Opinion on NON-diamond engagement ring?

[michela002]

First of all, I''m intentionally NOT posting this in the coloured gems forum.

I want to guage opinions about a non-diamond engagement ring from people who are addicted to diamonds (I think I''m in the right place, lol!), not those who have ethical issues with diamonds or a love of coloured stones etc. i.e. I want "diamond people"s opinion of non-diamond engagement rings.

What do people think about getting a non-diamond engagement ring, given the following factors:

I am not someone who loves coloured stones. (I don''t, for example, love emeralds, or anything like that.) I love diamonds. Lol. I have no coloured stones that really "speak" to me.

But see, the settings I love seem like they need a large stone, as they are quite intricate and wouldn''t fit with a less-than-one-carat stone. And I think approximately a carat (diamond) is the figure aimed for in the engagement ring hunt.

For example, the Daniel K Union Square is huge in my mind at the moment:

But alas, settings like the Daniel K (or a Michael B one) are NOT cheap settings. They are easily several grand for the setting, and while I would love to be a hotel heiress or something, this is the real world and money means something and has a limit.

I know most people pick the diamond then the setting, but I have always been a little backwards! So since there''s a budget and I love a certain (expensive) setting, that leaves very little for a diamond, and very little for the size diamond that such a setting requires.

So is it stupid to consider choosing a setting I love, with a coloured stone instead of a diamond? Since coloured stones are infinitely cheaper I could probably get a stone large enough to look good with the setting for a quarter of the price of the same thing in a diamond.

The only coloured stone I would go for is some kind of pale, ice-blue stone, maybe an asscher or cushion cut. Anyone who knows something about coloured stones, what kind of stone would I be looking for?

I am not someone who overly cares what others think, but everyone does a little, and since the expectation upon engagement is a diamond ... does a coloured stone (for a reason other than love of coloured stones) seem like the cheapskates option, or silly, or a disappointment to people who want to ooh and ahh over a diamond?

What are people''s opinions of choosing a coloured stone because you want a certain setting, and can''t afford the diamond to fit with the setting? (And if I won the lottery maybe I would upgrade the stone to a diamond but I will probably keep the coloured stone for ever, it''s not a "temporary" stone. I don''t want to fake it with a CZ or anything.) What''s wrong with a non-diamond engagement ring?

People on pscope are so good at pointing out considerations I wouldn''t have even thought of - any advice?

Michela.

PS. Sorry I wrote an essay. I am completely incapable of being really concise ...

 

[perry]

I have personally seen one person with a non diamond engagment ring - which looked better than most "dead" diamond engagement rings out there.

It is also my understanding that certain countries (england) have more of a tradition of non-diamond engagement rings.

Finally I will note that diamond is not the most expesive stones out there. It is my uderstanding based on a brief review of non-diamond jewelry and on some written information on non-diamond engagment rings that verry good rubies, sapphires, etc cost more than diamond. I guess this blows your budget idea.

Personally, I think that any great stone would be just fine. This forum focuses on what I call the super ideal cut diamonds - diamonds that have lots of sparkle and "life". Well other colored stones can also have sparkle and life - and any of those ought to look stunning in a ring. Just be sure that you get one with sparkle and life. Without it the stone looks dead (at least to me).

Perry

 

[valeria101]

Date: 11/18/2004 9:46:44 PM
Author:michela002

The only coloured stone I would go for is some kind of pale, ice-blue stone, maybe an asscher or cushion cut. Anyone who knows something about coloured stones, what kind of stone would I be looking for?

Right up my alley! I love your idea, of course... as anything color and fine jewelry work. Put the two together and I might be on the next plane

Ice-blue, asscher cut gem may be aquamarine. The material is not expensive at all - even better quality than the uninspiring 'commenrcial' stuff. But to fit a spectacularly cut aqua in the setting above you would need it custom cut (Asscher, cushio, what not). Light colored gems have nice potential to look brilliant - but their cuts rarely seek brilliance. Ordering just the right aqua from a cutter seems to be the obvious way to go here. And the result should be spectacular, IMO!

Light colored sapphire is another option (some material is so light as to be called "colorless" when there is still a faint blue tint). Pastel sapphire is by nature (RI) a bit more brilliant, only harder to locate. The same story applies to cut.

Hope the 0.2 helps. Your project sounds very exciting !



And some links...

Perhaps These_guys can help with the aqua. There are not many places that cut colored gems based on optics - this is one.

