Can anyone help me pick a setting?

[ringbling17]

Hi everyone,
I recently got my new diamond, a 2.03 G VS1 ACA from Whiteflash and rather than having a new setting made, I decided to just use my old Royal Crown setting which housed a 1.51 carat diamond.
The setting looks okay, but it is just temporary until I can decide on a new setting for it.
The problem is, I like too many things.
I even contacted Mark Morrell, but since I have no idea what I want, I am not quite sure what to do.
I like six or eight prongs, but now I am beginning to like bezel settings.
If anyone has any ideas, please post them.

 

[ringbling17]

Here is the eight prong setting Mark designed for me.
What do you think?

 

[fuffi]

Hi Kayla,

I love Mark's designs. That setting is FABULOUS and I think a 2.03 ct stone can definitely handle 8 prongs.

 

[Mara]

Hey Kayla....I'll be completely honest..I really do not like fat prongs like that design you posted. I would definitely go with thinner and more soft looking prongs..I think that the center stone should command the attention and you shouldn't be able to really distinguish prongs from the stone. You can do an 8 prong with more of a claw...there have been some pictures posted in the past..run an archive search for 8 prong or split prong settings. Anyway my two cents and my opinion!

The rest of the setting looks very cool....but I am just not keen on the really fat and stiff looking prongs.

 

[nbrock]

wow ... i had to look twice at the picture to realize it wasn't a photograph. cool. i agree that the prongs could maybe be a little thinner. but i like the shape of the basket. it's unique (or at least it is to my untrained eye)

 

[ringbling17]

hi guys,
That's what I had told him too. I am not too happy with a heavy,fat ring, I prefer it to look much more dainty and thinner. He told me to keep in mind that this was a computer drawing and it always looked bigger and rough.
I also told him I wanted the area where the prongs hit the shank to sort of blend together to look like one piece and I also told him that I wanted tear or claw shaped prongs.
That was in July, then he went on vacation and I haven't spoken to him since about making my ring.
The thing is, I don't truly love the ring. If I did, I would have decided by now and the ring would be in the process of being made.
Anyone have any ideas.
Oh, I got the STuller 8 prong Octet ring and the prongs are much fatter looking in person.

 

[Mara]

in the past there was a thread about 8 pronged rings...or split prong, someone posted a beautiful claw setting...maybe it was a Harry Winston or something...I would send him a picture like that and see what he thinks. The claws looked delicate and really 'held' the stone very prettily in the picture.

 

[ringbling17]

Here is a picture of the current setting. I actually requested that they make the prongs as small as safely possible and am happy with the way it turned out.
They are very small and round and you can see more of the diamond.

 

[ringbling17]

Here is the picture of the stuller octet with my Interlap 8 mm. stone.
As you can see, the prongs are really big and fat.

 

[ringbling17]

Hey, I found this on artofplatinum.com
What about something like this but with a plain shank?

 

[Mara]

This is the one I was talking about..it's similar to the one you posted, maybe a Leon Mege too. The prongs are so dainty and beautiful. Both of these look like big stones too. I would check into it and see if Mark could do it. Good luck!

 

[ringbling17]

Well,
I contacted Leon Mege and he happens to be located here in NYC, so I can probably go and see him next week. He told me that what I am interested in is not too complicated to make and he could probably do it in two weeks, give or take.
I think I may give him a try since I live in NY and having a jeweler local seems to be a good idea in case something goes wrong.
Plus, his prices are not bad at all, $600 less than Mark Morrell's, and $355 less than a new Vatche Royal Crown setting.
And since most of his designs feature claw split prongs, this should be a piece of cake for him.
Oh, how thin should I have the band made?

 

[Lanee]

I'm just chiming in to say nice choices, I like both of the Leon Mege pics and good to know he's not as unreasonable as I thought.

 

[Mara]

Wow that's great Kayla....nice pricing esp for a custom job!! Leon's stuff is very beautiful, and delicate. I think that the 8 claws would look lovely with a very simple platinum setting...you can keep the focus on your new big stone and the prongs end up being an enhancer rather than a detractor for the setting.

 

[ringbling17]

Hi everyone,
Well, I looked at Leon's website and found this ring. I was thinking about maybe doing this with either trilliant or round shaped sapphires and claw split prongs.
Should I do a three stone ring? Or should I just stick with a solitaire?
I still dream that one day (maybe for my 15th anniversary- five years from now), I will get a fairly large sapphire and diamond three stone ring.
Sapphires are my next favorite stone after a diamond.
What do you guys think? Three stone or solitaire?

 

[Mara]

I think you should stick with a solitaire for now and jazz it up with the claw prongs and maybe some light filigree or pave along the shoulders of the band. Tell him you want the stone to look as big as possible, setting it cathedral may help out with that and it gives you a chance to do something with the shoulders as the other pictures show. That keeps you from getting bored

I really love the sapphire center with diamond trilliants LM picture I posted...if I was building something for fun in the future, it would be very similar to that. I would prefer that over the other way around..but that's just my preference.

Also it looks like you have small fingers, the stones look huge on you. By turning this into a 3 stone ring you essentially make the entire thing look bigger and you may not like the look when all is said and done. I recently tried on a 3 stone ring that just didn't look right, it commanded my hand. Of course all of the stones were set at the same level and were 1c each, but I wasn't as excited as I thought I would be when I put it on. In the end I found I really still liked the look of my solitaire.

In the end it's your choice! You are going to be wearing this and looking at it for the next 15 or so years...get something you want, that will continue to interest you. You don't want to have to trade in again and again and be going through the hassle every year.

Good luck!

 

[Hest88]

I love Leon Mege's work, but was always worried that they'd be way over my price range. Nice to know that they're reasonable. Someday...