Those who have solitaires...question for ya!

[Laila619]

What metal is your band, and do you like how it's wearing over time? Is it a lot of maintenance to keep your plain band looking nice and scratch-free? And if you could do it over again, would you still pick a solitaire?

I'm thinking about resetting a RHR into a plain solitaire because it's too busy looking. Thanks!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Mine is wg and I have had the setting for 2 years. It has been plated/polished twice in that time, but not because I thought it needed it but because they just did it when the ring was in for my upgrades. I lke wg and how it wears on my, the rhodium lasts a long time and I don''t notice much yellowing.

I would do a three-stone if I did it all over... I will reset this year.

For a RHR I like a halo or three stone.

 

[lyra]

I''m on my second set of wg, it wears really well on me and hasn''t needed replating yet. If I could do it over (which looks unlikely at this point), I would have chosen a really large 5 stone (3 ct ist) instead of a solitaire (1.77ct rb). I would also have chosen a YG shank because no matter what, it is maintenance-free. I strongly dislike the patina of platinum and how easily scratched it is. I prefer shiny-shiny.

 

[panda08]

I''ve had my platinum solitaire for 1.5 years now and, to me, it still looks the same as the day I got it. I just took a closer look and there are no dings or scratches, and I''m not particularly careful with my rings.

 

[susimoo]

Date: 2/12/2010 11:25:07 AM
Author:Laila619
What metal is your band, and do you like how it''s wearing over time? Is it a lot of maintenance to keep your plain band looking nice and scratch-free? And if you could do it over again, would you still pick a solitaire?


I''m thinking about resetting a RHR into a plain solitaire because it''s too busy looking. Thanks!

Hello
My 1 carat solitaire is in a 4 prong platinum setting with an 18 carat yellow gold band. Since I had it reset like this almost 4 years ago I have only had to have it polished once. Having said that I clean my diamonds and settings daily. Also I am careful to take it off when working around the house etc.
I adore my solitaire and love how it looks even now. It does not need a lot of attention to look good.
I wonder how it would look if it got bigger, though! He he, Ps has given me the upgrade bug!
Happy shopping.
Susan
Bonny Scotland

 

[alli_esq]

As someone who had a WG solitaire for a year and a half, then lost it, and replaced it with another WG solitaire, I can say that I still love the look of a solitaire as much (if not more) than the first day I received it. I have only had this new ring since October, an it is a MUCH nicer setting than my old one; this one is the Vatche x-prong, and has worn MUCH MUCH better than the old one I had. My older one did not turn yellow, but it did get extremely worn, to the point where when I took it off, I could see that the bottom of the ring (where it touched my palm) was getting EXTREMELY thin.

However, although I wear my ring every day, I take it off the second I come in the door, and I never wear it to do chores, etc.

 

[PuddinheadMcGee]

I''m 50/50. I replaced my basic yg setting a year ago with a white gold Stuller solstice and a white gold and diamond wedding band. The wedding band has been great, looks the same as it did a year ago...for some reason the Stuller, though, turns yellow really quickly (like a month and a half after being dipped). It''s been done twice in that year and is due for another dip. I''m sure no one else notices it, but it drives me nuts. It''s most noticeable at the back of the ring...it makes no sense to me as they''re both 14K, I clean them both the same and never wear one without the other. I guess there has to be a difference in the whitening agent?

Maureen

 

[elle_chris]

I wear platinum do to a nickel allergry. My wedding band is over 5 years old and it''s a matte finish. I''ve had it polished only twice and it looks great. It looked great even without the polish. There are minor scratches and I have one ding from banging it hard against the edge of a desk.

My e-ring is 2 years old, also platinum. It''s a high polish finish and still looks amazing. Scratches aren''t really noticeable unless I''m looking under a loupe. Have not bothered getting it polished yet because there''s really no need.

My 5-stone is 3 years old (platinum). It''s just a little less shiny than my e-ring, and I can see the scratches a little more clearly. But that could also be because I''ve had it longer and wear it with my wedding band.

With all that said, my next ring is going to be grey gold (no nickel). If I had known from the start that white gold rings can be made without nickel, I don''t think I would have gone with platinum for every piece I own. White gold is cheaper, has a great look and stays shiny longer. Platinum is like a mind clean thing, I understand why someone would use it if the piece had alot of stones- but for a simple solitare, I don''t see the point.

 

[EHR2009]

My solitaire is platinum, and it wears very well. If it does get scratched, I can just get it polished to look shiny and new. I love my solitaire because it gives me so many options. I can mix and match the bands I wear with it to dress it up or down.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

My ring is a solitaire set in YG with a platinum head. I prefer a simple look so am please, even after all these years, that I chose this type of setting. I have two .25 ct diamonds that I could use to set into a three-stone ring, however, I just don''t think I''d be happy with being slightly more blinged.

My band stays pretty much scratched free. The only problem is I''ve had is it''sbeen resized twice and now the bottom is thinner. I''d like to have it reset because of that and would use a similar type of setting if I ever do so.

 

[Rhea]

I don''t bother with keeping the ring shiny and new looking. I do like how it''s wearing. It''s scratched on the bottom and somewhere along the way I must have grabbed something because there are a couple of deeper scratches in it. In the 5.5 years I''ve had it, I''ve never had it polished. It''s 14k WG, but hasn''t yellowed on me when compared against a platinum band.

