Another First Time Buyer . . .

[mattchuck2]

Hi everyone.

I'm looking to purchase an engagement ring for my girlfriend of 3 years. I've done enough research to know the basics of the 4 C's, but nothing more. I've looked through some of the advice given to others on this forum, and there seems to be a prevailing trend towards suggesting internet vendors. Is this a good way to go, or should I try to get a deal from a local (Albany, NY) jeweler?

My girfriend gave me these two examples of rings that she likes:

http://www.tiffany.com/expertise/diamond/rings/engagement_other_ring.asp?ring=deco&

http://www.tiffany.com/expertise/diamond/rings/engagement_other_ring.asp?ring=solitairediaband&


However, I can't afford these rings with a budget of around $6,000 to $8,000 (plus I think Tiffany is a rip-off anyway). That being said, I should be able to afford a nice 1.10-1.25 Carat Diamond for this amount, right? Maybe I can afford a ring that kind of looks like the suggestions she gave me? Should I start with whiteflash.com? Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[Small]

Hi and welcome to PS

There are many great vendors here...you can get a look at the vendor list under resources and there are threads that you can see where people have talked about their experiences.
Also...you should definitely be able to get a great ring with your budget. A good place to start would be to read the tutorials and the pricescope my diamond at the top of the page for diamonds that the vendors have so you can get a feel for prices.

Im sure many will recommend their favorite vendor to you. I have just bought from Winfields and can say that Wink is fabulous. But I've read so many good things about WF, GOG, ERD, and DCD. You can't go wrong if you use one of the recommended vendors. Good lcuk with your search. They'll be many of us to help and give opinions along the way!

 

[mattchuck2]

Thank you very much, Small!

I haven''t even begun to explore all of the articles, vendor lists, etc. that this site has to offer. I''m just glad I stumbled on it before I made the purchase! I''m going to keep referring back to this thread until I make the decision. Thanks again!

- Matt

 

[Small]

Hey Matt

How is the search going?

 

[mattchuck2]

Good!

The video tutorials on Whiteflash were very helpful, as were the articles on this site.

I''ve been trying to find an engagement ring that looks somewhat similar to the Tiffany''s link I posted. One of them has a round diamond in the center and then princess cut diamonds in channels. That''s what I''ve been going for, but I haven''t had much luck. My new strategy might be to buy a loose diamond from wf (or other) and then look for a custom setting that matches what I need.

The search continues!

 

[diamond_quester]

A few people have recommended this Tiffany replica setting from Excel (click for link):




Being a fan of this style myself, I think it looks great! And leaves enough money to buy a nice center stone.


ETA: maybe they can even customize it with princess stones in the channel.

 

[mattchuck2]

That does look nice, diamond quester.

I''ll contact them and see if they can put some square cut in the channels . . . I think she prefers the clean lines of this one:

http://www.tiffany.com/expertise/diamond/rings/engagement_other_ring.asp?ring=deco&


It would be nice to have some money leftover for the center stone, though . . . hmmmmm . . .

I think the whole reason she wants the stones on the engagement ring is so she can get a matching weding band . . . but a simple platinum ring would be an okay match for a wedding band with stones, wouldn''t it? I don''t really know . . . I''m going to have to start looking at people''s ring fingers now . . . .

 

[youjane1]

hey matt, have you checked out Whiteflash''s Tiffany-style bead set setting?

 

[diamond_quester]

Matt, I had also preferred the channel-set princess because of the clean lines. But after seeing the rings at Tiffany, I changed my mind. I still like the princess but realized my objections to the round were unfounded. In pictures it seems like there''s a lot of space between the round diamonds but you can''t see that in real life, the band is sparklier with the rounds, and the round version is a lot cheaper. Just my two cents. Good luck!

 

[lmurden]

Hello,

You have a great budget!!! Are you going to get here a matching wedding band to match? This is an example of a similar matching set would look.

 

[Small]

Matt,
I really like the clean lines of the tiffany with the princess stones as well. But I have an eternity band with round stones and love it! I didn''t think I''d like round as much as princess but I do. I''m going to be wearing it with my RB solataire that''s being made now. I tried a cathedral setting (solataire) up to my eternity band in a local store and it looks very sharp. But you need to consider what she wants. If she wants diamonds on the band, I think you should get them for her. Do you know if she''s more concerned about having the diamonds on her band or getting a bigger, better center diamond? You''ve got a great budget so I think either way you''ll get her a spectacular ring! Keep us updated as to how it''s going

 

[mattchuck2]

lmurden, I think that''s the kind of thing she''s looking for.

Also, listening to diamond quester and small (that the round diamonds look great, too), I''m thinking that the round diamonds in the channel might be the way to go.

Hmmm . . . I''m going to take a quick trip to a couple of stores this afternoon to check out some examples, and then I''ll be back tonight to continue my search. Thanks to everyone for their help!

 

[mattchuck2]

Date: 3/7/2006 10:32:13 AM
Author: youjane1
hey matt, have you checked out Whiteflash''s Tiffany-style bead set setting?

Oooh, jane, just checked out that ring and it looks NICE . . . that would be nice and easy to get a diamond/setting both from Whiteflash, too . . . I''ll be back.

 

[mattchuck2]

Went to the mall and checked out side by side comparisons of round channel set stones vs. princess cut channel set stones. The princess cuts looked slightly cleaner, but I kind of liked the complimentary nature of the round stones in the bands with the round center stone.

