WhiteFlash VS Facets? HELP ME!

[AndyRosse]

Well, Matatora, the only thing I can say that is if you use WF or SP, you make it known from the start that you want extra metal on the sides to prevent overhang. Ask both vendors if that is possible, which I bet it is.

 

[Jelly]

So do you think wearing two shared prong rings is asking for disaster?

What could be other options for a wedding band next to a shared prong e-ring like mine? I would imagine even a plain gold band would hit up against those little diamonds.

 

[AndyRosse]

Date: 9/16/2005 10:59:38 PM
Author: Jelly
So do you think wearing two shared prong rings is asking for disaster?

What could be other options for a wedding band next to a shared prong e-ring like mine? I would imagine even a plain gold band would hit up against those little diamonds.

But the plain gold band isn''t going to hurt the little diamonds; rather, the little diamonds will "eat" the band (i.e. scratch it, etc.).

 

[Jelly]

Hmm....maybe I should skip the band and upgrade the diamond! Haha!

I don''t know what my fiance would say about that!

 

[AndyRosse]

Date: 9/16/2005 11:04:56 PM
Author: Jelly
Hmm....maybe I should skip the band and upgrade the diamond! Haha!

Hehe, I like the sound of that!

 

[MissAva]

Date: 9/16/2005 10:46:24 PM
Author: part gypsy
It is a beautiful design. Have you made a decision yet? I wonder if the overhang is an inherent part of the design, or can be lessened, without affecting the esthetic quality of the piece.

Maybe you could wear a very thin metal spacer band between the two, to protect the diamonds from rubbing against each other?

Acutally Bob who works for WF, told me flat out that their is no overhand whatso ever in thier rings...
I dont want a spacer ring, I dont care for the look.

 

[MissAva]

Here is an excert from one of Bob''s emails about the ring.
"Thank you for your e-mail and concern about overhang. Let me help you
with this. 3.5 point diamonds are 2.15mm in diameter so if you put a
2.15mm diamond in a 2.4mm wide band there is no overhang. You can also
see in the picture on the far side where you are looking at the back
side of the ring there is no overhang. If you are reading this on PS,
someone does not know what they are talking about. We would not make
this ring with overhang unless the customer asked for larger diamonds
in a smaller width."

 

[Jelly]

Whew! What a relief!

Thanks Matatora and Bob from Whiteflash for clearing this up!

Seems that the Whiteflash shared prong set is pretty common with PS members and that we would have heard if there was the overhang/banging together of diamonds.

With that being said...have you decided on a full eternity Matatora?

 

[Demelza]

I guess what I'm wondering is whether overhang is really the culprit. Whether the diamonds extend beyond the metal (overhang) or just to the edge of the metal (no overhang), the girdles are exposed regardless. And if you put 2 rings next to each other, the exposed girdles will touch, no? I don't know. I guess I'm having a hard time imagining a shared-prong ring in which the diamonds are totally contained within the mounting to the point where there will be no contact with another ring.

The other thing I want to add is that we all might be going a little overboard here. Yes, the setting does require more maintenance and there is the potential for damage when worn with another shared prong ring. I don't, however, think it's quite as risky as we may fear. I've been wearing both rings for a few months now and, while I don't inspect them daily for damage, nothing has happened that's visible without a microscope. And even then, there were only a couple of tiny nicks on 1 or 2 diamonds. It sucks and I would prefer to have a more durable set, but it's not like I have diamonds cracking right and left. I wear the set everyday all the time, even while I sleep. The only time I take them off is to lift weights. Anyway, just want to add some balance to the discussion so that people don't start to think that their shared prong rings are time bombs waiting to explode.

 

[ame]

Date: 9/17/2005 12:43:33 AM
Author: Matatora
Here is an excert from one of Bob''s emails about the ring..''