 

[Prana]

Mine is palladium (reset, original was white gold). I''ve been wearing it for about 3-4 months now and it still looks pretty good. No scratches, really. A lot better than my WG setting looked after a few months. This is with virtually no maintenance other than its bath''s in the ultrasonic cleaner. I would always choose a solitaire over any type of setting because I love the look of a nice solitaire!

 

[Prana]

I didn''t realize it was for a RHR! I love solitaires for engagement rings, but LOVE halo''s and settings with side stones for RHR''s!

 

[yssie]

Laila - what metal are you thinking about?


Mine''s not a solitaire but it''s got lots of plain band to scratch. I''ve been keeping track of it since I got it..


plat (irid alloy). I baby my rings - no dishwashing, take them off if I plan to use my hands a lot, use my other hand to turn doorknobs..


NEW:

 

[yssie]

ONE MONTH

 

[yssie]

TWO MONTHS

 

[yssie]

THREE MONTHS

 

[yssie]

FOUR MONTHS

 

[yssie]

FIVE MONTHS - that's all I've got so far

I'm thinking it'll be fun to do it for a couple of years or so, 'til it gets a patina. The wb is 2.5mo old - you can definitely see a difference, and I wear them together all the time so it's a fair comparison.

 

[EHR2009]

I should also say that I like the patina look of platinum. I plan on never polishing my wedding band, but I do like my solitaire to stay nice and shiny. You might want to consider gold if you like the shiny look.

 

[Laila619]

Wow, thanks everyone!

Yssie, I LOVE your collage month by month, that's very helpful.

As for my RHR, it's a really busy, wide setting with lots of pave, and I think it takes away from the sapphire center stone. So I'm thinking of a simple band, either WG or Platinum. I've never worn WG before, so I have NO idea if it will yellow on me or not.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I have 2 solitaires, both set in WG. My original e-ring used to be set in YG and I changed it only because I wanted a different look. I have never had any problems with either ring and would definitely use WG again.

 

[poptart]

My solitaire is white gold, and I don''t wear it as much as the band, but it is still very white and shiny. My platinum wedding band has a raised design on it, and I wear it almost everywhere doing everything. It doesn''t have any scratches on the side, and the whole top of the band still looks great. I would have preferred if my solitaire was set in platinum. I don''t like that glaring white against the soft color of the platinum.

 

[chiquitapet]

All my rings are 18kt WG and I`m extremely happy with this choice of metal. As much as I like the idea of platinum, I was never really a fan of its patina. I`m more into shiny things...

I have had my solitaire only for couple of months, so it still looks perfect. However, I`ve had my wedding ring for over 5 years, and I had it replated for the first time after whole 3 years of wearing it day and night as it started developing a yellow tinge in some areas. Then it looked like new again!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Yssie You crazy gal! Why were you documenting your ring? For PS or just for some kind o'' crazy fun?

Elle_Chris Grey gold is calling my name. Where are you getting it from??

 

[charbie]

i have WG and LOVE LOVE it. i love the character of it, and am actually very fond of the subtle yellow hue it provides after some time. my ering is actually an illusion setting, so it is meant to match the color of the diamond, and although i have had it dipped once (it was being sized) over the past 5 months of wearing it i''m more in love with it each day

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 2/13/2010 1:21:36 AM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Yssie You crazy gal! Why were you documenting your ring? For PS or just for some kind o'' crazy fun?

Elle_Chris Grey gold is calling my name. Where are you getting it from??

dreamer- It''s between 3 Niessing designs. Two of them are very similiar to the ring coati had made for her mom except they''re tension set. Niessing answered ALL my questions and said they''d be happy to send two of the designs (in grey gold) to a jeweler here in nyc who carries their line. The jeweler has the 3rd.

 

[OcMrsB]

i have a radiant solitaire set in platinum, and i've had it about 2 years and its starting to patina. it looks "like new" when i take it in to get buffed though. i'd pick the same ring over again; i've made a lot of 'fun rings' but nothing tops my original

 

[Gleam]

I have a RB set in a platinum, and it does have little scratches. I''m not someone who needs my ring to look brand new all the time, however, so the patina it has developed over the past several months doesn''t bother me at all. I''m pretty rough on my ring in the sense that I use my hand normally -- I''m always dinging the underside going through revolving doors, etc. I really like the hefty weight of platinum so that''s why I chose it over white gold.

I never thought I''d get a solitaire, but I actually am glad I ended up with one. I agree with EHR, I really like the versatility.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I feel like I have posted this a million times , but it depends on the alloy as to how scratched a platinum ring will get. Mine is about as shiny as it was two years ago when brand new. It does not have a gray patina at all, but it has ruthenium as the alloy. Both Tiffany and Leon Mege use it, and it is harder than 95 platinum/5 iridium. Most platinum jewelry seems to be the softer plat/iridium, and that is what you see turn gray so quickly. I also take care of my rings and do not sleep in them or do housework in them.

I will agree with others, though, and say that I don''t really like solitaires for RHR''s. I at least like sidestones for a RHR.