Blue Nile Pave vs Brian Gavin Novela

[rheingoat]

Hi, so I'm completely new to PS but have been trying to do my research before sending this out. I was hoping someone could compare the + / - of the 2 settings below. Everyone obviously has great things to say about the Novela, but just any information on quality or experience dealing with either of these settings. My gf likes classic & this style and I'm just worried about making the wrong choice. Regarless of the setting I will most likely be acquiring a center stone from a family friend in the diamond business (who no longer does settings unfortunately). Thanks in advance!

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/novela-platinum-5372p

http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-diamond-ring?forceStep=STYLE_STEP&offer_id=12925

 

[JulieN]

Prongs are better on the Novela. Go with BGD.

 

[SMC]

Hi, so I'm completely new to PS but have been trying to do my research before sending this out. I was hoping someone could compare the + / - of the 2 settings below. Everyone obviously has great things to say about the Novela, but just any information on quality or experience dealing with either of these settings. My gf likes classic & this style and I'm just worried about making the wrong choice. Regarless of the setting I will most likely be acquiring a center stone from a family friend in the diamond business (who no longer does settings unfortunately). Thanks in advance!

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/novela-platinum-5372p

http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-diamond-ring?forceStep=STYLE_STEP&offer_id=12925

I agree with JulieN. Also, the quality of the pave on the Novela is better than that of BN's. I think that it will make a difference.

The only positive that I can see of the BN's setting is that it is cheaper. The BN setting is also cathedral-style whereas the Novela is not - it's a personal preference for you to decide if you want cathedral or not.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

BG's and Vatche's would be the best quality, I would think. WhiteFlash and Good Old Gold carry Vatche. I don't know if you've bought a diamond yet, but my choice would have something to do with which vendor had the diamond I wanted.

http://www.dvatche.com/index.php?page=collection&catID=2,18&startRow=36

 

[luckyerialc]

BGD x 100!! The prongs are much more delicate and intricate looking, and it's just overall a nicer setting.

 

[Laila619]

That Blue Nile setting is not the equivalent of the BGD Novela.

The Nouveau is the comparable one. Here: http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-engagement-ring-platinum_7798

I prefer the Nouveau. It's less expensive and the BGD one looks too squat IMO.

 

[Malbec54]

That Blue Nile setting is not the equivalent of the BGD Novela.

The Nouveau is the comparable one. Here: http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-engagement-ring-platinum_7798

I prefer the Nouveau. It's less expensive and the BGD one looks too squat IMO.

I can't speak to the quality of the Blue Nile setting, however I can vouch 110% for the quality and appearance of the Novela. Both my diamond and ring were purchased from BGD and in my opinion, the setting is definitely not "squat" --if anything, at first I thought it was almost too high of a setting. In any case, if pricing isn't an issue my vote would be BGD all the way--but of course, I am biased! Lol

 

[txgreeneyes]

Brian Gavin can also use a different prong basket. He did that for my two rings. He used the Truth Head prongs.

My ring is similar to this one:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/e...l-pave-with-truth-head-18k-white-gold-5360w18

But, mine is with a 1 carat ruby instead of a diamond as the center stone.

 

[Enerchi]

My choice would be the BGD setting over the BN one. BN doesn't seem to have the same finishing quality to it as the BGD ones do. Just my opinion...

 

[wsblue430]

These are 2 different classes of rings in my opinion. BGD is a perfection ring with subtle claw prongs and he can customize the height and other things. Where as the Blue Nile looks very lovely but its a stock setting and the prongs will be standard. No modifications allowed for BN.

 

[mrtcard]

Take note of the height, Novela head is high, the melees at the side and also in a way elevated, this makes your ring looks bigger.

 

[Smith1942]

They are nice, simple, elegant settings, but I think they're both crazy prices for a half carat setting. Also not sure if it's really true about the prong difference. BN photos are more magnified.

In any other piece of jewellery - shopping at Blue Nile or at a good Boston jeweller - a thousand dollars is an OK price for half a carat in a jewellery piece (not one solitaire diamond). For example, I bought my half eternity ring at half a carat, G colour, nine excellent princess cuts, for $1,000, and my half-carat diamond cross w/ same specs was only $600 from the same Boston jeweller, established in the nineteenth century and still going strong, and the diamond drop earrings that I like on BN are half a carat and cost just over 1k, and the 0.67 diamond brooch I like in Boston is $1100. I have looked at a LOT of jewellery, and believe me, $800 - $1100 is the going rate for half a carat of well-cut, near or colourless-scale, eyeclean diamonds in a jewellery piece.

