My Malaya garnet in a LOGR setting.

[Kelli]

Not overly pleased with this one... I''ll start with the positives though.

The setting really highlights the color of the garnet, and makes it look a LOT more sparkly than it did just lying in my hand. The contrast of the red with the white, mixed with the sparkle of both is really pretty!

Now for the negatives. Remember that the first jeweler (the horribly rude one) refused to set it, saying the prongs were not right. I took it to another jeweler to get a second opinion who said he could make it work, that it just wouldn''t sit all the way down in the setting. I was excited to go pick it up today, but the VERY first thing I noticed was that the stone was set crookedly into the setting. I mentioned that it looked crooked, and both people behind the counter looked at it, squinting their eyes, saying they didn''t think so. Then the guy who set it said, "it could be the prongs. This one''s a little crooked, they were not installed correctly in the first place." Given that the first jeweler told me he wouldn''t set it because the prongs weren''t right, I can easily believe it wasn''t the setter''s fault. I just don''t know how he could pretend to not notice. Seriously, looking at it from certain angles, it looks pretty bad.

I did manage to get some good pictures of it. In some of them you can see it''s crooked, in some you can''t.

 

[Kelli]

Seems fairly obvious to me in this one.

 

[Kelli]

And this one. I took a pic of this angle because this is the way I see it a lot of the time and the crookedness bugs me.

 

[Kelli]

I have more "crooked" pictures, but instead I''ll post the prettier ones, since some of them did come out better.

Pardon the fuzzies though. I should have cleaned it first!

 

[Kelli]

on hand

 

[Kelli]

another

 

[Kelli]

and again

 

[Kelli]

 

[Kelli]

last one, with my e-ring

 

[Kelli]

What do you guys think? At a distance, it seems to look fine. The color is prettier than what shows up in the pictures and it sparkles nicely, but those prongs do annoy me. It''s not like it''s an engagement ring, and I didn''t pay much for it. I also tend to be too much of a perfectionist with things. Should I leave it alone and enjoy it for what it is, or should I look into having the prongs replaced completely? I feel like it could be a REALLY beautiful ring if it were set straighter, and a little lower, but that would cost more money and defeat the purpose of the "cheap" ring. What would you do?

 

[cushioncutnut]

I see what you mean. It is a tiny off kilter and the prongs don''t seem to line up.........but it really looks lovely. Honestly, I had to really look to see that it was a little crooked. I sincerely mean that.........I personally wouldn''t sweat it too much. It has a very rich look to it and the diamonds look pretty decent too! May I ask how much your jeweler charged to set it?

 

[mochi]

The ring is very pretty. I think the silver halo/diamond around the stone really makes it "POP". The crooked prong would probably bother me somewhat but I would probably just chalk it up to the uniqueness of the ring. But than I do get obcessed about things sometime and this could cause me to go over the edge....hmmmm.

But the ring itself is lovely and it''s a beautiful setting. If it bothers you, maybe getting a quote to see how much more $$ would cost you to get it streightened out?

BTW... I love your doggie in the 5th picture...what is she doing???

 

[Kelli]

Thanks cushioncutnut and mochi! I did already get a compliment on it today. My hairdresser picked up my hand and said it was gorgeous and then when I asked her if she noticed it was crooked, she said "oh yeah, it is a little bit. But it''s still pretty." My jeweler charged me $25 to set it. Is that about normal? I''ve never gotten something set without buying from the jeweler before. I think I will get a quote on how much to fix it, if it''s a lot I will just leave it as it is.

LOL mochi! My dog is just sitting on the grass, but it does really look like he could be doing something else on the grass! That''s funny!

 

[LD]

Your doggie looks like he''s waiting for the BBQ to start!!! lol

In your close up pics you can see the crooked prong BUT in the handshots you really don''t notice it. Personally I''d leave it but if you''re a perfectionist and it''s going to drive you mad then you need to at least investigate how much it''ll be to correct.

It''s a lovely pretty ring and you can see the vibrancy of the Garnet.

 

[beaujolais]

WOW - it is still truly stunning !

I mean, I see what you are saying but - WOW it is truly stunning.

Yes, the prongs are a bit crooked, but I, myself, would live with it. It may not bother you as time goes on. (Put that money into your next project.) Or see if you can live with it and if not fix it at a later date.

Really - that setting is out of this world and looks really, really expensive. I also love the vintage color of the garnet which is updated with your setting but still has a vintage effect in there. Does that make sense? Way cool.

 

[Kelli]

Thank you lovingdiamonds and sonomacounty! It does makes sense about the "vintage feel", I know what you mean!

