Engagement Rings - Tiffany vs Harry W vs De Beers - Opinions Please

[lebagfairy]

Hello All,

I am in the preliminary stages of shopping for a diamond engagement ring and have visited a few stores recently. I have a few questions and would appreciate any input!

I will be getting a single round solitaire in the 2-3 carat range with no side stones, and am having a difficult time choosing between Tiffany's higher setting and De Beers/Harry Winston settings which let the diamond sit lower on the finger. I feel like the lower settings can make the diamond look smaller because it does not pop out as much.

1) What are your thoughts on lower vs higher settings?
2) If any of you own Harry W, Tiffany, DB please comment on your thoughts and what made you choose your setting.
3) Once I get the ring, I will wear it everyday. I work so I do not want anything too flashy or too large. The 3 ct rings I have tried on have looked really large on me. I am only 5' 3" and petite. At what point do you think a ring is too large/flashy to be able to wear everyday?

TIA!

 

[SuLi]

Hi there!

I'm going to tackle your questions by the number....

1) I have a lower setting only because I am left-handed and clumsy, so I figure that it would be best to have it sit closer to my finger to minimize any potential damage I will inflict on it. I think it's a really personal question. The thing to consider is if you get something lower, your wedding band might not sit "flush" against your ering (unless you get it custom made or curved), whereas if it is higher, it probably will. I never thought that depending on where the ring sits how it will affect the overall look. I guess it's a valid point, but maybe someone else can chime in.

2) I have a custom made piece, so I can't really comment on the rings by these companies. Just keep in mind that you are also paying for the name. I think that with all the options out there, you can definitely get more (and better) stone for less and have it set elsewhere. Again, for some people, there is also nothing like owning a true Tiffany's or HW piece. I guess it depends on how important the brand is to you.

3) I know that some of the rings here and posted on other boards tend to skew larger. I think it depends on where you live. In a more metropolitan place, it's not unusual to see larger stones. I think it's also worth considering what your friends have and what your work environment is like. For instance, I work in a non-profit and although my ring is by no means "ginormous" (1.19 carat) , the size of the stone was the first comment I got from most people in my office. Everyone said that it was HUGE, so I felt embarassed and thought maybe my ring was too flashy. Like you, I am petite...I am 5'3" as well and weight about 112 pounds. It will definitely depend on your finger size also. Mine is on the smaller end at a size 4, so my ring (in addition to the halo around the stone) looks substantial. I have friends who have 2 carat-range rings, but they are a bit larger than I am (height, weight, and finger size), and their rings don't look flashy to me. Maybe you should go and try on a few rings in those carat range and figure out how you feel personally about them.

Good luck and enjoy ring shopping! (PS - I recommend joining Pricescope)

 

[TXGAGIRL]

I have a higher set ring...classic tiffany...it pops but I smack it into everything because it is so much higher. It's 6 prong so it's super protected. Good luck...but get the setting that you'll want to look at over and over again. Then you won't regret your choice.

 

[couturequeen]

Get the lower setting. I hit so much stuff with mine.

 

[MomofQtees]

I have a custom made piece, so I can't really comment on the rings by these companies. Just keep in mind that you are also paying for the name. I think that with all the options out there, you can definitely get more (and better) stone for less and have it set elsewhere. Again, for some people, there is also nothing like owning a true Tiffany's or HW piece. I guess it depends on how important the brand is to you.

ITA!

I also prefer lower setting. Maybe with small diamonds on the side or around to make it pop with a bit of glam without looking too flashy.

 

[chaz]

I have a 1.74 ct old cut'it sits very high as its actually quite a deep stone so that will govern your chioce up to a point,and if it helps mine has had some eyewatering knocks over the years! I put a post on a thread on here alittle while ago about a similar sort of thing, I posted pics of mine,still in fab condition,not a mark on it,but if you look closely at the pics you will see my wedding ring and the shank of my e-ring are absolutely battered,and they are both platinum too!And they have been polished a few times,being in the trade it meant it was easy for me to get done!!But the diamond who has been clipped on car doors,caught getting stuff out of the washer,survived various DIY jobs around the house,garden,loft and car and they are all about 5/6 years old now!
And as a previous poster pointed out be careful you are not paying too much for a name for your setting.Settings come and go as styles change,they eventually wear beyond retrieval(this of course takes a very,very long time!,its the stone is where all the money is and as you'll see from my pics it will always outlive any setting. Plus you can,if you want always have a setting lowered as far as the back of the stone allows,at a later date,hope this helps you enjoy your decsion with a bit more info in place!!
If you enlarge the thumbnails you can see the state of the platinum quite clearly,time for another polish I think!XXXXXXXXXX

 

[luvednotspoiled]

I think it is what pops out at you...when i first started looking i wanted a HUGE rock and this and that...and then i went into tiffanys and i just fell head over heels! Since my fiance and I are still in grad school i couldnt get a HUGE rock that i wanted if i went with tiffanys, but to me it was more important to get a 1 carat ribbon ring than a 2 carat whatever brand

but then again that's just because im a brand name whore LOL! But to me i always grew up dreaming about the little blue box so that was worth it to me...and while a one carat isnt HUGE...i love the size on me! it isnt crazy flashy, but it still looks good on my finger LOVE IT!

