Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy??????

[E B]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Have you gone through Whiteflash's halo settings? I ask because they have some ideal princess cuts in the .90 - 1ct range that you could put in a blingy halo, and they carry two pretty blingy brands: Verragio and Simon G.

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/halo/

Example of a nice princess:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2988891.htm?source=pricescope

 

[mrs-b]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Steve -

It depends what you want done and who does it.

For very reasonably priced and very good quality custom work, I would always recommend David Klass. You can see a selection of his work here:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-us-your-david-klass-bling.196654/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-us-your-david-klass-bling.196654/[/URL]

I consider his work to be lovely - but then again, I have one of his rings!

He could certainly make you whatever you wanted. He's on FaceBook, and you'll find his email address and phone number on his page if you click the 'about' section.

I think with what you're looking for, custom might be your best bet.

ETA If you want to go a little bigger - say 1.15 or 1.2, but don't want to go to what would normally be the next step up in pre-fab settings, this would be the right way to get your stone to exactly match your setting, and so you could buy any sized center stone you wanted.

 

[Steve708]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

EB, yes we checked out whiteflash and didn't see anything we liked. I think the custom route is the way to go. I'm going to check out David klass now. My buddy also referred me to his jeweler. After talking to him, I'm hoping I can get a ring made like this https://eshop.gabrielny.com/product/ER9041W44JJ
With a 1.5 ct princess cut center stone for around $10k. I'll talk to David klass as well and see what he says. Thank you!

 

[february2003bride]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Stepping a toe into this discussion... I just purchased a princess cut halo from Blue Nile and I love it. May I suggest...

Setting: http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-ring/monique-lhuillier-halo-princess-engagement-ring-platinum_35407?elem=img&track=product

Diamond: http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?stockno=LD05834435
Photo and video of the diamond: https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/S122-RSXH9S

It looks eye clean but Blue Nile would need to confirm that. I went based on a budget of $7,800, but it looks like your budget might be $10k now?

Hope this helps...

 

[Steve708]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

That's a beautiful ring. Yes originally I was thinking 1 carat and had a lower budget. I never thought of the custom route and thus being able to get a bigger center stone. My absolute max budget is around 10k, as long as I feel like I'm getting enough to warrant that increase, like a 1.5 ct center like I'm hoping. I emailed David klass and am anxious to see what he can do, and am meeting with a jeweler Tuesday to see what he's talking about to custom make something. I'm open to any and all other suggestions as well

 

[mrs-b]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

I think contacting David K is a really sensible move. His work is delicate and he can do very detailed work. Few jewelers are able to do his lovely prong work and tiny little claws, which keeps metal to a minimum and ups the bling factor considerably. Until you see a really well made ring, it's hard to grasp the difference between it and a poorly made ring.

I did a pretty thorough trawl through JA. I looked for stones under 8k in the 1.5ct H/I SI1-VS2 range - which is what your budget will allow. I liked the faceting pattern on this one:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.56-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-sku-519826

It also has a considerably larger face-up size than a lot of the other stones in that range - and I get the feeling that size is important to your girl. It's also a VS2, so cleaner than a lot of them within those parameters. Although the depth/table ratio is not ideal, you're going to have to compromise somewhere to stay in budget - and I think the stone has a very pretty facet pattern and a nice clean 'star' pattern in the center.

Here's a stone with much better stats at about the same price (a few hundred cheaper). It's a G VS1, it's 1.21ct and it's a JA True Hearts ideal cut. It's a lovely stone and if it were me, it's probably the one I'd buy. However - it's considerably smaller than the other one I linked to, so you'd need to be willing to compromise on size, and your girl might not want that.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.21-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-369908

If you want to stay in the True Hearts / ideal cut range, you'll be looking at stones in the 8-10k range. Here's a lovely stone in that price range with very good optics:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.52-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-sku-382005

or there's something like this at just below 8k:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.50-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-sku-505692

These last 2 stones are both better cut than the first one I linked to - but they have a veeeeerry slightly smaller surface area and are a little more expensive.

Let's just say for the sake of argument that she went with the True Hearts 1.52 I VSI stone - a GORGEOUS diamond. And say she put it in this setting:

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/platinum-pave-halo-and-shank-diamond-engagement-ring-princess-center-item-17430

The price would come in at $9970 - and it would meet all your criteria and stay within your maximum budget, while giving you a well made, classy ring with a beautiful, substantial center.

When you're on a limited budget (and everyone has a limit) you can either put your money into the setting or the center stone. Most people here will tell you to put your money into the diamond. It's what draws the eye and it's the 'big ticket' item in the ring. It's what will make the ring look either expensive or not as expensive. And a setting can always be easily upgraded, if you want to keep your original diamond - which most women do. Alternately, you could contact DK and tell him your budget and see to what extent he could bling out that stone for you. But for sheer 'kapow!' value, I'd go with the best cut stone I could - it really does make a difference and they really do look bigger than less well cut stones of a similar or even slightly larger size. And if you're going to go with something that beautiful, look for a setting which makes it the star of the show.

I hope this is of some help and do let us know what you decide!

 

[Steve708]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Wow that's very informative! Thank you for your help! I have it narrowed down to either David Klass, or a jeweler in my area my buddy referred me to. Since you seem to know a million times more than I do, can you look at this other guys work below and tell me if you think he's comparable to David klass or not? Both said they should be able to do what I want with the range I need to be. If the quality of both is comparable, then it would be more convenient going with the local guy. But, I would much rather go with the best guy, regardless of how far they are. Below is a link to the other guys work, I would appreciate what you guys think about his work

https://instagram.com/creativedesignjewelers/

https://m.facebook.com/creativedesign.jewelers

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

 

[mrs-b]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Steve -

I went to your friend's jewelers FB page and spent some time looking through all his photos. There seems to be quite a disparity in the standard of the prong work. Some of the settings are very nice. Some are what I would call heavy. I was not fond of the pave work I saw; I would consider some of it quite messy. He does not seem to use claw prongs - which are a big favorite here and much more elegant than rounded prongs, though this is my opinion ONLY. I'll give you an example in case these terms are unfamiliar to you.

