$10,000 Budget for an Engagement Ring. Am I doing it right?

[richywong]

Hi All,

PS community, your help is needed! I have a $10,000 budget for an engagement ring. Below are my preferences (flexible) and initial selections. Have I made the right choices or do you think there are any stones that I should also consider? I have a preference towards WF since GOG has a limited selection of settings. BG and JA have a more limited selection of stones under 1 carat.

Priorities in descending order
Cut: WF ACA
Color: I minimum
Clarity: VS2 minimum
Carat: 9-1.1
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3045729.htm#
Cost: $6,758

Setting: Halo
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/ritani-bella-vita-split-halo-diamond-engagement-ring-2136.htm
Cost: $2,970.00
Total: $9728

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

Rich

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: $10,000 Budget for an Engagement Ring. Am I doing it rig

Very beautiful choices!!! I'll take a quick look and see if there are any other WF diamonds I'd recommend.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: $10,000 Budget for an Engagement Ring. Am I doing it rig

If you can stretch just a little, you can get to the 1 ct mark.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3063741.htm

But I just noticed your comment in your post that GOG has less settings and I would say that they likely have a lot more. If you look at their featured brands page, they carry about 15 brands of settings. I love both WF and GOG and have bought from both since one or the other had what I needed at the time.

 

[MarionC]

Re: $10,000 Budget for an Engagement Ring. Am I doing it rig

If you can stretch just a little, you can get to the 1 ct mark.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3063741.htm

But I just noticed your comment in your post that GOG has less settings and I would say that they likely have a lot more. If you look at their featured brands page, they carry about 15 brands of settings. I love both WF and GOG and have bought from both since one or the other had what I needed at the time.

DS, hi.
I've read that at the 1.0 mark there is a large price increase.
So - is that really true?
and if it is, can the OP find something like a .98 and get a much better deal?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: $10,000 Budget for an Engagement Ring. Am I doing it rig

Jimmianne, that is a great question! The reality is, though, that cutters will really try to get to the 1 ct mark and not cut a .98. I have seen a few (Jonathan recently had a .99 AVR that surely was tempting!). What you normally see are stones close to .90 and then stones at 1 ct. If you see a .98-.99, they are often very close to the price of a 1 ct. The savings comes in if you buy closer to .90. GOG does have a .94 G VS2 at a great price now, though.

 

[richywong]

Re: $10,000 Budget for an Engagement Ring. Am I doing it rig

If you can stretch just a little, you can get to the 1 ct mark.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3063741.htm

But I just noticed your comment in your post that GOG has less settings and I would say that they likely have a lot more. If you look at their featured brands page, they carry about 15 brands of settings. I love both WF and GOG and have bought from both since one or the other had what I needed at the time.

Thanks for the quick response DS! The stone you recommended looks excellent, however I noticed that it is classified in their expert selection. In your opinion, can you really distinguish a ACA with an ES (with excellent symmetry) with the naked eyes? There are also a number of feathers and needles on the pavilion. Will these inclusions compromise the brilliance of the stone?

You're absolutely right regarding GOG. Their website is not nearly as user friendly as WFs but i was able to find their vast options of settings. My only gripe is that most (if not all) of their settings require pulling a quote. Nonetheless I'll give them another shot!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: $10,000 Budget for an Engagement Ring. Am I doing it rig

I do not think the average person could tell the difference between an ACA (hearts and arrows) from most AGS ideal cuts. I do have ACA earrings, but my daughter's engagement ring was a WF Premium Select because it had Excellent for polish instead of ideal. That is something you simply cannot see!

In regard to the two stones, there is nothing at all wrong with having WF pull the two diamonds and check them from the sides for eye-cleanness. I imagine those tiny inclusions in the 1 ct stone are hard to see, but I generally do not take that for granted and always ask if the diamond is for a ring.

Yes, you are right that it is nice to have prices of settings on a site!

 

[richywong]

Re: $10,000 Budget for an Engagement Ring. Am I doing it rig

bump

 

[Gypsy]

Re: $10,000 Budget for an Engagement Ring. Am I doing it rig

Why are you bumping? DS covered it all.

You made good choices, she gave you another. Up to you.

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

Re: $10,000 Budget for an Engagement Ring. Am I doing it rig

The newbie can bump if he wants too. Is he breaking any rules? Maybe he wants some more opinions. Hall monitor.

 

[luvdajules]

Re: $10,000 Budget for an Engagement Ring. Am I doing it rig

Hi OP, has your intended mentioned wanting a halo? If it were me, I'd prefer spending most on the diamond for now and putting a simple setting that I could have fun designing my upgrade later WF has a trade up policy for ACA and ES. If she does indeed want a halo, there are good less expensive options that have been recommended, closer to $1.5k. Just another couple of ideas

 

[caldwa]

Re: $10,000 Budget for an Engagement Ring. Am I doing it rig

Does the setting have to be designer? You could ask Whiteflash or BGD about making a custom halo setting for you. I'd bet that it would come in less than the Ritani setting that you posted (at least in the case of BGD custom). That way, you could have a little more budget for the diamond to get over the 1ct hump while still getting the style of setting she likes.

 

[richywong]

Re: $10,000 Budget for an Engagement Ring. Am I doing it rig

Thanks so much for additional options Caldwa, Luvdajules and Sandy! They are all valid points that I will look into. I have read that the markups for Ritani settings have gradually increased so I'll definitely consider non-designer halo settings.

Not surprisingly, this will be one of the largest purchases that i'll be making so I truly appreciate all the feedback! Cheers!