Been gone for a while, just checking in to see if any vendors are getting close to Lightbox prices for bigger stones yet?

[DoeEyes]

I'm still loving my little 7/8 ct Lightbox ring but y'know, DSS is kicking in and I've been thinking maybe a 1.25-1.5ct upgrade in the next year or so.

Still probably not willing to spend much more than like $2k for the stone though. Any vendors getting close to that yet?

Here's my little lady enjoying a quarantine fire this winter.

 

[MamaBee]

I'm still loving my little 7/8 ct Lightbox ring but y'know, DSS is kicking in and I've been thinking maybe a 1.25-1.5ct upgrade in the next year or so.

Still probably not willing to spend much more than like $2k for the stone though. Any vendors getting close to that yet?

Here's my little lady enjoying a quarantine fire this winter.

Hi @DoeEyes! It’s nice to see you here. I did a quick search..I think its definitely doable in the 1.25 ctw. Ritani had some lab stones. I put in F/G color vs2 1.25-1.5..Take a look there. Your diamond is a sparkler..Would you save it and get another one to make earrings when you upgrade?

 

[DoeEyes]

Hi @DoeEyes! It’s nice to see you here. I did a quick search..I think its definitely doable in the 1.25 ctw. Ritani had some lab stones. I put in F/G color vs2 1.25-1.5..Take a look there. Your diamond is a sparkler..Would you save it and get another one to make earrings when you upgrade?

I'll check out ritani, thank you! Honestly I don't know what I would do with it, I still have my 0.5ct in it's ring setting sitting in a box, and I was planning to get a match and make earrings of that one when I did the first upgrade. Lol.

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

Check out James Allen too. I think they include lab diamonds in their upgrade policy, which can be helpful if you think DSS could happen again in the future! A 1.25ct will run you a little less than $2K.

With all the LB sales, you could definitely get a matching 0.5ct for $300 or so. The 1ct pendants are around $600 now with the right discounts (at Bloomingdale's).

 

[MamaBee]

I'll check out ritani, thank you! Honestly I don't know what I would do with it, I still have my 0.5ct in it's ring setting sitting in a box, and I was planning to get a match and make earrings of that one when I did the first upgrade. Lol.

@DoeEyes I forgot at you have the .50..You are right on schedule with the DSS! I see a pendant in your future! Haha

 

[123ducklings]

That size and budget is definitely do-able. Check out rarecarat as well.

 

[sprinklesparkles]

Best of luck if you do reset, but I want to pipe in to say that your ring is gorgeous and the proportions of the stone to band to finger are brilliant.

 

[Jax172]

I just purchased a stone from Ritani that was 1.31 J/SI1 for just about $1,000. It’s a beautiful stone.

 

[OdetteOdile]

You can definitely find something gorgeous in your price range!! I highly recommend using rarecarat.com. You can use the search engine to put in Pricescope ideal cut parameters:

Table: 54-58
Depth: 60-62.4
Crown Angle: 34-35.0 (35 pairs best with a pavilion angle of 40.6. Crown angle can go up to 35.5 if the pavilion angle is 40.6)
Pavilion Angle: 40.6-41. (41 pairs best with crown angle of 34)

You can also use the Pricescope resource tab to look at the HCA scores of James Allen lab diamonds. People have had great luck with them as well.

How exciting! I wish you the best in your upgrade! Your original journey is one that really first brought my attention to lab diamonds!

 

[DoeEyes]

Check out James Allen too. I think they include lab diamonds in their upgrade policy, which can be helpful if you think DSS could happen again in the future! A 1.25ct will run you a little less than $2K.

With all the LB sales, you could definitely get a matching 0.5ct for $300 or so. The 1ct pendants are around $600 now with the right discounts (at Bloomingdale's).

Oooh those prices are even less than when I bought mine. I could definitely do $900 for the matching set and maybe do like a set of drop earrings or something, kind of like this.

