designer, so doubt anywhere else carries it.




But WF has worked with NiceIce before, so I'm sure you can get the setting from WF and have them ship it to R/T to have them set the stone!




Glitter...I haven't seen the Cartier setting, is it similar? The only one I am familiar with by Cart is the one with pave, do you have a picture?




I thought the Le Designs were pretty much original ideas rather than replicas. Hence why the Le name is not on the WF Tiffany replica etc.

 

[valeria101]

I think this is the Cartier 'culprit' (pictures presented online at cartier.com). Not really alike.

The band of the Le ring should be quite narrow - 2.5mm or so maybe?

 

[Mara]

Yeah the LE one has a different head from the side view. There are more pictures on the product page.




I like the Cartier basket head, yummy!!

 

[antonia]

WOW!!! Whiteflash have beautiful settings..

I was thinking of copying the tiffany six prong setting... wonder if the tiffany knife-edge would look good with four prongs?

 

[valeria101]

----------------
On 3/25/2004 7:01:35 PM Mara wrote:

I like the Cartier basket head, yummy!! ----------------

Yeah, the rings are quite nice, and they adjust the proportions of the setting to match the size of the center stone - just like Tiffany does. However, the model looks really awkward on less than 3, not to say 4 cts rounds. And I was left with the impression that the stones are a tad different than one would expect given the Tolkowsky proportions. The pavilion looks high for how large the tables are - but this is one 'general' impression from four rings. Not a satisfactory sample... Anyone knows whether Cartier has it's own recipe for RBCs ?