Upgrade from .5 to 1 carat

[MelloYello8]

Gorgeous bridal set! While the new ring is not as dainty, I don’t think a thinner band on your e-ring would pair as well with your wedding band. They fit perfectly together. Perhaps it’s intentional? Also more gold for you at the same price

It might be worth mentioning the difference between the two and asking why it is. It’s possible there’s a design flaw in the old version and the latter is how they fixed it.

 

[DoeEyes]

Yep, here's the original setting before it was touched by the jeweler. It always had those notches and it was thinner than the one I got in rose gold.

Really do not want to go back to the setting vendor again but I thought it was the same and it's not. Thoughts what to do?

 

[DoeEyes]

Gorgeous bridal set! While the new ring is not as dainty, I don’t think a thinner band on your e-ring would pair as well with your wedding band. They fit perfectly together. Perhaps it’s intentional? Also more gold for you at the same price

Aww thank you. I guess I do like them together, it's just not the thin dainty ring I thought it was. I even ordered a 1mm spacer but now I'm nervous it's going to look way too thick all together.

Def not the same price though, it was like $100 more for this one since it's rose gold and he said gold prices have gone up since 2018 when I bought my first one.

 

[MeowMeow]

I actually think they look good together in your new set. Not overly thick at all. And I know you saw my spacer I showed you before. It's almost invisible. Hopefully it will hardly be seen when you put it between your rings. Looking forward to your new pictures!

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

The new ring looks great! Definitely more presence. Would you consider getting the new ring tapered a bit? I think it looks great either way though!

Another idea would be to source another 0.5ct Lightbox diamond so that you could wear the studs (and the stone from your original engagement ring) on your wedding day!

 

[DoeEyes]

I actually think they look good together in your new set. Not overly thick at all. And I know you saw my spacer I showed you before. It's almost invisible. Hopefully it will hardly be seen when you put it between your rings. Looking forward to your new pictures!

Yes! Your teenie spacer is what convinced me to try one. Mine will be 1mm but I can return it if it's too big. Should be here tomorrow, I'll post pics.

The new ring looks great! Definitely more presence. Would you consider getting the new ring tapered a bit? I think it looks great either way though!

Another idea would be to source another 0.5ct Lightbox diamond so that you could wear the studs (and the stone from your original engagement ring) on your wedding day!

I would LOVE if it were tapered but I don't know if it's possible. Maybe I'll text my jeweler and ask. I was told with the other one you really can't taper it much without remaking it so it has taller shoulders, otherwise you're just taking metal away and making it weak? If I can get it tapered I would love that.

I think I'm going to get some blingy statement earrings for the wedding but I'm thinking studs for either an anniversary or push present!

 

[Dandi]

Just personally, I wouldn't change a thing. I think the thicker band balances the entire set perfectly. I don't feel a thinner band wouldn't look as beautifully balanced with your wedding ring, as the current one does. A slight taper would still be pretty, but I wouldn't do too much. It's a lovely shade of rose gold too - no at all yellow, but not coppery either.

 

[OboeGal]

Just chiming in to say that I agree with other folks - I think the new setting has the right balance to your wedding band. In the picture where you put the wedding band on with the original 0.5ct ring, the wedding band overwhelmed it a bit, not in terms of stone size, but the whole picture. I think your new setting, while it has more presence, is just right. If your plan is to wear them together as a set the majority of the time, rather than on different hands, you want to be sure you think of how the whole set looks together. I made the mistake, when we picked out my original set, of being more focused on how just the engagement ring looked on my finger, and then just decided to get the matching band to the set as an afterthought. In time I came to frankly hate how they look together - too thick and bulky, too matchy-matchy, too much total bling for my lifestyle and the way I normally dress, and the wedding band isn't quite as thick out from the sides of my finger as the engagement ring, so it just looks.....off. I never, ever wear them together anymore - I wear a plain band with the engagement ring, and need to get a diamond solitaire to wear with the wedding band. So, long story short - don't be like me! Look at the whole long-term picture!

 

[DoeEyes]

Omg thank you guys, you are the best. I went to sleep feeling unsure and I feel a lot better now.

I think you are right that they look more balanced together then the thinner band did, and it was really helpful to look at the compare these pictures side by side.

