exchange for more ct weight?

[slw925]

My husband just picked up my new upgrade diamond ring in its new setting from the jeweler last week. The stone is a D color, VS1 and round, 1.18ct weight. The setting he chose is gorgeous, but we both realized that the stone is not as big as we thought it was going to end up looking. For $8500, I''m wondering if it would be worth it to try and exchange the stone for one that has more balanced specs, like F in color, VS2 or SI1 that is 1.34 or so and excellent cut. And if this could be accomplished at around the same price of 8500 or no more than an additional 1k?
I know that if the stone was a bit bigger, it would be perfect for my setting, but I''m wonderring if the 1.34 and lower color (F) and clarity would achieve the slightly bigger look that I''m imagining in comparison to the current 1.18 D.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Also, would exchanging it insult the jeweler? how should I approach the jeweler (very nice guy), if I do decide to exchange it? He did set aside the stone for a few months with a deposit until it was purchased in full.

 

[hoorray]

I think exchanging it for an F/VS2 or SI1 (eye-clean) in a larger size sounds like a good idea. My bet is that the only difference you would see is the bigger size, if you get a great cut.

How your jeweler feels about it probbly depends on their return policy. I would simply bring it up honestly and see how they react. They might want a re-stocking fee or something since the stone was out of commission for so long.

Good luck!

 

[Patty]

I agree with lop. It's worth it to approach your jeweler and tell him that you would like to consider a larger stone. If it looks too small to you now, it will probably continue to look small to you. There is a sad phenomenom known as "shrinkage" among diamond lovers.

 

[elmo]

I'm going to be devil's advocate on this one. If you're not happy with 1.18, I don't think 16 points is going to really satisfy you, assuming proportions are similar. Go to 1.6-1.8 and the difference will be more significant. D-VS1 is a *very* nice combination too.

 

[Jennifer5973]

I just went through this. Husband surprised me with a 1.52 in a setting that had 3, 20 pointers on each side...the center stone looked a little lost and my 7.5 size finger made it look small.

But Elmo may be on to somethng--we went back to jeweler with intentions of 2 ct upgrade ended up with a 3ct ideal cut stone and feel it is my dream ring, end-all-and-be-all. etc. As far as the jeweler being "insulted" I can't imagien that--don't worry about this at all. You have a right to have what you want.

Go and look into what is available for your budget...You may find a nice H, SI1-2 and in a great cut, you won't miss a thing.

PS Color/clarity is subjective--i am not sure how "open" you are to playing with color/clarity grades but I think we'd all concur that a well cut stone hides a multitude os "sins." I have a SI2 (although appraiser felt it was a conservative grade) and several peple have adked me if it was "flawless." There are great SI1s to be had...and much $$$ t be saved, esp. at the 2+ ct range.

 

[NewShiny]

SLW, you should be honest with yourself and what your true "ideal" stone size is. I started off looking at stones around the 1ct mark and ended up with a 1.34 (see "My New Shiny" under the "show me the ring" section here on PS) - it did (and does) look noticeably bigger to me than a 1.18 (sorry elmo!). For me, this is the perfect size. However, for others the "perfect size" may be 1.75 or even 2.0! I don't buy the "I need a big stone because my finger is big" or "I don't need a big stone because my finger is small." Instead, you should get the stone that fits both you and your budget!

Good luck!

 

[elmo]

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On 9/12/2004 12:21:29 AM NewShiny wrote:

SLW, you should be honest with yourself and what your true 'ideal' stone size is. I started off looking at stones around the 1ct mark and ended up with a 1.34 (see 'My New Shiny' under the 'show me the ring' section here on PS) - it did (and does) look noticeably bigger to me than a 1.18 (sorry elmo!). For me, this is the perfect size. However, for others the 'perfect size' may be 1.75 or even 2.0! I don't buy the 'I need a big stone because my finger is big' or 'I don't need a big stone because my finger is small.' Instead, you should get the stone that fits both you and your budget!
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There is a rather bigger diameter difference going from 1 carat to 1.34 than from 1.18 to 1.34. For the latter, you're talking about something like a fifth of a millimeter, assuming similar proportions. Again, I can't tell how your stone is cut from the info here, but I can't say enough how desirable/nice D-VS1 is.

 

[slw925]

Thanks, I truly appreciate your input. It's good to know your thoughts, because I am almost positive that like you say, the 1.34 or so would be just what I had in mind. It's not that I have to have a huge rock or anything, I would just like to achieve a sligthly different outcome, than what I see now with my setting, and I don't think I would have to go tremendously higher in ct weight to get that look. After reading your thoughts, I feel better about pursuing this further.
I do think the whole ring and stone combo looks pretty now, but I'm trying to think about years down the road from now. That to me is where the whole investment idea chimes in, not the $ value, but the satisfication of knowing I'll have something to really cherish for many many years.

 

[hoorray]

Elmo is right, D/VS1 is a very nice stone. However if the size isn't right, it makes the ring not perfect. Proportions really impact the overall look of the ring. If I were you, I would look at a few different sizes in/on the setting to make sure you get the one that is right. It might be the 1.34 (but that is a very specific size), or it might be a little larger. You have some room to play with the quality without it being noticable if you decide to make a size trade off.

Good luck!

 

[valeria101]

How big is your curret stone (milimeters) and what are the cut specs ?

It seems that these weights just shy of 1.5cts are not all that easy to find. Only a few ideals turned up on a rather quick search among dozens of pieces arounf 1.2cta and even more just above 1.5cts.

Here are some you may find interesting: 7mm D/SI1 You can definitely find 7mm rounds from 1.25 to 1.35 cts among ASG0 cuts - all they need is a slightly deeper cut.

On DCD's list there are two 1.4cts G color one G/VS1 slightly larger than the G/SI1 of the same weight. Both seem tempting and definitely show how little it takes to hide that extra tenth of a milimeter.

So... it may be easier to look for a certain size than precise weight down to ten points, IMO.