Diamond ring + Brilliant Earth advice

[smarti51]

Go to any of the companies with strong reviews here and read their "Conflict Diamond" pages.

Wink

I have been through a fair few, just asking if you have any specific recommendations after your last post.

Since I am a trade member I am not allowed to recommend or criticize businesses.

That said: Maybe some of our consumer regulars can link pages here for you.

Wink

I see, that seems fair enough. Apologies!

 

[mrs-b]

Hi Smarti51

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-3520045.htm

Give them a call and ask about this and get them to eyeball it for you. They will also set it for you (and I've never heard of a stone falling out with a White Flash setting!) and they're familiar with the process of shipping overseas. They should also be able to tell you the provenance of their stones.

Hope this helps!

For the record, I agree with Mrs. B. entirely - WF is the vendor to go with for a lovely princess.

BUT I suggested a MRB because OP insists he is ideologically opposed to going with any vendor other than BE because of its 'beyond conflict free' rhetoric. OP also mentioned that his girlfriend recently said she loved an MRB he friend got. An MRB at BE seems, then, to be a decent compromise.

OP: It also just struck me that if you go with a separate jeweller to set the diamond (although Mrs. B. is right when she says that this is really not something you ought to be realistically concerned about), how will you know that the diamonds in the pave are 'beyond conflict free', too?

Thanks, I'll keep this all in mind.

RE: Separate jeweller. I mentioned in my original post that the platinum would likely be plain. Despite this one mention of the friend's ring, she's always expressed preference for the more simple look (i.e. just the centre stone).

smarti51 -

Did you happen to take a moment and check the diamond to which I linked you?

Here's the link to the WF page on conflict free diamonds; it seems they 'make the grade' in this regard:

http://www.whiteflash.com/conflict-free-diamonds

Also - did you scroll through their settings? If pave is not what you want, they have some lovely plain shank settings.

Yes, apologies for not responding to that post sooner! All your suggestions were lovely and appreciated (if a tad out of my price range when all is added together + cost of importing to UK, etc.).

Naturally, I've had a look around the website and a couple of diamonds have caught my eye. The fact they supply ideal-scope and ASET images is a draw.

smarti51 -

Pls go back and read my post above. I edited it after you read it (as per your quoting of it above - I can see the edited bits aren't included) and they speak to all your issues re conflict free diamonds.

Also - I specifically looked in the range you gave for diamonds - did you want that range to include the import charges also? If so, and if you want any help in this regard, it might be helpful to post a guide to the import costs so we can help you look, but allow for the extra charges. I had thought the budget you gave for the stone was for the stone alone.

Alternately, you might be 'off and running' now.

 

[WinkHPD]

Go to any of the companies with strong reviews here and read their "Conflict Diamond" pages.

Wink

I have been through a fair few, just asking if you have any specific recommendations after your last post.

Since I am a trade member I am not allowed to recommend or criticize businesses.

That said: Maybe some of our consumer regulars can link pages here for you.

Wink

I see, that seems fair enough. Apologies!

No apology needed my friend. There are a LOT of things not showing on the diamond grading reports that the vendors here protect you from. None of us seem to make a big deal about it, it is just done because it is the right way to do things. Welcome to Pricescope and good luck with your diamond search.

Wink

 

[smarti51]

Hi Smarti51

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-3520045.htm

Give them a call and ask about this and get them to eyeball it for you. They will also set it for you (and I've never heard of a stone falling out with a White Flash setting!) and they're familiar with the process of shipping overseas. They should also be able to tell you the provenance of their stones.

Hope this helps!

For the record, I agree with Mrs. B. entirely - WF is the vendor to go with for a lovely princess.

BUT I suggested a MRB because OP insists he is ideologically opposed to going with any vendor other than BE because of its 'beyond conflict free' rhetoric. OP also mentioned that his girlfriend recently said she loved an MRB he friend got. An MRB at BE seems, then, to be a decent compromise.

