Help me help her say yes!

[mpain10]

Hello all!

Recent lurker as I have found myself preparing to make the engagement ring purchase.
I have received enough hints now by my girlfriend that I know exactly what she is looking for.
Now I would just like to find the best value diamond that fits her wish list and my budget.

Overall Budget of Setting/Diamond - $5000 - $6000.

Diamond Type - Oval
Size - She wants 1 carat, however willing to be within range of between 0.75 to 1 carat
Color - D to G
Clarity - IF to VS2 (Can have inclusions, however not near table. Just needs to be eye clean)
Cut - Prefered to be "higher" in range (do not want bow tie effect)
Polish - Very good to excellent
Symmetry - Very good to excellent
Fluorescence - Faint to None
Report - GIA (as well as aset image)

Setting Type - Halo with Diamond Band (She has her heart set on Brilliant Earth's Waverly Setting)
Are there any comparable settings to the Waverly sold by other vendors? (I've read non-positive things about Brilliant Earth)

My girlfriend states she justs wants the ring to sparkle in all lighting conditions even low light.

If I am over specifying a requirement that will not enhance the 1X visual aspect of the diamond, please let me know.
I would hate to pay extra for qualities that I can not see with the naked eye.

Do I have to be concerned with the structural strength of a setting like Brilliant Earth's Waverly? The area where the diamond basket attached to the band seems like a weak point within the setting. I would hate to have the basket snag on something and yank the basket and diamond off the band.

I would greatly appreciate anyone's opinion.

Thanks,
Mpain10

 

[lovedogs]

If you want the best oval, I think you need to look at Jon's ideal cut ovals (August vintage is his website).

As an example, this one:
https://august-vintage-inc.myshopif...nce/products/0-81ct-g-vs2-august-vintage-oval

For the setting, I don't like brilliant earth and frankly don't trust them to get that setting right, or to make sure it lasts/doesn't have issues with stones falling out. It's not an easy setting to make with all that pave. I would contact Jonathan to see what his bench can do, or what they've done in the past that is similar. Looking at the website, this one looks similar (though not exactly the same)
https://august-vintage-inc.myshopify.com/collections/designs-by-jonathan/products/janes-halo

Essentially, just tell him you want a halo setting for the oval, and show the one you like. I feel like he can make it unique to you, and make it better quality.

 

[prinsad]

I agree with lovedogs completely. Also, if you go to jons Instagram, you will see him comparing his ideal cut ovals to other ones, and the difference in performance is crazy.

 

[mpain10]

Thank you for the suggestion of AV!

I am going to reach out and see how close Jon could get to making me a setting that closely resembles Brilliant Earth's Waverly setting. Hoping he can work some magic to get me a sparkly beautiful oval diamond in the .75 to 1 carat range for around $5000 - $6000.

Any other suggestions in the meantime?

Thanks again for all your help!
Mpain10

 

[cokitty]

With ovals it is harder to predict face up size correlating to carat weight. I picked a few from JA. I would go with the 1.03 D/VS2. That is a very nice spread for an oval.
The other thing to determine is does she like the pattens of traditional MRB or the more crushed ice pattern? I like both and she may as well.However if she likes the crushed ice look most ovals have then she may not like look of the August Vintage ovals which have a more structured facet pattern similar to a MRB.
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...iamond-engagement-ring-oval-center-item-17437
JA 14k 1185 shown here with a 1 ct oval

1.12 G VVS2 4970 8.30*5.92
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.12-carat-g-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-7052482


1.03 D/VS2 8.63*5.57 $4600
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.03-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-sku-6667207

 

[meely]

I really would consider the August vintage ovals. Finding an normal oval without a bow tie is not easy, if you can live with that that's ok, if not then get an AV one.
Presuming that your ring budget is separate to your budget for VAT/customs, I would look at either the stone previously listed, or this one which is bigger. https://august-vintage-inc.myshopif...ucts/0-95ct-d-si1-august-vintage-oval-1679151
I know it's si1 but it may be eye clean to your standards.
However I would reach out to Jon anyway and see if he has any more ovals coming in as his stock does seem very low.
The ring in my avatar is an AV oval, I went to David Klass for my halo, I am also from the UK. It's worth speaking to David as he is good at creating a custom setting on a budget, so this stone may be doable.

 

[Strawberries1]

I really would consider the August vintage ovals. Finding an normal oval without a bow tie is not easy, if you can live with that that's ok, if not then get an AV one.
Presuming that your ring budget is separate to your budget for VAT/customs, I would look at either the stone previously listed, or this one which is bigger. https://august-vintage-inc.myshopif...ucts/0-95ct-d-si1-august-vintage-oval-1679151
I know it's si1 but it may be eye clean to your standards.
However I would reach out to Jon anyway and see if he has any more ovals coming in as his stock does seem very low.
The ring in my avatar is an AV oval, I went to David Klass for my halo, I am also from the UK. It's worth speaking to David as he is good at creating a custom setting on a budget, so this stone may be doable.

