First thanks. Second, help me find a diamond these specs

[redroze]

I thank you and am sorry for the shifting and wavering direction. Per my note to Gypsy, DH and I finally had more than 2 seconds to talk and discuss what we both want in this new diamond. Yes I'm wearing it but we are both equal partners in any decision. He is all about high quality and I'm more budget conscious, thus the confusion on budget. He surprisingly wants it to be significantly bigger. Who knew? My son keeps giving me an orange star shaped block to put on my finger and saying - look I got you a bigger ring than daddy! And asking, are you and daddy getting married again?! Lol

Shape: round brilliant! Yes no changing on this one. Classic and sparkly.
Setting: custom made by my jeweller. 4.5 ring size. solitaire with pave diamonds on the band. Cathedral setting, four single eagle prongs, fine milgrain to match my wedding band. Mine is like this but with a tiny dip to sit flush with ering. http://www.nataliek.com/nk12065band Similar look to Gingerbcookie but less or no pave on the profile view. https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/no-longer-a-girlfriend.28664/

Cs, the first being the most important.
Cut: I'd love it to be excellent. Most important C.
Carat: 1.2-1.5. Around 7 mm face up seems to be the magic number of the size we want.
Colour: G or up (but could go lower on this if needed)
Clarity: eye clean SI, but both of us would prefer to be mind clean at VS
Budget: well I guess that's dependant on what we could find, right? I'd love to be 7500 or under but diamonds don't grow on trees right! For the diamond only (thanks Niel)

Hunting myself now. THANK you

 

[Niel]

7500 for the total ring?

This is one of my favorite settings. Its a fair price and its beautiful! They would also add millgraining to this for free, which i think would make it even more attractive. I think it looks similar to your inspiration.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-white-gold-double-claw-prong-0.16ct-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-22644

if the budget is 7500 for the whole thing i like this. I know its a J but you were just looking at Ks so i thought id share. It also seems to face up white, and has some fluor to help it look whiter too

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.30-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-249813

 

[artdecolover71]

love those claw prongs Niel! JA has such great settings at great prices.
Good luck with your search redroze, I am looking forward to seeing what you choose!

 

[redroze]

Niel that setting is exactly what I'm going for. Simple with a vintagey vibe. Don't you think the double eagle looks best with 2 carat diamonds? I was going to do single eagle.

That diamond is a stunner! Do you think I can find something similar but higher in the colour, H or up? It's 7500 for diamond only.

 

[Niel]

Niel that setting is exactly what I'm going for. Simple with a vintagey vibe. Don't you think the double eagle looks best with 2 carat diamonds? I was going to do single eagle.

That diamond is a stunner! Do you think I can find something similar but higher in the colour, H or up? It's 7500 for diamond only.

I didnt see any I or higher stones in your budget they i loved, except one with a large beauty mark. Are you reluctant to go that low? If you saw a K in person and thought it was white enough for you i would say a high J should do the trick. Plus the fluor helps along with that particular setting. The way the prongs have that band around the diamond helps hide the more noticeable side color as well as helps keep the stone looking white.

I dont want to seem like im selling you on a lower color. I have some and love them, but not everyone does. I just also dont want you to think you "need" a higher color just because other people prefer them. Its not my ring and its not theirs. Its yours, so you have to love it, nobody else.

 

[redroze]

I liked the K...no loved it. But the pave band in my wedding ring has F. So it's pretty much a deal breaker.

My original set with my current wedding band. I'd essentially be going back to my original e-ring style before I changed to a halo setting with no milgrainning (I know, ironic but kinda cool too). I'll use the diamonds from my halo to run diamonds all the way around the band to make it full eternity with some gold for sizing.



Stock photo of my wedding band. LOVE it.

 

[Gypsy]

Ok.

Thank you for clarifying you budget. To help you better going forward... let's not start any new threads for the diamond search. All the thread hoping just clutters up the board and there's no need for it. Ask all your questions here, and we'll be happy to answer.

Next. I do not believe that the JA pave setting is a good choice for long term wear. I get that for people on tight budgets it might be a tempting option. But your budget is not tight and I believe you should and can do much better. I've had a number of pave items and trust me, you do not want to go budget there with this purchase as it is your upgrade and the entire point is to get it right and put the money where it should be.