I don''t buy that. I had to have my wedding ring reworked a couple times because of that and I designed my ring to be a copy of Mara''s where there could be no possibility of overhang with 4 prongs per stone and extra metal on either side, I still had overhang. It was fixed for the most part and I only had to worry about exposed girdles in a couple areas.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 9/17/2005 1:57:42 AM
Author: Demelza
I guess what I''m wondering is whether overhang is really the culprit. Whether the diamonds extend beyond the metal (overhang) or just to the edge of the metal (no overhang), the girdles are exposed regardless. And if you put 2 rings next to each other, the exposed girdles will touch, no? I don''t know. I guess I''m having a hard time imagining a shared-prong ring in which the diamonds are totally contained within the mounting to the point where there will be no contact with another ring.


The other thing I want to add is that we all might be going a little overboard here. Yes, the setting does require more maintenance and there is the potential for damage when worn with another shared prong ring. I don''t, however, think it''s quite as risky as we may fear. I''ve been wearing both rings for a few months now and, while I don''t inspect them daily for damage, nothing has happened that''s visible without a microscope. And even then, there were only a couple of tiny nicks on 1 or 2 diamonds. It sucks and I would prefer to have a more durable set, but it''s not like I have diamonds cracking right and left. I wear the set everyday all the time, even while I sleep. The only time I take them off is to lift weights. Anyway, just want to add some balance to the discussion so that people don''t start to think that their shared prong rings are time bombs waiting to explode.

I agree. If you really love it I would try not to worry so much. If you think the potential for damage is not worth the risk then you might want to find a different set. I discussed this exact issue with bob when i purchased my eternity band. He said over time, if you''re wearing the set all the time they "may" wear down and need to be replaced. I think Dem brings up a great point that even if there is no overhang the girdles are still exposed. For those who already have them, enjoy them, they are beautuful and one of my favorite sets

 

[ame]

Date: 9/17/2005 7:55:55 AM
Author: mrssalvo

Date: 9/17/2005 1:57:42 AM

Author: Demelza

I guess what I''m wondering is whether overhang is really the culprit. Whether the diamonds extend beyond the metal (overhang) or just to the edge of the metal (no overhang), the girdles are exposed regardless. And if you put 2 rings next to each other, the exposed girdles will touch, no? I don''t know. I guess I''m having a hard time imagining a shared-prong ring in which the diamonds are totally contained within the mounting to the point where there will be no contact with another ring.



The other thing I want to add is that we all might be going a little overboard here. Yes, the setting does require more maintenance and there is the potential for damage when worn with another shared prong ring. I don''t, however, think it''s quite as risky as we may fear. I''ve been wearing both rings for a few months now and, while I don''t inspect them daily for damage, nothing has happened that''s visible without a microscope. And even then, there were only a couple of tiny nicks on 1 or 2 diamonds. It sucks and I would prefer to have a more durable set, but it''s not like I have diamonds cracking right and left. I wear the set everyday all the time, even while I sleep. The only time I take them off is to lift weights. Anyway, just want to add some balance to the discussion so that people don''t start to think that their shared prong rings are time bombs waiting to explode.

I agree. If you really love it I would try not to worry so much. If you think the potential for damage is not worth the risk then you might want to find a different set. I discussed this exact issue with bob when i purchased my eternity band. He said over time, if you''re wearing the set all the time they ''may'' wear down and need to be replaced. I think Dem brings up a great point that even if there is no overhang the girdles are still exposed. For those who already have them, enjoy them, they are beautuful and one of my favorite sets

I was told that as well. You are going to beat the crap out of them over time if you wear them. The only way to prevent little chips and bangs is to never wear them.

 

[MissAva]

Date: 9/17/2005 1:47:11 AM
Author: Jelly
Whew! What a relief!

Thanks Matatora and Bob from Whiteflash for clearing this up!

Seems that the Whiteflash shared prong set is pretty common with PS members and that we would have heard if there was the overhang/banging together of diamonds.

With that being said...have you decided on a full eternity Matatora?

Jelly...my point is that he assured me that there was no over hang, but in pictures it is clearly there....

