My CUSTOM RINGS from Whiteflash - WOO HOO!!!!!

[aljdewey]

ormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Well, we've finally done it! /www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

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Many of you knew when Rich and I got engaged last November that I wanted to build a custom ring. Initially, I had envisioned aquamarines on either side of my diamond (his birthstone), but they aren’t very practical for daily wear.Also, heat affects the color of aquamarines, so I’d have trouble steaming my ring.I decided instead to go with diamond sides as well./www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

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One of the biggest challenges – I wanted a 6-prong center head, and most 3-stone ring styles are 4-prong.Also, I didn’t really want this to look like a “3-stone”; I wanted to retain the engagement feel, and that meant smaller side stones and setting them lower than the center stone.I really wanted to keep the focus on my beautiful ACA 1.24 center stone (giving it the stage it deserves

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I wanted the gallery on the stones to be open so I could get under the diamonds to clean them….I had really fallen in love with the lines of the buttercup style heads.I wanted the heads to be platinum but the shank to be 18K yellow gold.Further, I wanted heart prongs on the center stone.We also had to keep the future wedding ring in mind and how that would fit.I’m RIDICULOUS picky about not seeing a huge gap between my rings, so I wanted the stones set a bit higher so we could get a low profile 7-stone wedding band to sit fairly close to the e-ring./www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

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(Gee, I didn’t want MUCH, did I?

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I had a long talk with Brian at Whiteflash about what I wanted to see in my ring…in fact, 2 or 3 long talks!He has a great way of saying “have you considered this?” and “the look might not be as uniform as this”…..making suggestions while saying “we can do ANYTHING you want, but let’s consider all the options.”/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

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I really wanted the band as thin as possible (after wearing the Tiff style knife-edge for 6 months), but Brian explained that this ring would be substantial and would need some structural support.He promised to keep the band within 3mm, and he suggested pinching in the sides where the shank meets the stones to keep the look thin.We also agreed on a slight knife edge look./www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

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I initially wanted as little prong presence on the side stones as possible and wanted heart prongs only on the center stone.However, as the ring was being created, Brian suggested that we go heart-prongs on all three stones.He felt that it could end up looking like a repair job if we didn’t keep the prongs uniform.He recommended that we start with heart prongs all over, and if I didn’t like the look, they could always round the prongs down subsequently.I’m SO GLAD I listened to him (a recurrent theme when I talk about WF); the end result is breathtaking and he was right….matching the prongs created the perfect look.Mr. Le’s workmanship is nothing short of spectacular….this ring is stunning!/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

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When my new engagement ring was done, we talked about wedding ring possibilities. I emphatically did NOT want a curved ring; I wanted to be able to wear it solo if desired. Brian photographed my new ring next to a 5-stone band of 10-pointers and an eternity-style band of 5-pointers.I felt the 5-pointers added just enough without overpowering the masterpiece, but I didn’t want eternity (not flexible enough for sizing), so we agreed on a 7-stone band.I wanted the shank to have a slight knife-edge (to match the e-ring); and again platinum heads and 18K yellow gold shank./www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

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When I finally made up my mind on the wedding ring, Whiteflash had to move on it quickly as it was already June 14 and I’m getting married on July 11!Brian promised a 10-day completion, and they were right on time.The wedding ring arrived last Friday, and it is a perfect complement to my new e-ring./www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

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Having worked with Whiteflash on first purchasing a stone, then designing a custom e-ring, and then designing the wedding band, I have to say they are TOP-SHELF.The longer I work with them, the more I’ve come to really depend on their expertise.This company consistently delivers, and Brian, Lesley and crew are simply superb./www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

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Enjoy the pics!/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>/www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif[/img]>

 

[aljdewey]

A full-on view...........

 

[aljdewey]

My wedding set..............BLING

 

[aljdewey]

The band by itself - sparkly enough to hold its own!..........

 

[aljdewey]

A shot of them together on my hand.............

 

[aljdewey]

The "formal" shots from WF of the e-ring..........

 

[aljdewey]

........and last one - the "formal" shots of wedding ring from WF!

 

[jadeleaves]

That is such a beautiful set! Congrats~

Love the wedding band - the gears in my brain has started cranking - can anyone say "UPGRADE"?

 

[quaeritur]

WOW! What a gorgeous set!!! What are the rest of the specs on the stones??? I love the band on its own too. Great job!

 

[researcher]

Your rings are so beautiful! Wear them in good health!

 

[aljdewey]

.......sorry, I forgot - here are the prongs close up.




(All the photographs make it look like these prongs are ENORMOUS, but they really aren't. In the "on the hand" pic, you can barely see them.)

 

[Patty]

Al, they are BEAUTIFUL!

It's nice to see yellow gold with so much white out there these days.

And I love the heart prongs! I could see them without the super close-up shot.

