How long did it take you to find your CS e-ring

[Indylady]

I'm only in the preliminary stages of putting together an inspiration folder, and I was wondering how long it took you from the time you began your search till 1) you found your stone and 2) completed the ring. I'd also love to hear your story, and any tips or advice. I'm looking forward to reading your answers!

Links to threads are also appreciated in case you don't want to write a book.

 

[FrekeChild]

Well, it looks like the official start of the search for the stone was August 2008. Ended September...for the most part. This was all day everyday searching, on my behalf and I had a lot of people's help too (22 pages worth!). I emailed Dan Stair, Peter Toracca, John B at Gemrite, Gene Flanagan, and a few more cutters. I thought about re-cuts. I thought about spinels. I thought about sapphires. I had the wrong email address for Barry, so once we got that figured out, we were golden.

Desperately Seeking Spinel!

Then we got engaged on December 19th, with a replica of the Vatche Royal Crown, which I lived with for a while, but because of the thickness of the band, I wanted something else, And we ended up with getting my custom setting in May of 2009.

Original ring: Freke's blue e-bling!

Custom setting: Freke's NEW blue e-bling!

And dare I say that there will probably be a reset in the future.

Tips and advice...
-If you set your mind to very specific wants for this ring, be prepared to wait and put a LOT of time into looking. I didn't get the exact color I wanted, and the stone is smaller than I wanted (6.5mm instead of 7mm), and I changed my mind on what shape I wanted (went from oval to round).
-Start out looking at the lower range of your budget, because inevitably, you will probably have to increase it. We increased it at one point because we were looking into sapphires instead of spinel, but even that would have blown our highest budget for the size I wanted.
-Think about your wedding band. I knew exactly what I wanted for my wedding band, and I needed to fit the ering around the band, instead of the other way around. This is why the Vatche replica didn't work for me. It was about 4mm wide by the stone, and my hands are too small to support 6mm of ring (plus I find it uncomfortable) on one hand.
-Think about your setting preferences. What is the most important part? For me it was shank width. I didn't make that clear to my then-bf. He did well with what he got me, because he thought the profile view was the most important part for me, because I didn't make it clear enough.
-Be open minded. Sometimes you fall in love with things you never thought you would.
-Make it personal. Find out what he likes too. Combine what you each like if at all possible.
-Try on as much as you can so you know what looks good on your fingers. I didn't do that until it was almost too late. Lol!
-Figure out that it's probably not all going to go the way you wanted it to. For me, BF ran out of time, so I ended up with what I got because of time constraints.
-Have fun!

 

[Pandora II]

I took about 5 months from actioning the search to having the bling on my finger, but I was researching for a good 6 months before that.

 

[packrat]

It was last April I figured out what I wanted and started looking/asking. Found the stone in September, and was wearing the ring in February.

The stone ended up not being the *exact* color I was looking for, but I love it just the same..and I guess that just opens it up for another project w/the color I was originally looking for.

 

[jewelz617]

2 years before I settled on exactly what I wanted.

 

[kas baby]

Well, once we talked about getting engaged I started getting ideas for what I desired. One year later (in July) he proposed with a sapphire half eternity band. One year later (also in july) I found the right sapphire for me (and our budget). Now I will be getting the finished ring this friday.

so... a long time. mainly, we knew what we wanted, don''t like credit cards, are college students, and took a really long time to save. It helped us though to make sure it was really what I desired in an e-ring

 

[Indylady]

Freke, I was hoping you''d catch this thread! All day everyday for a month sounds like a full time job. I really like your advice. Since we''ve just begun talking seriously about engagement rings so I hadn''t even begun to think about wedding rings. Did you pick out the setting with him?

Pandora, did you wait until you had your tsav to design the setting (if I recall correctly it was done by Wink) or did you already have one in mind?

Packrat, I remember your recent e-ring search! Did you base your exact color on an existing spinel? Right now, I''m a little apprehensive about choosing a color before I start the search in case I don''t find it after spending months building an entire ring around a certain color only to go back to square one. I''m considering a ruby or emerald, and some look better in white gold and others in yellow, on top the variability of shapes, depths, etc.

PinkAsscher, 2 years is a while! However, I bet it was rewarding to have found exactly what you wanted.

Kas, my SO and I are students too, so we''ll be saving for a little while as well. I really like the idea of "working towards" the ring. Is your half eternity sapphire going to be your wedding band?

