Where can I buy a high end 5 stone diamond band?
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by fire&ice » October 10th, 2003, 3:52 am
For 2k, you may investigate making your own. I know whiteflash carries melees of very high quality. Price is out & compare the cost. From the pick it appears those stone are 4 prong set. Is that the style you want?
Some designer bands that have the high quality stones can be pricey. My 1c t.w. gemlok is about $3500.00 retail. Part of that price is the unique (and at the time patented) setting of the stones. Good luck. |
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There was a guy last spring that bought his diamonds from White Flash. He had a custom design, 5 diamond ring made for his wife for their anniversary.
http://www.pricescope.com/forum/rockytalky/my-5-diamond-ring-pics-again-t7725.html In previous threads, he posted pics of the diamonds before they were set. All 5 are White Flash, A Cut Above, Hearts and Arrows diamonds. While this may not be the style you are looking for, it may give you an idea of how he chose the matched diamonds. 
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Yes, I am interested in the 4 prong, 5 stone set up. In terms of melee's, what kind of parameters should I look for. I want the best visual performance and I assume I will have to get the fulll sarin specs on each one? Any other advice? |
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If you use a co like WF or GOG they offer small stones (like around .20c or similar) that would make a 5 stone band of around 1ctw...WF ACA stones above .20 all come with AGS reports. WF also offers .10c ACA stones I think...they don't do AGS reports on them but they will probably have other info for you. I know GOG has some small stones as well but I don't know what the parameters are. I would definitely make my own...esp for the larger stones...the cut will make a difference! Plus in the end you may end up paying the same or less for making your own with hand-picked stones.
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Haaa.|
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Fire&Ice,
Thanks also for your wonderful help. Like Mara, your words of wisdom are greatly appreciated!!! You both are TREMENDOUS assets to this forum  Yes the 5 stone band would be to match up with my fiance's ring which is a 1.4 carat G SI1 AGS000 in a platinum tiffany 6 prong setting. Would a 7 stone or other style of band be a better match? I want to keep a "classic", simple look to complement the sollitaire. http://www.pricescope.com/forum/show-me-the-ring/ring-for-soon-to-be-fiance-t8985.html I'm not sure if I want to go with say 1/2 carat TCW, 3/4 carat TCW or 1 carat TCW and it may be the case that 0.2 carats/5 stones might look too big next to the 1.4? What do you think? In any event, at which melee size would chasing after sarin measurements/hearts and arrows become an issue? 0.1?, 0.15?, 0.20? Are Melees cut differently at a particular size with respect to achieving ideal proportions? Also in terms of clarity would an SI1 inclusion in a melee be large enough for the path of light rays and light return to be affected? What general range of color grades should I consider if the center stone is a G. Thanks in advance to you and Mara.
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That is why I told him it's worth investigating. Many people simply don't have the time nor the inclination. I'm going to survey some of my friends & see what they paid for their bands. My price is skewed b/c Gemloks are ridiculously expensive; though, they make a great & different ring. I would be interested to see what the price difference is. My gut tells me that if one shops correctly, a ready made good quality ring will be less expensive. We have you on the case Derek in LA! We expect regular reports! |
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My two cents on a Q like this with the type of stone you have....get a simple diamond eternity band. Have it custom if you want with ACA melees (.02c or similar) but have it be simple. I say this because IMO doing something like a 5 stone with .20c stones will be flashy..and the stone itself sounds pretty hot on its own. I love it when I see people who have basic big stone solitaires and then a simple pave eternity band as the wedding. I think it adds flash to the e-ring but can stand on it's own and be very classic and simple as well. Or if you decide to go with a 5 or 7 stone, keep the stones small, like .10c..so that you don't overpower the e-ring. You want them to compliment each other, not fight for attention. Does your gf have any thoughts on this? Will she be helping you choose the wedding ring?
