Help! Desperately need input on what to wear w/ WB

[Odilia]

Thanks for the feedback. I agree that bezel setting is too modern for my band, which I think has sort of an antique-look to it. I still don''t know what a "lucida type setting" is. (sorry if that is dumb!)

 

[kaylagee]

Hi Odilia,

My favorite is the antique ring w/ your band. If there was a way to get matching engraving on the e-ring band - even better. To me, the feeling of the two is most sympatico.

I *love* your wedding band!

 

[Odilia]

Long-time-no-post. I have been busy, but still need to decide about my ring.
First, I will confess that the thin solitaire is my current engagement ring. (So in some ways I am glad many voted for that!) But for various reasons I am dissatisfied with it. First, a caviat: anything I criticize about what I like or dislike is not meant as an insult to others with similar things; I just don''t like them on ME.

Also, I am by no means a diamond expert, but I will put the specs of my diamond here since so many of you are more knowledgeable than I am. It is a 1.09ct Ideal Cut Round Brilliant, SI1, H color. Hope that covers it. To me it is a very beautiful diamond and deserves a beautiful setting. (I do know that when someone in a jewelry store looks into it with a loop, they always say, "this is a nice diamond!")

On to why I hate the setting, or my wedding band/ER combo:

First, the diamond sits WAY TOO HIGH. I wanted it to sit as low as possible, and somehow I ended up with the highest prongs known to man. I still haven''t figured out how to paste in pictures, so I will have to attach at the end. I also prefer 4-prong (partly because you see more of the diamond, and partly because it gives a little bit more square look to the diamond).

Now, you might say, "just replace the head." I thought of that, but I am not crazy about prongs anyway; I wish had a different style altogether, that is less "prongy". As far as solitaires, I prefer even a cathedral setting, or X prong, or a pretty solitaire like: https://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/files/dv-roy-cr.jpg
Plus my shank is too narrow, in a way, and trying to set the diamond lower might be hard with such a skinny shank, without having the head be wider. Plus, I am just not crazy about solitaire in general! Plus, the wider the ER shank becomes, with a smooth shank, it starts to clash a little with my wedding ring in some ways, because from a distance, the carving in my WB makes it look a bit less shiny, if you know what I mean. (Many times it looks like I just have a 1 ct diamond floating almost 1 cm off my finger near my wedding band.) Plus, it seems foolish to spend money on getting a new solitaire setting that really isn''t that different from what I have now, and I still won''t be satisfied! One other thing, I really like white better than yellow metal.

So anyway, I will past my side view of my solitaire and comment more later on my thinking.

 

[Odilia]

A few more pics.

 

[MINE!!]

I like the one with the diamonds on the side!

Date: 8/1/2005 4:25:00 PM
Author: Odilia

Somehow my reply started a new topic. Here it is again for continuity:

Thanks for the feedback so far and suggestions, and especiallly for compliments on my wedding band. They really are appreciated, because so often I am second-guessing it and want to give up on it and say, forget this wedding band, let''s just try to find a completely new set. But if it''s possible to get something satisfactory with it, it would be nice to keep it.

Here is another one, in answer to ''what have I tried on with it?''

 

[Odilia]

Do you mean, the two large rounds on either side (i.e. the 3-stone ring) or the one with a thin band with 3 tiny diamonds on either side? Or something else?

In fact maybe I ought to name them in order for reference:
1) thick solitaire
2) thin solitaire (mine)
3 side & top views) - antique
4) thin antique
5) millgrain
6) 3-stone round
7) side pears

I think that covers them.

 

[Patty]

I love the look of a solitaire with your gorgeous wedding band. I can see why you feel your e-ring sits too high. It is a high setting.

I think a wider band solitaire would be very pretty with it.

The picture link that you posted is the Royal Crowne setting. That would be another thin band solitaire but it has some lovely detail work on the prongs that would be nice with your wedding band.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I LOVE the antique e-rings with your wedding band. I think they look great.

 

[MrsFrk]

Your diamond IS beautiful.
It is set very high, and that head isn''t very elegant. Just kind of utilitarian looking.
I like the idea of a new solitaire, slightly thicker shank, new head.
Whatever you decide, remember to post pics!

 

[Odilia]

Thanks MrsFrk for the compliment on my diamond. And I couldn’t have said it better myself: “set VERY high, head isn''t elegant. Just kind of utilitarian looking.” That last is exactly what I have hated most about it all along. It drives me crazy, and I always say it’s just hardware to hold the diamond. I like the whole ring to be beautiful, not just the stone. That’s what I like about antique rings; it seems they used to concentrate on the whole ring as a thing of beauty and not just hardware to hold diamonds.

