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Help choosing an $8000 engagement ring

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arthureld

Rough_Rock
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Jul 7, 2008
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Hello, I''m new here and I need help finding an engagement ring.
I plan to spend about $8000.
So far, I have decided I want a round traditional diamond set in yellow gold. And I want the diamond to be low set.
I just want one diamond and beauty is most important.
I am currently living near Antwerp Belgium and have visited a couple stores, but they didn''t want to spend much time with me because I made it clear I was shopping and not ready to buy that day.
 
Do you have any preferences as to the 4 c''s? If you can give us ranges of color, clarity and carat size we could help you find a gorgeous diamond that fits your budget. You can also use the diamond finder at the top of the page as a good place to start. That''s most likely what any PSer will do, so give it a try and you can run any diamonds you find through us for confirmation. Good luck with the search!
 
Date: 7/7/2008 1:09:27 PM
Author:arthureld
Hello, I'm new here and I need help finding an engagement ring.
I plan to spend about $8000.
So far, I have decided I want a round traditional diamond set in yellow gold. And I want the diamond to be low set.
I just want one diamond and beauty is most important.
I am currently living near Antwerp Belgium and have visited a couple stores, but they didn't want to spend much time with me because I made it clear I was shopping and not ready to buy that day.
Click to expand...
Welcome!

I would definitely suggest contacting Paul Slegers of www.craftedbyinfinity.com , he has beautifully cut diamonds and he would take excellent care of you - he is in the Antwerp area.

It is cut which gives a diamond it's beauty, and Paul's stones are cut to the highest standards.
 
Thank you Dockman3 and Lorelei.
I am not set on any of the 4 c's because I really don't know for sure what is important.
But so far, my searches have been in this area -
color - H
clearity - VS1 to VVS2
carat size - 1 to 1.2
cut - excellent or ideal
round hearts and arrows

I am flexible because I don't know much about diamonds.
I want the diamond set low so if a different cut would be better for this, I am open to suggestion.

Thanks for the tip about Paul Slegers Lorelei. That is a start.

I was planning to shop at Diamondland just because they are big and have a reputation.
I feel that I am so ignorant about this that if I go to a small place, I might buy a worthless piece of glass.
 
Arthreld-

As long as you swing by here with specs before you make your final purchase, you won''t buy a worthless piece of glass. If you truly don''t know what you want in terms of color or clarity, then I suggest you go to a local jewelery store and look at some diamonds in person. I know you said you weren''t given much time there, so maybe lie and say you''re going to make a purchase. Either way, you need to get a feel for colors and clarity. As for color, personally, I like to stay at G or better, but many, many people here like other colors, closer to H,I or even J and K. It really is a personal preference. As for clarity, VVS clarity is viewed by many people to be unnecessary, because you will never see an inclusion in a VS stone and shouldn''t see one in a good SI stone. I personally bought a SI2 and it is totally eye clean to my specifications. That will save you a lot on price as well.

Here are a few suggestions I found for you:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4447/
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4541/
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-584873.htm

As for the setting, a simple solitaire that sits low should not be hard to find and will not be that expensive. One option you may consider is a yellow gold shank with platinum prongs. This will be slightly more expensive, but with any of the diamonds I showed you, you should still come in under budget. Good luck and keep us posted!
 
Date: 7/7/2008 2:06:02 PM
Author: arthureld
Thank you Dockman3 and Lorelei.
I am not set on any of the 4 c's because I really don't know for sure what is important.
But so far, my searches have been in this area -
color - H
clearity - VS1 to VVS2
carat size - 1 to 1.2
cut - excellent or ideal
round hearts and arrows

I am flexible because I don't know much about diamonds.
I want the diamond set low so if a different cut would be better for this, I am open to suggestion.

Thanks for the tip about Paul Slegers Lorelei. That is a start.

I was planning to shop at Diamondland just because they are big and have a reputation.
I feel that I am so ignorant about this that if I go to a small place, I might buy a worthless piece of glass.
Click to expand...
You are most welcome Arthur!

I really recommend you contact Paul if you can. Not only is he a true expert and cutter, he is also a gentleman and I am sure you would be very pleased you did get in touch with him. I have heard of DiamondLand, but I don't know how much info you get there, with Paul he sells top notch diamonds that are superbly cut, I would definitely prefer to deal with him. Also you could probably see some diamonds with Paul so you can really see what you like best.

Your requirements are fine, as you know it is cut which gives a diamond it's beauty. H colour or better is a nice middleground, maybe you could broaden your clarity if you are open to it, to VS2 and even an eyeclean SI1 if the right diamond presented itself.

If you decided to go to DiamondLand in the end, bear in mind because a diamond may show an arrow pattern or be touted as a hearts and arrows cut, it may not be a true example of this cutting style, so consider the source to make sure you end up with what you want.