@DoeEyes I forgot at you have the .50..You are right on schedule with the DSS! I see a pendant in your future! Haha

Lol I was so naive when I started all of this... I literally almost went with a .25 in the very beginning. Thought I "wasn't really a jewelry person."

Best of luck if you do reset, but I want to pipe in to say that your ring is gorgeous and the proportions of the stone to band to finger are brilliant.

Thank you! I think I just get jealous when I see other people's bigger flashy rings. Honestly would probably be happy with a halo reset, and would cost a lot less! But I love my classic solitaire setting!

You can definitely find something gorgeous in your price range!! I highly recommend using rarecarat.com. You can use the search engine to put in Pricescope ideal cut parameters:

Table: 54-58
Depth: 60-62.4
Crown Angle: 34-35.0 (35 pairs best with a pavilion angle of 40.6. Crown angle can go up to 35.5 if the pavilion angle is 40.6)
Pavilion Angle: 40.6-41. (41 pairs best with crown angle of 34)

You can also use the Pricescope resource tab to look at the HCA scores of James Allen lab diamonds. People have had great luck with them as well.

How exciting! I wish you the best in your upgrade! Your original journey is one that really first brought my attention to lab diamonds!

Thank you for this! I'll have some fun browsing rarecarat this weekend. And I love that my journey brought you to the lab diamond world!

 

[DoeEyes]

You can definitely find something gorgeous in your price range!! I highly recommend using rarecarat.com. You can use the search engine to put in Pricescope ideal cut parameters:

Table: 54-58
Depth: 60-62.4
Crown Angle: 34-35.0 (35 pairs best with a pavilion angle of 40.6. Crown angle can go up to 35.5 if the pavilion angle is 40.6)
Pavilion Angle: 40.6-41. (41 pairs best with crown angle of 34)

You can also use the Pricescope resource tab to look at the HCA scores of James Allen lab diamonds. People have had great luck with them as well.

How exciting! I wish you the best in your upgrade! Your original journey is one that really first brought my attention to lab diamonds!

Ok so I'm checking things out and the "ideal" pairings are around $3k for 1.5ct, but the "non-ideal" pairings (35 crown with 41 pavilion for example) are closer to $2k. Does this make a huge difference in the sparkle or is it more of something only the most detail oriented person would even notice?

 

[OdetteOdile]

Ok so I'm checking things out and the "ideal" pairings are around $3k for 1.5ct, but the "non-ideal" pairings (35 crown with 41 pavilion for example) are closer to $2k. Does this make a huge difference in the sparkle or is it more of something only the most detail oriented person would even notice?

That's a great question! I think it all depends on how intense you are about perfection and cut. You loved your Lightbox diamond and do not know the exact angle specs. I think many diamonds that are not ideal can sparkle and be gorgeous. They might have some light leakage, but if you are not super detail oriented you might not notice it much. Is there any way at all that you can buy 2 diamonds and return one of them? Compairing them side by side would allow you to see if you think the ideal cut would be worth the extra $1000. Although if you already know you want to stay within the budget of $2000, then another option would be to go down slightly in size for the more ideal cut. If you do not want to buy 2 diamonds, but you know you want to be closer to 1.5 carats rather than 1.25, you could buy a diamond slightly outside of ideal cut range and see if you love it. Just double check the return policy.

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

I love the idea of creating a set of drop earrings, they will be absolutely stunning and super elegant!!! You could make the 0.5ct studs for everyday wear and the 7/8ct jackets that you can add on to create the drop look when you want to dress it up!

I actually compared my Lightbox diamond which I believe is excellent/very good cut to an ideal stone. The light return and fire were quite comparable when the stones were side by side and held still. The biggest difference was the scintillation and sparkle when the diamond was moving around. Both were beautiful, just depends if you find the disco ball effect worth the premium!

If you think you may want to upgrade again after this, my recommendation would be to go with a vendor with an upgrade program!

