What metal would compliment this stone?

[Khan_Tagious]

Hello... I''m completely new to this sight and not to knowledgable as far as diamonds or rings are concerned so here it goes:

I have a 1.21 kt, VVS1, Ideal cut (?), G/H princess cut diamond that I want to put in a tension type setting and for this I have 2 questions:

-Based on the colour of the stone, should I go with a "white" setting (ie: platinum or white gold) or should I stick with yellow gold? Originally, I wanted to go with yellow gold (as it matches most of my jewellry) but I''ve been told that a "white" setting would better enhance the colour of my stone. Now I''m confused!!!

-The setting I''ve chosen is generic (I don''t believe it is affiliated with any true designer)... Is this a mistake? Would I be better off going with someone (a designer) who is affiliated with tension settings?

I am now leaning towards getting my setting in platinum which I think is great but the downside will be the weight of the ring as it is quite metal heavy. If I go with platinum I don''t think I will be able to stick with my current jeweller as he has been really trying to sway me from going with platinum. Why is that? Why would he want me to go with 14 or 18 kt white gold when, from what I understand, white gold will turn yellowish with age and, unlike platinum which only has only to be polished, will have to be re-coated in rhodium to restore it''s original shine?!?

It gives me a migraine trying to figure out the best way to go in choosing my setting - any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Missrocks]

Date: 3/26/2008 12:02:41 AM
Author:Khan_Tagious
Hello... I''m completely new to this sight and not to knowledgable as far as diamonds or rings are concerned so here it goes:

I have a 1.21 kt, VVS1, Ideal cut (?), G/H princess cut diamond that I want to put in a tension type setting and for this I have 2 questions:

-Based on the colour of the stone, should I go with a ''white'' setting (ie: platinum or white gold) or should I stick with yellow gold? Originally, I wanted to go with yellow gold (as it matches most of my jewellry) but I''ve been told that a ''white'' setting would better enhance the colour of my stone. Now I''m confused!!!

-The setting I''ve chosen is generic (I don''t believe it is affiliated with any true designer)... Is this a mistake? Would I be better off going with someone (a designer) who is affiliated with tension settings?

I am now leaning towards getting my setting in platinum which I think is great but the downside will be the weight of the ring as it is quite metal heavy. If I go with platinum I don''t think I will be able to stick with my current jeweller as he has been really trying to sway me from going with platinum. Why is that? Why would he want me to go with 14 or 18 kt white gold when, from what I understand, white gold will turn yellowish with age and, unlike platinum which only has only to be polished, will have to be re-coated in rhodium to restore it''s original shine?!?

It gives me a migraine trying to figure out the best way to go in choosing my setting - any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi there,

As far as metal color goes, I would go with what YOU like. Here is my personal take on the metal colors suited best for certain diamonds:
If you are purchasing a colorless D-E-F diamond it is true this colorlessness will be somewhat "hidden" by the yellow metal color. Pure white diamonds are showcased by white backrounds. On the other hand, by setting "warmer" color diamonds, example K-L-M, in yellow gold settings, it may "mask" the warmer color, if you wish to do so. Diamonds in the middle, IMO, can go either way, based on what metal color you prefer to wear or flatters you skin tone best.

Some settings are advertised as tension, but are actually channel set (grooves cut into the metal that hold the diamond) and usually will have a support bar connecting the two sides of the band just underneath the diamond. If it is a true tension setting (no bar on under gallery connecting the space underneath the diamond), I would personally feel more comfortable with a known designer, say Steven Kretchmer.Are you going for a non-designer based on price? Sometimes designers can be more expensive, but not all the added cost is based on so-called "designer" markup. Most cases there is a quality difference to be said as well.

Lastly, I have heard this story of jewelers swaying customer from platinum before. Usually the case is the jeweler doesn''t have a large platinum selection or their certain settings are not available in platinum- they are just selling based on what they stock. This may or may not be the case. True this ring will be heavy in platinum, but I have seen many go with a platinum tension setting and adore the weight of it. I too, am not fond of the rhodium plating maintanience that white gold requires to stay "white".

Good luck!

 

[Khan_Tagious]

Hey there, thanks for getting back to me.

As far as the colour of my diamond is concerned... I think that I must be colour sensitive because the yellow hue that i see when i look at it makes me question how gorguess it really is (my beloved hired a diamond broker to pick out my diamond at a resent wholesale show in Arizona)... From what I gather it is an exceptional stone despite being a g/h in colour.

To be honest, as far as "going with what I like" what I really want to do is chose a ring that truly showcases what a beautiful stone I have while still complementing my somewhat short fingers...LOL.