Will probably post more pics today when the spacer gets here. I may still try to get it tapered, but it might not really matter anyway since I do plan to wear them together all the time, and probably with a spacer to protect the prongs.

 

[Marriedbuteloped]

It's beautiful @DoeEyes! I agree that it looks very balanced and in proportion. I would not change it again. When I see other women's rings it's usually the whole set that gets my attention and not just a single ring. But of course you have to be happy with it when you look down.

A word of caution and I know this has been discussed. I have a very similar half eternity ring with shared prongs. I am very careful with my jewelry but I have chipped two of the diamonds over the years. One very small and one I can feel with my finger nail. I love these settings but they are just not as protected. Hopefully that does not happen to yours!

And please let me come over to clean your 0.5!

 

[Slickk]

I have been quietly following along with your journey and wow your persistence paid off! It looks amazing on you! Both of them! What a beautiful set you have!
Personally, I wouldn’t touch the width of the band on the ering, but I like wider bands. I think it is perfection! Congratulations!

 

[DoeEyes]

It's beautiful @DoeEyes! I agree that it looks very balanced and in proportion. I would not change it again. When I see other women's rings it's usually the whole set that gets my attention and not just a single ring. But of course you have to be happy with it when you look down.

A word of caution and I know this has been discussed. I have a very similar half eternity ring with shared prongs. I am very careful with my jewelry but I have chipped two of the diamonds over the years. One very small and one I can feel with my finger nail. I love these settings but they are just not as protected. Hopefully that does not happen to yours!

And please let me come over to clean your 0.5!

Eek I hope it doesn't happen! I am planning to get a jewelers mutual policy on both rings now that I have them. Wanted to check with homeowners first to see what's covered or what could be covered. Do you know if any insurance covers that kind of damage like chipping or losing stones?

 

[Marriedbuteloped]

Eek I hope it doesn't happen! I am planning to get a jewelers mutual policy on both rings now that I have them. Wanted to check with homeowners first to see what's covered or what could be covered. Do you know if any insurance covers that kind of damage like chipping or losing stones?

I am just in the process of looking into that.

We have an expensive pocket watch that was handed down to us and some more expensive and/or sentimental pieces like my husband's West Point ring. But some items are worn like his ring, and some just stored. I don't even know how theft/loss and damage effects insurance.
I will start with USAA. They are our insurer for other stuff and they are pretty good and have a "Valuable Personal Property" add on. But you have to have some connection to the military to use USAA.

I am not looking forward to get everything appraised as appraisers in our area are super expensive (or maybe I am doing something wrong). I will have to research this more and I am sure there are threads here on PS. I will let you know.

 

[Laila619]

Yep, here's the original setting before it was touched by the jeweler. It always had those notches and it was thinner than the one I got in rose gold.

Really do not want to go back to the setting vendor again but I thought it was the same and it's not. Thoughts what to do?

Gold is a soft metal and wears away over time. I have my grandmother's gold rings and they are paper thin. It's actually pretty common. So I would look at the slightly thicker shank as being a bonus. It will still get thinned out over the years, but you got a slightly more durable setting. And I agree with a previous poster who said the slightly heftier shank works better with the diamond band. Enjoy, it's truly a dream set!! Classic, elegant, timeless, and the rose gold is super pretty on you.

 

[DoeEyes]

Got the 1mm spacer from Amazon. I'm not loving it but I do think it's necessary, it completely keeps my wedding ring diamonds from touching my engagement ring prongs.





I don't love how thick everything looks from underneath when looking at my palm, but not really any getting around that. Even a .8mm won't make a huge difference.



I may just try a different style. This spacer is kind of like a disc? It has like a squared off edge that feels almost sharp on my finger when I put it on.



Not a big deal if I'll be wearing them 24/7 but I'd prefer one that doesn't hurt to take off. Might look for a rounded/comfort ring instead.

Found this one on Etsy that's even thinner at .8 and seems like it might have a rounded edge. I sent a message to the seller to ask. It says yellow gold but comes in rose gold too.



Another option is reaching out to the jeweler who just did my setting, and asking her to make me a simple rounded thin band. She might even make it like .5 so it's truly barely there, as long as I promise not to come back complaining when it gets bent lol. But I think sandwiched between my two bigger rings it would be safe.

