Hi, everyone! I’ve been reading PS for the last few weeks, particularly about cushions, halos, and ASETs. I know there have been many threads on cushions lately and don’t want to make anyone repeat themselves. But I could use some broad-stroke advice and confirm some of my thinking, getting advice on a specific stone a bit later. I’m open to changing anything.
I was originally budgeting around $100k all in, but I haven’t figured out a worthwhile way to do (eg, not just handing it all to Cartier), so I might want to scale back. She’ll appreciate a good-looking ring but getting a D/IF won’t matter to her. My hope is to buy a diamond online and get a custom setting, and since people have spoken so highly of Victor Canera and I’m on the West Coast (SF), I thought I’d try him.
My girlfriend has a very small frame and a 4.5 finger, and I don’t want it to look excessively large on her, since she’ll wear it all of the time. While she’s quite stylish, she doesn’t know much about diamonds or rings and has hinted that I should handle this on my own. I think she’ll be enthusiastic no matter what, but I want to match her style, which is “interesting” rather than, say, a solitaire. She mentioned liking halo settings and “when it looks like two rings put together”, and her other jewelry tends towards Alexis Bittar and David Yurman. I've seen her wear a Yurman ring with a 7mmx7mm garnet which looks good, so I’m probably safe to go a bit bigger.
I’ve looked around a lot, and I think this style is perfect, though I might customize:
http://www.victorcanera.com/jewelry/engagement-rings/braided-shank-halo-solitaire
But I think a RB in my price range would stand off from her finger too much, so I was hoping for something lower-profile. The great cushion halos I’ve seen on PS have me leaning that way, but I’m open to other low-profile cuts. I’m not particular to the kind of cushion at this point.
So a few questions:
Some promising examples I’ve seen. Of course I’d love detailed opinions, but as I said, I’m mostly going for broad strokes, so please let me know if these are wildly inappropriate for the setting I have in mind, or if I’m missing something:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11625/ (Signature modern 4ct)
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11559/ (Brellia 2.03ct)
http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/3...-brilliant-cushion-cut-diamond-gid-24785.html
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/d...3.070-j-vvs2-cushion-diamond-ags-104067040004
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/d...2.091-f-vvs2-cushion-diamond-ags-104067040002
I’ve certainly appreciated all the passive advice I’ve received on this board so far and thank you in advance for any tips you can give me!
I was originally budgeting around $100k all in, but I haven’t figured out a worthwhile way to do (eg, not just handing it all to Cartier), so I might want to scale back. She’ll appreciate a good-looking ring but getting a D/IF won’t matter to her. My hope is to buy a diamond online and get a custom setting, and since people have spoken so highly of Victor Canera and I’m on the West Coast (SF), I thought I’d try him.
My girlfriend has a very small frame and a 4.5 finger, and I don’t want it to look excessively large on her, since she’ll wear it all of the time. While she’s quite stylish, she doesn’t know much about diamonds or rings and has hinted that I should handle this on my own. I think she’ll be enthusiastic no matter what, but I want to match her style, which is “interesting” rather than, say, a solitaire. She mentioned liking halo settings and “when it looks like two rings put together”, and her other jewelry tends towards Alexis Bittar and David Yurman. I've seen her wear a Yurman ring with a 7mmx7mm garnet which looks good, so I’m probably safe to go a bit bigger.
I’ve looked around a lot, and I think this style is perfect, though I might customize:
http://www.victorcanera.com/jewelry/engagement-rings/braided-shank-halo-solitaire
But I think a RB in my price range would stand off from her finger too much, so I was hoping for something lower-profile. The great cushion halos I’ve seen on PS have me leaning that way, but I’m open to other low-profile cuts. I’m not particular to the kind of cushion at this point.
So a few questions:
- What would you expect to get out of a $60k-$90k cushion cut other than size? Or do would I be buying imperceptible quality or an oversized stone at that point?
- I’ve seen discussions of Brellia and Brian Gavin’s cushions, but selection seems thin. Should be asking them to find something rather than just browsing?
- Given that the only specific request was for a halo and I’m worried about swamping her finger, I thought a thin micropave halo would work best. Does that seem like the right approach?
Some promising examples I’ve seen. Of course I’d love detailed opinions, but as I said, I’m mostly going for broad strokes, so please let me know if these are wildly inappropriate for the setting I have in mind, or if I’m missing something:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11625/ (Signature modern 4ct)
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11559/ (Brellia 2.03ct)
http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/3...-brilliant-cushion-cut-diamond-gid-24785.html
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/d...3.070-j-vvs2-cushion-diamond-ags-104067040004
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/d...2.091-f-vvs2-cushion-diamond-ags-104067040002
I’ve certainly appreciated all the passive advice I’ve received on this board so far and thank you in advance for any tips you can give me!