 

[Kaleigh]

My eterinity band from SP has some over hang, but so far so good.

 

[MissAva]

Date: 9/17/2005 1:57:42 AM
Author: Demelza
I guess what I''m wondering is whether overhang is really the culprit. Whether the diamonds extend beyond the metal (overhang) or just to the edge of the metal (no overhang), the girdles are exposed regardless. And if you put 2 rings next to each other, the exposed girdles will touch, no? I don''t know. I guess I''m having a hard time imagining a shared-prong ring in which the diamonds are totally contained within the mounting to the point where there will be no contact with another ring.

The other thing I want to add is that we all might be going a little overboard here. Yes, the setting does require more maintenance and there is the potential for damage when worn with another shared prong ring. I don''t, however, think it''s quite as risky as we may fear. I''ve been wearing both rings for a few months now and, while I don''t inspect them daily for damage, nothing has happened that''s visible without a microscope. And even then, there were only a couple of tiny nicks on 1 or 2 diamonds. It sucks and I would prefer to have a more durable set, but it''s not like I have diamonds cracking right and left. I wear the set everyday all the time, even while I sleep. The only time I take them off is to lift weights. Anyway, just want to add some balance to the discussion so that people don''t start to think that their shared prong rings are time bombs waiting to explode.

I agree. I dont think people should freak out about what they already have, obviously they are happ with it or we would have read something. The thing is I know several woman my parents age (or older) who have sets like this that are in perfect condition. I have even tried one on

. The women have been wearing their sets from 25-40 years with out major damage. I dont want to change my setting or stone ever. I dont like the idea of upgrading. I really love both of these sets. I want to know which of the two is less likely to inccur damage.

 

[Demelza]

Date: 9/17/2005 1:15:33 PM
Author: Matatora

Date: 9/17/2005 1:57:42 AM

I agree. I dont think people should freak out about what they already have, obviously they are happ with it or we would have read something. The thing is I know several woman my parents age (or older) who have sets like this that are in perfect condition. I have even tried one on

. The women have been wearing their sets from 25-40 years with out major damage. I dont want to change my setting or stone ever. I dont like the idea of upgrading. I really love both of these sets. I want to know which of the two is less likely to inccur damage.

Well, that seems good. If their sets are in perfect condition, then hopefully you won't have any problems either. I honestly don't think it matters whether you get the ring from WF or SP. Personally, I don't see any unnecessary overhang on Tyke's ring. Because diamonds are round, and there isn't metal on either side of the girdle in this type of setting, the ring will necessarily have a "scalloped" edge. I think you should choose the company whose rings you like best. I seriously doubt there will be much, if any, difference in how much the diamonds extend beyond the mounting.

ETA I don't really appreciate the tone of Bob's email. He seems to be implying that those of us on PS with shared prong rings don't know what we're talking about, that we're silly and misguided to think that there might be any problem with this design. Every jeweler I've ever talked to has confirmed that the design is inherently risky when worn as a set. Anyway, just had to get that off my chest.

 

[Maxine]

Demelza, you and I both know that one solution to the problem is something neither of us wants: to hae the rings soldered together......

I don''t know WHAT company made my rings, since I bought them from my local jeweler...he had them in stock and I liked the look!!! The main reason I got them was because I don''t really consider myself a "white metal" person, but my BF preferred it...so I preferred looking at all diamonds than the white metal.....(plus he was pauing for E-F color, so I din''t want to take the chance that the stone would "pick up" color from the setting...)

I guess my point is, no one is limited to only SP or WF....ther''es a whole world out there!!!

 

[yellowfan]

Hi Matatora,

I just wanted to add that I purchased an eternity band from whiteflash earlier this year and its 3 cts tw and I prefer the melee with arrows vs a premium cut. Its set in plat. It sparkles like crazy. Good luck in your purchase.

 

[MissAva]

Written by Jjaks in a PM reposted with permission:

I absolutely love my SP set. A couple of days ago it was very sunny and blue out, virtually no clouds and I glanced down at my ring and it was sparkling like crazy. It’s beautiful in every lighting condition but, I have to love a day like that.

