Help w/ X-Factor Chunk Cushion Cut from JA please!

[solgen]

A little late to the party but glad you decided to go with David Klass. "$2150+ tax + $500 estimate for expanding halo (this was without knowing any dimensions) + $250 mounting fee" sounded like they had to make extensive alterations to the ring and that just spells trouble.

Halos help make the center stone look bigger or provide more finger coverage. As such you'd want one that integrates well with the center stone. If you want the center stone to stand out then I'm not sure why you'd even want a halo. The higher setting does post a risk or damage or loss of the center stone so most caution against it. If that's the style you two prefer and find the trade off worth the risk then you should go with it. The ring is for your enjoyment and not to please others.


For an antique cut do you have any color limitations? RG and antique/OE cuts compliment each other nicely so you can go pretty low in color.

 

[Gypsy]

These images show you the tilt. See the halo is not perpendicular to the center stone. No pancake.

Do you WANT a antique faceted stone? It will be a little harder to find for you but it can be done. http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/newly-added-1.30-royal-chandelier-brilliant-gid-655065.html If eyeclean. Or you can ask BE to find you a 1.5 is carat stone in I/J color and eyeclean in budget for you.

Yes, I do think it's worth getting a second quote. BE has YEARS of history of making halo settings on these boards. I think it's worth having a second option. And their settings have stood the test of time DK is a relatively new 'favorite' vendor.

There's nothing wrong with getting multiple quotes. I always do it.

 

[Gypsy]

#1)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.52-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-sku-438542

#2)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.56-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-sku-793521

#3)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.55-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-sku-793520

#4)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.70-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-sku-789668

#5) cushion brilliant
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.59-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-sku-697986

#6) another cushion brilliant
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.62-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-sku-697985

I thought the getting into the territory of the old timey cushion brilliant cut would be too expensive, but maybe not? if anyone can find one of those, I would love to order it as my 2nd option and then determine which one is best since I have never seen one in person before. there might be more in there that I overlooked, I was kind of in a hurry.

Of the ones you picked these are the two I would pick from. Remember compare dimensions not carat weight. The heavier stone actually faces up smaller than the lighter one.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.59-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-sku-697986
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.70-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-sku-789668

 

[autigers10]

As far as wanting one, I do like the look but of all the ones in person that I've seen, I've never seen that style. So now with this higher budget for the diamond, I can either order a second stone of the same style abc pick the best or I can try the antique style and have two styles to choose from. I like both of the options that were picked out of my group... Does the old mine stone look too yellow to anyone?

 

[autigers10]

Also, forgot to mention I'll get the second quote as well. Wouldn't hurt.

 

[autigers10]

Just stumbled across this one, think I might like it even better than the cushion brilliant that I just mentioned. Opinions?

http://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.57-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-sku-697992

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Just stumbled across this one, think I might like it even better than the cushion brilliant that I just mentioned. Opinions?

http://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.57-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-sku-697992

Like this one the most! Put on hold! Has a diameter of over 7mm. Much better than some of the others and is a lovely cushion shape.

 

[autigers10]

Bought it!

 

[alamana]

So, your thoughts about a halo made me think of a setting i like. I never used to be a halo lover (pre-pricescope anyway) and i really love this setting below.. You get the lovely array of diamonds framing the diamond but not entirely around it. Or a V shaped halo!

http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-...-engagement-ring_53139?elem=img&track=product
If this link doesn't work (blue nile is notorious for that) then try searching for the stock number, 53139

Wow, I hadn't seen that setting and I really like it (doesn't hurt that the photo features a pear and I'm a pear girl).

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Bought it!

Great! I believe it faces up larger than the first one you ordered. I really like it because it isn't quite so modern and I think it will work better with the rose gold setting.

 

[autigers10]

Bought it!

Great! I believe it faces up larger than the first one you ordered. I really like it because it isn't quite so modern and I think it will work better with the rose gold setting.

It has actually already shipped before the first one even so I guess I will be able to see soon which one looks best in person. Sounds like if it's a toss up, the antique style might look better in the setting I'm aiming for.

 

[alamana]

Bought it!

Great! I believe it faces up larger than the first one you ordered. I really like it because it isn't quite so modern and I think it will work better with the rose gold setting.

It has actually already shipped before the first one even so I guess I will be able to see soon which one looks best in person. Sounds like if it's a toss up, the antique style might look better in the setting I'm aiming for.

It's so pretty I'm coveting it...

 

[Gypsy]

No. A modern cushion will good great in the setting you are looking for. Seriously. We've seen so many of them on here, it's a popular style and most often they are with modern cushions.

