Diamond pairs

[diamondhunter111]

Hi everyone,
A few years ago I had a ring made for my fiance - handmade platinum with a 0.8ct WF E VS1 round centre and 2 half moons (0.25ct total weight 4mm x 2.65mm each) on the side in a basket setting. I was trying to re-create the look of a ring that we saw in a shop years ago that she liked. Half moons were quite hard to source and I ended up buying a pair from the US (i'm in Australia) but I won't say who from (wasn't WF). They weren't terribly expensive. The issue is that these side stones have very poor light performance look very drab and dull sitting next to the beautiful centre stone. Also, the slightest amount of grime dramatically affects the light performance. I have since learned a lot more about diamonds and I guess it is not surprising to me given the type of cut that the side stones have. Apart from the fundamental limitations of a fancy cut, they appear very shallow which i'm sure doesn't help.

Long story short, I have found an experienced jeweller who will reuse the existing band and remake the basket to take 3 rounds. The 0.8ct centre is 6mm diameter. I am thinking sides of about 0.25ct each (0.5 tctw) which should be about 4mm diameter.

I have been looking at the larger suppliers - Blue Nile, WF, HPD etc but their selection of diamond pairs is either non-existent (you have to choose 2 singles yourself of similar characteristics) or very slim. I realise that it is less common to get GIA or AGS reports on small diamonds. At this size some do and some don't. Obviously you pay more for the ones that do. Also from what I have seen so far, even the ones that are called SuerIdealsin this size seem to have less than ideal pav, depth, crown and table measurements. Not sure if this is something more common in smaller stones.

I know it sounds like I am going over the top for a pair of small stones but it was a real let down when the current ring didn't meet my expectations after putting a lot of time and effort into creating it for the one I love. I want to get it right the second time.

Any general advice here? Comments on size of sides? Anyone know of a good place to get pairs from (must ship internationally)?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[tyty333]

I would ask WF if they have any .25s. I know they have some .30s around 4.25mm.

That way you can have really nice light return for all 3 stones.

 

[ac117]

Agree with tyty-you are happy with your center, why not get perfectly matched side stones!

 

[mrs-b]

Agree with the previous comments - ask WF to source them for you. But my caveat would be - why not get something slightly larger and go for a bigger look? I like the regular Tiffany proportions - which are 1:2:1 - meaning your sides would be .4ct on each side. .25 each would look nice, but I think something north of .3 would be better. My sweet spot for a .8ct center would be anything between .32 and .4ct. Would give your girl significant;y more finger presence.

Good luck - you're doing a very nice thing!

ETA If you don't want to go through WF, let us know what size you'd like; we can easily source you a couple of top flight matching stones, either from Blue Nile or James Allen.

 

[marcy]

I would also reach out to WF to see what they can get for you; hopefully you'll post pictures of the finished ring.

 

[diamondhunter111]

Thanks. This type of advice is exactly what I need.

I have looked at a few of the usual companies selling superideals. I know cost is not everything when looking at diamonds and difficult to compare but....

Looking at E colur and VS1 clarity just for comparison purposes.

Blue Nile Astor are available in the smaller sizes. Cost for 0.25ct is $677. $2700 per carat. At around the 0.31ct size price per carat goes up to about $3400 per carat.

Black by Brian Gavin have 0.25ct for about $600 each. $2400 per carat. Not many of their signature range in this size.

Whiteflash do ACA down to about 0.3ct. These do seem like better value. $900 each for 0.32ct E VS1. They have a pair 0.635 tctw ACA F VS2 $1750 wire price. 4.35mm – 4.4mm. About 72% of centre stone size. About $2800 per carat.

HP diamonds CGI – Only down to 0.31ct $1000. $3125 per carat.

Not sure about the others but Whiteflash offer free shipping/insurance to Australia too from memory.

A very rough way to compare but from the above it looks like WF or BG are the best value at the moment.

Also I was very happy with the service from WF last time. I actually didn't buy an ACA but very happy with the one I chose. It had only "very good" symmetry but the consultant felt that it performed as good as ACA and was substantially less expensive. Images below.

Definitely leaning towards a pair around 0.3ct from Whiteflash.

I assume that if I went smaller with Whiteflash they wouldn't have AGS and other light performance data?

 

[GolfingGreen]

I would also look at Hearts On Fire. I was impressed with them. Their dismonds are great and service too. I wanted stud earrings, each 1ct, each certified loose stones. I did not want to buy pre-set diamond earrings. And I wanted the same clarity, color, and cut specs. Hearts On Fire was super helpful. They found me two perfect matches...even in weight, one was 1.013 and other was 1.015. How perfect was that!

I like them a lot and the diamonds really sparkle.

Good luck to you!

 

[diamondhunter111]

Here is a photo of the ring as it is currently if anyone is interested.