Wedding band bling in relation to e-ring bling

[dbgaap]

Here''s a point I am pondering:

How much carat weight in a wedding band looks good with the e-ring?

I tried on 2 different wedding bands with my 1 carat solitaire.

Both wedding bands are half-eternity bands:
Ring #1 was 1.10 carat total weight
Ring #2 was .50 carat total weight.

If you are going with a diamond wedding band to accompany your e-ring, how did you determine the amount of bling?
At what point do you think one overpowers the other?

Thanks for your opinions!

 

[researcher]

Are your bands shared prong or channel set? IMO, what matters most is that you get bands that are close to the same size, and that the color of stones match. The other thing to keep in mind is the actual size of the stones (which coincides with the width of the eternity band). As long as the stones in your eternity band are not extremely large I don't think it will detract from your e-ring at all. Am I making any sense? Maybe this example will help:

My friend has a .92 ct e-ring which is extremely beautiful (round, D, VVS2). After going shopping with me to look at shared prong wedding bands, she wants to get a 5-stone band with .25 ct/stone (the same as me--except I want princess stones). The difference is my B/F just bought me a 3+ ct stone so the .25 ct stones will not look large or take away from my e-ring. However, the band looked really silly with her ring because it made her beautiful e-ring diamond just blend in with everything else.

Does that make sense? I guess what I'm trying to say is you would have to be looking at something really outrageous for there to be a true concern about your e-ring not having the spotlight. My friend, just so you know, has now decided on a beautiful shared prong eternity band with 7 .15 ct stones (1.05 ctw) that looks BEAUTIFUL with her ring

So, I think that you would be good going with either of the bands you've chosen.

Sorry for the long response!

 

[moremoremore]

Depends....but I think you could so do the 1.1...My center stone (at the moment) is 2.1...my band is 6 .35 stones (also 2.1) and for some reason, it's not too much...but I have big man paws.

 

[verticalhorizon]

Man hands... like Seinfeld!

 

[moremoremore]

Yes, that's me...I've got man hands...better than toe-thumbs...lol....Sincerely, Martin Van Nostrand.

 

[pearcrazy]

I don't know if there's any kind of formula other than what looks good to you. Which one do you think looks best? Maybe if you went with the smaller of the two, you could add a second band on the other side of the diamond later for a 3 ring set. I always want my center stone to stand out the most and be noticed first, so I try to keep any side stones and diamond bands pretty small.

 

[fuffi]

My advice would be to decide which size stones you really like, then go slightly bigger. You're only used to wearing one ring right now so anything else probably looks imposing but it won't be after you're wearing it a short while.

 

[Mara]

well since you noted you tried them both on...which one looks best and not overpowering?




that would be what i would buy. keep it simple...don't overthink it too much.

 

[dbgaap]

woo hoo! I made a decision to go with the 1.1 carat half eternity band (channel set) from the estate store (Heirloom Jewelers at Cross Keys in Baltimore).

The ring just grabbed me & forced me to do some quick comparisons & research. Since it's really a one-of-a-kind deal I had to make a move. Unlike most of their stock, it is brand new /never been worn. I am going to assume there are no bad vibes attached (how could such a happy looking ring have emotional baggage?)
I'm tellin' ya, this was like a puppy saying 'take me home! you're gonna LOVE me!'

I really liked the .50 ct ring, too, but if that had been my choice, there was really no rush.
The .50 ct ring was at Dahne & Weinstein here in Baltimore. FYI to anyone in the area, they have a big sale going on becuase the owner is retiring and he wants to liquidate his inventory. Then the employees are going to take it over, re-model, re-open and continue to do business.

If it's in stock or on display, it's on sale. If they have to order, it's their normal price. I thought the sale prices looked fair compared to web prices.

 

[ringbling17]

I just wanted to tell you my experience when I was looking for an anniversary band to go with my diamond. I didn't have my solitaire yet, but I went to different stores to try on diamond bands.
I knew I wanted a shared prong type, set very low with seven diamonds. I wound up picking a 7 stone band with a total carat weight of about 1 carat. They also happened to have a 7 stone band with .56 ctw. for a lot less money, but I thought it was too small looking. I even got my husband to agree to get me the ring and we talked about getting it in May.
When I finally got my solitaire and I went back to the store, I saw that the larger stones really did not compliment the solitaire at all. They were way too big (in my opinion) to sit next to the solitaire and the two rings just didn't sit flush.
I wound up purchasing the smaller diamond band.
In retrospect, I am now thinking about getting a two really thin micropave bands .
I would love to get a diamond band with larger diamonds someday (>.25), but I would probably get something with 5 diamonds and wear on my right hand.

 

[chialea]

----------------
On 6/4/2004 8:44:12 PM dbgaap wrote:

I'm tellin' ya, this was like a puppy saying 'take me home! you're gonna LOVE me!'
----------------

I think you're having a real NiceIce moment (as in, for example, http://www.niceice.com/whatnext.htm)

 

[dbgaap]

Oh I am feeling confused again....
All these opinions only reinforce that there is no one right answer.

