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Tension Setting too Feminine for a Man?

craighnt

craighnt

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Sep 8, 2013
Messages
133
So I really like the look of a tension setting but 99 percent look like they are designed for women, especially from the well known established designers. I found one that looks thicker with a brushed finish. I plan to use my own diamond which is round, so I cant switch out for other cuts. I will probably do it in Cobalt Chrome since its white like platinum and not grey like titanium. What do you guys think?

Oh, and I know its totally OK to do whatever I want, don't have masculinity issues. Its just that I don't want to be explaining how I am not wearing a woman's ring every time I am at some party or social event.

http://www.boonerings.com/stone-settings/helixx.htm
 
I love this type of setting for a man. It's very clean and understated and I definitely think it could look great on a man. I cannot speak as to which metal would be best in terms of durability etc but I love this ring for either a man or woman. It's just so fluid and smart.
 
I think it would be cool for a guy.
 
Kenny has a few and I think gregchang35 does as well. I think they look very solid and masculine!
 
Enerchi|1379600083|3523491 said:
Kenny has a few and I think GregChan does as well. I think they look very solid and masculine!
Click to expand...


hey hey- unfortunately i dont have a tension but have coined it semi tension.. kenny has a few.. i think the mens ring folder also see a few guys have a true tension setting.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mens-bling-eyecandy-folder.116617/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mens-bling-eyecandy-folder.116617/[/URL]

the first ring on page one is one....and 3/4 way down page 14....

so there are a few guys with tension settings... if i had my time again, i woudl have insisted on getting tesion setting. my jeweller (in AUS) was not confident in making the tension. it looks soo much easier to keep clean. with my semi tension (there is a connecting bar to both sides), it traps dirt really quick. fortunately, i have an ultrasonic bath machine at work, so it gets cleaned regularly.

i think kenny has mentioned a few tension designers in the US that he prefers to work with. not sure which thread he mentioned it. hopefully he will chime in here. i think boone is one of the places he mentioned.
 
WRT the masculinity and feminity- it all depends on what you like... i reread your post and you like the helix. that looks great. very differnt and will def attract ppl to look at the ring..

i like the eccentric edge band. mine is a version of that. hopefully this pic will show you the bar that connects both sides of the ring.

_10164.jpg
 
That's a very handsome ring and a beautiful cut. I was looking into something like that, but I think it looks better with a cut like you got instead of the round cut you see so often. Its the continuation of the band that looks so nice.

Thanks for the info about cleaning it. The one jeweler I went to who is very well known in this town for his design was trying to talk me into that bar on the bottom. I got the feeling he really didn't know how to make them and obviously there are a few guys mentioned here who do. I emailed a pic to another jeweler in town and he avoided the issues until I replied specifically if he could do a tendon setting. His response was that he could but the stone inevitably fall out. I think these regular jewelers are just afraid and dont know how to do it property.

I have come to the conclusion if I do get one made, I will stick with one of the experts at making them. If I go on the high end with the inverters of them, the setting will cost more then the stone! If I go low end, I am stuck with strong but less appealing metals. From what i read though, Cobalt Chrome is much stronger then gold or titanium (greyer hues) and light in color closer to platinum. Boome offer this metal as an upgrade.
 
If you feel something is "too feminine" for you then it is.

What is, "too feminine" is not an absolute thing like 2+2 equaling 4.
Each person decides what's "too feminine for a man".
I respect each person's opinion.

I don't get anything out of trying to get your opinion to match mine.
I'm okay that people just vary.
 
If you decide to proceed with a tension seting, TS, I'd only trust 4 to make it because special alloys and processes are required to hold the diamond safely over the years.
Listed in order of ascending price I'd trust Boonerings, Gelin Abaci, Steven Kretchmer, and Niessing.
Gelin Abaci offers the most designs to select from and I can testify to their superb service, though I can't go into details.

I just bought a new diamond I need to get set so I'm also in the process of deciding which of these to use.
It will be our fifth TS.

I will say my SO's titanium ring has darkened over the years and it's good to hear Boone now offers Cobalt.
I really like the solid heavy feel platinum but the price is through the roof.
If I went with gold it would be 14K white, as i've been told it is stronger than 18 kt for a TS since it has less gold which is very soft, but I'm undecided about whether to plate it with rhodium.
Re-plating sounds like a hassle and a repeating expense.