Here's claws vs prongs on 2 different round stones. The rounded prongs look like little blobs in the corners of the stones. The claws are much more delicate and curl over the stones like tiny little...claws.



And here's claws vs prongs on 2 square cut stones.



The claws are done by David Klass in both instances (on the ring on the right in the top photo - on the ring on the left on the bottom photo), the rounded prongs both done by your friend's jeweler.

Having said that, I do think - if you haven't been through this process before - that it's comforting to have a jeweler close by. But since it's a piece of jewelry that you're paying for in the end, I think it makes more sense to go with whoever will give you a better finished product. As you can see by the thread I posted earlier, many, many people here have worked with David - myself included (and the yellow gold round ring I posted with the teensy little claws in the comparison photos is, in fact, mine - done by David) - and he is extremely well regarded. Since jewelry here on PS is what people on PS are passionate about, multiple recommendations from those sorts of people might stand you in better stead than one from a buddy. The choice is yours, of course, and for many people it comes down to one of price. But if that's how you finally decide, make sure you're comparing apples to apples - and that your friend's jeweler is using the same quality side stones and the same fabrication techniques. I can definitely vouch for David's work, though, and his finished pieces are reliably very well made.

 

[Steve708]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Man I love this board and love you guys. I never noticed that about the prongs, that's what happens when someone like me doesn't know what to look for lol. You're absolutely right. This is going to be the most important and most expensive piece of jewelry I will ever buy, and I want the best. I'm think I'm going to go with David Klass as long as I can afford him. He's getting back to me tomorrow I believe, so I'll keep you updated. And I'll post ring after its made

 

[mrs-b]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

I think that's a really smart move. David is lovely to work with and his prices are great!

Good luck - and definitely photos when you're done!!

 

[Steve708]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

What are some good sites to find loose diamonds? I'm working with David Klass, and want to help find my own 1.5 ct princess cut center stone. Trying to find one for around 7500 or less, that's a great stone. Any suggestions on where to look?

 

[OCgirl]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

I don't know much about princess cuts but good old gold is a lovely vendor to work with. They are very knowledgeable. If you reach out to them and tell them what you're looking for, I am certain they can find you something.

This one fits your budget:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/1-50ct-i-vs2-premium-ideal-princess-cut-diamond.html

 

[Steve708]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Awesome! Thank you. I'll keep you updated when I get ring done

 

[Steve708]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Here is finished product by David Klass. Could not be happier. He was amazing to work with, so glad I went through him

 

[Steve708]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Here is the info he sent on ring

It is solid 14k white gold weighing 8 grams, set with .85cts of natural G color, VS clarity round brilliant diamonds, size 6.5. With the 1.58ct center it is 2.43cts total.

He added 0.12ct of small diamonds on side as well after sending me that info. Again, couldn't be happier

 

[Steve708]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Thanks again everyone! I really appreciate all your help

 

[Niel]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Great! I'm so glad to see you get exactly what you're after from a reputable vendor.

 

[JDDN]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

It's so gorgeous, I love the intricacy of the design!!! David Klass did an amazing job!

Congratulations!!!

 

[SirGuy]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Looks great, Steve! Thanks for checking back in with the update...which also means congratulations are in order! Looks lovely.

 

[tyty333]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Wow, that turned out lovely! The detail on it is amazing and quite nicely done!

Edit - did you manage to do this in your budget because that's a lot of ring?!?

 

[Steve708]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Wow, that turned out lovely! The detail on it is amazing and quite nicely done!

Edit - did you manage to do this in your budget because that's a lot of ring?!?

I ended up increasing my budget to $10k after deciding I wanted at least 1.5 carat center stone, and David helped me hit my budget amount. Appraisal was for $15k, so I couldn't be happier

 

[MissGotRocks]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

That ring is just stunning! Congrats on such a beauty - a far cry from where you started!!

 

[Candygrl]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Such a beautiful ring. I really enjoyed reading your journey! Congratulations

 

[mrs-b]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Now THAT'S a ring!!

Really lovely, Steve - and beautifully made. And - the big question...does your fiancee love it?

Good decisions all round - well done you!

ETA - Where did you end up getting your center stone, and what are its specs? I know you were considering K colored stones at one point, but this looks much whiter than that.

 

[Rockinruby]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Beautiful ring! Well done!

 

[Steve708]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Now THAT'S a ring!!

Really lovely, Steve - and beautifully made. And - the big question...does your fiancee love it?

Good decisions all round - well done you!

ETA - Where did you end up getting your center stone, and what are its specs? I know you were considering K colored stones at one point, but this looks much whiter than that.

Thanks everyone for all the kind words. Yes, she absolutely adores the ring, couldn't be happier. David got the center stone at a convention in Vegas. Took us about a month to find a center stone I wanted. The specs are below, and thanks again for all your help

 

[Tekate]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

What a gorgeous ring.. congratulations! I have seen more and more of Mr. Klass's work and think he is truly an artist and very very talented. Best of luck!

 

[Madison2]

Re: Please help, is this Zales engagement ring a good buy???

Your ring turned out really beautiful! I love it!
Congratulations on this project and enjoy that gorgeous ring!