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Which would you choose?

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laurel25

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I wasn''t sure exactly where to post this, but since it does concern colored stones more than anything else, I figured I''d post it here. I just want people''s opinions since BF has left the decision up to me and I keep totally waffling!


Okay, if you had your choice between an heirloom diamond ring you have no real emotional attachment to for an e-ring or a brand new colored stone e-ring, which would you choose?


The diamond ring is an antique platinum ring with an approx. 1/4 carat center stone and small baguettes & melee surrounding it. I inherited the ring from an old woman who was good friends with my mom and who was like a grandmother to me when I was little, but the last time I saw her was when I was like 7 (I''m now 32) and I don''t really remember her much at all, unfortunately. It''s really pretty and very sparkly and the diamonds look much whiter in person than what they do in the photograph. If I go this route, I''ll have to have some work done to the ring as the band is paper thin - the woman, Mabel, had to have the ring sized and the jeweler who did it, way back when, used gold instead of platinum. Fast forward to the mid-90''s when I had it and the ring broke. I had a jeweler fix it, but I was young (17ish) and didn''t have a ton of money, so I just had him take the gold portion out and stretch the band to make it whole again. So, I would probably have to have a new shank put on the ring. I would also get some sort of a sapphire & diamond wedding band to go with it because I am a color girl through and through. Probably something along the lines of a Beverly K bezel set band with alternating sapphires & diamonds because I love mis-matched wedding sets.


If I go the colored stone route it will be either an asscher or cushion sapphire. I''ve contacted both Jeff White and Richard Homer because I love the stones they both cut, but I''ll probably go with Jeff White just because I worry that I might grow tired of the way a concave stone looks, so going with something more traditional would probably be better for me. If I do this, I''d probably have it set into something like the Milano setting from Knox http://www.knoxjewelers.biz/index.htm?crn=266&rn=1624&action=show_detail (I''m in MN, so we can easily go into their store to see the pieces in person) which looks a lot like the Ritani Endless Love w/o halo or the Petite Cathedral from Whiteflash http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Diamond-Settings/Petite-Open-Cathedral_1211.htm. I''d probably just have a simple pavé or half eternity band to go with it for a wedding band and maybe a stacking band in between.


So, what would you do? I keep going back and forth... I love the heirloom ring because it''s really pretty and is an antique, but at 1/4 carat the stone doesn''t have quite the presence (read: size) I''d like, but it more than makes up for it''s small size in sparkle and personality. This is would also be a more economical route since I already have the ring and the cost of the wedding band & the repairs would not come close to the cost of a new ring. BUT... I love the idea of a colored stone ering and stacking rings AND I would still have the heirloom ring to wear as a RHR. BF doesn''t care either way and says that I shouldn''t take price into consideration when making my decision (obviously we have a budget, but both options fall well within it), but I''m overly practical and keep going, "But the heirloom ring route would be cheaper..." ARRRGGGHHHH!!!


Anyway, please give me your thoughts, opinions, whatever. I have a bit of time to decide as we''re in the process of renovating a house (an Amish farmhouse actually) and we won''t actually be making anything official til the house is done next summer since that takes up all of our spare time right now.




Mabel_Ring.JPG
 

FrekeChild

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Personally...I think your heart is with the colored stone.

It seems as though the only reason you''re even considering the inherited ring is because of price. And I think that having a colored stone ering is the best of both worlds-you get the colored stone, and you can have the diamond as a RHR.

So what kind of colored stone are you looking for?
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geckodani

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Date: 8/29/2008 5:08:31 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Personally...I think your heart is with the colored stone.

It seems as though the only reason you''re even considering the inherited ring is because of price. And I think that having a colored stone ering is the best of both worlds-you get the colored stone, and you can have the diamond as a RHR.

So what kind of colored stone are you looking for?
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Ditto to everything the oh so wise Freke has said.
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laurel25

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It will definitely be a sapphire - all my other favorites are just too soft for an e-ring (emerald, aquamarine). Blue is one of my favorite colors and so far from all the stones BF and I have looked at (drooled over for me!), he tends to like blue sapphires the best too. He''s a graphic designer/ceramic artist and color is VERY important to him, so having a colored stone e-ring would kind of be more special for him as well.
 

laurel25

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Thanks - I think I just need someone to tell me to go with what I want, rather than being practical you know?
 

FrekeChild

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Yeah. I think the decision has been made.

I hear you on the blue. It's both mine and FF's favorite color, so I've been there.

What color sapphire?
ETA: I hear you. I think that if we wanted it, I think my mom would hand over her diamond in a second, but I love color, and I want my ering to be something that FF and I like, instead of being something that wasn't meant for me originally. You know? Someday, I'll wear her diamond as a RHR, but I want that day to be far in the future.
 

laurel25

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Date: 8/29/2008 5:21:22 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Yeah. I think the decision has been made.

