Signed Pieces/Facets or Memoire, full eternity, which is more comfortable?

[erica k]

I''ve been nursing an eternity band obsession for a few months now, and my husband is starting to agree that this would be a more reasonable upgrade than a 1.5 ct. solitaire in 8-13 years.

I tried on the Memoire petite-prong full eternity 1.56 ctw. in a size 6 (I usually wear a 5.5, but just in case). I really liked the low setting and the prongs didn''t seem to stick out that much (so comfortable!). I also tried on the 2.00 ctw, but it was a size 6 3/4, and it was hard to tell if it would stick out too much on the sides of my finger (i.e., slightly higher setting due to increase in stone size). The sales associate at Long''s Jewelers in Natick, MA, thought that the 1.56 looked better on me. The 2.12 ctw at Tiffany''s was extremely uncomfortable to wear, the 1.67 ctw. was more bearable. Originally I wanted more bling on the eternity, but I realized I would need a 2ct+ solitaire later on to match the band (who knows, it could happen!).

I was also considering a Signed Pieces/Facets eternity band, which isn''t quite so expensive and has a great reputation. A 1.62ctw, F/G VVS/VS would cost $2817, and a 2.10 G/H VS $2900. I''ve heard that the prongs aren''t as subtle as Memoire, and it looks like they may be a higher setting.

This ring would be my upgrade until our 10th-15th anniversary. I am not planning on wearing it with a solitaire setting. I have a wedding set that is difficult to match (white gold, squarish shape, bead-set half-eternity), so I''m looking for an eternity band that is extremely durable, secure, low-set and comfortable. Maybe a 2 ctw band would be too high-set for me regardless of the manufacturer? Should I just go with the Facets 1.6ctw?

The Facets bands are about $1800-1880 less than the Memoire 1.54ctw, but I''d like to hear from others about which ring would be more wearable and aesthetically pleasing. I suppose I could order both Facets and see how they compare with the Memoire, but I really hate returning things by mail. Maybe I should go to Signed Pieces next time I''m in NYC? I can''t believe how picky I''ve become about these little details, and I really loved how the Memoire felt and look. You''d think that the lower price for Facets would be a no-brainer!

 

[rainydaze]

i had a 1.0 ctw memoire petite prong full eternity for a short while (returned it as it scratched the ring next to it way more than i expected and very quickly) and i got it 1/2 size larger than my ideal size (6 is what jewelers want me to wear, i got 6.5). it was totally comfortable to me, even with the ''extra width'' and i am quite sensitive (can''t wear clothing that is the least bit scratchy - no wool blends - as it instantly drives me insane). when i closed my fingers tight around it, yes, i could feel the extra 1/2 size but it did not bother me, and i had to consciously do this, otherwise it rested just fine on my finger (loosely) and did not scratch me or ''get in my way''. visually it looked good too - even with the half size increase, it did not ''outsize'' any rings worn with it, i think because of how low the diamonds are set. i also liked the larger size because it gave me room to grow, and i prefer a looser fit anyway (don''t care for sausage finger effect which i get a bit of with a 6). it had smaller diamonds than what you are looking at, so keep that in mind FWIW.

not sure if my experience is of any help, but i did the larger size thing so that''s why i chimed in. sorry i can''t answer any of your specific questions as i have never had a facets band to compare.

oh, and the memoire was GORGEOUS and very low.

i''d also recommend giving pearlman''s a call as he carries memoire and has great prices and customer service. also mark turnowski at ERD offers eternity bands, he is another option i would consider. with ERD you might have flexibility because i believe (and i could be wrong) his benchman makes them (i.e. you could talk to him about have it made with a low setting.) oh, and i had spoken to ERD about eternities and he said he can do much much better with pricing for eternities than memoire, which everyone does confirm is pricey (though i LOVED LOVED LOVED the one i had and felt it was worth it, but again i had not compared it to others such as facets or ERDs, etc.)

 

[erica k]

thanks rainydaze. i will check out Mark T''s website. I''m glad to hear that sizing up 1/2 a size wasn''t uncomfortable. I''m sorry that your petite-prong scratched your other ring so quickly!