Diamond Noob - Looking for a 1ct for my GF w/ tiny fingers

[777php]

I am in the market for an engagement ring for my girlfriend, however I have a few questions before I purchase anything.

First I must point out that my GF has tiny fingers, we went ring shopping the other day where they measured her ring finger to be a 3.5.

She seems to like the pave band with as little channeling as possible, almost to the point where the diamonds look individually mounted. However, with a 3.5 I''m not sure how feasible it is to resize that type of band.

Does anyone have experience with a pave band and small fingers?

Also since her fingers are so small I was wondering if anything above 1ct may look to big for her fingers. If so, thats good news for me!

I have specific criteria that I am looking for as well however I have a few questions regarding moving up or down a grade in a few areas.

First here are my ideal specs. 1ct / Color:F / Clarity:VS1 / Sym:VG / Pol:VG / Flr:no / As close to 60:60 Depth/Table

Of those specs in terms of brilliance and sparkle which one of those categories may I move down in to save in cost while maitaining its beauty?

 

[pinkflamingo]

hi and welcome to pricescope!

what is your targeted budget?
have you read the cut tutorials here yet? everyone here will tell you that cut is the most important thing. you need to know crown and pavillion angles, not just depth and table. I would suggest a smaller table than that, maybe 56-57.

I would consider going down in color and or clarity unless you feel you are particularly sensitive. a vs2 or si1 or eyeclean si2 if you want to max the budget. many find G/Si to be a sweet spot around here if you are color sensitive.

 

[londonblue]

hi, my gf had a slightly smaller than size 3 finger
we ended up making the rings size 3. the shank/band measures 2mm. you can see some finger to ring size comparison images, and complete mm dimension specs to help you decide what might be a good size for your gf's fingers! the thing i worried most about while making the ring was that it wouldn't look petite enough and that it might be too large
images, more on pg2


good luck!

 

[snlee]

777php, welcome to PS.

I would go down in clarity to save some money. If you find an eye clean SI it would look great. You''ll learn on PS that CUT is the most important thing! If you haven''t read the Diamond Tutorial, I would do so. It has tons of helpful information.

Regarding size, it really depends on the person.

I also have a size 3.5. Here are some pictures so you could get a feel of how it may look.

Here''s my old .81

 

[snlee]

And here''s my 1.23

 

[diamondseeker2006]

You could easily go to a G VS2 but you need to go up in cut to an AGS0 cut stone.

 

[AceP]

I have a size 4 finger and love pave bands - i''m currently shopping for a pave setting for a 1-ct round brilliant. i happen to think the thin pave bands are beautiful on small fingers - i''ve tried on several 2-ish mm pave settings and i think their diminutiveness is well-suited to a small hand. for what it''s worth.

 

[snlee]

Sorry, those pics were too close. Here''s some better hand pics of the .81 and 1.23 if you wanted to go down or up a little from a 1 carat. Hope these help.

 

[snlee]

.

 

[cutey TT]

Hi 777. Not sure what your total budget is, but if your gf likes pave and you want a pretty thin / delicate-looking setting for her 3.5 size finger, I would recommend the Ritani Endless Love (without halo). I think that whatever size diamond you end up choosing, it will look fantastic.

I have the Endless Love w/ halo and the band is super-thin ... less than 2 mm, but at the same time, appears sturdy and is well-made. Also, Ritani normally leaves a small sizing bar at the bottom of the band in case you ever need to adjust the size of the ring in the future. I asked not to have the sizing bar at the bottom on mine because I wanted the eternity look.

I agree with the others -- if you''re want to sacrifice something, you can drop down on clarity. Many people have fabulous, eye-clean SI1 and even SI2 stones on PS. Contact Bill Pearlman for Ritani -- he''ll take good care of you. I also know that he can source pretty much any stone for you (I believe DeeJay and mrssalvo are both working with him on their upgrades currently). Of course, if you find a stone you love in-house at another vendor, you should still be able to get the setting through Bill...he does a lot of business with Ritani.

 

[777php]

Wow, thanks for all the replies I''ll take all of the info into mind when choosing my diamond.

However after reading all the tutorials, I am still confused as to the ideal dimensions of the crown and pavillion angles in correlation to to the table, crown, and total depth?

So for a 1ct on a 3.5 band would a 60% depth, 57% table, 36° crown angle, 40° pavilion angle or close to those dimension work well?

 

[Scintillating]

Look for a crown more like 34.0 - and 34.9. not 36, it's too steep.
And a pavil in 40.6 - 40.9 range

60.8
55-56
34.5-7
40.8-9 is my ideal

Hang around and read the tutorials - you'll catch on.
Read about HCA (Holloway Cut Advisor)
Idealscope
and tutorials on Goodoldgold.com

Scintillating...

OH* 1 carat on a 3.5 will look great. The Ritani endless love is a great suggestion as well.

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome

Read the tutorials on crown and pavillion angles etc - so you can see the ideal ranges and see what affects the varying angles have on performance. My numbers tend to be a bit more of a wider range than Scints, but it is a preference thing as to what works for the purchaser.

Read up a bit more and then you will do great with the purchase! You are halfway there already! Also don''t toss out a G or H SI diamond if it is a great cut and eyeclean!

 

[mrssalvo]

just wanted to add that i too am a size 3.5. I wore a 1 carat diamond for 5 years and it''s a really nice size and doesn''t look too big. I will be getting a pave setting for my upgrade and second cutey''s Ritani recommendations. There are all types of pave rings in different price ranges but ritani seems to be one of the most affordable and their pave rings are extremely well made. Good luck.