How did you decide what type of diamond?

[luvsdmb]

Would love to hear how you decided what type of diamond you wanted?
Has it changed? Or did it change once you got what you thought you wanted?
What did you like or dislike?
Please share your stories for all of us still trying to figure it out, or who are just beginning.
Thanks

 

[kenny]

I first bought a round, then a generic asscher then the Octavia asscher.
Fortunately for me all were top-cut with superb light performance.

I needed to personally experience each for a time to discover how I felt about each and develop my taste.

 

[Acinom]

My first diamond was a small antique cushion and I still love it. My first 'serious diamond' was a colourless icy princess. Perfect in every aspect but I ended up hating it as it felt to 'cold'. Then I saw my 5.3 OEC and I was hooked up immediately. It's a very warm stone and the cut is not perfect but it's exactly what I love
I learned the hard way that modern round brilliants and other modern stones are gorgeous but just aren't 'me'. So, I also traded in my princess studs for OEC studs and never looked back.

 

[bgray]

I think for most people, it is a host of variables which can be very hard to marry (no pun intended) which include previous jewelry experience. (i.e are you new to fine jewelry or do you own nice pieces or your family does OR are you a total novice. one's age may be a factor here), budget (marrying one's budget to desire), personality, fiance (does he want input or not).

For me I have very strong design ideas and the setting was as important to me as the stone. I knew the design components I wanted and the stone shape narrowed down based on that. Some people only care about size. Others the whole package. It can be very overwhelming for all the obvious reasons and I think that is why so many of us make mistakes when deciding. I started off wanting a cushion, or second an EC, but couldnt find one I liked so I went EC. In hindsight it was a blessing as I am an EC person. Now I indulge my love of cushions in other ways--earrings etc. There is a cute guide to diamond shape based on personality and honestly, it seems spot on to me.

 

[dk168]

My mum gifted me a number of pieces when I was in my early teens, including a near 1ct MRB ring.

I did not wear the ring often due to lack of occasions when I was younger. Don't know why, however, I was never head over heel over that diamond or the ring. It was sold along with other unloved jewellery when I needed to raise cash for my relocation in 2006.

When I was given the opportunity by my boyfriend to choose my own engagement ring in 1995, I tried a number of rings in various designs and cuts, and fell in love with a 3-stone EC ring (sold in 2006 as I could not wear it after my divorce for various reasons).

And I have loved ECs ever since, so much so that I bought myself an EC to celebrate my 40th birthday a number of years ago.

I prefer them to be slightly longer as longer stones look better on my chubby fingers.

Being a romantic at heart, I also love heart cuts, and have 2 ruby rings with heart cut rubies. Not sure I would buy a heart cut diamond though, however, a heart cut pink sapphire is on the card.

For earrings, they have to be round shaped stones, as they sit nicely on my big fat earlobes. May try Asscher type cut one day.

DK

 

[cflutist]

I've been through a number of diamonds.
During my younger years I liked the marquise shape.

My first diamond was a .75 E-I1 Marquise, now set in a pendant.
Then came a 1.47 F-VS1 Marquise, now set in a RHR along with 2.32 ctw Princess cuts.

Then my 2.05 D-VS2 Oval, which I traded in for my current 3.01 F-SI1 pear.

I also have a Tiffany .80 Fancy Yellow - VS2 Modified Brilliant Cushion (plain solitare knife edge mounting)
and a .512 ct AGS0 H-SI1 in a three-stone ring.

I have always thought that the fancy shapes were more artistic than RBs.

However, if my investments do well in the next several months, I would like to custom order
a CBI diamond so I can enjoy the beauty of these precisely cut, super-ideal diamonds.

 

[TC1987]

I guess I never really considered a fancy cut diamond because the local stores carried mostly rounds. There were some marquises in the stores, but not many because that trend had waned by the time I got engaged. I picked a modern RB, because that was the standard choice for e-ring, and it never goes out of style, either.

I'd love to have an Asscher, but they face up so small for ct wt that I opted for sim stones to scratch that itch. imo, step cuts look best when they hit the 7-8mm diameter mark or higher.

Cushions don't really appeal to me much. Princess, I don't like at all unless they are pretty big and very well cut.

I went for modern H&A RB with fatter arrows when I bought the last diamonds. I like the H&A pattern. The August Vintage line hadn't debuted yet, or I might have considered it. The HCA and the "cheat sheet" are great tools that make buying a H&A or other RB pretty simple.

