Designing an E-ring on a budget: Questions

[restheo]

Hey guys!

I have two questions, so I''ll just come out with them.

1st: In general, is it cheaper to design your own setting than to go with a brand-name setting? I love some of Tacori''s settings, but I''m afraid that I might just be paying for the brand name. My boyfriend and I were talking about designing a ring that has some of the elements present in some of the tacori rings that we like, but maybe a little more simple/watered down. We also want yellow gold and are willing to go down to 14k instead of 18k. Also, would you recommend working with an online vendor (I see that a lot of you guys go to whiteflash), or should I try to find someone local?

2nd: Am I totally out of my mind in hoping that we can find a nice 1ct diamond for 3500 or less?

 

[tonyc2387]

well, can't help much on #1, but the good news for #2 is that you want yellow gold... so you can take a few steps down in color and be OK. examples:

.928 J VS2, $3262
.935 J VS1 ACA, $3900
1.005 J SI1, $3900

I know the latter two are somewhat outside the mark, but keep your eyes peeled... it should be possible. Good luck!

 

[restheo]

Does yellow gold really make that much of a difference? I have only seen I and J-colored diamonds loose (outside of a setting) and they always seemed really yellow to me. Am I just being too picky? Will I not care so much once they''re set?

 

[Hest88]

1st: In general, is it cheaper to design your own setting than to go with a brand-name setting?

Well, it depends on the setting. In some cases you''re paying less due to economies of scale than you would going through a fine custom designer. For higher end settings, especially that require less fine detail work, you may be paying less.

Also, would you recommend working with an online vendor (I see that a lot of you guys go to whiteflash), or should I try to find someone local?

My preference is to go with someone I trust. In my case, it so happens that most of them are PS vendors I''ve followed for years and none of them are local so...If you''re a very detail-oriented person it might be easier to work with someone local you can really go back and forth with in person, so it''s up to you.

Am I totally out of my mind in hoping that we can find a nice 1ct diamond for 3500 or less?

Well, you might find a diamond you like, but you''re going to have to make a few sacrifices. If the 1 carat is important to you, can you cut back on the setting and put more money into the stone? If not, here''s one that probably won''t win any Pricescope cut awards, but might be suitable for what you''re looking for and that you might find pretty:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1263191.asp

Or this is even larger and better cut, if you don''t mind the inclusions:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-I1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1261777.asp

 

[kenny]

Date: 11/11/2009 9:28:15 PM
Author: restheo
Does yellow gold really make that much of a difference? I have only seen I and J-colored diamonds loose (outside of a setting) and they always seemed really yellow to me. Am I just being too picky? Will I not care so much once they're set?

People vary.
Nobody can answer that for YOU.
I can answer that for ME, but not for YOU.

20 people here can say, "Oh it's not an issue" but once you see it you may or may not agree.
So what good were those 20 opinions?

You need to go out and see some Js in yellow gold to find out how you like it.

 

[tonyc2387]

Date: 11/11/2009 9:28:15 PM
Author: restheo
Does yellow gold really make that much of a difference? I have only seen I and J-colored diamonds loose (outside of a setting) and they always seemed really yellow to me. Am I just being too picky? Will I not care so much once they''re set?

The difference is that you don''t have white gold / platinum starkly contrasting the diamond color. Are you being too picky? Depends on what you want. If you absolutely must have 1ct, probably

... but I wholehartedly agree with what kenny says. Gotta go see it for yourself.

 

[restheo]

You guys are right. I apologize for asking these kinds of questions without having seen everything in person...it''s the downside to living in a little podunk town!

I''m sure the local jewelry store will have an I or J color set in yellow gold for me to check out, so I will do that this week.

 

[restheo]

I have been looking around at stones in the .75 carat range, and found some that really look lovely. Of course that's compromising on size, but good old gold has an upgrade policy where they will let you upgrade your diamond (if you buy a hearts and arrows round or princess) and put 100% of the purchase price of the original diamond towards your new one (as long as it's more than $500 more). I think this is a good idea for me, since my boyfriend has set out a budget and doesn't want to pass it. Plus, the setting is important to me and I don't want to blow the whole budget on the diamond. So would it be feasible to have a setting that would accommodate a .8 carat stone and then a 1 carat stone later on when I upgrade? Or is the size difference too much?

Sorry for all the questions, I really have no body else to ask!

 

[swingirl]

Date: 11/11/2009 10:34:48 PM
Author: restheo
So would it be feasible to have a setting that would accommodate a .8 carat stone and then a 1 carat stone later on when I upgrade? Or is the size difference too much?

It depends on the setting. If you are serious about an upgrade you might to consider setting your stone in a simple classic inexpensive setting so you won''t be limited when you start looking at larger stones. There''s nothing worse than having a beautiful setting that can''t accommodate a larger stone when you can afford the larger stone.

