Please help - question about milgrain bezel and tourmaline

[Mreader]

Thanks @tyty333 I am definitely good with the shiny bezel now. @icy_jade I am loling here over “man hands” and thinking of the Seinfeld reference. You have lovely hands!!!

 

[icy_jade]

@icy_jade I am loling here over “man hands” and thinking of the Seinfeld reference. You have lovely hands!!!

You can see my man hands and bigger rings in this post:

Please Show us your Ring Family on One Hand

WOW-O-WOW Ladies:appl::dance::appl::dance::appl: Im so excited and sad that I reached the end at page 20. I wish I could "@" everyone on this list, I was up till 3am looking this thread that I just discovered. And taking a break at work to finish the last 3 pages. I passed out (happily) ogling...

www.pricescope.com

Apart from the zircon, which is a bit big and heavy to wear, none of the others bother me when I’m wearing them, and a few are way bigger than the yellow sapphire, like the monster jadeite rings.

You will get used to it (big rings) after a while. I’ll also say that with greater age, my fingers seem to acquire more ability to carry bigger rings... seems to be a fairly common symptom in women I know...

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I bet once you’ve worn it for a bit you won’t even notice the size. It might just be the initial shock of it being so much bigger than you anticipated.

It is a beautiful ring

 

[femmemannequin]

OK more pics. The stone is beautiful and I definitely am good with no milgrain. The bezel does not look as thick irl as it did in the studio shots. The stone was really deep so it sits high! The workmanship is impeccable. The only thing I’m having a hard time with is the size and I did not think that would be an issue at all. I almost feel like it looks like costume on my hand? @icy_jade has a 7 ct sapphire and her ring does not overwhelm her fingers at all from my view. Ok PSers I’m relying on you to convince me it looks ok on my hand bc I’ve sunk too much $ into this for it to sit in a box! Also tagging @Spring Day







ETA - I slapped a coat of polish on my nails to make them somewhat presentable and had to cut them to match the one that broke off

omg it is a perfect size! big but perfect! please dont keep it in d box ! wear it more more more

 

[Efleon]

OK more pics. The stone is beautiful and I definitely am good with no milgrain. The bezel does not look as thick irl as it did in the studio shots. The stone was really deep so it sits high! The workmanship is impeccable. The only thing I’m having a hard time with is the size and I did not think that would be an issue at all. I almost feel like it looks like costume on my hand? @icy_jade has a 7 ct sapphire and her ring does not overwhelm her fingers at all from my view. Ok PSers I’m relying on you to convince me it looks ok on my hand bc I’ve sunk too much $ into this for it to sit in a box! Also tagging @Spring Day







ETA - I slapped a coat of polish on my nails to make them somewhat presentable and had to cut them to match the one that broke off

OMGOODNESS!!
I’m very late to this thread but sooo happy I’m here for the big reveal.
It’s gorgeous!
At first I was rooting for milgrain but seeing it on you hand it’s perfect.
My husband always says “the enemy of good is better” and I think that applies (except it’s way better than just good)...it’s spectacular.

 

[swaye2010]

Thanks @tyty333 I am definitely good with the shiny bezel now. @icy_jade I am loling here over “man hands” and thinking of the Seinfeld reference. You have lovely hands!!!

Sorry girl...I know I am late to the conversation. I have been doing some projects like staining my deck so I haven’t checked in. Please don’t send it to someone else. Sam has all his own In house trade’s. I have seen them do things more difficult then I have seen from some of the other expert jeweler’s. He actually did my ring w/o miligrain on the inner bezel too so I sent him a picture with the last ring and asked for it to be added. I was sad about my pop of color that didn’t fit on the cuff so we found a spot to put it at the bottom before it gets sent out. Sam is easy going about these things. If you receive it and you want to change it, just send it back and he will add it or change it before it is mailed out. I saw your ring and it is stunning. I personally would probably still add the miligrain but I am a sucker for it. It is really delicate in person.. His guy has been doing this for over 60 year’s and he still loves coming to work every day. He has sized my full eternity rings and done things that other people have said no to.

It is always easier to add something then to take it away. if that is what you want, he will certainly do it. Please don’t send it to David to fix. It just isn’t necessary. I took my latest project and drew a bunch of edits on it and they will finish it up on Monday. Adding miligrain to the inner bezel was my choice too. I saw the pictures of your ring and it is just stunning. I can’t wait to get mine so we can compare!