 

[isus]

lebagfairy, have you had the opportunity to actually try on rings? I feel this is the best thing you could do to get a feel for how a diamond speaks to you. And get an idea of your preferences at the same time.

You can see what style mounts you like and don't.... and what size/weight diamond you prefer.

I love mounts that let the stone set lower....sunken in. In fact I am in the process of a remount of stone I have to set it lower. But, this is a personal preference/decision....what looks and feels right to your eye.

I always thought I wanted a 3 carat diamond and have one now....it's a beautifully cut branded stone. But once on my hand, I realized I prefer stones in the 1.5 carat weight over the weighter diamond.

As for buying a branded stone ( Tiffany, Harry Winston, Cartier ) these are all beautiful....there are others too....I have a Hearts on Fire and a Lazare Kaplan and a Tiffany. My other stones are not branded.....and I like them all.

 

[lorihmatthews]

I am 5'2" and I have small hands, so my 2+ carat diamond looks fine on me. I think if it were larger it would look a little overpowering on me. I wear it every day during the week for work but I usually don't wear it on the weekends unless I'm going out.

There are many debates about branded vs. non-branded diamonds. I wound up going with a non-branded diamond that we purchased at a wholesaler because it was of the same quality as the branded ones, at less than 1/3 the price of a Tiffany ring. But you'll have to decide which route you want to take.

 

[socalgem]

I have lower setting and a custom piece.

 

[ribbongirl]

I think it is what pops out at you...when i first started looking i wanted a HUGE rock and this and that...and then i went into tiffanys and i just fell head over heels! Since my fiance and I are still in grad school i couldnt get a HUGE rock that i wanted if i went with tiffanys, but to me it was more important to get a 1 carat ribbon ring than a 2 carat whatever brand

but then again that's just because im a brand name whore LOL! But to me i always grew up dreaming about the little blue box so that was worth it to me...and while a one carat isnt HUGE...i love the size on me! it isnt crazy flashy, but it still looks good on my finger LOVE IT!

hey um i am actually looking into getting the ribbon ring, and may i ask how much you paid for yours? feel free to reply here or email me at [email protected]

 

[luvednotspoiled]

hey um i am actually looking into getting the ribbon ring, and may i ask how much you paid for yours? feel free to reply here or email me at [email protected]

sorry about not seeing this earlier! i honestly have NO idea the excat price of the ring i know my fiance's budget was $15,000 -- give or take a few thousand.
-- hope that helps!!!

and i think you REALLY REALLY REALLLLLLLLLLLY need to get it!!! it is the prettiest ring in the WORLD...i LOVE it!

 

[P10SHC]

Need some advice
I'm looking a two Tiffany solitaire engagement ring
One 1.01 vs1 d no flurosence measures 6.60x 6.55 x 3.92
Has very good symmetry polish .. not sure if cut as old cert

Also looking at 1.05 d vs2 faint fluorescence
Triple excellent
Measures 6.45x 6.49x 4.02
Just confused why the triple x stone measures face up smaller than the 1.01
Which stone should I go for
Opinions please x
Thankyou

 

[BigAkoya]

Hello All,

I am in the preliminary stages of shopping for a diamond engagement ring and have visited a few stores recently. I have a few questions and would appreciate any input!

I will be getting a single round solitaire in the 2-3 carat range with no side stones, and am having a difficult time choosing between Tiffany's higher setting and De Beers/Harry Winston settings which let the diamond sit lower on the finger. I feel like the lower settings can make the diamond look smaller because it does not pop out as much.

1) What are your thoughts on lower vs higher settings?
2) If any of you own Harry W, Tiffany, DB please comment on your thoughts and what made you choose your setting.
3) Once I get the ring, I will wear it everyday. I work so I do not want anything too flashy or too large. The 3 ct rings I have tried on have looked really large on me. I am only 5' 3" and petite. At what point do you think a ring is too large/flashy to be able to wear everyday?

TIA!

I love Tiffany so I am biased. It’s a lot of brand recognition and diamonds have a ton of sparkle. I have a 3+ carat in the classic 6-prong and wear it with the thin knife edge wedding band. I wanted it to be all about the diamond. The 6-prong setting makes the diamond the star, not the “setting”. All you see is the diamond which is what I wanted.