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$5000 Question!! POLL

How to spend $5000??

  • 1. E-ring + wedding band

    Votes: 23 65.7%

  • 2. Several pieces

    Votes: 12 34.3%
  • Total voters
    35
I went with a graduated trellis 5stone for my reset and I LOVE it.
It looks clean and modern and is quite eye catching.

I would also go ahead and call IDJ to actually price things out so you have a better idea of how far you can get with either 1 great ring or 2 nice pieces of diamond jewelery.

There are also some beautiful oec stones in preloved right now. I'd be tempted to get the 1.8 ct u-v listed at 4900. The color and cut isn't for everyone but I think it looks so pretty!
 
I agree with those suggesting for you to spend the money on the biggest best diamond you can with a simple setting for now and you can always add pieces later and/or change the setting. I would rather have one amazing stunning piece than many pretty ones but ofc this is a personal decision but I don't think you would regret getting the best diamond you can with the budget and accumulating other jewelry as time goes on. 5K is a good budget for one piece! Good luck with whatever you decide on and may you wear it in health and happiness!
 
The ring is the piece that you see the most when you wear jewelry. I voted put the money into the wedding set. Before I even read through all the replies, I immediately thought AVC is deep and faces up a little smaller than a modern RB, so a simple solitaire with a knife edge for that stone, and then a diamond wedding band.

I use sims for other pieces. Bracelets: Too easy to lose. Necklace/Pendant: Too easily snatched by a thief, or clap can break and a delicate necklace might be lost and not be missed for a while due to its light weight.

Earrings, someone suggested using clarity-enhanced for those. Might be an excellent idea to get well-cut laser drilled or something. But a sim works well there, too.
 
I like the idea of the graduated 5 stone and maybe another piece. I'm not sure price wise if that is possible, but if it were my choice that's what I would do. I'd get the nicest 5 stone I could, shopping around (I'm more of a AVR or OEC fan than AVC but they are pretty!) to get the best price, and then I'd see if I could stretch a tennis bracelet. :) You already have a band, and bands are typically easier to get and not always as much investment.

Either way, have fun with the shopping!!! :D And make sure to show us all when you decide :D
 
I would get a pre-loved OEC off ebay with a nice setting and eternity band.
 
I would make an offer on these IDJ huggies: http://loupetroop.com/listings/earrings/star-reduced-star-gorgeous-idjewelry-diamond-huggies;1414

and spend the rest on an awesome graduated 5 stone or ACV solitaire in a simple setting (GOG has a lot of great options in your budget right now, with a range of color-clarity-carat combinations:-) Or there is always this :love: :love: :love: :love: http://jewelsbyericagrace.smugmug.com/Jewelry/Rings-Antique-Vintage/1ct-est-Oval-Mine-Cut-Diamond/29859223_6jX2sG#!i=2562729904&k=JBwvXdC
 
CharmyPoo|1384010149|3553377 said:
I would get a pre-loved OEC off ebay with a nice setting and eternity band.
Click to expand...

I'm interested in the five stone idea, because I think that offers a fair degree of bling and quality for the dollars...I also am a big fan of concentrating your money on a single project if possible.

But I must say in the interest of discussion that I also very much enjoy my SEMI-eternity, which you may be able to get more cheaply with careful shopping, and in my view sets my plain wedder off beautifully and really celebrates the 'established' marriage.

Mine is 11 stones of 10 pointers.

I wonder if you would be able to achieve a semi-eternity of smaller stones AND another diamond ring as well though?
I'm not at all sure you could. I wonder however if you COULD however consider a COLOURED stone solitaire..? Maybe with this tight budget a sapphire would be out of the question if you went the semi-eternity route.

Ultimately it might be a question of going for one ring - the engagement ring. :)

The five stone idea is a good one. Personally, I'm not such a fan currently of the tapered ones - I think you should go for the biggest stones you like / can afford and have them the same size right across. That way, if you choose, you could add a solitaire in several years' time and wear the five stone as the anniversary/'eternity' ring.
 
I'd go five-stone, with a pair of diamond studs or a pendant you could wear daily. You may be able to do both! The five-stone is going to be more BAM (!) for your money, I think, and this way, you'll have a couple (or a few) really classic wearable pieces. I wear my diamond studs every day, even to sleep. They go with everything.
 
I would get the selection of pieces. You will get so much joy out of them. For your budget you'd get a solitaire ring of about 0.75 which really isn't that big (I wear a 0.70) because larger stones cost exponentially more than smaller ones.

A way of getting all three pieces might be to get a graduated five-stone, like Niel's, since the smaller stones cost less, or alternatively to drop the size of the stones in the 5 or 7-stone ring. You could use stones of 0.15, which I think still have a great impact. I mean, you'd have to go and see some rings with different sizes to see what is blingy enough for you, personally. I have a ring with 0.04 pointers and when you put them all together and in a setting, they look so much bigger than you'd think.

But anyway, in my view, it would be great to have three pieces to play with.
 
I'm just going to fling this out there. Here's a ring which piles lots of diamond onto the top of your finger: It's H VS2, from Blue Nile, called the Aria Double Row Diamond Ring in 18k white gold, 1.15 carats. It's $2200 but you'd get at least 10% off as BN is permanently running coupons. My experience of their diamond melee is that it's EXTREMELY sparkly. I think this ring would give you a nice wide row of bling, and leave you enough for the other two pieces! :appl:

http://www.bluenile.com/aria-double-row-diamond-band_42802?track=product&elem=image

aria_double_row_diamond_ring.jpg
 
Buy one fabulous piece. You can collect other pieces over the years and your tastes may change. I say buy a beautiful stone and simple setting. Good hunting!
 
