Vendors able to source French cuts for eternity ring?

[pancake]

I''m thinking about wedding bands at the moment - latest idea (ha) is to get two very fine eternity bands to flank my EC solitaire (3mm plain band).

I am thinking that French cuts (square or baguette shape) might compliment the EC nicely, but now the question is where to find them?

I have found a square FC band on Leon Mege''s website (1.4mm width, $2200) and a FC baguette eternity on Singlestone (2mm width, price ?).

Are there other places that can source/make a band with French cuts for me? Google seems to only come up with estate and antique sellers.

 

[Diamond Explorer]

It is probably difficult to find a seller that specializes in French cuts, but most custom designers have access to just about all specialty cut diamonds, and it is generally just a matter of making a few calls to source any gem material you can imagine.

 

[pancake]

Thanks DE. I guess I just wondered whether if I called eg. WF or other big PS vendors they''d think I was crazy!

 

[bgray]

Pancake:

I have an EC and I bought two narrow platinum with french cut diamonds -bands to go with it. Stephen Russell in NYC has them....he also has them mixed with colored stones

 

[pancake]

Ooooh Bgray...how wide are your bands? I'm looking for channel set bands around the 1.5mm mark.

I just looked up the Stephen Russell website and there's not much info there though - I wonder if it'd be better to work with an online vendor/jeweller for ease of communication.

 

[bgray]

Date: 2/9/2010 7:08:59 PM
Author: pancake
Ooooh Bgray...how wide are your bands? I''m looking for channel set bands around the 1.5mm mark.


I just looked up the Stephen Russell website and there''s not much info there though - I wonder if it''d be better to work with an online vendor/jeweller for ease of communication.

the issue is (i did a lot of research) that french cuts are expensive--they are cut for him-- and there isnt a huge market for them. mine are 2mm and 1.20 carat each (35 diamonds).

 

[pancake]

Are yours squares or baguettes?

I initially wanted baguettes but my EC is fairly modest (1.2ct) so I thought maybe tiny squares might be better. In which case - perhaps the LM bands are the way to go, although I suppose I should ask others for a quote.

Did you come across anyone else in your travels, bgray?

 

[bgray]

mine are squares. personally i dont like the baguettes. i think they look like they dont know what they want to be. The squares are classic and go with anything.

also this place: www.estatediamondjewelry.com

 

[pancake]

Thanks for that - I have just emailed M Khordipour and Singlestone to assess the options there

 

[bgray]

keep us posted--i will try to take some pictures of mine and post

 

[pancake]

Thank you - that would be fabulous!

I have one more question. If I were looking at round (full or single cut) melee in a micropave band, then I wouldn''t be worried about colour. I am just wondering whether with French cuts I will need to be more careful in colour matching with my solitaire?

My solitaire is an E, and very bright! the M Khordipour bands look to use H diamonds, and my feeling is that this will probably be ok given the narrowness of the bands, but how did you go about that part of things, bgray?

 

[bgray]

Date: 2/9/2010 10:01:59 PM
Author: pancake
Thank you - that would be fabulous!


I have one more question. If I were looking at round (full or single cut) melee in a micropave band, then I wouldn''t be worried about colour. I am just wondering whether with French cuts I will need to be more careful in colour matching with my solitaire?


My solitaire is an E, and very bright! the M Khordipour bands look to use H diamonds, and my feeling is that this will probably be ok given the narrowness of the bands, but how did you go about that part of things, bgray?

mine is an E too

Thats actually why I went with Stephen Russell b/c they use DE stones. I think french cuts can easily show color because of the faceting. However with narrow bands it is probably not a big deal. Personally I like things to be no more than one color difference. I really notice color so its important to me. I would probably stick with Leon for this. Stephen Russell uses Leon for some of their work but they are more expensive...

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Small melee sized diamonds in RB cuts always look whiter than larger diamonds, the little guys simply do not show body color and reflect basically all white light, so they always look like little white balls. If the same is true of french cuts, and I don''t see why it would be different, then I don''t think you need to worry one little bit about the body color of such teensy weensy diamonds. Anywhere between D and I would probably match!

 

[pancake]

Hmmmm...if we''re looking at 1.4-1.5mm, I think I''d be ok down a few color grades then.

Next question: upside down like the LM antique calibre band, or "right way up" like the M Khordipour band?

 

[bgray]

Date: 2/9/2010 11:14:24 PM
Author: pancake
Hmmmm...if we're looking at 1.4-1.5mm, I think I'd be ok down a few color grades then.


Next question: upside down like the LM antique calibre band, or 'right way up' like the M Khordipour band?

actually not totally clear on the difference

 

[yssie]

probably silly q... what''s the point of setting diamonds upside down? Won''t you lose all the sparkle?