Well, I think both stores are probably open today and I think I will just drag my man out there and go look /see what's what.

Maybe we should buy him a handsome watch.
(yep I am feeling a little greedy for some reason and I want that feeling to GO AWAY)

Oh boy, here is a funny little tidbit from my complicated life:
Yesterday was my daughter's HS graduation and boy I am glad it was in a dark auditorium because I was crying buckets.
Afterwards we had a swell party which was attended by her dad who has now been remarried for .. 5 years I think?

We all get along pretty well, all things considered. So, my ex's wife was checking out my e-ring and complimenting it. She said, "you know I think I want a diamond ring, too - I never had one" So I said, "yeah, you should get one!" and I proceeded to advise her on diamond shopping tips.
hee hee hee, I hope she gets a really big fat rock!!! (and i hope he never finds out I was cheering her on ....) I happen to know he doesn't understand why anyone would need to spend money on a diamond..
oh i feel sneaky.....

 

[dbgaap]

clarification-
My commitment to the ring so far is just a meddage I left on their voicemail. I gotta go fork over the cash so i can still back out.

 

[researcher]

Maybe I've missed it, but what is your finger size? I think this has something to do with whether people here may feel a smaller or larger band will look good. You see, although my mom has a 1 ct engagement ring, she has a two row half eternity band that is absolutely gorgeous! As a set, the two rings look beautiful because, although she has rather thin fingers (size 5) her fingers are very long. When she just has the engagement ring on it's a very understated look, but when she has both rings on it looks very elegant. What I like most about her band is that she purchased one with a lot of sparkle but smaller diamonds so there would be lots of attention-grabbing sparkle, but the e-ring diamond (which has been passed down in the family for I think 4-5 generations) would steal the show.

But this probably isn't helping much. When you go to the stores with your man can you take pictures of the two bands and post them for us to see? Then again, you should probably decide on your own--it seems as though everyone here knows what he/she likes and will probably stick by it.

Let us know what you decide!!!

 

[dbgaap]

We sealed the deal yesterday! And, I asked if they had any photo-taking capability and the lovely woman (at Heirloom Jewels in the /www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]lace>Village of Cross Keys/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]lace>) said, 'sure!' and I was hoping for a nice digital photo (for all you ps helpers!)/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

Unfortunately it was what she called a 'jeweler's camera' - basically a Polaroid which I guess I could scan but it’s a lousy pic./www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

AnyhoooooI wear a size 6 - 6.5 depending upon ring thickness and I have sorta long fingers. I'm 5'9"./www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

Sunday was another dash through all the local jewelry stores to compare rings. I found only one other ring I thought was totally gorgeous - it was a 5 stone band in yellow gold with alternating rubies and diamonds at about 15 points each. It was romantic and different and the proportions were perfect. I learned a lot about settings over the last few days (hmmm 5 days? this has been QUICK!)./www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

Most channel set rings seemed like way, way too much metal and looking at the ring from a side-view, they were shaped all out of proportion as compared to my e-ring./www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

Rings with prong settings looked a little busy & there is always the snagging worry.

/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]> /www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

The only thing I found, that I liked was stuff made by Memoire so I attached a picture to illustrate the way they are made – hope it looks OK./www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

These rings have a smooth edge that looks almost like a bezel-set all around the edges ( is there a better way to describe this?)

The ring was nice and smooth and didn’t snag on anything. But, FI suggested I might get tired of rubies after a while and … well, who knows…

/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]> /www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

Ultimately, the puppy at Heirloom Jewels won my heart.The edge of the channel set is WAY WAY thinner than any ring I’ve ever seen and it’s got a much lower profile when viewed from the side.I think that’s what makes it work even though it has more diamond weight than seemed right to me.In all the other channel-set rings with a full carat of stones, they were bulky and very un-flattering to my e-ring.

/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]> /www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

So!I know all these words are just blah blah blah… if you are like me you just want to see pictures.

As soon as I can get to it, I shall provide them.

I am so happy with the half-eternity channel-set ring I got.It has 6 round stones at 10 points each and 8 straight baguettes at 8 points each.The color ranges from H-I-J and clarity VS2- SI1-2)It looks fabulous with my J stone.

/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]> /www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

For anyone getting a unique engagement ring & worrying about finding a wedding band, I would say, “Don’t Worry”There are just so many rings out there and I was fully prepared to have FIdraw something to get just the right proportions and go someplace like Quest Manufacturing in Virginia or Mr. Li at Whiteflash.

Then you get to have something really special and unique.I feel lucky to such a unique ring.

 

[Mara]

i know what you mean about the memoire ring you attached..i tried on something similar at Joe Escobar...it's a common prong setting, but the prongs are set very close together so the edges of the stone are more rounded than square. i definitely like that setting better than the squarer look.