Fitting the stone and setting into my budget

[alottolearn]

Hi, I''m new here to pricescope. Actually, i''ve learned about this message board from my girlfriend who has been diligently trying to lean everything diamond. We''ve talked seriously about marriage, so i feel it''s about time i do some researching of my own.

Here''s the situation - i know very little, except the fundamentals about the 4cs -- which i thought was pretty well prepared, until i browsed this place.

My girfriend has not been shy about telling me what her ideal ring might be -- so far she really likes the "halo" pave style, but not on three sides -- only one. she hasn''t really decided on the shape of the stone. she likes cushions, oval and rectangular? maybe that''s emerald...

My budget is about 6k and I would like to get the biggest, best, for the money.

Do you think that a 1ct+ is out of my $$$ range, especially considering the setting style?

 

[valeria101]

Date: 9/10/2005 8:53:00 PM
Author:alottolearn

... 'halo' pave style, but not on three sides -- only one. she hasn't really decided on the shape of the stone. she likes cushions, oval and rectangular? maybe that's emerald...

My budget is about 6k and I would like to get the biggest, best, for the money.

Do you think that a 1ct+ is out of my $$$ range, especially considering the setting style?

Don't know... at this point it sounds worth asking a jeweler, because halo settings for fancy shapes are usually custom made to fit the stone.

I can't tell what is out there, but I hope neither the quality of the setting or that of the center stone will need to go down the drain for the sake of the design.

One-sided pave and no halo would be straightforward:



This comes from HERE (between $900 to $1300 depending on material). It is not 'off the rack' so this includes custom fitting the design to your stone.

Just an example, there are many such things on offer around.

The same site has this:



I don't know if it is done for anything but squares though. You would need to ask.

 

[MissAva]

Well having a quick look about lead me to this one, which is about 125$ over budget but if you

droped from E color I imagine it could be a great deal cheaper.

 

[alottolearn]

M: That looks like it could be a perfect option for her ring. DO you know where I can find that site? facets?

 

[valeria101]

Date: 9/11/2005 10:42:42 AM
Author: alottolearn
M: That looks like it could be a perfect option for her ring. DO you know where I can find that site? facets?

Try signedpieces.com and the ''Facets'' collection there.

That ring is slightly over 7k, so I didn''t mention.... IMO it would be still worth looking for a custom setting for that amount of cash.

 

[widget]

Author: alottolearn
M: That looks like it could be a perfect option for her ring. DO you know where I can find that site? facets?

www.signedpieces.com


widget

 

[alottolearn]

are ritani settings out of my price range? maybe i''ll have to go down in size a bit, but i really don''t think that the E color of the facets design is necessary?

 

[valeria101]

Date: 9/11/2005 11:37:12 AM
Author: alottolearn
are ritani settings out of my price range? maybe i'll have to go down in size a bit, but i really don't think that the E color of the facets design is necessary?

Try pearlmansjewelers.com for some more designs with quotes included: one with .7cts diamond set comes at 8k (THIS) but there is no separate quote for the setting because Ritani does not want to set loose diamonds that are not theirs... although there seems to be some way around that. Do you intend to buy the diamond set ?

Then, tis one below comes from Diamondsbylauren - it is their daintier 'frame' setting and it is custom made to fit their fancy stones.

 

[alottolearn]

I was thinking that i could get a better deal on a diamond if i didn''t need to buy it from the same designer as the setting. but i don''t know if you can do that with a designer like ritani.

thanks so far for the guidance.

 

[MissAva]

Facets will sometimes do custom work so if you like that one I would email them and see what they can do for you. You might be better off gettign some general qoutes and then finding out how much is left for your stone. Also would you be okay with half or 3/4 eternity? If so you can get the same look for less $.

