Found a setting at Shane Co, worth it?

[thisisathrowaway]

Hey everyone,

I know Shane Co gets a lot of flak, and I agree with it as far as the actual diamonds go. However, I went browsing over the weekend and happened to be near a Shane Co, so I stopped in to look at their settings. I found one that I think is absolutely perfect for the girl of my dreams, but I'm hesitant to actually buy from them.

I've been looking around at a TON of online places as well as B&M near me, but can't find anything that captures the same feeling I get as the Shane Co setting. The setting in question is:
http://www.shaneco.com/detail/round-diamond-vintage-engagement-ring-in-14k-white-gold/41075221

Basically, my question is: are Shane Co settings bad quality? If so, any suggestions on where to look for something similar? If not, would it be worth buying the setting (and matching wedding band, which I also adore), then buying the stone at a local place that would also set it?

Thanks in advance, browsing these forums has helped me a LOT (and is one of the biggest reasons I didn't end up buying when I saw the ring)!

Edit:
The ring is also very cheap, which isn't necessarily what I need. I'm looking to spend around $5,000 total and my girlfriend is very small and wears very, very little jewelry as it is. Because of this, I was going to get her around a 0.75 carat, H+ color, VS2 or better stone, which I've found locally for a decent price (though not as good as online - but I need someone to set it...). So, the $475 price tag does not need to stay that low, I can go up to around $2,000 and still stay in budget pretty easily. If there was a perfect ring above $2,000, I'm sure I would at least consider it!

 

[WillyDiamond]

Welcome to the forum:

1. Search on posts on the forum about Shane & Co, and if you still want to buy, its up to you.
2. You said you found an H, VS stone, who graded it?
3. Call Leslie at BGD and ask her if she can duplicate or have something close to that setting.
Best of luck

 

[Snowdrop13]

Does it have to be that particular ring? How about something like this:

https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/vintage/14k-white-gold-antique-bezel-and-pave-set-engagement-ring-item-17425

Or this:

https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/side-stones/14k-white-gold-round-and-marquise-shape-diamond-engagement-ring-item-49489

Or this:

https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/side-stones/14k-white-gold-twisted-vine-engagement-ring-item-53307
(Maybe they could add a bit of milgrain?)

They have 25% off for Valentine's Day too, bonus!

You could buy a nice stone there and not have to worry about who sets it, maybe something like this:

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.86-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2314784

 

[Queenie60]

https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/14k-white-gold-pave-vine-diamond-engagement-ring-item-50118

I agree with Snowdrop - I would not purchase from Shane CO. James Allen is your best bet for the setting and the stone. Good luck!

 

[Bedot]

Shane may not be ideal for buying the center stone, but it is a successful jeweler.

Outside of the fact that you would potentially be setting a diamond from another vendor to a Shane ring which I'm not find of because of the added hassle, if it is the perfect ring, then go for it.

Once you see something perfect, its kind of difficult to unsee that.

Good luck to you.

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

 

[thisisathrowaway]

Thanks for the responses!

The local diamond is GIA certified and all that, I'm not too worried (it's a bit higher than online, but I really like being able to see and inspect it myself before it gets here).

While the linked rings are nice, the one from Shane Co just has an appeal that these don't. I'd much, much rather buy one of these, but they just aren't what I'm looking for. I'm going to keep looking as much as possible and will talk to a few places about a custom ring, but I'm not terribly optimistic (we're going on a trip in 2.5 weeks which is when I was planning on proposing).

 

[Queenie60]

Maybe you can purchase a plain, temporary solitaire and allow her to choose the permanent setting? Good luck.

 

[WillyDiamond]

Why don't you post the GIA certificate number and the experts on PS can give you an opinion on how the diamond will perform.

 

[Luce]

My son purchased a diamond online and had it set at shane co with no problem. His wife has been wearing it for 6 years now and the setting still looks beautiful. I have to add that the sales person was blown away with the quality of the 'online' diamond.

 

[Snowdrop13]

Thanks for the responses!

The local diamond is GIA certified and all that, I'm not too worried (it's a bit higher than online, but I really like being able to see and inspect it myself before it gets here).

While the linked rings are nice, the one from Shane Co just has an appeal that these don't. I'd much, much rather buy one of these, but they just aren't what I'm looking for. I'm going to keep looking as much as possible and will talk to a few places about a custom ring, but I'm not terribly optimistic (we're going on a trip in 2.5 weeks which is when I was planning on proposing).

