Oy, this decision making is getting worse instead of easier, haha!! I'm torn between 3 settings:

Abigail:
http://www.ashadiamonds.com/index.php?main_page=product_ring_info&products_id=1726

Cartiera:
http://www.ashadiamonds.com/index.php?main_page=product_ring_info&products_id=1655

Allegra:
http://www.ashadiamonds.com/index.php?main_page=product_ring_info&products_id=1513

I'm planning on a 1.2ct (6mm) Asscher cut center stone (I love princesses too, but had them in my first engagement ring and still wear the stone in my 'widow' ring so would like something different), and I'm pretty sure the Allegra is my favorite but I'm afraid it will be too big / thick and no one has any pictures, which makes me sad. I've seen lots of Abigail pictures and they're all SO beautiful, and the one Cartiera picture I saw was beautiful also!! Those of you that have owned any of these rings, can you tell me how they've held up? The Abigail scares me because those side stones seem like they'd be easy to knock loose (I try to be careful with my jewelry, but I am a total klutz) but I think the double prongs are just fabulous. The Cartiera looks like it has more stable side stones (it's more channel set) but I'm not sure if I like the look of it or if I like the idea that they seem more stable? And I'm even more confused than ever because a week ago I thought for SURE I had to have the Allegra LOL...my poor guy is going to kill me soon hehehe. Any thoughts??

Chiming in for Abigail -

I'm a total and complete klutz, and the first Abigail owner on the boards (I've had the ring longer than anyone else, and probably did more klutzy things with it than anyone I know. lol). I hit my rings on everything (I know that's making some of you reading this cringe right now)... and DH has knocked them with a camera tripod, etc... he's a klutz too. lol. My puppy likes to try chewing on them, etc. They are really taking a beating anyway... and my stones are in there snugly, no sidestones have come loose or gone missing. And my center stone hasn't had a nick or come loose at all... those double prongs are nice and tight.

I've only owned the ring for 10 months - it's a new design for their website. My rings are palladium too, not sure that it makes a difference, but just in case that's in question as well.

And as for your guy, if he gets exasperated, just ask him to be a little patient while you figure this out. It's not going to be as easy as buying a pair of jeans is for a guy... since it's much more expensive, and we expect to have an emotional reaction to seeing/wearing it... etc. A lot of us only buy one or two of these for our entire lives, so we like to take our time to order right.

I'd be able to buy in a heartbeat if it meant I could buy as many rings as my DH does jeans. Just hinting... (DH is on the boards, and I'm always hinting for more! ha!)

If you're getting overwhelmed, maybe take a wee break for a few days and see which one you think about the most? Or, pick a few that you'd be really happy with, and let your guy help you choose from that point on?

Hope that helps...

Hehe I'm always torn on which setting I want too. Seriously I tell my SO I want a different setting like each week. I'm awful :P

I really like the double prongs on the Abagail too. However I LOVE the channel set side diamonds on the Cartiera...

Let us know what you decide on

I love both the Cartiera and the Abigail. I would probably go Cartiera just because it seems to be less popular and therefore less common around here. I don't care for 3 stone rings with side stones. I love 3 stone rings and I love solitaires with side stones but not the look of the combo for some reason. However, that's just me. If you love it, Allegra would be the right choice for you.

I love both the Carteria and the Abigial and can't seem to make my mind up about them, either! I will say that I really liked the double prongs of the Abigail in pictures, but when I saw a similar ring in person, I thought the double prongs were overpowering for a 1 ct. stone. I was looking at rounds though, and I think a square shape might look much better in those prongs than a round.



Dayna M - Can I ask you about how your palladium is wearing? Is it getting a patina? Do the prongs on the center stone and the side stones seem more dull than when you first got your rings? Have you had them polished at all?

IMHO I prefer the Allegra or Cartiera... the Abigail is gorgeous and I still drool over that ring but like LilyG said it is a common ring now.. ( It still is a heart stopping ring ;9) but if you want to be unique that wont be it... and now that I think about it neither would Cartiera but it you have a not so common cut it would make it stand out more... The Allegra is beautiful but I don't know how the three stones and the side stones would look in RL.. if this is overwhelming I agree with DaynaM take a few days off even go to a jewelry store check out all the setting a see what does work for you...because one thing is how it looks on the AD website and another how it would look in RL ....

