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Help for beginner looking for halo style engagement ring

H

hooty

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 16, 2015
Messages
28
Hello PriceScopers,

First off, let me say that I've been browsing the site for a week or two now and I've found much of the information very helpful. I'm really happy that there is a forum for people like me who are seeking advice and information without the pressure of a biased salesman in ones face. Thus, I've finally made an account in hopes of bouncing ideas off of people far more knowledgeable than I. Please forgive me if this post duplicates anything recent or if I've overlooked some answers to my questions elsewhere within the forum.

I'm searching for an engagement ring for my GF and have decided to go for a halo setting with a cushion cut center diamond. My GF prefers yellow gold over platinum and white gold so I am looking for something in 14k yellow. I would very much like an antique/art deco style setting and I have a budget of around $5,500 - $6,000 total. I can push it just a tad higher if there is something I cannot pass up, but that is pretty much my sweet spot. I am hoping to get a center stone in the 1+ carat range, but I'm more interested in a diamond with good proportions than one that can claim to be 1 carat on paper but doesn't face up as well. Something completely eye clean is obviously important to me as well; I am willing to do SI, but if budget allows for it I would prefer VS2 and above. I guess my question is this - how important should color grade be in my decisions? I personally do not mind a little bit of warmth, and I don't think my GF does either, especially since we are going for a more vintage look. With the yellow gold setting, would it make more sense to look for something in the J/I/H range and maximize size/cut/clarity? A woman I have been working with has been great at helping with settings and stone examples, but she has recommended going no lower than G and instead sacrificing on clarity and size. I've relayed to her that I don't mind looking slightly lower in color but she has stood firm on her recommendation. If I am looking for a more vintage look, and I don't necessarily care about having an icy white, colorless diamond, should I really still be concerned with staying at G and above? Obviously, searching in the I/J range gives me a much vaster set of options in regards to diamond selection.

Here are a few links to examples of settings that I have my eye on. I am hoping to keep the setting cost in the $2,500 range so that I can put the rest towards the diamond. I love the old mine brilliant look and the August Vintage collection from GOG, but I'm not sure what my budget allows for with that.

http://www.debebians.com/cushion-halo-engagement-ring-with-engraved-pave-band.html
http://www.debebians.com/haenriwi1rod4.html
https://leonmege.com/index.php/portfolio/custom-work/halo/heidy-halo-pave-engagement-platinum-ring-millgrain-pave-detail

Any thoughts/advice, especially in regards to color grade would be greatly appreciated!
 
I don't like the look of YG in halo settings. Too much contrast between the setting and the stones IMO. The halo design is supposed to bolster the size of the center stone and give a bigger appearance. Again that's me personal preference for halo designs.

I did look at some yellow and rose gold settings and it did seem that an I or J colored stone was more influenced by these settings and appeared more yellow. So a G color might be more resistant to that and appear whiter and have more contrast with the setting. If you don''t mind the color shift and don't care that much for a white stone contrasting with yellow gold setting then a lower color is probably fine. Otherwise I'd probably stick with the jeweler's color rec. But a lot of factors come into play so you don't really know what the outcome is until you have the final product in hand.
 
You could also do the halo in platinum, so it blends better with the stones, and then the shank in YG! That's what I was going to do originally, because I enjoy YG :)
 
It doesn't matter what we like, it matters what she likes.

With that said though, I loveeeee a yellow gold halo. Particularly n the style you're looking at. Let me come back with some ideas for you. I have a few
 
Niel|1429219556|3863161 said:
Here is a k. I personally think a k would be fine. Also, colors in that range are very common for old cuts, so sense you're going for antique... It should fit perfectly.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.00-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-sku-363617
Click to expand...
I'd do that stone with a vatche grace


http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/grace-diamond-engagement-ring-by-vatche-256.htm

Here's an example in yellow gold. Its sans millgraining but typically it comes milligrained. Its stunning.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/vatche-grace-in-yellow-gold.203731/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/vatche-grace-in-yellow-gold.203731/[/URL]

I think Whiteflash will set your stone for a fee. Worth asking. That would still probably keep you under budget or at least at budget.
 
There are a couple of beautiful vintage-style halo rings in this thread: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/re-mount-setting-idea-thoughts.209254/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/re-mount-setting-idea-thoughts.209254/[/URL]

The first one is 18k white gold and the second one is rose gold. Since the halo is off round, I imagine it would not be difficult to modify it for a cushion cut center.



In regards to color, you may find the following threads helpful.

There are comparison photos and videos of various diamond colors and undertones (I through U/V).
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/august-vintage-round-oec-n-color-nervous.174356/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/august-vintage-round-oec-n-color-nervous.174356/[/URL]


See videos of a M-color AVC unset vs set in a halo (although it is platinum, not yellow gold).
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/hd-video-my-loose-good-old-gold-august-vintage-cushion.168411/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/hd-video-my-loose-good-old-gold-august-vintage-cushion.168411/[/URL] (unset under various lighting conditions)
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gog-avc-in-victor-canera-emilya-halo.175419/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gog-avc-in-victor-canera-emilya-halo.175419/[/URL] (set - There are two videos.)

This is in contrast to a F-color AVC also in a Victor Canera halo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvI5PokU5aQ

Btw, Victor Canera currently does not work with GOG antique-style cuts (AVR, AVC, AVC Star) because he has a competing line of newly-cut antique-style diamonds.
 
