Rose gold ring setting dilema

[lujews]

I am in the process deciding on the e-ring setting and thought i might get some help/direction here.
After looking at various pictures, posts, and reviews i have decided to use Victor to do my micro paved halo e-ring with light pink sapphire.
I always envisioned to have my e-ring in rose gold.
After few emails with Victor it looks like he strongly suggests to use platinum as it is more durable. Also, he does not like the look of 2 toned ring (I thought to have at least rose gold halo with platinum band).
I have talked to few more designers and although some did mention the fact that rose gold is more brittle, nobody told me not go with it.
So now I am confused.
What do i do? I really want quality craftsmanship for my ring that Victor provides. I also want my ring in rose gold. Does anybody have rose gold jewellery from Victor? Will he agree if i press on it? Should i go with another artist?

Any comments would be appreciated.

 

[txgreeneyes]

I have a rose gold ring. The setting is platinum. The stone is a 2.2 light colored peach/pink topaz.

Brian Gavin did the ring. It's beautiful. The setting was done in platinum to protect the stone and because it was the sturdiest.

I'll find a picture and show it to you.

 

[txgreeneyes]

Here it is..

 

[lujews]

the ring is beautiful. which part is rose gold? I can't figure it out...

 

[FrekeChild]

The band/shank is rose gold.

 

[Euphony]

18k rose gold is brittle, but 14k rose gold is not at all. It is very pliable. I would get what you like. If you are worried about brittle metal do 14k and it shold not be an issue. Don't let your jeweller's biases lead you to get a ring you won't be happy with. People do rose gold halos all the time.

 

[txgreeneyes]

The bank/shank is rose gold. Think it is 14K. The basket holder thingie is platinum.

(Sorry that I wasn't clear earlier.. I blame allergies.)

 

[distracts]

I have never seen anything but platinum jewelry from Victor Canera. Honestly, if you want rose gold, I would NOT go with him because of his strong preference for platinum.

This person had a hand-forged halo made by Engagement Rings Direct in rose gold:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-gorgeous-dainty-erd-rose-gold-halo-omb.191094/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-gorgeous-dainty-erd-rose-gold-halo-omb.191094/[/URL]
so maybe ERD is an option.

 

[eac]

I think that your ring idea sounds great, and reasonable, and that you should have what you want. I, too, have recently had a jeweler push white gold/platinum at me, when my preference is for rose gold or yellow gold. His claim was that "white gold is stronger because it's annealed." Er, aren't all blended metals annealed?

Also, rose gold is often a special order, or has a slight extra charge, and it seems like some jewelers want to avoid this.

Look around to find a jeweler who matches your aesthetic, not one who tries to fit you into their box. You may do better with a smaller artisan jeweler than one of the big "branded" ones. Good luck!

 

[alice87]

it is actually funny to hear that about rose gold. Some countries exclusively wear rose gold and it does not wear out any more than platinum, or especially white gold...

 

[MollyMalone]

My rose gold e-ring (small emeralds w/ little OMC diamonds) is 150 years old. The emeralds have suffered some through the years, but the mounting itself -- unmarked but tested as 14k -- has held up fine, apart from some thinning at the bottom of the shank, i.e., the inside of the back part of the band.

This brief article explains the pitfalls of 18k rose gold:
http://www.preciousmetalswest.com/alloy_article.php

 

[Euphony]

If your jeweller is pushing you toward either white gold or platinum it is probably because that is what they stock their designs in, not because it cannot be done in a different metal successfully. White metals have been popular for so long now, many places don't bother to carry much else. Platinum and gold have to be handled separately, so it makes sense that a designer that works exclusively in platinum prefers not to switch.

Jewellery is there to make the wearer happy so you should get what you want and just be prepared that you may have to take better care with some metals than others just like you would have to be more careful with certain stones than others.

As an aside: any goldsmith who talks a client out of beautiful, buttery yellow gold is nuts and should have their head checked.

 

[lujews]

so who would you recommend to do a good micro-pave job with rose gold?
I am at loss.

 

[chrono]

Engagement Rings Direct
BGD (the most pricey, it seems)
Jewels by Erica Grace (seems pricey to me too)
Whiteflash (depends on their policy)
ID Jewelry
Daniel M on Etsy (least expensive so the workmanship is slightly less fine than those above)

 

[Victor Canera]

Hello everyone,

I think this would be a good venue to clear up some questions being asked with using gold with pave heavy types of designs.

First off, I'm able to create a gold ring just fine. It is true that a slight set up adjustment is needed but this wasn't why I recommend platinum.

It's been my experience that a gold pave ring can only be re-polished maybe once or twice in its lifetime before your risk the polishing process melting away the beading that holds the melee down. With platinum, this particular problem is lessened (although not eliminated). Over the years, with normal wear and tear (sticking fingers in pockets etc.) the beading still melts away faster with gold than platinum. This kind of is a fundamental difference between the two metals.

