Would you own two settings?

[nala]

It seems that PSer's give a lot of thought to the halo vs solitaire setting. An old thread recently popped up, and some started posting without even reading that the thread had been updated, so eager to partake in this age old debate. I myself battle with this urge constantly.When I'm wearing a halo, I lust after solitaires and vice-versa. Lately I've been thinking of buying a solitaire or solitaire with accents setting and rotating my diamond when the urge strikes. I know there are setting fees associated with doing this, but compared to the satisfaction of giving your diamond a make-over, I think the resetting fees would be justified. For PSer's who invest thousands on the stone (esp. given the poll in another thread),I don't think that the cost of another setting would be the only reason for not rotating setting. What are the cons of owning two settings and rotating them as the urge strikes? I would love to hear your opinions.

 

[aviastar]

The prongs will never hold up. Bezels don't even stand a chance. And there's risk to the stones both in setting and unsetting it. Nope, I wouldn't do it.

I just scratch all my itches with right hand rings

 

[momhappy]

No, I don't have a desire for two settings….. but if I did, the settings would be big and bigger!!!

 

[Niel]

The prongs will never hold up. Bezels don't even stand a chance. And there's risk to the stones both in setting and unsetting it. Nope, I wouldn't do it.

I just scratch all my itches with right hand rings

I agree its too much damage to the settings every time you have to swap. Not the best idea.

You can buy two ring (best idea? Probably. Most expensive? Certainly)
Or you can buy a wrap type ring to turn your solitaire into something else. Someone here has an amazballs one that turns her ringninto a three stone... And I know they make halo ones too

 

[chrono]

The prongs will never hold up. Bezels don't even stand a chance. And there's risk to the stones both in setting and unsetting it. Nope, I wouldn't do it.

This is the reason why. With the frequency of resets, the prongs will weaken and you will either lose the stone or break a prong. Bezels are more problematic because you will either damage the stone or end up with horrible metalwork due to the stress of the resets. This is one of the reasons why RHRs have become more popular as it gives you the option to have both.

 

[arkieb1]

Swapping stones in and out of settings compromises the structural integrity of the prongs and if they have to be replaced enough times eventually the whole setting. As the other have suggested this is why people have more than one diamond ring and/or coloured items ie right hand rings as well.

 

[baby monster]

If you can't settle on "one ring to rule them all," I'd look into doing a custom halo enhancer for a solitaire setting. That way you can swap the halo on and off . I've seen cheap versions of this and they don't look very seamless so going custom would be the way if you really wanted to alternate looks.

 

[CRYSTAL24K]

I too love both looks and have settled upon the fact that I will--

a) Enjoy the solitaire look for the rest of my life (fits my lifestyle better and is simultaneously more practical and versatile)

b) Enjoy the solitaire look until my children are older and less active (less chance of me ruining a halo) and switch to the perfect halo

or

c) Enjoy the solitaire look for the rest of my life and one day own a beautiful halo (complete with a different center stone than my e-ring) that I will also enjoy wearing on occasion for the rest of my life.

I agree with the other posters and also think that periodically removing a center stone and resetting it into 2 different settings will cause stress on the setting and compromise the safety of the diamond and the setting design.

 

[Calliecake]

No, but I have a couple engagement rings. I have been married a long time and have no children.

I have a halo and a solitare. I wear the solitares much more often than the halo.

 

[dk168]

It will not work for me as I prefer to bezel set my stones.

DK

 

[HopeDream]

I would just own two rings.

Why not just select a center stone for each setting? Yes, diamonds are expensive, but there's a ton of them out there, so if you hunt around I'm sure you could find an appropriate candidate for your second ring. Saving up and having a major project can be a lot of fun

There's really no reason not to have 2 rings to alternate between, as long as you're not going in to debt to do so.

 

[nala]

The prongs will never hold up. Bezels don't even stand a chance. And there's risk to the stones both in setting and unsetting it. Nope, I wouldn't do it.

I just scratch all my itches with right hand rings

I agree its too much damage to the settings every time you have to swap. Not the best idea.

You can buy two ring (best idea? Probably. Most expensive? Certainly)
Or you can buy a wrap type ring to turn your solitaire into something else. Someone here has an amazballs one that turns her ringninto a three stone... And I know they make halo ones too

OK, I don't mean swap out the settings every week--I was thinking maybe every year? Would the prongs still be compromised or are many interpreting the term "swap" as a monthly occurrence? If it's true that the integrity of prongs is compromised with each setting, then are preloved settings unsafe? Or, how many times can a setting be used without becoming unsafe?

 

[nala]

I would just own two rings.

Why not just select a center stone for each setting? Yes, diamonds are expensive, but there's a ton of them out there, so if you hunt around I'm sure you could find an appropriate candidate for your second ring. Saving up and having a major project can be a lot of fun

There's really no reason not to have 2 rings to alternate between, as long as you're not going in to debt to do so.

