Poll: Which of these 6 rings?

[Small]

Numbers 1 and 2 are my favorites. I voted for #1 as I like that just a hair better. Both are absolutely stunning though and would be a nice surprise either way. I can''t wait to see what you end up getting. Is he getting ready to pick soon? Sorry if you''ve posted this but I''ve been away for a bit. Good luck!

 

[E B]

Date: 5/31/2006 1:02:47 PM
Author: IndieJones
My clutz level is pretty high.

Mainly due to the fact that my attention is rarely entirely focused on physical reality.

It's the main reason the etoile style has stayed in the running.

Well, that and it's the best looking of the Tiffany rings on my hand.

(I'd forgotten I tried it on). Although the 3-stone might have looked better, or at least blingy-er.

ETA: I've never actually damaged a ring, and they're my favorite type of jewelry.

Have you thought about an etoile style with engraving? That might be the best of both worlds. I don't know about you, but after seeing the sides of those antique rings, there's no doubt in my mind I'd damage one. They look extremely delicate (though, they might not be! Who knows). My ring is pretty sturdy, and it's a good thing...I've smacked it into walls, desks, you name it.

Just something to keep in mind.

ETA: It'd look a little something like this ('cept it wouldn't be a tension!), from Freesia's thread:
Engraved Ring

 

[firebirdgold]

Date: 5/31/2006 4:47:46 PM
Author: EBree


Have you thought about an etoile style with engraving? That might be the best of both worlds. I don''t know about you, but after seeing the sides of those antique rings, there''s no doubt in my mind I''d damage one. They look extremely delicate (though, they might not be! Who knows). My ring is pretty sturdy, and it''s a good thing...I''ve smacked it into walls, desks, you name it.


Just something to keep in mind.

Good idea, but custom work is probably a bit much to ask from his first jewelry purchase.

I think the antique replicas are all pretty solid settings, although #3 might be a little more prone to being smushed. I''m not sure about #4, although i''ve heard that the dscassi pieces are pretty solid.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

I *think* I remember you saying you''d tried on a couple of the rings. Which felt better? I totally thought I loved a particular ring, and once I tried it on, I changed my mind that instant. For me, I have a hard time seeing a picture and envisioning it in "real" size. They all seem so thick, but that''s because of magnification. It''s frustrating.

Is he the type of man who''d give you a few hints as to which way he''s leaning? Or will he be expecting some hints from you? Is he still planning on going with his sister? What sort of ring would she choose, do you think?

 

[sydneycasandra]

#3 is my vote because it''s gorgeous and seems like a good value. #1 is actually probably my favorite ring but it''s a close call, and considering it''s almost 2x the price that edges #3 WAY ahead. You seem to like a lot of different styles of jewelry (antique, three stone, very modern shiny bold bezel). Perhaps you could take a look at the jewelery you already have and see what style you end up wearing a lot and feel most comfortable in? What do you feel best wearing on a daily basis? Good luck, what a fun decision!

 

[sydneycasandra]

ooh I hadn''t seen the profile shots when I voted and posted; now 3 is by FAR my favorite! What an elegant side view!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Ooh, I didn''t know the side views had been added. I LOVE number 2!

 

[glitterata]

Darn, my husband has gone off with the camera and I think he''ll have to use it all day tomorrow too. I promised on another thread to post closeups of my antiqueengagementrings.com setting so you could see the quality.

I love their designs. Love love love them. But I don''t love the quality. It''s not as nice as their pictures, either. I don''t know if they cleaned up the pictures or just picked atypically crisp examples of the settings to photograph--or maybe I got a subpar version of my setting--but whatever it is, they look more crisp and even than my setting.

Geographically speaking, are you anywhere near NYC? It would be good of you could look at those settings in person. Maybe you won''t mind the quality. It''s not terrible, but it''s not as good as it looks in the pictures.

It''s also too bad Leigh doesn''t seem to have a lot of actual antique rings on his site these days. I think those can be better made than these reproductions, as long as they''re not too worn. The old settings were made with better techniques--die struck, hand fabricated, hand engraved, etc. These reproductions are just casts of antiques, so they''re not as crisp.