To all: Did you have an exact idea of what you wanted, or did let yourself fall in love during your search? Like I mentioned to Packy, and like Freke''s advice, I don''t want to have my heart set on something hypothetical that I can''t find, but I also need to have a few specifics so that I can actually start the search. Also, would you have it any other way? (ie. have a diamond instead of a CS)

 

[kas baby]

you know, I''m not actually sure if the sapphire band will be my wedding band. That was the plan, but I don''t know how they will look together, if they''ll sit flush, rub to much, etc... so I might just get a very thin band to go with it

To answer your other question, I knew I didn''t want a diamond, it just wasn''t "me." I knew I wanted blue, which is one of my favorite colors, represents loyalty, depth, stability, etc. I knew I wanted a sapphire, being traditional and all, plus, the nice ones are really nice

. I loved the simplicity of some solitaires, but wanted a ring with a little something special. We we''re browsing PS and somehow came across the thread where Irina as asking PS to help come up with a name for the design. We fell in love instantly and the pairing of the two just seemed perfect. yay!
Since the design has only been designed for a round, that''s what we went with.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 3/31/2010 11:39:08 PM
Author: IndyLady
Freke, I was hoping you''d catch this thread! All day everyday for a month sounds like a full time job. I really like your advice. Since we''ve just begun talking seriously about engagement rings so I hadn''t even begun to think about wedding rings. Did you pick out the setting with him?

To all: Did you have an exact idea of what you wanted, or did let yourself fall in love during your search? Like I mentioned to Packy, and like Freke''s advice, I don''t want to have my heart set on something hypothetical that I can''t find, but I also need to have a few specifics so that I can actually start the search. Also, would you have it any other way? (ie. have a diamond instead of a CS)

Lol. It was a little bit. It helped that I was doing it at school (and yes, I still managed to pass

)so I wasn''t JUST looking, but the majority of my time, I was. The setting was something I had designed around the time that Barry found my stone. I didn''t get to see the stone until he actually asked. And there were actually two stones--Barry''s and Dans. They were very very similar (1.2 vs 1.24ct, 6.4 vs 6.5mm, and very similar in color with Dan''s being a touch darker, but the BF said that Barry''s cut was more me) he made the right choice. He wanted to get my setting made, but he wanted to propose on our trip more, so he went for a stock setting because he could get it in the time frame.

I knew I wanted blue, and 7mm+ round or a 6x8mm oval (I think!). The thing I was most picky about was the cut. I wanted Barry''s chunkiness. I started out wanting his cut, but then he never responded to my emails (since I had the wrong address), so I started looking elsewhere.

I wouldn''t have it any other way. Diamonds are not for my ering. I had dinner with my BFF tonight and we talked about how my stone was more ME, and how a diamond couldn''t have fit me...ever.

In my world, diamonds are accents...if even that sometimes.

 

[Indylady]

Date: 4/1/2010 1:40:03 AM

Lol. It was a little bit. It helped that I was doing it at school (and yes, I still managed to pass

)so I wasn''t JUST looking, but the majority of my time, I was. The setting was something I had designed around the time that Barry found my stone. I didn''t get to see the stone until he actually asked. And there were actually two stones--Barry''s and Dans. They were very very similar (1.2 vs 1.24ct, 6.4 vs 6.5mm, and very similar in color with Dan''s being a touch darker, but the BF said that Barry''s cut was more me) he made the right choice. He wanted to get my setting made, but he wanted to propose on our trip more, so he went for a stock setting because he could get it in the time frame.


I knew I wanted blue, and 7mm+ round or a 6x8mm oval (I think!). The thing I was most picky about was the cut. I wanted Barry''s chunkiness. I started out wanting his cut, but then he never responded to my emails (since I had the wrong address), so I started looking elsewhere.


I wouldn''t have it any other way. Diamonds are not for my ering. I had dinner with my BFF tonight and we talked about how my stone was more ME, and how a diamond couldn''t have fit me...ever.

In my world, diamonds are accents...if even that sometimes.

Freke, your SO sounds lovely! I can''t believe he had the intuition to know the Barry was more ''you''...that is so sweet. I''m really set on a CS e-ring; I think my friends and family will love it once I have it, but I''m also a little nervous about potential catty comments. I live in a pretty traditional small town, and a 1ct princess cut is the most beautiful thing ever here, and 1/2 carat RB''s follow soon after. I have to run to class but I''ll be back later!

 

[packrat]

The color I was looking for was along the lines of Karee888''s lavender blue spinel. And boy is it haaaaard to find!! One day I happened to be out in our backyard watering the hosta beds, looking at their blooms and thinking how beautiful the color is-it''s more a lavender pink on most of ours. Then I asked to have this stone sent to me a short time later and when I saw it, I was reminded of the hosta blooms. I was iffy on it at first tho-the first stone I looked at, my first purchase etc, but I figured the big knot in my stomach at the thought of sending it back was telling me something!