Color, I started out with G, and subsequently have owned G, H, F, M, J/K.

Probably an oval or emerald or marquise would be the most flattering shapes on my fingers. But those are all fancies that are hard to buy sight-unseen on the Internet.

 

[marcy]

DH surprised me with my first engagement ring. It was a modest .15 ct center stone. I loved it and it is now residing inside an open heart pendant. I bought myself a 1/2 carat heart solitaire and decided I liked it enough that I started wearing it as my ering. I found that diamond didn't live up to my expectations. My nephew had worked briefly at a jewelry store and steered me back to a RB and told us to go look at different cuts of diamonds to see which one we liked. At the time I had no ideal what an ideal cut was or what GIA or AGS certificate meant. We compared what I now know were ideal, very good and good cut diamonds. Both of us immediately picked out an AGS0 which I bought (.53 ct E). I wore it for several years then decided to get a larger diamond. I bought a .75 ct G GIA XXX. it just didn't perform as well as my half carat so I was back upgrading that diamond to a G 1.03 carat AGS0. Recently I decided I wanted to try a super ideal so now I have an ACA 1.52 F RB.

I really like emerald cut and have a 1.01 EC RHR. My 1/2 carat heart diamond is in a diamond sapphire semi mount that I wear as a RHR but I may upgrade it to an oval diamond.

 

[junebug17]

I am very happy with my OEC that I purchased several years ago but in hindsight I wish I had explored ovals and cushions as well. I recently purchased an oval sapphire cluster ring and the shape is really flattering on my hand. At the time I chose my diamond I just didn't consider other shapes, I don't know why. I guess I just stuck with the shape I was familiar with. I love my ring and enjoy wearing it very much so I am sticking with it. I don't really have the time or inclination to start all over again.

 

[luvsdmb]

Princess cut when I was younger, then Oval or Cushion (which is still what I think I want) however Asscher's sure have caught my eye lately. After finding this site I am completely drawn to OEC. But I have realized I need to just forget about it and wait till the time is really right and get what I truly want and not settle.
I always thought when you got married you got one ring and that was it, wow was I wrong, I have had so many rings/diamonds and I think I have just been going about it the wrong way. I should have embraced it lived with them and really waited until I knew what it was that I liked or didn't like, because I really regret getting rid of the oval I owned. I even wonder if I should have kept the AVC that I had for a few days. I think I am completely cra cra.
I wish I could get a bunch of you to meet me when I was ready and just help me figure it out once and for all. My friends could care less and the one friend that I do talk to about this stuff would like to punch me if I even mention the word ring, so she is done with it.

 

[Lula]

I came here looking for an EC to replace a my sapphire engagement ring, which was a windowed, shallow EC sapphire. I ended up with a beautiful Crafted by Infinity (CBI) round brilliant (which I upgraded three times ). There is nothing more beautiful than a CBI diamond, but my time on PS taught me that I am just not a round brilliant person. I prefer step cut diamonds and wish I had stuck to my original search for an EC and not gotten sidetracked by round diamonds. I also developed a love for colored stones, and I love colored stones with diamond side stones. I'm putting money aside for an EC diamond, but I spend the majority of my jewelry money on colored stones. I own several very nice colored stones which will become right-hand rings (when I figure out how to set the stones!) It's easy to get sidetracked here. I am living proof of that!

 

[arkieb1]

I've worked my way to what I have now via a number of stones and I think it is still a work in progress... I appreciated well cut diamonds & also have a thing for kookie looking one of a kind antique stones that the average person would not understand.

 

[princessfeedme]

My first love was and is an EC due to its clean lines that reflect my modern minimalist taste. SO gave me a round promise ring some 13 years ago and I've grown to love it. When we were e-ring shopping, we couldn't find an EC within budget for the specs I wanted. So we compromised on a cushion, which would have the brilliant faceting that SO likes and I get my clean rectangular shape. However, cushions are already hard to buy, but it was next to impossible when we lived on opposite coasts during the stone search. We ended up with what we started: another round brilliant! The ring is finally finished, and when I get my grubby hands on it, I'll be sure to show everyone. I'm still determined to get my EC on the next big milestone though: push pressie or 5/10 year anniversary

 

[MarionC]

When I began last year I only focused on Round Brilliants and researched until I eventually bought an AGS Ideal. Then I searched for an Asscher and bought a modest, but fair-sized one with outstanding light performance. Then I got an OEC.
All three diamonds are a similar size - appearing to be around one carat. The plan was to own one of each cut, wear them over time and decide which to pursue in a larger version. Bottom line, which cut seemed to have "soul".