Third, You don't need G and for your budget and what you want, I think shooting for G is a mistake, although I will look for some for you to see if there are any that pop at a great price. Always good to look. H or I is going to be fine. Even with pave with whiter melee. Why? Because of how the stones perform. I've had no sleep right now, so I can explain that later. You've already seen a K, you know that warmth doesn't mean yellow. And H-I are a much cooler shade of white than K.

But a G VS2 is going to cost 8k: http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11255/ So you need to be realistic. And eyeclean SI with safe inclusions (especially clean safe wisps) is going to maximize your budget and give you savings without any negative visual or structural impact.

I am happy you are having JA review the stones I posted for you before.

Tell them to have the JA gemologist ONLY Idealscope and hold ONE of those though. Just the best one.

WHY? Cause you only get three, and I want to see if I can find anything better for you now that I know your budget. So put the best of the I SI2 with the wisps on hold and then have them standby for the other two stones. It will later today when I have a chance to look (still desperately trying to sleep).


Here are the settings I recommend you consider and chose from. There is no pave solitaire setting at JA that can compare to these. And yes, it does mean you might to use two vendors if you buy the stone from JA. One for the setting and one for the stone. But it would be worth it. I will also look into seeing what I can find at BGD and WF to avoid that for you

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/eternal-grace-with-pave-18k-white-gold-5822w18 2mm and very similar to Ginger's cathedral pave ring.

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/split-4-prong-fishtail-pave-18k-white-gold-5668w18 Also gorgeous. And has lovely prongs on the head.

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/melody-diamond-engagement-ring-by-vatche-1659.htm Vatche Melody. This one is really lovely AND you can afford platinum if you want to too!

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/inara-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-by-vatche-1766.htm I prefer the Melody, but the Inara is an option as well.

Here is the stone options at BGD for you to consider:
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.247-h-si2-round-diamond-ags-bl-104064814008 Gets you 7mm. But you would need to go with this setting (which I actually love) http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/the-valentine-micro-pave-1-18k-white-gold-5688w18-3 instead of one the ones I posted above by them to make it work for you budget. I'll be honest, it's a trade off I'd make. And BGD can add milgrain to that setting if you ask them, since you like vintage looks.

PUT THIS STONE ON HOLD IMMEDIATELY: http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3016680.htm# And look at that picture! That is a darned clean stone-- as if it is eyeclean. With this Vatche Melody is exactly at budget. http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/melody-diamond-engagement-ring-by-vatche-1659.htm

I don't think I'm going to be able to beat that! That H at WF is killer and the Melody setting with it, is in budget too out the door! I've tried the Melody on too, very comfortable and very nice quality. AND it's one stop shopping. No need to get the stone and setting separate vendors!

If you don't like the settings. Poke around BGD and WF's settings (no Verragio though, trust me on this, pave quality sucks) as they are the quality you need for engagement ring wearing. They have a ton of settings. And can customize anything you want to boot.

 

[redroze]

I was feeling terrible for the indecision and multiple threads!! I will absolutely stick to this one. I came to the H/I conclusion after searching more. And realized if I want to do excellent cut is have to go to h/I and SI.

Ok will look through your threads in more detail.

Btw Gypsy why do you do this? I get bring a diamond lover but you are super helpful and knowledgeable! I didn't put any of the previous three on hold...so I'll be choosy on the ones I do before asking for idealscope.

Also I'm not getting the setting online. I know someone local who has done great work before and pricing is reasonable.

 

[Niel]

Next. I do not believe that the JA pave setting is a good choice for long term wear. I get that for people on tight budgets it might be a tempting option. But your budget is not tight and I believe you should and can do much better. I've had a number of pave items and trust me, you do not want to go budget there with this purchase as it is your upgrade and the entire point is to get it right and put the money where it should be.

Please elaborate. I think their settings are quite well made, sturdy, and of a higher quality than similar ones in that price range. And that bead set kind with metal ribbons on the side allow for a nice quality look without having to go a more expensive route.

