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abbercadaver

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 16, 2008
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My fiance and I are looking for ''the perfect'' engagement ring for me. We''ve been to Kay Jewelers, Zales, etc., you know the mall stores. We weren''t terribly impressed with anything we saw until we got to Kay. And even then it''s just a band with a setting that I liked. Next we went to Lee Michael''s (a pretty upscale place that''s only in Louisiana, Mississippi, and one other state, I forget which). At Lee Michael''s I found a WONDERFUL little ring. It''s got a 90 pt stone in the center and little pave diamonds around the side. The only thing is that it''s close to $6000.

He was planning on spending $4000-$6000 on the ring, so that''s at the TOP end of our price range. Can someone tell me if this is a good price for this ring, or can you help me find a better price for another ring or loose diamond?

I''m really interested in radiant cuts. :)

Thanks guys, I''ve been lurking around here for a while now, and I''ve finally decided to take the jump and post a thread!
 
Date: 4/16/2008 10:03:44 AM
Author:abbercadaver
My fiance and I are looking for 'the perfect' engagement ring for me. We've been to Kay Jewelers, Zales, etc., you know the mall stores. We weren't terribly impressed with anything we saw until we got to Kay. And even then it's just a band with a setting that I liked. Next we went to Lee Michael's (a pretty upscale place that's only in Louisiana, Mississippi, and one other state, I forget which). At Lee Michael's I found a WONDERFUL little ring. It's got a 90 pt stone in the center and little pave diamonds around the side. The only thing is that it's close to $6000.

He was planning on spending $4000-$6000 on the ring, so that's at the TOP end of our price range. Can someone tell me if this is a good price for this ring, or can you help me find a better price for another ring or loose diamond?

I'm really interested in radiant cuts. :)

Thanks guys, I've been lurking around here for a while now, and I've finally decided to take the jump and post a thread!
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Welcome abbercadaver!

Are you in the medical field out of interest? I am just curious as to the latter part of your username! But back to diamonds, we would need more info to be able to help you with price.

If you could get the...

grading report type for the radiant, i.e. GIA, EGL, IGI etc, as that can have an influence on the price.

The colour and clarity of the diamond, we know it is .90 carats.

Also any idea of the proportions of the diamond, such as depth, table and crown height if you can get it. Cut is the most important factor for a diamond's beauty, you can't tell much by numbers with radiants, but it gives you a point of reference.
 
Aha! I have found a way to get it! I live an hour and a half to two hours away from where the ring is, so it's a bit difficult to go see them about it, but I found a new invention! The telephone! lol.

So, it's K in color, VS1 in clarity, and she said it would be no less than a good or very good cut (they didn't have the actual certificate in that store, they keep them all at one location for the 8 stores). It's GIA certified.

I've seen the stone in person, and there are no hints of yellow in the stone that are visible I guess because of the clarity, it's absolutely gorgeous!

And yes, I'm going to Medical school!

That just seemed like somewhat of a ridiculous price for just a 90 pt diamond. Oh, and apparently they are "sidestones" not "pave" ones. My mistake!
 
K colored RADIANT (radiants retain color)? And no WORSE than ''good'' cut???

Not sounding like a good deal. What''s the metal on the setting, can you find a pic of it on their site? Or something similar someplace else?
 
http://www.whiteflash.com/radiant/Radiant-cut-diamond-908348.htm Here's an ONE CARAT H VS1 graded by GIA (not going to comment on the cut of it, I don't know much about radiants. I DO know that it is at LEAST a GOOD cut diamond, though) $3280 (with PS discount would be less).

Here are two pave settings both around 1000 in 18K white gold:

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Diamond-Settings/Double-Pave-Engagement-Ring_1201.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Diamond-Settings/The--Legato--with-Micro-Pave_1071.htm

So you are looking at 4500 for a larger, whiter diamond in a very nice setting.

Just off the top of my head. I wouldn't pay more than 2500 for that diamond(do you know the lab?). The setting, even if it's platinum (if it looks anything like those posted) I wouldn't pay more than 2K for, unless it's a designer like Ritani.
 
Date: 4/16/2008 2:13:45 PM
Author: abbercadaver
Aha! I have found a way to get it! I live an hour and a half to two hours away from where the ring is, so it's a bit difficult to go see them about it, but I found a new invention! The telephone! lol.