OP: It also just struck me that if you go with a separate jeweller to set the diamond (although Mrs. B. is right when she says that this is really not something you ought to be realistically concerned about), how will you know that the diamonds in the pave are 'beyond conflict free', too?

Thanks, I'll keep this all in mind.

RE: Separate jeweller. I mentioned in my original post that the platinum would likely be plain. Despite this one mention of the friend's ring, she's always expressed preference for the more simple look (i.e. just the centre stone).

smarti51 -

Did you happen to take a moment and check the diamond to which I linked you?

Here's the link to the WF page on conflict free diamonds; it seems they 'make the grade' in this regard:

http://www.whiteflash.com/conflict-free-diamonds

Also - did you scroll through their settings? If pave is not what you want, they have some lovely plain shank settings.

Yes, apologies for not responding to that post sooner! All your suggestions were lovely and appreciated (if a tad out of my price range when all is added together + cost of importing to UK, etc.).

Naturally, I've had a look around the website and a couple of diamonds have caught my eye. The fact they supply ideal-scope and ASET images is a draw.

smarti51 -

Pls go back and read my post above. I edited it after you read it (as per your quoting of it above - I can see the edited bits aren't included) and they speak to all your issues re conflict free diamonds.

Also - I specifically looked in the range you gave for diamonds - did you want that range to include the import charges also? If so, and if you want any help in this regard, it might be helpful to post a guide to the import costs so we can help you look, but allow for the extra charges. I had thought the budget you gave for the stone was for the stone alone.

Alternately, you might be 'off and running' now.

For the diamond alone - let's assume I purchase diamond and setting separately but from same website - I'd be looking to pay no more than around £2,000 ($2,611). For the setting, probably around £800 ($1,045).

The UK Government's details on importing diamond rings and loose diamonds from the US are as follows:

Subject to 2.5% import tax; subject to standard VAT (20%).


Obviously, were I to only purchase a loose diamond and enlist a local jeweller for the setting, my limits may be slightly higher for the stone as I would be importing less in total £.


For example - Whiteflash, to use the website you are recommending - has its own calculator at the bottom left of the page for quick estimates on such importing costs. As they offer free shipping, even internationally, it is only the terms I've posted above that will be added to my total.

E.g. If I were to purchase a diamond ring (stone + setting) from WF worth a total of $3,250 (£2,48 in bank wire price, according to Whiteflash's calulator I'd be in for an additional $706 (£522) in tax/VAT. Though the UK Gov figures above would suggest it's actually about £50 more than that.

 

[smarti51]

Go to any of the companies with strong reviews here and read their "Conflict Diamond" pages.

Wink

I have been through a fair few, just asking if you have any specific recommendations after your last post.

Since I am a trade member I am not allowed to recommend or criticize businesses.

That said: Maybe some of our consumer regulars can link pages here for you.

Wink

I see, that seems fair enough. Apologies!

No apology needed my friend. There are a LOT of things not showing on the diamond grading reports that the vendors here protect you from. None of us seem to make a big deal about it, it is just done because it is the right way to do things. Welcome to Pricescope and good luck with your diamond search.

Wink

Thank you. Already very glad I joined.

I've seen other threads already but, just to clarify, if I see diamonds that I find affordable and seemingly ideal for me/us, it is advisable to post up the ASET and ideal-scope images to gain further advice and comment on them from the folks on here?

 

[WinkHPD]

SNIP

Thank you. Already very glad I joined.

I've seen other threads already but, just to clarify, if I see diamonds that I find affordable and seemingly ideal for me/us, it is advisable to post up the ASET and ideal-scope images to gain further advice and comment on them from the folks on here?

Absolutely. There is a veritable Army of well educated consumers who love doing just that!

Wink

 

[smarti51]

We may have a game-changer.

A friend of a friend literally JUST got engaged and - as is the norm these days - photos have been shared already. My other half has explicitly commented on how beautiful she finds this.




I may not have to be set on a princess after all. Seems I am spot on with the setting, though.

