Help Finding an Oval Diamond Engagement Ring!

[waystinthyme]

Hi all,

I've been a lurker for a while, but finally joined to ask for help picking out an engagement ring. I have a little time, as I'm hoping to get engaged in the fall; however, I'm looking for an oval, which I know can sometimes take longer to find.

I've included a photo of a ring my girlfriend liked after going ring shopping with a friend (note: she's wearing an engagement ring + matching wedding band in the attached photo).

Since she's only been ring shopping once, I'll need to confirm this is her preferred style before purchasing; however, she seemed pretty set on the diamond shape being an oval.

Budget: 8-10k (diamond + band, with slight flexibility)
Color: Preferably a G/H (or below)
Cut: Excellent/Ideal (Most Important)
Clarity: Eye Clean (Preferably VS2/S11 or better)
Carat: Negotiable (Ring Size 5.5)

Photo Below:



Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[ringo865]

Looks like it’s haloed. Does she have Pinterest you can snoop around on?

 

[tyty333]

Do you have any idea of what carat weight that is she tired on?

Just going to throw a few out there. I left about $3500+ for a nice halo but you can do less on
the halo and go bigger on the stone if you want. Look at the LxW because they vary due to
differences in depth/girdles.

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD12268371
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD12447681
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD12367230
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD12281945

 

[waystinthyme]

Looks like it’s haloed. Does she have Pinterest you can snoop around on?

No Pinterest, unfortunately.

Do you have any idea of what carat weight that is she tired on?

Just going to throw a few out there. I left about $3500+ for a nice halo but you can do less on
the halo and go bigger on the stone if you want. Look at the LxW because they vary due to
differences in depth/girdles.

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD12268371
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD12447681
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD12367230
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD12281945

Thanks!

I believe she mentioned trying on diamonds up to 1.3 carats, so hopefully I can find something comparable within budget. However, I'm much more focused on the quality/performance of the diamond than the size, and think she would agree with that approach.

Do you think a similar band would cost $3,500+? I was hoping to keep the band at $1,500 - 2,000, so I could spend more on a quality diamond. Does that seem unrealistic?

 

[princessandthepear]

The August Vintage Elyque (opulence) oval has similar performance to a MRB. They have better performance than a typical oval. However they are cut deeper and will face up smaller than a standard oval.
Talk to Rhino @ August Vintage. In addition to the ovals they also do settings and your budget will cover an Elyque oval and setting.

 

[waystinthyme]

The August Vintage Elyque (opulence) oval has similar performance to a MRB. They have better performance than a typical oval. However they are cut deeper and will face up smaller than a standard oval.
Talk to Rhino @ August Vintage. In addition to the ovals they also do settings and your budget will cover an Elyque oval and setting.

Thanks, I'll reach out to AV.

From an initial glance of their current offerings, it appears their ovals jump from 1 carat to 1.5 carats; ideally, I'll be able to find a diamond somewhere in between those sizes, based on my current budget.

I'll also have to check out their bands, to see if they offer something similar to the one my gf tried on.

 

[Ss52]

Thanks, I'll reach out to AV.

From an initial glance of their current offerings, it appears their ovals jump from 1 carat to 1.5 carats; ideally, I'll be able to find a diamond somewhere in between those sizes, based on my current budget.

I'll also have to check out their bands, to see if they offer something similar to the one my gf tried on.

I like the look of this oval but wish it was Vs2. Face on, it looks eye-clean. There’s no dark bow tie, but any elongated cut won’t be as sparkly as a round. It would be beautiful in a halo. Ask for an ASET.

https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/1.20-ct-G-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Oval-Diamond/D43285130

 

[Swirl68]

This one’s pretty. It’s cheapest on the With Clarity (old Four Mine site) $7357 wire, but I can’t get their videos on my iPhone for some reason. It’s listed on several sites that have pave oval halos for around $1800.

https://www.parcelandstone.com/diamond/Oval/1.20-carat-G-color-VS2-clarity-stockNo-190345-1498/

 

[tyty333]

You can get a halo for less than $3500...I was just trying to leave you plenty of room.

Bluenile has this one
https://www.bluenile.com/build-your...ing_41118?elem=img&track=product&vtype=sample
or in plat for $1850.

Does that mean we can go up to $8000 for you oval??? I love spending other people's money!

 

[waystinthyme]

I like the look of this oval but wish it was Vs2. Face on, it looks eye-clean. There’s no dark bow tie, but any elongated cut won’t be as sparkly as a round. It would be beautiful in a halo. Ask for an ASET.

https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/1.20-ct-G-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Oval-Diamond/D43285130

Thanks! I agree, would definitely prefer if it were VS2, but I suppose an eye clean SI2 would accomplish the same goal? I may look into this one a bit further.