Let us know what you think of them in person.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

There both modern cushions but I just find the latest one to be more pleasing in shape and facet pattern. Not to mention, it is larger!

 

[autigers10]

Since I had done a lot more research on the different types of cushion cuts and seen a lot more settings when trying to find something similar to the one she liked from RB, I was able to throw out a few more ideas to my girlfriend and ask her if she had a preference in the cushion cut types, different parts of the setting, etc. without her knowing that I was going custom with it and would really get to choose just about any setting feature I wanted.

A couple of months ago when I asked her to give me some initial setting ideas, she saved some Pinterest posts to get me started. I looked back at these and noticed that a lot of the one's she put on there were the antique style cushion brilliant or the chunky modern cushions. After explaining to her the types of cushion cuts and giving her examples, I made sure that there weren't any types that she just hated or really wanted (mostly just trying to confirm that she didn't want the crushed ice look), and she ended up realizing that she definitely prefers the larger facet cushions, so looks like we are on the right track with the diamonds we have picked.

Also when looking, I realized that while she had a lot of the typical halo designed settings posted, she also had a few settings that were more basket-like and didn't have a halo. After looking at some more similar settings with her, it was basically decided that I can't go wrong with either style. However, even after mentioning how the setting was too high in the RB setting, she did say that she definitely didn't want it flush if there was a halo. I know this is what you all were pushing for, but it sounds like she likes the look of the diamond being at least a little higher than the halo so it doesn't blend and hide the diamond so much. Knowing this and seeing some of the basket styles that she liked, I talked with David Klass about it and he said he loved both ideas but he agreed that we might not want the halo if we were worried about it taking away from the diamond too much. He said he would have initial drawings for both my first design (RB setting inspired halo) and the second design that I gave him (basket style), and we could go from there.

I'll give ya'll a better idea of what I sent him for that second style to see if anyone has any suggestions. I found one of his past designs that I loved and thought she would really love, and I was able to mix it in there when we were looking at more settings to see how she would react to it, and she loved it. So DK will be basing the second design around the pictures below. Basically, it has the height that she wants, and it shows off the diamond a lot. There is a vintage-looking pattern underneath just as the RB one had. I thought she might like the claw-style prongs and she did (not sure if I want them two toned or not). He asked if I wanted a different color stone underneath like that one did, and I said either yellow or another diamond would be good if we did it. I think she'd like it either way, but can anyone come up with a pattern underneath the ring that would look good that I could maybe give DK to go by? I like that one how it is but I think we might be able to do even better. I put a third picture below of the basket-style setting that she had on her Pinterest, so I was thinking there might be a way to make the basket be inspired by that as well. Any suggestions would be great!

 

[autigers10]

Thought I'd give a quick update.

So the first diamond I ordered was delayed because of the snow on the east coast, while the one I ordered last Friday shipped immediately and got here on Wednesday. It looked just as amazing as everyone thought it would! I was very very impressed with the fire that it had -- I'm glad we took the chance on getting a cushion brilliant because I definitely think she will prefer the larger flashes vs the crushed ice look of more flashes but less intensity. I went in last night to RB and compared to his that he brought in, and when I pulled mine out he compared his to it and couldn't say anything bad about it -- he admitted it was a great diamond. So upon the arrival of the other online diamond today, I made one final comparison and while the first I ordered was pretty good, its hard to compare to the face up size and fire of the 1.57ct cushion brilliant. Looks like we have a winner!

In the meantime, I have still been emailing DK and trying to get an idea on the design. He graciously put together the two separate styles that I mentioned, and I think I am leaning towards that second style that I talked about in my last post. I'll post the first sketch he had of that style below, but I've already requested a few changes.



This was just the first drawing for this style, so he mentioned that there would obviously be pave diamonds all the way down the twisted shanks, and the jewels for the basket will look much better in person than on the CAD model. I went with the claw style prongs as well, which won't be seen in the model. One concern I had was with the width being 4.00mm, while the RB setting that we liked initially says 2mm on the website (not sure how accurate that is). I told him with the twisted shank, I know it would be hard to get it down but she really likes the thinner bands and asked if maybe 2.5-2.75mm would work, but to give me his opinion. Here's his response:

"I can start to bring down the width of the shank, but I think it will look better uniform all around, and I do not want the diamonds in the twists to get too small. What about a 3.5mm width? Since you do not have a halo around the center stone it will be featured, but she will also have some nice sparkle from all angles when she moves her hand. It is also going to help have a straight band sit flush with the design if you do not taper the back of the shank."

