Fat fingers = big rock + small band? Wear issues?

[Dreamer_D]

I wonder if you both would consider something less conventional like a pear with ST or UV color and flour and SI2? It will stretch the buck. Thos type of stones can be set into a yellow cup to look a little more yellow. DBL seems to have a lot of these type of unusual combos. Not saying this stone is one tyo pick, and its a little over budget, but you get my point I think:

http://rockdiamond.com/index.php/jewelry/loose-diamond-173ct-pear-shape-s-t-si1-gia-strong-color-r4049

You could also consider the secondary market?

 

[kindred]

I haven't read through all of the replies, but I thought I would point out this article, as I see the first ring you linked to is only 1.5 mm.
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-42TL515U-42-Inch-Natural-LED-LCD/dp/B004MF9HIU

 

[Christina...]

I haven't read through all of the replies, but I thought I would point out this article, as I see the first ring you linked to is only 1.5 mm.
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-42TL515U-42-Inch-Natural-LED-LCD/dp/B004MF9HIU

The 1.5mm was the width of the shank not the width of the diamond.

 

[jstarfireb]

I can show you an example of what, on paper, looks like the ideal diamond for us. We really like the shape of it, but it seems very wide, long AND deep for it's carat weight, which is awesome, but it makes me worry that something is wrong (especially since it is in the cheaper range too). Guessing it has something to do with the table, which is very low at 55% (most seems to be 60-65%), but I'm not really sure about what all these things mean. I mean I've read about it, but I'm not sure how it will actually affect how the diamond looks like. Also, the certificate is from 2006, which I assume means that is has been on the market for a very long time with no buyers. Is there something wrong with this diamond?
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Pear-Diamond-895185.asp

Ask JA for an ASET (and whether it's eye-clean), reserve the diamond, and post it for the pear experts to evaluate. It looks nice from the pic (as does the one slg recommended), but that's all I can say about it, not being a pear person.

I wouldn't worry too much about the 2006 cert. It may be that it's a diamond someone bought a few years ago and traded back in for an upgrade, or it may have just stuck around since then because pears aren't all that popular. Alternatively, it may be that the diamond isn't eye-clean...for any SI1 or SI2, it's very important to make sure the diamond is eye-clean to your standards before you buy!

 

[kindred]

I haven't read through all of the replies, but I thought I would point out this article, as I see the first ring you linked to is only 1.5 mm.
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-42TL515U-42-Inch-Natural-LED-LCD/dp/B004MF9HIU

The 1.5mm was the width of the shank not the width of the diamond.

Oops! I see that I posted the wrong link above. It should have been:
https://www.pricescope.com/journal/thin-vendor’s-dilemma

The article talks about 1.5 mm ring shanks being too thin for many people.

 

[fruxo]

The article talks about 1.5 mm ring shanks being too thin for many people.

Yeah, I had my mind set on 2.5ish, down to a min of 2.0mm.

There is not many rings I like at james allen, and they don't seem to have any nice plain tapered ones.
However, I did find one ring combo I quite liked, with a small halo.. well, not really a halo as such, but something in between I guess. I think it looks really nice though. The width is 1.7-1.9 though, so I don't know. It's a maybe
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-matching-bands/18k-White-Gold-Pave-Set-Diamond-Wedding-Set.html

EDIT: going through old replies, I noticed that slg47 had already picked the same ring I chose

 

[fruxo]

I wonder if you both would consider something less conventional like a pear with ST or UV color and flour and SI2? It will stretch the buck. Thos type of stones can be set into a yellow cup to look a little more yellow. DBL seems to have a lot of these type of unusual combos. Not saying this stone is one tyo pick, and its a little over budget, but you get my point I think:

http://rockdiamond.com/index.php/jewelry/loose-diamond-173ct-pear-shape-s-t-si1-gia-strong-color-r4049

You could also consider the secondary market?

I think that diamond looks really cool, but I don't think I can stretch the budget that far. I'll definitely have a look at the site though. My girlfriend is fine with second hand, in fact she was the one that suggested it, but we can not seem to find much that is not seriously overpriced.. and if we do buy secondhand, we'd to buy it locally just so we lessen the chance of getting ripped off, which severely limits the range.

 

[JulieN]

I like the 1.19 D SI1 that slg picked. This one might be nice, not sure: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Pear-Diamond-1405168.asp

 

[Christina...]

I haven't read through all of the replies, but I thought I would point out this article, as I see the first ring you linked to is only 1.5 mm.
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-42TL515U-42-Inch-Natural-LED-LCD/dp/B004MF9HIU

The 1.5mm was the width of the shank not the width of the diamond.

Oops! I see that I posted the wrong link above. It should have been:
https://www.pricescope.com/journal/thin-vendor’s-dilemma

The article talks about 1.5 mm ring shanks being too thin for many people.

Ooops! I thought you were implying that he should propose with a Toshiba.

 

[stargurl78]

I think a haloed pear with a plain shank is your best bet. It still kind of has that solitaire look but gives more finger coverage.