Also having the diamond set low shouldn't be a problem, just make your preferences known when it comes time for setting.
 
Thanks again for the great suggestions. I will go back to Antwerp this weekend.
 
I went to Antwerp again today. I was going to try Diamond House because it is the only place in Antwerp on that site that Lorelei posted.
The place was closed which seemed kind of strange since Saturday is a busy day in the diamond area.
Can anyone suggest a way of getting ahold of Paul Slegers? From the website, I see he is a manager of all of those stores and I get the feeling he doesn''t work in sales.

I did some searching on the web and a lot of people don''t recommend buying diamonds in Antwerp.

I see all of the recommended sites here are in the US. In fact many of them are in NY. Good old Gold is on Long Island near my home.
I am starting to think that I''d be better off buying from one of the places recommended here.

More advise will be greatly appreciated.
 
Oh boy, I just checked the link for Lorelei and see there is an actual Infinity diamonds location. I was clicking the dealers link.
 
I spoke with Paul Slegers today and he set me up with Rob at Diamond House.
Looks like I will be able to go in soon and speak with someone that I feel more confident with.
I am hoping I will be able to get enough info together so I can share my possible choices.

This seems like a hassle compared to just buying one in the US, but I am here and my girlfriend will be here in early September and I plan to give her the ring then.
So, I''m hoping to make this work. I enjoy the heck out of going to Antwerp anyway. Antwerp is a beautiful city.

Here are a couple in my price range -

=116&src=loupe:2o8h065d]http://www.craftedbyinfinity.com/index.php?pid=63&lang=eng&sid[]=116&src=loupe
=218&src=loupe:2o8h065d]http://www.craftedbyinfinity.com/index.php?pid=63&lang=eng&sid[]=218&src=loupe
 
Hello.
35.gif


Of the two stones you just posted, I like the first one best.
3.gif
 
Date: 7/14/2008 1:37:36 PM
Author: arthureld
I spoke with Paul Slegers today and he set me up with Rob at Diamond House.
Looks like I will be able to go in soon and speak with someone that I feel more confident with.
I am hoping I will be able to get enough info together so I can share my possible choices.

This seems like a hassle compared to just buying one in the US, but I am here and my girlfriend will be here in early September and I plan to give her the ring then.
So, I''m hoping to make this work. I enjoy the heck out of going to Antwerp anyway. Antwerp is a beautiful city.

Here are a couple in my price range -

=116&src=loupe:2o8h065d]http://www.craftedbyinfinity.com/index.php?pid=63&lang=eng&sid[]=116&src=loupe
=218&src=loupe:2o8h065d]http://www.craftedbyinfinity.com/index.php?pid=63&lang=eng&sid[]=218&src=loupe
Click to expand...
Hi Arthur!

I am so glad you were able to get in touch with Paul! You could pick either of those diamonds and be delighted, they are both beautiful and superbly cut!
 
Thanks ladies. Most likely I will see something I really like when I get to Diamond House. And hopefully I will be able to post the info.
But from what I gather, if I like a diamond with similar specs and the AGS grading and similar price, I should be ok.

What do you think of the inscription? Seems like a good idea to me.

Maybe I can buy a ring for you girliegirl
29.gif
lol ur avitar is kinda cute.

I will definatly be back with more questions after I meet the Infinity diamond dealer. By the way, Paul said I am welcome to call him back anytime if I have technical questions. He is a very nice guy but he doesn''t do public sales.

I am so happy to have found a reputable place to deal with. I wondered all over the diamond district and there are soo many places to choose from.
I would have been lost without this site. Thanks again
 
Date: 7/14/2008 3:23:13 PM
Author: arthureld
Thanks ladies. Most likely I will see something I really like when I get to Diamond House. And hopefully I will be able to post the info.
But from what I gather, if I like a diamond with similar specs and the AGS grading and similar price, I should be ok.

What do you think of the inscription? Seems like a good idea to me.

Maybe I can buy a ring for you girliegirl
29.gif
lol ur avitar is kinda cute.

I will definatly be back with more questions after I meet the Infinity diamond dealer. By the way, Paul said I am welcome to call him back anytime if I have technical questions. He is a very nice guy but he doesn''t do public sales.

I am so happy to have found a reputable place to deal with. I wondered all over the diamond district and there are soo many places to choose from.
I would have been lost without this site. Thanks again
Click to expand...
It sounds as if you know what to look for now, so I don''t think you will go wrong!
 
I have the Vatche X prong in yellow gold (it''s a trellis style), and it sits quite low. This was confirmed recently when I tried on an heirloom ring with regular prongs. The diamonds were much smaller in that ring and yet sat much higher.

Good luck!
 
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