I had seen a shared prong set (one band w/ mounting) in Austin and fell in love with it. I was told the price was $3549 and when I drove back an hours drive to order it she said $4539. Needless to say I wasn’t happy so I was determined to find it elsewhere. I looked on PS saw Demelza’s original post and it was identical to the set I was looking at and that’s how I found SP. I was shocked that one band and mounting through SP was $2000 less than the $4539 price I was told. At that price I couldn’t resist talking my husband into another band. I got the whole set less the center stone for $3700. On top of that I got 1-2 grades higher clarity and color and the cut is far better than the set at the B&M store.

So I had taken my center stone from GOG to a Master Gemologist for it’s appraisal and told him of the set I had found locally and the pricing fiasco etc… and that I had found this awesome set online that I was going to order and bring in for an appraisal. I didn’t tell him the price I was paying (I wanted a fair appraisal) but told him it was a significant difference. He said if it was that good of a deal to make sure they “deliver” and sell me what they say they are selling me. He told me he’d let me know if the quality and workmanship was good or not. (I think he expected it to be less than good.) I took the set in for him to set the stone and appraise the setting and he was amazed at the quality and workmanship. He did the appraisal and two bands alone appraised for what I paid for the set. Then I showed him my receipt he worked the math over & over again to see what was the lowest he could make it for and said how well I did and that he couldn’t even make it for that price. He said he doesn’t know how they can do it at the price they did.

So after having it set, I wear it for a week and using my loupe (after reading more about Demelza''s concerns) find a small black spec around one of the little diamonds. It moved around when I used my steam cleaner on it but I couldn’t get it out. I poked around w/ a needle and nothing. Then I started worrying that I scratched something etc… I took back to my gemologist for them to inspect and clean. It had what they call Jeweler’s Rouge. They were able to get it out. I had them inspect the girdles while they were at it and they said they looked fine and that damage might occur after wearing it 20 some odd years etc… but they didn’t see anything to worry about. They said I had no diamond overhang, which made me feel good. They said the girdles would be more likely to chip on the outsides of the bands due to hitting them against something than they would on the insides by rubbing together, I guess because there’s not any overhang. (They aren’t soldered so the outside and inside changes daily because I don’t pay attention to which one I wear as the top band and which one I wear as the bottom. If I chipped a girdle I wouldn’t know exactly what caused it and it’s just too much for me to think about.) So at this point I decided I was going to wear them and be happy with them and not obsess over it. They are all 3 a size 6. They sit flush with no modification to the head (I only have a .93ct that measures 5.42x5.40) They hardly spin and when they do it’s not much. I’m glad that I chose the ¾ band, ½ just wasn’t enough and full was too much.

Hope this wasn’t too long and detailed.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 9/13/2005 8:39:47 PM
Author: Matatora
Now I need to decide whom to give my business too. I have some concerns becuase of things that been PMed to me about craftmanship. I wanted to see if people were asked directly what they would say.

I can only offer my feedback on WF because I don''t own any pieces from SP.

I have had 3 custom pieces made by Whiteflash.....my e-ring, my w-band, and my halo pendant. All three were excellent workmanship. I''ve worn the wedding/e-rings for nearly 18 months; the pendant is fairly new. Mara''s w-band is also from WF, and it''s also been worn for nearly 18 months.

I think every organization is going to have a few blips, bumps or bruises, but as an overall thing, I think WF''s workmanship is consistently top-shelf.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 9/14/2005 10:22:50 AM
Author: noobie

On your comment about PMs and people not posting problems for fear of being flamed, I find that disappointing that people feel that way. I have stated before that some vendors are given the benefit of doubt based on past history, but that''s no reason for people to be fearful of posting their experiences. If this place is only a cheering section is does not serve the consumer at all and might as well be a paid advertisment. I hope people will openly post their feelings and experiences and I especially hope members here will treat them fairly with respect.

