What do you think of this design?

[J]

I''m hoping that some people with a better sense of style than me can chime in on this design. My gf wants a unique/antique type e-ring. For the wedding band, she wants it to be very traditional- no engraving or diamonds, not customized or contoured to fit the e-ring, but it should be able to sit nearly flush against the e-ring. I liked the look of this picture (from Whiteflash). I was going to have the side diamonds changed to round and the ring done in yellow gold rather than platinum. It doesn''t seem like a wedding band would have to be contoured. What do you guys think of an ornate e-ring like this sitting next to a plain wedding ring that matches it only in color?

I think there should be a law against people like me trying pick out jewelry, but I want to keep some element of surprise in this process. Thanks.

Jay

http://www.whiteflash.com/pimg/jewelry/gi_MRE7055-34_f.jpg">

Don''t know if embedding the image worked. I also attached the pic, or you can go http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/3Stone/3-Stone-Antique-Style-Ring_657.htm#here and zoom in.

 

[J]

Oh, I forgot to note, the ring would be in yellow gold, but the basket and prongs would still be in platinum. Thanks
Jay

 

[MaryAlaina]

Has she said she wanted yellow gold? Why I ask is, at least to me, white gold or platinum helps give an antique look. It wouldn''t quite look the same in yellow.

 

[J]

Mary-
She definitely wants yellow gold. Thats more important to her than having an antique look. I guess unique/ornate is what she''s looking for more so than antique. Thanks for your input.

 

[MaryAlaina]

Personally, I like that setting how it is...in white metal and with the pear side stones. Has she seen a similar one in yellow gold (antique styling) that she commented on liking?

 

[sciencegeek]

I love the pear side stones and I like engraved bands, but somehow the side view of that ring seems too busy to me. This site has some really pretty gold engraved bands, maybe they could do a custom job along these lines but with stones?

 

[moremoremore]

I don''t like the engraved shank on the ring with a plain band. I think an engraved band would work but that''s not what she wants...

I''d hit faycullen.com to get some ideas...you can get it to look antique without the engraving. And I agree with MA, I don''t love yellow gold and antique...How about just some pave?

 

[sciencegeek]

I agree, MMM, I think a plain band with engraved ering would look odd. Is she planning to wear the ering and wedding ring as a set on one finger, or go with one on each hand?

 

[J]

MMM- pave is a good idea but unfortunately she''s ruled that out

sciencegeek- She''s definitely planning on wearing them on the same finger

I never thought this would be so complicated. Thanks again for all the advice. I''m browsing some of the websites you guys suggested now, although I swear I''ve already been to every e-ring website that exists, twice.

 

[Hest88]

Okay, I know this Van Craeynest is different from what you were looking for, and I''m also not sure if a w-ring will sit flush to the e-ring, but it gives you another idea of a possible antique look.

 

[Hest88]

And here''s a Whitehouse Brothers ring that can be ordered in yellow gold.

 

[Hest88]

And lastly, here''s a Fusaro, that also is engraved but might be plain enough so you could almost pull off a plain band next to it. (I''m also not a fan of plain bands next to engraved rings.She''s tried on wedding sets like that right? So it''s not just hypothetical?)

 

[sciencegeek]

What about something like this? It looks to me like it has a plain face as well as an engraved face. It''s not very antique looking though

 

[J]

Science-

I like that one, where did you see it? I guess I failed to mention that she has a slight preference for having side stones as opposed to a solitaire. She likes solitaire too, though, so if I can''t find a three-stone where a wedding band could sit flush against it, I''ll go with a solitaire.

Thanks!

Jay

 

[EdSkinner]

why don''t you try just putting the stone in a cheep white gold mounting and after you give to her go out with her and shop the the setting she wants.

 

[njc]

Date: 11/3/2004 8:43:10 PM
Author: sciencegeek
What about something like this? It looks to me like it has a plain face as well as an engraved face. It's not very antique looking though

I like that set science! Very pretty... a little combo of the plain and engraved.

J - you could see if they could make that setting with side stone if you like that enough.

 

[sciencegeek]

The semi-plain/semi-engraved set was from Fusaro It''s in the engraved section of the bridal collection.

 

[Diamondsbybree]

I like the first one you picked out. I think yellow gold would look great~!

