Matt was able to call in two stones for me and make a short video comparing them. I'll be going in on Tuesday to see them in person. Below are the stats with a link to the video. Any advice on which is best value is appreciated.
1.01 carat I SI1 - lifetime guarantee - $7100
1 carat H SI1 - no guarantee - $7200
1.02 carat G SI1 - lifetime guarantee - $7500
All three look great! For that small price difference, I would go with the G and get the higher color and lifetime policies. I'd want to be sure it is very eyeclean, however. I don't think you could go wrong with any of the three, though.
I think just the fact that the H color stone doesn't come with their lifetime guarantee drops it off of my list. Between the I and the G, is 2 color levels up worth the $400 price difference? If it is, assuming both stones are eye-clean, I'll be going with the G color.
Now only thing is to figure out the setting. My girlfriend is very petite (size 4-4.5 ring). I think at most, she would like pave with a X-prong cathedral setting. Maybe a halo? So many choices
the halo will add a LOT of size to the ring. if she has not said she likes halos, I would not get one. If you think she would like a pave x-prong style then that sounds like a good choice.
If you are doing a halo, I would get the G. Easily worth the extra $$, I color has far more and noticeable tint than a G, especially against the bright melee optics.
ETA: just saw you were considering a pave setting no halo, same above holds for that too! Also, to clarify, an I color is perfectly fine with pave and/or a halo but with such a small difference in $ I really think it's worth the jump in this case.
We've looked at rings before and she pointed out all those features to me (maybe not on all the same ring, lol). She does like simple so a setting like diamondseeker's would still suffice.
She has said she liked the x-prong. What part of it is wider? She is very petite, so I don't think a wide ring would look good on her.
So I wanted to update everyone on my current progress. I went back to GOG yesterday and spent about 3-4 hours making my final decision. I decided on the 1.02 ct g SI1. It was eye-clean and blinding when I looked at it in front of the window. I loved the light performance and couldn't find anything wrong with it. It also comes with the lifetime guarantee. Matt was very helpful and patient with me and I couldn't be happier.
As far as the setting, I went with a white gold, cathedral setting (no x-prong). The x-prongs were wider and I preferred the ring to be a little slimmer. They're going to be putting custom pave on it as well. I used a vatche ring as an 'inspiration ring'. I'm excited to see it when it's finished. I'll be sure to upload pictures here.
Yay!!! I have a G SI1 ideal cut stone as engagement ring too and I love it! I love eye-clean SI1 stones F/G is my favorite color range.
You did great!!!!!
That is great news!!! I am glad you found a stone at GOG and they were able to help you with a setting, too! I am sure it will be beautiful! Please come back and show us!
So the ring is done and ready to be shipped. I'm unable to make another trip out to GOG, so they kindly sent me pictures of the ring before I'm having it shipped out.
The stone is 1.02ct G SI1 H&A Premium Cut. The setting is white gold with a cathedral mount and custom pave. When I first saw the setting, it was a solid band without the stones. It looks beautiful with the pave now and they matched the side stones with my main diamond. Amazing. Here are the pics that I got from GOG. Once I have it, I'll take some shots of it on my soon-to-be fiance .
Again, thanks everyone for all the advice. The proposal went perfect and she LOVES the ring. She's happy and that's all I wanted. Here are some pictures. It's tough to really capture it's beauty as it shines in person but doesn't carry over to a picture.
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