I hear you on the blue. It''s both mine and FF''s favorite color, so I''ve been there.

What color sapphire?
ETA: I hear you. I think that if we wanted it, I think my mom would hand over her diamond in a second, but I love color, and I want my ering to be something that FF and I like, instead of being something that wasn''t meant for me originally. You know? Someday, I''ll wear her diamond as a RHR, but I want that day to be far in the future.
Well, if I were to go with an asscher I''d go with a lighter blue (like the Prince of Wales color) to show off the steps better, but if I were to get a cushion I''d go a bit darker. I like the more intensely colored stones a little better, but I *love* step cut stones, so a have to figure out which one I like best. BF loves asscher cut stones and is always super impressed with the ones by Jeff White that I show him here on PS.
 

somehowcollide

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I''m popping in late, but if you need any more enablers, I am also in agreement about sapphire/colored stone ring. Good luck with your project, I''m excited to see how it turns out.
 

chrono

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I agree with the others that the hierloom should be a rhr (which btw is absolutely gorgeous) and you should get a coloured stone e-ring. If you like sapphires, I suggest a cushion if you want great colour. However, if you like the asscher cut, then you cannot go for the desired blue because it''ll be too dark to be able to see/appreciate the step cut.
 

ma re

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I say go with what you like (if you can afford it) cause you''re getting married once in your life (hopefully
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). If you''d like to wear your e-ring a lot, than antique is not a good idea, cause repairs would become more and more frequent, and some stone loss wouldn''t be impossible either. However, if you think of wearing it just when you dress up, there''s nothing wrong with having antique as an e-ring. If you don''t like it being completely white, you can add some small sapphire accent stones when you get the shank done - it would be very practical of you
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.

Good luck!
 

Pandora II

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Colour all the way!
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LostSapphire

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COLOUR!!!

.....*plain* white can get boring
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LS
 

pjean

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Definitely get the sapphire. It's what you want, it's what your FI wants, therefore it's much more practical.
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ETA: your pug is adorable!
 

movie zombie

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as much as i love that setting you posted, i love color even more.....and since it is YOUR engagement ring, color is the only way to go. can you wear the other ring as a right hand ring?

also, since color is extremely important to BF [and you too!], get the absolutely best sapphire you can afford: best re color and cut.

movie zombie
 

LostSapphire

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Date: 8/30/2008 11:44:28 AM
Author: movie zombie
as much as i love that setting you posted, i love color even more.....and since it is YOUR engagement ring, color is the only way to go. can you wear the other ring as a right hand ring?

also, since color is extremely important to BF [and you too!], get the absolutely best sapphire you can afford: best re color and cut.

movie zombie

what MZ said.....

LS
 

laurel25

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Date: 8/29/2008 9:45:53 PM
Author: Chrono
I agree with the others that the hierloom should be a rhr (which btw is absolutely gorgeous) and you should get a coloured stone e-ring. If you like sapphires, I suggest a cushion if you want great colour. However, if you like the asscher cut, then you cannot go for the desired blue because it''ll be too dark to be able to see/appreciate the step cut.
Yeah, as I told FrekeChild, if I were to go with an asscher, I''d definitely go with a lighter blue - there''s no point in having a step cut stone if you can''t see the steps, but if I decided I go with a more vibrantly colored stone, I''d definitely go with a cushion. I like the vintage feel that cut has and I really think that colored stones just look wonderful as cushions.
 

laurel25

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Sorry, for taking so long to get back to everyone, but I''ve been away from my computer over the long weekend (we went to the MN state fair and holy moly that thing is HUGE - 200K people per day attend!).

Anyway, thanks all for your feedback. My gut was telling me to go the colored stone route, but my head was saying be practical, use the antique ring and I just kept going back and forth between the two. It''s so nice to have other people who obsess about jewelry like I do to bounce these ideas off of. BF understands my obsession (he''s an artist, he gets obsessed with ideas, colors, designs himself quite often), but definitely doesn''t share it!
 

LaurenThePartier

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Date: 9/1/2008 2:58:46 PM
Author: laurel25
Sorry, for taking so long to get back to everyone, but I''ve been away from my computer over the long weekend (we went to the MN state fair and holy moly that thing is HUGE - 200K people per day attend!).

Anyway, thanks all for your feedback. My gut was telling me to go the colored stone route, but my head was saying be practical, use the antique ring and I just kept going back and forth between the two. It''s so nice to have other people who obsess about jewelry like I do to bounce these ideas off of. BF understands my obsession (he''s an artist, he gets obsessed with ideas, colors, designs himself quite often), but definitely doesn''t share it!
So happy to hear you''re going with your heart on this, and we can''t wait to hear what you do end up with!
 
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