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Help decide on ring for fiancee to be

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JavierDiaz4

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
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Hello everyone, I've read lots of post on this site and I've learned and became refreashed on quite a few things. I have been looking for a nice ring for my girlfriend. After 6 years its long overdue. Well, as everyone else, I have a budget in mind of about 5K. This is only because I have a joint account with my other half and I can't use any of the savings I have with her there, so I would have to use what I have saved up on my own on the side without her noticing.

I'm a big ebay shopper, I know I know, ohh ebay. but I used Toolhaus.org on this vendor and everything comes out good for him and he has good reviews and supplies EGL/GIA certs.

So, this is what I've been looking at, could you give me your two cents on this one, I like the fact that the center stone is 1.3ct, but since its an emerald cut, it might still look small, I wish it was a princess.

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-35CT-EGL-Emerald-Half-Moons-Engagement-Ring-I-VS2_W0QQitemZ290186294709QQihZ019QQcategoryZ92906QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Let me know what you guys thing, thankssssssssssssss.
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Ebay is a no no. Ever for an ering. And an EGL cert is likely to be a bit off. Not to mention that there are no pics of the actual stone...just, no.

And if you wish it were a princess, GET HER ONE. But a princess looks small too compared to other cuts...
 
I don''t know if buying a 7k ring from a place called "Diamonds N Deals" is a good idea...We can help you do a LOT better. What is it that you like about that ring? The 3 stone design, the square cut center stone (though an emerald and not a princess)?
 
You guys are funny.

Hudson Hawk- She is attracted by the center stone accompanied by the side stones accents. No specific size on the accents. After looking at the way other rings sit on her finger, something around 1.5 ct would look best, only because her hands are just a bit wide. Maybe a 1.3 but definately not a 2, 1 because of the budget, lol, and secondly because those look too big on her. She likes the emerald, but to maintain size and quality along with the budget, it's near impossible. So Princess seemed to fit along these lines. She likes the white gold or Platinum. Again, no particular diamonds are needed on the band, just something elegant as a center and side accents with a wide ring, as she has emphasized she does not like thing bands like most Solitaires have.

This is another style I know she would like, this one has a princess

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=290182628325&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=019
 
First of all, I would not recommend buying an engagement ring from ebay.

However, here''s my comments about emerald cuts:
1. You MUST have a real magnified picture of the stone or be able to view it in person as you cannot make a final decision just based on numbers on a certificate.
2. Cut advice:
a. At 71.9%, the stone is cut too deep and so the stone will appear smaller than it should for its carat weight. Aim for depth of around 60% to 68% max.
b. A 64% table isn''t too bad. Anywhere between 60% to 65% is sweet. High 50s are great too. A table too large will give off too much table glare or a glassy appearance.
c. Girdle: What on earth is a Slightly Thick to None polished?!!! I''ve never seen such ratings.
d. Polish/Symmetry: Aim for at least Very Good on both. This tends to be more noticeable on step cuts.
 
Wow Chrono, great advice. I guess I''ll have to start looking else where and read a few more posts from around pricescope on places to buy something nice.
 
I keep an error message
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I *think* that company also goes by the name wonderjewelrs. You'd want to check them out too.
 
Since you're looking for advice and opinions, everyone has some, here are mine.

Your budget is fixed, and you're going to have to make some trade-offs within that budget, just like everyone. Some deals really are "too good to be true," and a 3-stone, 2.5 ct ring is too good to be true on a $5-6k budget. The ebay deal is way beyond suspicious. Step away from the ebay. Does the vendor have great ratings? Well, there are reasons sometimes (extortion - you give me negative FB and I'll do the same to you). Also, who is doing the rating? The clueless guy (sorry) who bought the ring who knew nothing about diamonds?

You will not get a quality 3-stone purchase as a complete ring (unless you're maybe looking at antique rings). This is a long-term, very important purchase - don't wimp out or cheap out on it. Select a diamond, then as nice a home for it as you can manage.

1. Cut is most important. What a woman notices most about her ring is how it sparkles, flashes, and throws off fire (colored light). A well-cut stone is mesmerizing, you can stare at it for hours
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She wants a well-cut stone more than anything. A smaller, well-cut stone will make her much happier than a lifeless, crappy-looking large stone. I will guarantee that the cheap ebay deal is a poorly-cut stone. You can search at the top of the page to do a cut advisor search. If you get certificate information for other stones you're considering, plug them into the cut advisor tool.

2. Everyone likes the biggest ring they can afford. Keeping that in mind, you want to maximize cut first. Size is about diameter (or width/length, depending on the shape). Carat weight does not equal "spread" or size on finger. I know you've said you're looking at square diamonds. Has your gf expressed a definite preference for that style? Is she open to anything else? A 1 ct princess cut generally has about a 5.5 mm spread. A 1/2 ct round cut has about a 5.2 mm spread. You get more visual size for the same carat weight in a round. Ovals can also give the "illusion" of more size for a similar carat weight. Figure out if you can play with the shape, or if you're locked into square. You might be able to set a round stone into a setting that makes it look more squarish, if you think she'd be okay with that. Four prongs that "v" a bit to wrap around the side can make a stone look more square, or a squarish halo. Well-cut rounds sparkle like mad, maybe she'd be more interested if she tried one on. Also note that a princess cut is not the same as a stepped square cut, not at all. If she wants princess cut, that does not mean she'll like anything just because it's square.