This is my take: RB are beautiful but boring. I would only be interested now in one with a lot of color or interesting inclusions that really show off that it's a stone from the earth...i.e., "soul".

My Asscher fulfills my desire to have one, but it has to be really clean to exhibit the extent of its "wonderfulness". I love it, but more like a personal talisman than eye candy. It's subtle.

The OEC is most interesting. It is the opposite of the "machine-made" look of modern diamonds. Out of round, marks of age, individualistic facet pattern & a piece of history; "soul".
It's the cut style I am now searching for in a larger stone.

 

[kmarla]

My first diamond was a MRB and I always loved it. It was on the petite side at .5 carats but had tons of sparkle. I upgraded last year after 30 years and ended up choosing a 2 carat princess cut, which is stunning. I agonized over what shape to get and went back and forth constantly, but I really felt I wanted something different. I loved step cuts as well but my oldest daughter was about to get engaged and I knew she wanted a step cut diamond, so I didn't want to steal her thunder (she ended up getting an emerald cut sapphire ). I love my new diamond absolutely. I do wish sometimes though that I had stayed with a round diamond, mostly because it's what I was familiar with. I discovered the AVR here on pricescope only months after I got my Princess, but it without doubt would have been my first choice had I known about it. I still daydream about how I can get an AVR It's just a personal observation about myself, but I find myself having more trouble making decisions now than I ever used to when I was younger, and diamonds aren't any easier!!

 

[missy]

Good question. I never thought too much about jewelry when I was younger and never planned on marrying so the thought of an engagement ring was never on my mind. However when I was younger my mom had allowed me to wear my grandmother's engagement ring (which was my grandmother's mother's ring) and I loved that ring. It was an OEC but I didn't know that at the time I was wearing it. I just knew I loved its chunky flashes of light and the kaleidoscope of colors that emanated from the ring. And mostly I loved the fact that it was my grandmother's ring.

One Sunday evening my boyfriend (who became my dh) asked me a question about diamonds as we were watching Sex and the City. It was the episode where Carrie found the ring Aiden was going to propose to her with and my bf casually asked which cut was my favorite. After some thinking (because I never really thought about it before) I said emerald cut as I thought they were elegant and classic and understated. Everything my style was about. Of course he promptly ignored that and bought an MRB but to be fair he knew I wasn't sure and he thought MRB's were the most sparkly and also the classic cut for an ER.

Long story short (though I guess I am too late for that haha) I was never fully satisfied with an MRB (no matter how many different settings or upgrades I tried) and though it took many many years I realized it was an OEC my heart was pining for and not an emerald cut. Not an old mine cut and not any other cut. It was the old european cut that won my heart and is still my favorite to this day. While I love many flavors of diamonds it is the OEC I feel connected to for many reasons. The chunky facets, the beautiful colors and the memory I have of my grandmother when I wear it.

Sometimes it is a process to arrive at the diamond that makes your heart sing. You know that old saying? "Almost nothing worthwhile is easy". Well maybe it wasn't written about choosing your engagement ring diamond but I think it loosely applies. Sometimes you get lucky on the first try and sometimes it takes a bit longer as it is a process in getting to know what you love and desire. It is not about finding the perfect diamond (IMO) but about finding the diamond that is perfect for you.

It also depends on how picky you are. Some people are easy to please and happy with whatever their FI chooses because that is not important enough to them. Sometimes I am envious of those people as life would be easier in so many ways if I was happy go lucky.

Good luck to all those still deciding and my advice is to enjoy the process because it should be a happy one. Stress and anxiety should not apply to jewelry choices IMO.

ETA: Jimmianne, you hit it right on the OEC head. It has soul and I have always been an old soul at heart. My dh said from the moment he met me he knew I was an old soul. Romantic and that is what the OEC means to me. Old soul romantic.

 

[Agnasia]

I love this question! Personally I always liked rounds, they felt classic and timeless with lots of sparkle. I knew with a round I would never wish for another shape but I always kind of wanted something a little different from the norm (not that there's anything wrong with that). Then I discovered OECs thanks to PS and my lovely hubby agreed to upgrade my MRB. I now feel complete in my diamond journey and I agree with what has previously been said about OECs, they have a romance and character all of their own and that really speaks to me. Although I do have a soft spot for ovals and emeralds too!!