How was it making your ring with DK and getting your oval from AV? I might be doing the same. Please give the pros and cons. Thanks.

 

[mrs-b]

@mpain10 - welcome!

I read your post, and if she has stated unequivocally that she wants a ring that will sparkle - even in low light - your ONLY option is an AV oval. Ovals, on the whole, don't have great light return. At all. And most of them are dead as a doornail in the middle. Crushed ice patterns DON'T return light - the facets simply aren't lined up that way. You have a bunch of people here trying to find you an oval with great light return (otherwise known as 'sparkle' ) - yet even the third stone cokitty linked for you above has a big, black stripe across the middle - and that's from someone who knows what they're doing and is specifically looking to avoid that effect. Ovals are tough.

AVs are cut to return light like a round diamond. If your girl has specifically asked for sparkle, my guess is that she isn't familiar enough with ovals in general to have a preference re facet pattern, and actually already wants an oval that can perform like a round. And there's only one oval on the market that can do that.

That .95ct D SI1 AV posted by @meely would make a terrific ring, and set in a halo, will be a lovely size. Jon at August Vintage does very lovely settings and should be able to get you something truly beautiful. It should end up somewhere in the 9.5/10mm x 7.5/8mm range, which is substantial and have plenty of presence on the hand.

Looking at your requirements, I think this is your very best bet. I'm pretty sure that stone is eye clean, btw. But just ask Jon; he's VERY well known here and will not mislead you.

Good luck - and I'll be following this thread; this ring has the possibility of being something really special.

 

[meely]

How was it making your ring with DK and getting your oval from AV? I might be doing the same. Please give the pros and cons. Thanks.

So I had to wait for my oval, I think Jon was getting some cut when I enquired so I held on and put a deposit down on one, I ended up going for another one he offered me as it was a big bigger hence my comment to get in touch and see what's in the works. I then had to wait for it to be graded, it was the first one to be graded by AGS for light performance (it's on his instagram I believe). Think it's the VS2 G 1.29. I don't know how long that all took but probably a few months of waiting but that didn't bother me to much as I'm quite patient and getting it right sss more important that getting it quickly. Obviously if you went for one for sale on his site that wouldn't be an issue. In hindsight I might have gone down to an I SI1 for a bigger stone but at the time I was set on VS2 H as a minimum, who knows I may have regretted the other way round! Jon was in contact with me the whole way through and I found him to be very pleasant to deal with. He was more than happy to send the stone to David Klass, that was sent overnight fully insured and as soon as DK was open the next day I phoned them and they opened it up to check on it.
Working with DK was good, I sent them an email to get a quote before I went ahead with ordering. I found them to be very pleasant and flexible. I've made two rings with them and that has been my experience both times. Sometimes they would get back to me with changes with a few hours, other times it was a week and a half but that didn't bother me - they will bend over backwards for you to get the design right and so a small wait was never an issue for me. Once I finally said yes to the design it was made very quickly! Have a look at my threads for more details! Shipping was very quick, you pay import on whatever they insure the package for, so you will need to give David the value.
I would definitely recommend it as a route, the only negative would be not seeing the diamond in person first and the agro of returning if you were not happy with your ring for some reason.
Not seeing the diamond first shouldn't be an issue as it's an AV! and
With regard to the ring design to be honest I think that really would depend on how complicated you made it. Mine were both complicated designs. The sapphire one was a direct copy and that's perfect, it took a while to get it right but it's lovely. My AV ring was more of a hybrid design (vintage inspired with modern stones and detailing) in hindsight I would have made the two halos slightly different in proportion to one another, the outer halo bigger, the inner smaller and used single cuts in the outer halo as they are a bit full on but it was such a complicated design.

 

[rockysalamander]

For ovals, I would look at G color and down to an SI1 on the open market. If you work with Jonathan, just tell him you want eye-clean at 6" and white. He has a very good eye and will be honest with you. August Vintage ovals are, by far, the most consistent at producing light return. But, they do that at a small cost of spread. You need more material in the bottom center to avoid the bowtie and dead facets. You could also ask him about his lab-grown options (provided your girl is 100% ok with that).

https://enchanteddiamonds.com/v/741410Z20,
G VS1, 7.73 x 5.75 x 3.61 mm
There are a lot of clouds, but I'm generally not worried with a VS1. But, you can ask about them.

 

[kb1gra]

How was it making your ring with DK and getting your oval from AV? I might be doing the same. Please give the pros and cons. Thanks.

Didn’t you decide on moissanite? I imagine the process is different since the AV moissanite ovals aren’t ready yet.

 

[Strawberries1]

Didn’t you decide on moissanite? I imagine the process is different since the AV moissanite ovals aren’t ready yet.

Yes, I'm going for moissanite but waiting to hear back re setting.