Ring Shopping!

[GoingCrazy29]

Well we finally went ring shopping for the first time last night!!! It was so exciting and he actually seemed like he was having a good time! He was so interested in learning everything and has been reading the pricescope diamond tutorial like crazy . He really just seemed so calm and generally excited to be ring shopping, he even said we should have done this a long time ago and he wants to get me a perfect ring that I''ll love for the rest of my life.

I''d like to hear your thoughts about what I''m thinking about for my ring! I know the proposal won''t happen for awhile, but I''m so excited I could burst.

I KNOW I want a cushion cut. For a long time I thought I would get a micro-pave setting, but all the ones I see look so thick. The jeweler last night told me about bead setting frame (tiny tiny diamonds forming a halo). I LOVE this idea, I just want really delicate little diamonds for my halo- and all the pave''s I''m finding seem too thick. Does anyone have any experience with bead setting halos? I think I''ll post on Rocky Talk too, but I''d love to hear your thoughts!!! Thanks so much!

 

[Lauren8211]

Eeeep!! Exciting!! I read your post and I actually started to get excited!

How much did your opinion on what type of ring you wanted change once you actually started to put them on?

 

[GoingCrazy29]

Actually putting the ring on my finger made me a billion times more sure that I want a cushion cut! The only thing I really changed my mind about was the micro-pave. She brought out some rings with a bead setting and the diamonds seemed so much thinner and delicate, and I really loved that. I can''t really find any good pictures online to post of bead settings, because all the ones I find tend to be bigger micro-paves still. It was so much fun to actually go though, my hand was shaking and my BF just kept laughing at the irony of how I was the one shaking and not him! It was a great night

 

[ash313]

YAY YAY YAY!!!

That''s sooooo exciting! Congratulations on taking the first step! If you''re like me, now you''ll find that the more you talk with him about it and look for rings, the more anxious and excited you''ll be getting!

Another cushion cut lover! I love them, too. Too be honest, I can''t comment much on the bead setting, but I do think micro-pave bands are beautiful. I had the same issue, that all the bands I looked at seemed too thick.

Money is a bit of a concern for us, so in the end I opted for a 2mm plain white gold band, and we will put the rest of our budget into getting one high-quality cushion. That way, we can reset is later if we want without having a setting left over that I''m attached to. Since it''s so simple, I would just trade it in. Does that make sense?

One other thing to think about is that the cushion is a very subtly unique shape, and anything you add to it should enhance the shape, not detract from it. This is another reason I thought solitaire might be nice.

What shape do you like? I like the more rectangular ones, sort of like the old style. I think they''re funky and cool-looking.

Again, congrats!! So exciting about your shopping trip!

 

[emeraldlover1]

micropave is standard for small pave stones however there can still be variations in the size of the diamonds and the width of the band. Having just went through this I thought I''d give you some examples. Here is a good example of the bead setting with cutdowns: http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=447 The cutdowns are where the metal surrounding the diamond is cut down so that to it is to appear smaller. That is what the jewler explained to me. The Harry Winston pave settings follow this concept. I''d suggest going to to multiple jewelers to really get a feel of the different types of pave settings. Also, I''d refer you to leon''s site because he does a good job of explaining micropave. Remember that when you see pictures of the setting it is multiplied by at least 10 times and will not look that way in person. I know what you are saying about some of the pave settings looking too wide as I saw this myself. However, I must add that all the bead set settings I saw were too thick for me unless they were under 1.8mm and frankly I am too hard on my jewelery to go thinner than that. The setting we chose is 2mm width.

Now, if you are going to do a halo the jeweler should be able to provide you with a setting that is thinner than 1.8mm surounding the diamond. I would not go any thiner than this on the band. That may change your view of the setting as well. I have to tell you that I designed my setting with a bead set halo and in the end decided on a Tacori that is not at all like what I designed because it was the only one that would give me the delicate halo look. My stone is too big to have a large halo without it looking rediculous on me.

Hopefully some of that will help. If you want further explanation please let me know.