I love the view of your e-ring from the side. The "W" look of the setting is very cool.

And the size of the wedding band stones is just right...they don't compete with the e-ring but they add a nice amount of bling. Good job!

And the knife edge look is cool too. My Vatche ring is knife-edgish and I like it a lot.

 

[researcher]

Your prongs are so adorable! What a sweet touch!!!

On a random note, do you notice the spaces between your e-ring and w-band very much (I ask only because you sound as though you hate it as much as me)? The reason I ask is I got my e-ring from WF (LOVE THEM!!!) and plan on getting a 5-stone w-band from them as well, but I'm concerned that the two will not sit flush. I asked to have the diamond set high enough for the band, but I highly doubt it will clear it (I want 1/4 ct/stone (princess cut) for the band to go with my 3+ ct princess cut e-ring). I also want to wear my band separate and therefore don't want a notch/curved ring. I know from looking at my ring that there will be some space no matter what, but hopefully not too much. I've considered getting smaller stones in the w-band, but I really don't want to do that. So, any tips/hints would be appreciated!

Again, you have a beautiful set of rings--some of the best I've seen!

 

[bling]

Al!
thanks so much for posting..what a gorgeous ring! i love that you opted for the 6 prong setting for the stone..it looks like the LM three stone that i love so much..could give me ideas for the future. Totally worth the wait..!! Congrats!

 

[Hest88]

Oh, that's really gorgeous! I don't even like yellow gold but I really like your set!

 

[hoorray]

Woo Hoo is right! Your rings are beautiful Al, and the thought and effort you put into them clearly shows. Well done WF also -- the workmanship looks terrific.

No cheating and wearing the set before the big day!

 

[moremoremore]

Beautiful!!!!! And I'm really impressed with the quality of the "smaller" stones in the band....congrats!

 

[aljdewey]

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On 6/28/2004 6:11:31 PM researcher wrote:





On a random note, do you notice the spaces between your e-ring and w-band very much (I ask only because you sound as though you hate it as much as me)? The reason I ask is I got my e-ring from WF (LOVE THEM!!!) and plan on getting a 5-stone w-band from them as well, but I'm concerned that the two will not sit flush. I asked to have the diamond set high enough for the band, but I highly doubt it will clear it (I want 1/4 ct/stone (princess cut) for the band to go with my 3+ ct princess cut e-ring). I also want to wear my band separate and therefore don't want a notch/curved ring. I know from looking at my ring that there will be some space no matter what, but hopefully not too much. I've considered getting smaller stones in the w-band, but I really don't want to do that. So, any tips/hints would be appreciated!

----------------

Researcher, I have to confess......because I don't wear them both yet, I don't notice much of anything! The wedding is just under two weeks away, so I don't wear the w/band yet...(and yes, it's KILLING me to wait!)

Poor Brian - I nearly drove him CRAZY angsting about "how much gap" there would be. He said two things that really resonated with me in talking about the w/band:

1) No matter WHAT you do, there will always be some gap in your rings because your hand is an object in motion. That is true even if you get the flush precision-set rings.....unless you solder your rings together, they will move on your hand so they won't ever sit "perfect".

2) You become accustomed to the gap. I had a hard time buying into this one at first, but he's totally right. I spent weekend after weekend from December until June!! trying to find a w/band look I liked...to no avail. He explained that when you briefly try on a ring, it doesn't look right....doesn't look natural, but after you've worn it for two weeks, it looks totally fine because your eye gets used to that look. I found this so true because I had tried on Tiff settings before and thought they looked AWFUL on me, and yet after wearing my e-ring in the Tiff setting for a week or two, it looked totally right to me on my hand.

Having said all that, I'll also tell you that the space looks more pronounced in the pictures than it does in reality....just like the prongs look massive in pictures but they aren't in reality. On the hand, this looks like it COMPLETELY belongs together, and any space is negligible.

So, if you really want the princess stones you mentioned, I'd go for it.....I think you'll like the look.

 

[researcher]

Thanks for the reassurance, Aljdewey! I don't know how you're staying away from wearing both! I can see not wearing them in public, but I'd be trying them on every chance I got (which is why my boy wants to wait to get my w-band until the last minute). Anyway, your points (or should I say Brian's) are extremely valid and make me feel a LOT less anxious--so thank you!!!

 

[luckyhonu]

Wow, your rings are gorgeous! The stones are just blinding! Congrats!

 

[aljdewey]

Thanks, everyone, for sharing in my enthusiasm.




Lop - HAHHHAHAHAH - it's not cheating unless I get caught!

Thank GOD the wedding is only 13 days away.....I don't think I could have had the w/band sitting around the house for weeks without being able to wear it. (*sniff* - I AM weak!)