Whatever you decide to do, please don't rush- 2.5 weeks is a pretty short timescale to make a ring and this will hopefully be something she will wear for the rest of her life! You are also spending a big chunk of cash- it's definitely worth getting the best value for money. Does SHE like the setting you are looking at? Could you propose without a ring then let her have some input?

Also, any of the online retailers will let you buy, inspect then return a stone if you don't like it and several of them have video or pictures of their diamonds available.

 

[farrahlyn]

It is BEAUTIFUL but i would hesitate for several reasons. I haven't found something exact but found a few settings that have a similar feel.

And i agree, please don't rush! Buying online from a reputable vendor is perfectly safe and you can always use the return period if the stone is not to your liking. At the very least, let some of the experienced members here help you find a nice stone from the local place you're looking at. Though with your time frame, if you do decide to go with a different setting, i'd suggest ID Jewelry, they can help with the setting and stone and from what i've seen here, are quick with excellent CS, providing pictures and videos.

Now, for settings:

http://www.brilliantearth.com/Petite-Ivy-Scroll-Diamond-Ring-White-Gold-BE1D6125-2250804/ VERY close but no miligrain
http://www.maevona.com/ring-detail.html?rid=2884 No miligrain but it still has that flowy feel.
http://www.brilliantearth.com/Luxe-Willow-Diamond-Ring-(1/3-ct.-tw.)-White-Gold-BE156B-1152601/

I'm just throwing these in for good measure as they have a similar feel:

http://idjewelry.com/jeff-cooper-engagement-ring-rp-1613-rd6-5.html
http://idjewelry.com/jeff-cooper-engagement-ring-rp-1609-rd6-5.html
http://www.beverleyk.com/floral-engagement-rings/r769-a-d-d-cz.html
http://www.beverleyk.com/vintage/r1092-a-d-d-aq.html
http://www.beverleyk.com/vintage/r10536.html

 

[AdaBeta27]

Except for Hearts On Fire and the one jeweler who is an AGS member and caries AGS 000 diamonds, I have NEVER seen any diamond locally that can hold a candle to the Good Old Gold Signature H&A RB and the Brian Gavin recut diamond that I own. I've worn mine around to compare, and in a side by side comp, the superideals win. (Wink of High Performance diamonds said his customers always gravitated to the best cuts, too.) I own several diamonds ranging from .8ct up to 1.8 or 1.9ct, and all but 2 of them are estate diamonds (older modren RB, European Cut, and Old European Cut) that I bought on ebay and in pawn shops and dealers who buy old jewelry from private individuals. If you get a Whiteflash ACA or a GOG signature or a Brian Gavin Blue or Black or whatever, you are assured of getting the BEST performers out there. AGS 000 wraps that up, too, because AGS 000 is a tighter spec than GIA 3x.

If I were you, I would buy the Shane setting outright if that's possible, then buy as much diamond and as big as I could afford online from a PS vendor, then ship the mounting to the diamond seller to be set. That way, the seller's liability covers the diamond while it's being set.

We have the PS cheat sheet for rounds, and this thread gives a pretty good summary of what to tweak to get something that has your look. Personally, table not more than 56-56% and fatter arrows 77% or less and bolder flashes instead of splintery ones do it for me.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/preferred-specs-cheat-sheet-for-rounds.88548/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/preferred-specs-cheat-sheet-for-rounds.88548/[/URL]

Sorry if this goes over ground you already covered. I'm not on here much and don't have time to comb through older threads.

 

[AdaBeta27]

PS: I recommend a 6 prong head instead of a 4. That's a peg head in there, and it can be changed to anything else for either security or styling. 6 prongs are more secure. With at 4 prongs, particularly a stamped head, it's easy to bend one prong and have the diamond skitter out. That's a lot less likely with a 6 prong. I have bent those 4 prong heads and had stones pop out. I'd never use one of those for a diamond.

4 prongs make a diamond look more square. 6 prongs more round. If you want 4 prongs, there are alternates that are more sturdy and secure. Here, it cost me $100 to have a head changed in a ring and a diamond or gemstone set in it. Just another point to consider.

 

[thisisathrowaway]

A few suggestions for getting a solitaire and having her pick it out - she and I have talked in passing about it and she wants me to pick it out. Otherwise, that would be a great option!

As for posting the GIA certificate, I can do that tomorrow, I have the number at home! I'd still rather just buy everything online - the local option is more just in case I can't find something that works online.

I've been considering some of the links here and have grown to like this one:
https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/side-stones/18k-white-gold-round-and-marquise-shape-diamond-engagement-ring-item-49745

It's actually sitting in my cart along with this diamond:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.84-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2436687

I'm giving myself a few more days of thinking about the setting before committing. It is an absolutely gorgeous ring and has grown on me a lot since I first saw it (someone linked it here actually, thanks!).

