Current Diamond fads?

[Fancygems]

Yes, my mom is so proud of her yellow gold marquise and wouldn't change it for the world!

 

[cflutist]

What’s wrong with fads?

So? If the wearer never tires of the style, then who cares if it was a fad from the 80s or a timeless style?

Exactly !!!

 

[cookies]

Get what your girlfriend likes and what looks good on her. One word of caution -- even if you achieve that goal now, your girlfriend's taste (and possibly yours as well) might evolve over time, in which case an upgrade and/or a new gift would be nice.

Regarding Pearlman's -- if you talk to Bill (the owner), and mention that you found them through PriceScope, he will most likely give you a 15-20% discount. Bill and Julian have good eyes and sources for stones, so you could potentially ask them to source the stone for you. I just went through this with them last month for a blue sapphire ring. It was a really pleasant process.

 

[Gypsy]

I love the original setting you posted. That Durnell is one of my favorites. I personally would rather have that over a solitaire any day.

If that's what the wearer of the ring wants, then that's what you should get.

 

[kenny]

What’s wrong with fads?

So? If the wearer never tires of the style, then who cares if it was a fad from the 80s or a timeless style?

Exactly !!!

I totally agree ... but this thread is to serve the OP who wrote ...

"What are the diamond fads that I should avoid when buying?
I'm looking to get something that will not be dated as the years progress."

Let's just tell him what the current ering fads are.

 

[Sunstorm]

Hahaha you put it so well again Gypsy, seriously, it was short but spot on. I was writing a long response so why you should not care OP. I honestly much prefer the original setting you picked too. I do not believe in fads or fashion, I believe in style. If she loves it and believes in it, she can rock it 60 years later too. Or her taste changes and she wants to change it. Fashion goes through cycles, everything comes back sooner or later. Old cuts are back, vintage cuts, rose cuts, cushions, etc. I never cared about fashion but always had my own style, which sometimes goes hand in hand with what is fashionable and sometimes not.

Micropave has been around forever and it will likely be. Not sure why it would be considered a fad. If RB solitaires were the only answer, not a single person would design jewelry. I only know that if you gave me a solitaire today I would not be thrilled. I would want to change it. I had one, it was fine but not my style. And yes I love my stones.

The main questions to ask yourself: What does she like? Has she said or hinted at what she wants? What is her style like? These are the questions I ask all guys planning to buy an engagement ring. You want to make HER happy, not the rest of the world.

 

[tyty333]

I love the original setting you posted. That Durnell is one of my favorites. I personally would rather have that over a solitaire any day.

If that's what the wearer of the ring wants, then that's what you should get.

Ditto...I think a plain gold/plat 4 prong setting is timeless but if I had one I know I would be bored with it by now (15 years).


I say buy what she has indicated that she likes. If you dont know what she likes then try to find out. If you cant find out then
buy what you think *she* would like. I do recommend not going to far out on a limb if you dont know what she likes. And, in
my opinion, that durnell (or some other brand similar to it) is not too far out on a limb. It's classy with subtle style.

 

[Lizabeth]

A round brilliant solitaire may be classic, but to me it's the equivalent of wearing a uniform. You don't have to worry about it BECOMING boring because it was boring for the start.

 

[starrylight]

that durnell (or some other brand similar to it) is not too far out on a limb

If not for the price tag...

 

[pyramid]

Even within styles there are fads, in the UK for a while, there were bezel set solitaires and solitaires with bars set on the shoulder, the trellis solitaire like Tiffany, the wide band solitaire, the very narrow band solitaire, the knife edge solitaire, the old cut solitaire with pave diamond shoulders, solitaires with claw prongs, solitaires with fishtail prongs.

I see it that as people are wearing a ring for a lot of years that lots of them will notice their ring is not the height of fashion after a time, some will keep the ring, as most do in the UK, but like everything else such as house decor there are some who want to keep up with trends.

Lots of people over here just lay off their ring, and buy cheap versions of fashion rings or just wear a wedding band. I notice a lot
also stop wearing their engagement ring when it no longer fits them, lots don't bother to get it resized. I think in the UK engagement is a stage in life and then newly married and then people get into other things. More money is spent on housing and fashion and jewellery is not such a big thing.

 

[tyty333]

that durnell (or some other brand similar to it) is not too far out on a limb

If not for the price tag...