Would I have it another way? No. Most people in my area just don''t "get" the appeal of anything other than diamond, they keep trying to tell me I have an amethyst and say "Oh...neat". None of the OMG!!! reactions that come from here over the cool and unexpected details and the sheer beauty of the stones and settings themselves. But, my ring fits *me*. I like having something different, out of the ordinary and original, and it''s something that I can say I had a hand in.

I started out by saving pictures of gems, colors, cuts, settings, anything that struck my eye. Then I just kept narrowing it down until I figured out what I wanted. Then from that exact idea of what I wanted, I ended up with..um..the exact shape and in the exact size range I wanted. Color is different and the setting is a little different. Sort of along the lines of "the same but different" haha. I have lavender pink instead of lavender blue. I don''t have the exact setting b/c the designer doesn''t work with outside stones, so I had something "similar but different" made.

I echo Freke about having him involved..not only is it more fun that way, it makes it more personal as she said.

 

[Indylady]

Packy, I thought your setting was done by HOW? I thought they did use outside stones?

 

[packrat]

Yep, I ended up having Sally at HOW do it. I''d originally wanted a Caleb Meyer setting, but they''re the ones who don''t accept outside stones. Then I was going to do Coati''s JM b/c Jim does accept outside stones, and I''d been emailing w/him a few times (super heckuva nice guy!) and then we ran into some medical bills, and I did a lot of hemming and hawing and talked to Sally about doing something similar to the CM I''d wanted in the first place.

 

[klewis]

My first "real" stone purchase was a Tsavorite - that was before I discovered Pricescope. I searched while I was in Jaipur where I was staying for 3 weeks ''though in hindsight, I don''t think that was the best place to be looking for a Tsavorite. My first stop was a gem broker who contacted me a couple of days after our initial contact to come and see what he had in. He had dozens of dark ugly stones except for one - the one that was supposed to catch my eye, which he described as gem quality but it had a visible inclusion and I passed on it, and his services. I next went to a jeweller who I had met 2 years previously. They had a nice Tsavorite set with 8 diamonds as a woman''s ring. I knew I wanted the stone so we agreed on a price which included setting it into ring for me. The next day they took me to their manufacturing center, which I had been to 2 years previously, and where they had their designers sit with me to decide what kind of ring I wanted. They drew up some designs and 3 days later I collected my ring. It was all quite fast - maybe a week and a half from the time I started looking for a stone. My tsavorite isn''t the ideal colour I do like it it and get a lot of pleasure from wearing it.

 

[klewis]

Date: 4/4/2010 1:08:35 AM
Author: klewis
My first ''real'' stone purchase was a Tsavorite - that was before I discovered Pricescope. I searched while I was in Jaipur where I was staying for 3 weeks ''though in hindsight, I don''t think that was the best place to be looking for a Tsavorite. My first stop was a gem broker who contacted me a couple of days after our initial contact to come and see what he had in. He had dozens of dark ugly stones except for one - the one that was supposed to catch my eye, which he described as gem quality but it had a visible inclusion and I passed on it, and his services. I next went to a jeweller who I had met 2 years previously. They had a nice Tsavorite set with 8 diamonds as a woman''s ring. I knew I wanted the stone so we agreed on a price which included setting it into ring for me. The next day they took me to their manufacturing center, which I had been to 2 years previously, and where they had their designers sit with me to decide what kind of ring I wanted. They drew up some designs and 3 days later I collected my ring. It was all quite fast - maybe a week and a half from the time I started looking for a stone. My tsavorite isn''t the ideal colour I do like it it and get a lot of pleasure from wearing it.

Hmmm - Sorry IndyLady - I saw the CS in your question but didn''t see Ering. Mine wasn''t an Ering! I must have been half asleep

 

[stepcutgirl]

Well from when I got serious about buying the stone (I had been researching for close to a year) to when it was in my hot little hands was only about 2 months. I bought one dud and then about 3 weeks later I contacted Jeff White who happened to have the color and size I was after on hand. I was lucky in that sense.

I've had the center stone for about 5-6 weeks and will be selecting a setting this week. So...all together it only will have taken me (giving an estimate of 4 weeks for the ring to be made) 5 months.


ETA-I was open (slightly) to colors and shapes and I think that helped me find it very quickly. I wanted either a round or square cushion in the 7-8mm range. While round and square cushions are less common shapes in sapphire I think having two shapes and a somewhat open size and color range helped to speed up the process. I wasn't dead set on this exact size, shape and color.