 

[DoeEyes]

That's a great question! I think it all depends on how intense you are about perfection and cut. You loved your Lightbox diamond and do not know the exact angle specs. I think many diamonds that are not ideal can sparkle and be gorgeous. They might have some light leakage, but if you are not super detail oriented you might not notice it much. Is there any way at all that you can buy 2 diamonds and return one of them? Compairing them side by side would allow you to see if you think the ideal cut would be worth the extra $1000. Although if you already know you want to stay within the budget of $2000, then another option would be to go down slightly in size for the more ideal cut. If you do not want to buy 2 diamonds, but you know you want to be closer to 1.5 carats rather than 1.25, you could buy a diamond slightly outside of ideal cut range and see if you love it. Just double check the return policy.

I have been happy with my LB even though I have no idea what specs it has so that's a great point! I could definitely buy two, but honestly just buying one with the less ideal specs and comparing to my LB would probably be enough!

I love the idea of creating a set of drop earrings, they will be absolutely stunning and super elegant!!! You could make the 0.5ct studs for everyday wear and the 7/8ct jackets that you can add on to create the drop look when you want to dress it up!

I actually compared my Lightbox diamond which I believe is excellent/very good cut to an ideal stone. The light return and fire were quite comparable when the stones were side by side and held still. The biggest difference was the scintillation and sparkle when the diamond was moving around. Both were beautiful, just depends if you find the disco ball effect worth the premium!

If you think you may want to upgrade again after this, my recommendation would be to go with a vendor with an upgrade program!

Oh wow great idea about the jacket! Very cool that your comparison shows LB is pretty close to ideal but not quite. That's about what the early reviews said too. And great point about the upgrade program. I always brushed that off thinking I don't need it, but clearly... Lol

 

[Dandi]

Hi @DoeEyes! I haven't got any advice to offer, I just wanted to welcome you back! I enjoyed following your original ring search and look forward to seeing your eventual upgrade, and subsequent matching studs and pendant

That said, your current ring is still utter perfection on you.

 

[sparklynurse]

I want to add that it can be surprising what you do and don't notice in comparing diamond performance. Here are a couple of videos comparing a .75 ct GIA D VVS2 XXX scoring a dismal 4.5 on the HCA tool to my WF ACA studs. I think there may be some small difference in performance but I honestly cannot see it. What do you all think?

@DoeEyes I think it's a great idea to purchase a stone and compare to the one you have and know you like.

 

[bv_jewels]

That size and budget is definitely do-able. Check out rarecarat as well.

remember rarecarat will charge you a sales tax.

try www.lovbe.com -- I am in love with what I got from there and it stands out NICE and BRIGHT

 

[123ducklings]

remember rarecarat will charge you a sales tax.

try www.lovbe.com -- I am in love with what I got from there and it stands out NICE and BRIGHT

Rarecarat is a search engine that accesses multiple diamond inventories; you can use it to find a diamond and then purchase directly from the vendor with the best price. You can also search by cut parameters on RC, which is often important to Pricescopers.

I’ve seen you mention lovbe a few times on the boards, and you have the trade logo. Do you have connections to the company?

I haven’t seen or read about any purchases from lovbe on the forums, but I’m sure people would be interested in a review and pictures from an honest customer. If you’ve purchased beautiful diamonds from them and have no trade affiliation, please make a thread and share the details!

 

[DoeEyes]

Thinking I might just want more sparkle rather than a bigger stone. What do we think about a second thinner eternity band to go on the other side of my ring, like this? Aesthetically does that look good? Worried it kind of drowns out the center stone although in person I don't think it's as bad as it looks in a picture. Could always do this now and still upgrade the center later.

The second band would be a symbol of our postponed wedding, my fiancé said he would get me one as my wedding gift.

 

[Kim N]

I personally prefer the look of just the one band to go with your ring. The center stone commands more attention that way.

