Tiffany classic setting

[researchdude]

Does anybody know where you can get this one but not for the exhorbitant price Tiffany is charging?

I see a similar on JamesAllen's website here.

What do you think??

RD

 

[elmo]

You'd think more folks would have been making exact copies since it's such a great and timeless design. For a while, Excel was the only game in town for someone who wanted it. WF added a pretty good version recently.

 

[HappyFish]

All of the Tiffany like settings I saw in store or online are "too metal heavy" to me. Superbcert''s is the closest looking one.

I am surprised why other vendors can''t make the prongs thinner and smaller.

 

[2bogey]

My friend bought her tiffany style six prong solitaire from UnionDiamond for less than $200. She walked into a Tiffany store and they offered to clean the ring for her because they thought her ring was actually theirs.

 

[mmhendrie]

I just bought the exceldiamonds.com tiffany replica for my wife. I would strongly recommend, that did an excellent job of matching the setting exactly. We got it in palladium - after much research it just seems like such a good option - the look of platinum, holds it''s shine better, stronger then platinum, more rare then gold & platinum, without the discoloration or alergy problems of white gold, only a tad more expensive then gold, but waaay cheaper then platinum.

We went to Tiffany to shop the stone specs, then turned around and bought the same stone and fitting at exceldoamonds.com for less then half the price. Not to mention the customer service at excel is outstanding!

-Matt

 

[diamondseeker2006]

There is a significant difference between a tiffany-style solitaire versus a Tiffany solitaire reproduction. The one from James Allen is a a Stuller Solstice, but not really a close Tiffany reproduction. As stated before, Excel and WhiteFlash make the two closest replicas. There are many examples posted on the forum if you do a search. Here is the link to the WF version.

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/Classic-tiffany-style-Knife-Edge_1137.htm#

 

[jasontb]

Get the Superbcert from Excel. Amazing ring. IMHO the prongs are even nicer than those on an actual tiffany.

 

[singular]

If you get the diamond from WF you can get 10% off the setting.
http://www.whiteflash.com/info/winter-promo.aspx

 

[Kissmark]

Date: 11/19/2007 4:09:53 PM
Author: elmo
You''d think more folks would have been making exact copies since it''s such a great and timeless design. For a while, Excel was the only game in town for someone who wanted it. WF added a pretty good version recently.

Other vendors cannot make EXACT copies, as there is a copyright issue. They try to match it as closely as possible, at least that''s what I was told when I wanted a Tiffany style necklace.

 

[researchdude]

Wow, didn't expect so many (good) responses! Thanks all.

Consequently, spent another 4 hours browsing around

to see what options there are. I did initially think that the Solstice was a bit 'too thick', but then again as long as the stone doesn't lose its light it should be fine right!?

FYI, I've selected the following stone:

Shape: Round
Carat weight: 1.18
Cut: Ideal
Color: I
Clarity: VS2
Certificate: GIA
Depth: 61.7%
Table: 56.0%
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Girdle: Thin
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 6.80*6.75*4.18

Light Return: Excellent
Fire: Excellent
Scintillation: Excellent
Spread or diameter for weight: Very Good
HCA: 0.8 - Excellent

Apart from the design, I think the 1.18ct stone should be large enough to make the 6-prongs look 'reasonably sized' no?

Also, thicker prongs means stronger prongs, i.e. better security? My girlfriend can be a bit careless sometimes!!

Got to protect the diamond

Will there be problems with performance you think?

As I'm tempted to buy with JamesAllen, I'd like to know if it's worth asking them to make the prongs thinner - but I'm a bit worried this could screw up the whole design... They've already said they're happy to make a yellow gold + platinum top setting for me, so that sounds very promising.

Thoughts???

 

[researchdude]

Pictures...

 

[researchdude]

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[researchdude]

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[researchdude]

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[researchdude]

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[solange]

I have large, close-up pictures of the Whiteflash Tiffany style setting under my name in Show me the Ring.
The prongs are very small and delicate and,although the platinum in it is substantial, the setting has a very thin look because of the knife edge. I also had the stone set low in the setting. Whiteflash gave me that choice. My eternity band sits flush with it and I am very pleased with my choice.

I do not know how to transfer pictures but you can get a really good idea of the details of the setting. If anyone wants to the trouble, please feel free to do so.

 

[researchdude]

But then imagine it in Yellow Gold

with a Platinum top.

What do you think???

 

[researchdude]

Date: 11/19/2007 8:21:53 PM
Author: solange
I have large, close-up pictures of the Whiteflash Tiffany style setting under my name in Show me the Ring.

