Please help!

[Stenson]

Well I figure you all know what you are talking about when it comes to diamonds. I am an engineer, and I take way too long to make decisions. I have found the setting that I am going to use:

http://www.bluenile.com/product_details.asp?oid=5922&nav1=engagement_segment.asp&page=1&col=3&row=1&pos=3&set_shape=

I am leaning more towards the princess cut stones and would like to get stones from the same website. I would love to make the ring look as much as it does in that preview (sizes of the gems vs. size of ring). Any help would be greatly appreciated! Please help me chose a center stone!

I am looking to spend about 6500 here.... I believe the stone in the picture is close (if not exactly) to a carat.

Thanks in advance!

 

[MissAva]

Okay if you like those proportions then we need a bit more info. What size ring does she wear? Are her fingers long, short average? You mentioned that you were learning toward princess cuts, is that her preference? Is the 6500$ for all three stones or just the center?

 

[Stenson]

She wears a size 6½. Her fingers are about average. She said that she likes princess cut, but she also said she likes em sparkly. 6500 is about what I would like to spend for the entire ring, as I just graduated college and landed a real job... it is about all my budget will allow

I would be ok even if the center stone was somewhere inbetween .75 and 1 carat. I really don't know what affects the brilliance of a princess cut diamond... whether it would be best to go with lower color / clarity.... but thats why I'm here!

 

[kittycatsmac]

I can say that if you do go with bluenile you will get a great ring. I've helped a few friends purchase from that sight. I can say that their trellis setting with one stone is breathtaking in person, so I know that the three stone would be just as gorgeous. And yes you are right it states at the bottom of the pic that the setting is showen with a 1ct rb. But you will need to give more info about the $6500, is that for just the center stone or for all three or maybe even for the complete set?

 

[valeria101]

Hei... that is allot of money for a ring. It happens that you found one style that would need excuses to fit in. With diamonds, that is really easy - for any budget.

The ring in the picture is ~ 2ctw with rounds, and princess cut diamonds would need to be more than this weight to look the same size.

On the other hand, a ring with princess center and trillion sides should get the diamonds-span-the-finger look, with less weight and less money.

However, these settings need to fit the stones, and that ain''t gonna happen on an ''assembly line'' like Blue Nile''s. These guys carry one-size-fit-all settings, like most volume sellers do.

Just a thought...

 

[Stenson]

Kitty - Extremily glad to hear that you have seen BlueNile''s Trellis setting and do like it''s look. I was a bit worried just going from a picture, and have been to jewelry stores around the area and did not like the look of their trellis settings nearly as much as this one from bluenile. 6500 is the amount I would like to spend on the entire engagement ring - like I said, I just got out of college, back in IL where the girl is still completing her last semester. I am now out in Washington DC (the distance is horrible, but it won''t be for much longer! yay! ). She is coming out on March 9th, and am looking to have the ring before that. Yes, it is a little late to post on here about the ring , I am great at decisions, but it takes me ages to decide on something and she wants me to pick it out... I have been researching diamonds and rings for the last 2 months, and I know this is the setting.

I do wish I had more to spend on a ring for her, but this is the amount I feel comfortable with given my budget. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[valeria101]

Along the same line.... setting for square & trillions could be $800. Sidestones, about .6cts total.... ~1k and a bit. So center stone gets about 4.5-5k. Which isn''t too bad for a fancy shape. Squares, could be princess, radiant or cushion, and you may want to look up options over all in order to get a relatively large looking stone for the money. It is customary to decide first on a shape, but it may just pay not to.

My 2c.


Btw. I think that store will set a diamond bought somewhere else. As a rule, the sidestones are supplied with the setting by whoever assembles the ring. This makes fitting all parts together a safer bet.

 

[ChooChoo]

Just an idea - but if she likes the rectangular shape but wants more sparkliness, I would consider an Asscher. I can''t tell you how much nicer the Asschers I''ve seen in person look rather than princesses. But it all comes down to taste.

 

[Stenson]

I do not think she likes the look of the trillions, though that was a nice thought. I am definately going to go with princess cut or round cut, and I believe princess cut stones fit the setting that I selected better. Kind of tough choosing when only going on her saying that she likes princess cut stones at one point, and saying that the more sparkly a diamond is, the better it looks at another point.

I thought the princess cut diamonds were generally more brilliant than asscher cut... though I could be mistaken.

 

[ChooChoo]

From my admittedly limited experience with princesses and asschers, princesses give off more white light, but Asschers have more colorful sparkles.