So, it's K in color, VS1 in clarity, and she said it would be no less than a good or very good cut (they didn't have the actual certificate in that store, they keep them all at one location for the 8 stores). It's GIA certified.

I've seen the stone in person, and there are no hints of yellow in the stone that are visible I guess because of the clarity, it's absolutely gorgeous!

And yes, I'm going to Medical school!

That just seemed like somewhat of a ridiculous price for just a 90 pt diamond. Oh, and apparently they are 'sidestones' not 'pave' ones. My mistake!
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Clarity has nothing to do with color. NOTHING. A K in a radiant WILL show color. That's the begining and end of it. If you didnt't see any then either a) you really aren't color sensitive, which is not a problem b) you didn't see it in 'real' light, just jewelry store light, c) you didn't see it next to diamond with higher color in good light and d) all or a combination of the above.
 
Thanks for the responses, guys!

I really appreciate them--keep ''em coming!

Anyway, I''ve been doing some research as far as diamonds go on GoG and Bluenile. All the ones I''ve found have a better color, most of them have better clarity, and the ct weight has been significantly larger. And they''re between 3 and 5 grand. The jewelry store said they could sell me the setting for 1500 (with the little pave sidestones in it already). And if I want the wedding band, its $500.

So a $3-5000 would be doable as long as I knew I was getting good quality.
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I can have their jeweler set my stone in their setting IF the new diamond will fit into the head. She said that a 1-1.25 would probably work (but they won''t know until they sit down and figure it out). And if it doesn''t fit, then they''ll have to reorder the ring, which costs about $500 more than the price of the original ring.
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And can someone tell me what the PS discount is? I can imagine that it''s a discount given if you''re a member of pricescope.com, but which stores, and how much is it?

Meg
 
Have a look at the many settings the online vendors have. Chances are the vendor you get the diamond from can source the same or similar setting for less, and they''ll set your stone.
 
Date: 4/16/2008 7:15:30 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Have a look at the many settings the online vendors have. Chances are the vendor you get the diamond from can source the same or similar setting for less, and they''ll set your stone.
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BIG Ditto.

The discount is vendor and sometimes stone specific. Your best bet is to contact the vendor.

For a radiant, I would call up either ERD or GOG and ask them to get you the NICEST BRIGHTEST FIRIEST diamonds in for pics and evaluation that they can for your budget. And then post them on here.

Radiants trap color so I would try to stay above at "I" or above, since the K looked good to you.
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Was your radiant a retangular one or a more square one?

Can you ask them for the measurements on it so we can figure out the length to width ratio? It would help to assist you to find a similar looking, but better, stone.
 
Date: 4/16/2008 6:51:11 PM
Author: abbercadaver
Thanks for the responses, guys!


I really appreciate them--keep 'em coming!


Anyway, I've been doing some research as far as diamonds go on GoG and Bluenile. All the ones I've found have a better color, most of them have better clarity, and the ct weight has been significantly larger. And they're between 3 and 5 grand. The jewelry store said they could sell me the setting for 1500 (with the little pave sidestones in it already). And if I want the wedding band, its $500.


So a $3-5000 would be doable as long as I knew I was getting good quality.
1.gif



I can have their jeweler set my stone in their setting IF the new diamond will fit into the head. She said that a 1-1.25 would probably work (but they won't know until they sit down and figure it out). And if it doesn't fit, then they'll have to reorder the ring, which costs about $500 more than the price of the original ring.
8.gif



And can someone tell me what the PS discount is? I can imagine that it's a discount given if you're a member of pricescope.com, but which stores, and how much is it?


Meg
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This rings warning bells with me, I am afraid to say. If you give the exact specs and dimensions of the stone, a good jeweller would be able to determine whether the stone would fit into their setting before you have paid for it. This just sounds like an attempt to get another $500 from you. There are posts here from members that have provided dimensions to jewellers and they can tell BEFORE the setting was purchased whether or not it would fit.

I am sure that you would be able to have a similar setting made where you purchase the stone if you want to consider that option? $1500 sounds like a decent setting budget, I am confident that we all could come up with some suggestions for settings that look similar, you could even get a quote to go custom.


