.46ct round brilliant, what setting?

[Splodge2003]

Hi all,

Long story short- I've ordered a few rings which have been returned and dragged my poor boyfriend around shops until I'm pretty sure he's second guessing why he wants to marry this crazy lady in the first place!

Finally found a lovely jewellers in the Lanes, Brighton UK who took the time to really help me find 'my' style. Turned out after not trying on solitaires because they weren't showy enough for my e-ring, that's what I love! The only reason I didn't buy from here is because her prices were much more expensive than I know I could pay for the same thing.

She showed me a .50ct, very good cut, E, SI2 in a half round tapered band which was so brilliant and white, and then another half carat excellent cut, D, VS1. Weirdly the D looked more grey? She was asking £2600 for the E diamond in a platinum setting.

I'm visiting Hatton Garden, London next Saturday and have reserved this diamond to view:

.46ct GIA
F colour
SI2 - feather inclusion
Excellent cut, clarity and polish
No fluro
5.02 x 5.05 x 3.02
Total depth - 60.0%
Table - 57.0%
Crown - 32.5%
Pavilion - 41.0%
HCA score 0.7

It's actually .1mm bigger than the half carat E diamond!

So I know I want a round tapered band, but what style prongs or profile? Would 6 prongs be overwhelming? The jeweller I'm going to see has two settings on their website I like the look of - I've attached an image.

Both setting in platinum with the above stone come in at under £1400! Which would you choose?

Or if I choose to buy only the diamond, could someone recommend somewhere in the UK that would set it for me?

Thanks

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Either setting would be lovely. If prongs are done well (small), it doesn't matter if you have 4 or 6. I'd probably skip that next diamond, though. I wouldn't feel comfortable with an SI2 with feather inclusion (crack). And try to stick to these measurements:

table: 54-58

depth: 60-62.3

crown angle: 34-35.0

pavilion angle: 40.6-41.0

I would suggest considering F-G color and then you could maybe go to VS2-SI1 clarity and balance things out a bit rather than having high color and low clarity. And definitely, do not settle for less than GIA Excellent Cut (the numbers above will generally fall within that range). The reason your first diamond was smaller than the second one was probably because it was deeper and not well cut.

If you are having trouble finding an adequate selection of diamonds to choose from, I will tell you that we have had many buyers from the UK buy here in the US through PS vendors. You might want to compare prices. 1400 pounds is about $2300 US, so I will take a quick look and compare prices. I know you have some sort of import tax, too, maybe.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Okay, I think you'll do better here. This is an ideal cut, hearts and arrows .47 F VS2 for $1280 US. That leaves you $1000 US for a solitaire setting and taxes. I'd 10000 times rather have an F VS2 ideal cut diamond over an E SI2. Your prices are very high.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11545/

 

[recordaras]

I think the best way to go is to try on some 4 and 6 prong settings with similar sized stones and see which you prefer. I made my decision based on photos, and chose the 6 prong (my stone is about a half mm larger than yours, so pretty close in size), but in hindsight I would've preferred a 4 prong. It could be just me, but when I look at the 6 prong I see a smaller circle "drawn" by the prong tips, and in my opinion it makes the stone look a little smaller. But the downside to 4 prongs is that it can make the stone look more square, so I think it all just comes down to personal preference.

 

[Splodge2003]

Okay, I think you'll do better here. This is an ideal cut, hearts and arrows .47 F VS2 for $1280 US. That leaves you $1000 US for a solitaire setting and taxes. I'd 10000 times rather have an F VS2 ideal cut diamond over an E SI2. Your prices are very high.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11545/

Thank you for the suggestion, I would really love to buy a diamond and import it, but the few people I've asked about setting stones won't do it unless you buy from them for insurance reasons. That, and I worried about customers etc and if I had to return something half way across the world.

Damn it, I need to book a holiday to America and buy something while I'm there!

 

[WillyDiamond]

DS2006 picked out a fantastic diamond for you at GOG,find a setting with them, have them set it and ship to you, one stop shopping!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, yes, I would have the diamond seller set the stone before shipping. They carry many different brands of settings.

You will pay more where you are, but in that case, if I am overpaying, I would tell the jewelers I am only interested in GIA Excellent cut with measurements within the parameters I gave you (because some GIA EX are not all great). You should be getting a better diamond for the price they are charging.

 

[Splodge2003]

DS2006 picked out a fantastic diamond for you at GOG,find a setting with them, have them set it and ship to you, one stop shopping!

My boyfriend is just not comfortable buying something we can't see, and I see his point. It's annoying knowing that there is amazing quality and value out there, we're just not close enough to see it, touch it, look at it and buy it there an then. It's the setting mostly, the diamond he is happy to buy online because a lot of places have real photos etc. but then as I said we can't find any one here willing to set it for us.

 

[insured]

Finally found a lovely jewellers in the Lanes, Brighton UK who took the time to really help me find 'my' style. Turned out after not trying on solitaires because they weren't showy enough for my e-ring, that's what I love! The only reason I didn't buy from here is because her prices were much more expensive than I know I could pay for the same thing.