 

[Mara]

yum i love that DBL one, I would love a yellow radiant in a halo for a right hand cocktail ring!

also someone posted a 'stock' wf setting recently that is something like 1600 in white gold for a halo setting? so if you did something like that, it would leave around 4400 for a stone. with a halo setting, personally i dont think the stone should be TOO big unless you are going for that cocktail 60's look...because the halo adds a good amound of width as well. i love large stones, but the best halos i have seen for me personally are around 1c.

so that said $4400 could get you a nice 1c depending on the SHAPE of the stone (aka fancies are usually cheaper than rounds depending on the fancy since alot of times they look a tiny bit smaller) and also your color and clarity choices, i'd go lower on both to save $$ but make sure that the halo melee won't be a glaring difference in color.

eta here is that link for the WF setting...i didn't even know they had this til the other day.
http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/Halo-Bezel-Ring-By-WF_940.htm

 

[Mara]

doing a quickie search shows that with about between $4k and $5k for the stone you could get a 1c H SI well-cut round; a 1.10c H VS princess; or a 1.15c H VS radiant or similar. obviously you''d have to determine fave shape and cut quality and all that but your budget for around a 1c stone is not a bad one if you spend ~$1600 or so on a setting.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 9/11/2005 1:43:17 PM
Author: Mara

so that said $4400 could get you a nice 1c depending on the SHAPE of the stone (aka fancies are usually cheaper than rounds depending on the fancy since alot of times they look a tiny bit smaller)

True enough... THIS maybe. Also, the size of fancies varies more with weight than it is the case for rounds. Worth keeping in mind, IMO. There has been at least one oval halo setting posted around here - quite a beautiful ring, really.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 9/10/2005 8:53:00 PM
Author:alottolearn

... she likes cushions, oval and rectangular? maybe that''s emerald...

Btw, IMO, that ''rectangular'' is probably a radaint or a long cushion - I am guessing this because both other shapes (the cushion and the oval) are brilliant cut not step and emerald cuts belong to sort of a separate club for better or worse.

 

[alottolearn]

val: thanks for the link to the oval. i personally like the oval shape the best or a "longer" cushion. but i have a couple of questions -- what do you think about the H color generally and also are S1 clean to the eye? Finally, if i do go down the road of buying the stone on line how is a guy supposed to view the diamond in person to get a feel for the color/clarity/sparkle?

Like I said before -- if i have to i can go down below 1ct. i just figured that saving $6k would be enough to swing that size. fine jewelry is a pricey investment.

 

[alottolearn]

Mara: I agree about size, maybe my persistence in a 1ct isn''t all that necessary if i''m going with the halo stlye. plus, i think a more reasonable size would fit my girlfriend. she isn''t the kind of girl to get wrapped up on size and leads a pretty active lifestyle -- but i think that her hanging out at this site has shifted her priorities a bit. you ladies certainly are a very bad influence!

Matora: I was not planning on having the pave all the way around. i would want it to cover about 3/4 or 2/3.

Thanks too for all the help. it''s an intimidating diamond world out there.

 

[E B]

Bailey, Banks and Biddle has the Ritani with a .50 carat for $5100.00:

http://www.baileybanksandbiddle.com/catalog/ProductDetail.aspx?productID=15646474&queryby=c&categoryId=1421&pageNum=1&sortType=rank+ASC%2c+price+ASC&newFilter=&parentSearchId=0&dispOnly=0&gnFlag=0

Now, BB&B has a pretty large markup from what I hear, but this would be an easy purchase. If you want to save even more (or get a larger stone), WF has two halo settings for around $1600 in white gold:

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Diamond-Settings/Halo-Prong-Ring-by-WF_941.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Diamond-Settings/Halo-Bezel-Ring-By-WF_940.htm

With one of those settings, you''d still have over $4000.00 for a diamond, and that could buy you a pretty nice .75 carat. Whatever you choose to do, good luck!

 

[alottolearn]

EBree: thanks for that link for ritani -- i could be wrong but i''m pretty sure that $5000 ring is 3/4 ct which could be perfect. especially if i could find that designer brand somewhere that doesn''t have this apparent BBB markup. my only problem is that it''s a round diamond and i really wanted something oval. does ritani have an oval for a comperable price. i went to their website, but they quote no prices???

i have to be so careful to not let my girlfriend see me on this site...or else the jig is up.

 

[E B]

Alottolearn,

The advertisement says 3/4 CTW- the total weight for the ring. You might be right, but I think that represents the center stone and those little diamonds around it as well. It might be cheaper to go the custom route, and put a .75 carat stone in. That''s what we''re doing!

 

[alottolearn]

I was searching this morning at work and i found a billbarnes web site. they post a ritani oval in both a large --it is huge 2ct and $$$$$ -- and a medium which is more in my price range, but seems a little too small .5ct. Does anyone know if there is something in between say .75/1ct center stone for a ritani oval. also this billbarnes seems to be the singular seller of this shape -- any idea?