I like TSs because they let you see more of the diamond you paid $$$$ for.
Most often we see our diamonds in a side view, and it's nice to not have to see my precious behind bars.

Also they are a breeze to clean.
Isopropyl alcohol, toothbrush, can of compressed air, then a Q-Tip.
15 seconds and my diamond is absolutely as clean as the best professional cleaning, even under a 10x loupe.
No need to buy an ultrasonic since there are no nooks and crannies that trap gunk and are impossible to get to with a brush, like with many other settings.
 
I love TS... :love: :appl:
 
craighnt|1379616437|3523656 said:
That's a very handsome ring and a beautiful cut. I was looking into something like that, but I think it looks better with a cut like you got instead of the round cut you see so often. Its the continuation of the band that looks so nice.

Thanks for the info about cleaning it. The one jeweler I went to who is very well known in this town for his design was trying to talk me into that bar on the bottom. I got the feeling he really didn't know how to make them and obviously there are a few guys mentioned here who do. I emailed a pic to another jeweler in town and he avoided the issues until I replied specifically if he could do a tendon setting. His response was that he could but the stone inevitably fall out. I think these regular jewelers are just afraid and dont know how to do it property.

I have come to the conclusion if I do get one made, I will stick with one of the experts at making them. If I go on the high end with the inverters of them, the setting will cost more then the stone! If I go low end, I am stuck with strong but less appealing metals. From what i read though, Cobalt Chrome is much stronger then gold or titanium (greyer hues) and light in color closer to platinum. Boome offer this metal as an upgrade.
Click to expand...


Hi Craighnt,

in reference to the highlighted section: on page 14 of the men's ring folder, there is an example of a TS with a round diamond. it is about 3/4 way down as well to give you an idea of what it would look like. there are some other tension style rings as well, one may be eve

I just read your other post about your diamond cluster heirloom.. any ideas on what you are going to do with it yet? :read: :read:
 
aww...I love the design, Go for it. I think it looks fine for either sex. Here is mine (Gelin Abaci)

_10194.jpg
 
Well since I last posted, I sent pics to an online antique auction house and they more then doubled the projected asking price from what the jewelery store person said.

I then took the ring to place that just buys gold and stuff for cash just to see what they would say as compared to the local jewelery stores. His eyes popped out of his head :love: People were selling things in there for $30.

I have to say, I almost walked out but I am so glad I didn't. He said the jewelers were feeding me a bunch of BS and that it is a common tactic to make you feel like antique jewelry is worth a almost nothing. Even the one stone that looks like it might be cracked is worth money to a gem cutter. He reminded me that the diamond were large for a ring like that and if I sold them separately to someone who just sells or cuts diamonds I would pull in about triple the price quoted by the jewelers. He said all that talk about being a older cut, inclusions or cracks are normal. And while it not a perfect cut modern diamond, they still are worth a lot of money and they were beautiful. He ask if he could take a pic and said he could get me in touch with someone if I was interested in doing that but I have not yet heard anything. He recommended going downtown to the LA jewelery district if I want to get the best price. He even suggest keeping it or just selling one diamond and use that money to have a mans bracelet made.

That guy was so nice and helpful he even insisted on walking me to my car out front even though I said I really didn't need it or buy anything. I felt like a kid being schooled by a well intentioned father. LOL

Anyway, if his opinion is accurate, which is still up in the air, I might break down the ring and reset some the actual diamonds. I might sell the least two desirable one to pay for the setting of a new ring or two. I am thinking of using the larger center stone for a tension setting I posted here. Then make another ring with 3 stones in maybe white gold that is a bit more blingy. If I keep the 4th stone I might make a cool modern pendant.

I would really like a nice very clear modern cut, but to sell a ring with 7 diamonds just to walk away with maybe 1 good diamond about 1 carat doesn't seem smart. The outer stones show a tiny bit of yellow which bothers me. As someone pointed out on the other thread, the person who gave it to me intended me to make it into something I like and probably would not care about the actual stones. But I still feel conflicted even though she was probably right.

My tastes run clean and modern so it's a little harder to find things I like out there in men's jewelry. Most of the setting I have seen are either large in your face 3 c stone on a huge square background or else its a thousand pave diamonds looking more ghetto. And on the modem side its one or two tiny .01 diamonds. So I am still searching the web for ideas.
 
nice ring!
oh- some 'good' news about the heirloom.
 
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