This one’s pretty. It’s cheapest on the With Clarity (old Four Mine site) $7357 wire, but I can’t get their videos on my iPhone for some reason. It’s listed on several sites that have pave oval halos for around $1800.

https://www.parcelandstone.com/diamond/Oval/1.20-carat-G-color-VS2-clarity-stockNo-190345-1498/

Thanks, this one looks very nice! May I ask how to determine when a diamond is listed on multiple sites? Is there an identifier that you can use, and if so, how do you search to see which other sites it may be listed on?

Also, do you mind sharing the pave oval halos you've found? I've seen a few, but may be missing some.

You can get a halo for less than $3500...I was just trying to leave you plenty of room.

Bluenile has this one
https://www.bluenile.com/build-your...ing_41118?elem=img&track=product&vtype=sample
or in plat for $1850.

Does that mean we can go up to $8000 for you oval??? I love spending other people's money!

Technically, yes, but coming in under budget certainly wouldn't be a bad thing.

This band looks like a fairly close match to the one she tried on, thank you!

Any thoughts on halos with or without prongs? This one appears to be a halo, but also appears to have four prongs? Is this standard or abnormal?

 

[Ss52]

This one’s pretty. It’s cheapest on the With Clarity (old Four Mine site) $7357 wire, but I can’t get their videos on my iPhone for some reason. It’s listed on several sites that have pave oval halos for around $1800.

https://www.parcelandstone.com/diamond/Oval/1.20-carat-G-color-VS2-clarity-stockNo-190345-1498/

THIS ONE! What a lovely oval. Virtually no bow tie or mush. It’s very clean for a Vs2. Almost VS1. Put this baby on hold. Best of the suggested so far.

 

[elizat]

I like the one from Parcel and Stone too. It really doesn't have the mush you often see. There's a tiny bit, but it's a magnified video.

I also think that the ones @tyty333 are quite nice too, but if you have more money to spend, maybe you can go a bit larger.

 

[Swirl68]

Thanks, this one looks very nice! May I ask how to determine when a diamond is listed on multiple sites? Is there an identifier that you can use, and if so, how do you search to see which other sites it may be listed on?

Also, do you mind sharing the pave oval halos you've found? I've seen a few, but may be missing some.

There is a search engine called Rare Carat you can use that will compare stones on several sites. (Although lately, the sites it compares is not as good as in the past for some reason.) If you find a diamond you like, make a note of its certificate number and its stats. Then go to the search engine site or store site and type its states into the basic and advanced filter fields. (carat size, color, clarity, symmetry, polish, fluorescence, table size, etc.) Then click on the diamonds it brings up and check to see if it's a match. Most of the time the price will be within a few hundred dollars of each other. If you find a ring you like on one site, they will usually match the lower price of the stone on the other site. When shopping places with virtual inventory you can usually save yourself some money by shopping around and price matching.

I have found that the same stone from these sites I list below can often be found on others as well. The stone I listed above I found at Parcel and Stone, Adiamore, and With Clarity. Since the Rare Carat search hasn't been as reliable lately, I've been checking them individually. Be careful of putting stones on hold though until you're done price matching and such. Once it is on hold at one place the others will not have access to it.

Parcel and Stone
Adiamore
With Clarity (used to be Four Mine)
Yadov
Enchanted Diamonds
B2C Jewels

You might also check Blue Nile and James Allen.

Parcel and Stone had a halo a particularly liked. (It comes in an oval.) Most of the sites I listed above have various pave halos and depending on the metal most are between $1300 and $2200.

 

[Swirl68]

You might also consider contacting Yekutiel at ID Jewelry. He is well known on this board and from personal experience, I can say he had by far the best prices I found on settings. (I bought a three stone setting from him for a price I still think was maybe a mistake.) He can often provide aset images on stones as well and often call in a stone from virtual inventory that you find on another site. Their website has never been very helpful to me though. What I purchased was not on their website. I talked with him by phone and email.

 

[waystinthyme]

Thanks, everyone. Lots of really helpful info.

I will certainly keep that diamond in mind, but likely will wait to see what others become available before making a final decision.

 

[waystinthyme]

@Ss52 any that you would suggest? was reviewing a few of the other oval threads today, and it seems you have a great eye for ovals.

I have some time, as I'm not planning to propose until the fall/winter timeframe.

