First-Time Buyer, Choosing a Cushion on a Budget

[kcarpent]

Hi all! I'm completely new to buying diamonds, but seeing as I'm getting engaged soon (I hope!) I'm starting to look into engagement rings. I've been lurking on the forums for a while and saw a ring that really wow-ed me in the 'Show yo' Bling' forum: https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ngagement-ring-folder-eye-candy.5429/page-316

Hi there,

First time poster, so I hope I am doing this right! I shouldn't have waited this long to post - Victor Canera deserves so much credit for making me EXACTLY what I wanted. This is the Evelyn in rose gold with millgrain and one of Victor's own Canera Antique cushions. Stone is J, 1.895 carats, VVS1. I apologize for the quality of the photos, and the size of my fingers (7.75)

I could go with a different band but the diamond is beautiful, and I would appreciate some help in finding a similar stone, with the ring (including band) at a total of $5-6k.

More about me:

• I work at a computer all day typing, so no great risk of damage to the ring.
• I tend to wear silver jewelry over gold.
• I have chubby fingers but I'm in the process of losing weight (finally), so band may be temporary/able to be resized, if possible.

More about what I'm looking for:

• I've read the wonderful cushion post by CharmyPoo here [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/[/URL] and love the look of the antique cut cushions.
• Square-shaped and not rectangular.
• .8 carats and up, prefer performance over size.
• If possible, I would prefer to use a lab-grown diamond.
• Eye-clean, J and up is ok.
• I like solitaire, three-stone, and halo looks on bands.

What I've found so far:

Victor Canera has this stone available, but it's on the high side of my price range. What do you think?
https://www.victorcanera.com/diamonds/wrm0f8-1.172-j-vs1-ideal-antique-cushion

GOG also has some great looking stones within my price range, but here's where my inexperience with buying diamonds shows... how can I tell performance from the details they give online?

Thanks in advance, any help is appreciated!

 

[tyty333]

That Canera stone would be lovely. Do they sell them without settings?

How bout one of these? Would leave you money for a decent setting.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond-search/1.00-platinum_select_vintage--AGS-J-VS2-diamond-stock-13141-cert-104077528001
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond-search/1.04-platinum_select_vintage--GIA-G-SI2-diamond-stock-12777-cert-1159925388 Eye clean?

 

[tyty333]

You know that the look is going to be different because the stone will be a lot smaller? Still pretty though!

Another one to consider...it has a nice size to it.
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/loose-diamonds/1-ct-to-2-00/1-27ct-oec-egl-k-vs1#.V5Ok3vkrK2w

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/loose-diamonds/1-ct-to-2-00/1-39ct-antique-cushion-cut-diamond-gia-j-si1#.V5OlxPkrK2w

 

[kcarpent]

Thanks for the help, tyty333! The first GOG stone is beautiful!

The stone will definitely be smaller than the one in the picture... We can't afford a $10k+ diamond. But although I have chubby fingers my hands are small, so hopefully we can get more bang for our buck that way! This is also why I'm looking at a halo or the 3 stone bands as well.

The size of the jewels by grace stones are great, but the stones don't seem as polished as the VC or GOG diamonds, especially around the edges of each facet. Is there something I'm missing about them, like do they still need to be polished?

 

[tyty333]

Well, it could be a couple of different things that.

-The stones that JBG has are true antiques so they have had some wear and tear over the years. The GOG stones may be newer stones
that missed the AVC cut for some reason or, they may be older stones that were sent for a repolish. You would have to ask. I would
think the JBG stones could also be sent for a repolish but you would have to ask.

3 stone settings tend to be more expensive due to the size of the side stones. What would you set it with? Traps would be my favorite
but again, expensive .

A halo with a plain shank would probably fit your budget best but not sure if that is the look you want.