So why does the price double when it's an engagement ring setting? I don't know. It's the wedding biz.

But this is part of a wider issue about the cost of settings in America, particularly. I simply can't believe how much settings cost here. $600 for baby bezel settings? 2.5k for half a carat in a setting? Everyone seems de-sensitised to it....but it's been clear to me for a long time that that is where jewelers make their real "mark-up" money - on the settings. If people stopped paying it, prices would have to be a little more reasonable. America has a reputation for having some of the savviest consumers on earth who demand value for their dollars, so it's been a mystery to me why people pay these setting prices, when you compare same weights in other jewellery of same quality.

For an extra 2.5 k, you could have an even bigger, better diamond. I'm going to really stick my neck out here and say that I don't even like many American settings very much. To my British eyes, lots of them cost a fortune and look like a dog's dinner. I find many to be fussy, fancy, frilly, like the ring on the February page of the Whiteflash calendar, and like my friend's ring which is a princess flanked by rounds flanked by ovals. Bit of a mess. Many of the Blue Nile settings also have this messy look to them. I bet they wouldn't sell in France, home of understated elegance!

Your chosen settings are not like this - they are very nice, clean and elegant - but I wouldn't pay so much when I know that a half carat usually costs around a thousand in any other jewellery piece. But if you really want that look, I suppose you'll have to cough up since they all cost that kind of money here. Just know that they are not a good deal compared to other types of jewellery, and if she'd be open to a plain solitaire band for the French elegance, do that and put more money into the diamond! I always imagine Audrey Hepburn in her black clothes with a fabulous solitaire on a thin polished ring and band. But anyway, just wanted you to know that they are not a good deal compared to other jewellery of same weight and quality. You do pay a bit more for Brian's Signature melee. My 0.50 ct BGD necklace was $1400.

BGD's price for the setting is $500 more but then you are getting Signature melee which is high colour and super-ideal cut. BN's is I colour and not ideal cut melee. I have some of the Brian Gavin melee in three custom pieces and I can confirm that it sparkles just about as much as it's possible to sparkle. So, if you want this look I think it's worth the extra $500 since it's a lifetime piece.

If you absolutely adore this ring then it's worth the money. I once paid $1700 for a platinum 0.22 E diamond pendant from Tiffany, and $1,150 for the same carat weight in a necklace from DeBeers. Crazy money, but I love them.

However, if you're not completely decided on this setting type, and you really want to stretch your money, I'd consider a bigger diamond sitting on a simple polished band.

This is just my personal opinion on settings in general, since some people look great in the frilly settings. If you LOVE this setting - which is not a frilly one, just expensive - then go for it! It'll look beautiful.

 

[Smith1942]

Just re-read the thread and checked the BN Nouveau setting. It's $2,150 for a mere third of an H-colour carat, not even a half! Oh, my fathers! I definitely think that Brian's setting with the Sig melee and the F/G colour is a much better deal and will be gorgeous. I won't look at the cost of a Vatche setting - it'll only upset me!

Sidebar: Do you want to know how much I love a jewellery deal? If specs are broadly similar - ideal-plus cut, nr colourless range, eyeclean - I work out the price per diamond point. The Tiffany piece mentioned above was a personal record of $77 per point. ($1700 divided by 22.) The lowest is the diamond cross at $12 per diamond point. The Tiff is more partly due to it being single stone. It's not an exact science, but it gives me an idea of how all the factors translate to the difference in price per point. So each point is X times more expensive when same specs are divided into 11 stones as opposed to a single, for example, and I can decide if a given piece is worth it, to me.

So I've got an eye for a jewellery bargain, and am determined to wring as much diamond out of my money as I can, while staying within great specs. But again, that's just my personal modus operandi. If you love and adore one of these rings you should go for it.

 

[OMG_AMG]

every vendor has a variation of the above setting

GOG has one that looks like:


the one from BGD looks like:




*edit* the BGD one looks decent, and like many others have said, you're paying for quality...in the above example, the customer had the side diamonds placed all the way around instead of the usual halfsies

 

[mrtcard]

I just ordered and i think its a 80% not full.
I did notice some novela settings has full.
still waiting for the ring shots.