Edit - I just went back and saw page 3 so you rec’d it already. The FedEx guy did not come for me yesterday and I was so mad because it was sent overnight. I was supposed to get my sapphire ring. Your setting is so gorgeous. My aqua can feel quite big sometimes but it depends on what I am wearing that makes it feel big or not. Mine was 9 mm but square with the halo and your’s is elongated so it has more finger coverage. I think if you wear it around, it won’t feel so big. It really is just lovely though. Now that I see the pic’s, I understand why they did not add the miligrain.

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Your ring is stunning and does not look too big or costumey at all!! I think it looks stunning actually. I’m always on team #bigring though!

 

[Mreader]

Sorry girl...I know I am late to the conversation. I have been doing some projects like staining my deck so I haven’t checked in. Please don’t send it to someone else. Sam has all his own In house trade’s. I have seen them do things more difficult then I have seen from some of the other expert jeweler’s. He actually did my ring w/o miligrain on the inner bezel too so I sent him a picture with the last ring and asked for it to be added. I was sad about my pop of color that didn’t fit on the cuff so we found a spot to put it at the bottom before it gets sent out. Sam is easy going about these things. If you receive it and you want to change it, just send it back and he will add it or change it before it is mailed out. I saw your ring and it is stunning. I personally would probably still add the miligrain but I am a sucker for it. It is really delicate in person.. His guy has been doing this for over 60 year’s and he still loves coming to work every day. He has sized my full eternity rings and done things that other people have said no to.

It is always easier to add something then to take it away. if that is what you want, he will certainly do it. Please don’t send it to David to fix. It just isn’t necessary. I took my latest project and drew a bunch of edits on it and they will finish it up on Monday. Adding miligrain to the inner bezel was my choice too. I saw the pictures of your ring and it is just stunning. I can’t wait to get mine so we can compare!

Edit - I just went back and saw page 3 so you rec’d it already. The FedEx guy did not come for me yesterday and I was so mad because it was sent overnight. I was supposed to get my sapphire ring. Your setting is so gorgeous. My aqua can feel quite big sometimes but it depends on what I am wearing that makes it feel big or not. Mine was 9 mm but square with the halo and your’s is elongated so it has more finger coverage. I think if you wear it around, it won’t feel so big. It really is just lovely though. Now that I see the pic’s, I understand why they did not add the miligrain.

So glad you weighed in!! And yes I didn’t plan to send to DK it was either going to be Sam to do it or keep it polished. I’m keeping it polished. I am definitely getting used to the size!
Also he used the same fleur de lis gallery. When I heard it was fleur de lis my heart stopped bc I have Louisiana connections (my husband is from New Orleans) I teach French and I lived in Louisville for a time. I love fleur de lis so it seemed so perfect. I just hope it’s ok bc I see yours was also like that when I went and looked at it again when deciding between milgrain vs no milgrain.

 

[Mreader]

Also @swaye2010 what sapphire is this? I saw your thread about the lab diamond and then also the light sapphire where you had a dark one. But not a sapphire you were currently waiting on. Would love to see more!!

Edit - duh now I see you do mean the lighter sapphire - you had studio pics posted and didn’t have the ring in hand. I get it now. Can’t wait to see the lab ring once it’s finished!

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

It doesn't look costume at all! It looks beautiful, classic, and lovely on your finger.

 

[swaye2010]

Also @swaye2010 what sapphire is this? I saw your thread about the lab diamond and then also the light sapphire where you had a dark one. But not a sapphire you were currently waiting on. Would love to see more!!

Edit - duh now I see you do mean the lighter sapphire - you had studio pics posted and didn’t have the ring in hand. I get it now. Can’t wait to see the lab ring once it’s finished!

Yes, I waited around all day for a FedEx overnight delivery. Started doing some work outside to kill time and they never showed! Then I asked if I could get it today at the depot and FedEx said no. I wanted to have it over the weekend and I didn’t want to chance any delay with getting my MIL’s stone back. I hate waiting on deliveries!

I should get the lab diamond one in another week. I made a few changes. Some I leave up to Sam because he has a good eye for this. He is not all over the boards with his projects but his work is very good and he is just a nice person.