That sounds fine with me because he knows his stuff. Any other opinions out there? For reference, he said that in the original picture I am referring to in the post above, the diameter of the circle stone is 9mm, with the band at 4mm. Since my stone's length is only 7.22mm, does anyone think that 3.5mm will look too bulky?

My last thing was that I do like the original gallery design, but I thought she would like something better. I went to some of the verragio styles for inspiration, because those are the ones that seemed to have the very detailed galleries. Late last night I asked him if he could do something like this for the gallery:



I told him I don't necessarily want the two circles on either side near the bottom, and wouldn't mind if the twisted shank and the "base" band came together for good at that point. I kind of like the basket design on this one too, but I told him to just stick with the basket design that he had previously for now. We will see what the next CAD model looks like!

If anyone has any suggestions, let me know. Thanks for the help thus far everyone.

 

[Gypsy]

I like the braided shank. But that ring is WAY WAY WAY TOO HIGH. All that profile noise is resulting in a setting that is going to be banged around, and with all that pave that's a TERRIBLE choice. Since you are going custom, having him keep that design but lower that head a good 3mm at least. I'd remove that bezeled round stone in the profile altogether and have him lower that diamond.

I understand you are basing it off the pictures she posted, but the OTHER one she posted doesn't have all that noise in the profile and is set much lower.

So I would strongly advise you go for a lower, safer setting so that the stone doesn't get knocked all the way to kingdom come and back. Especially with a rose gold pave setting. You are just asking for trouble. Ignore what Verragio does.


I like the 3.5mm idea. It makes sense. And having a flush fit straight band for the wedding band is important.

Great job on the diamond, BTW.

 

[autigers10]

Thanks for the advice. I'll tell him to lower it a little bit. He actually just replied back and said he got it to 3.22mm but he doesn't think much lower would be good as it would make the diamonds less than 1mm. Here's his response:

"I got the shank width down to an even 3.22mm's wide all around. This leaves enough room for a nice diamond size on the shank, I would not go thinner as I do not think the stones should go under 1mm in size. If you like this width with the center stone I will work on creating the gallery you have chosen."

 

[Gypsy]

Thanks for the advice. I'll tell him to lower it a little bit. He actually just replied back and said he got it to 3.22mm but he doesn't think much lower would be good as it would make the diamonds less than 1mm. Here's his response:

"I got the shank width down to an even 3.22mm's wide all around. This leaves enough room for a nice diamond size on the shank, I would not go thinner as I do not think the stones should go under 1mm in size. If you like this width with the center stone I will work on creating the gallery you have chosen."

PERFECT. I was actually going to say if he could get it 3.2 it would ideal. But decided not push it and deleted that part of my post.

I wouldn't change the profile to the new one. I would keep the current design and just lower that sucker and remove that bezeled round diamond from the profile.

 

[autigers10]

Was on mobile last night, so couldn't post the image that came with his email.

I don't mind that profile, but I really do think I'd like the one I sent him that he is currently working on. How crucial is it that the underneath bezeled diamond be removed in order to lower it?

 

[LaineyRod]

Hi All,

I just joined today as I am researching in an effort to upgrade my current diamond (we started out with a CZ 7 years ago, got the real thing 2 years ago) and we are now for the first time, really educating ourselves and looking at upgrading to 1.7+CT's, F, VVS2 for Valentines and I was learning about ASET readings.

I was reading these posts and congratulations Autigers on your eventual/upcoming engagement and Gypsy, your information on numerous forums has been AMAZING!! I wanted to just chime in on the height of the setting and throw in an "it depends" thought into the mix. If your girlfriend is a very careful person, doesn't knock things, drop things, break things (i.e., does she get the full 2 years out of say, her iPhone LOL) she might be the right kind of person for a high setting.

I love my ring and it has, not only a very high setting, but micro pave' diamonds up each of the prongs. Not to mention, my wedding ring also has diamonds going all the way around. Yes, over the course of 7 years, I have lost 2 micro pave' diamonds - but my jeweler replaced them for free AND I have jewelry insurance which would do the same, but I very very rarely ever knock my ring. It is just my personality - and i do get the full 2 years out of my iPhones and have never broken the glass..... so high settings i think are BEAUTIFUL for the right wearer

Good luck, I look forward to seeing your final outcome!

 

[autigers10]

Hi All,

I just joined today as I am researching in an effort to upgrade my current diamond (we started out with a CZ 7 years ago, got the real thing 2 years ago) and we are now for the first time, really educating ourselves and looking at upgrading to 1.7+CT's, F, VVS2 for Valentines and I was learning about ASET readings.

