Engagement Ring - Please provide your advice and opinions

[nightowlsdiamond]

Hi everyone,

I am looking to get an engagement ring custom designed similar to this:

Elle

One of our Custom Three Row Diamond Engagement Ring settings that can be customized to fit your unique taste. Please be advised, this ring is a custom work of art and cannot be purchased on our website. If you would like to purchase this ring, please click "INQUIRE" at the bottom of this page...

www.foreverdiamondsny.com

I was wondering if anyone could provide any suggestions to ensure the setting is both durable and beautiful:

1. What are your thoughts on the diamonds on the prongs? Is it secure? Is it durable?

2. What are your thoughts on the 3 rows of diamonds on the band? Is it secure? Is it durable?

3. Is 18ct white gold okay for this design?

4. What thickness should I target for the band?

5. How much would this design roughly cost?

Please let me know if there are any concerns or if there are any suggestions I should provide to my designer who will be producing a CAD for this.

Thank you

 

[JSG2185]

Hello!

It’s a beautiful ring! I would be careful however with pave on the prongs and all over the shank versus just on the top of the shank. The reason is that having diamonds all over the underside of the prongs and all around the shank will make it very hard to wear a wedding band. The diamonds on this ring will cut into any band that sits next to it. Even a metal spacer would get eaten into by the pave diamonds pretty quickly. Also, I find that I worry more about my rings that have pave because they can fall out. Less pave, less to worry about. Just my opinion but at the end of the day it’s up to you!

Re. metal: I usually have rings made in platinum however lots of people do white gold too. I think it comes down to personal choice and budget as platinum does increase the cost.

The cost to have this made can vary depending on the vendor/setter.

As for thickness, I think this will come down to personal preference but I suggest not having a shank that is SUPER thin. Those are not very durable in my opinion even though they seem to be all the rage. Our hands do a lot of things and come into contact with a lot of things, so a ring that is worn everyday should be able to withstand that.

I hope this helps!

Hi everyone,

I am looking to get an engagement ring custom designed similar to this:

Elle

One of our Custom Three Row Diamond Engagement Ring settings that can be customized to fit your unique taste. Please be advised, this ring is a custom work of art and cannot be purchased on our website. If you would like to purchase this ring, please click "INQUIRE" at the bottom of this page...

www.foreverdiamondsny.com

I was wondering if anyone could provide any suggestions to ensure the setting is both durable and beautiful:

1. What are your thoughts on the diamonds on the prongs? Is it secure? Is it durable?

2. What are your thoughts on the 3 rows of diamonds on the band? Is it secure? Is it durable?

3. Is 18ct white gold okay for this design?

4. What thickness should I target for the band?

5. How much would this design roughly cost?

Please let me know if there are any concerns or if there are any suggestions I should provide to my designer who will be producing a CAD for this.

Thank you

 

[nightowlsdiamond]

Hello!

It’s a beautiful ring! I would be careful however with pave on the prongs and all over the shank versus just on the top of the shank. The reason is that having diamonds all over the underside of the prongs and all around the shank will make it very hard to wear a wedding band. The diamonds on this ring will cut into any band that sits next to it. Even a metal spacer would get eaten into by the pave diamonds pretty quickly. Also, I find that I worry more about my rings that have pave because they can fall out. Less pave, less to worry about. Just my opinion but at the end of the day it’s up to you!

Re. metal: I usually have rings made in platinum however lots of people do white gold too. I think it comes down to personal choice and budget as platinum does increase the cost.

The cost to have this made can vary depending on the vendor/setter.

As for thickness, I think this will come down to personal preference but I suggest not having a shank that is SUPER thin. Those are not very durable in my opinion even though they seem to be all the rage. Our hands do a lot of things and come into contact with a lot of things, so a ring that is worn everyday should be able to withstand that.

I hope this helps!

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for your inputs!

That makes a lot of sense. Regarding the paves, how would I reduce the paves for this design? Right now, there are 3 rows of paves on the band and it is covering three quarters of the band. Do you have any suggestions that we could look into while still maintaining the nice pave look?

Also, regarding thickness, I am understanding that 2mm is the minimum we should aim for. As it is a pave design for three quarters of the band, do you think it should be more than 2mm or will 2mm be sufficient?

I am also looking not to have any pave on the prongs as I see many people are advising against it.

Thank you

 

[tyty333]

Did your GF pick this setting or did you pick it?

A ring like this will have to be babied with all the pave (small diamonds on the shank/prongs). If it were me, I
would not be wearing this around the house while doing my usual household things/chores). Probably only
wearing it when I leave the house.