I''ll see if I can take photos with the flash when Hubby gets home tonight.

 

[Kay]

Based on the top and side pics, #1 is my favorite, followed by #3. You may be giving him too many choices, especially since there are 3 distinct styles. If you have a preference, you should tell him, or you might be disappointed if he is swayed by someone else''s taste.

 

[E B]

Indie,

Just in case (after glitterata's review), I found this and thought of you:

Antique Ring #1

ETA: A couple more. This site has really pretty stuff!

Ring #2

Ring #3

 

[firebirdgold]

Date: 5/31/2006 10:20:54 PM
Author: EBree
Indie,


Just in case (after glitterata''s review), I found this and thought of you:


Antique Ring #1


ETA: A couple more. This site has really pretty stuff!


Ring #2


Ring #3

Nice looking, but they''re not really speaking to me. Probably because they look like modern rb not OEC diamonds.

It''s possible that after the various quality complaints they''ve started taking a bit more care with the replicas. All it would take is a bit of time to clean up the details on the waxes and then reinforce that with some engraving work with after it''s cast.

This has been a really interesting poll.

It really is like a horse race.

I''ve tried on various over-priced antique rings locally and they all look great on my hand. ($2800 for .35 G-VS2 in 14k? I don''t think so.) I''ve tried on a 3-stone ring and that looked fantastic on me. I can''t really tell about the etoile style since Tiffany only carries size 6 which doesn''t get past my knuckle. So annoying.

I used to wear (on my middle finger) an antique 18k yellow gold snake ring (with a flush-set large pear shaped rose diamond in its head and ruby eyes) constantly until it was stolen. It was my favorite thing of all time, and I still miss it 3-4 years later.

It''s the only thing I''ve really consistently ever worn.

 

[firebirdgold]

So he wants my opinion on all of the rings on the antique site. (more or less). I don''t know if he just wants to throw me off the scent, or if he wants more things to choose from.

So here''s the ones I said were in the running that were not in the poll:

original antique .58 ct I Si1 (+ .08 tcw G Si1), plat. $2150

original antique .65 ct G VVS2 (+ .18tcw G-VVS), 14k $2175

replica, .60 I VS2 (+ .15 tcw H VS), plat $2550



I''ll be sending him the email after work tonight. We''ll see if I get a response.

And yes, I''m getting to the point of wanting a candy ring.

 

[blueroses]

I like those 3 too--very different looks, of course....is the 1st one an OEC? Nice sparkle. The 2nd one (the EC) faces up bigger (and I love step cuts) but the prongs are a little different....and the 3 stone is really lovely too.


Sorry, I''m no help!!! What do you think??

 

[Selkie]

OK, so I''m biased, but I love the three stone with the fishtail prongs. After that, the middle one, then the first.

 

[decodelighted]

After seeing the side views, I love love love #3 the most. That crossover stuff is POW. I wonder if they''d ever sub a larger stone into that one ...say the stone from #1.

Tell the Sweetie that''s ONE way to make a HUGE suprise! Combining TWO different rings! Without the effort of custom design!

Anyhoo ... not sure about the last three -- none hit me the same way the original #1 & #3 do ...

 

[Odilia]

Originally I voted for #2, with #1 a close second, but after seeing the profiles, my votes for the profile would be probably, 3,2,1. #3''s profile, as many said, is so pretty!

 

[ilovesparkles]

Hmmm I don''t like those last three nearly as much either. They just don;t capture the elegance of the engraving of the first ones. And after seeing the side views it is a very tough call! The only thing I don''t care for on 3 is the top view of the prongs, it just looks chunky and unnecessary to me. Other than that 3 is by far my favorite now followed by 2 and 1. Have you looked at estate jewelry? I cannot think of the site off the top of my head but I am going to go look a bit.

