Tacori settings

[something sparkly]

This is my first post. I found this forum last week and it has been very helpful for me (a newbie). Does anyone out there have any experience with Tacori settings? I'm interested in a good retailer to deal with. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[kathishopping]

Hi,
I love tacori...don't like tacori prices.
I picked out a tacori setting I liked...found a jeweler in my area who makes identical tacori-like rings, had my rings reset in engraved platinum (custom made)for half the tacori price...its beautiful!!
There are MANY, MANY jewelers online that sell tacori-like settings and they are beautiful too.
good luck and save some money.

 

[Jess]

I have no advice on the setting, but I would highly encourage you to hang around here as much as possible. You will learn a TON that will help you find what you want and get the most bang for your buck. I am not in the market for a diamond at all (actually just hoping my boyfriend will catch some good advice, but this is fun. When you find something, post the specs, and a picture if at all possible. We love that !!
Jess

 

[something sparkly]

Thanks for the advice. Does anyone have any experience with www.billbarns.com?

 

[StevL]

I would be happy to help you or quote you a price on a Tacori setting.

There are some pit falls about having something made. Please don't get me wrong there are many very good craftspeople (we have a couple too) but you never know about the alloy used, diamond quality used, or even the quality of engraving.

Many may alloy with cobalt; iridium is much better and cost more to do. Many companies cast a ring with the engraving in place; it is not as detailed as actually doing the hand engraving on a finished piece.

 

[something sparkly]

Thanks!
The Tacori setting I'm interested in is the scalloped engagement ring from the serendipity "koala" collection. Tacori #HT 2229.

 

[StevL]

something sparkly,

Would you please email me this request. I will be happy to email you back. Please send it to:

[email protected]

I would prefer not to deal in a public forum.

 

[acamc1]

what are the names of the tacori-like settings?? I love the Tacori settings, but too steep for my purse.

 

[jasons100]

I just received a Tacori ring for my girlfriend and it looks absolutely stunning. I purchased it from a jewelry store in New York (www.hlgross.com) and they have a very informative website with lots of settings and info. The price for the ring is well worth it as it clearly stands out from others. I would not recommend tacori replicas. There is a clear difference between tacori and replicated ones as the detailing is not as defined in the replicas.

 

[divergrrl]

there is a website http://www.tradeshop.com

the bench jeweler there does great custom work and his original handcarved designs are very beautiful and remind me of Tacori. He has TONS of samples of his custom projects, and is very helpful.

He also has competitive prices on stones and is a very honest. His website isn't slick or pretty, but the information there is valuable and I think you'll be able to get what you want!

 

[slkrg]

I also had been looking at Tacori rings online and really liked them until I looked at them in person. I found that I didn't like them at all in person. Just my opinion.

 

[Mara]

Tacori can get pretty ornate. I liked one of their more basic Serendipity platinum rings, with a round center stone, pave on the shoulders and then scattered pave with engraving all around the band on both sides. My boyfriend said it looked like you could hardly see the center stone with all the glitter on the sides, top and bottom, etc. The same ring setting online looks really beautiful. You might want to see them in person before deciding, as in person it might be too overpowering. Online the details don't always come through as clearly. They have many retailers, pick one off their site (www.tacori.com) and then go in to visit. If you decide to have one made after seeing them in person, you will know 100% what you will get.

...PS I still like the one I tried on even if it was struck from the running by the decision maker (), but it was way out of our price range anyway, something like $2700 for the e-ring only.

 

[divergrrl]

EEEEEEK! Don't listen to your men when deciding what setting to get! Mine also didn't like super sparkly rings, and the one he liked (which we got) is also being reset this week to the ORIGINAL one I liked (which he didn't, but now that he's seen it, he thinks it was the better choice & is so happy I am finally getting it). I think they decide based on what they like, and a lot of men would not wear sparkly jewelry anyway. Its sweet they want to be involved, but you have to remember, you have to wear it!

Men and women think different, one is never more right or more wrong, but when it comes to your ring (and his too) the wearer should have the final and only say on the design, as this is your ring that is going to be on your finger.

yes, stay within your budget, so that may be a guiding factor. but when you go shopping, either go alone, or take a female friend who knows your personal style well & isn't pushy if you feel you need to have an opinion.

