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HyperionGap

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 7, 2015
Messages
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Hi, I'm looking to get an engagement ring for my girlfriend and a buddy of mine highly recommended this site for all the invaluable help ya'll gave him.

I'm not exactly set on any specific ring at the moment and am mainly trying to gather information. From talking with my gf she is wants either a princess or round cut diamond and likes the 3 stone settings with a white gold band.

I'm trying to stay around a $10,000 budget and would only go up to $12,000 at the absolute highest.

So I guess my questions are:

about how much should I spend on the diamond vs. the setting?
what type of cut/clarity/etc should I be looking at to get the most bang for my buck?
are there any highly recommended brick and mortar stores in the OC/LA area that I should go check out?
is buying the diamond online and then having it custom set at a local jeweler a reasonable thing to do?
and if so, what online retailers are recommended? I've checked out Blue Nile and James Allen but I honestly can't tell the difference.

Many thanks in advance!
 
Rounds generally look bigger than other shapes but also is priced at more $/ct. That said, you can go down in both colour and clarity in rounds without compromising too much, compared to other shapes. 3 stones can easily eat up the setting budget and if you are all right with doing the 3 stone setting at a future occasion, I would put the bulk of the money into the stone budget. It is easier to upgrade from a plain setting to something fancy, than to upgrade the diamond later.

Do you have a mm size in mind?
In general, G and H are safely white enough to most eyes, with VS2 and some SIs are eye clean to most people.

It is easier to buy well cut rounds by the numbers but you cannot do that with princess cuts unless you stick with AGS0 princess cuts, which is very limiting. Since you are only just starting your journey, I suggest checking out local shops to see where your tolerance for size, colour, clarity, shape and etc are. Hearts on Fire carries ideal cut rounds and is a good place to start; just don't pass out at the sticker shock. The PS folks can steer you to similar options with far scary pricing. Then head down to other shops and compare - you should be able to see the difference in cut quality and other factors. Nothing beats seeing diamonds in person to help you make the right decisions.
 
I would look at trusted vendors and find a 3 stone setting that you like. Then pick a nice G/H eye-clean SI1 stone.

Whiteflash has some nice 3 stone settings...I would go for at least the .50 cwt sides...bigger if it will fit in your budget.

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/three-stone/

How would your GF feel about a 3 stone setting with Round with pears? Rounds with pear sides are one of my* favorites.
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/three-stone/vatche-round-and-pear-3-stone-engagement-ring-2357.htm

Also nice...
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/three-stone/3-stone-butterflies-diamond-engagement-ring-230.htm

The setting with .5 sides looks like it will run about $2500ish in gold leaving $7500 for a center stone.

Center Stones...fits in your $10k budget...you would need to up budget for a G.
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3328836.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3403387.htm
 
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I personally really like the pear shaped side stones, but I'm not sure the gf is really digging it. We're going to a local jewelry store tomorrow so hopefully I can get some better ideas once she's seen some actual rings/stones in person. I'll probably have some more questions afterwards!
 
Fun!! Have a good time and let us know what you find she likes best.
 
 
Welllll, TBH the stone is deeper (62.6%) than most of us would prefer.
 
So what's ideal and how much of a difference will that make?

I put the stats into the HCA tool and it got a 1.4. I thought that was supposed to be pretty great?

https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca
 
Okay, so I'm still learning but here's what I've gleaned in my diamond education thus far. For a tolk ideal cut RB, you would like to see a depth of 60-61.5%. The depth is calculated by adding the crown % + pavilion % + girdle. A girdle of around 2.5% to 3% is ideal, crown % of 14-16% is ideal and a pavilion of 42.5 - 43.5% is ideal. Those numbers give you the ideal depth of 60-61.5%. If you have a thicker girdle like you have (yours is 4%), then the total depth will be larger (i.e. deeper). I have read that a 62.5% depth was okay with a 4% girdle. So yours is 62.6%. I'm not an expert by any means, but I think it will be fine. Additionally, you may find that your stone is a tad smaller spread wise than a 1.5 carat with a shallower depth.

As others have mentioned in previous threads….don't get totally obsessed with the numbers. I think it will be absolutely gorgeous.
 
Ok thanks. So basically from what you're saying it sounds like the girdle is slightly too thick and therefore the diameter of the stone will not be quite as large as a stone with identical measurements and weight but a slimmer girdle.
 
Not exactly. The girdle is thick, but it doesn't mean it's "too" thick. A thicker girdle will have the benefit of less chipping risk, but it's also preference. As far as what a thicker girdle means in terms of spread, a 1.5 carat stone with a girdle of 4% will have a slightly smaller spread than a 1.5 carat stone with say a 2.5% girdle. They both weigh the same, 1.5 carats, but the one with a 4% girdle has more of it's weight at the girdle than the one with a 2.5% girdle and that extra weight means a slightly smaller spread.

But I wouldn't get worked up about the numbers of your diamond. I think it will be beautiful.
 
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