Devil's advocate here,

Diamonds aside, please remember that when someone takes the time to really get to know you and your needs and provides this level of personal service (that you obviously hadn't found anywhere else up to that point), what you are paying for at that shop is the goods and the service. Their time is not free. While some retail markup is insane, with poor service and not nearly enough to justify it (most 'maul' stores), places that provide GOOD service along with a good quality product deserve to be compensated reasonably for it Is it really fair to take their service for free and use what they've taught you to go find the goods elsewhere cheaper?

Please know this is NOT intended to be nearly as much the lecture as it sounds like, but I've not had good luck finding subtler phrasing this morning, lol. Also not even considering if her price is reasonable or not, I just wanted to point out that service like that won't be around if people don't support them.

 

[marymm]

OP - I understand your concerns and reservations about buying internationally, so I encourage you to check out that diamond you have reserved at Hatton Garden - the lower crown height and larger table is helping it face up spreadier and the 0.7 HCA is encouraging. When you see the diamond, ask to see the report so you can see for yourself the inclusion plot and the location of the feather - if you can't see the feather with your eyes and it is not breaking the surface or located very close to the surface, it should be safe enough for your engagement ring. But also ask your vendor his professional opinion of the stone and the feather. If you do see the feather or if it is too close to the surface, maybe Hatton Garden can call in some similar stones for you...

Of the 2 settings you listed, I really like the first one, and think your colorless diamond will show to advantage in that mount.

Good luck with your search, and keep us posted!

eta: disagree with above poster in that I think most stores welcome browsers and make it pretty clear when browers aren't welcome... even if you can't afford to buy your ER at the Brighton store, you will go back sometime and perhaps buy some earrings or a simple band, and certainly you will recommend the store to others.

 

[Splodge2003]

Finally found a lovely jewellers in the Lanes, Brighton UK who took the time to really help me find 'my' style. Turned out after not trying on solitaires because they weren't showy enough for my e-ring, that's what I love! The only reason I didn't buy from here is because her prices were much more expensive than I know I could pay for the same thing.

Devil's advocate here,

Diamonds aside, please remember that when someone takes the time to really get to know you and your needs and provides this level of personal service (that you obviously hadn't found anywhere else up to that point), what you are paying for at that shop is the goods and the service. Their time is not free. While some retail markup is insane, with poor service and not nearly enough to justify it (most 'maul' stores), places that provide GOOD service along with a good quality product deserve to be compensated reasonably for it Is it really fair to take their service for free and use what they've taught you to go find the goods elsewhere cheaper?

Please know this is NOT intended to be nearly as much the lecture as it sounds like, but I've not had good luck finding subtler phrasing this morning, lol. Also not even considering if her price is reasonable or not, I just wanted to point out that service like that won't be around if people don't support them.

Oh I completely agree, and if I had had the money I probably would have bought the ring there and then. It's just it was £900 over our maximum budget. £1700 is as far as we can go, and I did contact them to see if they could compete with some other prices, but they still came in over our maximum price. It's a shame really as they were so lovely, but we just don't have the means to stretch any further. I've kept their business card so we can maybe purchase wedding bands there later on.

 

[Splodge2003]

OP - I understand your concerns and reservations about buying internationally, so I encourage you to check out that diamond you have reserved at Hatton Garden - the lower crown height and larger table is helping it face up spreadier and the 0.7 HCA is encouraging. When you see the diamond, ask to see the report so you can see for yourself the inclusion plot and the location of the feather - if you can't see the feather with your eyes and it is not breaking the surface or located very close to the surface, it should be safe enough for your engagement ring. But also ask your vendor his professional opinion of the stone and the feather. If you do see the feather or if it is too close to the surface, maybe Hatton Garden can call in some similar stones for you...

Of the 2 settings you listed, I really like the first one, and think your colorless diamond will show to advantage in that mount.

Good luck with your search, and keep us posted!

eta: disagree with above poster in that I think most stores welcome browsers and make it pretty clear when browers aren't welcome... even if you can't afford to buy your ER at the Brighton store, you will go back sometime and perhaps buy some earrings or a simple band, and certainly you will recommend the store to others.

Thank you for the advice on the feather, I'll make sure we get a good look at it before making any decisions

Hatton garden has a whole street full of jewellers, so maybe if this isn't the one, we will see something else!

 

[Andelain]

DS2006 picked out a fantastic diamond for you at GOG,find a setting with them, have them set it and ship to you, one stop shopping!

Dear Lord, Splodge, you need to buy this diamond before I poach it!

 

[TC1987]

Thank you for the suggestion, I would really love to buy a diamond and import it, but the few people I've asked about setting stones won't do it unless you buy from them for insurance reasons. That, and I worried about customers etc and if I had to return something half way across the world.

Damn it, I need to book a holiday to America and buy something while I'm there!