Good luck. Ring shoping with your SO is so romantic isn''t it? When you find the right setting both of you willl know and it is amazing!

 

[GoingCrazy29]

Thanks for all the info! I guess I should explain that although I don''t want the band to be really thick either, the problem I was running into was that all the diamond halo''s seemed too thick. I just want a tiny halo that really shows off the shape of the cushion.

I also like the more rectangular old-style cushion. I want my ring to have a vintage, antique feel, but not old .

I think I only want diamonds on part of the band, with a milled (beaded) edge. I care way more about the cushion and the setting than the actual band. I just don''t want the halo to overtake the cushion- I want the halo to accentuate it with just little tiny diamonds, make sense?

Thanks for all your input and I''m always up for hearing more

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

I fell in love with a beaded halo setting. Not only was it perfectly delicate but the jeweler told me that the setting would wear beautifully over the years.

Happy to hear about your great update!!

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 6/25/2008 10:21:21 AM
Author: GoingCrazy29
Thanks for all the info! I guess I should explain that although I don''t want the band to be really thick either, the problem I was running into was that all the diamond halo''s seemed too thick. I just want a tiny halo that really shows off the shape of the cushion.

I also like the more rectangular old-style cushion. I want my ring to have a vintage, antique feel, but not old .

I think I only want diamonds on part of the band, with a milled (beaded) edge. I care way more about the cushion and the setting than the actual band. I just don''t want the halo to overtake the cushion- I want the halo to accentuate it with just little tiny diamonds, make sense?

Thanks for all your input and I''m always up for hearing more

That is exactly what I thought you meant. You should consider making the diamonds on the halo of a smaller size. That is exactly the look I am going for as well.

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 6/25/2008 10:21:21 AM
Author: GoingCrazy29
Thanks for all the info! I guess I should explain that although I don''t want the band to be really thick either, the problem I was running into was that all the diamond halo''s seemed too thick. I just want a tiny halo that really shows off the shape of the cushion.


I also like the more rectangular old-style cushion. I want my ring to have a vintage, antique feel, but not old .


I think I only want diamonds on part of the band, with a milled (beaded) edge. I care way more about the cushion and the setting than the actual band. I just don''t want the halo to overtake the cushion- I want the halo to accentuate it with just little tiny diamonds, make sense?


Thanks for all your input and I''m always up for hearing more

When people talk about tiny, delicate halos, I always think of Tacori. Have you seen any of theirs? I don''t know if they''d be within your budget, but they might be the look you''re going for.

 

[ash313]

That sounds sooooo beautiful! And I agree, will really highlight to cool cushion cut shape! Can''t wait to see photos of the real thing!!!

 

[Anna0499]

How exciting! I really want to go ring shopping, but because I have 3 years left of LS, I feel like it would create a HUGE distraction & I will want to go all the time! I don''t know where to point you but I know a lot of the girls around here have very delicate halos and they can help you out...let us know what you decide!

 

[gwendolyn]

Hmm, this is sort of the idea I was thinking of with the delicate Tacori halos. This is shown with a princess, so it''s square and not rectangular like the cushion you want to get, but the description says it can hold an emerald cut, and they''re usually rectangular, so why not a cushion?

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 6/25/2008 10:48:03 AM
Author: gwendolyn

Date: 6/25/2008 10:21:21 AM
Author: GoingCrazy29
Thanks for all the info! I guess I should explain that although I don''t want the band to be really thick either, the problem I was running into was that all the diamond halo''s seemed too thick. I just want a tiny halo that really shows off the shape of the cushion.


I also like the more rectangular old-style cushion. I want my ring to have a vintage, antique feel, but not old .


I think I only want diamonds on part of the band, with a milled (beaded) edge. I care way more about the cushion and the setting than the actual band. I just don''t want the halo to overtake the cushion- I want the halo to accentuate it with just little tiny diamonds, make sense?


Thanks for all your input and I''m always up for hearing more

When people talk about tiny, delicate halos, I always think of Tacori. Have you seen any of theirs? I don''t know if they''d be within your budget, but they might be the look you''re going for.