 

[Stenson]

Ah I see. Well I know my only two options are round and princess, and to me, I think princess looks better in the setting I selected.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 2/27/2006 9:46:43 AM
Author: Stenson

Kind of tough choosing when only going on her saying that she likes princess cut stones at one point, and saying that the more sparkly a diamond is, the better it looks at another point.

That simply sounds like a well cut princess diamond. Would a solitaire ring be bad?

 

[Stenson]

Guess I forgot to add that at one point, we did stop by a jewelry store. All of the rings she pointed to were three stone, most of them princess cuts. Like I said, I know this setting is what I want.... are you suggesting other things because it isn't possible to get a good .75 - 1 carat center stone and decent sidestones within my price range?

I just need a little help picking out diamonds that will sparkle brilliantly to place in this setting, without going over my price limit too much

I have heard stories of people getting stones from places like blue nile and having other people think that they were bigger than they really were... probably due to the stone having a smaller depth %... so I mean, I could get a .8 - .85 carat stone with a 63 - 64% depth percentage to cover the size maybe.... is that right?

Also , can someone please find some diamonds that they would recommend that will most likely be brilliant from bluenile to put into the setting ? I would really appreciate it!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 2/27/2006 10:15:06 AM
Author: Stenson


... are you suggesting other things because it isn't possible to get a good .75 - 1 carat center stone and decent sidestones within my price range?


Something like that. And if you wanted 1 cts princess cut, it would look smaller than the ring you took for comparison.



Also , can someone please find some diamonds that they would recommend that will most likely be brilliant from bluenile to put into the setting ?

Blue Nile doesn't give much info about the cut quality of their stones (esp. brilliance). So that's rather hard to do. AT least some of the rounds come with AGS or new GIA certs with proportions on them. I doubt they have any other princess cuts with any sort of cut grading but those in their 'Signature Collection'. And with the GCAL reports, I am not sure what they grade in terms of cut quality: some reports only have rules of thumb regarding proportions, which do not translate in better brilliance necessarily. Even so... IMO, those 'Signature' diamonds at BN are not quite the best deal on the block (pricey).

My 2c.

Btw... if it was only the setting that limits the choice to BN stock... then, well, trellis settings for princess stones are 'standard' issue so to speak. Every jeweler should be able to find one. There may be some limitation about what the proportions between the center and sidestones can be for these stock settings though. And this is one thing to keep in mind if you select the sidestones yourself. It may be that the jewelers will agree to set smaller sidestones than the optimum for the pre-made settings, but the result looks rather odd (large prongs covering sidestones).

 

[Stenson]

I see.... well, I want a ring that looks pretty much exactly like this:

http://www.bluenile.com/product_details.asp?oid=5922&nav1=engagement_segment.asp&page=1&col=3&row=1&pos=3&set_shape=

with princess cut diamonds in it. I have viewed some other trellis ring settings at local jewelry stores and for some reason, they just could not compare to this one.

Valaria - can you by chance direct me somewhere more cost friendly & somewhere else that has this setting? I am very new to the experience, and I do need to ring somewhat soon... what would you suggest?

 

[Stenson]

What Depth % / Table % / crown % should I be looking for to maximize brilliance in a princess cut diamond?

 

[valeria101]

Date: 2/27/2006 1:24:50 PM
Author: Stenson
What Depth % / Table % / crown % should I be looking for to maximize brilliance in a princess cut diamond?

It takes more numbers than that... at least judging from AGS's standard for princess cuts.

Anyway, it would take better detail even for a round, and that is a simpler cut.

As far as I know.

About the ring... I would look for the center stone firts and see what the seller can do about the setting. There aren't that many princess cuts with any sort of cut pedigree around, so.. I would think that locating the center stone would be the more constraining and most important part of the deal.

 

[Stenson]

Ok then.... well bluenile does not give me that information, I guess I was just trying to make an informed decision on what diamonds to put in it since if I had it done by blue nile, they would have it here by the end of the week.

Let me ask about clarity then.... would it be ok to go with SI1 clarity, or should I go with VS2?

What would you comment about these 3 diamonds:

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?pid=LD00463290&filter_id=1

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?pid=LD00706433&filter_id=1

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?pid=LD00513086&filter_id=1

 

[Stenson]

Those three diamonds are blue nile signature diamonds - I could always sift through the Very good cut ones instead...

 

[Stenson]

Or these three stones - they give you a lot more information, such as the angles.
Can you judge which of these three would be more brilliant?

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?pid=LD00190078&filter_id=1

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?pid=LD00373216&filter_id=1

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?pid=LD00376619&filter_id=1