Guidance for engagement ring choice

[jacks0n]

I am on the journey of learning everything there is to know about diamonds and engagement rings! I plan to propose to my GF on NYE this year .

We have had some initial hints/talks about basic criteria of the ring. She pointed out that she likes plain solitaire setting e.g. the Tiffany setting/style.

-> She is very petite, size 3.5-4 finger. Small length fingers too.
-> Nurse (& plans to wear every day - not sure if this will change - if the ring gets in the way she may want to take it off, leave it at home and wear a plain band- not sure...)
-> Her friend-circle seem to get less than 1.5 ct rings, but with high specs (e.g. D, flawless, etc)
-> Right now I plan for 1.75-2 ct single large stone, but lower specs to her friends (e.g. something like VS2, I, Ideal, Round, ~US$14k)

Questions:
1. If I go this larger size, is it going to look like a monster on her finger (e.g. too big/too prominent, protrude too much and cause her issues if she wears it day-to-day as a nurse)?
1b. Is +0.3ish carat even that much 'larger' anyway - or would it be unnoticeable to the standard eye from a 1m distance.
2. Is there such a thing as a low profile solitaire setting?
3. Will these lower specs detract away from her ring/stone compared to her friends (they won't be holding them up side by side I imagine and no body carries around a microscope with them!).
4. Should I be looking at a stone other than Round, or a band other than Solitaire?
5. Should I go a 6 prong so the stone is more secure?
6. Am I on the wrong track with anything so far in my thoughts/journey?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Welcome! It's midnight here, but I'll give your questions a quick shot!

1. If I go this larger size, is it going to look like a monster on her finger (e.g. too big/too prominent, protrude too much and cause her issues if she wears it day-to-day as a nurse)?
No, but I'd aim maybe around 1.7 cts and go higher than I color if her friends are wearing D. We can help you if we know your budget.
1b. Is +0.3ish carat even that much 'larger' anyway - or would it be unnoticeable to the standard eye from a 1m distance. Yes, it will be noticeable.
2. Is there such a thing as a low profile solitaire setting? Yes
3. Will these lower specs detract away from her ring/stone compared to her friends (they won't be holding them up side by side I imagine and no body carries around a microscope with them!).
I think G-H color should be your target for color, and VS2 is fine (I like VS1 as well).
4. Should I be looking at a stone other than Round, or a band other than Solitaire? I'd go with an ideal cut round unless she has given you hints that she prefers some other shape. And a solitaire is traditional and safe unless again, you have been told otherwise. It sounds like she has said she likes Tiffany style solitaires, and we know if great ones.
5. Should I go a 6 prong so the stone is more secure? I prefer 6 prongs, personally, but I have had 4 before, too.
6. Am I on the wrong track with anything so far in my thoughts/journey? Nope! You're doing fine so far. Can you tell us your budget for the stone? That's the place to start!

 

[HDer]

I agree with everything diamondseeker says except that I think I color is also fine. Honestly, 1 or 2 color grades are very very hard to tell apart in normal lighting. Either way, if they put them side by side there will probably a difference with D regardless if it's G or I, but in my opinion buying a D stone is excessive.

0.3 carats makes a difference for sure, but the main dimension you should look at is the width. Deeper stones will look smaller (obviously) than wider stones.

I would also take a look at a halo. They make the ring look a good deal larger, and can be really good looking as well.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

My reasoning on color is that the lower end of near colorless range is going to be apparent if her friends have D-E color. G-H shows less tint and is much less risky.

 

[jacks0n]

Thanks for the replies Budget is about max. USD$15k I think.

Ideally I want the carat to be a special number of significance - (1.8 as it is a special number to us...which I know will limit the choice available significantly (however I do have some time on my side I think)...

1.88ct is a big stretch on the budget unless I skimp on other things (cut quality / color etc as we are starting to discuss...etc) which may not be worth the trade-off. So I suspect I either have to stretch the budget or possibly go a smaller carat size maybe.

I do want the stone color to look good and not have a noticable tint. No one is going to hold it up comparing to other rings but still I want to get the best criteria I can with the funds available and trying to meet all the various objectives! Difficult isn't it!

 

[HDer]

That's very doable if you're willing to look outside the bigger James Allen/Blue Nile channels.

https://www.pricescope.com/diamonds...=&sort=price-asc&page=1&pageview=24&adv=false

USA Certed Diamonds isn't responding to inquiries right now for some reason, but you can most likely get their prices matched by someone like Yuketiel at IDJ.