I was reading these posts and congratulations Autigers on your eventual/upcoming engagement and Gypsy, your information on numerous forums has been AMAZING!! I wanted to just chime in on the height of the setting and throw in an "it depends" thought into the mix. If your girlfriend is a very careful person, doesn't knock things, drop things, break things (i.e., does she get the full 2 years out of say, her iPhone LOL) she might be the right kind of person for a high setting.

I love my ring and it has, not only a very high setting, but micro pave' diamonds up each of the prongs. Not to mention, my wedding ring also has diamonds going all the way around. Yes, over the course of 7 years, I have lost 2 micro pave' diamonds - but my jeweler replaced them for free AND I have jewelry insurance which would do the same, but I very very rarely ever knock my ring. It is just my personality - and i do get the full 2 years out of my iPhones and have never broken the glass..... so high settings i think are BEAUTIFUL for the right wearer

Good luck, I look forward to seeing your final outcome!

Thanks for your thoughts! She is actually a nurse so she wouldn't be wearing the ring to work each day, I guess that helps with some of the times where something could get knocked around. I wouldn't say she is careless but also not the most careful, so I'd say somewhere in the middle for your analogy. I'm sure with the pave it will happen from time to time, but just don't want anything major to happen like a chip to the diamond. I told DK of the suggestion and asked his opinion about lowering it and what it would do to the gallery, so I'll see what he has to say.

Speaking of insurance, I assume Jewelers Mutual would be a good bet? Should I really use the appraised value of the diamond by James Allen of $10k+? I did read that their insurance would cover the loose diamond being mounted by a jeweler, so sounds like I need to buy it before sending it in to DK.

 

[Gypsy]

Try this.

Move the bezeled rounds. And put two of them on each side like the below. And then lower the head down to where the round was before.

 

[autigers10]

I'm not sure I like the two bezeled setting all that much. I really like the etching part the most, and I know she liked that about the original RB ring.

I told DK about the lowering, and he said that pricescope will probably recommend the lowering because that is the style right now vs the higher setting. He said that the micropave and diamond will be created to be very safe, and that I should go with personal preference over safety concerns because these problems often occur when the ring isn't well made. He said he would lower it a little bit but it was my call if I really wanted to make it much lower because he knew my first setting choice was high set as well and I should choose whatever will make her happy. I told him a slight lowering would be good but I think he's right that a higher set ring is still preferred just based on her style and choices of rings.

He said he should have an updated CAD model today to be tweaked from there.

Also, I planned on using JM insurance to cover it before sending it to be set. My appraisal was somewhere in the mid $10k range though. I know JA will probably over appraise at least a little but does anyone know if they just add a percentage to the purchase amount or if they actually appraise it to it's real value? I don't really want to have to do an independent appraisal before sending it for setting but if it will avoid an unnecessarily high premium then I'll do it. If anyone has any experience with this let me know.

 

[LaineyRod]

Hi again,

I am sure one of these other posters can give better advice on the appraisers and I will probably learn something here. I just had my setting and diamond all appraised at the same jeweler where I purchased everything and it was all appraised at, well, purchase price

What I can tell you is that the variance in pricing with Jewelers Mutual is so little, that you don't have to worry about the pricing going up a little here or down a little there. As far as jewelry insurance goes, they are very good, to the extent that we opted for $0 deductible as the price difference was negligible and peace of mind to have no out of pocket costs if something actually did happen, seemed like a good thing.

BTW, I saw as I read more on PS, a lot of people seem to sleep in their rings...I don't wear my rings sleeping, washing dishes, when I apply lotion (why do people do that?), or when I cook. Most of these occasions are for keeping the diamonds clean more than safe, but that ring you are buying is BEAUTIFUL!!! These might be handy tips LOL

 

[Gypsy]

I don't wear my rings sleeping, washing dishes, when I apply lotion (why do people do that?), or when I cook. Most of these occasions are for keeping the diamonds clean more than safe, but that ring you are buying is BEAUTIFUL!!! These might be handy tips LOL

I don't wear mine to sleep, to shower, work out, etc. I pretty much don't wear it in the house. I only wear it out.

 

[autigers10]

Here's the updated design with new gallery, 3.22mm width, and the head slightly lowered. I told him I like it a lot. Any suggestions/improvements?

 

[Gypsy]

I like it. It flows as a cohesive design really well. I think you are good to go. Can't wait to see it finished.

 

[msop04]

I've been following this thread… I think you made a great choice! It will look lovely in the rose gold!

...and WAR EAGLE!! [emoji170][emoji197][emoji458][emoji471][emoji2]