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Help shopping for a blue BGD ring for the budget-minded

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mufjp

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 26, 2012
Messages
22
Hello Rockytalky,

A lurker for the past couple of months here. Finally, it's time to purchase an e-ring for my girlfriend. I'm a student on a rather tight budget of $2500~$3000 to spend on a ring. My gf doesn't know much about diamonds (now that I have done many hours of research, I'm certainly more knowledgeable than her).. she initially told me to get the best-bang-for-the-buck diamond, meaning as long as it's eye clean and looks big enough she doesn't really care whether I get a used one on ebay, Kay's, Zales etc--but she emphasized on getting the best deal. After doing some research, I learned I shouldn't skimp on the most important C, cut. Then I stumbled upon BGD's "blue" fluorescent diamonds recently and I fell in love. I don't want the stone to look too tiny, so I sacrificed the color and clarity for the carat and am considering this particular stone 0.744 K SI1:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.744-k-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104061868005

I got a confirmation from BGD that it's eye clean from 8-10 inches in normal lighting conditions (whatever that means) face up and from the sides. I'm to get it set on platinum and I was worried the tint might be too much against the white metal. I'm specifically considering BGD's following settings:

1. six prong solitaire: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/six-prong-solitaire-platinum-5351p

2. tapered tiffany half round: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/tapered-tiffany-style-half-round-platinum-5540p

3. cathedral solitaire: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/cathedral-solitaire-platinum-5550p

My favorite is #2, but it's twice as more expensive than #1--is it worth paying more $$? If there was a stone in the blue lineup where I can spend the extra $500-$600 for a bigger stone, I would do that and get the #1 setting, but it seems like there are no such options at the moment. I also like #3. Obviously, it's the most expensive of the three and I'm also afraid it would make the stone look smaller than in the other settings.

So, what do you think? Did I select a good stone? How about my setting choices? My gf's ring finger size might be a 5 (just guesstimating). Would it look too tiny on her finger? (Not that I have many other options given my budget).

I would love to hear from your opinions/recommendations on this. Please post some finger shots if you have a similarly sized ring or any BGD blue diamonds.

Thanks for reading! :)
 
BGD ideal stones are going to be gorgeous but I would be nervous about K color for an engagement ring. But maybe the flouro helps cancel out any tint? I'm no expert so I can't comment on that. Have you asked anyone at BGD if it shows much tint? I would definitely put the stone on hold if you are highly considering it.

I like setting #2 the best by far. I definitely think it is worth the extra cost over setting #1, the head looks much nicer. I also think setting #3 is much too chunky and the cathedral sides don't "swoop enough", it looks like they just go straight up to the center stone, if that makes any sense.

I think the size you are looking at will look great on a size 5 finger!
 
I think that's a great stone and all your setting choices are good. My favorite is the second as well - as to whether it's worth more money to you, only you can answer that. I do think it looks more elegant than the first.

If her finger size is a 5, it definitely won't be too small! My right hand ring finger size is a 5 and the ring I wear on it most is a half carat diamond n a six prong solitaire, and the diamond is a full millimeter smaller than the one you're getting and it looks fine, not tiny at all.
 
I like the second setting, but not for the additional price. I personally would rather have a larger diamond in a plainer setting - you can always upgrade the setting later. I too wonder about the K color. If you're not sure of her color preference a K can be hard to judge.

I did a search and the closest higher color I could find was a J in his regular selection, but that's really pushing your budget.

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.745-j-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104057459005
 
Hi. I think you've done some great research! The blue line is a great option. However, I don't know if the AGS K would be white enough for an engagement ring. Have you seen a K before?

I just did a quick search on eBay and found some AGS triple 0 diamonds within your budget. Do a quick search for "AGS diamond" and you'll be able to see some for yourself. Good luck!
 
