Have to make quick decision is $1400 too much for this ring?

[miagracie]

No pictures, sorry. Is $1,400 for a vintage (20's 30's) ring a good price- center: european .60, VS1, color g, two sidestones bring total ct to .70, 14k. It's really very lovely and clean looking under the loupe. Should I get this one or pay $1946 for a 1 ct solitaire I1/I2 I/J?

Could I do better than this for such a ring?

 

[Lula]

Re: Have to make quick decision is $1400 too much for this r

A couple questions:

1. Who graded the I1/I2 J diamond? Which lab? Or is this an ebay seller or retail store grade? Because most I1/I2 stones will have eye visible inclusions and thus not be good engagement ring stones.
2. Have you seen the vintage ring in person? ETA: Sounds like you have seen the ring in person. Who is providing the information on the size, color and clarity of the diamonds in this ring? The store?
3. Is the vintage ring in good shape? Will it need to be sized to fit you/your fiancee -- sorry, I'm not sure if you are a man or a woman.
4. Does the person who will wear the ring like vintage jewelry?

 

[miagracie]

Re: Have to make quick decision is $1400 too much for this r

The vintage ring is from a very reputable local vintage shop. BUT, they admit they are not gemologists. To my untrained eye, but having looked at quite a few under the loupe in my ring search comparing the quality-I agree with VS1 as the average grade (I think it might even be VVVS 2) worst case VS2. It is VERY, clean and lovely. Under the loupe, the I1/I2 (looked at it in store) looked nasty by comparison with tons of spots.

I never thought I was picky before but man, after really seeing the difference under the loupe and sparkle wise, I see why everyone advised me away from lesser stones.

The european cut is lovely and with the setting it almost looks a little like a cushion cut.

I think I was debating size vs clarity -in this case sacrifice a LOT of clarity for 1 ct center vs .60 center.

Here's one similar in the style but lower in the quality.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Deco-Diamond-14k-Gold-Engagement-Ring-Vintage-/150667345761?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2314793f61

I think I'm going to go with the vintage one. Also the patina matches my grandma's old white gold band I'd wear with it (they look great together). But...part of me kind of wants the larger stone of the 1ct., but the cut & side stones do make the .60 ct (.70 ct total) vintage one look about like a .75.

So ladies & gents, which would you chose the vintage .60 ct center (.70 total) (lower ct, MUCH higher quality) or new 1 ct (lower quality)?

 

[Circe]

Re: Have to make quick decision is $1400 too much for this r

I'm a big fan of, a) vintage pieces, and, b) the kinds of settings you posted, fishtail settings, so I'd definitely go with the vintage piece between these two options! But, I'd also ask ... is there a time limit for you to make your choice? It sounds like you don't have a lot of information on the vintage piece: does the dealer have a good return policy if it doesn't appraise according to its specs? If not, I think I'd recommend shopping around a little bit more to be absolutely sure your funds are going towards the best possible choice ....

 

[ame]

Re: Have to make quick decision is $1400 too much for this r

No pictures, sorry. Is $1,400 for a vintage (20's 30's) ring a good price- center: european .60, VS1, color g, two sidestones bring total ct to .70, 14k. It's really very lovely and clean looking under the loupe. Should I get this one or pay $1946 for a 1 ct solitaire I1/I2 I/J?

Could I do better than this for such a ring?

I answered you elsewhere on the net. But I would never settle for an I1/I2 Clarity stone.

I assume your budget only allows about $2k for a ring? We can probably help you find a nice stone and put that into a simple clean setting in gold for that.

 

[miagracie]

Re: Have to make quick decision is $1400 too much for this r

A fellow MUA devotee! After looking at the loose diamond posted above (similar to the one I was looking at) (which seems to be the lowest price I could find so far from a reputable seller on or off ebay) and whiteflash settings & a site called itshot.com (which I don't know how reputable they are, but the settings are priced cheaper than whiteflash) for a similar european cut. If i set the above diamond ...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/64-CT-LOOSE-OLD-EUROPEAN-CUT-DIAMOND-J-SI2-NICE-MAKE-/110749615031?pt=Loose_Diamonds&hash=item19c93103b7

it looks like with whiteflash plain tiffany it would be (without labor) $1,200. A similar sidestoned one from the other site (mind you, not european and lesser quality) set with the same diamond (without labor) $1059. And neither one of those settings are quite as nice as the one the ring I'm looking at the store is in. So that makes me feel better about $1400 especially with the sidestones (though only .10 total) and setting being nicer. Plus the labor costs, etc...

I think for me I'm still kind of fighting the size vs quality idea. Looking in the loupe at such a nice diamond compared to others really was literally and figuratively an "eye opening" experience for me.

I went ahead and bought (can return) the $1400 vintage one because I didn't want it to get away, hubby will pick it up after work and I'll hopefully post some pictures tonight or tomorrow.

However...If I can do better, I MIGHT return it.

Yes, $2000 for 1ct center is kind of my ideal price and center weight...Is there a way to do that?

But...the european cuts being rare, and with the quality being so fine-I don't know if I'd find one that nice again.

Thoughts...

 

[Rhea]

Re: Have to make quick decision is $1400 too much for this r

If you feel up to ebay, there's always a chance at a larger stone, but seeing something with your own eyes is worth way more than a thousand photos. Or just keep scouting around your local shops. What's your time frame?

For stones it's not just the carat size, but also the mm size. My 0.75 approx OEC faces up like a 0.65 because it's cut very deep. I don't have a problem with this, but if you're going for size it's something you may want to consider.

 

[miagracie]

Re: Have to make quick decision is $1400 too much for this r

The time frame is open, I just didn't want this one to pass me by (the vintage one), because I can't imagine it not selling very fast. But, if I did a return I'd have to do it quickly so add in the mail/order time, etc...The only thing I don't like about the shop I'm buying it from is the return policy is pretty limited.

But, I bought it with a credit card to have protection and a written value/insurance statement from them (they aren't gemologists, though, but deal in gold/diamonds regularly, the elderly gentleman has been doing this 30+ years at a sucessfuly, respected local business). I plan to take it to another jeweler to get a verification. If something is way off (which I don't think it will be) or if I want a return and it's off just enough-I'll have my cc to back me.

Agreed on the mm, my slightly less than 0.05 original solitaire from my yellow gold set (first upgrade 16 yrs ago) is about 0.40 but looks wide like a 0.50 min.

Don't have the mm on the vintage set, but the setting does make it look bigger, at least to me.

One thing about a unique or vintage setting, it doesn't look as "fakey" as a larger solitaire can sometimes look, or at least to me. Plus I think there is more protection of the stone with the vintage setting, or at least this one.

 

[LGK]

Re: Have to make quick decision is $1400 too much for this r

Take it to an independent appraiser, not another jeweler. One who is familiar with antique diamonds preferably. Check out the links at the top of the page here, there's one tool that allows you to search for appraisers in your area.

Frankly if it really is a G color, it's fairly rare. Antique diamonds in the colorless range are quite hard to find- either they were recut into modern shapes, or they just didn't exist. For that reason particularly I think you did pretty good, if the specs are near what they're stated to be, especially if you like the existing setting.

I think it's a nice size, and I love that style of setting. Sounds lovely!

 

[miagracie]

Re: Have to make quick decision is $1400 too much for this r

Thanks for all your help. I ended up with this:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/did-i-get-a-good-deal-on-this-vintage-ring.166310/?uid=51490']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/did-i-get-a-good-deal-on-this-vintage-ring.166310/?uid=51490[/URL]