Ditto that! I was talking style wise. After reading this thread I'm thinking he was meaning that style and not necessarily
that durnell setting. I could be wrong though. I wouldn't put a 1 carat in an almost $6k setting unless it was out of this world
to die for!

If I had that kind of money for the setting I would have Victor or Kirsch make it (probably be cheaper )!

 

[Dancing Fire]

that durnell (or some other brand similar to it) is not too far out on a limb

If not for the price tag...

Ditto that! I was talking style wise. After reading this thread I'm thinking he was meaning that style and not necessarily
that durnell setting. I could be wrong though. I wouldn't put a 1 carat in an almost $6k setting unless it was out of this world
to die for!

If I had that kind of money for the setting I would have Victor or Kirsch make it (probably be cheaper )!

But still no guarantee that she will love the $6k setting, and if she doesn't there goes $6k down the toilet.

 

[Dancing Fire]

What’s wrong with fads?

They are temporary, and therefore go out of style.

You mean like an Octavia on tension setting?...

 

[Niel]

What’s wrong with fads?

They are temporary, and therefore go out of style.

You mean like an Octavia on tension setting?...

Haha. If tension set octavias become a dime a dozen, will you love her any less?

 

[kenny]

What’s wrong with fads?

They are temporary, and therefore go out of style.

You mean like an Octavia on tension setting?...

A sample size of two constitutes a fad?

 

[Dancing Fire]

What’s wrong with fads?

They are temporary, and therefore go out of style.

You mean like an Octavia on tension setting?...

A sample size of two constitutes a fad?

The "fad" two?..

 

[Gypsy]

Have her mother, sister, cousin, best friend ask her if she likes it.

I think that setting is timeless personally.

You could have a similar one made via CAD from Mark Turnowski at Brilliantly Engaged probably for 4k.

 

[arkieb1]

If I was going to fork out 5.5K or 6K for a setting that is like the one the OP posted I would go to Victor Canera or Steven Kirsch. It will be more delicate and aesthetically pleasing than something that has been cast IMHO.

http://www.victorcanera.com/

http://www.stevenkirsch.com/

And put them each into the search box within this forum to see more examples of the work of both.

 

[lioness]

Yo, OP, I'm going to ask the one relevant question - what does your beloved want? Halo, round, solitaire, split shank, cushion, princess, bezel, colored stone, etc etc etc?? What would she like? Does she have a friend who can run a recognizance mission for you? For that is the only thing that matters.

 

[Gypsy]

There is nothing wrong with cast. And Durnells pave is fantastic. ERD just did a fantastic oval split shank. Do not pur down CAD and cast.

 

[kenny]

 

[HopeDream]

Pink gold/red gold is a fad now too.
Rose cut diamonds recently had a brief renaissance, but I think it's been fairly short lived due to poor light return.
Pink diamond melee is also a small fad. To some extent irradiated colored diamonds, and melee as well.
I'm expecting marquise diamonds to come back "in" sooner or later.

Can't go wrong with a nice basic solitaire and a kickin' stone.

 

[Calliecake]

Gwen492, What matters most is what SHE likes and her opinion should be the only one that matters. I'm not trying to rain on your parade here but SHE needs to love her ring. Have the two of you gone to look at rings together. Has she tried them on. A round diamond will never go out of style. That being said, I do not care for how they look on my hand and she may feel the same. She has to try rings on to know which shape stone and setting style she prefers. This is an extremely expensive purchase you are about to make and you want HER to be happy. She will wear her ring for years to come. Please get some input from her about what she likes and wants.

You stated there are setting styles you like, that does not mean it will be HER preference. This is one purchase you do not want her to be anything less than thrilled with. I would feel horrible if I had to wear a ring that I wasn't in love with. I can pretty much guarantee if my husband went and picked out a ring for me without my input, I would not be in love with it. All of my friends that love jewerly feel exactly the same way. I've heard too many of my friends say they never liked the ring he picked and felt they couldn't tell him because they didn't want to hurt his feelings.

 

[arkieb1]

I see nothing wrong with pieces being cast I just believe that when something is cast it takes less time and therefore should be less expensive than a hand forged piece. Some cast pieces can be better than some all hand made pieces so I am not getting into that debate - simply if it were me handing over that much I know which I prefer.