@farrahlyn, thanks for the links! I, too, love the first one on Brilliant Earth, but have heard some mixed reviews around here about them?

@AdaBeta27, thanks for the cheat sheet. The diamond I have picked out right now doesn't totally fit into the categories there, maybe I should keep looking?

I'm definitely not trying to rush this, I've actually been looking for a few months. But when I found that setting, I just fell in love and want to make sure I don't make a mistake by going with a Shane Co setting. I looked into it, and they will actually set a diamond I buy online, I'll just have to insure it separately in case anything goes wrong, but that seems to be common?

 

[girlguineapig]

When I was shopping I fell in love with a special setting at Jared. I thought I was able to find the same setting on one of the stock setting websites (Adwar or something) so I ordered that one instead, but it was really quite different (much wider band and not tapered and not as flowy), and unreturnable. So please be careful. In retrospect I would have just gotten the Jared setting, although in the end I ended up switching to a simple solitaire that I'm very pleased with.

 

[AdaBeta27]

The HCA gives that diamond a score of .8 and Ex Ex Ex VG. So it's under 2, which you want, and the VG is standard because few stones are spready enough to be both well-cut and get an HCA excellent for spread. Personally, I like to see a steeper crown angle and more like 15% crown height, and smaller table, for fire. The stone you linked is closer to a "60:60 make, and although a 58% table isn't extremely large, it plus the lower crown will give you a clear bright center and the fire is probably going to be out toward the rim of the diamond and maybe seen more when the diamond is tilted. The arrows are fat, which I prefer. They give broader flashes of either fire or brilliance (white light.) The table is a facet, and the larger the table, the larger the "table glare" off of it, which is another reason that many on PS prefer a table 56% or less.

It's a GIA graded stone, and the results you see on the report are rounded. I don't have the knowledge to comment on the amount of rounding and how it might affect HCA score. But on the chart the HCA draws, it appears to be close to AGS 000. So it's probably not a bad performer, and then we're back to gauging personal preferences and nuances that affect the character of a diamond.

Medium or strong blue fluorescence will help the diamond face up whiter whenever UV light is present. I don't think it helps the profile view much. And if there is no UV light present, of course the fluor won't do anything.

re. the low and shallower crown:
There are old threads on here where PS discussed FIC (fiery ideal cut), BIC (brilliant ideal cut), and TIC (Tolkowsky ideal cut.) Your pick is TIC.

The FIC has very small table, more crown height, and steep crown angle, and may face up smaller. The BIC is most likely a shallower stone, might be spready, is bright, has a large table, and favors brilliance (white light) at the expense of dispersion (fire.) The TIC is proportioned for a balance between the two. The Pricescope "cheat sheet" range is an even smaller subset of TIC that is the most likely to provide good brilliance and plenty of fire, under the greatest variety of lighting conditions. It's more "cookbook" to buy "buy the paper" because these diamonds are pretty well standardized. But there are nuances between them that are caused by variables like the table size, and the minor facets.

That's not a definitive answer yes or no, but you can look some more and compare prices on this vs. others that might be the typical PS stones (lol) and see how prices compare. One of the great things about online shopping is how much information you can get. That cheat sheet started with Todd Gray of niceice, who used to be a PS vendor. http://niceice.com/diamond-buying-secrets/15-seconds-diamond-buying-success/

 

[Polished]

I'm glad that setting has caught your eye. My observations are that the head seems better integrated with the band on the James Allen ring compared to the Shane and Co one. I also think the band looks interesting and flattering on the hand from the pictures provided. Good luck with your choice, exciting times!

 

[Elepig]

I looked into it, and they will actually set a diamond I buy online, I'll just have to insure it separately in case anything goes wrong, but that seems to be common?

I bought my setting at Shaneco and they set my ACA from Whiteflash, at no extra cost. The entire ring is insured through the same place that insures our house/car. ShaneCo will give you an appraisal for both for your insurance co.. They will, of course, only cover cleaning/repairs for the setting.

If that setting really speaks to you, get it. While their diamonds aren't as good as the various on-line vendors you find highlighted on this site, their settings aren't junk.

 

[Sagefemme]

I like the James Allen setting better than the Shane, it looks more integrated, while the Shane is just too busy. Have you considered what type of wedding band? Maybe see what JA has that would go with that setting. Always good to think ahead since for the rest of her life she will be wearing both. The sales associates are usually pretty good at pointing out what would go with the engagement ring.