 

[flyingpig]

1. If I go this larger size, is it going to look like a monster on her finger (e.g. too big/too prominent, protrude too much and cause her issues if she wears it day-to-day as a nurse)?

Ask her what her plan is and what her workplace policy is. Many don't allow anything but a plain wedding band.

My wife leaves hers at home.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Thanks for the replies Budget is about max. USD$15k I think.

Ideally I want the carat to be a special number of significance - (1.8 as it is a special number to us...which I know will limit the choice available significantly (however I do have some time on my side I think)...

Here's a lucky # 1.68 ct .... Beautifully cut stone, but don't know if it is "eye clean".. You need to contact Wink and ask him to eye it for you.
http://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD9016

 

[tyty333]

Some JA stones...
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...e-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2402766 has strong blue flour so would need to have
that checked
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3240460 I would request an idealscope on this one

If you want to get to 1.8 at JA you'll have to drop down to "I"...if her friends are wearing Ds I would probably stick to H on up
but here are a couple
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...rat-i-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-2154027
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...rat-i-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-3187060

 

[rockysalamander]

1. If I go this larger size, is it going to look like a monster on her finger (e.g. too big/too prominent, protrude too much and cause her issues if she wears it day-to-day as a nurse)?
Ask her what her plan is and what her workplace policy is. Many don't allow anything but a plain wedding band.
My wife leaves hers at home.

Agree. Many hospitals don't allow erings or anything with stones. Doctor's offices are more of a mixed bag.

If she is planning to wear daily, I'd inquire with her about a bezel or semi-bezel with an open gallery to avoid shredding her gloves (nitrile shred more easily than latex, but you can't use latex anymore), catching on patient hair/clothing, scratching patients, and hurting herself when she had to go into a cold lab and the darn thing spins. She will also tend to wash and use hand sanitizer a lot. So, cleaning access will be helpful and another reason why a halo may be less ideal. For a bezel, you'll need to stick with very well-cut stones, as recommended by the above experienced PSers.

I would also strongly avoid prong-set halos (unless bezel set) if she plans to wear at work for the same reasons listed for prongs. If your budget allows, I'd stick with platinum or palladium to avoid the issue of metal reactivity and staining (iodine stains gold). Again, all based on her wearing it to work.

Bezel stone

Full Bezel of Halo and Stone

 

[Austina]

As has already been mentioned, it might be wise to checkout the workplace criteria on jewellery.

I used to work in a dental surgery, and because of the constant changing of gloves, I didn't wear any jewellery, and only plain wedding bands were allowed because of the potential to trap germs.

If she's not allowed to wear jewellery, then your choice of setting is limitless.

 

[farrahlyn]

Definitely lock down what she can wear at work first. I remember more than one post discussing this very issue. There were several mentions of a necklace that is specifically made to put the e-ring on, like these: http://www.emilyc.com/shop/ or etsy has some less expensive options. So if you find out she can't wear a ring, you could always give her a necklace like this when you propose so she can have it on her instead of having to leave it at home when shes at work.

Also, thought this might be helpful, here is what a 1.6ct and 1.8ct stone will look like on a size 4 finger:

 

[rockysalamander]

Here are some stones to get you started that are within your brief. I'd stick with H or above for not super-ideal, but I don't mind I color in super-ideal, so I posted a killer I color at the bottom of the list that does get you to 1.7. Just remember you will be seeing the diamond at about 20x normal size. Not an exhaustive list, but hoping you can give us direction if you want help.

Brief: G-H, 1.7, $14k, VS2 (which I'm going to take as "eye-clean"}

With VS2 and H color, you get in the mid to high 1.5s.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...rat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-3267933
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...rat-h-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-2871992
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...rat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-3257559
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3839984.htm {1.5 VS2 ACA}

SI1, H color, but need vendor's gemologist to confirm eye-clean
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...rat-h-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-2519456 {inclusion at 4'oclock on girdle should be coverable with a prong; I think stone is photographed poorly but not my favorite)
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3565128.htm {1.694 H SI2 ACA}

Dropping to I color
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3878760.htm {1.72 I VS2}

 

[whitewave]

I love this one rockysalamander posted: https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3839984.htm

Also check good old gold, high performance diamonds, brian gavin (I love the blue line)