I disagree with Abigail being common. On the boards, it's popular right now because it's a new style, with antique features. But in real life? I've never seen anyone in my area with one like it. And 99% of the time, it's the real life situation that counts.

LilyG - no patina as of yet, no dullness on prongs. And nope, I haven't had them polished yet. I've given them a good soaking in vinegar/hot water about a dozen times... but that's about it. There's probably some microscopic scratches on the palladium, but I don't own a loupe. It looks bright and shiny to me.

KaterBels, if you like the security of the channel set sidestones, and the double prongs of Abigail, I'd ask AD if they could do their double prong head on Cartiera instead of the single prong. If they say yes, you'd get the best of both worlds.

I completely agree with Dayna! Abigail is a brand new setting and it is recently popular among our board members, but are you ever going to mingle with them in real life? If you want a unique ring then you should only consider what your friends, family, and co-workers wear. Almost everyone I know wears a simple solitare or a channel set band. I was just marveling over this the other day. When we stalk jewelry forums, we pick up on the trends but we loose sight of the jewelry that is really around us. If you look at Pricescope, you would think that *everyone* and their dog has an enormous honkin' halo or frenchcut sidestones. I don't know about you, but I rarely see halos for engagement rings. I know, I know, shocking!! People on PS complain about how "overdone" halos are, yet I rarely see them IRL. If you snoop around the BTD forum, then you might think it's common to have antique cuts or peach/champagne stones, but I assure you it is still unique! Think about it. Are your friends wearing anything similar?

Go with what you love! By the way, I vote for Abigail.

P.S. We also loose sight of what is realistically affordable and we get majah shrinkage, but I'll ignore that for now.

P.P.S. Even if lots of ladies here have a certain setting, that just makes me more confident in it. The lovely ladies here have WAY better taste than the people I know, hehe. I would much rather have similar rings to my sparkly sisters on this forum, that's for sure!

I'm voting w/DaynaM & Milady. Abigail. And yes- I recently purchased one, had it original w/a 7mm/2ct cushion, but w/ I recently returned it back to AD to have it replaced (don't gasp girls , I know I read all the posts on RB & double prong settings)- w / a RB 7.5mm/1.5 ct becuase I personally prefer a RB stone as that was my original ER-but I love love love the setting! It is in palladium also-love that metal also

DaynaM and Milady I completely agree it depends on what others around you are wearing, then again I have seen similar settings to the Abigail where I live and surrounding area's I didn't mean common as in every other person has it, I've just seen similar setting hope that didn't offend you DaynaM or any other lady in this forum I personally love that ring and yes it does have to do with what you can afford... If I would have seen the Abigail when I was browsing I would have purchased that setting.... I didn't because I got hooked on the Serenity... and after seeing that one, I didn't do much further research..

Hehe, no need to apologize Ms. Sanchez! We're just offering different viewpoints and I'm sure you didn't offend anyone! This is why it's so great to brainstorm... we can all give our random suggestions and opinions and then the OP can make a more educated decision and, hopefully, get the ring of her dreams. That's the goal for all of us, right?!

Thanks so much for the reply! Your ring set is one of my favorites on this site!

