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Help with three stone ering ($4500 total budget)

YACN

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 16, 2012
Messages
17
Sorry about the poor title but I'm really looking for some advice from basically start to finish here. I know I am looking for a three stone ring, preferably with either pave or channel set diamonds as well. I think that I want to go with princess cut diamonds, however, I am also considering cushion and emeralds (she said she likes both of these as well). I don't have very strong feelings on the material but I am leaning towards a yellow gold setting. My girlfriend and I went to look at some stones in person and checked out a few settings online to help me get a feel for what she likes, but she doesn't want to be involved past that. I'd very much appreciate some help with determining who I should contact for vendors given my total budget of $4500. Closer to $4000 would be even better, but $4500 already seems like a pretty low budget around here!

Assuming I select a princess cut stone I would like to stay in the G-H color range, but would be ok with I color based on positive feedback here. Neither one of us is very sensitive to color from the small amount of time we spent looking at (GIA graded) diamonds in person. I'm also not hung up on clarity so long as it is eye clean from all angles visible within the setting. As far as weight, I'd like to be around 0.75 carats and would be fine at slightly under to avoid the magical 3/4 carat price bump. Based on my reading here I am not looking to compromise on the cut and would like to find an AGS ideal cut. I know that some vendors do not carry AGS graded diamonds, but will provide ASET photos to evaluate optical performance.

If I find some stunning emerald or cushion cut diamonds I would be looking for advice on color and clarity. I recall reading that certain shapes will show color or inclusions more clearly due to their optics. Given my situation (and my girlfriends preferences) I don't see any reason to pay for very high clarity or color. Any advice on these aspects would be great :))

I'm certainly no expert so if something I said doesn't make sense, is wrong, or seems like something I should be careful with please let me know!

I like the setting from James Allen below and it certainly falls within my budget.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagemen...and-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-559
I was originally considering this setting from BlueNile, but the diamonds I selected disappeared before I pulled the trigger.
http://www.bluenile.com/three-stone-pave-diamond-ring-18k-yellow-gold_5928
I think the Princess Pinah Petite setting below is also beautiful. I'm a little concerned that the side stones would be too small (0.18 ctw)though .
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/e...s-dinah-3-stone-petite-18k-white-gold-5691w18
Although it is pretty far out of my budget I always thought the Vatche Swan design was stunning as well.
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagemen...an-diamond-engagement-ring-by-vatche-1464.htm

Initially, I was planning on buying the ring from BlueNile without too much consideration of other vendors. WhiteFlash and Brian Gavin have some stunning settings and a fantastic reputation, but they are also considerably more expensive than my budget allows for. I think my concerns regarding BlueNile are similar to many in that they don't provide actual photos of the diamonds or ASET photos to determine optical performance. Given that all of the diamonds I have looked at on BlueNile are GIA graded I am hesitant to purchase without checking with other vendors first.

I'm very open to suggestions on other vendors, settings, and recommendations on stones! Thanks in advance for helping me sort some of these things out :))
 
Niel|1391960911|3611416 said:
Don't feel self conscious about your budget. Thats a very healthy and normal budget outside PS ;))

how about this
http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER5430W44JJ ( i think GOG sells these setting for less than listed on the website)

plus

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/10318/
or
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/10455/
(id probably see if they would make you a video comparing the two)

Thanks for the reassurance on my budget and your quick reply :))!

I think the setting you linked to is very nice and I am seriously considering it. Similarly to the setting I linked from BGD I still wonder whether the side diamonds would be too small to add anything significant to the ring though.

Is the amount of white shown in that ASET image not concerning? I recall reading that areas of lower intensity returns are desirable because they add contrast to the stone. Am I mistaken that the amount of leakage shown in the ASET is troubling?
 
Niel|1391960911|3611416 said:
Don't feel self conscious about your budget. Thats a very healthy and normal budget outside PS ;))

+1. That's a fantastic budget for a beautiful ring. If you need reassurance - look at the e-rings under 5k thread in SMTB!
 
In regards to your question about ASETS...