Then when you find one you love, take your honey and show it to him. That works MUCH better and you get to pick what you like without the drama.

And -- if he can't let you pick out your own ring, and thinks he has to be the final decision maker, I'd consider that a red flag!!!!!

Good luck!

 

[sawbonze]

I must disagree strongly with divergrrl. I would consider it a huge red flag if my girlfriend took me to the mall and demanded that I purchase one certain ring that she and her friends picked out. Knowledge of her tastes is priceless, but how does one suprise the lady he loves if she picked it out!? Shouldn't I have a strong idea of her likes and dislikes? For example, I say nothing beats a well cut round diamond, but she really prefers princess cut. I will most definitely take that into consideration and probably buy a princess cut. However, her ring represents me and my tastes as well so she should not dismiss that. I guess I'm just a bit old fashioned. I'm told that often.

It appears that divergrrl and I simply aren't meant to be.

Thanks for the Tacori input, slkrg and Mara. I'll have to see them in person because they seem really "busy", even in pictures! As much as my girlfriend loves them, I may need two more jobs just for the downpayment.

 

[Mara]

Well they say marriage is a compromise, so we are starting early. I loved all the rings I tried on, so it's not as though that was the only setting I adored. I also liked the Michael B $3000 pave eternity e-ring and he ruled that out too, says we aren't made of $$. It was very pricey. Then we saw my jeweler's wife's ring which is a prong-set eternity e-ring. About 1c of diamonds around the entire band. We thought about getting the same thing, but diamonds halfway around. I thought it would look strange due to the prong set, but hey, it was more in our budget. Then for whatever reason my guy changed his mind to the eternity style. We'll get slightly smaller diamonds than hers since I don't like big clunky rings. It will look almost pave, but be more secure. Also its MUCH cheaper than the Michael B or Tacori rings! Needless to stay I was ecstatic that he changed his mind, but I was more than willing to compromise for something with less stones if he felt strongly. It may be my ring, but it's his money. I also did not want him to feel as though I forced him into getting him the ring I wanted by guilt. Definitely not my style. That's no way to start a life together!

So when all is said and done, in the end my setting will be truly unique (haven't seen anything like it online or in stores), we both love it and it was a mutual agreement that chose it. So I think we did pretty well!

(plus FYI I love to embellish and we joke alot..so when I say that the 'decision maker ruled it out', it wasn't a big deal...more along the lines of '$3000, are you mad?!?!?! i must have you committed!')

 

[divergrrl]

Aw Sawbonz, and I thought we were gonna make it!! LOL

Naw, you don't hurt my feelings by disagreeing, I totally respect your argument and supporting comments. You sound like a sweet, sensitive guy.

I never said that your girl should "demand" you buy her a ring she and her friends picked out. I just wrote that if she needs an opinion, (some might, some like myself prefer to shop for important things alone) bring a girlfriend who isn't pushy.

This also wasn't for the engagement ring (which I am with you, its fun when its a surprise), it was for the WEDDING RING.

Most guys are safe buying their girl a plain diamond solitaire to propose with, and then letting your wife to be have a voice in choosing the wedding set.

Thats kind of a classic approach, all my friends had that kind of proposal, my husband for me, even my dad did it for my stepmom. She took her late mothers ruby and re-set it in the original engagment setting. I am setting my birthstone in my old engagement setting. (which in gold, runs around $100 bucks...not a huge investment, and you get to spend your money on the stone, not the setting, for now)

Then you go onto http://www.tradeshop.com with your fiancee and let Ray the owner design on HECKUVA ring for you. Custom jobs cost a FRACTION of what the stores do. He posts all his client previews on the web and will make anything you desire. So you don't have to get 2 jobs to pay off the ring, and you have a few months before the wedding to have the diamond taken out of the solitaire and reset into the wedding setting. And you both got to choose.

Check out TradeShop's website, they guarantee everything until the cows come home and can design anything. I promise you wont be sorry or broke!!!!