 

[Ss52]

Here’s one you might consider. 1.20 G VS1

https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/1.20-ct-G-VS1-Excellent-Cut-Oval-Diamond/D42867829

I’ve been looking, sorting, but this one stood out. I’ll be busy until later, but happy to continue searching for you.

I still like the one swirl68 posted above, https://www.parcelandstone.com/diam...&ranSiteID=TnL5HPStwNw-35iZBcayOsLqPtnOeCZndg

Which one appeals more to you?

 

[waystinthyme]

Here’s one you might consider. 1.20 G VS1

https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/1.20-ct-G-VS1-Excellent-Cut-Oval-Diamond/D42867829

I’ve been looking, sorting, but this one stood out. I’ll be busy until later, but happy to continue searching for you.

I still like the one swirl68 posted above, https://www.parcelandstone.com/diam...&ranSiteID=TnL5HPStwNw-35iZBcayOsLqPtnOeCZndg

Which one appeals more to you?

Ahh, sorry. Just realized you offered some advice a bit earlier in the thread, too. Thank you!

Both of these are really great options! Slightly partial to the Adiamor at the moment, but it's a really close call. Also, waiting on a few additional options to come in at AV.

 

[anon34985]

This might not be helpful, and you may already know, but if you go to the recently purchased tab in blue nile, you can see more of what the ring looks like in real life if that makes sense. (to see if you like the 4 prongs with the halo) I found the stock pictures on blue nile really difficult to see what the actual ring would look like!

https://www.bluenile.com/engagement-rings/recently-purchased-engagement-rings?track=NavEngRecent

For example this could be really close to what you're looking for, I know its above budget but looks like they did platinum for the setting which you could do in WG:

https://www.bluenile.com/engagement...ent-ring-details?ring_id=2147412942 itemprop=

 

[waystinthyme]

This might not be helpful, and you may already know, but if you go to the recently purchased tab in blue nile, you can see more of what the ring looks like in real life if that makes sense. (to see if you like the 4 prongs with the halo) I found the stock pictures on blue nile really difficult to see what the actual ring would look like!

https://www.bluenile.com/engagement-rings/recently-purchased-engagement-rings?track=NavEngRecent

For example this could be really close to what you're looking for, I know its above budget but looks like they did platinum for the setting which you could do in WG:

https://www.bluenile.com/engagement-rings/recently-purchased-engagement-ring-details?ring_id=2147412942 itemprop=

Thank you! This is super helpful, and I was not previously aware of this feature.

 

[waystinthyme]

Update: Finally went ring shopping with my girlfriend this past weekend, and discovered a few things that may change the search a bit.

I can no longer edit my original post, so I'll highlight updated preferences below:

Budget: 8-10k (diamond + band with slight flexibility)
Color: Preferably a G/H (she was not color sensitive)
Cut: Excellent/Very Good (would like a diamond that performs well)
Clarity: Eye Clean (fine with VS2/SI1)
Carat: 1.3 - 1.6 (she liked the look of the 1.5, but pending options within budget)
Ring Size: 5.75 (5.5 fit, but was a bit tight)
L/W Ratio: Preferably 1.3 - 1.5

We looked at diamonds ranging from 1.0 - 1.5 carats, D - H color, VVS2 - SI1 clarity.

She was definitely biased towards the larger diamonds. She was not color sensitive, and completely fine with diamonds in the G/H range. Similarly, she was fine with diamonds in the VS2/SI1 clarity ranges.

With this in mind, I would like to look for the largest diamond I can afford in the ranges above, while remaining eye clean, with good performance.

In regards to settings, she still prefers a thin halo setting. Originally, she wanted a three row setting (diamonds on all three sides of the band), but after some research around challenges with three row settings, she would be fine with the standard single row setting. No real preferences on cathedral vs. non-cathedral or most other setting design elements.

Based on the info above, I'm currently concentrating my search on two main vendors:

• Adiamor: Decent prices with good options for halo settings
  • Multiple halo options ($1,200 - $1,800)
• August Vintage: Modern Brilliant Oval with excellent performance
  • Invisible Halo Setting is similar to the style she likes ($2,000+)
    
  • Fewer options within budget/size preferences

Given the info above, can you please help recommend some diamonds? I will likely only have one AV within budget, but would like to compare with some standard options, as well.

Thank you all so much for your help thus far, and any additional options you suggest! This forum has been invaluable in helping me prepare for this purchase.

 

[waystinthyme]

Looking around at settings a bit more today, I'm seeing that most vendors offer standard halo styles, so I'm open to additional vendors. Please let me know if there are particular vendors you would suggest.

May also consider someone like DK for a custom halo setting, assuming my budget can support.