Hi! I have the privilege of owning a BGD blue stone that is also a K. It is set in the BGD Melissa setting in platinum. I have a sensitivity to color and can tell the difference in color ranges. My mother-in-law has a D colored diamond and my sister-in-law has an F colored diamond. However, I just love my stone. I see a range of colors in my diamond and boy it sparkles like mad! From the side I can see that it is not icy white. However, face up, it does not look yellow. I often see an icy blue color when looking at my stone. I personally wouldn't hesitate to purchase from BGD. The company is great and their diamonds are awesome. I will upload a few pics of my stone if you don't mind.

img_0311.jpg

img_0725.jpg

img_0735.jpg

img_0752.jpg
 
Thank you all for chiming in and giving me an assurance about the size not being too small. I honestly was just guesstimating her ring size... seemed not too thin nor too thick, her finger just looks "normal" to my eyes--now I really hope her finger is a size 5, not any bigger!!

About the color, I haven't seen a K in person.. or for that matter, I haven't seen any diamond rings at all in person other than casual browsing at local vintage stores. I've seen some posts of K stone owners, who just love their diamonds. They say they don't notice the tint too much mostly.. BGD also confirmed it looks white and brilliant when viewed face up. Since my budget is tight, I will just have to go for the size. I think a little bit of warmth will be great along with the blue it would show under direct sunlight--more dynamic and more colors to behold (her fav color happens to be yellow, btw).

Anaclare, thanks for posting your pics. That is a beautiful ring! Makes me want to consider a four prong setting. I actually like the little warmth in the stone in your first picture. Do you mind me asking your finger size and the carat of the stone?
 
I definitely think #2 is worth it. Really makes a difference.
 
Thanks for the compliments! My finger is a 5.5 and my stone is a 1.1. I would stick with the blue line if you are going lower in color rather than a k without the fluorescence.
 
Do you have a way to find out her ring size? Because you really need to know!
 
I once tried on her ring on my pinky and it felt like it fit snuggly. Obviously.. I'll have to devise a plan to find out her exact size..

Right now, I'm heavily leaning towards getting #2, thanks to everyone.

I would love to see more pictures of .7-.8 diamond shots or K-colored stones.
 
K is pretty tinted. I'd probably set in in rose gold, or yellow gold, instead of platinum. But I have a thing for rose gold at the moment and I am craving a rose gold ring. Here are some old PS threads of J and K:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/k-color-stones-in-platinum-wg.43782/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/k-color-stones-in-platinum-wg.43782/[/URL]
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/j-color-stones-in-platinum.24731/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/j-color-stones-in-platinum.24731/[/URL]
 
mufjp|1355262104|3328830 said:
I once tried on her ring on my pinky and it felt like it fit snuggly. Obviously.. I'll have to devise a plan to find out her exact size..
Click to expand...

Can you have one of her friends go ring browsing with her and get her sized? Like, either a friend who is planning on getting engaged soon or one who is engaged and is, idk, "looking at wedding bands," or just a friend who she goes to the mall with who may want to just pop into the jewelry store to have some random fun trying things on and can ask the salesperson to size your girlfriend while there "so that she's trying on the right size." Or whatever. Or do you have any friends who are jewelers or jewelry enthusiasts who have a ring sizer at home and can just randomly size her?

eta: Or if it's not a surprise you can just take her, lol. But those are good ways for a surprise engagement.
 
Good idea! I'm going to ask one of her friends to do exactly that. Although I've hinted and asked about her esthetic taste in the past, I think it's better to still have the surprise element intact. So, some of you have said the color (K) might be a problem.. I've looked at the K color threads here on PS and convinced myself it would be okay. Still, buying it unseen in person it makes me kind of go back and forth.. should I invest more money to go up on color? It's a dilemma because the current BGD inventory of the "blue" line does not give me much flexibility. I compared their price to other sites, and I found them to be most competitive when it comes to diamonds with fluorescence.
 
In your first post you thought she'd be happiest with the biggest diamond, so I think if you think that is the case, go for the K. From what I've seen people actually wearing and what is getting sold in mall jewelry stores, I'd say most of the diamonds being worn out there are J/K/L/M and just wrongly/"loosely" graded. I'm very color sensitive (in that I notice it, not in that I super care about it) and see a ton of colors lower than people seem to assume are out there, and that's the consensus from other PSers who notice color in other people's diamonds too. By getting an ideal cut you'll be getting one that's sparklier than most others, and so I think that's definitely the way to go.
 
