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10 years anniversary - 1000$ ring. Worth it?

bigearedfennec

bigearedfennec

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 28, 2015
Messages
7
Hi All!

I posted here 2 years ago and showed a present for my 30th birthday - https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-wf-aca-diamond-studs.215674/

So now I need an advice: we have our 10 years anniversary and I always thought that I would like to get an solitary engagement ring on that date (since I didn't have one in the very beginning :D).
The problem is that now we can afford only ~1000$ ring (I would say the same carat, cut, color as the studs in the post above + white gold and not platinum).

Do you think it is worth it? Or it is better to wait until we have a little bit more money? :Up_to_something2:

Thank you!
 
Does the budget include the setting? If not then this is the biggest ACA on the database at $1000,

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3855495.htm

If you need to include a setting then I think you're looking at a 0.3ct, probably with lower colour and clarity. Would you consider other vendors, or going for a less than superideal cut?

Edit to add- least expensive setting is this one at $235.

https://www.whiteflash.com/engageme...ni-1rz7286-solitaire-engagement-ring-4026.htm
 
Personally, I think I'd be inclined to wait, save a bit, and get something bigger in the future.
 
Because the trade in policy is good, why not go ahead and get a diamond to love and enjoy now? In the future, you could always upgrade to something larger if you wanted it.
 
I would go with the largest stone you can afford now and upgrade it later! Enjoy the diamond for a little bit and once you save up more - upgrade the stone you have! I think it is lovely to celebrate your anniversary with a special gift.
 
I would wait until I saved up more money. It's a personal decision - you will make the right choice for you. Good luck.
 
Depends do you want a smaller stone now or to wait and get a larger one? Also keep an eye on Loupetroop and DiamondBistro, and preloved here, lots of people sell their stones and you might find something suitable at a discounted price.
 
Hi bigearedfennec :)

I just wanted to encourage you to take your time, look around, but not to think this is impossible! You'll need to be open to some lateral thinking (like - NOT Whiteflash - your budget won't allow for the price of signature cut stones) - but if you're willing to consider Blue Nile, pre-loved rings, and so on, you have a shot at this...depending on what you're looking for.

What size would be your goal for this project? Can you stretch your budget at ALL? And - just to give you some encouragement _ i just sold a beautiful, white, clean .81ct J VS2 stone with GREAT specs and terrific light return...for $970. So deals are out there if you take your time and look around.

Let us know more about what you're looking for and we'll try to help.

Good luck!
 
I just looked on Blue Nile (my favorite site for people on a budget) and found a great stone. Go to their website:

www.bluenile.com

and in the top right hand corner you will see a search box. Cut and paste this number:

LD09060890

This is an H SI1 round diamond. It would be hugely unlikely that you would see any color difference between this and your earring diamonds. At this size, this diamond will almost certainly be eye clean and, frankly, with stones that size, going to VS is a waste of money in my opinion as the inclusions are simply too small to be seen in either a VS stone OR an SI1 stone. There's no need to pay for the difference.

If you look at its specs, they're gorgeous. After wire discount, it's $1024. You'd need to wait till Christmas or a birthday for a setting, but this would make a LOVELY solitaire diamond ring and would look great, size-wise, with your earrings.

Another diamond, a tiny but smaller, but still hitting 5mm, is stock number:

LD09061848

This stone is a G SI1 and $1017 after wire discount. I prefer the first stone; its specs are perfect and it's the tiniest bit bigger, but either of these would complement your ear rings beautifully.

I think either of these stones would look fab in a solitaire! What size are your fingers?
 
Congrats on 10 years! I like the whiteflash and blue nile options - I would keep in mind each vendor's upgrade policy in case this is something that you would want to do later. Another cheap option - you could try some pawn shops. This vintage ring was $150 from a pawn shop in the D.C. area (we didn't negotiate, either). It's a pretty small stone but the illusion setting gives it the same presence as my .8 stone. They had some other beautiful vintage and newer rings at the pawn shop for under 1k.

IMG_1309.JPG IMG_1313.JPG
 
^ A .5ct or .6ct in one of those illusion settings can look quite large. Stuller makes one, and any jeweler knows how to order settings or findings from Stuller. I wore a 5.8mm RB in an illusion head for years and people always thought it was 1ct or more. The Stuller illusion head for the 1ct 6.3-6.5mm RB has an outer diameter of 8mm, which is the diameter of a 2ct stone. There is no doubt that the vintage illusion style heads add presence to diamonds 1ct and under.