 

[_dracarys_]

Thinking I might just want more sparkle rather than a bigger stone. What do we think about a second thinner eternity band to go on the other side of my ring, like this? Aesthetically does that look good? Worried it kind of drowns out the center stone although in person I don't think it's as bad as it looks in a picture. Could always do this now and still upgrade the center later.

The second band would be a symbol of our postponed wedding, my fiancé said he would get me one as my wedding gift.

I always thought I would do this with my set; have two eternity bands sandwiching my e-ring, but I didn't like the way it looked. It seemed to do exactly what you said, drown out the center stone.

Your set is gorgeous! But I totally get wanting bigger or more. I'm always on the lookout for my next project!

 

[elizat]

Honest answer- it looks squished with the extra band and like a sandwich of rings. Not a big fan. But, if you like it, that's what matters.

 

[DoeEyes]

Definitely sandwich-y. These are just photoshop not an actual ring, I think it would probably sit more like this, a little further away from the center ring. It's not a look I ever really loved but for some reason now crave all the sparkle.

 

[123ducklings]

Ah, the age old question: Wall of sparkle, or all eyes on the solitaire?

I think it’s a matter of personal taste, and there’s no reason you’d have to commit to just one look. You could wear all the bands some days, just the solitaire some days, just the eternity band/s some days, etc.

 

[Kasey Bug]

Bloomingdales is having 25% off of Lightbox but you must download the app and order from it. Code App25.
Sign up for a free Loyalist acct and you earn 3x point. I just bought 5-1 ct necklaces. $1250 discount off the total, gift cards for $1250, used Rakuten 2% off and CC 1 point for every dollar. Necklaces cost me under $500 each.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

I want to add that it can be surprising what you do and don't notice in comparing diamond performance. Here are a couple of videos comparing a .75 ct GIA D VVS2 XXX scoring a dismal 4.5 on the HCA tool to my WF ACA studs. I think there may be some small difference in performance but I honestly cannot see it. What do you all think?

@DoeEyes I think it's a great idea to purchase a stone and compare to the one you have and know you like.

Larger diamonds will always perform better than smaller diamonds. Even bad diamonds look pretty good.
What we are aiming for is the best performance across a range of lightings. If you did this test also in low lighting and zoom in a bit more then I would expect to see some differences, even accounting for the big size difference.

 

[sparklynurse]

Larger diamonds will always perform better than smaller diamonds. Even bad diamonds look pretty good.
What we are aiming for is the best performance across a range of lightings. If you did this test also in low lighting and zoom in a bit more then I would expect to see some differences, even accounting for the big size difference.

Interesting, I'll have to try different zoom settings and lighting. Thanks!

 

[sunandsky]

Definitely sandwich-y. These are just photoshop not an actual ring, I think it would probably sit more like this, a little further away from the center ring. It's not a look I ever really loved but for some reason now crave all the sparkle.

I think this looks great! It’s a very different look, too, (than a single band) which is sometimes just nice to have as an alternative. Can you also wear the eternity on another finger as another option? I do love your original soli - the setting and stone are so lovely together.

 

[Mong]

Wondering if you would like something like this :

Natural Diamond Ring Guard for Round Diamond Ring, 14k 18k Solid Gold Halo Ring Wrap Enhance, Anniversary Wedding Stack Bands, Bridal Rings - Etsy

This Ring Guards & Spacers item by AbhikaJewels has 818 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from India. Listed on Jun 8, 2023

www.etsy.com

 

[DoeEyes]

I think this looks great! It’s a very different look, too, (than a single band) which is sometimes just nice to have as an alternative. Can you also wear the eternity on another finger as another option? I do love your original soli - the setting and stone are so lovely together.

Inconveniently my left ring finger is the only size 4 on both hands. So any ring for my left ring finger can't be moved around. I have several size 5-6 fingers that can wear the same ring interchangeably.

I decided to get a blingy eternity moissanite ring for my right middle finger. Tried some on and loved the look. Will update next month if fiancé gets it for me!