Faint blue sapphire LINK and where it comes from (white_sapphire_pages)

 

[valeria101]

Sapphire is not often cut for brilliance - these were.

 

[Matata]

The setting is your priority. Will you still like the setting if it contains a center stone that doesn''t completely please you? I don''t think you need an uber diamond for the Daniel K ring. I think that setting would look fabulous with a .5 carat diamond. Have you considered having the setting custom made and eliminate the diamonds on the prongs and around the basket? That could possibly shave enough off the price to allow you to get a diamond center stone.

 

[DiamondLover23]

I know one woman who had a gorgeous sapphire e-ring with small diamonds on the sides. This must have been her preference, because she could have afforded a gorgeous diamond.

 

[goldengirl]

Honey, nobody's going to tell you a non-diamond e-ring will look stupid.

The trick will be if you can carry it off. If, when you present your hand for observation, your body language says "Look at my beautiful ring, look at this fabulous aqua that was so much more perfect for me than a diamond, look, you know you wish you thought of it first!" people will love it. But if it says "Ok, well, here it is, I mean it's not a diamond or anything, but I wanted this expensive setting, see, and so I thought maybe a sapphire would do, please don't hate it, I'm so embarrassed..." people will remember it kind of sadly.

 

[day_lily_me]

Stated perfectly GG.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

The setting you picked out is a knock out! Regardless of which stone you end up picking out, you''re going to have many eyes gaze upon your ring with admiration. A sapphire stone as Valeria suggested is a great choice as it will hold up well in a ring for long-term wear. Now I want one too

Please post your ring when it''s complete. I''d love to see it!

 

[twinkletoes]

maybe get the colored stone for the time being and get it upgraded later down the line when you & your hubby can afford it. i think the setting is gorgeous btw!

or else have the setting custom made and save money! maybe you can get the setting you love AND a diamond at the same time?

have you seen the gorgeous baubles at plumbjewelry.com? they are to die for.

 

[sciencegeek]

Oh no!!! I''ve always loved that Daniel K and now I''m dying to get it with a cushion sapphire in it!

I think it will be to die for

Goldengirl is right, if you''re proud of your ring and show it off everyone else will love it too.

 

[sciencegeek]

Ana, any chance you could use your photoshop magic to put a cushion sapphire in that setting just for giggles? Unless you''ve decided to only use your powers for good and not making me want even more jewelry

 

[rosy]

Sorry, going to be the thorn on your side & disagree with everyone on this one. Most people will not say so out loud but will automatically think you couldn''t afford a real diamond when they see the coloured stone. I would buy the larger diamond & put it in a simple prong setting, the type that sells for $300- $500 & upgrade to the $1600 setting later.

 

[MrsFrk]

I think that Daniel K setting would look spectacular with a colored stone! I love diamonds, but I also love colored stones. I personally don''t give a fig what other people think of my finances, I just go with what I think is pretty!

When I was first married, I had only an inexpensive gold band. My first piece of ''big'' jewelry was a sapphire ring, though we could have purchased a good sized diamond. I was informed that yellow gold was "out" and that blue sapphires looked better with white metal, but...I liked the blue and the yellow together, so there you have it.

However...I''m sensing that you are not really a colored stone fan, but are thinking of going that route due to your budget. I have seen some lovely Daniel K-esque pieces with 1 carat diamond in them, and they look phenomenal. Especially if you put a halo of pave around it, it will look much larger.

 

[Daniela]

I''m for the coloured stone if, like others mentioned, you can really OWN the decision and be thrilled with your ring. You have to love it, or else it just won''t work. Do I personnally think it will be gorgeous? Absolutely. But YOU have to be the one that is truly and deeply pleased with your engagement ring.

 

[michela002]

Thanks soooooooo much to everyone. You have given me a lot to think about.

I think you''re all right, if I decided to go for it I''d have to adore it and be whole-hearted, so I''m definitely giving it a lot of thought. While I guess "upgrading" might be an option in a few years, life is expensive (house, holidays, kids, college) and I''d rather get something I''m very gung-ho about now rather than considering my ring a placeholder for the future ring. In other words, if I''m going to go for it, I want it set in my head that that''s what I picked, I love it, and I''m wearing it for life.

Valeria101 - you can order stones cut-to-order directly from the cutter????? My god. How would I find such a person? How does that work? Oh a whole new world has just opened up to me! Lol. Oh, how does Aquamarine hold up in the long run? (If you know.)

