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Petal setting engagement ring. CAD?

M

mrfusi0n

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 16, 2013
Messages
5
Hi everyone, this is my first post so hope it's okay. ;)
I'm in the market for an e-ring for my GF. We came across one we really liked at BlueNile with a petal shaped setting. However, her finger is a very small 3.5 and the ring comes with a small pink sapphire on the side. The small ring size means they would need to make it a custom order. That would be fine except they will not let me replace the pink sapphire with a diamond because it is the ring designer's signature mark. I can respect that but, on the other hand, I'm spending a lot of money here so why should I compromise? A custom order also means that I would need to pay in full, up front and forfeit any chance at a refund if we decided it wasn't right for her. Maybe that's common practice but it does scare me a bit.

So... I thought, why not look into having a similar ring custom made? I've seen a number of jewelers advertising CAD designed rings and I've read a few posts including Gypsy's one here:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/custom-jewelry-work-cad-and-cast-psa.175834/

I also tried designing something myself in Google SketchUp but I probably would have done better with pencil and paper :oops:
Here's a collage I put together. At the top is the ring from BN with the pink sapphire Photoshopped to a diamond. Bottom left is my SketchUp attempt. I heard that a "Rocker" or "European" style band might be help keep the diamond centered? Her preferences are: platinum, diamonds on the band itself, no colored stones, overall "diamond solitaire" shape. For the center diamond, we are looking for round, ideal cut, ~1ct.

I would GREATLY appreciate any of the following:
* Recommendations for a good CAD designer. Have they done similar rings?
* Thoughts on the "Rocker/European" style band. Comfortable? Helpful?
* Overall thoughts or recommendations.

Thanks!!

e-ring-idea-small.png
 
Thanks for the reply! The Lotus ring is very nice and does have the flower shape (and I do like WhiteFlash) but my girlfriend REALLY likes the diamond pave petals of the one from BlueNile. The way they use the petals as the prongs is really unique.
 
Well, for quality pave, Victor Canera is who I recommend without reservation. You get what you pay for, and I'd have him make any ring with pave. That BN ring looks like the head is sitting there a little precariously, so a slight redesign would benefit the ring.

http://www.victorcanera.com/
 
Not quite sure if she would like this but it's a long time that they have it When I asked for the price for setting alone a( while back, maybe a year ago) he asked for $2500.00 I have hand shots of it somewhere I could try to find them if you're interested.

June 14, 2011

2.00 carat tw engagement ring $10000.00

How do you begin to describe this ring. It must have been made for a princess because the setting and gallery look like a crown. This custom ring was hand made in platinum 9.5 grams in all and then hand set with 123 round brilliant cut diamonds all of excellent quality (VS-FG). The high quality VS1-G centre diamond measures 6.65mm-6.60mm x 3.93 and weighs exactly 1.00 carat. This ring is in new condition. I don’t believe it has been worn. The estate price is $10000.00. The diamond or setting are available separately. The centre diamond alone is worth more than the estate price


http://www.billleboeufjewellers.com/category/estate_pieces/rings/

_4420.jpg
 
That makes for some seriously huge, clunky prongs. Wouldn't be my style, especially compared to the BN setting.

liz
 
What is your budget for the setting?
 
I was actually just looking into petal/lotus type settings, the only things I could find was the Leon settings and a couple on ebay from Lord Of Gem Rings. Here's the links, you could always grab a couple photos and have a designer of your choice create something similar.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Lotus-Flower-9-5mm-Round-Cut-H-SI-DIAMOND-14K-WHITE-GOLD-Wedding-SEMI-MOUNT-RING-/270852945330?pt=US_Fine_Rings&hash=item3f1017f5b2#ht_10808wt_1302


http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Flower-11-8CT-BLUE-TOPAZ-88ct-DIAMOND-SOLID-14K-WHITE-GOLD-PAVE-Engagement-RING-/250932168325?pt=US_Fine_Rings&hash=item3a6cb90685#ht_10686wt_1401
 
In terms of flower inspired settings, heartofwaterjewels on etsy does a beautiful handmade style that are well loved on colored stones... But no pave. Perhaps not of interest to the op due to that, but for anyone else... The price is incredible for handmade , too.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/28788580/lush-lotus-made-to-order-prices-vary?ref=cat_gallery_15

Oh, these people will customize-- I know the band is MUCH clunkier than what you and your fiancée want, but if the head is similar, maybe they could put it on a more delicate pave band for you. I bet they do CAD.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98457275/pink-topaz-lotus-blossom-ring-with-pave?ref=cat_gallery_8
 
I really appreciate all of your input!

diamondseeker2006, I looked into it some and really like VC's work and the fact that it's completely hand made. I'm excited about this possibility but I'm not sure if I can afford it. We will see. I requested a quote today.