 

[TC1987]

Fads: Fads will always come and go. Some will still be considered awe-inspiring decades later, like the '20s platinum and diamond pave' rings and bracelets. Some, like '80s bypass style bypass rings and some of the goofy '60s and '70s midcentury modern pieces, are just a fling and most people might agree that the best thing to do is melt them down and pretend they never happened. lol The isn't much way to predict what has staying power and what doesn't. Probably nobody my age likes Danish Modern or Midcentury Modern furniture much, but people 20 years younger do.

Even if a setting goes out of style and the owner decides it's not what she wants to wear daily as an e-ring, she can redeploy it as a setting for a colored-gem fun ring later. I've known women who picked an elaborate engagement ring as a stand-alone ring, wore it that way until just before the wedding, then remounted the diamond in a plainer wedding set and reused the elaborate mounting as a birthstone ring or right hand ring or something. There have been women on here who had halo rings or big diamonds or something, and after they had a couple of children, either didn't wear that ring or they changed to a solitaire mounting. Often there is no way to predict the future.

To some people, the goal is to buy something conservative and timeless and keep it forever. To others, it's important to be the early-adapter who is the first one to sport the latest fashions. I loved halos the first time I saw them in 2003. I still love halos. I'd still wear a halo if the fashionistas determined that halos are out. I'd wear rose gold even if it went out of style. I've been around long enough to see that fashions come and go. What you have to remember is that at some point, probably every coveted antique was out of style and "junk" to some people. 1920s cars are coveted antique vehicles now, but at some point, they were getting literally piled into mountains of scrap to be destroyed and replaced by something new and different.

One great thing about round diamonds now is that the cut has been perfected for ideal performance. Another feature is that they give a good face-up size for their carat weight, while things like cushions, Asschers, and princess carry weight below the girdle.

The fancies are harder to buy without a lot of effort and assistance, because there is no "recipe" for making ideal ones yet. Plus fancies are a way to use the remaining rough that is leftover from making RBs, so you're probably always going to see some variation in geometry. On the plus side, fancies are less money per carat. Fancies come into the spotlight every few decades, apparently. Pears were kind of a '50s/'60s thing, marquise was '80s and are becoming socially acceptable again now, Asscher appeared in maybe the '20s and then had a heyday on Pricescope from maybe 2006-2008 or so and them many of those buyers traded for a RB. Ovals were talked about for about year or so, then kind of fell off the radar. Princess seems popular with younger women, but is falling out of favor with the older crown. "Cracked ice" radiants were seen in the '90s but not many people seem to be looking for them now. Cushions are dominating the market for square-ish shpes now.

 

[AprilBaby]

Ovals seem timeless! And for the poster: never such thing as too big in diamonds unless you sport a door knocker !

 

[cflutist]

Fads: Fads will always come and go.
Fancies come into the spotlight every few decades, apparently. Pears were kind of a '50s/'60s thing, marquise was '80s and are becoming socially acceptable again now,

LOL, I guess I'm an old fart then since I own 2 marquise (pendant and RHR) and a pear. But I'm finally getting around to buying a round

p.s. never did really care what was "socially acceptable" as far as my diamonds go.

 

[Niel]

Fads: Fads will always come and go.
Fancies come into the spotlight every few decades, apparently. Pears were kind of a '50s/'60s thing, marquise was '80s and are becoming socially acceptable again now,

LOL, I guess I'm an old fart then since I own 2 marquise (pendant and RHR) and a pear. But I'm finally getting around to buying a round

p.s. never did really care what was "socially acceptable" as far as my diamonds go.

I'll admit im on the younger side of frequent posters on PS .

with that said, I am fully obsessed with marquise and pears.

So old fart or ahead of your time???

 

[tyty333]

Fads: Fads will always come and go.
Fancies come into the spotlight every few decades, apparently. Pears were kind of a '50s/'60s thing, marquise was '80s and are becoming socially acceptable again now,

LOL, I guess I'm an old fart then since I own 2 marquise (pendant and RHR) and a pear. But I'm finally getting around to buying a round

p.s. never did really care what was "socially acceptable" as far as my diamonds go.

You've got it right cflutist...buy what you love (or what your girlfriend loves). Who cares what everyone else thinks?

 

[HopeDream]

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Geometric-Un...t=Diamond_Solitaire_Rings&hash=item54048ab733

Timeless