I know shrinkage will set in. I love to see it done in different ways. I feel ideas should be built on so this is just another way to do it! It is gorgeous and pretty low for the depth. It already has special meaning. I really love it!

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

That is absolutely stunning. It looks perfect on you. The workmanship is so exquisite that anyone with a brain would never think it’s costume jewelry. I am always on the market for a bench will to set customers stones. If you don’t mind, can you give me a ballpark on the bench’s price? I know DK and Daniel M are favorites and so far I haven’t found anyone who can beat their prices. Do you think they were much pricier than DK?

 

[Mreader]

@Sprinkles&Stones based on just this ring I would say the price is very very similar to DK. I had originally gotten a quote for a halo for this stone from him but when I saw Swaye’s ring which nailed what I was looking for I just went straight to the source. DeBebian’s quote was a little less but not by much than the DK quote. But @swaye2010 would know more bc she’s had many pieces done by DeBebians.

 

[Mreader]

Also I did a SMTB post w more pics. I’m getting used to the size.

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

@Sprinkles&Stones based on just this ring I would say the price is very very similar to DK. I had originally gotten a quote for a halo for this stone from him but when I saw Swaye’s ring which nailed what I was looking for I just went straight to the source. DeBebian’s quote was a little less but not by much than the DK quote. But @swaye2010 would know more bc she’s had many pieces done by DeBebians.

Exactly what I wanted to know, thanks! It’s so gorgeous I am sure this is out of my current price range. But I think the workman ship is soooo well done that I want to add them to my potential venders list. Drool!

 

[Mreader]

Exactly what I wanted to know, thanks! It’s so gorgeous I am sure this is out of my current price range. But I think the workman ship is soooo well done that I want to add them to my potential venders list. Drool!

I can give you more specifics if you want to find one of my LT listings which has my email address. Feel free to contact me there

 

[swaye2010]

Exactly what I wanted to know, thanks! It’s so gorgeous I am sure this is out of my current price range. But I think the workman ship is soooo well done that I want to add them to my potential venders list. Drool!

I do have a super simple version of this ring too. It is just the halo with a basket and no pave. Another person did it last year so I have the CAD if you want it to get some pricing.

Prices are in line with DK. I think they are only a block or so apart in LA. I keep going back because I like a jeweler that is willing to talk on the phone about a project and that I can speak to right away. I don’t want to do these expensive projects through text or wait month’s for an answer. I have tried that route and it doesn’t work for me, especially because i like to make changes during the design phase. No doubt that DK does good work too though!

 

[dk168]

Fabulous stone and ring as already mentioned in the other thread, thanks for sharing!

Re: the vendor's comment in the line of he/she should have charge more, and repeated it more than once - that would be a red flag for me that will result in no further dealings/purchases in future!

DK

 

[Mreader]

Fabulous stone and ring as already mentioned in the other thread, thanks for sharing!

Re: the vendor's comment in the line of he/she should have charge more, and repeated it more than once - that would be a red flag for me that will result in no further dealings/purchases in future!

DK

Since this type of thing has happened to me with multiple vendors I’ve decided that many people in this biz can just lack some social skills. At the end of the day I’m glad there’s no milgrain now and the piece is so amazing. I’d give them another chance.

 

[mjea]

@Mreader Absolutely stunning ring that looks beautiful on you! No way it looks costume and no way it's too big. It's bold and blingy and beautiful.

For names, what about Milli for the milgrain snafu blessing in disguise?

 

[Mreader]

@Mreader Absolutely stunning ring that looks beautiful on you! No way it looks costume and no way it's too big. It's bold and blingy and beautiful.

For names, what about Milli for the milgrain snafu blessing in disguise?

Ha! Good idea but my friend has a poodle with that name so that’s what would come to mind.

 

[mjea]

Ha! Good idea but my friend has a poodle with that name so that’s what would come to mind.