 

[iluvdiamonds2]

I think the skinny band won't satisfy her. I'm size 6.5 and I have a thin band that I feel is too thin for my finger size.
I am on the search for the perfect setting. I found a setting that is gorgeous and will give her plenty of finger coverage.
It will make a one carat pear look huge as it adds mm's of size - check it out. Link below:

http://www.mdcdiamonds.com/engagementdetails.cfm?Stock=ES240PS&Country=US#

 

[milton333]

James Allen has a pear-shaped halo, but it's a bit spendy: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/ring/item_412-8981.asp

 

[fruxo]

I think the skinny band won't satisfy her. I'm size 6.5 and I have a thin band that I feel is too thin for my finger size.
I am on the search for the perfect setting. I found a setting that is gorgeous and will give her plenty of finger coverage.
It will make a one carat pear look huge as it adds mm's of size - check it out. Link below:

http://www.mdcdiamonds.com/engagementdetails.cfm?Stock=ES240PS&Country=US#

It's quite a bit above my budget

James Allen has a pear-shaped halo, but it's a bit spendy: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/ring/item_412-8981.asp

Yeah, this looks nice, but a bit pricey as you said. Also there are no "previous purchases" I can look at, so it's a bit hard to judge how it looks like with a smaller diamond (the one pictured looks huge).

I'm actually leaning towards a plain band at this stage. I figured she would always have her wedding band next to it, so I can't really judge the ring by itself, and instead I've been looking at engagement + wedding ring combos. I know which style wedding band she likes, which is pretty much all of the ones with small diamonds along the front. I think by having a wedding ring like this it adds a lot of bling, and the plain band on the engagement ring just emphasizes the diamond. Anyway, in the end it means that instead of getting a halo I can spend that extra $1300 on a bigger diamond. Which is what I'm considering. But we'll see, this is not a decision I'm planning on rushing, just thinking out loud

This is the combo I'm currently leaning towards. It's comfort cut (which is probably not a bad idea) and the width is 2mm (hopefully enough):
http://images.jamesallen.com/_images/jewelry/Wedding-Ring-Sets-18K-White-Gold-2mm-Comfort-Fit-Engagement-Ring-and-Matching-.34ct-French-Cut-Wedding-Ring-gallery8499.jpg
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/wedding-ring-sets/18k-white-gold-2mm-comfort-fit-ring-0-34ct-french-cut-pave-band.html

EDIT: what I mean is that, regardless of what engagement ring I get, the wedding ring is always going to be this style so the price is static.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I said it before, but will say it again, $1300 will buy you maybe 0.10ct in diamond, adding perhaps 0.05mm in size. That same amount of money will add about 4mm in finger presence! There is no comparison.

 

[stargurl78]

James Allen has a pear-shaped halo, but it's a bit spendy: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/ring/item_412-8981.asp

Stunning setting! This one gets my vote for sure.

 

[jstarfireb]

James Allen has a pear-shaped halo, but it's a bit spendy: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/ring/item_412-8981.asp

Stunning setting! This one gets my vote for sure.

That's a really lovely and tasteful setting. It would definitely add more size than you could add by spending the same amount of extra money on a larger diamond (i.e. what Dreamer said!).

 

[slg47]

did you see the plain shank halo I listed earlier? it was for a round but the website says it can be modified to fit fancy shapes...I would definitely ask JA.

 

[rainydaze]

James Allen has a pear-shaped halo, but it's a bit spendy: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/ring/item_412-8981.asp

Stunning setting! This one gets my vote for sure.

That's a really lovely and tasteful setting. It would definitely add more size than you could add by spending the same amount of extra money on a larger diamond (i.e. what Dreamer said!).

yeah, as soon as i clicked on this one i thought oooooo.... whether halos go the way of a trend or not remains to be seen, but i definitely think this one would stand the test of time to remain as classy, elegant and tasteful as it appears today... not to mention beautiful!

 

[fruxo]

did you see the plain shank halo I listed earlier? it was for a round but the website says it can be modified to fit fancy shapes...I would definitely ask JA.

Yes, I mentioned that one earlier, but didn't quote you

We've been talking a while now about whether to halo or go 0.1-0.2 bigger (she doesn't know exactly which size she is getting yet), and she has been insisting on a bigger diamond.. but after looking at rings at local jewelers again today, everything looked really really small, even the bigger diamonds outside our price range. She tends to get very excited about things and her imagination takes over and makes everything bigger and better the longer she thinks about it. Which in this case, every time she looked at her finger imagining a diamond on (which is quite often haha) it probably got bigger and bigger without her really realizing it.. She actually had a bit of a cry after we got home about her fat fingers and how much smaller everything was than she expected/remembered, and she thinks she needs a halo now after all.

At the moment there are 3 rings in the race, the plain comfort fit, the big $1800 halo and the smaller ~$1000 halo that slg47 mentioned. I'm currently leaning towards the smaller halo without compromising on the diamond size (ie I think I'll raise the budget again to accommodate for the extra $500 it will cost to go from the plain band to the small halo). But again this is subject to change of course, and I'm not gonna rush into anything until I'm confident she know what she wants. She is not expecting me to propose until Christmas anyway for various reasons, so I've got plenty of time to surprise her still

EDIT: she also tried on some wedding bands, and I asked about the widths. She tried one which was 1.6mm and not bad, but quite thin. Another one sh tried which was 2.1mm was perfectly fine though. I was worried I might have to go a minimum of 2.5mm, but I think 2mm will be fine now.

 

[Rhea]

I have size 7 fingers.

I noticed with weddings bands that the height made more of a difference than the width. I wear a 0.47 carat stone and always wanted a wedding band I could wear alone, or with my engagement ring without overpowering it. It seemed nearly impossible! I ended up trying on a 2 mm wide by 2 mm high band one day and it was just perfect! A 2 mm x 1 mm high just get lost on my finger and anything wider than 2.5 mm wide overpowers my engagement ring.

Something to consider.