About sapphires - I think I read that they are like almost as "hard" a stone as diamond, so they wear very little over the years. Is that right? If so, that sounds like a good option if they come in the kind of colour I''m thinking.

And thanks Rosy for the honesty - I''m a big fan of honesty and I''d rather hear it now and think about it. (Side note - you mentioned $1600 for the Daniel K setting - were you just picking a number or does that figure come from somewhere? If its a real estimate of the price then wow I thought they were a lot more expensive!! Which would be great! Lol.)

MrsFrk and others - if you see or have a picture of a 1 carat-ish diamond in a Daniel K-esque setting could you send it along my way? I would be curious - I guess I kind of assumed it only looks good with the monster stones.

I think I''ve realized I''m a settings whore ... wow that came out wrong. But I see beautiful stones and I go "eh, whatever" until I see them in a setting I love then they just scream at me. I think I''m all about the setting ... which makes me think this isn''t an entirely stupid idea.

And just for interests sake, I played around with photoshop ...

 

[michela002]

And another ...

(I went the asscher route when modifying, cos they were the pics I had.)

This is sorta the blue I''m thinking, I think ... maybe I''m thinking a more "subdued" and icy blue but I did it in like two mins just for an idea (for you and me both.)

Oh - and sorry again for the essay. I am soooo incapable of conciseness.

 

[pyramid]

The blue in the pictures posted looks a bit like sky blue topaz which is fairly hard being an 8 on the Moh''s scale or blue diamond if you have millions

 

[Hest88]

I think it''s a lovely idea!!! I was picturing something really pale, like this from Palagems:

 

[sxn675]

I think that is a lovely setting. I don''t know much about the hardness of an aquamarine. Have you thought about a darker blue sapphire or ruby in that setting? I think it would look great!

 

[Hest88]

Though this light blue spinel is pretty too.

 

[valeria101]

Sorry for being late on the thread... I''ll try to pick up the questions:

About ordering an aqua from a cuter.
Yes, it sould work. There are shops that do this just like anything else. I think that most would be thrilled to help you. You would need a cutter that does precission work and understands brilliance. Faceters.com, Customegems.com, Concavegems (forget conceve cutting, you can obtain a fine Asscher cut aquamarine too I bet) and David Emslie on this forum would be appropriate places to inquire. I would just put the story in short in an e-mail and go for it!

About the Photoshop version.
That looks like medium-color aquamarine. And it is spectacular.

And the stone:
Aqua is plenty hard. So is sapphire, of course - even better. So is topaz. For all it''s bad name as a cheap substance, light blue topaz is darn nice. If the color is natural blue, you have got one conversation piece and rarity on your hand. Since Faberge was not ashamed to put light blue topaz in royal jewelry, I would not worry about the pedigree either

Of all, I think sapphire would be the most brilliant, and durabvle. However, it will take a tad of patience to find not the cutter that can make a light blue sapphire asscher, but the rough. For some reason, there does not seem to be all that much of it.

Between aqua and light sapphire, you can always ask the cutter what he can source and what they recommend. It''s not so much a matter of prefference (both are nice and the two materials can easily be confused one with another when colors match) but availability.


Aquamarine is one of my three top favs... Go for it girl!

 

[valeria101]

Just to put things into perspective.... there are some things I like about Tiffany - Aquamarine too!

Besides... yeah, I do agree that those intricate settings look their best with a larger stone in. Each design is best suited for a certain size of gem, IMO. And the respective split shank does not sound terribly suitable for a 5mm, 1 carat square diamond. The diamonds on those addvertisement photos look 4 carat-ish to me.

It would be that much easier to plan if these designer settings would come with actual measurements and guidelined for what fits in them (Cartier does this). But then... it seems that the rings are never intended to be sold without diamond in them and it makes little sense to broadcast designs for large diamonds only... so guesswork will have to do for the time being.

 

[rosy]

And thanks Rosy for the honesty - I''m a big fan of honesty and I''d rather hear it now and think about it. (Side note - you mentioned $1600 for the Daniel K setting - were you just picking a number or does that figure come from somewhere? If its a real estimate of the price then wow I thought they were a lot more expensive!! Which would be great! Lol.)



I was just picking the number of $1600 from your example. I don''t know the real price of Daniel K settings. Good luck on whatever you decide to do!