HAHAHA! This beauty definitely deserves its own name

 

[Mreader]

HAHAHA! This beauty definitely deserves its own name

I have it now - Viridis. Latin for “green”

 

[pebbles7]

Guys I am in need of some expertise and advice. So I have a beautiful tourmaline and I told the jeweler that I wanted to set it in an art deco halo. I was completely inspired by @swaye2010 's aqua ring (you can go to her page and look at her avatar) so I sent the stone to that person I essentially showed him the photo of the ring and said to do that with the milgrain bezel in YG and the rest in white. CADS approved; said milgrain added after etc. Yay. I got a call yesterday that the ring was done and they were shipping it out. I was so excited! He was talking about how gorgeous it turned out etc. Then he said in an offhand way that they didn't milgrain the bezel because of the thickness. I was really distracted while talking to him because my 5 y/o was vying for my attention. So I couldn't process it. But then I called him back to ask for more clarification, because the more I thought about it, the more troubled I was. I had specifically asked for the milgrain bezel and he never mentioned it would be an issue to do this. When I called back, he told me that the jeweler didn't do the milgrain for a couple of reasons. One is that tourmaline is soft and so pressing milgrain into the bezel (which is done after the stone is set) is risky and it could crack the stone. The second had to do with the fact that it is alot of thick metal. I don't really get that part. Anyway he said he that since I was worried, he would send me photos of the ring before shipping it, and then I could decide what I wanted to do and if I was resolute on milgrain then he would take it back to the jeweler and ask about it and see if it can be done. He went on to say how beautiful it is and he doesn't think it is necessary. I called him about 3pm CA time but I still don't have photos so emailed again this morning (probably won't here back right away because of time difference). Anyway I was REALLY hoping to show you guys pictures to see what you thought and if I should leave it be, but I don't yet have them but since I still feel troubled I felt compelled to write and get your input. I definitely don't want to risk breaking the stone. Any thoughts? I'm attaching a pic of the stone; I mentioned this project in a couple of other threads. @swaye2010 would love your input as well of course since we are working with the same person

I understand why you would be disappointed. They should have let know before hand that the milgrain would be a problem. If I had my heart set on a certain design, I would want to know that information beforehand. I love milgrain, I love the little details. It would be a problem for me if I couldn't have it. I probably would have scrapped the entire project until I sourced a gemstone that it would work with . However, it's a gorgeous stone and I'm sure it would look great in any setting !

 

[T L]

Absolutely. I usually create a thread for each ring but I missed the mark on this guy. The tourmaline is 9.02x8.88x7.71 and the ring itself is probably around 14-15mm across.

Stunning!!

 

[Mreader]

I understand why you would be disappointed. They should have let know before hand that the milgrain would be a problem. If I had my heart set on a certain design, I would want to know that information beforehand. I love milgrain, I love the little details. It would be a problem for me if I couldn't have it. I probably would have scrapped the entire project until I sourced a gemstone that it would work with . However, it's a gorgeous stone and I'm sure it would look great in any setting !

Hi @pebbles7 all is good now and I loved how it turned out.

 

[indigoblue]

I am NOT a fan of milgrain. To my eye it cheapens a setting by trying to simulate pave diamonds. The plain YG bezel looks great to me and complements the green perfectly.

 

[voce]

@indigoblue the milgrain technique has been around for many centuries before diamonds started to see any use in jewelry...I see it as your biased personal opinion that milgrain tries to simulate pave diamonds. I will agree with you that a lot of cheaper designs these days have "milgrain" aka beads but not diamonds, but milgrain can be applied on the edges and can be much more elegant and delicate--no fine jeweler is willing to set diamonds smaller than 0.8mm.

The milgrain in these examples cannot be replaced by pave diamonds. They delineate edges, which pave diamonds cannot do effectively without needing a larger focal point and more space.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

This is quite a thread. Mreader, you've had quite a go with this project and I feel bad for the misery you've had with what should have been just joyful. But the ring is fabulous with the smooth yellow gold bezel, less is more perhaps. I love it this way, it's a stunning ring and I hope you will rock it.
One comment, my engagement ring - back in the dark ages - was a green tourmaline that I hardly ever wore. Finally I started wearing it from time to time. Fast forward 25 years, I'm widowed and want to sell it and it was scratched to death. WHAT??? I paid to have it repolished and pawned it for very little.
Take care of that rascal. It's a luminous beauty.

 

[dk168]

I have not read all the posts in detail, however, personally, although I love antique especially Art Deco designs, I dislike millgrains, they do not do anything for me.

Hence for all the jewellery pieces I have commissioned, none of them has millgrains, and I specified that in my design specifications as the inspiration pics would normally have millgrains and/or intricate details on both sides of the shank (I prefer a plain and wider shank).

I love your ring as it is personally.

DK