 

[smarti51]

On another note - I've noticed quite a few members mentioning having purchased from James Allen, so I went to have a look. Nice website and, out of curiosity, I asked why I couldn't seem to find ASET or Idealscope images anywhere and got this response:

In order to provide our customers with the largest selection of diamonds at the best possible prices, James Allen sources diamonds from all over the globe. While we are happy to provide in-depth gemological inspection and additional photography for those diamonds located near our New York office, those additional services are unavailable for diamonds located outside of the US. Regardless of their location, however, rest assured knowing that every diamond and handcrafted piece of jewelry we sell is personally inspected and verified by one of our in-house gemologists prior to shipment.

Any thoughts?

 

[Gypsy]

I see no game changer.

My friends have some GLORIOUS rings. I mean truly heart stopping (many are PSers). I think they are all beautiful and have said so to my husband.

That doesn't mean I want the same ring. AT ALL. Or even something close.

NONE of them have my dream ring: slightly elongated cushion pave split shank.

If I told my husband I wanted a cushion. Then commented that a friend's round or oval was gorgeous and he MIS-interpreted my admiration of someone else's ring as me saying I wanted the same ring, INSTEAD of going by my own words "I want a cushion." That would not be good.

She wants a princess. Has made her preferences known. And UNLESS she said, "I always thought I wanted a princess, but seeing that ring I am CHANGING MY MIND to a round." There is NO game changer.

Okay? I have many friends who have varied tastes. I can love something--for someone else-- and NOT at all want it for myself.

 

[smarti51]

I see no game changer.

My friends have some GLORIOUS rings. I mean truly heart stopping (many are PSers). I think they are all beautiful and have said so to my husband.

That doesn't mean I want the same ring. AT ALL. Or even something close.

NONE of them have my dream ring: slightly elongated cushion pave split shank.

If I told my husband I wanted a cushion. Then commented that a friend's round or oval was gorgeous and he MIS-interpreted my admiration of someone else's ring as me saying I wanted the same ring, INSTEAD of going by my own words "I want a cushion." That would not be good.

She wants a princess. Has made her preferences known. And UNLESS she said, "I always thought I wanted a princess, but seeing that ring I am CHANGING MY MIND to a round." There is NO game changer.

Okay? I have many friends who have varied tastes. I can love something--for someone else-- and NOT at all want it for myself.

That is a very solid point, thanks.

I must admit, though, something about the way she said it makes me think she's maybe not as sest on princess as I thought. Thing is - and I realise this makes it a great deal more difficult for myself - she doesn't know I'm this close to proposing and so invested in the ring-searching process so I don't particularly want to continually bring up rings or ask her explicitly. Yet I am very much in need of clarification at this stage. I may ask her best friend, though I'm unsure about that route as well, truth be told.

Anyway, thank you once again for your response. Any and all are welcome.

 

[Gypsy]

I'm in favor of clarity.

I realize that for some reason society conditions our men to believe that the proposal has to be some kind of super secret rite of passage where the man magically reads a woman's mind and comes up with the perfect ring and proposes to her in a thoughtful, special, one of a kind event.

That's Disney. A fairy tale.

The truth is different. She probably knows something is up. Ask her point blank what she would rather have. Round or princess. Just say, "so when you said you really loved X's ring, does that mean you've changed your mind about wanting a princess for yourself, or just that it's a beautiful ring for her, and you still prefer princesses for yourself."

End of stress.

The proposal will still be a surprise. She won't know where you are proposing or when.

It will be special and one of kind because it is the two of you and it is the ONLY proposal for the two of you.


Okay? You aren't a mind reader. Very few women expect their spouses to be. At least the ones that live in this reality.

 

[smarti51]

I'm in favor of clarity.

I realize that for some reason society conditions our men to believe that the proposal has to be some kind of super secret right of passage where the man magically reads a woman's mind and comes up with the perfect ring and proposes to her in a thoughtful, special, one of a kind event.

That's Disney. A fairy tale.