Also, the diamonds in the bands sparkled so much, I really didn''t notice the spacing between the round stones unless I concentrated hard and tried to pick out the space.

Based on these observations, and the fact that the round channel set stones seem as though they are more readily available, I''m probably going to go for the tiffany-style bead setting suggested by youjane.

Now I just need a center stone for it. What does everyone think about this one:

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-754540.htm

Have to call and ask if it''s eye-clean, but it looks promising.

 

[phoenixgirl]

It looks good, but I might go for more size with something like this: http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=GIA-13924099#

 

[sevens one]

here''s a nice shot of a custom WF job

 

[mattchuck2]

Hmmm . . . you're probably right phoenixgirl. The bigger the diamond I could get (without sacrificing too much in clarity and cut) the better off I'd be.

That ring is just about exactly what she wants (I think) sevens one . . is that the tiffany bead set that we were talking about?

 

[youjane1]

I''m actually leaning towards that WF bead set setting for my girlfriend, although I''m a little nervous about buying it without seeing it on her finger first. I''ve noticed in the picture posted above that the band looks like it curves slightly as it gets to the center stone...I assume that''s just an optical illusion in the picture right?

 

[MissIndecisive]

This is the same setting style that I am getting

I just think that it''s gorgeous!

I have a round 0.60ct G SI2 H&A stone and am looking at getting 0.01ct stones bead set into the band. I''m also after a fairly thin band. I think it looks very pretty and dainty.

Originally I was tossing over the classic Tiffany style (6 prong) and the bead set band but after seeing the style on my hand (in a jewellery shop) I just loved the bead set

Plus you can get a very pretty matching wedding band

I would love to see pics of your ring once made up! I''m in Australia so am thinking over and over about WhiteFlash or to just have my jeweller make it.

I also made a thread in the "Show Me The Ring" forum asking for some hand pics. Hopefully we''ll see some soon. Surely there''s some out there that have this style

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/tiffany-bead-set-solitaire.41335/

(hehehe, just noticed youjane1 posted there

)

The shared-prong band is also very popular on here and oh-so sparkly!

 

[Small]

Matt,
I love that picture of the bead setting posted by sevens one from WF...that's incredible!

I thought the H&A that you posted was nice but there does look to be a small black inclusion dead center so I'd check with WF and see what they say.
I found another that was a bit bigger and a few hundred more
http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=AGS-6550806#

but if you are looking to stay within 6200 then there were some other nice ones in that range also. I'm sure their expert selection is on par with the H&A...sometimes I look at the IS and wonder why it's not an H&A but I know they are very picky about the ACA collection thus some that would be 'ideal' to others don't make their classifications. I think any stone you choose from there is going to be beautiful in that setting!
Can't wait to see what you choose. Keep at it and let us know

Just noticed that the first one I posted was a bit more than I originally thought price wise so I went back and took a look at a few others:
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-703951.htm#

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=AGS-6809505#

You won't go wrong with any of their diamonds though...Im just partial to staying away from black inclusions myself. But give them a call and tell them to pull a few stones and see what they think is the best one! Lots of luck Matt

 

[mattchuck2]

Date: 3/7/2006 7:50:12 PM
Author: youjane1
I''m actually leaning towards that WF bead set setting for my girlfriend, although I''m a little nervous about buying it without seeing it on her finger first. I''ve noticed in the picture posted above that the band looks like it curves slightly as it gets to the center stone...I assume that''s just an optical illusion in the picture right?

Yeah, that does look a little odd . . . I think it''s an optical illusion . . . can anyone verify this?

 

[mattchuck2]

Date: 3/8/2006 12:06:44 AM
Author: Small

but if you are looking to stay within 6200 then there were some other nice ones in that range also.

Yeah, I''m going to go with the platinum setting ($1650) so I want to keep the diamond price around $6200.

I kind of like the Size and Clarity of this one:

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-1335306.htm

But I''m concerned about the "I" color - especially if they use G-H diamonds for the channel. It does have a faint flourescence, though . . maybe that will make it look more like a H? I kind of like the idea of a little flourescence for some reason.

I''m going to keep looking. . .

 

[mattchuck2]

Checked out ERD too . . . maybe something like this:

http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/loose_detail.php?session=6e44d24a8fa6a8359ef0326c8f3d32d3&id=9564933&sz=150&premium=premium

With something like This

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

Hi mattchuck,

Not to throw a wrench in your (lovely!) plans, but wanted to note that the Tiffany band your girl likes has channel set square baguette cut diamonds, not princess cuts....very different look. If she prefers that clean look of step cuts in the band and a matching wedding band, you might want to doublecheck if WF could put in square cuts rather than round or princess diamonds. It''s such a different look, and she might really have a preference.

Just a thought!

 

[mattchuck2]

Date: 3/8/2006 6:03:07 PM
Author: wallermama
Hi mattchuck,


Not to throw a wrench in your (lovely!) plans, but wanted to note that the Tiffany band your girl likes has channel set square baguette cut diamonds, not princess cuts....very different look. If she prefers that clean look of step cuts in the band and a matching wedding band, you might want to doublecheck if WF could put in square cuts rather than round or princess diamonds. It''s such a different look, and she might really have a preference.


Just a thought!

Thanks, wallermama, I''ll check that out