Thoughts on spacers or recommendations?

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

You could also enjoy the rings without the spacer if you find it uncomfortable or don't like the look of it, knowing eventually you may need to get the engagement ring reset. At least do this for the wedding, if you prefer the look of just the 2 rings!

Even though I am very sentimental and don't want to reset my engagement ring in the future, I don't like the look and feel of a spacer, so I'm taking my chances!

 

[Marriedbuteloped]

I am not totally into the way it looks with the spacer either. And I usually love all kinds of stacks.

What bothers me is the gap you have on top but not at the bottom. I guess the high edge of the disc is hitting the lower side of the "tulip" if that makes sense. I would definitely try a lower ring to see if everything comes closer together without hitting the band.

 

[DoeEyes]

You could also enjoy the rings without the spacer if you find it uncomfortable or don't like the look of it, knowing eventually you may need to get the engagement ring reset. At least do this for the wedding, if you prefer the look of just the 2 rings!

Even though I am very sentimental and don't want to reset my engagement ring in the future, I don't like the look and feel of a spacer, so I'm taking my chances!

I definitely won't use it for the wedding, and would love to just not wear a spacer at all if that's really an option. I wonder how long it would take before I need to have those prongs fixed/remade. If it's like a couple of years I probably don't want to do that. If it's every 10-20 years, that I can handle. The other concern is, will I notice when they need to be fixed, or will they just get weaker and suddenly I lose my diamond?

I am not totally into the way it looks with the spacer either. And I usually love all kinds of stacks.

What bothers me is the gap you have on top but not at the bottom. I guess the high edge of the disc is hitting the lower side of the "tulip" if that makes sense. I would definitely try a lower ring to see if everything comes closer together without hitting the band.

I agree, it doesn't even get rid of the gap. I'll send this one back and maybe keep looking, or maybe just go without.

 

[Marriedbuteloped]

You will notice the change in prongs if you inspect/clean (hmmm ) your ring every once in while. Maybe once or twice a month.
Also you have all these photos so you can always compare the status of the metal.

I suggest just wear and enjoy your set for a while, a year or two, and see how it all goes.
I know you feel like you will have this set forever but as many of us here can attest: The little voice that starts talking one day to just look at new settings gets louder and louder and you know what happens next....LOL

 

[MeowMeow]

I would check out a .80mm spacer if you are finding the 1mm too thick. That's the one I have in platinum. You will always see a spacer from the bottom. It's just how it is. But when I compare my rose gold spacer to my .80 platinum the platinum is less visible.

Between the two the rose gold one from MountainSpiritJewels on etsy is slightly more comfortable. It's a knife edge band with a very soft knife edge and the inside feels more rounded than my .80mm from BlueRidgeNotions also on etsy. The .80mm feels more like a thin peice of wire sometimes taking it on and off. But once on I don't feel it at all. If I ever need spacer replacements for either ring I would happily go right back to either vendor.

Also I just looked and it looked like BlueRidge is out for a couple months. So if you want to order from them it might be a bit. You might be able to ask Sennin at MountainSpiritJewels if he would be willing to make a .80 band and ask how much it will be. I paid 95 for my knife edge band. And I paid 90 I think for my skinny platinum one with Blueridge. Their gold ones are cheaper.
The only con with Sennin is his peices take some time to get done. He does get done but it can be a little later than originally thought so if you need him to be on time you need to message him and let him know what your due date is. I pretty much know when I make a purchase he might need an extra week or so for fabrication than estimated. But his quality is beautiful so I think it's worth it.

Anyway done sounding like a shill now. Promise I am not. Just a super satisfied customer of both vendors. And adding a picture of both from the bottom so you can see. It's not well lit. But it's visible.
Edit: added clearer picture.

 

[MeowMeow]

Sorry I'm double posting. Like others have said. If you really just find you don't like a spacer it's not mandatory just because others are doing it. It will cause damage to your set but if you go into it knowing that it might not be so bad. You can just enjoy your set without a spacer. Just make sure you don't skip inspections so they can catch it early so you're less likely to just suddenly lose your stone or something because major damage happened while you weren't looking. It's a beautiful set and you should wear it how you want to. Hopefully if you choose to try again with a smaller spacer you might like it better but if you don't no big deal. Just go in with eyes open I have really loved reading all your posts! Your set has come together so beautifully!

