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25k to spend; what do I get?

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ring_seeker

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
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Hey guys,

Okay so I''m gonna propose to my special girlfriend and have 25K in my budget set aside for some hardware. I''ve done the 4 c''s research and have been to every website featuring diamonds but I still feel uneducated as to what is a good deal. What kind of rings would you guys buy w/ 25k? Whats the most important of the 4 c''s? My girlfriend has put a few hints out there. . . she likes a round three stone diamond. That being said. . . where do I go from here? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. .
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Wow! Ok so hmmm... LOL I would honestly start by looking an d getting an idea of settings you/she will like. Pearlmans is a great place to search bc they have so many to look at!
As far as the diamond(s) Do you know what size you want for the center stone. I think Whiteflash is known best for their Round Brilliants.
 
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Leon Cushion
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Cut is THE most important of the 4 c's; you want a well cut stone or that stone won't sparkle in the best setting. Use this tool for cut https://www.pricescope.com/sift.aspx select excellent excellent for cut.
Once you find the perfect stone make sure you set aside a few thousand for the setting. Leon Mege, Mark Morrell and Pearlman's have lovely settings.
 
Yup. WF or GOG for the center. Spend up to 20K for the stone. Then send to Leon for the three stone setting and you will have the ring of her dreams.
 
Date: 3/25/2008 2:24:16 PM
Author: CrookedRock

Date: 3/25/2008 2:18:55 PM
Author: LegacyGirl
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Leon Cushion
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LOL! Leon wh*re!!! LOL But you took the words out of my mouth!

How about something like this?
http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=312
I can''t wait to see yours!! If we weren''t so concerned with getting a house and paying off my school loans I''d have one hahaha. We''re being good though
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and I am very happy with what I have.

Although I''ve come across a few haters
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Ring_Seeker I agree with Gypsy all the way! Put most of it into the stone, get a beautiful Leon setting and your girl will be alllllllll yours. I don''t see how anyone could not like that combination
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I''d shoot for as close to 2 carat as you can. 1.8 or so should be doable unless you want high color and clarity. But a G or H VS2-SI1 eyeclean should be workable. I already checked GOG and WF and they don''t have anything that fits that, but a quick call or either will yield you great results in no time.
 
That ring is E*X*A*C*T*L*Y what I would get. EXACTLY. It''s hands down my one and only DREAM RING. I don''t know how much that setting is, or how much the side stones will cost (I usually read of people letting Leon source those and I know he does a great job!). I think this stone would be dreamy in that setting:

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-68015.htm#

I definately say shoot for 2ct. and you can''t go wrong with a Leon 3stone!
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Date: 3/25/2008 2:24:16 PM
Author: CrookedRock

Date: 3/25/2008 2:18:55 PM
Author: LegacyGirl
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Leon Cushion
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LOL! Leon wh*re!!! LOL But you took the words out of my mouth!

How about something like this?
http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=312
Or this one http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=7

Ring_seeker, ask your gf to take a look at Show me The Ring thread and tell you which styles she likes. This way, you''re guaranteed to get something she absolutely loves.
 
Date: 3/25/2008 2:43:11 PM
Author: Jenn5504
That ring is E*X*A*C*T*L*Y what I would get. EXACTLY. It''s hands down my one and only DREAM RING. I don''t know how much that setting is, or how much the side stones will cost (I usually read of people letting Leon source those and I know he does a great job!). I think this stone would be dreamy in that setting:

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-68015.htm#

I definately say shoot for 2ct. and you can''t go wrong with a Leon 3stone!
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Nice find. I''d be THRILLED with an I, but I don''t know if the OP would be, so I didn''t include that in my search. But it''s a LOVELY stone. Leon will do the best job in sourcing sidestones for you.
 
If it were me, I would want a 2 ct for the center stone, preferably G color. You can go down to SI clarity as long as it''s eye-clean. This should cost you aropund $20 K, maybe a little less. I would totally send the stone to Leon Mege artofplatinum.com for setting. He does gorgeous 3-stone settings. Good luck!
 
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SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEET JESUS !!!!! 25 k ??!!!!!

Dang Boy !!!!!

I like you already....
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DEFINATELY, WITHOUT A DOUBT LEON MEGE !!!!!!

The link posted with the round centre and the delicate side stones is amazing ...
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I have a Leon myself and I have to say his work is impeccible, and i have yet to see another ring even close to the quality of my own....