Solgen: thanks very much for your thoughts. I'll admit that when I began searching for a setting in earnest a week or two ago I had platinum or white gold on my mind. When my gf indicated that she was more into yellow gold I was pretty surprised and not exactly thrilled with the idea. Though as some time has passed, I've come to grow pretty fond of the yellow gold halo look. I'm a fan of fashion from the 1920s and I'm hoping that I can have a ring created in the same sort of Art Deco image.

Emmebee: that's s great idea that I have actually been considering. I think as of now I'm leaning all yellow gold, but will definitely update if I decide to go two tone.
 
Skhii: thanks for taking the time to find all those links. I must say the lower colors really look fantastic in the August vintage and help give me a lot of confidence that I don't necessarily need to be in the near colorless grades as long as I get a well cut diamond.

Niel: I love your thoughts and really appreciate you taking the time as well. I will have to give that James Allen stone some very serious consideration. I'm definitely a novice on the topic, but is that a slightly massive table for an OMB cut? I was under the impression that smaller tables were more typical. Is there an easy way to search for OMB or antique cushions online? Most places I have searched don't offer an easy option to filter out the modern cushion brilliants (though I'm not necessarily opposed to one.) As for the setting you linked - it is almost perfect. However, I think I would prefer a bit more ornate decorating under the halo (not quite sure as to proper terminology for this) as opposed to just the peekaboo diamond. I believe that one of the settings I linked in my first post from DeBebians has a good example of what I'm referring to. I fear that his work may be beyond what my budget allows, but I'm going to try reaching out to Leon Mege in the coming days and I'll also try to get in touch with GOG to see what they have. Anyways, here are a few other diamonds that I've had an eye on. Any thoughts? If my comment re: the setting makes any sense, any ideas on other yellow gold options?
Thanks everyone so much!

https://leonmege.com/index.php?option=com_rsform&formId=5
http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/13059.html
http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/1-09ct-m-si2-august-vintage-cushion-diamond.html
http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/1ct-k-vvs1-premium-vintage-cushion-diamond.html
 
Leon is going to take your whole budget just to make you a setting like that.

And no,its not a massive table.

I also would not buy anyone an M unless they were certain they wanted one.

That k for good old gold has potential. I would think your best bet would be to pair that with a Beverly k halo. If not Beverly k, then a Gabriel and co sells a halo similar to your second link.

Both of those are brands good old gold can get for you.
 
Niel,

Thanks again for your thoughts and the links. In regards to the Leon Mege idea, I had assumed that would likely be the case. I just wanted to touch base to see if there was anything he could do for me before moving on, although I'm unsure if he is even willing to work with yellow gold because I don't think I've seen anything. I sent in a request for info through his site yesterday and he responded pretty quickly with a polite and thoughtful email noting that he'd like to chat. Although I didn't relay my exact budget in my initial request, I did highlight that I am on a bit of a budget due to impending tuition costs. It is certainly a possibility that there is a wide gap between his definition of budget and mine, however. As for the August Vintage Cushions from GOG in M color - I certainly understand the hesitancy on your behalf, and I am not even sure I want to go in that direction. However, looking at some of the videos that skhii posted above, the M looks absolutely fantastic. Granted, the M's that I linked above do show a much more yellow tint in the pictures than in the video and these are SI2 as compared to SI1. Perhaps I would really have to see the diamonds in person to be able to make a more informed decision. As you can obviously tell, I really am a beginner. I'll reach out to James Allen to see what they say about the K that you posted; should I just ask if they do discounts for PS'ers or should I specifically cite you as a referrer?

Thanks again.
 
I have had a k and an m colored diamond. My engagement ring is a k.
The difference is really the difference between wanting a white diamond or not. As much as videos are lovely, they do not give you a real sense of the color like seeing them does. And remember an all yellow setting will make the stone look more yellow as well.

Plus, good old gold will charge you to return (last I checked. )

Honestly your budget is nice, but I think your priority should balance the setting AND the stone. Not spend all your money on the setting and not get a great stone.

You'll hopefully be married for a long time ;). You can always upgrade the setting later
 
Definitely consider not putting the M-color AVC in yellow gold. Set that way it's going to start looking like a faintly light yellow diamond.

The M-color set in an icy white platinum halo will work, like in the videos linked above.
 
Ok thanks for that, that is kind of what I was thinking too. So no lower than K it's sounding like. I really like the avc. I wonder if I'm better off trying to find something in the .85-.9 range or if my money is better spent on a bigger old mine cut with a nice halo.
 
For diamonds at around or below a ct I dont think the branded avrs are worth the money, personally. I know some others who have viewed them in person feel the same.
If you can find a lovely antique cushion with a similar pattern thats naturally antique, you can most likely get a larger without paying the premium for the branded cut.

I think the appeal of an antique cushion is in the nice broad flashes, and the bigger the stone the nicer those flashes look. And for that reason I think if were talking stones that size your money might have more of an impact going a non branded route
 
hooty|1429282584|3863512 said:
Perhaps I would really have to see the diamonds in person to be able to make a more informed decision. As you can obviously tell, I really am a beginner.
Click to expand...

This will really be to your benefit.

K-colored cushions are definitely too tinted for some people, but if it turns out this is not true in your case, you will really be able to bump up in size.

Just be sure the stones are GIA or AGS certed, and take a look at some colors both higher and lower than where you think you might land.

Best of luck!
 
Thanks, everyone for the sound advice. I have requested the ASET image of the K color OMB from JA that Niel posted above and I hope you don't mind if I come back once I receive that for some thoughts. Also hope it's ok if I find a few more stones and come back for advice on them. Is there a good way to search for OMB online? I've found that most places let you sort by cushion but then don't offer the option to filter further than that.
 
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