I would also suggest that if you have to decide between Bluenile and GOG, go GOG, they have an upgrade policy and I have heard that some customers havn't been happy with what their determine eyeclean, just something to think about
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Honey and Abber:

It is always best to check a vendor''s definition of eyeclean... or to tell them YOUR definition and make sure they are on the same page. Plus it''s very important to understand what clarity IS, how it''s graded (table up and ONLY table up... not from the side), and what your ''mind clean'' zone is.

If people have been unhappy, frankly, it''s normally because they haven''t done their homework, haven''t checked a vendor''s description of ''eyeclean'' (WF for example has the definiton right on their website and some folks just don''t read it), gone themselves to jewelers to see the differences in clarity and see how their eyes see clarity (two without the need for glasses could look at the same stone and see different things in it, for one it might be clean, for another it might not), and don''t understand HOW clarity is graded, what the different types of inclusions are, how the inclusions affect performance and durability.

So just like anything else related to diamonds, you HAVE to do your homework and understand what you are asking and looking for, what you are comfortable with, and what a vendor offers you.

Color, for example is graded table down culet up, so upside down. And different people have different tolerances for color, and different cuts will show color differently.

I suggest that all our new members and diamond hunters start with the tutorials at the top of the page and educate themselves as much as possible before making a large purchase.

GOG also has a very good tutorial. You can find it here: http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/.
 
Also regarding what size stone your setting takes. A good jeweler WILL be able to tell you what size stone a setting takes, and NOT just in carat weight (which with fancies is useless frankly, and a radiant is a fancy) but in DIMENSIONS. That is key. If they don''t as Honey pointed out... I would be afraid they are trying to take you for a ride.
 
I am not going to comment on the cut of the radiant you may have looked at, since I was strongly slapped a couple of days ago about my lack of knowledge, but I''m pretty sure a K colored one will show some color. I would personally stay G colored or higher for radiants, but that''s just me. I bought my 1 carat F colored radiant plus a platinum setting with sidestones for $5000 3 years ago, so I don''t think you should have to pay much more than that. I know platinum has gone up in price but you should still be able to find something within your budget online. In a jewelry store maybe not. Good luck in your search.
 
Date: 4/16/2008 9:31:11 PM
Author: Gypsy
Honey and Abber:

It is always best to check a vendor''s definition of eyeclean... or to tell them YOUR definition and make sure they are on the same page. Plus it''s very important to understand what clarity IS, how it''s graded (table up and ONLY table up... not from the side), and what your ''mind clean'' zone is.

If people have been unhappy, frankly, it''s normally because they haven''t done their homework, haven''t checked a vendor''s description of ''eyeclean'' (WF for example has the definiton right on their website and some folks just don''t read it), gone themselves to jewelers to see the differences in clarity and see how their eyes see clarity (two without the need for glasses could look at the same stone and see different things in it, for one it might be clean, for another it might not), and don''t understand HOW clarity is graded, what the different types of inclusions are, how the inclusions affect performance and durability.

So just like anything else related to diamonds, you HAVE to do your homework and understand what you are asking and looking for, what you are comfortable with, and what a vendor offers you.

Color, for example is graded table down culet up, so upside down. And different people have different tolerances for color, and different cuts will show color differently.

I suggest that all our new members and diamond hunters start with the tutorials at the top of the page and educate themselves as much as possible before making a large purchase.

GOG also has a very good tutorial. You can find it here: http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/.
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I totally agree, but I am sure I had come accross a thread or two where the customer was unhappy after receiving the stone. In their opinion, it wasn''t eyeclean to the level that Bluenile had suggested. I am not saying this is true, just commenting on what I had seen elsewhere.

I am totally neurotic and I set my minimum at VS2, just to make sure there wasn''t any probs with my vs their definition of eyeclean.
 
Abber, what I would suggest, unless you totally love this ring and feel it is money well spent, is to have a look at some of the PS vendors to see what they might have for radiants among their in house diamonds. Or they may be able to find you a lovely one if you tell them your desired specs and budget. The PS discount can vary according to which vendor it seems, but I think you can get it if you pay by bank wire.

Also radiants are well known to show colour as Coda and Gypsy point out, that is the reason why so many fancy colours are cut into radiant shapes - i.e JLo's ex e-ring, the pink radiant from Ben!
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You guys are SUPER helpful! I''m glad I decided to finally post about this!