CUT is definately the most important quality of ANY stone, from there, you can work around colour, clarity etc...

My stone is a 1.8 Asscher, J colour, VS2 and it faces up as white as most in the G range... there are NO visible inclusions whatsoever and even with a loupe, extremly hard to see..

I have seen BEAUTIFUL SI1''s that to the naked eye.. there was nothing !!!!!!!

Leon is amazing, very friendly... I have a little *crush* on him, so I am biased, and like I said, his work is like no other.

Spend 20k on the centre.. that will get her a FABU centre and use the other 5k for the sides and setting.....

Yep... SPEND IT ALL BABY !!!!

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Oh, and if you need someone to go shopping with you... just let me know....

Please let us know what you decide !!!!!!

Oh, my Leon, the R221, was 13k total... just ot give you an idea....
 
I''d do the round with a Leon setting or choose a desinger setting from Pearlmans. you''ve got an amazing budget so you can really go pretty much any direction you want.
 
Hmmmm . . . I'd get the biggest, white, best cut, eye clean stone I could find [GIA F/G VS2/SI1 ish if I had to guess]. I love cushions but I'm thinking a RB would face up bigger if that is an issue [shrinkage is a big deal to me - each of my stones are just shy of 7 carats and they look teeny to me - and, no, I am not gaining weight!
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]. I would do a simple setting to spend the most on the stone. You can always do the 3-stone, fancier setting, etc. later.

I guess you can tell that I'm all about the center stone - clean, white, big! LOL!

ETA And, BTW, congratulations!!!
 
Date: 3/25/2008 3:47:22 PM
Author: DiamanteBlu
Hmmmm . . . I''d get the biggest, white, best cut, eye clean stone I could find [GIA F/G VS2/SI1 ish if I had to guess]. I love cushions but I''m thinking a RB would face up bigger if that is an issue [shrinkage is a big deal to me - each of my stones are just shy of 7 carats and they look teeny to me - and, no, I am not gaining weight!
9.gif
]. I would do a simple setting to spend the most on the stone. You can always do the 3-stone, fancier setting, etc. later.

I guess you can tell that I''m all about the center stone - clean, white, big! LOL!

ETA And, BTW, congratulations!!!
Ditto what Blu said..

I would go for the biggest, best cut, color, clarity stone I could buy -- probably round... and put it in a simple solitare setting and then let her decide what kind of setting later... as she might want pave, or sidestones etc....

Good luck!
 
Date: 3/25/2008 3:53:50 PM
Author: lovewhitediamonds

Date: 3/25/2008 3:47:22 PM
Author: DiamanteBlu
Hmmmm . . . I''d get the biggest, white, best cut, eye clean stone I could find [GIA F/G VS2/SI1 ish if I had to guess]. I love cushions but I''m thinking a RB would face up bigger if that is an issue [shrinkage is a big deal to me - each of my stones are just shy of 7 carats and they look teeny to me - and, no, I am not gaining weight!
9.gif
]. I would do a simple setting to spend the most on the stone. You can always do the 3-stone, fancier setting, etc. later.

I guess you can tell that I''m all about the center stone - clean, white, big! LOL!

ETA And, BTW, congratulations!!!
Ditto what Blu said..

I would go for the biggest, best cut, color, clarity stone I could buy -- probably round... and put it in a simple solitare setting and then let her decide what kind of setting later... as she might want pave, or sidestones etc....

Good luck!
I agree. Here is my suggestion for the center stone. Link Put it into a simple setting and let her upgrade the setting in the future. This is one gorgeous diamond.
 
He specifically mentioned his girl already told him she likes 3 stone rings. But if that''s not set in stone, the solitaire is certainly a fabulous option as well. But with a $25k budget, I think this guy can get her a dream ring off the bat.
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Whatever her dream ring is. I do think with such a nice budget and the fact that it sounds like she may already have a clue this is going down, let her pick a setting??
 
this looks like a good one (although I am not a round expert at all).... if you don''t mind going to an H color...

WF ACA HA 2 carat


Good luck !! What an exciting time!
 

I don''t agree about getting a solitare then upgrading to a three stone later. She didn''t say that she wants the largest stone his budget can buy....She''s already says she wants a three stone. She''s going to be opening that box expecting a three stone. He''s got a great budget that can afford a three stone. I think he should get her one. If I wanted a three stone and my fiance got me a solitare I''d be dissappointed. Especially if I was the sentimental type that didn''t want to upgrade.