I admittedly am not a princess expert, but i agree the ASET seems lacking... but based of the Megascope they had and the fact its got a lifetime trade up makes me think that it is a good performer, at least the .8 ct stone.

The other one I wasn't as sure about, but emails are free, and Good old Gold is super helpful, a quick email can answer your questions about those stones, if they truly didn't think they were good performers, I'm sure they would help you find something similar.
 
Niel|1391975634|3611511 said:
In regards to your question about ASETS...

I admittedly am not a princess expert, but i agree the ASET seems lacking... but based of the Megascope they had and the fact its got a lifetime trade up makes me think that it is a good performer, at least the .8 ct stone.

The other one I wasn't as sure about, but emails are free, and Good old Gold is super helpful, a quick email can answer your questions about those stones, if they truly didn't think they were good performers, I'm sure they would help you find something similar.

Oops I completely missed the 0.73 ct stone you linked to! I will certainly email GOG to get their opinion on the stones. I do really appreciate your suggestions so far :)) I haven't spent this much money on any single purchase in my life so far haha. I'm very lucky to have access to a forum frequented by such helpful posters as yourself.

liaerfbv -
I actually had that thread open and was periodically looking through some of the rings in between getting work done. What an amazing collection of rings people have there! I thought this one in particular was just absolutely stunning
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/so-proud-of-my-elegant-3-stone-e-ring.185109/

I'm not sure what a similar ring to that would be with a princess cut center stone. Maybe I should spend some more time browsing the SMTB subforum!
 
There've been several nice pre-owned GIA [inscribed] rings that match your description on eBay lately. One if I recall has a D/VVS1 center stone.
Might be worth a search & then get help navigating with PSers.
On my way out or I would find the links. Best to you in your search.
 
YACN, Wow I too fell in loooove with the three stone ring you posted from the older thread, wowza ! And the center stone was less than .50 with two .20 side stones, so something similar seems do-able even for those of us without the honkin' PS budgets !

Notice though, that it was a center round with pear sides. I had had my heart set on a princess for years, and love my small princess center with six graduated round side stones, but if I had to do it again, I would NOT go princess. They won't show up as large and simply do not have comparable sparkle, and when on a budget every little bit counts !

Can any of you amazing "jewelry designers for fun" put together the above mentioned ring in his budget ? I'll TRY not to be too envious of your fiance if she ends up with a ring like that, no promises though !
 
I'm glad that you started this thread, OP. I am also just starting a 3-stone ring project with a princess cut center stone. I have narrowed mine down so far to a 1.5 carat princess with cut corners. I will be looking for side stones next and then setting choices. Best of luck on your ring and I'll be following your thread :)
 
Merefrank|1391982134|3611566 said:
YACN, Wow I too fell in loooove with the three stone ring you posted from the older thread, wowza ! And the center stone was less than .50 with two .20 side stones, so something similar seems do-able even for those of us without the honkin' PS budgets !

Notice though, that it was a center round with pear sides. I had had my heart set on a princess for years, and love my small princess center with six graduated round side stones, but if I had to do it again, I would NOT go princess. They won't show up as large and simply do not have comparable sparkle, and when on a budget every little bit counts !

Can any of you amazing "jewelry designers for fun" put together the above mentioned ring in his budget ? I'll TRY not to be too envious of your fiance if she ends up with a ring like that, no promises though !
Yea, unfortunately, I don't think I could pull off that same ring with a princess center stone. I'm probably the least artistically inclined person I know (my poor art teachers from high school would probably tell you my brain consists of two left halves), but I don't think the smooth lines of the pear side stones would complement the strong edges of a princess cut as well as they do RB. I really am pretty amazed by that ring though!

I personally don't have a strong commitment to the princess cut, however, my girlfriend has expressed that she would prefer something other than a RB. I'm open to other ideas though even if they do require additional work to ensure the stone performs well!