 

[valeria101]

Date: 9/11/2005 6:42:15 PM
Author: alottolearn
val: thanks for the link to the oval. i personally like the oval shape the best or a ''longer'' cushion. but i have a couple of questions -- what do you think about the H color generally and also are S1 clean to the eye? Finally, if i do go down the road of buying the stone on line how is a guy supposed to view the diamond in person to get a feel for the color/clarity/sparkle?

H-SI1 ~ 1 carat = colorless & clean to me.

If yo buy such a stone online, you get to inspect it during a return period. This inspection actually costs shipping (at least one way) and some went on to ask the opinion of an independent appraiser of their choice, although this is just a matter of personal confort at some point. Afterwards, the diamonds can be returned to be set by the same jeweler or another... who agrees to work with a customer''s diamond (some do, some do not). I can remember a couple of tranactions that involved sending the stone via mail from seller to buyer to appraise to jeweler to appraise again as a finished piece and who knows what else! The only limit is your trust and patience, really. IMO, the shortest is to get the ring done by a seller and have them provide instore appraisal for insurance as well - the basic one way deal that rests on the assumption that you get to trust the seller. Some exchange dozens of detailed e-mails, calls and photographs to insure just that. Customer postings (good and bad) on this forum are yet another way to inform that sort of trust.

Sure enough, there are insurance issues for shipping diamonds around and having them set, but it is the jewelers that deal with most of it. There have been all sorts of happenings until now reported on this forum (rare, but memorable, as you may imagine). Usually with a happy end. All it takes is to ask all the questions - aparently online sellers are rather patient. And then, there is Pricescope if the provider of your choice has been mentioned around here.

Hope this helps

 

[valeria101]

Date: 9/12/2005 9:42:04 AM
Author: alottolearn

Does anyone know if there is something in between say .75/1ct center stone for a ritani oval.

Senn a round stone .75 cts for 8k at Pearlmans''. They also have an oval listed, but yellow and larger. It can''t hurt to give one seller a call, since there might not be as many ovals around and even if there are, online rounds get posted more often than fancies ...

 

[jcrow]

another option is to find an online vendor who is willing to let you view the diamonds. that''s what we did. we found out that whiteflash was driving distance away. we set up a sunday appointment. BOY was it worth it!!! got to actually SEE the diamonds that were available to us within our price range and pick out the one that sang to us. i HIGHLY recommend going this route if at all possible!

 

[alottolearn]

I''m emailing with Pearlman''s about the fancy cut ritani options. i''ll let you know what i find. my girlfriend''s finger is a 6.5 so i don''t exactly know how that size and the spread of a halo ring looks.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 9/12/2005 1:33:08 PM
Author: alottolearn
I''m emailing with Pearlman''s about the fancy cut ritani options. i''ll let you know what i find. my girlfriend''s finger is a 6.5 so i don''t exactly know how that size and the spread of a halo ring looks.

I absolutley adore Mr. Pearlman. He is an excellent resource. can''t wait to hear what you find out

 

[alottolearn]

Steindiamonds: I appreciate your opinion, but i have to keep in mind that it is my girlfriend''s opinion that matters the most. for over a year now, she has fancied this halo style, actually she''s a little sad that it has exploded in popularity because part of the attraction was that she had never seen one on anyone and the other part is that the classic elegance suits her. i think that is sentimental reason enough to try and get the overall look that she wants

Ms. Salvo: I bet that Mr. Pearlman will be most helpful, however, he apparently doesn''t like email and i am at work all day (not the place to be calling jewelers) so i haven''t quite figured out how i''ll be able to contact him...

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 9/12/2005 5:02:08 PM
Author: alottolearn

Ms. Salvo: I bet that Mr. Pearlman will be most helpful, however, he apparently doesn''t like email and i am at work all day (not the place to be calling jewelers) so i haven''t quite figured out how i''ll be able to contact him...

hmmm, he is usually extremely quick to reply to emails. I know he''s been having a little trouble with his server???
I think they close in a few minutes. he might be catching up on emails once the store is closed. I''m sure he''ll get back to you just as soon as he has a chance..

 

[alottolearn]

We''ll work it out. I see on his site that he takes appointments on saturday so maybe i can set up a phone appointment on a sat.

 

[mepearl53]

Hi, Sorry for the lack of email. I''m very fast. We have a new server and a totally reprogrammed site and we''re working out the bugs. One of the bugs was the email. It should be all worked out so ask or email questions.