 

[Miss_LK]

Did you see the Hayden Cudworth site now has a listing for Hayden+Iris? I'm not sure if that was there before, but I thought your ring might actually be the inspiration for it!

 

[DoeEyes]

Did you see the Hayden Cudworth site now has a listing for Hayden+Iris? I'm not sure if that was there before, but I thought your ring might actually be the inspiration for it!

Lol that's so funny. That's just the custom listing they made for me, the first one I ordered was white gold size 4 3/4, the second was rose gold size 4, and if you click on that it only gives the options for size 4 and 4 3/4, and white or rose gold, and the price is the same for both. I'm 99% sure they didn't intend to leave that up after I bought it. I'll email them to let them know.

 

[DoeEyes]

You will notice the change in prongs if you inspect/clean (hmmm ) your ring every once in while. Maybe once or twice a month.
Also you have all these photos so you can always compare the status of the metal.

I suggest just wear and enjoy your set for a while, a year or two, and see how it all goes.
I know you feel like you will have this set forever but as many of us here can attest: The little voice that starts talking one day to just look at new settings gets louder and louder and you know what happens next....LOL

Thank you! I think I will do that. No spacer at least for now. And I promise to clean my ring! Lol

Sorry I'm double posting. Like others have said. If you really just find you don't like a spacer it's not mandatory just because others are doing it. It will cause damage to your set but if you go into it knowing that it might not be so bad. You can just enjoy your set without a spacer. Just make sure you don't skip inspections so they can catch it early so you're less likely to just suddenly lose your stone or something because major damage happened while you weren't looking. It's a beautiful set and you should wear it how you want to. Hopefully if you choose to try again with a smaller spacer you might like it better but if you don't no big deal. Just go in with eyes open I have really loved reading all your posts! Your set has come together so beautifully!

Thank you! I think I will skip the spacer for now but this is good info to have about the different Etsy stores!

 

[OboeGal]

The alternative - albeit one with its own drawbacks - is getting your rings soldered together. If your wedding ring isn't rubbing back and forth with movement against the prongs, it won't wear them away.

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

The alternative - albeit one with its own drawbacks - is getting your rings soldered together. If your wedding ring isn't rubbing back and forth with movement against the prongs, it won't wear them away.

The only downside of this is, you won't be able to wear the wedding band by itself!

 

[Miss_LK]

You ordered almost a whole size down! Do their rings run big?

 

[DoeEyes]

The alternative - albeit one with its own drawbacks - is getting your rings soldered together. If your wedding ring isn't rubbing back and forth with movement against the prongs, it won't wear them away.

I really don't want to but it's an option!

You ordered almost a whole size down! Do their rings run big?

Hahaha no, I measured myself with a plastic sizing thing before I ordered the first one so I thought I was 4.75. When I took the 4.75 to the jeweler to be set, he was like, that's way too big for you, and he sized me as a 4. I was nervous and almost told him to do 4.25 but he was right, the 4 fits perfectly. I just didn't know how a ring was supposed to fit. So when I ordered the second ring I ordered it in a 4 and it's perfect, didn't need to be resized.

 

[DoeEyes]

Still loving my new ring. Keep getting distracted by it and thinking how big it looks! Totally opposite how I felt with the first ring which makes me think this was a perfect choice.

A few people have noticed, I think mostly because of the metal color change. I've been honest with those who notice but not really making a big deal about it.

So happy to finally have my dream ring! And really glad I got it done before the wedding so that I'll have my forever rings during the ceremony. About 3 months to go, getting excited!

 

[OoohShiny]

Still loving my new ring. Keep getting distracted by it and thinking how big it looks! Totally opposite how I felt with the first ring which makes me think this was a perfect choice.

A few people have noticed, I think mostly because of the metal color change. I've been honest with those who notice but not really making a big deal about it.

So happy to finally have my dream ring! And really glad I got it done before the wedding so that I'll have my forever rings during the ceremony. About 3 months to go, getting excited!

Nice!

It looks a great size on you

Three months will fly by to the big day lol