I don't agree that the quality isn't good enough for long term wear.

 

[Gypsy]

Please elaborate. I think their settings are quite well made, sturdy, and of a higher quality than similar ones in that price range. And that bead set kind with metal ribbons on the side allow for a nice quality look without having to go a more expensive route.

I don't agree that the quality isn't good enough for long term wear.

Have you seen them? Have you examined them in person?

Here's why I said what I did.

James Allen's pave settings are cast. And most are pretty consistently under 2mm. Cast pave settings under 2mm are not recommended (there are a number of threads about this on PS, as you are regular I suggest you research them) on this board from any of us with pave experience for everyday wear. Even in platinum.

For everyday wear, under 2mm, you pretty much need handforged. And even then not under 1.8mm.

Many of the JA settings are pave styles other than bright cut (not that particular one you linked to, but many of them). Pave other than bright cut, in gold under 2mm, and cast is asking for trouble.

Beyond that, I know of 2 two people who have returned JA pave settings because they have been unhappy with them. One of them lost stones pretty early on. That was from the bright cut setting you linked to in this thread. Plus the metal finish and prongs had issues. Another had an appraiser tell her flat out the setting was flimsy (that one was not bright cut). They did not post on PS about it. I am friends/aquaintances with many PSers off the boards and many people email/message/contact me when they have issues with vendors and ask me for advice.

On top of that. I myself bought a JA gently used platinum setting off ebay from a private seller a few months ago. I was hoping to use it for a colored stone project. I returned it to the seller after I got it and examined it with a loupe. After what the seller said was only 6 months of wear (and they had their receipt and sent me a picture of it) several of the stones were held in there by a wing and a prayer. I advised the seller to call JA and return the setting to them for quality issues. I don't know if she did, but she did not re-list it on ebay.

For people who INSIST on budget settings in pave that are at or just under 2mm I pretty much consistently send them to Vatche or Beverly K or Ritani because I have seen the settings myself, and I know people who have worn them without issue for years. Or I send them to BGD or WF for in house settings, again for the same reason.

This is also the reason I don't generally like to recommend Gabriel and Co for pave.

I have a lot of experience with pave Neil. And having had bad pave in my first halo I spent a TON of time examining, learning about, and generally educating myself on pave. And I know how heartbreaking it is to have bad pave make your engagement ring unwearable. So when I recommend pave, I always make sure to be conservative so that the people I help don't have a similar bad experience with problematic pave.

 

[Gypsy]

I was feeling terrible for the indecision and multiple threads!! I will absolutely stick to this one. I came to the H/I conclusion after searching more. And realized if I want to do excellent cut is have to go to h/I and SI.

Ok will look through your threads in more detail.

Btw Gypsy why do you do this? I get bring a diamond lover but you are super helpful and knowledgeable! I didn't put any of the previous three on hold...so I'll be choosy on the ones I do before asking for idealscope.

Also I'm not getting the setting online. I know someone local who has done great work before and pricing is reasonable.

OK. So...

1. Is your budget for STONE ONLY, then? If you are not getting the setting though an online vendor? That would be an important thing to know.

2. You want ideal light return in a stone from a reputable lab. Excellent cut is not enough. Only way to make sure you have such a stone is to either go for an AGS 0 or to get a GIA stone with the right angle combos for light return and confirm that light return with an idealscope image.

3. I do what I do because I enjoy sharing the knowledge I have with others to help them make good decisions about their jewelry purchases.

 

[redroze]

Budget: well I guess that's dependant on what we could find, right? I'd love to be 7500 or under but diamonds don't grow on trees right! For the diamond only (thanks Niel)

Hunting myself now. THANK you

Yup I specified in my first post that it's for the dismond only.

You're awesome a Gypsy. I can identify with that type of passion to help others. I just assumed you had a background in jewellery.

I appreciate the help and it's been great validating online prices with what I can get through local jewellers in Canada. I am finding the online pricing is not competitive given the conversion and import fees. I'm an avid online buyer for many things but we need to see it and the pricing needs to be better. I'll continue to lurk and research. Thank you all for the invaluable help!