If I were going to have a setting like this it would have to be made by one of the masters to ensure that its done
well (Victor Canera, Leon Mege, or Maytal Hanna). Would probably be in the $5k range (but don't quote me).

 

[JSG2185]

Have you looked into single row pave with a hidden halo? Something like the photo I attached could easily be worn next to a band. Even though it has less pave, it still has enough to add that extra sparkle. You may also still want to buy a small spacer (they're inexpensive) and wear it between the ring and the wedding band so they don't rub, but that’s just me being super careful.

 

[whitewave]

Ok. Let me start how I’m thinking:

18k gold is fine.

No pave on prongs. Strong no. Don’t do it.

Claw prongs are gorgeous but I find they catch on hair. Sometimes they catch and you dont wan’t them to because it makes the whole situation weaker. Refined prongs, yes, sharp claws, maybe not.

I would tend to say no 3 row on shank. Yes, it’s gorgeous, but it’s going to scratch if you have a wedding band, even a spacer band. I would worry about the integrity of the shank.

In other words, are you going to baby your ring and does your lifestyle agree with that? For my mother, absolutely not. For my pave shank asscher, it’s the last thing I put on and the first thing I take off. I take it off when doing anything with my hands and I don’t travel with it. I do wear it during the day but I also am constantly evaluating if and when I should take it off. I also wear a solitaire ring when I’m not wearing the asscher.

My estimate on price: 4-5k ish depending on a lot of things. Probably more than 5k in many circumstances.

I have single row pave on each 2mm shank in platinum. See asscher in avatar.

ETA: insure the ring

 

[emmy12]

For reference on price points:
VC has the "Julia" with single row pave on the band and 6 prong pave head listed for ~$5k

Victor Canera

victorcanera.com

 

[lovedogs]

Dont do pave on the prongs. And be careful with 3 row pave. It's going to need to be babied a lot (as noted above by others)

 

[Austina]

It's a beautiful ring, but as others have pointed out, I don't think it'll be practical to wear every day as an ER.

 

[nightowlsdiamond]

Did your GF pick this setting or did you pick it?

A ring like this will have to be babied with all the pave (small diamonds on the shank/prongs). If it were me, I
would not be wearing this around the house while doing my usual household things/chores). Probably only
wearing it when I leave the house.

If I were going to have a setting like this it would have to be made by one of the masters to ensure that its done
well (Victor Canera, Leon Mege, or Maytal Hanna). Would probably be in the $5k range (but don't quote me).

Thank you for the great response! Those are some very valid points which I have taken into consideration. I will avoid pavè on the prongs and look into a 1 row shallow U-cut pavè setting.

 

[nightowlsdiamond]

Have you looked into single row pave with a hidden halo? Something like the photo I attached could easily be worn next to a band. Even though it has less pave, it still has enough to add that extra sparkle. You may also still want to buy a small spacer (they're inexpensive) and wear it between the ring and the wedding band so they don't rub, but that’s just me being super careful.

Thank you for the great suggestion. I am now considering a shallow U-cut pavè setting for a single row. You are right that it still has enough for extra sparkle without compromising the durability and security of the setting. Will also look into a small spacer, do you have any recommendations?

 

[nightowlsdiamond]

Ok. Let me start how I’m thinking:

18k gold is fine.

No pave on prongs. Strong no. Don’t do it.

Claw prongs are gorgeous but I find they catch on hair. Sometimes they catch and you dont wan’t them to because it makes the whole situation weaker. Refined prongs, yes, sharp claws, maybe not.

I would tend to say no 3 row on shank. Yes, it’s gorgeous, but it’s going to scratch if you have a wedding band, even a spacer band. I would worry about the integrity of the shank.

In other words, are you going to baby your ring and does your lifestyle agree with that? For my mother, absolutely not. For my pave shank asscher, it’s the last thing I put on and the first thing I take off. I take it off when doing anything with my hands and I don’t travel with it. I do wear it during the day but I also am constantly evaluating if and when I should take it off. I also wear a solitaire ring when I’m not wearing the asscher.

My estimate on price: 4-5k ish depending on a lot of things. Probably more than 5k in many circumstances.

I have single row pave on each 2mm shank in platinum. See asscher in avatar.

ETA: insure the ring

Thank you for the very elaborate response. Will definitely avoid pavè on the prongs.

What is an example of a refined prong?

I really did get worried about the integrity of the shank when considering the 3 row pavè setting. I am now looking into a single row shallow U-cut pavè setting.

Definitely want to be wearing an engagement ring as much as possible and not having to worry about what scenarios to be wearing it in.

Thanks!