Absolutely agree with this.....wholeheartedly. This place loses its purpose if folks aren''t candid.

 

[pricescope]

Date: 9/14/2005 10:22:50 AM
Author: noobie

On your comment about PMs and people not posting problems for fear of being flamed, I find that disappointing that people feel that way. I have stated before that some vendors are given the benefit of doubt based on past history, but that''s no reason for people to be fearful of posting their experiences. If this place is only a cheering section is does not serve the consumer at all and might as well be a paid advertisement. I hope people will openly post their feelings and experiences and I especially hope members here will treat them fairly with respect.

Consumers should not be fearful of posting their experiences - flaming is not allowed here. We ask everyone not to hide your concerns and disappointments into PM''s - please share it in a factual and constructive manner on the forums.

 

[cute330xigrl]

Date: 9/22/2005 11:00:50 AM
Author: Pricescope

Date: 9/14/2005 10:22:50 AM
Author: noobie

On your comment about PMs and people not posting problems for fear of being flamed, I find that disappointing that people feel that way. I have stated before that some vendors are given the benefit of doubt based on past history, but that''s no reason for people to be fearful of posting their experiences. If this place is only a cheering section is does not serve the consumer at all and might as well be a paid advertisement. I hope people will openly post their feelings and experiences and I especially hope members here will treat them fairly with respect.

Consumers should not be fearful of posting their experiences - flaming is not allowed here. We ask everyone not to hide your concerns and disappointments into PM''s - please share it in a factual and constructive manner on the forums.

Yea.. but how can they not be considering the recent incident(s) I''m sure the "fearful" have read. Y''know? The threads just never seem to stay all that civil.

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

Mat - Are you any closer to making a decision? I can''t wait to see what you select!

 

[MissAva]

I am, I think.

Part of this needs to be from SO. But he is working on some really important stuff at his internship and I am studying for the GREs (I love the online Kaplan thing...makes easy for an ADHD person like myself) so we dont have agreat deal of time to discuss things at the moment. I am sending him the PMs I get and I think he has read through this thread. But hopefully week after next we will both have time at the same time to discuss things.

 

[aljdewey]

As with any ring, folks have a wish list of things they want. In a perfect world, we could have everything we want.....but this isn''t a perfect world. Inevitably, some things aren''t possible with others.

For instance, if you want a collie because you like the breed, but you want a dog that doesn''t shed.....both are not possible. Collies shed terribly, so your two "wants" oppose each other, and you can''t have ''em both. Period. So, you have to decide which is most important by prioritizing the elements, picking what''s most important to you, and accepting that it may mean other things you wanted have to give.

In my w-ring case, these were my wants:

a) I wanted shared prong (didn''t want to see all the metal/prongs) 7-stone band.
b) I wanted 5-point stones....they measure about 2.5mm to 2.6mm.
c) I wanted a straight band
d) I wanted the band to sit absolutely flush with my 3-stone ring.....didn''t want to see any gap.
e) I wanted my w-band to be no more than 2.0mm thick.
f) I didn''t want my rings soldered.

All of these things just are not possible. I couldn''t have both C and D......straight bands just don''t sit absolutely, precisely flush with 3-stone rings. I had to choose which was most important....I choose C, and that meant accepting that D (sitting flush) wasn''t possible and I''d have to live with it.

I couldn''t have both B and E.....you can''t make 2.5mm stones fit into a 2.0mm band. I decided that B was more important, which also meant I had to accept that E (no more than 2.0mm) wasn''t gonna happen and I''d have to live with that, too.

There''s been a lot said about overhang. I''ll tell you that because my stones are 2.5mm and my band is about 2.5mm also, the girdles of the stones in my wedding band have scratched one of my prongs on the 6-prong engagement stone. It''s something I live with because I didn''t want a thicker band. If I''d have gone with a 3.0mm band, that probably wouldn''t be happening, but then I wouldn''t like the look. It''s not the end of the world; Brian inspected it while I was there. The prong''s durability isn''t compromised in any way, and that''s all that matters.