I just like to give the pros and cons of each metal and let the customer decide what they want to use.


All the best

 

[chrono]

Victor,
I appreciate your point of view.

To others as well,
How often does a person repolish their pave rings (gold or platinum)? I have yet to do so on mine and I have a few. Then again, I am light on my jewellery.

 

[alice87]

My guess the description is a little vague from OP. It seems like it was solely due to micropave the platinum was highly recommended, it makes more sense after Victor's explanations. Just for the e-ring made in RG, without any micro details, which may be greatly affected by regular wear, RG may be a good option. To me WG seem to turn yellow much quicker than any RG would show any damage.

 

[Euphony]

Some people can have a ring for 6 months and it will look like a truck ran over it, and others bring is back after six years and a quick rouge buff is all it takes. Some people really should nix pave altogether because their lifestyles make it a headache.

I just think you should approach metal choice the way you approach stone choice. A diamond may in theory outlast a sapphire just as platinum may in theory outlast red gold, however if you prefer the aesthetics of the sapphire and the rose gold you just have to be a little more mindful. I think it is equally valid to choose durability over aesthetic as vice versa.

 

[peacechick]

Something no one's brought up yet is what metal complements the actual stone being set in the e-ring. I believe lujews has been searching for a pale peachy pink sapphire? If so, then rose gold is the metal that is going to complement a pale pink sapphire the most, and I would not choose platinum despite all the advantages.

 

[pinkjewel]

Something no one's brought up yet is what metal complements the actual stone being set in the e-ring. I believe lujews has been searching for a pale peachy pink sapphire? If so, then rose gold is the metal that is going to complement a pale pink sapphire the most, and I would not choose platinum despite all the advantages.

+1 If the OP decides to keep the very pale peachy pink sapphire she has ordered from Wildfish- the rose gold would look gorgeous with it!!

 

[Laila619]

Get what you want. It sounds like you really have your heart set on rose gold, so I would go with that! Try Whiteflash for custom work (though you will have to check to see if they will set stones they didn't sell). Engagement Rings Direct is another vendor to try.

 

[lujews]

so if i do decide to go with rose gold, is there even a point to do hand forged setting?
Makes it difficult to justify spending 4K+ for a setting that will not last long.

 

[Euphony]

A pave that is set by hand will outlast pave that is cast it place (ie, mass produced in China), and the diamonds will likely be much higher quality. I think that the fragility of a rose gold setting is being over-emphasized. It holds up fine in my personal experience if it is well built and well set. Believe me, I have seen some beat to hell platinum rings, so it is not a miracle metal that doesn't wear down. It just has different properties than gold. I personally think the craftsmanship outweighs the material in terms of longevity. That is my personal/professional experience.

Which is not to say that a custom built ring needs to be $4000+, but I do not know the specifics of the setting you are after either. I do think that quality is important if it is a ring you will be wearing all the time, whatever route you go.

 

[SB621]

I hope you don't mind - nor do I intend to upset any of the members who made recommends, but you absolutely can not put the quality of the VC rings among some of the other vendors mentioned in this thread. Pave is an art form and not many can replicate what VC does. If you are looking for a quality ering you really only have a few choices if you want THAT level of pave. VC, Steven Kirsch, leon Mege and ERD. All have them have done rings in rose gold pave. Like Victor already mentioned rose gold can be particular but you can still use it. I absolutely WOULD NOT go with another vendor for an ering dealing with pave outside of those 4 I mentioned.

And for what it is worth I own rings by all of them minus ERD. I'm happy with them all and would use VC and SK any day of the week. I have issues with Leon but I bought his piece 2nd hand.

 

[chrono]

so if i do decide to go with rose gold, is there even a point to do hand forged setting?
Makes it difficult to justify spending 4K+ for a setting that will not last long.

It depends on your expectations. I've seen and handled hand forged and cast side by side (LM, SK and WF) and the level of workmanship and finish are very different. I am not very fussy so cast is good enough for me. By cast, I don't mean cast in place like the Chinese made settings but the metal is cast and pave set by hand. The hand forged settings are finer, thinner, and far more delicate yet still strong.

As for lasting long, what is your definition of lasting long? 10 years, 20 years, 50 years or 100 years? Again, part of how long it will last also depends on how you wear it (24/7, remove for some activities).

 

[SB621]

so if i do decide to go with rose gold, is there even a point to do hand forged setting?
Makes it difficult to justify spending 4K+ for a setting that will not last long.

It is not rose gold or hand forged that is the issue. Once again it is quality of pave and how it is set. I have pave pieces by the 3 I listed plus WF and IDJ. WF and IDJ aren't even in the same realm- though pretty they are not the highest quality. If you dont' care for hand forged then go with ERD as their pave CAST is of a much higher standard then the others.