 

[luvsdmb]

Good question. I never thought too much about jewelry when I was younger and never planned on marrying so the thought of an engagement ring was never on my mind. However when I was younger my mom had allowed me to wear my grandmother's engagement ring (which was my grandmother's mother's ring) and I loved that ring. It was an OEC but I didn't know that at the time I was wearing it. I just knew I loved its chunky flashes of light and the kaleidoscope of colors that emanated from the ring. And mostly I loved the fact that it was my grandmother's ring.

One Sunday evening my boyfriend (who became my dh) asked me a question about diamonds as we were watching Sex and the City. It was the episode where Carrie found the ring Aiden was going to propose to her with and my bf casually asked which cut was my favorite. After some thinking (because I never really thought about it before) I said emerald cut as I thought they were elegant and classic and understated. Everything my style was about. Of course he promptly ignored that and bought an MRB but to be fair he knew I wasn't sure and he thought MRB's were the most sparkly and also the classic cut for an ER.

Long story short (though I guess I am too late for that haha) I was never fully satisfied with an MRB (no matter how many different settings or upgrades I tried) and though it took many many years I realized it was an OEC my heart was pining for and not an emerald cut. Not an old mine cut and not any other cut. It was the old european cut that won my heart and is still my favorite to this day. While I love many flavors of diamonds it is the OEC I feel connected to for many reasons. The chunky facets, the beautiful colors and the memory I have of my grandmother when I wear it.

Sometimes it is a process to arrive at the diamond that makes your heart sing. You know that old saying? "Almost nothing worthwhile is easy". Well maybe it wasn't written about choosing your engagement ring diamond but I think it loosely applies. Sometimes you get lucky on the first try and sometimes it takes a bit longer as it is a process in getting to know what you love and desire. It is not about finding the perfect diamond (IMO) but about finding the diamond that is perfect for you.

It also depends on how picky you are. Some people are easy to please and happy with whatever their FI chooses because that is not important enough to them. Sometimes I am envious of those people as life would be easier in so many ways if I was happy go lucky.

Good luck to all those still deciding and my advice is to enjoy the process because it should be a happy one. Stress and anxiety should not apply to jewelry choices IMO.

ETA: Jimmianne, you hit it right on the OEC head. It has soul and I have always been an old soul at heart. My dh said from the moment he met me he knew I was an old soul. Romantic and that is what the OEC means to me. Old soul romantic.

I should have asked this question years ago. The ring my now husband proposed to me with is long gone and I now regret getting rid of it, I am envious of those people who are happy with whatever their FI chooses,I should have kept that ring and made the most of it. Luckily he doesn't hold it against but in my heart I feel he does a little, and I feel a little sad that I don't have that diamond. He likes round diamonds end of story. So maybe a OEC would make us both happy? Who knows. I have a nine stone band that I bought thinking it would solve the issue and I hate to admit it but it hasn't. I am still not happy. I'm in the process of trying to see what I can do about that situation, but that is probably another story. I need a break from rings, so I ordered a plain 3mm yellow gold band to match my husband. I'm not even sure that will work, only because I am not sure if yellow gold will look good with my skin coloring, but I'm going to try it. I almost have my husband talked into getting a new "upgrade" wedding band so we could get white gold. I feel really stupid for all of this, but I'm still trying to figure it out and thought this is the best place to get advice.
As for the 9 stone and why it's still not "the one", few things......I should have gone with seven .25 stones, would have been fine with non Hearts and Arrows, as sometimes I do find the stones a little annoying, they look best in low light when they glow and look the prettiest, if that makes sense. Plus as I was orginally going to go with avc so these are just kindof of boring or plain, or something is missing. And most of all five of the stones match in size perfectly four of the stones are just a little smaller so they graduate in size. You can barely notice it, but I can notice it when I wear it, enough that I have to flip the ring around so it doesn't drive me nuts.
This is the last issue for me with rings I'm hoping, it's all on the table now.