The prongs are very small and delicate and,although the platinum in it is substantial, the setting has a very thin look because of the knife edge. I also had the stone set low in the setting. Whiteflash gave me that choice. My eternity band sits flush with it and I am very pleased with my choice.


I do not know how to transfer pictures but you can get a really good idea of the details of the setting. If anyone wants to the trouble, please feel free to do so.

My goodness what a massive stone So you bought a ring around the stone basically

Very nice!

Great design.

 

[researchdude]

Ladies, just wondering about some practicalities here:

- do you ever take off your e-ring when you do certain things (e.g. wash up, DIY, gardening, working on the car (didn''t want to sound too stereotypical here!)

- can you wear gloves over your e-ring? (e.g. for winter / winter sport)

- what height does a setting become a problem / nuisance?

It''ll help focus my thoughts around the setting!

 

[Lynn B]

IDate: 11/19/2007 8:50:41 PM
Author: researchdude

Ladies, just wondering about some practicalities here:

- do you ever take off your e-ring when you do certain things (e.g. wash up, DIY, gardening, working on the car (didn't want to sound too stereotypical here!)

- can you wear gloves over your e-ring? (e.g. for winter / winter sport)

- what height does a setting become a problem / nuisance?

It'll help focus my thoughts around the setting!

I pretty much wear my rings all the time, EXCEPT when I am sleeping, cleaning, gardening, swimming, working out, etc. Just not worth it to me, to risk something happening. But when I am at work, shopping, visiting with friends, etc., etc., I am wearing (and enjoying!) my rings.

Yes, you can wear gloves over an e-ring, but it can be a bit uncomfortable at times, if the gloves are tight. Mittens solve that problem! And as far as "winter sports"... um, see #1 above. I would NOT wear my rings while skiing, snow-boarding, tobogganing, etc.! My w-ring, maybe, but not my e-ring. Again, why subject it to the potential abuse?

I don't know at what height a setting becomes a nuisance... my personal opinion is that I like my stone set as low as possible. But it depends on how LARGE your stone is, as well as the setting you choose, of course. But basically, I like the head to be as short and squatty as possible, with virtually no noticeable airspace between the culet and the setting below. But that's just me!

 

[mrssalvo]

my original wedding set was a plain solitaire with a matching band. I wore it 24/7, swimming, working out, cooking, cleaning, ( i don''t garden so didn''t do that) but probably would have if I did. all the women in my family are 24/7 ring wearers and I just always thought that''s what I was supposed to do. Now, since PS, I would probably treat my rings a little differently and a lot differently if I had a fancy setting. I think most gals prefer their stones set med. to low, too high and they constantly catch on things and it can be annoying.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

There are some Solstice settings on the forum if you do a search. I like it except for the bulky prongs. Is the stone coming from James Allen? If so, then I can see why you are looking there. But if not, I''d for sure get either the new WF Classic Tiffany or the Excel one. I think they are much prettier. I don''t know if JA would make the prongs thinner or not. I know WF has done it before, though. Oh, and do tell them you want the stone set low-to-medium. High settings are not practical and are not as pretty, IMO.

As far as when to wear it, I wear mine most of my waking hours, but I would take them off if doing something that might damage them. Diamonds can and do chip, so it is wise to take care of the rings.

 

[swom324]

I have the Excel/Superbcert ring and diamond, .83C, E, SI1, ex-ex-ex, in 18K YG. Sorry, no pics, but it looks exactly like the first one you posted. I chose it because it is very sturdy, and set very low. (I work in a lab and wear gloves all the time.) I wear it for most normal activities, but I wouldn't wear it for gardening or other heavy duty tasks. I love the ring, it's elegant and simple. I tried on the genuine Tiffany, .73C, priced at about 2 times what mine cost. Judah and Barry are great to work with. We just ordered our wedding bands from them too.

 

[Quash]

The head of that James Allen ring is significantly different than the actual Tiffany ring. White Flash seems to have a decent copy, as others have said. I like the Excel version, as it seems to be very close and it''s made with the same Platinum mix that Tiffany uses. 95 Plat and 5% Ruthenium.

Just take a look at all the pics and the video here and compare it to the James Allen. Much different. I''m not knocking the James Allen ring - it''s a matter of preference. But, there is a noticeable difference.

Excel

 

[cara]

I take my ring off for sleeping, working out, other manual labor. Usually related to comfort during those activities in addition to protecting the ring. Also take it off for swimming in case fingers shrink. Don''t want to be searching for sparkly at the bottom of a pool. I try to be really careful about where I put it when I take it off since I can totally see myself knocking it from the windowsill into the sink drain or something equally stupid. For activities like washing up, dishes, applying lotion, I either put it somewhere "safe" (inner pocket of purse or jewelry box) or keep it on, as I''d rather have a dirty ring than a lost one.