I actually own quite a few diamond rings. One of them is a 1.5 OMC and I set in a halo because I wanted to wear it as a RHR, and for some reason, a solitaire diamond on my RHR doesn't feel comfortable and I always feel like it belongs on my left hand. I don't like the idea of having two e-rings because my e-ring is a 2.24, and I don't like downsizing for even a day!!!

 

[luv2sparkle]

Well, Nala, I'm with you! I own a couple rings, a 1.21 FLY in a pink halo with 3 sided pave, and my original and a few bands, but I would love to be able to switch out my 2.57! It would be ideal to me too. I never really stopped to think about the stress to the prongs. Bummer.
If you switched it out once or twice I think you could probably get away with it. After all, settings are often re-sold and prongs can be repaired.

 

[chrono]

Even swapping out every year is a lot. Once the prongs are weakened, you will have to have them rebuilt. I think it might be around $100 per prong, depending on your location.

 

[PintoBean]

I would opt for a wrap - how I loved Bliss' transformer!!

 

[AGBF]

Or you can buy a wrap type ring to turn your solitaire into something else.

I had something like that made. It has bands like jackets so that I could wear my ring as a solitaire or as a more substantial ring. But, like other posters, I also have other diamond rings. Sometimes I wear this one as a solitaire on my right hand and wear a bezel set diamond in 24K along with several Gurhan 24K diamond stacking rings on my left hand.

AGBF

 

[AGBF]

By the way, nala, I did read that your e-ring is a 2.24 carat! My ring looks tiny to me in these photos (at least the stone does.) And by Pricescope standards it isn't that big: 1.67 carats. But I own a diamond that is close to the size of your e-ring. I stupidly had it reset in a necklace (not that it doesn't make a fabulous necklace) when I first bought it and it seemed too big and gaudy in a ring to me. (I've been slapping myself up side the head for years over that. But not for past two or three years when I realized that I needed a 3 carat on my finger anyway. I'll just never get one!)

My point is that I understand you cannot give up your current solitaire.

Deb/AGBF

 

[Kim N]

@nala I'm bumping your old thread to ask, do you think if you go back and forth between your current setting and the Emilya that the prongs will eventually become unusable? I think I would love the idea of switching back and forth between a solitaire and a halo (like once a year) if the prongs didn't degrade too much over time.

 

[nala]

@nala I'm bumping your old thread to ask, do you think if you go back and forth between your current setting and the Emilya that the prongs will eventually become unusable? I think I would love the idea of switching back and forth between a solitaire and a halo (like once a year) if the prongs didn't degrade too much over time.

Hi! Ok. So my Emilya is preloved so prongs are already not as refined as they would be if he had set it. That said, I don’t plan to go back and forth between this setting and my others. When I go back to it I will likely commit forever. I do have other halos that I have swapped like 5 times. My bench just retips the prongs and it’s good to go! But these are stock settings.

 

[Kim N]

Hi! Ok. So my Emilya is preloved so prongs are already not as refined as they would be if he had set it. That said, I don’t plan to go back and forth between this setting and my others. When I go back to it I will likely commit forever. I do have other halos that I have swapped like 5 times. My bench just retips the prongs and it’s good to go! But these are stock settings.

Thanks, nala! Super helpful to know.

 

[Bron357]

How about a ring guard? Two halves making a halo.

 

[Kim N]

How about a ring guard? Two halves making a halo.

That is pretty awesome, @Bron357.

 

[jaysonsmom]

I would not get 2 settings for the same stone. I would get another ring, with an identical size or bigger center stone (maybe lab grown diamond) and set it in a solitaire, that way the itch to have different looks would be scratched, and you can alternate daily!

 

[seaurchin]

Another idea is to get a moissanite or CZ ring in a different style of setting than your e-ring, to wear whenever you want a change.

 

[ringbling17]

I wouldn’t do it. I would be worried about the prongs eventually breaking off or even the diamond chipping.
I have a DK setting with a cushion shaped metal halo that I love. I reset my diamond in another DK 8 prong setting. I decided to keep the old DK setting and set a moissanite in it so I can continue to wear it.
It gives me the best of both worlds.

 

[missy]

I see this is a thread from 2015 but since it is bumped up I will answer. A few years ago Greg thought I should do just that. Have 2 different settings and switch among them. In theory a good idea but in reality as others have mentioned it is too hard on the settings and perhaps even on the old cut stones so nope for me. I much prefer having more than one ring to switch between if it came to that. However, being that I am an ORTRTA girl it's one HG ring for me. Whenever I eventually decide upon Bubbalah's final setting that is. For now I suppose I am a OOECTRTA girl haha.

 

[Austina]

I wouldn’t set Bella in any other setting, it’s just perfect for her, but on my right hand, I wear a haloed marquise, split shouldered pave shank, about as different as they can be

 

[Niel]

I still think it’s a bad idea same as I did 6 years ago