Hi all,
New to all of this so looking for some advice. Tried to read the guides ahead of time, but likely missed something so feel free to send links if this is duplicative
Current thinking for an engagement ring for my girlfriend is a platinum three stone setting with pear side stones and 1.1ct center super ideal diamond. Thinking I should be able to get that for <$10k. She's a size 5 ring finger and works in healthcare so will often be wearing it as a necklace, but I still don't want something that is too high or sharp just in case.
I have three main questions but also feel free to chime in with any advice overall (stone too small/big? platinum the wrong way to go? advice for a ring to wear on a necklace, etc)
1. Pricey setting : I really like the Vatche 310 pear sidestones setting (WF link) because the sidestones are aligned with the center stone to avoid sharp edges. But it's over $5k which seems very expensive. It looked like it used to be about 40% cheaper (old thread) and folks here still thought that was too expensive. Is it worth $5k? Are there good alternatives? Should I consider something custom?
2. Color matching center and side stones : From what I'm reading, it looks like an H color should be fine for the center stone and save money, but I really don't want the center stone to look more yellow than the side stones. If I called the jeweler before ordering could they match the center to the sidestones? Or should I just pay for G to be safe?
3. Finding a super ideal cut : As someone who loves to see all the data and doesn't have a ton of time for searching, I'm impressed with all the info Whiteflash provides so I'm tempted to just go with one of their ACA stones. But at the same time, everything I read talks about cut as coming down to a few measurements and WF even posts their ACA measurement thresholds.
Am I underestimating the effort required to search BlueNile or similar site for a matching stone that's cheaper because it hasn't been branded? Or is the idea that BlueNile already did that and priced accordingly? FWIW I also like the WF return and upgrade policy so maybe I should just pay their premium...
Thank you in advance!
New to all of this so looking for some advice. Tried to read the guides ahead of time, but likely missed something so feel free to send links if this is duplicative
Current thinking for an engagement ring for my girlfriend is a platinum three stone setting with pear side stones and 1.1ct center super ideal diamond. Thinking I should be able to get that for <$10k. She's a size 5 ring finger and works in healthcare so will often be wearing it as a necklace, but I still don't want something that is too high or sharp just in case.
I have three main questions but also feel free to chime in with any advice overall (stone too small/big? platinum the wrong way to go? advice for a ring to wear on a necklace, etc)
1. Pricey setting : I really like the Vatche 310 pear sidestones setting (WF link) because the sidestones are aligned with the center stone to avoid sharp edges. But it's over $5k which seems very expensive. It looked like it used to be about 40% cheaper (old thread) and folks here still thought that was too expensive. Is it worth $5k? Are there good alternatives? Should I consider something custom?
2. Color matching center and side stones : From what I'm reading, it looks like an H color should be fine for the center stone and save money, but I really don't want the center stone to look more yellow than the side stones. If I called the jeweler before ordering could they match the center to the sidestones? Or should I just pay for G to be safe?
3. Finding a super ideal cut : As someone who loves to see all the data and doesn't have a ton of time for searching, I'm impressed with all the info Whiteflash provides so I'm tempted to just go with one of their ACA stones. But at the same time, everything I read talks about cut as coming down to a few measurements and WF even posts their ACA measurement thresholds.
Am I underestimating the effort required to search BlueNile or similar site for a matching stone that's cheaper because it hasn't been branded? Or is the idea that BlueNile already did that and priced accordingly? FWIW I also like the WF return and upgrade policy so maybe I should just pay their premium...
Thank you in advance!