Wow, thanks for the input ladies!!! I noticed as I read all of your votes for the Cartiera or mostly Abigail (which is my youngest nieces name, teehee)...I felt a slight disappointment so I'm guessing my heart is with the Allegra after all that discussion! I'm thinking I'll more than likely go with that setting, and if it comes and it's just too big for my hands I'll exchange it for Abigail or Cartiera (I'll check the returns policy first naturally). My cover story for anyone who eyes the size of the ring will be that the stone was in his family, and so we could afford to go bigger on the setting ;0)
Let me further explain why I'm thinking this is: My first engagement ring was a Princess solitaire that I LOVED and eventually got a wrap for in addition to a band (there was a gap issue), and after time found myself longing for sidestones with no wrap. When my husband passed I had that stone turned into a halo type setting and call that my 'widow's ring', which I've worn on my left finger. I also have a princess 3 stone ring (1 carat total) that was an anniversary gift, that I've worn as a right hand ring for years...only recently have I switched hands (3 stone on left, widow ring on the right) because of tan lines, fingers swelling in the heat etc. and the more I wear my original 3 stone the more I just love it. I wish the center stone was bigger and really caught the eye, but the general shape is just lovely. BUT, because it was a gift from my late husband, I can't have exactly the same thing no matter how I love it, I have to change it up (hence the Allegra with sides). I've been to a jewelry store and tried on similar rings, but of course can't seem to find 'quite' what I'm looking for. Blue Nile actually had a setting similar to the Allegra, and so I got to have an idea of what an asscher would look like in that setting. *sigh* My guy is currently saving (just started a new job, stressful!!) for this, and so it will be another few weeks at LEAST before we order but believe me I'll be posting pics along the way no matter WHAT I decide :0)
Thanks again everyone!!!

Please accept my condolences on the loss of your husband and also my sincerest congratulations on your upcoming engagement! All three of those rings are just gorgeous, so no matter what you end up with, it will be beautiful!! :-) I have always loved the Asscher cut... so loverly! Can't wait until you post some picturessss!

That's right Milady... hehehehe
Katerbels I can't wait whatever you decide its going to be gorgeous...

Thank you all very much....after showing my choices to my guy (without being too biased) he also prefers the Allegra!! Now I'm just anxiously awaiting the minute we can push that order button!!

That is so great that you were able to make a joint decision that you both agree on. When you said were feeling disappointed because most of the votes were going to other than the one you loved the most, I thought - YES! -there is your answer! It proves that Allegra is definitely the right choice for YOU! Congratulations!

I realized I never updated this thread to anyone paying attention, so I figured I'd offer some insight! After all the going back and forth on rings, I went back to my original statement which was 'I don't want an engagement ring right away' after thinking and rethinking and crunching numbers. I just didn't want to spend a lot of money on something now, when we want to buy a house. And so he proposed in November (yay!) without one. I was thrilled to bits, but he later decided he didn't like not buying me a ring, despite my requests. He said he felt like he'd done it wrong, and people had made rude comments to him about it, it was very sad. SO...I started looking again, and even found an asscher and an allegra 'like' setting in a local jewelry store. And I hated them. Absolutely did not like the asschers as much in person (even my CZ asscher) as I do in pictures...they just aren't me I guess. The stone in the jewelry store was AMAZING but just too 'fancy' I guess for my tastes. I'm more simple than I thought. I also didn't like the bulk of the setting I saw on my short fingers...so I went back to basics and ordered a ring from Berricle to 'hold us over' for now, with the intention of upgrading later (I posted it in the simulants forum a while back) and I love it. I changed my mind so many times, it seemed the best idea to go with something less than $100, and it looks so beautiful he feels so much better and not like a 'loser'.
Now, we're shopping for wedding bands, and we've decided on Palladium for a bunch of reasons...and I keep going back to Asha settings for the future! I'm sure I'll be on here a zillion more times in the future, because I will most certainly change my mind a zillion more times, but that's where we are. (PS - I'm still in love with the Abigail, and when we do decide on an upgrade this is my current favorite style. Again.)

I LOVE the Allegra. It's been on my withlist for awhile now...but like you said, no one seems to have pictures


*edit* just saw you picked it....WAAAAHOOOO!!! Pictures when you get it pretty pretty please?????

I love them all. They are ALL on my favorite list. They all are beautiful. Sorry, I can't vote on this one, because I love them all and can't pick a favorite. If I had the money, I'd get one of each of them. Good luck trying to decide. You picked some winners there.

KaterBels - My congratulations on your engagement! I'm sorry that your FH felt bad about not getting you a ring right away, and even more sorry to hear that people looked down on him for it. When will people ever learn it's not cool to judge others? Sigh.

That said, I applaud your decision to wait for the right rings. It can be daunting, finding the right setting for yourself, and rushing into a decision is how you end up replacing it over and over! lol. Nothing wrong with upgrades, but if you are never quite satisfied, it gets expensive!

Where is the thread you posted with your Berricle rings? I'd like to go drool over them...