 

[tonyc2387]

Date: 11/11/2009 10:34:48 PM
Author: restheo
I have been looking around at stones in the .75 carat range, and found some that really look lovely. Of course that''s compromising on size, but good old gold has an upgrade policy where they will let you upgrade your diamond (if you buy a hearts and arrows round or princess) and put 100% of the purchase price of the original diamond towards your new one (as long as it''s more than $500 more). I think this is a good idea for me, since my boyfriend has set out a budget and doesn''t want to pass it. Plus, the setting is important to me and I don''t want to blow the whole budget on the diamond. So would it be feasible to have a setting that would accommodate a .8 carat stone and then a 1 carat stone later on when I upgrade? Or is the size difference too much?


Sorry for all the questions, I really have no body else to ask!

Questions are why we''re here! I''m only trying to give back some fraction of the help I got myself

As for an upgrade, it''s a great route to go, and a lot of the vendors around here have great policies on their upper range of diamonds. swingirl makes a good point though... and it made me think of another option: you could spend the budget on a rock you love now, then upgrade the setting later. just a thought. now... which settings will accept which upgrades and to what extent... sounds like you really need to talk to the specific jeweler on that one. If you''re designing your own, it''s possible that they''ll be able to make it with the expectation of a larger stone, but don''t quote me on that.

 

[lingpanda01]

You should go to those mall diamond stores like Kay''s or Shaw''s so you can see different diamonds and then you know what to look for when you eventually buy the diamond from a PS vendor.

Depending on how good your eyes are, you may not even notice inclusions in I1''s. I''m getting a GIA SI2 and I couldn''t see the inclusion with a loupe even though the salesperson told me exactly where to look.

When looking at the I1''s from the mall stores, they all looked pretty decent to me. Although I''m not much for detail. Also, those I1''s were graded by IGI, which has a reputation for being more generous in their grading. And to me, they didn''t look too bad.

 

[outatouch0]

I don''t know anything about Tacori rings and how much the brand name lends to markup but I did a price comparison when shopping for my FI''s Ering.
A big portion of the cost for the custom is the labor to do the design. The vendor that had what I wanted already had the design done. Even though it was pricey, I could not get a quote anywhere near the price I was trying to beat.

 

[HVVS]

Date: 11/11/2009 10:34:48 PM
Author: restheo
I have been looking around at stones in the .75 carat range, and found some that really look lovely. Of course that's compromising on size, but good old gold has an upgrade policy where they will let you upgrade your diamond (if you buy a hearts and arrows round or princess) and put 100% of the purchase price of the original diamond towards your new one (as long as it's more than $500 more). I think this is a good idea for me, since my boyfriend has set out a budget and doesn't want to pass it. Plus, the setting is important to me and I don't want to blow the whole budget on the diamond. So would it be feasible to have a setting that would accommodate a .8 carat stone and then a 1 carat stone later on when I upgrade? Or is the size difference too much?


Sorry for all the questions, I really have no body else to ask!

If you get a peg head setting, it's no big deal to replace the head to fit a new stone. Prongs may also pinch up or be spread wider to change stones. Other types of settings may or may not be adaptable to a larger stone. Post a pic of the type you are considering. If it were me, I'd get the 1 ct now and get the fancy setting later. My original e-ring was 5.8mm -5.9mm and I could immediately see that 1ct was bigger. I later got a 1ct on my own and was quite content w/ it but the .75ct always looked a little small. If you halo, you won't notice so much. Halos are not so easy to swap stones in/out of.

14k vs. 18k -- 14k especially in YG is much softer than WG. (edit: unsure how 18k YG compares to 14k YG. Even softer??) You might have probs keeping pave' secure in YG. I'm not sure. I'm just guessing based on how easily I've gouged and bent my YG rings. I have an 18k WG gold pave' ring or two and have never lost any pave'. Haven't gouged or bent 18k WG either, which is saying a lot, lol.

Sorry for terse answers, lol. My cat is draped on the keyboard and I have to work around him, hehe.

 

[Fly Girl]

I am wearing my original 14k yellow gold wedding set after 35 years and it is fine. It all depends on how hard you are on your jewelry. The diamond is generally set in a white gold, or platinum head, so if you prefer to go with a whiter stone, it will still look just as white in a yellow gold ring or a white gold ring. I upgraded my original 0.21 ct stone to a 0.62 ct E VS2 from GOG because I actually prefer higher color stones and a bit smaller size to getting a larger stone with lower color. I suggest taking a look at different size stones to see what will look good on your hand. And, going with a simpler solitaire setting will mazimize your budget, particularly if you might be upgrading in a few years.

Another possibility is to check Signed Pieces for settings. Link You could get lucky and snag a bargain.

 

[HVVS]

but good old gold has an upgrade policy where they will let you upgrade your diamond

Read the GOG upgrade policy carefully. There was a discussion of it in this forum recently. If you pay for the first stone by credit card, you are ineligible for the discounted wire transfer price on the upgrade. But you can still upgrade, just at the full price. Wire transfer doesn''t save a whole lot of money until the stones get fairly expensive, though, so it might not matter to you.