I see it this way: just like cars, jewelry needs maintenance. It needs cleaning, it needs polishing, it needs "tune-ups". It''s a very nice thought to say "I want this ring to be perfect forever for the rest of my life and I want it to be completely maintenance free".....but nothing else in life is. Humans require upkeep (healthcare), cars do, houses do....everything worth having does.

So for those of you who like the shared-prong look.......get it. Enjoy it, and understand that part of getting that look is dealing with a little bit of maintenance from time to time.

And if that is just too stressful, you may have to sacrifice a bit of the look to get the stability you crave. It''s all in what''s important to you.

 

[Mara]

I agree that people should speak out about their private experiences with vendors, good or bad. Personally for me how a vendor conducts themselves speaks volumes. So I say put it all out there and let the chips fall where they may!

That said, no one is perfect. I only have WF rings so far and I'm a pretty ANAL er detailed customer. I don't get super detailed: re things like lined up prongs or this and that just because I don't critique or scrutinize my rings like that on a daily basis. If it looks good and sparkles from a foot away, for the most part it's good for me. Sure those 40x mag photos show some real detail and it's easy to get hung up on things...I definitely think things that bother you should be corrected so everyone is happy with the end result.

I've been very happy with WF's quality and worksmanship. I have had my w-ring for 1.5 years and my e-ring for about 3 years. I have one ring from a local jeweler which is my e-ring and WF replicated the e-ring for my w-ring and did a great job at it. In some ways they were better than the e-ring. In a few other ways they were not AS good as the e-ring. It's just personality of the rings is how I look at it. No one but me would ever know they were made by different vendors. For my toe rings, they were very detailed and thought of things that I didn't even think about (aka toe skin sensitivity and how we should not have exposed girdles to irritate the skin etc) which I much appreciated.

Personally I feel like there are certain styles which may be very beautiful but are hard to wear everyday and not have any problems. It also seems like the shared prong settings have their own different styles within that category. I find it hard to think that a shared prong could be made with NO overhang and I'd love to see some photos. Because the way that shared prong is set, with the prongs usually close together in the middle of two stones, overhang seems to pretty much almost always be present? In which case seems like that may cause problems. But maybe not, though it seems like pictures would assist.

Though, I would think that if you did have correspondence from someone saying YES there'd be no overhang then you would have a leg to stand on if they could not make it the way they said.

 

[pricescope]

Date: 9/22/2005 4:26:09 PM
Author: cute330xigrl

Date: 9/22/2005 11:00:50 AM
Author: Pricescope

Date: 9/14/2005 10:22:50 AM
Author: noobie

On your comment about PMs and people not posting problems for fear of being flamed, I find that disappointing that people feel that way. I have stated before that some vendors are given the benefit of doubt based on past history, but that''s no reason for people to be fearful of posting their experiences. If this place is only a cheering section is does not serve the consumer at all and might as well be a paid advertisement. I hope people will openly post their feelings and experiences and I especially hope members here will treat them fairly with respect.

Consumers should not be fearful of posting their experiences - flaming is not allowed here. We ask everyone not to hide your concerns and disappointments into PM''s - please share it in a factual and constructive manner on the forums.

Yea.. but how can they not be considering the recent incident(s) I''m sure the ''fearful'' have read. Y''know? The threads just never seem to stay all that civil.

Cute330xigrl, many consumers (including lurkers) are reading and are able to make their minds. Your efforts weren''t waisted but appreciated by many.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 9/17/2005 1:10:32 PM
Author: kaleigh
My eterinity band from SP has some over hang, but so far so good.

Lisa

i know what is HANG OVER

that''s after too many drinks from the night before but, over hang ?

 

[MissAva]

Over hang is what I drew on the WF picture on the second page of the thread, it is where the diamonds go past the edges of the ring for some reason. As you can see in that one some do some don''t they are not in a completely straight line.