The truth is different. She probably knows something is up. Ask her point blank what she would rather have. Round or princess. Just say, "so when you said you really loved X's ring, does that mean you've changed your mind about wanting a princess for yourself, or just that it's a beautiful ring for her, and you still prefer princesses for yourself."

End of stress.

The proposal will still be a surprise. She won't know where you are proposing or when.

It will be special and one of kind because it is the two of you and it is the ONLY proposal for the two of you.


Okay? You aren't a mind reader. Very few women expect their spouses to be. At least the ones that live in this reality.

You know what, you're right. As usual, I'm probably overthinking it more than a tad.

I've been on WF a lot since I seem to see them mentioned on 90% of threads I've been on and have seen a few diamonds (princess and round) I'll post up for comments on here either later today when I get the chance or just when I get confirmation one way or the other from her.

 

[Gypsy]

You can thank my husband for that.

He sat me down and explained to me WHY so many guys avoid the direct route. He explained the societal pressure on the guy to make it a surprise and how a man can feel like he is failing his love if he has to ask for clarity or help. Which is stupid. But that's society for you.

You are spending a lot of money. And you want her to love it FOR ITSELF, not just because you bought it for it. You want it to be perfect. But you aren't superhuman. And asking for clarity is a marriage survival skill (trust me). So you might as well start practicing.

 

[smarti51]

You can thank my husband for that.

He sat me down and explained to me WHY so many guys avoid the direct route. He explained the societal pressure on the guy to make it a surprise and how a man can feel like he is failing his love if he has to ask for clarity or help. Which is stupid. But that's society for you.

You are spending a lot of money. And you want her to love it FOR ITSELF, not just because you bought it for it. You want it to be perfect. But you aren't superhuman. And asking for clarity is a marriage survival skill (trust me). So you might as well start practicing.

So we were in town today and I asked her in a similar way to what you recommended. She is now an 'either or' between round and princess. This, obviously, both broadens my market and - for a naturally indecisive person - makes my decision harder!

Anyway, here is one round diamond I've noticed that's within my price range (when added to the cost of a Platinum Ritani knife-edge setting and estimated import fees) and seems to be of very good quality to me from what limited resources I've devoured on the subject of ASET, idealscopes and the 4 Cs. Any critique is welcome.


Details and images:

 

[shaggy1]

If she's 'either or', and you think she means it, I'd go with a round.

When I was young I liked princess cuts, but as I aged I grew to dislike them. IMO a round is more versatile and you get more for your money. Plus it's easier to pick a round off of specs and ASET.

I have a suggestion about the setting. As a woman who loves jewelry, I would strongly prefer to pick my own setting. Why not propose with the diamond in a very simple setting that can be traded in toward a permanent setting? That way you have a ring for the engagement with The Rock in it, and she can have the setting she prefers after the proposal.



Sent from my MotoE2 using Tapatalk

 

[smarti51]

If she's 'either or', and you think she means it, I'd go with a round.

When I was young I liked princess cuts, but as I aged I grew to dislike them. IMO a round is more versatile and you get more for your money. Plus it's easier to pick a round off of specs and ASET.

I have a suggestion about the setting. As a woman who loves jewelry, I would strongly prefer to pick my own setting. Why not propose with the diamond in a very simple setting that can be traded in toward a permanent setting? That way you have a ring for the engagement with The Rock in it, and she can have the setting she prefers after the proposal.



Sent from my MotoE2 using Tapatalk

I'll keep that in mind, thanks. To be honest, she's always been pretty unequivocal about her preference for a simple, plain platinum setting and she made mention of it again today.

In saying that, she also used to be set on princess so you definitely have a point.

Re: the diamond. What do you make of the images I posted?

 

[shaggy1]

she's always been pretty unequivocal about her preference for a simple, plain platinum setting and she made mention of it again today.

Re: the diamond. What do you make of the images I posted?

Re the setting, I was just concerned about the knife edge. I personally can't wear them.

