Help with a multi-stone ring

[Attoman]

I am looking for some advice on purchasing two additional stones for a multi-stone ring. For my upcoming 10th wediding anniversary (and birth of my second child), I want to upgrade my wife''s engagement ring and setting. This is not intended to be a surprise, as my wife is involved in the ring selection. We want to use her original diamond and put two other ones next to it for a three stone ring. Her original diamond per the GIA certificate is as follows:

Round Brilliant, 7.47-7.57x4.52 MM, 1.60 carats, VS1, Depth - 60.1%, Table - 65%, med - sl tck, Polish - Good, Symmetry - Good, Flourescence - faint blue

While I realize that this stone is far from "ideal", I believe it is still very nice in appearance and what I could afford at the time in that size range. To my untrained eye, it has a high degree of brialliance but very little fire.

Our original plan was to add two, 1 carat diamonds next to her original stone; however, a couple of jewelers have steered her more toward 0.75 carat side stones for better proportioning of the ring. Furthermore, they have encouraged us match the color grade of "F" as to not make any of the stones appear yellower than the others. I plan on getting at least VS-2 clarity regardless of color.

Question #1: Do you think the advice to go to smaller side stones is sound?

Question #2: How important do you think it is to match the "F" color rather than going to lesser expensive G or H side stones?

If I go to the smaller side stones, I would like to consider buying "ideal" stones (AGS0/HCA 0-2/H&A/etc.). What I would hope is that the quality of the side stones will make them look distinctive rather than be "lost" relative to the size of the center stone. However, my fear is that the side stones will make my center stone look poor in quality by comparison.

Question #3: If I buy ideal cut side stones, will they in turn make my center stone look bad? Would I be better off trying to match the quality of the side stones to the center stone?

Question #4: By the way, will many of the online retailers have the Sarin data (pavilion angle/crown angle) for GIA certified stones?

Since I will most likely be buying my new stones from an online vendor (to get the best value) and a custom made setting locally, I will not have the luxury to see it all together before making the commitment. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Greg

 

[Hest88]

1) I like 3 stones with smaller sidestones, so I''d prefer the .75s.

2 & 3) I''m not an expert, but it would be my highest priority to get stones that match the center in color and cut at perfectly as possible. It''s possible that the lower colors will still be fine, but you won''t know until you see them side by side. Same with the cut issue. Which leads me to:

4) This is one of those cases where, if it were my ring, I''d want to bring the stone in to a jewelry store or send it a trusted online jeweler so they could guide me. Yes, many of the Pricescope dealers will be able to get you a Sarin (though I don''t know how many non-PS dealers) but I think what''s more important in this case to get some real-life advice.

 

[valeria101]

Hm... I would not put ideals next to the other stone. They would look different, for better or worse.

How about fancy sides? Trillions, pears or half moons come to mind. They would definitely make the brilliance of the center stand out. This rationale is more often mentioned about matching sides to colored stones, but it may fit this case too.

In terms of matching grades, G/SI1 sounds great to me. You may want to see what H looks like next to F - I cannot predict whether you will see a difference or not. G should be very safe, IMO.

 

[KSparkles]

My mom recently did the exact same thing you''re doing. She had an ideal cut RB from ~1973-ish, and was nervous that ideal cuts would look awful next to it (she was afraid the new "ideal" was drastically different from the old "ideal"). Not sure if this is true, but the ideal sidestones (both RB''s) looked great next to the center - no one can tell the difference. As far as color goes, both my mom and I have 3-stone rings w/ color differences up to 2 grades (i.e., my center is an I, w/ a G & H for the sides). I would go to a jeweler if I were you and just look at the stones all next to each other in different lights. Then at least you''ll know for sure whether they look good together. As far as proportions, mine is a .8 center w/ .3''s on the sides, and my mom''s is a .85 center w/ .5''s on the sides - both are beautiful, but again it''s all about your preference. I''m sure whatever you choose, it''ll be gorgeous!

 

[MrsFrk]

What an exciting project, and what a lovely way to commemorate both your anniversary and the birth of a new baby. Congratulations!

Here's what I would do regarding the size issue: go to www.winkjones.com, and order some Interlap CZs from Wink in a bunch of sizes (his 1.5 carat is 7.5 mm, also get a 1 carat, .75, .50) so that you can see exactly what a three stone with the various sizes would look like. The Interlaps are quite pretty, and very inexpensive (about 9 bucks for a one carat). I personally like the 50% look- the side stones about half the weight of the center stone.

I don't think that the color of G/H sidestones will be noticeably different, and I also don't think that ideal cut side stones will make your center stone look shoddy in comparison. For most 3 stone rings, the side stones are not on the same plane as the center stone, they are tilted somewhat, so I think it will look just fine. In fact, I think it's going to look spectacular! Good luck, and don't forget to post pics once the ring is finished.