I am completely in love with the setting that they have. In fact, there are only two settings that I have found thus far that are acceptable, IMO. One''s from Kays (but I''ve read such horror stories about both the diamonds and the quality of the metals in the settings, that I will most certainly NOT go with that one), and the other is the one I''m talking about on here. I will post a picture of it as soon as I can, they''re sending me a photo of it since I live so far away from them
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I''m really picky
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, and I''ve looked all over the place for a setting that I like; maybe you guys can help me find a similar one once you see the photo.

The diamond IN the ring is actually a princess cut, but they said a radiant would be doable. So that''s what I''m looking for (if I can find an acceptable one) if I do get another stone. However, if it''s going to be close to impossible to get a radiant to fit into it, then I''m not averse to a princess. They just don''t seem to sparkle like radiants do. However, I''ve not seen a radiant in person yet, so I don''t know how well I can see the color that they retain (most of the stores that I''ve been to don''t have radiants in stock).

Also, the dimensions of the stone are close to a lw ratio of 1.00. It''s a 5mm x 5.1mm, so it''s almost square. I don''t know if it''s just the actual square shape that I need to match, or if it''s the measurements. The reason why they don''t know if it''ll fit is because I don''t actually have the diamond measurements of the one that I want, yet!
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Once I find the diamond that I want, I''m sure they could tell me whether it would match up or not; I just haven''t given them any measurements.

Thank you again, I feel much more learned about all of this so far!
 
Okay. SO 5 x 5 for a one carat Radiant tells me that the stone is very deep. You can normally get something from 5.5 to 6.0 square for a square radiant. So, what I am saying is that the stone is facing up small, and that you are paying for carat weight you can''t see except from the side.. and who wants that!

Now that I know you want a square radiant though, I have two suggestions.

One GOG gets AMAZING square radiants in. Just beautiful.

And Whiteflash has a cut of stone called the X-Factor. It''s an top cut quality princess-- without corners.

So I highly suggest looking into these two vendors. I''ll see if I find anything likely for you, by doing a quick search.
 
Date: 4/17/2008 12:21:05 PM
Author: Gypsy
Okay. SO 5 x 5 for a one carat Radiant tells me that the stone is very deep. You can normally get something from 5.5 to 6.0 square for a square radiant. So, what I am saying is that the stone is facing up small, and that you are paying for carat weight you can't see except from the side.. and who wants that!

Now that I know you want a square radiant though, I have two suggestions.

One GOG gets AMAZING square radiants in. Just beautiful.

And Whiteflash has a cut of stone called the X-Factor. It's an top cut quality princess-- without corners.

So I highly suggest looking into these two vendors. I'll see if I find anything likely for you, by doing a quick search.
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Yep, I posted one above, as I had the same thoughts, that as Abber likes Radiants, the X Factor may be a nice alternative!
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Date: 4/17/2008 12:24:49 PM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 4/17/2008 12:21:05 PM
Author: Gypsy
Okay. SO 5 x 5 for a one carat Radiant tells me that the stone is very deep. You can normally get something from 5.5 to 6.0 square for a square radiant. So, what I am saying is that the stone is facing up small, and that you are paying for carat weight you can''t see except from the side.. and who wants that!

Now that I know you want a square radiant though, I have two suggestions.

One GOG gets AMAZING square radiants in. Just beautiful.

And Whiteflash has a cut of stone called the X-Factor. It''s an top cut quality princess-- without corners.

So I highly suggest looking into these two vendors. I''ll see if I find anything likely for you, by doing a quick search.
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Yep, I posted one above, as I had the same thoughts, that as Abber likes Radiants, the X Factor may be a nice alternative!
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Ahh.. I missed that. My bad.
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http://www.whiteflash.com/xfactor/X-Factor-cut-diamond-373349.htm This one is nice. Only problem I have with it is the girdle, so you need to call and ask about that. But the price is nice, it''s got good spread, and it''s got Ex/Ex polish and symmetry. As long as the V thin spot(s) on the girdle aren''t a threat, and its eyeclean.
 
I hope this shows up, this is the ring mounting that I've fallen in love with.
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Anyone seen anything like it?

Meg

Oh, and this was the mounting from Kay's that I liked at first. I like the one pictured better, though.
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http://www.kay.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product1|10101|10001|-1|990200406|15051|15051.15057.15107

ring_edited1.jpg
 
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