Jimmianne -
Thanks for taking the time to do a search on ebay for me :)). To be honest, the idea of purchasing something like this from ebay is quite terrifying. The GIA certification helps with some of the concerns but I would still be very concerned about the optics. My girlfriend has also expressed some discomfort with the idea of buying a used ring which I can understand. If my girlfriend was not opposed to the idea I would be much more willing to consider it, however, I think it would be very upsetting to her if she found out it was a pre-owned ring. I really do appreciate you taking the time to look those up for me though!

momhappy -
Thank you :)). It has been a while since I've looked at e-rings, so perhaps I have just forgotten, but I don't think I am familiar with princess stones with cut corners. Is it similar to a radiant cut? Do you have a link where I could check out some of these style diamonds? C.P.'s e-ring that I linked to earlier has me wondering if I can find something more creative than three standard princess cut stones.
 
ok.. so ill just say....

You know what looks great with pear sides, and could easily be done well in your budget? a marquise...

Im a marquise fan so I'll always throw the idea out there, but it might work in this situation.

They face up larger for their ctw compared to a princess that faces up smaller, they hide hide inclusions so you can go down in clarity, they look amazing with pear sides, and they aren't round lol

Also, is there a chance you would forgo the pave in the setting? If its not mandatory i might suggest it. The setting will be cheaper without pave in the setting. Also sometimes simplicity is best. lastly, of course shell be wearing a wedding band too, so if there isn't pave in the e ring, you can add it with the wedding band and get the same look

1709_marquise_w.jpg
 
Niel|1391988066|3611617 said:
ok.. so ill just say....

You know what looks great with pear sides, and could easily be done well in your budget? a marquise...

Im a marquise fan so I'll always throw the idea out there, but it might work in this situation.

They face up larger for their ctw compared to a princess that faces up smaller, they hide hide inclusions so you can go down in clarity, they look amazing with pear sides, and they aren't round lol

Also, is there a chance you would forgo the pave in the setting? If its not mandatory i might suggest it. The setting will be cheaper without pave in the setting. Also sometimes simplicity is best. lastly, of course shell be wearing a wedding band too, so if there isn't pave in the e ring, you can add it with the wedding band and get the same look
Hmm well I don't know anything about marquise but I'm willing to consider it. I'm not sure I'll have much time to research the option tonight, but hopefully this week I'll be able to find some time to read up on them. The quick search I did perform mentioned that they tend to lack the brilliance and scintillation of some other cuts. From our limited viewing of diamonds in person it seems that my girlfriend is interested in that fiery sparkling you get. I believe it was GOG who had a YouTube channel where I was able to see a number of cuts and there optical performance. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a marquise on there :)).

My girlfriend wanted something a little different from a standard solitaire ring which I think helped drive the interest in pave. The added sparkle across her finger helped as well I'm sure. I don't see any reason that I couldn't consider pave in the wedding band and leave it out of the e-ring. I forgot how addicting and enjoyable this experience was the last time I was looking (same girl - life happened and the finances didn't work out) at diamonds! It really does hamper my progress with other less exciting work I have to do haha :))
 
It's true good marquise are hard to come by, and bad ones can be real duds, but a good marquise can have quite fine fire.

Good old gold would be who I would go to. They could find you a good marquise an matching sides they also would have a bench to set them.

In regards to the pave - I can totally understand if it's a requirement. I just wanted to throw the idea out because sometimes people forget you get to wear a wedding band too so ou don't always have to throw all your ideas on one ring.

If she is happy with lower colors what about low colored antique cushion? They sure will throw fire and be very unique.
 
Neil love it, that's beautiful. Nice find :love:
 
YACN|1391987501|3611611 said:
Jimmianne -
Thanks for taking the time to do a search on ebay for me :)). To be honest, the idea of purchasing something like this from ebay is quite terrifying. The GIA certification helps with some of the concerns but I would still be very concerned about the optics. My girlfriend has also expressed some discomfort with the idea of buying a used ring which I can understand. If my girlfriend was not opposed to the idea I would be much more willing to consider it, however, I think it would be very upsetting to her if she found out it was a pre-owned ring. I really do appreciate you taking the time to look those up for me though!

.

Very kind of you to write what you did. I understand completely! You will find a wonderful ring with the help of the good folks here. Best to you!
 