 

[pancake]

I attached a diagram of the French cut that I found on another forum.

Yssie - I think Leon chose to set them upside down because the tiny pyramids create a nice textural kind of a look. I'm not after a lot of white sparkle, which is why I've chosen FCs - I originally meant to get micropave bands but am worried that their sparkle and brilliance would upstage my EC (which is a very lively example of an EC, but it's never going to compete with a brilliant cut for sparkle).

I'm still not sure which look I prefer but am willing to be swayed by the opinions of PSers!

 

[bgray]

pancake:

i cannot get my pix to upload. i have never been able to. the only time i can get pictures to load is when they are copied from another source. there must be something causing incompatibility between my software and the website...sorry

 

[Bella_mezzo]

oh, I can''t wait to see these when they are done!!!

 

[pancake]

I woke up this morning and thought, I want the LM bands.

This may have been some kind of telepathic insight, because I got emails back from Singlestone today - for a 3/4 square FC eternity from Singlestone it is going to be $4500. From M Khordipour it will be $3800. Neither can make them under 2mm.

Ouch!

 

[bgray]

have you emailed Leon?

 

[pancake]

Not yet. I will today. To be honest if he has a couple of size 5 antique calibre bands in stock I'm tempted to just buy them. My engagement ring is 4 5/8 so 2 x size 5 eternities should work ok.

But I will ask his prices for custom as well!

 

[diagem]

Date: 2/10/2010 5:34:22 PM
Author: pancake
I woke up this morning and thought, I want the LM bands.

This may have been some kind of telepathic insight, because I got emails back from Singlestone today - for a 3/4 square FC eternity from Singlestone it is going to be $4500. From M Khordipour it will be $3800. Neither can make them under 2mm.

Ouch!

Thats where the price jump HIGH!
Material & Labor switch places, labor becomes more valuable than material and more pieces are needed.

 

[bgray]

Date: 2/10/2010 5:49:52 PM
Author: pancake
Not yet. I will today. To be honest if he has a couple of size 5 antique calibre bands in stock I''m tempted to just buy them. My engagement ring is 4 5/8 so 2 x size 5 eternities should work ok.


But I will ask his prices for custom as well!

i cant recall if you have posted it but what does your EC setting look like? mine is very simple so the extra sparkle of the french cuts is a great compliment but yet the geometry of the stones works nicely with the EC

 

[pancake]

Not posted yet bgray - haven''t picked it up yet!

It is very simple; just a 3mm, half-round cathedral setting in platinum. No tapering, fine ribbon prongs.

I want these bands to flank the e-ring, or alternatively I may at times wear them flanking just a plain platinum wedding band.

 

[pancake]

Does anyone have thoughts about sizing of eternity bands?

Things have been unexpectedly expedited - there is the potential that we''re going to try and get these rings in the next couple of weeks!

My e-ring is 3mm, and is a 4 5/8. Would two fine rings like this in a 5 be ok?

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Date: 2/10/2010 9:32:04 PM
Author: pancake
Does anyone have thoughts about sizing of eternity bands?

Things have been unexpectedly expedited - there is the potential that we''re going to try and get these rings in the next couple of weeks!

My e-ring is 3mm, and is a 4 5/8. Would two fine rings like this in a 5 be ok?

Given that they are under 2mm I think that sizing would be fine. Have you had kids or do you plan in the future? Many people find their fingers get larger when they have kids, but I think leaving a half size leaves enough "play". have you checked the height issue? Or have you tried on rings when they are difference heights? I *hate* when my rings are different heights off the finger, so make sure you know what you want and what these rings are before you buy and possibly regret.

 

[packrat]

Looking forward to what you get-I loooove french cuts!

 

[pancake]

Dreamer_Dachsie - I am not that bothered by the heights, although I will definitely check with LM before buying if I elect to go that way. It would bother me if I was planning to wear one only, but flanking a half-round band of greater width (which will be the case with a platinum WB or the e-ring regardless) I am more worried about the symmetry. I don't think I would like them if they were higher than the platinum band, but I think that is unlikely to be the case with a thickish half-round band and channel set eternities.

Kids are DEFINITELY in the plan, which is why I would err larger for full eternities. I've emailed LM about the possibility of custom-made, with a small sizing band, but if that's not so much an option then I think the 5 would probably be ok.

 

[pancake]

Situation resolved!

I emailed Leon, he emailed back almost immediately and we are going to buy the existing size 5 antique calibre band. He can definitely make us another one and will charge us the same price when the time comes - probably later this year. The height of the band matches the thickness of my e-ring, so that is sorted too!

It is my birthday today and when I got that email and my partner said, "Let''s get it!" it was such a great birthday gift!! Leon was absolutely lovely and I feel so good about the decision!

ARGH! So excited!!! So many exclamation marks!!!