I think the reason it bothers me is that it''s also pretty high up off the halo, and you can see more that it''s crooked in the space that''s open under the stone than you can looking straight down from the top. But of course my view of it on my hand is not straight down from the top so what I see most is the uneven amounts of space under the sides of the garnet. I think I will leave it for a while, then if (I mean when

) I decide to buy another stone and setting to put together, I''ll take it along to see about fixing it. If time goes by and it doesn''t bug me anymore-- knowing me that''s doubtful

-- then I''ll just leave it alone.

 

[beaujolais]

Keli,

Is that a Gemrite stone?

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I think it looks nice. I don''t think the prongs really take away from the overall look. The diamonds and the stones have a nice constrst. Just wondering, do you have any profile pics? I am looking for a setting for my tsav, I was wondering what that setting looked like from the side.

 

[IluvEmeralds]

Hey Kelli,


First off, the color of that stone is TO DIE FOR!! I think the way it is set really makes the color POP!! LOVING IT!! In all COMPLETE honesty....I had to look at your pics to notice the crooked prong, but yes, I could see it. Only you can know whether it will bug you enough to want to fix it. For me, I''m sure I wouldn''t be able to take it, but you have to remember I sent my ering back to be COMPLETELY redone because it was off by a barely measurable amount in some places...so I guess you could call me the definition of a perfectionist!

Only you can know how much it bothers you. I know your goal was for it to be cost effective, so maybe find out how much it would cost to fix...and if it''s too much, then I guess you have your answer. Either way...it''s beautiful and I would definetely wear it in the meantime. I love that red color.

SO HAPPY FOR YOU that you finally got it!! More pics please!!

ILE

 

[Love in Bloom]

I think your ring turned out nicely, especially for the price! I''m not sure other people would notice the prongs by themselves. The sparkling diamonds and cut/color of your garnet are most likely to grab their attention first.

 

[Catmom]

I agree with sonoma that maybe you should wait a little while to see if it doesn''t stop bugging you. It truly is a lovely ring! If after a few weeks it''s still a bother then I would see about getting it fixed if you can.

 

[T L]

I think it''s gorgeous!! I wish I could find a jeweler in my area that would set a white gold ring for only $25. They all want AT LEAST $50 where I live.

 

[cushioncutnut]

Date: 10/25/2008 10:55:05 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
I think it''s gorgeous!! I wish I could find a jeweler in my area that would set a white gold ring for only $25. They all want AT LEAST $50 where I live.

TL... I was worried that the jewelers where I live would charge by carat weight. $25 is a great price.... but I won''t complain that my jeweler is doing it for $30!

That is a good idea, wait awhile to see if it bothers you...and if it does.... I would see if the jeweler can set it straight!

 

[CharmyPoo]

I think it looks beautiful. I honestly don''t think the crooked prong is too bad. My friend''s cartier is more crooked and she doesn''t notice it.

 

[swimmer]

That color is fabulous. The ring is so nice and dainty...as the ladies have said, if it is going to drive you bonkers, do something, or just forget about it and enjoy an amazzzzzzzzing ring! I love it!

 

[Tuckins1]

Honestly, I think the ring looks stunning! You can see that it is a tad "off" in some pics, but it is such a tiny bit that nobody would really ever know (unless you point it out). It might bother me too, just cuz I would know that it was crooked, but I wouldn''t worry too much! Just enjoy it!

 

[geckodani]

Overall I think it looks amazing!!!! The halo really sets off the stone. The crooked prong would personally drive me crazy, but that''s me. If it''s bothering you, I would definitley look into how much it would cost to get it fixed.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

First of all, the Garnet, in that setting, is HEAVEN!!!!!! I LOVE it!!!!!

However, even if it''s not easy to see, knowing that the stone was off kilter would bug me - my jeweler charges $50 - $60 to set a stone with pointed prongs, and I''m completely OCD about taking macro pics of it before I leave the shop. I''m sorry you''re not happy with the setting, but maybe if you take some macro pics along with you, and some examples of how you want it repaired, they''ll work with you to make you happy.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I love the contrast, Kelli! It''s stunning! I do see the crookedness, and if you''re like me, I''d definitely want it fixed. But even still, it doesn''t take away from the beauty of the ring, the gem and the setting!

 

[GemRite]

Hello Kelli,
That is a beautiful setting for the stone! It looks really nice I do see the slight tilt in it, sometimes the prongs move a little when setting the stone. If you can live with it ok, but if not they should be able to straighten it out a little. They may have to unseat the stone and try bending the prongs into alignment, if they can''t do it while it is set. If anything happens to the stone contact me and I will help in anyway possible including cutting an exact replacement stone. But most likely nothing will happen. It is beautiful!!! And thing else I can do please drop me a line.