Niel|1391994481|3611673 said:
also.. theres this. I know they don't have ASETS, but this company offers a PS discount, and you can always have get it home and review it with your eyes

http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/jewelry/colorless-diamond-ring-110ctw-e-vs1-cushion-cut-three-stone-ring-trade-in-special-r791

That ring is beautiful but it seems like I would be paying a premium for the E color and VS1 clarity. I think that something in the G-I range (although G or H seems safer) and eye clean would be fine. I spent some time thinking about it the last couple days and I don't think I'm going to go with a marquise cut. I didn't find a 3 stone ring with that cut that I really loved and am concerned about giving her something I am not 100% sure she will love.

I keep coming back on these two settings in yellow gold from James Allen that I really like.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagemen...channel-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-2343
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagemen...and-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-559

If I could get some help finding a couple center stones to request ASET images of that would be fantastic! I am still open to suggestions but my original thought of a 3 stone princess cut with pave is feeling like the right choice at the moment.

Hopefully I'll be able to find a couple candidate stones (or at least reach a concrete decision on a vendor and setting) over the next couple of days.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions so far Niel.

*Edit*
I could also use some clever suggestions on how to figure out her ring size! I thought I had it written down from when we went looking at rings but I've since lost it. I think she was a size 5 but I can't remember for sure... She also doesn't wear any rings for me to borrow one to compare against and return without her noticing. I think she owns one ring from a family member but since it's the only one (and I don't even know how well it fits her) I don't think I could get away with taking it to figure out her ring size.
 
YACN|1392348769|3614988 said:
Niel|1391994481|3611673 said:
also.. theres this. I know they don't have ASETS, but this company offers a PS discount, and you can always have get it home and review it with your eyes

http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/jewelry/colorless-diamond-ring-110ctw-e-vs1-cushion-cut-three-stone-ring-trade-in-special-r791

That ring is beautiful but it seems like I would be paying a premium for the E color and VS1 clarity. I think that something in the G-I range (although G or H seems safer) and eye clean would be fine. I spent some time thinking about it the last couple days and I don't think I'm going to go with a marquise cut. I didn't find a 3 stone ring with that cut that I really loved and am concerned about giving her something I am not 100% sure she will love.

I keep coming back on these two settings in yellow gold from James Allen that I really like.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagemen...channel-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-2343
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagemen...and-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-559

If I could get some help finding a couple center stones to request ASET images of that would be fantastic! I am still open to suggestions but my original thought of a 3 stone princess cut with pave is feeling like the right choice at the moment.

Hopefully I'll be able to find a couple candidate stones (or at least reach a concrete decision on a vendor and setting) over the next couple of days.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions so far Niel.


Sounds like you know exactly what you want. Great! sorry if i overwhelmed you. i just think theres nothing wrong with options, and once you know whats out there, you can be certain you picked the perfect thing!

AGS 000 and would be right about in budget if you ask for a Pricescope discount
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/three-stone/18k-yellow-gold-three-stone-princess-and-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-559

(i much prefer the pave 3 stone vs the channel set 3 stone.)
 
Niel|1392349223|3614994 said:
Sounds like you know exactly what you want. Great! sorry if i overwhelmed you. i just think theres nothing wrong with options, and once you know whats out there, you can be certain you picked the perfect thing!

AGS 000 and would be right about in budget if you ask for a Pricescope discount
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/three-stone/18k-yellow-gold-three-stone-princess-and-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-559

(i much prefer the pave 3 stone vs the channel set 3 stone.)
Not overwhelmed at all! I think there are some great options there for the future when I am able to get her input on a ring! I wouldn't want to miss out on something amazing I didn't think of because I was being closed-minded.

I think I prefer the pave 3 stone as well. It looks like I can get a 0.7 ct AGS 000 for around $2500 from James Allen. I thought JA offered ASET images on up to 3 stones? In that case I could ask for ASET images of an AGS 000 as a fairly safe option plus two others on GIA graded stones. I could use some suggestions on other stones I might consider if anyone has some! Please let me know if my logic behind that plan is flawed for some reason!
 