3. Clarity may require the personal touch. You don't want to see nasty specks and clouds and junk in your stone. It's ugly, and impacts the sparkliness. Lots of stuff on ebay that purports to be "eye clean" is obviously all gunked up. If you purchase a stone by reputable grading standards, you're safe at VS2 clarity. You can get a better deal if you go to SI1 or SI2 clarity (flaws are visible under a loupe, and might possible be visible to the human eye). The SI grades are where it helps to have someone view the diamond for you before you buy, or a great return policy.

4. Color probably leaves you some room to play. Well-cut stones face up very "white" within the colorless range. Some people are not very sensitive to color, anyway. From a reputable vendor who has put eyeballs on your stone for you, you could probably safely go to I or J without worrying about color.

I don't mean for this to sound nasty, because I totally feel your pain. But it is impossible to get a colorless, flawless, 3-stone ring at 2.5 ct for $5-6k. Just doing a quick search, I can find a 1.2-ish princess, in a simple tiffany-style setting, for about $5k. Maybe a rectangular radiant at that size for a few hundred less.


ETA: For an example of how shape affects spread/diameter, here's a well-cut 1 ct round within your budget, with about 6.4 mm of spread:
http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-441855.htm

Here's a 1 ct "X-factor" with about 5.6 mm of spread:
http://www.whiteflash.com/xfactor/X-Factor-cut-diamond-373350.htm

And a 1 ct princess at 5.4 mm:
http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-43128.htm

You could probably go lower in clarity with input from the folks at Whiteflash, too.
 
Date: 11/27/2007 2:38:33 PM
Author: Chrono
First of all, I would not recommend buying an engagement ring from ebay.

However, here''s my comments about emerald cuts:
1. You MUST have a real magnified picture of the stone or be able to view it in person as you cannot make a final decision just based on numbers on a certificate.
2. Cut advice:
a. At 71.9%, the stone is cut too deep and so the stone will appear smaller than it should for its carat weight. Aim for depth of around 60% to 68% max.
b. A 64% table isn''t too bad. Anywhere between 60% to 65% is sweet. High 50s are great too. A table too large will give off too much table glare or a glassy appearance.
c. Girdle: What on earth is a Slightly Thick to None polished?!!! I''ve never seen such ratings.
d. Polish/Symmetry: Aim for at least Very Good on both. This tends to be more noticeable on step cuts.
Click to expand...
I agree; especially about polish/symmetry. You will notice problems if symmetry is not at least very good; particularly on any square or rectangle shape, and it will be most apparent on step cuts.
 
Wow milton333, how much do I owe you for all of those great tips. I will take a look at those that you showed me at Whiteflash and a few others that I saw at James Allen I beleive it was. I guess I''ll be back asking on more advise on what I select for her. And as you pointed out, she likes the princess only because she finds it to sparkle more, and she does like sparkle. So if you say a round will sparkle more, then round it is. I think she really just wants something of really good quality that will stand the test of time so she can look at it over and over and over and over again on her hand. I guess I''ll see you around and I''ll be checking out those links.
 
You might also consider Blue Nile. There won''t be anyone who can look at the stone for you, but you can pull information from the lab certification to plug into the cut advisor here (go to "tools," above). BN has a 30-day return policy, which is very generous, so you can take a good look at your stone, maybe get it appraised (you can get a stone loose or in one of their settings). You won''t have the personal touch of dealing with a more hands-on vendor, or the neat tools like the idealscope (which measures light return), but there is a huge selection available, and good prices. At the least, BN can give you an idea of what are reasonable prices for your desired shape and cut. BN has an advanced search option (do a basic search, then advanced search), so you can input additional criteria (like polish and symmetry). To get a broader selection, you can search for cuts down to "very good," then run the cert information through the cut advisor here. I''ve found a couple of diamonds on the net that were only GIA "very good" cut, but performed well on the cut advisor.

Actually, Blue Nile has a diamond buying guide that might be helpful. There''s plenty of information here, but that might be a place to start to begin getting familiar with the terminology.

As far as 3-stone rings, you can find some settings with smallish side stones, and also diamond settings with, say, channel set diamonds or pave. A simple setting is lovely for a beautiful diamond, though, and you can always think about upgrading the setting for the wedding or for an anniversary, later. I understand the theory of trying to get a "complete package" ring, but you''ll get more bang for your buck if you focus on the stone and get the best one you can.
 
Awesome diamond and an equally awesome setting.
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OW good choice beautiful. Someone is going to be very happy to receive that. I am guessing your did purchase it, it says sold! Well good luck and congrads!
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Thanks Chronooooooooo. I went above my budget, but what the heck. It''s only once in a lifetime, or twice, or three, LOL>
 
Thanks, I guess with all of your help from everyone and all of the other posts I was able to make this purchase come true. I dont think I would have been able to do this purchase this well without you guys. So is the diamond nice?
 
Date: 11/28/2007 12:14:03 PM
Author: JavierDiaz4
Thanks, I guess with all of your help from everyone and all of the other posts I was able to make this purchase come true. I dont think I would have been able to do this purchase this well without you guys. So is the diamond nice?
Click to expand...
It is a superb diamond! And one of my fave settings, good job!
 
Thanks Lorelei, the color J scared me a bit, but Lesley assured me that the cut is perfect, thus it looks snow white.
 
Thanks to you guys this is what I managed to get from Whiteflash. Lesley helped me out with getting the best center stone for my budget. This is just a sample of what it should look like. I could only manage to get a 1.231 ct J VS2 A Cut Above H&A with the setting with my budget, but I think it will look nice. I''ll post pics once it comes in in two weeks.

ChampagneB.jpg
 
That is beautiful, I think that your fiancee to be will be very pleased!
 
That is beautiful!
 
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