Bling, so funny that you mention that about the LM 3-stone.....that ring heavily influenced this design. When I scrapped the idea of using aquas for my sides, all I knew was that I wanted buttercup heads and heart prongs and a 6-prong center stone. I was fine going 3-prong or 4-prong (regular prongs) on the side stones. Mara and I began trolling around to come up with ideas or things we thought were a bit unique, and she sent me a BAZILLION links to consider.....including a link to LM's website with that 3-stone.




I LOVED that ring! Heck, even Mara loved the ring (even though she rags me constantly for my love of tacky yellow gold

). The flow of the open galleries really appealed to me, but I wanted the design modified to look more engagement and less 3-stone. (The original LM ring had a 2 ct center and 1 or 1.5 sides!) Also, his ring is all yellow, and I definitely wanted platinum heads. I wasn't sure it the buttercup setting would work in this arrangement either.




Credit really goes to Brian Gavin for being visionary. I had spoken to a few top-name designers before calling Whiteflash on this, and I came away from those conversations feeling like the designers were reluctant to execute my vision. They either didn't think it would look right in different proportions or different metals, or just had a general lack of enthusiasm.




When I talked to Brian and told him what feedback I had gotten so far about what I wanted, his reply was "of course it can be done.....we can do anything you want!" He asked reams of questions and I sent him pictures of heart prongs, pictures of the LM ring, pictures of about eight other 3-stone rings where the side stones were set lower to give him a feel for what I wanted to see. It was really a collaborative effort....if he felt a particular thing would enhance the look of the piece (like keeping hearts on the side stones too/going with 6-prongs on the side stones too), he offered his input by saying "Here's option A and why I like it....here's option B and here's option C....what do you think/want?" His (and Mr. Le's) interpretation and blend of the elements were nothing short of masterful.




I cannot begin to describe how thrilling it is to wear a piece I had a hand in designing, one that takes the best of everything I love and blends it together. It really goes to the next level. For anyone considering custom, I highly recommend it. I've gone into jewelry stores and had the clerks positively DROOL over this piece.....one even asked if she could try it on! Women I work with have come to ask about the ring they have "heard" about from others.




I would work with Whiteflash again in a heartbeat to do it again.....it's a bit bittersweet for me that this one is done, but I'm loving the results.

 

[Mara]

yay...those things are beeaaaaautiful as you well know! i LOVE them...i want that LM ring and this WF ring is such a good replica and with the cool extra touches you wanted like the heart prongs etc. The set is amazing and you will wear it in much happiness, gal!

YAY!

 

[GlitterGal]

Hi Alj,

A million congrats on completing your beautiful ring project!!!

Thanks for the pics.

The finished products look amazing – what incredible rings!

I’m so happy for you! All the best to you and Rich on your upcoming wedding and wishing you both a lifetime filled with much love and laughter always.

Kindest regards,
Linda

PS where are you going on your honeymoon?

 

[pqcollectibles]

AL,........... Your rings are beautiful!!

Mere words will simply not do them justice!!

Many Congrats to both you and Rich!!

May you both enjoy your beautiful rings and your new life together for many long, happy, and healthy years together!!

 

[sevens one]

Congrats on your purchase. The rings look lovely on your hand.
They really sparkle

 

[luvmysparklies]

Oh wow! That is a superb job. Everything just flows together and looks gorgeous!!! You and I have a similar preference for more open prong work that allows good access to cleaning the stone. I am adamant about that with all my rings. (I think Veraggio made me this way...ever since I saw their luminoset 2 or 3 years ago, I always wanted the stone setting to be open). The heart prongs are such a nice touch without overwhelming. It is so nice when everything comes together the right way isn't it? The diamonds are all so beautiful and sparkly!!! Well done WF and DI!!! Congratulations Al.

 

[aljdewey]

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On 6/29/2004 9:45:44 AM luvmysparklies wrote:




You and I have a similar preference for more open prong work that allows good access to cleaning the stone. I am adamant about that with all my rings. ----------------

I'm SO the same way - ever since I got my e-ring, I clean it at LEAST twice a day! I'm just a weeeeeeeeeee bit obsessive about it

I did, though, agree with Brian that the w/band stones should be closed galleries.....which they are. At that size, it's nearly impossible to get under there to clean well, and it's just a haven for debris to collect.

 

[valeria101]

The rings look as nice as the stones in them - and that's not a little said, I hope. If you ever need someone to agree loudly that gold is what makes jewelry feel precious, you can definitely count on me

 

[NY SPARKLE]

Al your ring is beautiful!!!!!/idealbb/images/smilies/love.gif I was wondering what size your finger is? The diamond size looks perfect on your hand.

 

[Lynn B]

Oh! Oh! OH!

Simply, positively BREATHTAKING! WOW!

What a great story, and what a wonderful ending!

Congratulations on your gorgeous rings, and of course your upcoming marriage!

Lynn