Which brings me to Tacori E-ring’s comment, and also kaylagee, kittykat and others. There was something about the antique rings that I did like. As kaylagee said, there is something sypatico between the antique and my wedding band, probably because my band does have sort of an antique flavor to it. I liked a lot about the first antique one, except the carved white-gold sections next to the diamond with the tiny diamond chips I wasn’t sure I liked, so initially I thought of having something made with diamonds (like pears) where those sections were. But I don’t think that will work right. I can''t buy that ring, so I''d have to have a setting made like it, and I can''t figure out how to design it or if it would look right. I do like that type of head though; the diamond sat much lower and thus was very comfortable to wear, and I like how that type of head makes the diamond kind of look square. For example, I love kittykat’s ring:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ok-guys-i-got-the-ring.31501/=

The thin antique one actually could work. Although the band is thin, something about it with the tiny diamonds seemed to work with my wedding band. I think because as so many have pointed out, I don’t want something to compete with the wedding band. I would like some sparkle in the ER band, but not big (relatively speaking) diamonds on the side. Because this band was thin with little diamonds and a tiny carving between them, it seemed to work with the WB. I think the pictures I will post don’t really do it justice; I think it looked better in person. (The one friend who saw several of these in person liked this one the best - although of course that is just one more opinion.) And although I got the most votes for solitaire, this ring''s shank is so thin and diamonds so small that it seemed like a solitaire, to me, in some ways.

It isn’t perfect, but the one thing I do like about the thin ring is, if it’s still available (which I think it is), it comes with the diamond, but at what doesn’t seem to me too high a price. (will have to explore that later) If I decided on that and can get my husband to get it for me, it would free up my diamond to set in something completely different – maybe make it an anniversary ring somehow.

 

[Odilia]

Here''s another view of the thin antique. Hopefully this picture will be smaller

 

[woobug02]

Woo, I so feel your pain!! Thank you for telling your store on my thread. Question: Do you want to stick with yellow gold??? If so I love the three stone or the antique solitare with your band. I so feel for you. Everywhere I go people stop me and say wow beautiful ring. I walk away thinking what is wrong with you? Get a grip you have a beautiful ring. My husband is paitent but has worn out on looking at rings. With my reset I am doing now. I went home and said I am going to reset in Platinum and hope you like it. He said ok. All that stress.....

You do have a beatiful band and diamond

 

[Odilia]

Ronda, Thanks for your understanding and comments!

"Question: Do you want to stick with yellow gold??? If so I love the three stone or the antique solitare with your band."

The part of me that really wanted white all along (but just couldn''t find what I was looking for in white when we were engaged) would rather have a ring in white, BUT the sentimental part of me that would still be able to wear my original wedding ring (with an ER) leans toward gold. (I wouldn''t want to wear a white gold or plat. ER with my YG WB.) That is why I like the idea of the antique solitaire - because it is relatively inexpensive (the ER including diamond, plus a matching wedding band for less than the cost of some semi-mounts.) and would allow me to re-set my eng. diamond in a beautiful, white setting, which I could wear sometimes, or wear my yellow set, when the mood stirkes.

I, like you am doing this on my own as to not bother my husband. Once I get close to deciding, I will ask him. I am thinking more and more of asking for that antique solitaire.

 

[MrsFrk]

Ohhhh- I really, REALLY like that antique one you posted (the last one). I think it looks amazing with your wedding ring. That''s my vote. Final answer, Regis.

 

[kaylagee]

(blowing goober dust from the slightly aged thread)


That''s right! How much do i love your wedding band!!? If you don''t mind can you tell me more? Is it custom?

Also, maybe i''m foggy-headed today, but I''m not clear on what you finally decided re: the antique solitaire?

Happy to see that w-band again!

 

[Odilia]

kaylagee, thanks again for the nice compliments!! I did go with the one I called the "thin solitaire". The thread is here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/i-got-the-thin-solitaire.34441/=

It was from an antique store, although my appraiser thought it wasn''t too old; maybe from the 1950s or later. (He seemed to think the diamond was only about 20 years old.) I appreciated so much your and everyone''s feedback; I am very happy with the solution!

The wedding ring is from Charles Green & Sons; they''re in Birmingham, England.
http://www.charles-green.co.uk/

However, I found the ring at a jeweler in Pennsylvania. It was supposed to be 5mm wide, but I did order it 4mm wide which was a custom order, as 5mm seemed too wide for me with an engagement ring next to it. I got it in 2003. They seemed like a good company. Let me know if you have any other specific questions!

 

[kaylagee]

thanks so much for the details, O!