help with a 3 stone emerald cut

[wess06]

Hello Everyone,

This is my first post and I must say I absolutely love this website as I found it a month ago and have been reading everything I can for hours on end about emerald cut diamonds. However, I must say I am dazed and overwhelmed with all the information! My girlfriend and I have been looking for engagement rings for a few months now going to various chain and local jewelry stores, as that is all we knew about. We found a setting that we fell in love with at Zales. They did not have good color and clarity though, so I went to one of the lose diamond events and was floored by how overpriced it was. I now realize after all my education at PS that this is definitely not the route to take to get the best deal! I just want to get my girlfriend a beautiful ring that she deserves at a fair price.

I thought I could accomplish this with everyone’s help here as it looks like the experts have come through for several others. I notice there are a lot of suggestions to buy stones individually and find someone to set them – there is no way that I trust myself or know enough to even begin to do this and really want to propose soon…. I have a difficult time seeing the differences in the diamonds concerning color, must less understanding how all the cutting dimension play a part; however, my girlfriend seems to have an eye concerning color and clarity, especially in the emerald cut. So please, anyone who is willing --- help me!!! I will be eternally grateful and have already become a life-long pricescoper! Whoever set up this website was brilliant!

I really do not know any reputable or fair jewelers and have met lots of overpriced, fast talkers in our exploration! I was hoping that either I could find out the name of some honest gemologists that come highly recommended and will not prey on the flashing light about my head that reads “diamond illiterate male!” I live in Morgantown, WV and am very close to Pittsburgh, and have family and friends in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and NJ and am more than willing to travel to work with someone who I can REALLY TRUST. I am also willing to purchase a ring from the internet with recommendations from people here, of course as long as there is a good return policy just in case. So please, please help…

Here is what we are looking for:

The ring design we loved at zales can be found at www.zales.com : items 16657389 and 15846066I. They are the three stone emerald cuts with stones in the band. I would really love to be able to get her a 2.5-3 ctw, with a 1 carat center and approx .5 cts side emeralds. We like both the baguettes in the band or the princess cuts, but she seems to fancy the princess cuts more. The side diamonds I can be flexible with between .5 – 1 ct in the ring. The one at zales w/ princesses has a .75 center carat which I don''t like.

What we love about the setting is a few things – one, how high the 3 center diamonds set up so that a matching channel (I was told this is the name) band can sit flush with the ring and also how the side ECs are a little lower than the center. I also like how it is “casted?” I think that is what the lady called it when it is all one forged piece. Lastly, I like how there is no metal seperating the center stones and the diamonds in the band so it is all continuous.

Now what I have learned about the other C’s… I know that she wants G or higher and at least a VS2. I think clarity seems to be very important as we saw many ECs that have “feathers” I think (trying to use the terminology)- scratch like marks that really detracted from the stone. What we really want is to see nothing at all with the naked eye. I know people say you can have this with an SI, but I have not seen one yet. White gold or platinum. We also like more rectangular and less square ECs. And of course a good cut, but that is a little beyond my comprehension!

Has anyone seen something similar out there they would suggest?????????

Oh, the other issue – budget! The zales 2 ct GIA cert EF/VS1-2 w/ princess is on sale for 5999k and the 3 ct GIA cert HI/SI1-2 is on sale for 9k (over my budget!). As I have now learned how overpriced these types of stores are I am hoping that I can stick to my original budget of around 6k for a better quality ring.

I apologize this post is so very long but I have been learning so much here and am really ready to buy! Please help me… I want to do this right and get her a ring she really loves.
Many thanks,
Wess

 

[valeria101]

How bad would a three-stone ring w/o frills on the setting be? IMO, a lighter setting would only highlight the three main diamonds... Not to mention free more cash for them.

VS2 sounds safe. However, I would not dismiss H or I because the size of the diamonds (around 1 carat) should make it safe.

Not sure about the ''package deal'' - the center diamond would make up much of the cost, so I would definitely look for this all important stone separately. Matching sidestones and setting everything should be the task of the jeweler who gets to set it. Large stores don''t care much to provide personal service - you get to tick some marks & that''s that; hardly anyone touches the merchandise or would be able to give any advice about an individual purchase - let alone match sidestones and what not. It doesn''t have to be that way though

Just an idea.

 

[wess06]

Thanks for your thoughts! Unfortunately it is the setting that she really likes, with the diamonds in the band. Are you saying that my budget is probably too low for what I want? The ring is a little chuncky, but she has long fingers and it looked gorgeous when she tried it on! You also said "it does not have to be that way" - did you mean if you work with a good jeweler who will help you find the stones? Any recs for any? Thanks!

 

[wess06]

Anyone have any thoughts about this ring or this website??

http://www.galleriadiamonds.com/3_stone_diamond_ring_25.htm

- great color but worried about the SI1 clarity...

I heard mixed reactions here...

Thanks!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 3/23/2006 11:12:59 AM
Author: wess06

... did you mean if you work with a good jeweler who will help you find the stones?

Yeah...

It maybe just a skewed personal perspective, but the quotes from Zales and the 'discount' sound a bit too good for their own sake. That 'two carat total' is made of exactly what? The more control, the better, IMO.

A wider ring on long fingers must be looking great. However, a mass of diamond bits and pieces with iffy grades doesn't sound great.

Btw: I can't see any mention of actual GIA reports for the diamonds (or at least the center) for the rings at Zales - only split grades and the note that they use the GIA notation for the grades. Which really means nothing.



Hearing 'emerald cut' the first instinct goes to something like THIS - knowing that the fancy shaped sides (trapezoids) would be larger for the weight and hence less expensive than emerald cuts in a traditional three-stone. However, would probably prefer looking up the center stone independently. Facets has a line of cute settings, but they are by no means the only ones.

Some other websites I'd check for this: James Allen, Wink Jones, Whiteflash... If anything, these guys got a load of feedback here and allow selecting loose diamonds and settings separately. The database here should give a good glimpse of prices for certified diamonds. There must be lots of perfectly great shops out there that I don't know of, sure that.

My 2c

 

[bstraszheim]

Here is the first setting listed in your post from Zales

 

[bstraszheim]

Here is the second setting. It may be the pictures, but the settings looks really thick and chunky.

 

[bstraszheim]

Here is a link to, what looks like, a gorgeous! Emerald cut on the Whiteflash site. LINK . It''s not quite a carat, but a G VS1 with no inclusions in the photo. I am sure that they could assist you in finding side stones and probably make the setting. I am not sure how the budget would work out, this stone takes about 2/3 of it. I would definitely contact them and see what can be worked out. Look at the "Whiteflash Opinions" thread for recommendations from people who have worked with them.

I wish you well,

Bridget

 

[wess06]

Thanks very much. I will check into all you mentioned and thanks for putting the pictures up too, I tried but had difficulty.