 

[junebug17]

Luvsdum, don't be self-conscious about talking about your ring issues here - if you can't talk about it on a diamond forum, where can you talk about it? lol! I've been a member for over 5 years and have seen quite a few people go through several changes before they were happy, so you aren't alone! My first thought after reading your post is that maybe an OEC is a good fit for you - one thing I really like about my OEC is that looks different from a MRB - you can tell something is a bit unusual about it and that makes it fun to wear and to look at. Just food for thought - you might have to be willing to go higher in color because many of these old cuts are j and higher. You should check out jewels by grace and love affair diamonds for starters.

 

[ebadevil]

I'm 27, so this might come from a different viewpoint than a lot of people on here. I'm also a guy shopping for my gf/fiancee/wife to be so it's different as well. I may have a slightly tainted view due to my economics education and being essentially an economist to the bone.

My view of diamonds is that they are essentially overpriced rocks that are sold at a massive mark-up that have very little actual value had it not been for a massive monopoly controlling prices and an industry that preys on people's weaknesses. I'm sorry for the pessimistic view. Knowing all of that, I still wanted to buy a diamond. It's not a rational decision, gf asked for stock instead of a diamond lol. I still wanted to buy it for her though, since there's not really much point in resisting the social conditioning of 7+ billion people. You gotta pay to play the game.

So if we're working from a point that the stone itself, is an overpriced rock whose price is fixed by a monopoly, the logical conclusion was to try to invest the least amount in "stone" and the most in "cut". Hence why it was never really an option to get anything besides a RB. If the stone itself is sort of worthless, let's purchase something that has a value... the craftsmanship of a good cut...

Additionally, the market for anything but RB seemed rather imperfect. Buying online, I felt more comfortable having a reputable rating agency performing an in-depth analysis of the item rather than trusting the merchant on their word.

I also was able to create a mathematical model to get the most "efficient" size range. (spoiler- it's roughly in the 1.3-1.6 range depending on your definition of "efficiency")... such an analysis would not have been possible on more irregularly shaped stones...

lots of logic, lots of planning, lots of math... not the most exciting story here... that's what drove me to Rb rather than anything else... it wasn't really a contest though... it was either RB or she was gonna make me buy Google stock instead...

 

[HappyNewLife]

I've always liked modern round brilliants, they're just so sparkly. I don't know why, but square and rectangular shapes just don't appeal to me. I find pears and marquise not my style either.

 

[swingirl]

My first ering stone was a round (I only knew about round, marquis, and emerald cuts back then). When it came time to upgrade I wanted something different so I thought "square". That led me to princess cuts and that led me to my asscher.

Now I am leaning towards antique cushions and the Octavia. Unfortunately, I'll be 100 before I am due for my next upgrade!

 

[m-2-b]

I've always loved the sparkle of a MRB. Then I fell in love with cushions. Now I'm on to looking for the perfect step cut. My tastes continue to evolve over time!

 

[luvsdmb]

I still feel like I don't know, I go back and forth from cushion or oval or maybe a round (round only because that's what my husband likes).

 

[Niel]

I still feel like I don't know, I go back and forth from cushion or oval or maybe a round (round only because that's what my husband likes).

Does your center need to be a diamond? As I think it would be amazing to do a colored stone oval antique style cluster ring with those 9 rounds you have from your band.

 

[luvsdmb]

I think I want a diamond.

http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/1-03ct-antique-cushion-cut-diamond-gia-h-si1/

What do you think about this one?

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

My first ER diamond was a princess because I knew I preferred square over round. Then I discovered the asscher. That's been on my finger now for over 8 years and it's there for good.

 

[liaerfbv]

I think I want a diamond.

http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/1-03ct-antique-cushion-cut-diamond-gia-h-si1/

What do you think about this one?

Having followed your journey, I don't think it's going to satisfy your need for finger coverage. I like Niel's idea of a colored stone center with a diamond halo. You can get a lot of finger presence with that.

 

[Niel]

I saw this and thought of you too. You might need a more modern cushion to go with, but this might get you the finger coverage you're looking for.

I fear a cushion solitaire will leave you wanting more

 

[luvsdmb]

I think I want a diamond.

http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/1-03ct-antique-cushion-cut-diamond-gia-h-si1/

What do you think about this one?

Having followed your journey, I don't think it's going to satisfy your need for finger coverage. I like Niel's idea of a colored stone center with a diamond halo. You can get a lot of finger presence with that.

In my mind with this bezel setting along with a band (plain and/or possibly 15 pointer shared prong) it would give me just the right amount. I live in an area where people don't wear huge diamonds.

Or I also love this five stone ring, I would get .35 stones.