One truth about marriage is, no matter how much you know your partner, you still need all 50 years of marriage to "know" your partner. It's the fun part!

so, recap:

buy loose diamond..(you'll know what she wants)
set in simple solitaire setting (cost effective and old-fasioned classic)
together pick out wedding settings or design matching sets! This can be fun!

You'll spend way less on the setting, get a better diamond, and she gets exactly what she has been dreaming of.

 

[divergrrl]

Mara, I too loved the Michael B rings, and I tried one on and did the same "eeeeeek" what the heck are they charging for dance right outta the store. But then I was only perusing for designs cuz I never buy retail. I have a friend who is a platinum smith and I get my stones at wholesale + shipping from a buddy who owns a shop. Lucky me.

I digress...you can have that exact Michael B setting "almost" replicated at tradeshop (I say almost, becuase some designs are copyrighted and the copies have to be a smidge different for legal reasons) for a lot less because you aren't paying salaries, advertising, & overhead of the designer.

Go onto http://www.tradeshop.com and check out the client previews, its an example of how the site works.. Not a pretty site, but he does a lot of hand engraving that is truly beautiful, and some of his really ornate hand engraved wedding rings are in the $1600 range. Plus you can send him a drawing and he'll create it from your musings.

Good luck and NEVER pay retail!


(p.s my ring appraised for twice what we paid and what stores were charging for it!)

 

[Mara]

diver...I did look at tradeshop.com a few days ago, very impressive stuff!! If we were not already in the midst of having our ring designed by our jeweler, I would be interested.

Also, we did look at having the Michael B pave ring replicated, but our jeweler who has been in biz for 32+ years didn't recommend that style. According to him (from the pix he saw anyway, not the BEST to judge from), the MB rings would not be super sturdy due to the stones all the way around the ring AND the very thin width of the band. Basically he said that the 2mm width did not have enough metal on it to hold the stones securely and might bend under extreme pressure. He cited someone they had done a similar setting for, and she crunched her ring during some airline scare while she was pulling the plane up and put all her weight into the pull (she was a pilot), and turned it into an oval, and some of the diamonds popped out. While that isn't exactly everyday stuff and I am not an airline pilot, the story made its point. I didn't want to have to worry about banging my hand around. So we decided to go with prong-set slightl larger than pave stones, similar style, but with slightly more metal holding the stones to keep them more safe and have a stronger feel.

 

[divergrrl]

Mara,

U know what really chaps my hide? The stones in the Michael B are itty bitty low cost thingies. I just paid $120.00 for a white gold 2mm band with itty bitty diamonds on the front half. it's a 'funsy ring' but its got .20 ctw of really white diamonds in white 14k gold. It looked cute in the catalog, but on my hand it looks the Michael B!! only tres cheaper!

For that money, I am buying another to do the stack thing around my other fun rings, my wedding ring, or my garnet solitaire ring..whatever mood I am in or whatever I am wearing. Shoot I saw some pretty Nadri CZ rings for $100 in Nordys that I was thinking of buying for when hub and I travel, but I am gonna wear these little sparklers instead.

It totally looks delicate and graceful, and I bet yours will be even lovelier with the diamonds all around. Sounds like you were able to buy a really good ring without all the "hubbub" that surrounds some designer names. Sometimes its just the name you are paying for and not quality per se. Another designer I don't get is Cathy Waterman. Now I love her designs, they are so delicate and feminine. But there is almost no carat weight, a minimal amount of platinum, and her stuff is in the high thousands for a tiny tiny piece. I know its because hollywood loves her stuff, and she is doing something original...but c'mon. $5000 for a .25 ctw ring, with 2mm of plat??? *choke*


have a good one! enjoy your ring!!! (also watch out for sliding closet doors, I bent my ring into an oval slamming my finger in one...good thing it was a plain gold band!)

 

[jfeuling]

I, too, love Tacori but not the prices. I went to a local jewelry designer who can make similar settings but because of the intricacy, they're even more expensive. Can you tell me what sites you'd recommend for these Tacori look-alikes you mentioned and/or who some designers are that can create similar for less?

Thanks, Julfeul