I really prefer the version of the ring with a custom head Excel head rather than the stock head from James Allen. It looks much more elegant. If you look at the excel picture, you can see that the head fits the diamond much better than the beefy prongs that don''t fit perfectly on the JA ring. I''m not sure if the whiteflash version is a custom or stock head, but I think even if whiteflash uses a stock head I have seen some examples on here of other settings where they will shave down the prongs and use a smallish head (relative to the diamond size) for that nestled in look of the custom head, if you specifically request this during purchasing.

If you want to buy a diamond from James Allen, or Whiteflash for that matter, I think you can ship it to excel diamonds for setting. I seem to recall someone did that here once.

 

[cara]

Date: 11/19/2007 8:13:06 PM
Author: researchdude

Carat weight: 1.18

Apart from the design, I think the 1.18ct stone should be large enough to make the 6-prongs look ''reasonably sized'' no?


Also, thicker prongs means stronger prongs, i.e. better security? My girlfriend can be a bit careless sometimes!!

While a 1.18 ct round will not be dwarfed by a six-prong setting, it is not so large a size that you should ignore the prongs. The top view of the JA setting looks fine, but the side view has a lot of metal and not a lot of diamond.

While I''m sure that beefy prongs help for security, part of the issue is the height of the setting. To set higher you need beefier for the same level of security.

Last, I thought that much of the advantage of a 6-prong setting in terms of security is protecting the girdle of the diamond from direct blows. So I don''t know that the bulkier head is really safer than the custom head with thinner prongs but that fits the diamond better and is set lower and offers a similar amount of protection for the girdle. experts??

 

[bee*]

I don''t wear my ring either when I sleep, work out or basically when I do anything that might damage my baby! I was on signed pieces last night and, not quite sure what your budget is, but they have lots of Tiffany solitaires for sale at the moment.
http://www.signedpieces.com/home.cfm

 

[researchdude]

Date: 11/19/2007 9:57:59 PM
Author: cara
I really prefer the version of the ring with a custom head Excel head rather than the stock head from James Allen. It looks much more elegant. If you look at the excel picture, you can see that the head fits the diamond much better than the beefy prongs that don't fit perfectly on the JA ring. I'm not sure if the whiteflash version is a custom or stock head, but I think even if whiteflash uses a stock head I have seen some examples on here of other settings where they will shave down the prongs and use a smallish head (relative to the diamond size) for that nestled in look of the custom head, if you specifically request this during purchasing.


If you want to buy a diamond from James Allen, or Whiteflash for that matter, I think you can ship it to excel diamonds for setting. I seem to recall someone did that here once.

Hi Cara,

I noticed your post in particular because it mentions:
1/ custom head / stock head
2/ shaving down prongs
3/ shipping to Excel (because I want to buy from JA)

Regarding 1/ what does this mean?

2/ is this safe?

3/ I would love to know how this works! Who has this experience?

Thanks!!

RD

 

[researchdude]

Thanks to everybody for your contributions! Extremely interesting to read (a bit like the movie "What women want...")

 

[researchdude]

Date: 11/20/2007 6:19:19 AM
Author: researchdude

Date: 11/19/2007 9:57:59 PM

Author: cara

I really prefer the version of the ring with a custom head Excel head rather than the stock head from James Allen. It looks much more elegant. If you look at the excel picture, you can see that the head fits the diamond much better than the beefy prongs that don't fit perfectly on the JA ring. I'm not sure if the whiteflash version is a custom or stock head, but I think even if whiteflash uses a stock head I have seen some examples on here of other settings where they will shave down the prongs and use a smallish head (relative to the diamond size) for that nestled in look of the custom head, if you specifically request this during purchasing.



If you want to buy a diamond from James Allen, or Whiteflash for that matter, I think you can ship it to excel diamonds for setting. I seem to recall someone did that here once.

Hi Cara,


I noticed your post in particular because it mentions:

1/ custom head / stock head

2/ shaving down prongs

3/ shipping to Excel (because I want to buy from JA)


Regarding 1/ what does this mean?


2/ is this safe?


3/ I would love to know how this works! Who has this experience?


Thanks!!

RD

To answer my own questions

I understand what 1/ means (I'd go for custom any day to make sure the setting fits the diamond)

I called 3/ Excel to find out; they do indeed allow you to ship the diamond to them! I'm just a bit concerned about time, because it's starting to run out...! (a bit over 3 weeks left until proposal...)

Regarding 2/ I'd like to hear your opinions in terms of whether "shaving down" is a safe thing to do or not!!!! Shaving down the Solstice that is.

RD