WhiteFlash Legato w/ a Twist?

[AllenDawg]

After much searching and evaluating of my budget, I believe I have found the perfect platinum princess e-ring for my GF. All I need now is some expert opinions on which route to choose. I am doing this before talking to the jewelers so I am counting on the cost of the custom options to be a minimal increase at best. Anywho, here it is in all its glory:

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Diamond-Settings/The--Legato--with-Micro-Pave_1071.htm

Any e-ring variation below I ultimately choose will be paired with 2 of these bands for matching and a flush fit. I intend on purchasing all 3 rings upfront in fact.

http://www.whiteflash.com/Wedding_Bands/Halo-Wedding-Band_1004.htm

Ok, so here is my dilemma for which I need a lot of help considering I have been searching but have not ever seen the latter two customizations done. Which should I go with?

(1) WhiteFlash Legato Micro Pave as is

(2) WhiteFlash Legato Micro Pave with micro pave on the scallop parts of the basket (how bout on the prongs as well?)

(3) WhiteFlash Micro Pave with Fine Line head from this ring (http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/-Fine-Line--Platinum-Solitaire_691.htm#) with micro pave on the basket (how bout on the prongs as well?)

The inspiration for the custom touches is obviously from one of everyone''s faves, the Ritani Endless Love, seen here:

http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/ritani-jewelry/rings/06QQ1/24/

Alas, I can not afford the e-ring with 2 bands like I want given I am shooting for under $5K total which is unfortunate considering how much I LOVE how the head is better integrated into the ring than the WhiteFlash offering.

These designs fit into her criteria best I believe as she wants a very dainty ring while wanting the center stone to look very large, all while having the ability to pair it with a wedding band.

Oh, and for reference, here is the diamond I that will be featured in this combo:

Cert: GIA
Shape: Princess
Size: 1.41 ct
Dimensions: 6.11 x 6.02 x 4.45 (though an independent appraiser measured it between 4.39 and 4.43 which should decrease depth % some)
Cut: Signature Ideal (I understand that this is subjective and almost vendor-specific)
Color: F
Clarity: VS1
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Depth %: 73.9
Table %: 67
Girdle: Thick

Please please chime in with any opinions on the rings and/or diamond (since I have 10 days left on a 30-day return policy). Thanks for all this invaluable help. Now, I just have to be patient and wait for you ladies and gentelmen to do your job.

 

[mercoledi]

Have you seen Lynn B's SMTR? She has the legato with an integrated head instead of the peg-head shown in the stock image.

LynnB's SMTR

It's not as integrated as the fine-line or the Ritani, but it does make a difference!

ETA: Oops, she has the fishtail pave, not the legato, but it is an integrated legato head.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 2/19/2008 10:55:05 AM
Author:AllenDawg



The inspiration for the custom touches is obviously from one of everyone''s faves, the Ritani Endless Love, seen here:


http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/ritani-jewelry/rings/06QQ1/24/


Alas, I can not afford the e-ring with 2 bands like I want given I am shooting for under $5K total which is unfortunate considering how much I LOVE how the head is better integrated into the ring than the WhiteFlash offering.

Have you gotten a quote for the Ritani in WG as well as palladium? that might bring the price down enough for you to be able to just purchase the real deal...

 

[AllenDawg]

mercoledi:

Thanks for that pic and I imagine they can do that with the Micro Pave as well. The only thing I would be worried about there is the 2 bands fitting flushly now that the prongs add a little bit f width.

mrssalvo:

I had my heart set on platinum for the metal but come to think of it, I don''t know if I have a REAL good reason why (well, sort of). I am leary of white gold losing its plating and bending out of shape given the ring is SOOO narrow. As far as palladium goes, maybe I should do more research because quite frankly I had not heard or seen this metal until lurking over here on PS.

Please, gurus, keep the comments coming!

 

[mrssalvo]

allendawg, WG is actually less likely to bend than plat. WG is harder, plat. is more dense. I can understand having your heart set on plat. though. You might also want to get quotes from WF on the changes you're considering, I don't know how much that will affect the price but it might put you closer to the cost of the Ritani and IMO, it'd be worth it to just save up the bit more and get what you really love. The other side is the cost savings might still be signifcant and worth doing.

 

[AllenDawg]

Gratuitous bump #1...

I know the post seems lengthy but I REALLY wanna hear your opinions on the matter at hand. Don''t make me resort to begging!

 

[cara]

For a princess, I really like the stone to ''pop'' up from the band (so no cathedral setting), with V-prongs to emphasize the corners of the square shape. I also love Lynn B''s ring (from its pictures) and thought I loved the Ritani endless love setting as well, until I tried it on at a jeweler''s and found the micropave too micro - it ended up looking not as sparkly as I wanted, and a bit scratchy. Last, I have seen paved prongs and thought they looked pretty tacky, except for maybe one instance on a 3-ct masterpiece created from a Michael B ring by GOG. That looked awesome, but I personally would stay away from pave prongs in smaller center stones (and made by anyone but a pave master).

So what would I do? For me? I would order the custom Legato from WF with integrated head, V-prongs, no cathedral, maybe pave on the scroll but definitely not the prongs, and I would talk to them about increasing the pave stone size on the band a smidge, to make it a bit more sparkly. But not at the expense of widening the rings. And not on the scrollwork, which needs to be as delicate as can be.

So. For you, my opinions are:

1) Call up WF and get an actual quote on the Legato micropave customized with integrated head, pave on the scallop of the basket, AND made to accommodate two flush fit wedding bands (presumably not custom bands). Tell them you would be willing to order all three at once for some pricing consideration. There is no point in considering this option if it is out of budget, and it will be more than a ''negligible'' increase for the customization.

2) Tell WF you are considering pave on the prongs and ask if they have done any such work, if they have pictures to share, and what size diamond was in the setting.

3) Research metals a bit more, so you can feel more comfortable choosing between plat, WG, and palladium. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

4) Get quotes on the Ritani in the 3 metals, or whichever metals you are still considering after the step above. If its really the setting you love, er. what your girlfriend loves, it might be best to order it from the horse''s mouth. Normally custom is not great at exactly recreating everything you love about a designer setting for cheap. If you want to modify a designer setting, or just get ''close'', custom can work.

Frankly, I like the WF setting better for a princess, with the possible addition of the integrated head to their standard Legato.

 

[jen2M]

I am sure it is going to be beautiful! Have you seen this setting from James Allen? http://www.jamesallen.com/products/item_412-2072_build.asp?module=setting

It reminds me of a combination of a couple of rings that you mentioned. Someone on the board just got engaged with this ring and it looks amazing! The price also seems really good.