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On the 'build your own'...one thing we did was price out how much it would be to have our wedding ring custom made with ACA's. I priced out the ACA melee stones and they were actually very low priced IMO. Nice! We were looking at the .02c stones. From my comparison...for us to have someone like WF or similar make the same ring as we would have our jeweler make with non-ideal stones, would be the same amount of money and possibly even less to have WF do it. I am still considering it, esp when Lesley said in her opinion, melee ACA's still make a visual difference against regular...esp in something like an eternity. But I am struggling between having my wedding ring look the same as my e-ring (e.g. same type of stones) or 'superideal' for the fun factor...hee hee.   |
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Derek, you really need to pound the pavement w/ her & her ring. A 1c tw w/ a six prong head may be too much & you may have a hard time w/ it sitting flush. Try on different size tcw & different styles to see which compliments her fingers & ring. I do think you are on the right track with no diamonds all the way around. I'm the old lady traditionalist in the bunch who insists that wedding bands *need* to be engraved. As for matching stones - g/h should be fine. SI's, upon your inspection, should be fine. It's hard to see color & clarity in smaller stones; but, one does *indeed* see if they match together. That should be your priority. We still want you to be our Guinea pig on the building a ring! |
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Derek, I too, am thinking of five stone or eternity band to match my girfriends Superbcert Tiffany setting, which is very close to your Lazare Kaplan setting. Have you thought about how the band will sit against the engagment ring? Both settings are low prongs and was wondering if you had tried putting the band next to it. I'm a little concerned that it will not be a great fit (although a little gap is fine). Also, do you know what the width of the ring in mm is for your lazare? Curious to see if it is close to the supercert.
Mara, Fire&Ice, I too am looking for something delicate, say around the .02 range. Any ideas on pricing for these in G color, VS2 or SI1?? Thanks! |
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Al, I tried you magic to paste a pic & I couldn't. Although I am not entirely ruling out operator error
  I really am computer illiterate.Anyway, I have a pic of one of my gemloks - top shot. It's platinum band w/ 7 diamonds TCW of 3/4 (not the 1c I originally thought - don't know what's wrong w/ my brain). The setting of the stones are very low. The reason we went w/ the Gemloks years ago is b/c the setting fit the flushest w/ my e-ring (which is 4 prongs - but we changed the placement of the prongs to North,S,E.W orientation) My point is - I know they still make Gemlok rings. What I don't know is if anyone else sets stones this way. It's a low profile; but, to quote a friend, "loads of sparkleies". You can find the pic by doing a search. The title, which is relavent to our discussion, is "Bob's Flashes - Decorating w/ Melee Diamonds" Just an option. I would get out and explore the jewelry stores & try on some rings. It's really the only way of knowing what style fits her & the ring best. EDITED TO ADD: BTW, the diamonds in the anniv. band are about .11 each. The diamonds in the bracelet, pictured below the anniv. band, are .20 to .25 each. You can see by comparision how much larger the larger melee's appear. |
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Thanks Al, a picture is worth a thousand words.
1. The anniversary band at the top is tcw of .75 (not 1c as my tired brain reported). Each stone is approx. .11c - set in platinum. The brand is Gemlok. The stones have no prongs & sit very low between small bars. 2. The diamond bracelet has stones that are between .20-.25. As you can see, the size difference is dramatic. |
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I've been corresponding with Leslie over at Whiteflash and they do in fact carry A Cut Above Super Ideal Hearts and Arrow melees! YAY! I am going to bring my fiance to some B&M to size up diamond bands next to her solitaire to see what size is best and sits flush (1/2 carat TCW, 3/4 carat TCW, 1 carat TCW). I plan to get the ring appraised (both for insurance purposes and for my peace of mind) and my question for you PS'ers is would I have Whiteflash send the ring to Dave or Richard first or do I send it to them afterwords? Although I've had good luck with a local appraiser, I want to give one these contributers to PS a try
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Derek, if the melee stones each come with a Sarin, then I'd send the ring after it's completed. The appraisal for the ring will be as a completed piece and give a total price. If you're getting the stones from WF but having them set elsewhere, then you may want to get the stones sent to Dave/Richard for appraisal insurance before someone else sets them in a setting, just so you have coverage in case something happens during setting.
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Yup......and doing it this way will save you shipping and reduce the amount of time it spends in transit. Plus, you have the finished, appraised product in hand most quickly. Have you asked WF about a custom setting yet, or are you intending to find the setting elsewhere and send it to them to set the stones?
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Not to take any business away from these fine folk - but, isnt' it a bit overkill to send the ring off for a full fledged indep. appaisal? I mean - these are melees - and from Whiteflash. If you want to go through the process, I understand. But, a detailed sales receipt from Whiteflash (which I am sure they will note specs of melees) will be plenty for an insurance company to insure.
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Dogs are the best aren't they? Perhaps the most selfless, loving creatures on this earth. I certainly miss the family pet as I am currently on the opposite coast so I won't be able to see "Flash" until next spring sometime when I move back to New England.... He must be like 11-12 years old and yet he still barks and gets all excited every time someone's at the front door. We rescued him from the pound when he was just a puppy
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