I agree that I should just stick to this diamond. One problem...it shows it's been "reserved". Ugh.. I emailed Jamie earlier to put it on hold for 24 hours but I didn't know I had to give him my credit card #. Shopping for a diamond can be very frustrating--I thought I finally had the rock.. hopefully, if it was someone else the sale will fall through *fingers crossed*.
 
Well if your original plan doesn't end up working out, maybe you could consider purchasing from James Allen:

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/18k-white-gold-six-prong-knife-edged-solitaire-engagement-ring-handmade-17192w.html

Here are a few options for stones:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1541950.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1541952.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1541954.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

And this one has medium blue fluorescence so this might be my choice and it is the cheapest:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1540614.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

If you are interested in any of these, put them on hold ASAP. You can put up to 3 stones on hold at the same time.
 
Thanks for the links. My rock is gone.. someone's making a pair of earrings apparently. I would really like my stone to have strong fluorescence.. not many vendors offer ideal cut stones with SF at similar prices, Blue Nile comes the closest in terms of selection and pricing. What do people think of Blue Nile compared to BGD? Are their diamonds and settings consistently of good quality?
 
stargurl78|1355349814|3329737 said:
This is still the stone I would go with:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1540614.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

I would much rather have a J with medium fluorescence than a K with strong fluorescence. Is there any particular reason why you have to have strong? It is my understanding that some stones with strong fluoro can appear milky in direct sunlight.
Click to expand...

about 1% can have negative effects from what ive read. So if JA looks at it and tells you it doesnt have any ill effects, then you only get the positive ones :D
I agree though go with the J posted here! put it on hold right away so this one wont get snatched up
 
stargurl78|1355349814|3329737 said:
This is still the stone I would go with:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1540614.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

I would much rather have a J with medium fluorescence than a K with strong fluorescence. Is there any particular reason why you have to have strong? It is my understanding that some stones with strong fluoro can appear milky in direct sunlight.
Click to expand...

ditto. +1 for me too.

Another thing to keep in mind (someone correct me if I am wrong) is that the color bands get wider as you go down the color scale, so I think there's a chance you'd see more difference between a J and K than say G and H (assuming they aren't each at the extreme end of their place in the scale like a J that's nearly a K or a K that's on the border of J). I'd go with the J.
 
It's good to know the color bands get wider as you go down in the color scale! I thought the 1-2 grade color different wouldn't matter so much. Anyway, the reason why I would like to have (strong) fluorescence is because I think it would be cool--also, some have mentioned the masking effect of the tint when it's glowing blue. I've done a quick google search and some have complained about their quality control and it looks like they have had quite a few unhappy customers. Their settings look like they are significantly cheaper than BGD.. are there any quality difference between GA and BGD settings? I really wanted to go with #2 setting that I mentioned in my first post.. but I would prefer to have the setting done at the same place--wherever I buy the diamond.

I just browsed ERD.. they also have some diamonds that fall into my price range. How's their Tiffany setting compare to BGD's?

One last thing. Since I was looking at BGD's diamonds where practically all are rated "ideal" in cut, polish, symmetry.. but other vendors seem to carry lower graded diamonds.

If I go down to "excellent" or "VG" in any of those, how noticeable are they in real life? I'm most likely going to get an "ideal" cut, but how critical are polish and symmetry if they are rated "VG" or "E"?

Again, thanks so much for all your comments and time! :)
 
JA is amazing for their inventory, pictures for everything, and the prices are good. This is their version of the Tiffany: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/18k-white-gold-six-prong-knife-edged-solitaire-engagement-ring-handmade-17192w.html

You usually cannot tell the difference between EX and VG grades. Sometimes you can score a good deal this way.

BGD is very good as a luxury experience; the Signature line is all gorgeous and supposed to be eye-clean and have no durability issues. Some people are willing to pay more for ease of shopping. Others are willing to trade that for $$$ savings.
 
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