RB with pear sidestones...need help deciding

[cpster]

Hi everyone,

I'm starting up my search for pear shaped sidestones again. Inspired by KristyDarling's and Kaleigh's beautiful rings

, I've decided to have Leon Mege make my dream ring. Since I'm a bit of a control freak, I've been trying to find a suitable pair of pear shaped diamonds for use in the ring. This hasn't been easy at all. I'm seriously considering the two below and have them on hold with Barry and Judah at Excel Diamonds. One is a bit longer than the other. I know it's easy to see at this magnification level, but I wonder if it won't be noticeable in real life. I'm not sure.

Here are the specs that I have so far for each. Both are GIA certed. My center stone is just a bit larger at 2.33 carats.

1. Carat : 0.47
Clarity : SI1
Color : H
Measurements : 6.4 x 4.44 x 2.83
Depth : 63.7
Table : 58%
Polish : Good
Symmetry : Good
Fluorescence : None

2. Carat : 0.46
Clarity : VS2
Color : H
Measurements : 6.22 x 4.42 x 2.83
Depth : 64
Table : 57%
Polish : Very good
Symmetry : Good
Fluorescence : None


Are these too big for my center stone? What do you think of the shape of the pears? Is the difference in length noticeable?

Thanks for your opinion!

 

[Rod]

I think the pears are beautiful and I don''t think they''re too big at all. That should be one drop dead gorgeous ring!!

 

[FireGoddess]

I love those pears - love the shape, and love the proportions with your ''even bigger!'' center stone!!

 

[belle]

one looks darker in both pictures. control freak or not, i would seriously consider letting leon source the sidestones. this is what he does best.

 

[LaserLady]

As for the stones themselves, the slight difference in size should not be terribly noticeable to the naked eye once mounted. Although, I constantly remind clients that they key to deciding the size of side stones should be based on the size of your hand/fingers and of course the size of the center. Specially dealing with two pears flanking a 2.3ish round. With the points pointing outward (if your hand is small) you risk the points extending out past the fingers on either side. Therefore, the ring could possibly become somewhat uncomfortable to wear.

If your center stone is currently set in a solitaire it is easy to guage the width with the two pear sides. Simply have your jeweler use a little wax and "stick" the two pears on either side. You will know immediately if you are comfortable with the feel and the look.

We can always tell you what aesthetically looks pleasing, but it is ultimately up to you as to what FEELS right for you.

Nancy

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 6/7/2006 2:51:00 PM
Author: belle
one looks darker in both pictures. control freak or not, i would seriously consider letting leon source the sidestones. this is what he does best.

I agree with belle. Since you''re using Leon, let him find the sides that match. He came up with several for Kristydarling to look at and decide from. His pricing seems to be very competitive to online pricing.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 6/7/2006 4:16:16 PM
Author: mrssalvo

Date: 6/7/2006 2:51:00 PM
Author: belle
one looks darker in both pictures. control freak or not, i would seriously consider letting leon source the sidestones. this is what he does best.

I agree with belle. Since you''re using Leon, let him find the sides that match. He came up with several for Kristydarling to look at and decide from. His pricing seems to be very competitive to online pricing.

Ditto.

 

[Shay37]

The one on the left has more square shoulders on it. The one on the right is longer. It would bug me no end. Sorry. I would let Leon do it. It''s a mind thing. I actually think that the square shoulders thing would bug me more than the dif in length. JMHO.

shay

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 6/7/2006 4:20:58 PM
Author: Gypsy

Date: 6/7/2006 4:16:16 PM
Author: mrssalvo

Date: 6/7/2006 2:51:00 PM
Author: belle
one looks darker in both pictures. control freak or not, i would seriously consider letting leon source the sidestones. this is what he does best.

I agree with belle. Since you''re using Leon, let him find the sides that match. He came up with several for Kristydarling to look at and decide from. His pricing seems to be very competitive to online pricing.

Ditto.

Double ditto!

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 6/7/2006 2:53:29 PM
Author: LaserLady
As for the stones themselves, the slight difference in size should not be terribly noticeable to the naked eye once mounted.

I think the same thing about the pear shoulders. Not noticeable once mounted, hardly noticeable from the pics. However Leon has sourced nice sidestones for people. You''re fine either way.

 

[cpster]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I know that Leon has great skills in selecting sidestones, but the pairs he offers are out of my price range. I''ve learned that there is a huge (at least for me) price difference in buying a "pre-matched pair" versus finding two separate stones that match. A "pre-matched pair" will cost around $2500 per carat where something like the two below will be around $1500 per carat. It does take a lot of patience finding the two stones though. I hope this makes sense. Quality wise, I think I''ll get similar. For me the price difference is worth the effort...at least for now...let''s see how long it takes me!

Also, I feel better finding the stones on my own since they will be certed and I can ask for IS images and detailed measurements from the diamond vendors.

Here is the IS image that I just got. I''m not sure if I''m loving the .47 one. This is the one that appears a bit darker in the normal photo. I may have to pass on these, but I''m going to think about it overnight. Both are eye clean.

 

[FireGoddess]

Well....the 0.46 (on the right) looks tilted in that IS photo so....y'know...hard to exactly compare. If it's not tilted....NO WAY!

 

[cpster]

FireGoddess...I know you are a pear expert. Does the tilting impact how the IS looks? So do you think the .46 could be bad? I see the dark spots on the .47.

Thanks!

 

[FireGoddess]

Yes, tilting can affect the IS. You're going to get some leakage on pears, it's just a fact, and you can see some on the 0.47. But it's hard to compare those IS's when one is tilted.

Also notice the left corners of the normal light pictures are darker than the right so....I wouldn't just attribute darkness to the stone!!

 

[cpster]

Thanks Firegoddess. I did notice the darker corner in the original photos. I think I may ask for a few more photos. If the .46 IS photo was straight and appeared the same, would you consider it a keeper? What do you think of the .47?

 

[KristyDarling]

Hi Cpster!

Congrats on joining the round-with-pear sidestones club!

Which Leon ring style did you choose?

Also, what color is your center stone? All 3 of my stones are Hs, and I kinda wish I had gone up to G with my sidestones because since they are a fancy cut, they do show a TAD bit more color than my H center. I think if I had gotten G sidestones, they would then match TOTALLY perfectly with my center stone in terms of color. Then again, the difference is so subtle that pretty much only I can tell, and since Leon thought that having larger sides at 1.14 tcw, it would make for a nicer look. So I went ahead with the H pears. I don''t regret it, but I wouldn''t have minded Gs as well!

Oh well, I just didn''t have the budget for it.

That said, I would still HIGHLY advise that you ask Leon to souce your sidestones. He is an expert in that. He''ll send you images on various different side pairs, with various sizes and colors, and you can decide then. He chooses only the finest cuts and is very conscious of bowties, so don''t worry about that.

BTW -- I think that the size pears you''ve chosen would look lovely with a 2.33 carat center. Definitely substantial!!!

 

[KristyDarling]

Oh sorry, I just read your post where you said you were going with matched pairs instead of Leon. That makes sense to me! It''s good to have the help of the pear experts here on PS, to help you decide!

 

[FireGoddess]

Can they take a new set of IS photos? The dark areas in the 0.47 look circular, like you can see a hole under the diamond and that''s just weird. It also doesn''t match up with the ''dark area'' in the bright field photos. Can they redo them?