Good Old Gold has or used to have a machine called a GemEx BrillianceScope. They used to run all of their round H&A stones on it had have a live report available with the listing. That, or a video (I am certain they still have video capability) will let you watch how the diamond plays with light. Wink at High Performance Diamonds is another who has great equipment for making videos of diamonds. I think if you could see video and maybe also BrillianceScope, you'd feel more confident.

GOG could locate settings identical or very similar to those solitaires you posted. I think Whiteflash actually has some very similar ones on their site. I would not worry about warranty on the setting.

eta: Regarding buying on the Internet -- I try to buy locally, or at least I should say "I tried." And the problem I ran into every single time was not only were the diamonds overpriced, they were also nowhere near the cut and symmetry that I could buy online. Had the local brick and mortar stores bothered to actually offer something superb but priced higher than online, I could still respect them and would have probably purchased from them. But when they offered mediocre or average diamonds AND priced them higher than GOG, WF, or Brian Gavin, I just had to do my buying elsewhere.

 

[zah_zah]

Iv just ordered from a place in Hatton garden (appointment only) the ring should arrive next week so i will let you know how it goes!

Iv heard about alot of good stuff and bad stuff about hatton garden.

 

[Splodge2003]

Iv just ordered from a place in Hatton garden (appointment only) the ring should arrive next week so i will let you know how it goes!

Iv heard about alot of good stuff and bad stuff about hatton garden.

Hi Zah Zah, which jewellers did you order from?

The stone we're going to see was actually on blue niles inventory and they were able to get it in for me and price match it, so even though their other stones were priced higher, we should be getting a good deal on this one if we like it

 

[zah_zah]

Hey splodge,

I brought it from the diamond ring company. They seem reasonably priced, and very helpful. However il let you know what i think about the ring when it arrives next week.

Im excited but also nervous!

 

[Splodge2003]

Hey splodge,

I brought it from the diamond ring company. They seem reasonably priced, and very helpful. However il let you know what i think about the ring when it arrives next week.

Im excited but also nervous!

I've checked out there website before and they seem very good. Fingers crossed you like your ring when it arrives!

 

[zah_zah]

I hope so!I don't know which hatton garden vendor you are going for but iv heard good things about quality diamonds.
It really is hard finding decent quality diamonds at reasonable price here in the UK.

 

[Splodge2003]

I hope so!I don't know which hatton garden vendor you are going for but iv heard good things about quality diamonds.
It really is hard finding decent quality diamonds at reasonable price here in the UK.

That's who we're going to see! They were super helpful over email and phone so far. Keep us all updated when you get it

 

[zah_zah]

Really! Let me know how it goes. I'm looking for a half carat pear shaped diamond and I may buy from them. So let me know your experience with quality diamonds.

 

[Splodge2003]

I just had a thought about the feather - would it be better to set it in a 6 prong setting for extra structural support? Even if the feather is not close to the girdle or breaking the surface? Or would it still be ok in an open 4 prong setting?

 

[Splodge2003]

Just had an email from the jeweler in response to me asking about durability with the feather. He said it is near the girdle edge but not touching and it was difficult to see even with a loupe. In his opinion he doesn't see it as a risk and the stone could have been graded SI1.

Sounds ok so far, excited to see it tomorrow! Even if We dont buy it I can still go shopping at other places

 

[zah_zah]

Hey how did it go?
I got my 5 stone ring today from the diamond ring company and it's really goregous! Highly recommend it's in London and appointment only but it's worth a shot!

 

[mrs-b]

Splodge - most small jewelers will set a stone which is not their own, while larger stores or jewelry chains will not. The stone recommended to you is so much better than the ones you're looking at - and so much cheaper - it would be a huge shame not to go with it. Try looking for a small, one man jeweler, as many of them are not nearly as invested in buying stones but, rather, just providing bench services. I''ve found jewelers in various parts of England prepared to set my stones without too much difficulty. Alternately, you could buy the setting where you are and ship it to the US for your stone to be set. Frankly, the phone book is your friend in this.

Just a few thoughts.

 

[Splodge2003]

Hey,

they were really friendly, not pushy, and had lots of great advice.

We liked the diamond, and although we could get one from the US this one was pretty good for the money (they are price matching blue nile for us).

Still stuck on a setting though. I really love lucida style prongs but the band on the ring they had was really flat, not rounded. They offered to round off the edges for me and taper the band a little more than on the original, but I'm not convinced this will look how I want it to as its too flat to start with. We could go custom, but It's going to go over our limit if we do.

They let me take photos of the styles we tried on so I could come home and think about it. Still deciding what to go for or if we should just leave it and wait until something leaps out at us.


Overall a nice experience - we spoke to the director but the other consultants who were there were just as lovely and I was listening in to some of their conversations and they were giving out good advice and knoweldge also. They were able to source in a lot of different things if you asked them to, seemed like nothing was too much trouble.

Just wish I could make up my mind on a setting!