Recommendations

[ikonos]

Hi All,

On an average what percentage of your budget is split between the rock and the setting? My total budget is 5K and I want to get a good stone over .90 ct with out compromising on the quality for a size 6 ring.

1) If you have to choose between color and clarity above H and VS2, which one will you choose?
2) If you have to choose between polish and symmetry which one will you choose?

Can you guys suggest me some stones in my price range? Appreciate your recommendations.

PS: Is there a way to send a private message to another forum member?

Thanks
Ik.

 

[DiamondExpert]

color, symmetry, no, no

 

[girlie-girl]

What shape stone are you interested in?

I'd say typically the split is 2/3 diamond 1/3 ring, at least it was about that for me but it would totally depend on how ornate a setting you purchased. A white gold solitaire setting will cost you $250-$1400ish depending.

 

[ikonos]

I am looking for a round cut stone. I have not bought one yet but just started my search. I have been reading the messages here and thought I should post what I am looking for and get some recommendations. I want a simple setting with channels on both sides of the center diamond. Ideally platinum but I guess I have to settle for white gold for my budget. I remember back in 2003 white gold settings were $300 and platinum settings were $700. Good old days

 

[JulieN]

color, symmetry, yes, no

I think you may run into some budget problems given your setting choice. I suggest opening up to I SI1 to give you more options. But there are some inexpensive channel settings on BN...

 

[NeverEndingUpgrade]

Here are some:

0.88ct F SI1 Round H&A $4695: http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4537/

0.91ct H SI1 Round H&A $4943: http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4501/

1.01 ct I SI1 Round H&A $4550 (pricescope price): http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1101965.asp

If you really want a diamond band, you will probably have to go with a smaller diamond.

 

[honey22]

I would get the biggest stone I could set in a simple wg or yg solitare setting. That would be purchased from WF or GOG, as they have great upgrade policies, so I could always upgrade the stone later. You can always have the stone reset later too if you find you have more money to spend.

 

[ikonos]

I finally looked online for the settings instead of the rocks and figured the setting i am looking for is called paved setting and not the channel setting (not sure if they mean the same).

How does WF or any local vendor deal with diamonds from blue nile or other online vendors? Once you narrow down the rocks, do you ask them to get it for you so you can check them in person and select one from them and pay a fee for that service while they honor the online price? Or do they have their own price for that rock?

Thanks.
Ik.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Yup, I looked around too and I think if you want a stone around the .90 range you will need to get a simpler setting... UNLESS you are willing to go into the I-J range for color. I have a J and love it and will always buy J''s in the future, but many don''t like to go there.

You should just buy the setting and stone from the same vendor. That is the easiest way to go. I recommend you stick with JA, ERD, WF, or GOG, since all have great reputations and good customer service and a nice selection of settings. The size you are looking for is very very hard to find since it is a sweet spot for pricing, so it may take a while to find what you like.

If it were me and I had a $5000 budget, I would put 90% of the $$ into the stone and then get a simple WG setting, and then let my fiance help choose a setting she loves later when I have had time to save another $2000.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 6/29/2008 10:12:34 AM
Author: ikonos

How does WF or any local vendor deal with diamonds from blue nile or other online vendors? Once you narrow down the rocks, do you ask them to get it for you so you can check them in person and select one from them and pay a fee for that service while they honor the online price? Or do they have their own price for that rock?

Thanks.
Ik.

If you are talking about having WF call in virtual stones, there was a thread just a few days ago about this where the poster summarized her experience.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-whiteflash-virtual-stone-experience.88849/