Once my Ex-husband went to a lot of trouble to surprise me with a trinity rolling ring, but I hated the thickness on my hand. That kind of turned me off of any jewelry surprises.

Re the stone, it looks great to me with a lot of red and not a lot of white/leakage, but I'm not an expert.

 

[Gypsy]

Round in a platinum halo it is. Are there cultural reasons for such high color? In a stone that budget range I would be looking at an H Si1 as rounds hide color very well.

 

[Gypsy]

No halo. Typo.

 

[pyramid]

The A Cut Above diamonds that Whiteflash hold are all AGS0 certified as being ideal and are rounds.

However, the company which Wink is an agent for was the first to design and cut AGS0 ideal princess cut diamonds. This company is based in Antwerp in Europe and its name is Crafted by Infinity, ask Wink at High Performance Diamonds if they still cut Princess Cut diamonds. Crafted by Infinity are way up there with Whiteflash too. I think they are the most beautiful Princess Cut diamonds I have seen. Paul who is one of the company owners actually did a presentation on webcam to us here many years ago, when Pricescope allowed us that feature, Wink used to do many presentations too, very enjoyable they were, especially seeing his handmade gold rings, I especially like the ones an old man did for him with berries.


http://www.craftedbyinfinity.com



I noticed under their heading Provenance they have a bit written about conflict free too.
Also wanted to add that Paul used to write quite a bit on this forum and I remember he answered many questions I asked. He is a very personable man and he is a master diamond cutter too. I can't see diamonds listed on the site anymore so I think you need to go to an agent like Wink now to buy from them. The company has increased in size I believe so that will be the reason. Wink will know. Their upgrade policy is one of the best if not the best also, ask Wink about it. I have not bought from them but would certainly recommend them amongst others on this forum.

 

[Gypsy]

WF selection is low right now. And your budget can easily afford an H VS2 or something higher than H in Si1 so here is what I recommend:

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.71-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-1919343
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.72-carat-d-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-1817705
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.70-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-1949735


Ask WF to have their gemologist recommend one of the above.

 

[Gypsy]

Also ask for idealscopes of the above.

This is nice too:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.70-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-1964627
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.70-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-1097838
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.70-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-1964627


These are also nice. They would need idealscooe images. I am just posting possibilites because JA can't get idealscope images for all stones.

You get three so ask them what the best choices are and get idealscope images of them.

 

[pyramid]

Here we go

This is Winks link here, you can see that he is an agent for Crafted by Infinity.

http://highperformancediamonds.com/education/infinity-diamonds/

Wink has also been on this board from the start back in the early 2000s and on a previous diamond board I frequented before that where he went by the name Wink too. He is a long standing jeweller in his own right.

 

[Gypsy]

Setting:
https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/danhov/14k-white-gold-danhov-classico-single-shank-engagement-ring-style-cl141-item-58086
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.70-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-1964627
https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/martin-flyer/14k-white-gold-tapered-cathedral-engagement-ring-item-54952

 

[pyramid]

http://highperformancediamonds.com/shop/g/HPD8040/?shop=yes

A lovely round diamond, but I can't get Princess cut diamonds to show, so need to ask Wink about those?

 

[Gypsy]

I thought the budget was 2800. Am I wrong???

 

[pyramid]

http://www.poundstodollars.co.uk/

 

[pyramid]

£2800.00 = $3661.03

 

[Gypsy]

Huh. Whoops. That is just for stone? Not including the setting?

 

[smarti51]

Thank you all very much for the responses. I'll have a look at the links provided.

In response to some of the questions: no particular reason for the colour grading apart from getting the best of what I can in my budget. Would you advise going with a lesser colour grading in favour of price because it gets a bigger stone or just in general because there's less of a difference looking at it normally anyway?

Total budget is around £3,000 (-/+ £50). That includes my estimated import fees based on UK Gov website. My bank offers a worse exchange rate than most exchange calculators (1.263 so I have to factor that in to any wire transfer amounts.

Using that rate, I'm probably looking at around $3,000 for the ring (diamond + setting).