Having seen some threads about the work that IDJ was able to do for other pricescopers on a budget I decided to shoot them an email a couple days ago about my search for a princess cut three stone ering. I received an email from Yekutiel the next morning asking to figure out a time for us to further discuss what I was looking for. My schedule is pretty crazy these days and my only availability during the hours listed on their website was tomorrow afternoon. To my surprise he offered to give me a call today (off to a good start :)) ) and we were able to talk a little bit about what I wanted.

He strongly recommended the following setting from Gabriel NY: http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER4275W44JJ.
Yekutiel provided me with what he thought were 3 promising stones for the center stone. They are all around 5.1 mm with varying clarity and color ratings. He asked me not to post the diamonds that he suggested until he is able to secure them so I won't provide anything too specific at the moment. Once he secures the diamonds he is going to provide me with ASET images at which point I hope to get some expert advice from everyone here :))).

After having thought about things for a few hours I have a couple of concerns (that I am also emailing Yekutiel about).
1. The total weight of the diamonds in this setting is 0.33 ct which makes it seem like the side stones would be really drowned out by the center stone at 5.1 mm. He mentioned that he would need to check on the side stones to see what the dimensions were rather than just going by the carat weight. It seems to be that they would still be very small (regardless of how they were cut) in comparison with the center stone. I am not really sure what proportions I am looking for, but this seems to be very small. Any input on this aspect would be greatly appreciated.

2. I am somewhat concerned about the cut quality of the side stones that will be used in the setting as they are supplied by Gabriel rather than Yekutiel. I am confident that with Yekutiel's help, and ASET images to set my mind at ease, that the center stone will be beautiful, but the side stones seem like a huge wild card that could really take away from the ring if the cut isn't up to par with the center stone. Does anyone have experience with three stone rings such as this from Gabriel to speak to the quality of their diamonds?
 
Side stones at that size almost always come with the setting, and Gabriel is good quality. It is not too small, but some people like the center to be much larger and some like the sides to be closer to the size of the center. That just depends on the look you prefer.

Here are other Gabriel settings:

http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/styles/1?category=ER&style=3+Stone&default_head_shape=PR

Just keep in mind that the larger the sidestones, the more the setting will cost, and that will leave you with less for the center stone.
 
diamondseeker2006|1392597195|3616620 said:
Side stones at that size almost always come with the setting, and Gabriel is good quality. It is not too small, but some people like the center to be much larger and some like the sides to be closer to the size of the center. That just depends on the look you prefer.

Here are other Gabriel settings:

http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/styles/1?category=ER&style=3+Stone&default_head_shape=PR

Just keep in mind that the larger the sidestones, the more the setting will cost, and that will leave you with less for the center stone.

Thanks for your input diamondseeker. I think I am among the crowd that would like the side stones to be a little closer to the size of the center stone. Yekutiel is checking with Gabriel to see what options we have for the side stones.

I received the ASET and Idealscope images today for a stone that he called in for me. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated!

aset.jpg

idealscope_0.jpg

*edit*
Am I just jaded by the ASETs shown on Brian Gavin and Whiteflash or does this one look underwhelming? The transparent spots in the idealscope and the ASET are leakage correct? If so, it appears that there is a significant amount of leakage as well...
 
It is fairly average.
 
JulieN|1392770089|3618167 said:
It is fairly average.

I'm sorry but could you clarify that a little for me. Do you mean it is fairly average as a diamond including all sources? Or do you mean that it is typical of what you'd expect to see in an ASET / idealscope image of a princess cut diamond on pricescope? I'm assuming you mean the former...
 
Gypsy|1392773758|3618227 said:
Alternately, I'd get this:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/10886/ Beautiful cushion
with this setting:
http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER8865W44JJ
Or this one:
http://goodoldgold.com/engagementrings/index.php (Pricescope discount should give you 20% off that price!)

I think that first setting is beautiful, but I can't decide how my girlfriend would feel about it. The second setting just goes to the Gabriel NY settings page on GoG though.
 
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