The Jeweler that I am dealing with has been my families jeweller for over 20 years and, while I know he is talented in what he does, I am a little perturbed by his behaviour with regards to my choice of setting (the Platinum) for my ring. From what I''ve researched and have been told, Platinum is the way to go with a ring with so much surface space such as mine (polishing will be able to combat the scratches that are bound to appear over time as opposed to having to redip white gold) I am not going with a non designer because of price... I just really want the setting that I have chosen (and, yes, it is truly a tension setting, without a support bar, as opposed to a channel)... I am terrible at trying to describe it, and it never even occured to me to take a picture of the setting, but it is a very wide (and thick) band (just under a 1/2 an inch) with a ''V'' like prong at the top where the diamond sits and at the bottom of the "V" (but before the actual band) there are 2 smaller diamonds, one on either side of the "V"... Does that make sense?

X``````X
X````X
X `X
xx
xOx
XXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXX
XXX XXX
XXX XXX
XXX XXX
XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX

Here.... I did my best to "draw" a picture of what my ring looks like from the side.

In any case, I think I will have to see if I can get a Steven Kretchmer ring through my jeweller (or someone of some comparison)... I really do like my design and want very much to keep it. Having said that, I will not sacrifice quality for design.
If my jeweller can not accomodate my needs, I will take my diamond and go elsewhere... he is setting another 3 diamonds that we purchased in addition to mine so he can rest assured he is getting his money''s worth.

I''d love to hear from you if you have any additional comments....

Have a good one,
Khan_Tagious

 

[hairgirl95]

This may be off base, but I have found that the type of mounting head can make a big difference too. For example, my oval was set in platinum with a platinum peg head (4 prong basket type) but I noticed that the bottom of the basket had a funny warm color, almost rainbow-ish, on the inside of the mounting head. Now, my oval is not colorless, it is an I color stone, but I noticed in fluorescent lighting, my diamond appeared a lot warmer than it did under normal bulbs/sunlight. When I had the stone put into a new mounting last week, the new setting remained plat but I went with a white gold mounting head. It DRAMATICALLY changed the look of my stone. There is no warmth to the stone even under fluoro bulbs. It really looks like a different stone. (Its the same stone, I promise!) So maybe this is something to consider when searching for mountings, if the setting you choose is a peg head and not a built in design. Just a thought.

 

[Cleo]

Hello and welcome!

Personally, I would also encourage you to choose the metal which YOU prefer, and not to be swayed by what''s popular/unpopular, or by the opinions of a jeweller. Ultimately it''s you that is paying for the ring, you that will be wearing & looking at it every day, and you that has to LOVE it!

As the proud owner of a yellow gold e-ring (I absolutely love yellow gold) I am going to totally disagree with the jeweller''s opinion that the yellow metal in any way masks the whiteness of a white stone.

One of the things I really, really love about my ring is the contrast of the gorgeous icy whiteness of my F colour diamond, next to the soft, buttery yellowness of the 18kt yellow gold. Yummy. To me, it makes the whiteness of the stone stand out even more than white gold would, and makes it''s icy whiteness reaaaally ''pop''.

I even have yellow gold prongs.

Does it make my diamond look less white? Not one little bit.

Honestly, if you want yellow gold then go for it. If you end up compromising and choosing platinum or white gold, the day might come when you wished you hadn''t, if your heart was truly set on yellow gold.

x x x

 

[Missrocks]

Hi Khan_tagious,

From the picture you posted, it looks as though this is not a true tension setting. The best definition I can use in this case to describe tension is - if there is no metal between the bottom of the stone and your finger- the two sides of the ring (metal) fail to connect and the diamond is the intermitant point.
From what I can tell, the drawing appears to show that the stone would be channeled (if infact the top v is two walls of metal) Scientifically speaking, there would be no way to get the kind of pressure needed to hold that stone in, from two walls of metal stemming up from a central point.
The pressure is created and substained (in the Gelin Abache picture shown) by the full circumference of the shank as a backup to the "walls" that the diamond sits between. Take a look at Steven Kretchmer or Gelin Abache websites for more reference.

 

[Missrocks]

Here is an example of a Claude Thibaudeau channel setting. I have also seen these with a "v" style in stead of "u" style channel, as you described.

 

[Missrocks]

Here is an example of how the metal walls can be done in platinum, and then the shank can be made in yellow gold. Getting the best of both worlds.


Claude Thibaudeau website shows examples in all yelllow, all platinum, or mixed as shown above, if you are interested.

 

[MikeRato1]

i was in your situation once, if you do want to see what a tension setting looks like in platinum with a g color check out my thread...

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/steven-kretchmer-tension-finally-done.81479/