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Help finding a solitaire ring for upcoming anniversary!

happilymarried

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2016
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69
I am looking for a ring as an anniversary present for this summer for my wife! I would love to have some help! Sorry if this is lengthy but I think hearing the whole story will help. My wife currently has a Kay's LEO 3 stone ring which she really loves. I want to find a round solitaire, at least 1 ct. in a tiffany type setting as I have always wanted to buy her this type of ring. Would love to buy around 1.5 ct. if I can. I will probably spend around 10,000-11,000 max on stone and setting.

I have gone to tiffany and have looked at I color stones. They had 2 rings right around 1 ct. VS1,cut symmetry and polish all excellent. I liked them, and I didn't see any color to the stones. I thought they were very beaufitul rings that would blow my wife away. Only problem was the price tags were about 14,500 for 1.01 ct. ring. WOW!

Since looking at Tiffany, I am pretty sure I will now buy at whiteflash as I have already been in contact with a lady who is very helpful. I would like to find an ACA or Expert Selection. I am looking at I or J color stones. Probably around SI1 clarity.

My wife's current ring is the Kay 3 stone LEO ring. The center diamond is a .46 E color Round, SI2 stone. Polish & Symmetry are good/good. RATED BY GSI

My questions:

1. Does anyone have any idea what her GSI rating would equal out compared to AGS? I've read that the GSI report really is not accurate with other gradings like tiffany or whiteflash AGS. I want the new stone to at least be comparible to the center stone she has now.

2. Do you think an ACA I or J color will look well when worn together. (on different hands) She always wears the ring she has now, so it's not possible to take it along and compare anywhere. The rings at tiffany looked great, but they have some fancy lighting going on there too, so it's hard to know anything considering that.

Thanks so much for any help. It's hard to shop without her knowing!
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
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27,204
Re: Help finding an stone for a solitaire ring for anniversa

Hi...

1.) Normally we say that non-AGS/GIA stones are usually around 2 color shades off. So your E would be more like G/H BUT
having said that it's just an estimate. Each stone really needs to be evaluated on an individual basis.

2) I personally would have no problems wearing 2 different colored stones on different hands. ACAs are so well cut they face
up very bright for their color. You wont be disappointed with an ACA!
 

ringo865

Ideal_Rock
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Feb 14, 2014
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Do you know the color of the side stones in her three-stone ring? What metal are you thinking of for the setting? WF has that vatche u-113 for 1900 in platinum or other knife edge solitaires for under 1k

If you want size, you can, as you've found, drop in color and max out on size. But if you're concerned, I found these on WF under 10k wire h or higher vs2-si1 expert selection and ACA stones.

Play with your search and post here for opinions on stones.

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AdaBeta27

Brilliant_Rock
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1,077
This is just my opinion, but I think J might be too tinted if she prefers something in the colorless/near colorless range. The I range is where most people can start to see a bit of creamy tint in the diamond, especially from the side. Of course, there are people who love warmer diamonds in the J/K range, too, but it's kind of a gamble. eta: Especially if you go with a J, you might want to consider white gold instead of platinum for less contrast between the diamond and the metal.

1.5ct is an extremely popular size upgrade for anniversaries. 1.5ct is also a price jump per carat. Because of those two things, the competition is fierce and also you have to watch for cutters making compromises in cut to retain the weight. The diameter of a well-cut modern 1.5ct is about 7.3mm. If you can stay under the 1.5ct mark and get a stone with about a 7.2mm diameter, it will still have the "big" look but not be as expensive and possibly not as hard to find. That might also allow you to go up in color to H or G, especially if you can locate a great eyeclean SI2 (that might be hard to do, though, considering the Valentines Day rush.)
 

PintoBean

Ideal_Rock
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AdaBeta27

Brilliant_Rock
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This old thread shows some hand shots of rings with diamonds in the 1.3 - 1.65 ct range, roughly.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/stone-sizes-on-5-5-finger.116556/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/stone-sizes-on-5-5-finger.116556/[/URL]
I think that a higher color "whiter" diamond does appear larger. It may not be larger but the extra brightness of D-G kind of fools my eyes a bit. I have diamonds ranging from F down to L/M. I have a small J diamond and I put it in yellow gold because I thought it looked better in yellow metal than white or rose. I tried it loose in empty mountings in order to decide what metal to use. One thing to consider especially when you get down into the J/L range and lower is that some of those warmer diamonds also have a bit of "other" body tint going on, like green, brown, gray, pink, and that warmer diamonds are a bit chameleon in different types of lighting or in different settings. I considered 2 gorgeous J diamonds from Good Old Gold's signature H&A line a few years ago and I decided that the larger the diamond, the higher up in color I needed to go to get one that looked white enough. If I had a preference for warmer diamonds, I'd give you a different answer. :lol: I am pale white in winter and my F and H diamonds look super. If I get a dark tan in the summer, the F looks shockingly white and I wear my J and my M much more.

I'm just tossing out points to ponder. People differ in what they like and what they'll compromise on to get size and stay within budget.
 

happilymarried

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2016
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ringo865|1454973866|3988554 said:
Do you know the color of the side stones in her three-stone ring? What metal are you thinking of for the setting? WF has that vatche u-113 for 1900 in platinum or other knife edge solitaires for under 1k

Thanks for all the replies from everyone, I appreciate it. I have been looking at that same Vache U113, or the knife edge in platinum.

The idea that a better color stone might look just as big didn't occur to me. That is something to consider. Also the fact that 1.5ct is a popular size is something to keep in mind. Maybe I should stay away from J and look for H or I to get the most for my money but still look very white. There is definitely a lot to think about!
 

happilymarried

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2016
Messages
69
How do you think a G stone 1.25 ct. would compare to a 1.4 I stone if everything else was the same, ACA stones? Would it be hard to tell apart?
 

happilymarried

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2016
Messages
69
Thanks, that is a good post I haven't seen. Would love to hear from anyone else too!
 
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