Gwen...that is what I''m getting! Did you see my recent post on the setting we chose? Crazy...the Tacori pictures look nothing like what they do in person. You have to see them.

 

[gwendolyn]

And from the side...

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 6/25/2008 10:58:49 AM
Author: emeraldlover1
Gwen...that is what I''m getting! Did you see my recent post on the setting we chose? Crazy...the Tacori pictures look nothing like what they do in person. You have to see them.

Seriously?! That is a GORGEOUS setting!!!! You have excellent taste!

..and when you say they look totally different in person, how do you mean? Better, worse, or just different?

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 6/25/2008 11:01:18 AM
Author: gwendolyn

Date: 6/25/2008 10:58:49 AM
Author: emeraldlover1
Gwen...that is what I''m getting! Did you see my recent post on the setting we chose? Crazy...the Tacori pictures look nothing like what they do in person. You have to see them.

Seriously?! That is a GORGEOUS setting!!!! You have excellent taste!

..and when you say they look totally different in person, how do you mean? Better, worse, or just different?

Yup!!! Totally different. Much better! I think they still look bulky on the picture. The emerald setting has rounded edges that follow the shape of the stone. You can hardly see the prongs and the halo. My ff doesn''t really like halo''s but when he saw it on my finger he said, "Yup, thats the one!" Me too, I really wanted something different and this setting met all my needs. There is nothing I would change about it. Some recent posters have that setting with a round. Seriously, the halo is sooooooooo tiny and delicate. Mom2twogirls has one and also posted it in her avatar.

 

[GoingCrazy29]

Thanks for the pic Gwendolyn, and EmeraldLover- you are a very lucky girl. I love love love how small that diamond halo is and I will definitely print that pic for our next shopping trip! I think those tiny diamonds will really accentuate the cushion, jut like how I''m sure it accentuates your emerald!

I really appreciate all this support and advice- I love it! Keep it coming

 

[Dreamgirl]

Its fun when the boyfriend actually becomes interested!!!!

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 6/25/2008 11:32:31 AM
Author: GoingCrazy29
Thanks for the pic Gwendolyn, and EmeraldLover- you are a very lucky girl. I love love love how small that diamond halo is and I will definitely print that pic for our next shopping trip! I think those tiny diamonds will really accentuate the cushion, jut like how I''m sure it accentuates your emerald!

I really appreciate all this support and advice- I love it! Keep it coming

I can''t tell you how much I was expressing the same things about the halo that I wanted. I am so particular. Seriously, this setting is sooooooooooo dainty IRL. I know I keep saying that but I was on Tacori''s site so many times and I didn''t like any of the settings. I now know that is because their pictures don''t accuratley show what they look like. I''m serious, I think you would love it. And I''ve never seen one with a cushion. I was really surprised that I didn''t like the Michael B. settings. I thought for sure I would but even they seemed not as delicate and I wanted them to be.

So, check''em out. Its worth it. I really wasn''t a believer...I went from wanting a Leon, to having another vendor do it custom, to now Tacori. I can''t wait. Let me know if what you decide!

 

[GoingCrazy29]

I found a tacori retailer not far from me- I added it to my list of stores to go to! Even if we don''t end up with a Tacori, its a great reference. I''m glad to hear your input, Emerald, because I''ve looked online at Tacori before and was dissapointed by the pictures. I''m glad to hear they are better in person, so now I''ll have to see for myself! Thanks for the input!

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 6/25/2008 3:24:16 PM
Author: GoingCrazy29
I found a tacori retailer not far from me- I added it to my list of stores to go to! Even if we don''t end up with a Tacori, its a great reference. I''m glad to hear your input, Emerald, because I''ve looked online at Tacori before and was dissapointed by the pictures. I''m glad to hear they are better in person, so now I''ll have to see for myself! Thanks for the input!

When you are there be sure to check out my setting for me.

It may not after all be what you want but it''ll be a point of reference for other things. You may find you like some things about it and some not. In then end you are doing enough looking that you''ll get the best one for you.