 
Date: 3/25/2008 3:18:41 PM
Author: BrownEyedCountryGirl
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SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEET JESUS !!!!! 25 k ??!!!!!

Oh, my Leon, the R221, was 13k total... just ot give you an idea....
BECC

Seriously.......your ring including stone was 13k total??? Nah.....was that not just the setting and LMs work?
 
Date: 3/25/2008 3:47:22 PM
Author: DiamanteBlu
Hmmmm . . . I''d get the biggest, white, best cut, eye clean stone I could find [GIA F/G VS2/SI1 ish if I had to guess]. I love cushions but I''m thinking a RB would face up bigger if that is an issue [shrinkage is a big deal to me - each of my stones are just shy of 7 carats and they look teeny to me - and, no, I am not gaining weight!
9.gif
]. I would do a simple setting to spend the most on the stone. You can always do the 3-stone, fancier setting, etc. later.

I guess you can tell that I''m all about the center stone - clean, white, big! LOL!

ETA And, BTW, congratulations!!!

Hey Blu, I''ve been looking for you here
 
Date: 3/25/2008 2:11:02 PM
Author:ring_seeker
Hey guys,


Okay so I''m gonna propose to my special girlfriend and have 25K in my budget set aside for some hardware. I''ve done the 4 c''s research and have been to every website featuring diamonds but I still feel uneducated as to what is a good deal. What kind of rings would you guys buy w/ 25k? Whats the most important of the 4 c''s? My girlfriend has put a few hints out there. . . she likes a round three stone diamond. That being said. . . where do I go from here? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. .
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Honestly, I would get a 1.4 carat Lucida from Tiffany, OR a Legacy from Tiffany, OR I would go to SP and buy the $25,000.00 Lucida 2.00 carat they are selling as of last night. :-)
 
HI:

Here are some lovely Infinity stones, you'd have to inquire as to availability, since prices are not listed....

=89&src=loupe:2o8h065d]http://www.craftedbyinfinity.com/index.php?pid=63&lang=eng&sid[]=89&src=loupe

=414&src=loupe:2o8h065d]http://www.craftedbyinfinity.com/index.php?pid=63&lang=eng&sid[]=414&src=loupe

ETA:

Here is a nice F with some flouro--would make a nice center for a three stone ring.....

=348&src=loupe:2o8h065d]http://www.craftedbyinfinity.com/index.php?pid=63&lang=eng&sid[]=348&src=loupe


cheers--Sharon
 
One important question is what is her ring size? A 2 carat center with side stones is going to be major bling.

One more very important thing. If you are going for a three stone with rounds, get the source of the center stone to get you the matching side stones. You'd want 3 hearts and arrows stones. People get Leon to provide sidestones when the sides are pears, baguettes, etc. But three rounds definitely should be the same kind of cut to look best.
 
here''s what i literally just picked up from fedex today!!
a bit more than your 25k budget but what i found was that the more time you spend on PS the bigger your budget gets!

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BrownEyedCountryGirl, you got a Leon ring with a 1.8ct stone for 13k total? Can I ask where you got the stone and how you got it for so cheap? People were showing me 2ct stones for 20k alone. I was hoping to do something slightly larger than yours in a RB for slightly more money and I love artofplatinum''s pieces.

Thanks, sorry to hijack, I wish I was able to drop 25k, I am willing, but not able, I want to try and retire early too!! haha.

Ben
 
Date: 3/26/2008 12:53:08 AM
Author: LuckiestGuyonEarth
BrownEyedCountryGirl, you got a Leon ring with a 1.8ct stone for 13k total? Can I ask where you got the stone and how you got it for so cheap? People were showing me 2ct stones for 20k alone. I was hoping to do something slightly larger than yours in a RB for slightly more money and I love artofplatinum''s pieces.

Thanks, sorry to hijack, I wish I was able to drop 25k, I am willing, but not able, I want to try and retire early too!! haha.

Ben
Yah BEG!! What on Earth! How did I mess this up so much? You must explain, bc I was thinking that your Leon with all the detail on it was probably the one that would have been more expensive than mine, if not similar. It such a stunning, detailed ring, it''s just hard to believe. Come back!!! tell us more!!
 
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