Cluless, the ring is very unique, is flower shaped, and doesn't use standard prongs but the ring is not her style. She has very small fingers and wants the overall look to be delicate.

Bella432 and chloeishere, I like the lotus flower ring on eBay but I find it strange they don't show it with a center stone. Maybe my imagination just isn't working too well today! The blue topaz one is beautiful and in some ways the right style. I really like the design on that setting but not so much the wrap-around pave on the band. The ones on Etsy are also very unique and beautiful. I looked everywhere for flower shaped settings and couldn't find this many! I don't think any of these rings are quite right for my girlfriend but the designs and ideas will most definitely be helpful if I go custom!

Thanks again!! :D

On a slightly different topic, what are your thoughts on the "rocker/european" style band? I think I need to do more research on that. Does it really help keep the ring upright and centered? Is it comfortable?
 
hi mrfusiOn,
I love the original setting you're looking at from Blue Nile. I'm just wondering if it might be possible to order the ring as is, and once you receive it, take it to a locally recommended jeweler and have them remove the sapphire peekaboos and replace them with two tiny diamonds. I don't think this is very complicated (I've had similar work done myself) and it would probably be much more cost effective than arranging a custom setting. Best of luck whatever you decide!
 
kmarla, very good point. I did look into that some and it is still a very good possibility. If I remember correctly, the bezel around the sapphire would need to be cut open, gems swapped, and the bezel repaired OR the stone itself could be broken but I'm not sure how that would help get a new one in. Anyway, having BN do a special order is a definite possibility. I just don't like their policy of full payment upfront, you have to buy the diamond from them as well, and no possibility of a refund. Maybe it's not really that bad but I want to at least weigh my other options first.

Once I get a rough quote on the custom work, I should be able to decide. If I did have it custom made, I wouldn't have it made exactly like the one at BN, that would just be the central pattern. I have a feeling the custom setting might not leave me enough $$ for the perfect stone but that's something I could maybe upgrade later.
 
I would go to Engagement Rings Direct - they are CAD/CAST and have good price points.
 
A few more thoughts ...

1. I would not go euroshank unless your girlfriend has asked for this. Many people dislike them. In fact, I have remade a few euroshank rings back into normal shanks.

2. The etsy sellers mentioned will not be who I use for a e-ring. They are great for RHR or gemstones but not for a daily e-ring.

3. BlueNile has most of their settings made in China. I have been told the quality is poor but I have not inspected it myself.

4. LOGR ring is a copy of a Tiffany Statement ring.

A setting like yours will likely run about $5000 from Steven Kirsch and more from Victor (based on quotes I have seen - he charges more than Leon and Steve). I know Steven Kirsch has made petal designs before because he just showed me it on Monday. I think it will be about $3000 to $3500 from ERD but I am taking wild guesses here.
 
Here is the Tiffany Lotus. Same as the LOGR blue ring - I have been wanting to make this with a thinner shank for a while.

tiffanylotus1.jpg

tiffanylotus2.jpg
 
So... I probably should have mentioned this before but my GF's favorite flower is the tulip. I think that's really why she liked the ring from BN so much.

With that in mind, here is my latest design idea. It's still a little rough but I just wanted to sketch out the general idea. Tulips generally have three outer petals overlapping three inner petals. I think this design sort of mimic that. I still envision the solid petals with diamond pave and the band with channel set diamonds - neither of which made it into my rough design.

Also, I did contact Victor and he though the original design (based on the one from BN) was too much for a 1ct diamond. Specifically, he thought 6 prongs was too much and 4 would be better. I've been thinking about it and I think I disagree. I like 6 prongs (or even 5) because it gives the setting more of a flower shape.

e-ring-idea2-small.png
 
Classic Tiffany setting has 6 prongs and plenty of 1 ct and smaller are set in it. Look up some pictures and see how you feel.

You really don't have to do all these CADs yourself. Find a vendor and they can do it for you.
 
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