I second the suggestion that you go look at "used" diamonds in pawn shops or stores that buy & sell gold and diamonds. I own a GOG Signature superideal H&A, and a H&A diamond that was recut by Brian Gavin, and I am well aware of what perfection looks like. ;-) But sometimes a good practical tradeoff might be the right decision. if it comes down to a choice between waiting another 2 or 3 years vs. beating the bushes to find something that's "good enough" to spend $1000 on right now, there might be a "good enough" diamond that will work for you. I got a .8ct loose stone about 6mm diameter for around your $1000 budget at a local shop. I had it mounted in a mounting I bought on ebay. This stone is older cut, it has a shallow crown height, low crown height, large table like 62% or so, and is definitely not one of Pricescope's modern superideal H&A stones. But it definitely *is* a very pretty stone that performs impressively in office lighting (faces up very brilliant and white) and throws a lot of fire outside in sunlight. It throws bold flashes of brilliance and fire. The pavilion has fire outdoors in sunlight but brilliance indoor in fluorescent lighting. The color is warm, a solid lower J or perhaps K, with a yellow body tint that looks best in yellow gold where it goes "buttery", and it looks what I'd call a dingy off-white in white metals. But this stone is probably an above average performer among the ranks of mall jeweler stones. In real life, I don't ever see a lot of Hearts On Fire diamonds or Pricescope super-ideals.

There is a huge size difference between .5ct and 6mm when worn in a solitaire. Personally, I think I would pick something like my .8ct 80% performer over a .5ct 100% superideal, even though I concur that cut is usually king. But there just is no way that the stunning performance of a .5ct super is going to look as large as a .8ct that offers very good performance under most lighting. It's your money, you get to decide. Take a look at some older diamonds in person, and compare to your ACAs and see if the difference in price and performance is worth it to you. You may find a "lesser" diamond that is affordable and decent and says "Buy me." I own an assortment of diamonds, and don't want a stable of cookiecutter superideal H&As that all have the same look. Too much matchy-matchy for me. lol
 
Personally, I'd wait and consolidate my funds, but it seems like you're not inclined to do so. In that case, I'd be looking at pre-owned rings and be prepared to compromise a bit. If your heart is set on a new diamond, I'd drop the clarity to S1/S2. At the size you're looking at, clarity will not be an issue IMO.

And congratulations!
 
My preference, get an anniversary-style ring for your 10 year. If you really want that solitaire, either wait, or - sacrilege, selling/trading in your earrings to go towards the solitaire? All about what is most important to you.
 
MissGotRocks said:
Because the trade in policy is good, why not go ahead and get a diamond to love and enjoy now? In the future, you could always upgrade to something larger if you wanted it.
Click to expand...

I totally agree, why wait for a diamond when you can enjoy one now and then upgrade down the line when funds allow? This is the best of both worlds IMO
 
All,

Thank you so much for all your responses! I will try to answer on some of your questions:
I definitely looking for something new - it is just my preference. I am willing to sacrifice in ct, but get a brand new diamond/ring.
I remember that I read a guide on how to chose a proper diamond (I am pretty sure it was somewhere here) - so it says that diamond for ring should be 'better' then for studs (simply because it usually close to people eyes).
I was thinking about anniversary style ring, but didn't find anything that I really liked. But honestly I've not looked enough. Do you have any recommendation for those rings?

Also I don't want to wait - there is a high chance that I won't get anything at all if I wait :)
So maybe I should consider completely different options.

Oh, and my ring size is 5.
Update: 1000$ is for everything.

Thank you!:wink2:
 
Myself I love whiteflash's 5-stone rings. I would stretch to get the .5 carat size which is more than 1k. But don't get it if your heart is set on a solitaire.
 
For an eternity band (anniversary ring) I would suggest you contact Yekutiel at ID Jewelry. I am most confident that he can help you to find something very nice within your budget. Good luck to you:wavey:
 
Hi bigearedfennec,

Congratulations on the anniversary!

If you do decide to get the diamond solitaire ring, many on here have rightly suggested that you choose a vendor with a good upgrade policy giving you the freedom to "upgrade" down the road if you choose. I would advise looking carefully at the policies of everyone you are choosing to work with - the language is often similar, but not the same - and those small differences can make a large difference.
 
also, the quality of the diamonds you got for earrings is overkill for earrings. You certainly don't need to go higher than your earrings, for a diamond, and for ideal cut stones the size you are looking at, many SI1 stones are eye clean.
 
bigearedfennec said:
I was thinking about anniversary style ring, but didn't find anything that I really liked. But honestly I've not looked enough. Do you have any recommendation for those rings?
Click to expand...

5-stone bands always seemed oh-so elegant ... A band that is a ring that is a band !

I am not terribly familiar with prices of new ones, since the graduated style I tend to like is relatively rarer in modern pieces - otherwise, there are allot of bands of five equals up to 1 ct. & 1 K.
 
I say save up and get what you really want later . Good luck
 
If you really want something now - which is understandable - I would agree with those who advised getting the biggest diamond you can now with a vendor with a good upgrade policy. Who wants to wait!
 
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