 

[nightowlsdiamond]

For reference on price points:
VC has the "Julia" with single row pave on the band and 6 prong pave head listed for ~$5k

Victor Canera

victorcanera.com

Wow! This ring is stunning! Thank you for suggesting this. I am more so considering this design over the initial design I posted. What are your thoughts on this ring? Wish I could get Victor Canera to do it but I am all the way in Australia and have a loose diamond ready.

 

[nightowlsdiamond]

Dont do pave on the prongs. And be careful with 3 row pave. It's going to need to be babied a lot (as noted above by others)

Thank you for reiterating! 100% agreed, many others have pointed out the integrity of the shank when it comes to 3 row pavè setting. It's a lot of metal that is taken away and hence less durability over all.

 

[nightowlsdiamond]

It's a beautiful ring, but as others have pointed out, I don't think it'll be practical to wear every day as an ER.

Agreed, I do want a ring that is practical to wear everyday. Looking at more durability now by requesting for a single row shallow U-cut pavè band. Thank you!

 

[JSG2185]

I just get my spacers on Etsy. I have a 1mm spacer and a 1.5 mm spacer. Each was about $60 and they’ve held up just fine. I don’t get expensive ones because spacers are supposed to take the brunt of any metal rubbing. I chose gold ones because I love the mixed metal look, but you can also get platinum, silver, etc…

Thank you for the great suggestion. I am now considering a shallow U-cut pavè setting for a single row. You are right that it still has enough for extra sparkle without compromising the durability and security of the setting. Will also look into a small spacer, do you have any recommendations?

 

[whitewave]

Blue Nile for instance has what I call blob prongs. You want a jeweler who can make a nice solid prong but not have it be a blob. (Or maybe you like blob prongs. It’s a personal preference)

 

[luckygreen317]

Thank you so much for your inputs!

That makes a lot of sense. Regarding the paves, how would I reduce the paves for this design? Right now, there are 3 rows of paves on the band and it is covering three quarters of the band. Do you have any suggestions that we could look into while still maintaining the nice pave look?

Also, regarding thickness, I am understanding that 2mm is the minimum we should aim for. As it is a pave design for three quarters of the band, do you think it should be more than 2mm or will 2mm be sufficient?

I am also looking not to have any pave on the prongs as I see many people are advising against it.

Thank you

I am happy to give some feedback on durability based on my experiences. The setting you are considering is very beautiful and you are asking great questions. This forum has helped me so much . What a great group of people sharing a mutual love of jewelry design.

I have had different solitaire settings over the years that drove me crazy because they would either turn and/or move forward and backward on the finger. I figured out this was because of a few factors; the size of the diamond, the height of the basket and the thickness of the band. The basket should be set lower on the finger and have 6-8 prongs to protect the diamond if durability is a factor. Solitaire settings will more than likely get hit on the sides of the prongs so adding pave’ at potential hit points might be a durability concern.

@JSG2185 brought up a very good point about the pave’ accents. I have a Danhov halo pave’ setting that has diamonds on the top part of the band. Because the band is square shape and the diamonds were only on the top I was able to wear a wedding band next to it. I still have the pave’ setting but recently reset my round diamond in a durable platinum bezel setting. This was after years of having to be careful to the point of not wearing my ring. The new setting sits low on the finger and has 3 diamond accents on the top part of the shank. I add pave’ stacking eternity bands when I want a little more sparkle.

In terms of metal, I actually have been told that 14KT white gold is more durable than 18KT. Can anyone else on this forum confirm this? I went platinum because of durability and not having the maintenance of rhodium-plating the white gold.

Best of luck on your search!

 

[emmy12]

Wow! This ring is stunning! Thank you for suggesting this. I am more so considering this design over the initial design I posted. What are your thoughts on this ring? Wish I could get Victor Canera to do it but I am all the way in Australia and have a loose diamond ready.

I agree with the sound advice of the other posters who have mentioned to avoid pave on skinny narrow prongs if it's going to be an everyday-through-everything ring to decrease the worry-factor. If you did want to do pave on the prongs, maybe consider a more robust head style like his Gabriella (tiffany-style head) with pave on the shoulders. This one has 2 rows of pave on either side of the knife edge, but you could do a single row of pave on the side of the knife edge, and do them bright cut style so there is a channel of metal around the melee that would rub against the adjacent band rather than the melee/exposed melee prongs. I would nix the pave on the donut though, unless your future fiancee doesn't want to wear this ring and her wedding band at the same time.

Gabriella Six Prong Solitaire with Knife Edge Pave Set Band | Victor Canera

A hand fabricated six prong solitaire engagement ring having a knife edge band set with pave. The center stone head also includes a pave set profile.

victorcanera.com