 

[J]

Thanks again for the help guys. I think I may have found a winner. I''ve attached a picture (hopefully). They are supposed to be able to do this in yellow gold, and rather than having three 1/3 ct diamonds as shown here, the center could be changed to 0.9ct. Any thoughts on 14k vs 18k yellow gold for something like this? 14k is obviously cheaper, but it seems like I''ve seen conflicting opinions on which is more durable, which would be important for an engraved ring.

Jay

 

[Hest88]

Very pretty.

Honestly, I couldn''t imagine using anything less than 18K for something as important as an e-ring. 14K is fine for cheaper jewelry, but I''d want 18K for the nice stuff.

 

[Diamondsbybree]

I love yellow gold, but only 14kt. I think 18kt has to much of a cheap glow to it. Almost not real looking.

 

[zoobiedo]

I really like the setting. I prefer 14K gold because I don''t remove my ring and do a lot of outside things (gardening, woodworking and horse barn duties and riding). 14K is more durable and 18K is softer. It all depends on what look you prefer -- I like both but 18K is not practical choice for me.

 

[solange]

!8 carat gold is softer than 14 carat. I would be concenrned about the prongs. They may wear out and are difficult to replace.

The setting is beautiful and I think you are making a great choice. It is different but not too elaborate.Very elegant and I think it will look great in yellow gold.

 

[valeria101]

Thumbs up for your choice as well.

Yellow gold and platinum prongs should do the trick any day. And I see no conflict of interest between a plain band and an intricate ring. The band will just be these in the background - too quiet to show off anyway.

The three stone with rounds may not sit close to the w-band. But this does not really show in the picture and you can always ask WF about this. IMO, the one with pear sides may have a better chance at this (basically, the narrower the sides the better).

 

[valeria101]

The picture shows how I guessed the fit of the weddingband next to the ring

Fot the setting with pear sides, the side stones never gte close to the band. I suppose the wider rounds will...

 

[sciencegeek]

Very pretty setting. I prefer the pear side stones, but I''m a sucker for tapered shanks and I think pears highlight them beautifully.

 

[J]

Thanks evereyone. Sounds like some people prefer 18k yellow and others prefer 14. The tutorial on PS says that if you get yellow gold you should get 18k, but doesn''t elaborate. I guess she would want to get the wedding ring in the same color gold, so if the wedding ring would look cheap in 14k then maybe I should stick to 18k. My concerns with 18 are 1) that the engraving will wear and 2) that without a full refund policy on a custom setting, less would be lost if I go with 14 and it turns out she doesn''t like the setting. (Getting a temporary setting is not an option, I''ve come to far for that and she doesn''t want to deal with the trouble of picking out her own setting).

Jay

 

[headlight]

If you are considering 14k v 18k YELLOW gold, the 18k has a different "tone" to it, one that I prefer. Anyone that knows ANYTHING about jewelry can spot 18k yellow across the room. To me, it just has a higher quality connotation -- sort of the "platinum" of gold, if you will.

If you are considering 14k v 18k WHITE gold, I don''t know if this is true, but I''ve noticed, or so it seems, that my pieces in 18k white maintain a similar "whiteness" to my platinum pieces, whereas 14k white gold gets that "yellow" cast to it.

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with Hest88''s comment in regards to only using 18k (either white or yellow) for something as special and significant as an e-ring!

 

[Hest88]

Honestly I wouldn''t worry about the engraving wearing off that easily. If you''ve ever seen Elizabethan rings, which were pretty much near 24K gold, you''ll realize that the whole wearing-off thing is more theoretical than real. Granted, those Elizabethans weren''t banging around their rings and wearing them everyday to the gym, but as long as she takes care to take them off around chlorine or harsh cleaning solutions and not wear them when she''s lifting weights or moving heavy furniture (which would be the same advice I''d give someone with platinum rings) the 18K gold should be lovely enough to pass on to your children.

 

[J]

Thanks. I think I''ll go with 18k yellow. My big worry is that since they need to customize to allow a larger center stone, there is no refund policy on the setting. This custom setting will cost 950, and if it doesn''t turn out well or my gf doesn''t like it, thats an expensive piece of metal to be stuck with. I guess if they simply do a poor job in making it they would provide a refund or re-do it, but I hate not having a guarantee.