Custom Engagement Ring Help Needed!

[lucky3]

Good morning,

I am in the process of getting a custom engagement ring made and I need some help! It is nice to be able to specify all the details of the ring, but at the same time I don't know much about all of this, so I'm very overwhelmed. I need to get it ordered in the next few days in order to get the ring in time. The jeweler said he is able to do his own custom work for 20-30% less than buying a ring that is already in his store, so that's why I'm going that route.

Here are my thoughts:
Metal: Palladium (ring), Platinum (head)
Style: Pave (1/2 way)
Width: 2 - 2.5 mm
Head: 4 prong
Ring: Euro Shank
Size: 5.5

The center diamond is round and just under 1 carat, 6.35 mm in width.

My main concern is the metal. It is highly recommended by my jeweler although he said that a lot of jewelers don't like it because they don't know how to properly work with it. Since it is custom, I want to be sure that it will be a good metal. He also recommended the platinum head for more durability with the center stone. My concern is if the palladium will be secure enough for the pave stones then. Any advice?

Also, for a 1 carat center diamond, does a 2mm width sound appropriate? Is there a certain size diamond that would fit that width for the band (ex. 2 or 4 pointers)? Is there a certain pave style that is more durable to hold in the side stones? I saw some examples of V-cut pave that looks nice. Any pictures or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

I don't want the prongs to be very noticeable so was going to go with 4 compared to 6. Will that be enough support to hold the center diamond? I know there are many styles for the head as well, any suggestions? Does the head sitting higher or lower make a large impact on the appearance of the stone. A lower profile seems to be a little more secured to me. Any pictures of various heads would help a lot.

Finally, I heard the euro shank is great to prevent spinning of the ring, however I don't know if it will be as comfortable as a round ring as it looks somewhat bulky. Are there variations to the euro shank? Can anyone comment on that as well?

I also want to eventually be able to get a wedding band to match the pave that is able to sit flush with the engagement ring (no gap).

Thank you!

 

[chrono]

I dislike palladium greatly because it is very lightweight (feels like I am wearing nothing) and the patina is an awful super dark gray. I'd prefer an all platinum setting. Why is the jeweller recommending palladium?

A 2 mm shank width sounds fine. I don't know if there is a certain pave style being stronger than another, other than personal preference. 4 prongs is sufficient if well made. Many like the head to be higher up so that the center stone stands out more and allows the wedding band to sit flush with the e-ring. My preference is a head set as low as possible because I am a klutz.

I dislike the look of euro-shanks and find that sizing balls can help limit spinning. Having a ring set low also helps minimize spinning. Unless you have a giant honker, it is unlikely to spin.

 

[lucky3]

The jeweler strongly, strongly recommended palladium. He said that it is essentially getting platinum for the price of white gold. He said that he is very experienced in working with it, while many other jewelers are not which is why they don't recommend it. He also commented on the lighter feel of it as a positive and talked about how it would be un-necessary to re-plate it as it is with white gold. I'm afraid that platinum is too expensive, so if I didn't get palladium I would go with white gold. Would a platinum head still be recommended either way even for the additional cost?

 

[JulieN]

Is this a Novo replica you are having made?

You are getting diamonds in the shank, so the grayer/darker color of palladium vs plat matters less.

 

[lucky3]

http://www.adiamor.com/Engagement-Rings/Pave/Pave-Set-Diamond-Engagement-Ring/1446

I found this setting on Adiamor and it is very close to what I was imagining. They offer it in all platinum for $1,650 where my custom quote for palladium with a platinum head was at $2,000. I already have my own center stone, so I'm sure there would be a fee to get it set somewhere as well if I ordered online. I like the security of having a local jeweler to go to if there are any problems in the future. I don't know if paying more for a "lower quality" metal is worth that though?

 

[chrono]

Personally, if the ring doesn't have heft to it, it feels as though I am wearing cheapish costume jewellery. Whilst palladium may not need replating to hide any yellow as with white gold, the patina is truly a dull dark gray, which stands out more to me than a slight hint of yellow. It needs to be repolished or replated to remain a shiny white.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/palladium-or-platinum-for-a-three-stone-ring.57430/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/palladium-or-platinum-for-a-three-stone-ring.57430/[/URL]
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/setting-question-palladium.41944/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/setting-question-palladium.41944/[/URL]

 

[lucky3]

Thank you for the links. I did search for information on palladium on here, however most of the information is from 2006 or earlier. Seeing as how the metal is still being used in jewelry 5+ years later, I thought there would be some updated information on it as much of the skepticism in those forums is the "unknown" factor of palladium.

 

[Roxy]

http://www.adiamor.com/Engagement-Rings/Pave/Pave-Set-Diamond-Engagement-Ring/1446

I found this setting on Adiamor and it is very close to what I was imagining. They offer it in all platinum for $1,650 where my custom quote for palladium with a platinum head was at $2,000. I already have my own center stone, so I'm sure there would be a fee to get it set somewhere as well if I ordered online. I like the security of having a local jeweler to go to if there are any problems in the future. I don't know if paying more for a "lower quality" metal is worth that though?

Could you buy a setting that you liked and then have a local jeweler set your center stone for you?

I saw some other settings on Adiamor that have slightly sleeker shanks (2mm and below) and the prices were under $1000. I think something thinner would make your diamond really stand out. Also, are you planning to wear a diamond wedding band because that will add width to the ring set as well?

If you decide to go with a platinum setting, I'd suggest finding a jeweler who loves to work with platinum to set your stone. Not all jewelers work with plat, and you want to make sure you find someone who works with it "well".

Just ideas and food for thought .

 

[stargurl78]

My husband's wedding band is palladium and I can't stand the patina, it only took about 4 months of wearing it before the ring started to look terrible. I wish DH would just let me buy him a new one but he refuses after how much money we spent on that one. I would definitely recommend either white gold or platinum.

 

[lucky3]

I'm thinking I will get my best value by purchasing the setting online also and getting it set locally. Has anyone that bought everything online had issues with jewelry maintenance or with replacement of pave diamonds if any would fall out? I'm concerned about the additional costs in the future if I don't have a warranty for a local jeweler to go to for those types of things.

Also, I have seen mixed reviews for Adiamor on here. Has anyone purchased a pave setting from them and can you please comment on the quality and durability of the setting?