Ladies: thank you so much for all your thoughtful replies!! I really appreciate everyone who has chimed in with their thoughts and suggestions. I'm going to mull things over and really think about what I want. I will make sure to update this thread with my final selection, hopefully with beautiful pictures too!!

Smith1942: thanks for posting those bluenile suggestions! I've always wondered about the quality of their diamond bands. Their prices are very reasonable.

Woofmama: Thanks for sharing your experience! I LOVE your set. I adore sholdt. The Fremont would be a definite contender if I elect to go the solitaire route.

I'd like to get people's thoughts- many are suggesting a 5 stone. What about a 3 stone? Maybe a center of about .5 and side stones of .25, I would think that my budget would allow for nice quality stones in those sizes. Would a .25/.5/.25 offer better coverage and bling than a .75 solitaire?

Side note- I was talking to my husband about this and I mentioned how moremoremore had a beautiful solitaire that she later converted to a 3 stone. Surprisingly, he loved the idea. He suggested getting the nicest, largest solitaire we could now and then down the road, for a major anniversary, we could add side stones. I kind of like the idea of a piece that becomes more substantial as our relationship grows and becomes more "established."

Thoughts?

Thank you so much for the help. You ladies are awesome!!
 
I quite like that first ring of double bling, depending on whether you like it, may make a great eternity ring!! Very suitable for a 5-year anni! :)
 
sunshine0808|1384061380|3553688 said:
Ladies: thank you so much for all your thoughtful replies!! I really appreciate everyone who has chimed in with their thoughts and suggestions. I'm going to mull things over and really think about what I want. I will make sure to update this thread with my final selection, hopefully with beautiful pictures too!!

Smith1942: thanks for posting those bluenile suggestions! I've always wondered about the quality of their diamond bands. Their prices are very reasonable.

Woofmama: Thanks for sharing your experience! I LOVE your set. I adore sholdt. The Fremont would be a definite contender if I elect to go the solitaire route.

I'd like to get people's thoughts- many are suggesting a 5 stone. What about a 3 stone? Maybe a center of about .5 and side stones of .25, I would think that my budget would allow for nice quality stones in those sizes. Would a .25/.5/.25 offer better coverage and bling than a .75 solitaire?

Side note- I was talking to my husband about this and I mentioned how moremoremore had a beautiful solitaire that she later converted to a 3 stone. Surprisingly, he loved the idea. He suggested getting the nicest, largest solitaire we could now and then down the road, for a major anniversary, we could add side stones. I kind of like the idea of a piece that becomes more substantial as our relationship grows and becomes more "established."

Thoughts?

Thank you so much for the help. You ladies are awesome!!
Click to expand...

I think that is a great idea, to get the largest solitaire now, and then add as major events take place in your life. You haven't been married that long, so your earning potential will definitely increase, as will your budget. This allows you flexibility in the future.
 
Wow! Wonderful idea of 1+2.
 
A five stone ring in the classic type-all diamonds the same size set in a trellis or u-prong will give you more of a band look, but exceptionally blingy, whereas a three stone will be much more of an engagement ring look. So it's really up to you, what you prefer.

Are you considering MRBs at all? I think if you go with the three stone you would be far better off. It could be difficult to match fancy cut diamonds down the road.
Look at this ring on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/111147395365?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

All Whiteflash ACA AGS0 G diamonds. The cream of the crop!!! I have been sorely tempted to buy it for weeks but decided to pursue a classic five stone ring instead. Beautiful proportions and nice ctw. The diamonds will be spectacular!
The seller used to post on here-here is her SMTB thread.[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-and-improved-pictures-of-my-wf-1-22tcw-3-stone-ring.149812/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-and-improved-pictures-of-my-wf-1-22tcw-3-stone-ring.149812/[/URL]

That would leave you $2k for diamond studs. You could get some great size studs for that!

Btw-Thank you for the compliment on my ring. I am very happy with it :))
 
OP, Woofmama's idea is terrific. That ring in the link above will be a total stunner. Whiteflash's quality and their ACA diamonds are second to none. That ring will sparkle like the devil, and it's a fab price. If you do think you might like it, you should act quickly because it might not last long.

Then, you could get a great pair of studs for 2k, Woofmama is right.

I know you said you don't want to spend any more on jewellery, but the fab ring and fab studs would surely keep you going for a while, and then you could probably afford approx $1500 on a DBTY at some point over the next few years? You could save your Xmas and birthday money up, and put other bits and bobs into your DBTY fund - or gradually collect loose stones of 0.20 - 0.25 each - and end up with a fantabulous DBTY someday. Collecting the diamonds for that would be a fun long-term project that requires only gradual investment. And then, a fab PS vendor like BGD could make it for you! Yay!

Seriously, the ring is the link is amazing quality and amazing price. I think you should really consider it. And the seller has a 14-day return policy, luckily.
 
LaraOnline|1384062001|3553692 said:
I quite like that first ring of double bling, depending on whether you like it, may make a great eternity ring!! Very suitable for a 5-year anni! :)
Click to expand...

oops I'm so sorry sunshine, I didn't mean for that post to go there, after you had already posted back!
It reads funny! also, it might be taking you right away from your goal because getting back to your original post, you had a couple of distinct ideas!!

If your husband is willing to spend more on diamonds going forward, you could consider an upgradeable stone, and go for that solitaire that you are considering? :) I see in your original post, you were considering a 0.75 sol?

There are so many designs and ideas out there...don't rush!!
Personally, I 'fall in love' for a few days at a time, so need to work out what it is I 'really' want.
8-)
 
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