 

[ilovesparkles]

There are a couple places you may not have seen before. The first is www.greenlakejewelry.com They have a lot of beautiful work and there is someone on PS that just got her ER from them and had a wonderful experience. The second place I don''t know that anyone has purchased from but they sure doe have some really pretty rings is www.engagement-ring-mountings.com They both have an antique section. The wuality looks really really good for both but its only picture you know.The only thing I am not sure of is it sounds like your boy wants the ring and diamond purchase all in one is this true?

 

[snuga]

I voted for number one. It is so delicate and simple which is what I personally like.

 

[FireGoddess]

After seeing the profiles, still LOVE number 1 the best. Number 2 would be my runner up. None of the new ones I like as much as the ones from the original set!!

 

[firebirdgold]

oooh, I got a clue! He likes the art deco style when it's simple. He made a few hand gestures which led me to believe he likes the more architectural style of art deco. As opposed to the more ornate style which are better suited as "engagement rings for 75 yr old women in Jersey". (no offense to people in Jersey, not my words anyway.

)
For some weird reason his hand gestures brought this ring to mind:

Although it's above what I thought the budget is. However he's been very closed-mouthed about the budget lately.

He hasn't mentioned looking at dscassi, so it's probably going to be something from aer.com. He could just be trying to throw me off the scent, but I get the feeling that he's going to pick something currently available on the site rather than special ordering something like #1.


Heh, I finally know what some women were talking about, saying we should savor this pre-engaged time. Now that there's finally real motion going on, it's really fun to wonder what he'll do!

Anyway, I'm just loving getting your opinions on the rings! Thank you everybody!!

oh, as for time line...I'm leaving on the 13th for almost three weeks in Italy for the family vacation and my sister's wedding. (no bf.

) So he obviously can't get anything done before then. So hopefully sometime in July!

ETA: I looked at my ring collection and absolutely everything I own is bezel set. Of course it's also all cabs, but who knows what he notices.

 

[Mannequin]

I LOVE this last ring you just posted. Wish I could vote for that one in the poll, that is my new favorite.

 

[firebirdgold]

Date: 6/2/2006 4:48:47 PM
Author: ilovesparkles
There are a couple places you may not have seen before. The first is www.greenlakejewelry.com They have a lot of beautiful work and there is someone on PS that just got her ER from them and had a wonderful experience. The second place I don't know that anyone has purchased from but they sure doe have some really pretty rings is www.engagement-ring-mountings.com They both have an antique section. The wuality looks really really good for both but its only picture you know.The only thing I am not sure of is it sounds like your boy wants the ring and diamond purchase all in one is this true?

Yeah, I really don't think he's up for any custom work, and he'd be terrified about getting the ring and the diamond separately. His eyes seriously glaze over within nano-seconds if you use the phrase Si-1 clarity.

Well, my eyes glaze over too when he starts getting technical on his stuff, so fair's fair.

Online shopping is perfect for him. He can peruse the website when he has the time and the inclination. When he finally picks a ring, he can simply click a button and fill out his cc info and poof! all done with no need to talk to an actual salesperson.

Let's face it, the sales people around here are enough to put a person off of real people for life!

The www.engagement-ring-mountings.com site (which I hadn't seen before) doesn't really have anything that strikes my fancy at the moment. And while I love greenlake's stuff it's mostly custom work and it's not exactly budget friendly either. But thanks for the suggestions.

 

[ilovesparkles]

Well I hope he finds the perfect ring for you Indie! I saw the thread over in RockyTalky about the quality of aer.com. I know this may be totally useless but have you looked at jewelry auctions at all? A lot of times you can put in absentee bids. So he wouldn''t have to go there or anything. Its probably silly of me to mention this. But good luck!

 

[firebirdgold]

OMG, OMG! #3 sold! Maybe it''s to him? It could be to him. It''s probably not to him... but it could be! Do you think it could be?? It''s the ring I started the ''keep your fingers crossed'' post about. link to #3. I think it looks gorgeous! And I can''t see anything wrong with the quality of the details in the bigger pictures can you? can you?

*deep breath* I shouldn''t get too excited. It probably wasn''t him. I''m sure he''s planning on taking advantage of my long trip next week to think about it and look at the site some more. But it could have been him who bought it! ooooh!