Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

HOF dream cut help

R

RedEagle

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 4, 2011
Messages
5
My girlfriend visited a local jeweler and fell in love with an engagement ring. (I wasn't with her for this visit.) Here is the information the jeweler wrote down:

size 6
INA 696953
Dream cut
.70 ct - H - V1
40dife - .41ct

He said it is priced at $8500. How does that price seem for this ring? I read that radiant cut diamonds are just as beautiful and the price is less for the same size.

Here is a picture, attached:

TranDRA_1_0.png

Thank you in advance for your time/ expertise!

-RedEagle
 
That price is absolutely insane! The price mark-up on HOF is HUGE!!!

For some nice, excellent cut square stones, I recommend you look at Good Old Gold. They can do the halo settings as well.

Take a look at the square hearts and arrows, princess of hearts, Jubilee, octavia asscher, and radiants.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamondSearch.php

I am going to take a quick look and see if they have any close to those specs just to compare price.
 
I fell in love with the Dream Cut as well. I would not get an asscher, even if it is an Octavia Asscher. But I would seriously consider a Princess of Hearts or a Jubilee.

I also would look at the Lucere, which is a personal favorite as it has a step cut crown and brilliant cut pavillion.

The price is insane on that Dream Cut though. Maybe try to find a pre-owned one?


I wouldn't do a radiant. I would consider a cushion brilliant though!
 
I really like the Dream cut. I think you could achieve a similar look with one of the branded cuts that GOG carries. Look into the Jubilee, Princess of Hearts, Square Cushion Hearts & Arrows (I think they are calling this Brellia now?) and Lucere. There are some great videos comparing these cuts so you can see what you like the best.
 
Thank you for the quick replies! According to my girlfriend, the jeweler said that the HOF dream cut is about twice as expensive as other diamonds, but that the cut is the most important factor for appearance (at least casual views). My girlfriend likes how it sparkled (she likes sparkly/glittery things), so if I can find something else that sparkles very nicely for a more reasonable price (or a better diamond for a similar price) it would be a better option. (Seems I am definitely looking for an ideal cut diamond.) I am going to go in to take a look at the ring so I know what it looks like from all different angles.

But do you think I would be wasting my time trying to buy the ring locally? (I am in CT.) In other words, are the prices better on good sites online, such as the ones you have referenced? Would it make sense to buy the diamond online and then the setting/ring locally so that I can see different options in person? Would I have to worry about a local jeweler switching my diamond with a lesser one?

Also, I have money saved up, so I can pay all at once. It seems the best way to pay is to wire money from bank account.
 
You will never find the selection of ideal cut stones at a local jeweler as you will at a jeweler who specializes in them, such as Good Old Gold. I would recommend that you look carefully through their site and give them a call. This type stone is not common at all. Then I would email GOG the picture of the setting and they can show you what they have similar. It will be much easier to have them set the stone. Be sure you know her correct ring size, though!
 
diamondseeker2006|1304604170|2912927 said:
You will never find the selection of ideal cut stones at a local jeweler as you will at a jeweler who specializes in them, such as Good Old Gold. I would recommend that you look carefully through their site and give them a call. This type stone is not common at all. Then I would email GOG the picture of the setting and they can show you what they have similar. It will be much easier to have them set the stone. Be sure you know her correct ring size, though!
Click to expand...

Ditto what diamondseeker is telling you. I've seen HOF Dream stones in person, and they are lovely. I do think that a Princess of Hearts or a Square Cut Princess (Brellia ?) would be very close to the Dream, and Jonathan and his staff at Good Old Gold will make sure the stone you choose sparkles as much as an HOF. With what you save, you can afford to bump up the size of the stone a little bit, too. Good Old Gold has a retail store somewhere near New York City. If you can swing it, it might be worth a trip up there to meet Jonathan and see the stones in person. He will also make a video for you of the stones he has in stock that meet your specifications. You can post the link to the video here and ask for opinions on the stones.

I have never purchased anything from GOG, but if I was looking for a fancy cut stone, GOG would be one of the first places I'd start.

ETA: Was the price the HOF dealer quoted you for just the stone, or for the setting and the stone?
 
You are absolutely right that the cut is the most important. That's why I wouldn't go with a generic radiant or cushion but with one of these super ideal branded cuts, if you do decide not to go with the HOF.

Is that price for the entire ring or just the diamond? If it includes the entire ring the price doesn't seem that bad.

the problem with square cushion H&A is that there are not as many of them as rounds for example, so finding one in your exact color/clarity might be tough. this one is the closest I could find

0.83 E VS1
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8297/

which should leave you enough room for a setting if your budget is 8500.
 
I do not know for sure whether the $8500 was for the diamond or the entire ring. (2nd hand info from my girlfriend.) From what everyone is saying it seems that $8500 wouldn't be bad for the entire ring. (If that was the case, perhaps I might walk in there with $7800, make sure I understand all the details about the purchase, and let the jeweler know that I have $7800 with me. We can either meet at that price or I can go and check out other options. Would that be a good plan? I would have to make sure that I am able to have it appraised afterwards and the option to return it if it's not what they said it was.) If the $8500 is just for the diamond, I still want to go take a look at it so I have a better idea what I'm looking for.

Yes, the website says GOG is about 2 hours from me, on Long Island. Definitely drivable. (The local jeweler is almost an hour.)
 
I am pretty sure it is for the entire ring.

A local jeweler tried to sell me a HoF. Showed me a 1ct Dream by itself. Price was $13000. Then showed a .75ct dream in a halo setting the pricetag was on the ring for $8999. .50ct in halo setting was $5999.

HoF does have a sizeable markup, and you are only paying for the brandname. You can do better online than that. You could get around .80-85 round brilliant in a halo for about that price. Likewise if you want a cc square brilliant you can do better online as well.
 
I don't know how you feel about getting a pre-owned ring, but I found this on ebay when I did a quick search just now. It looks VERY similar to the style you showed and the center diamond is just a tad smaller (about a 0.6 carat instead of a 0.7 carat). You can probably get it for $4000 or even less since there is a Best Offer option. At any rate, you could find a pre-owned HOF Dream Cut if that is what you are after and buy the HOF setting separately. Hope this helps!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hearts-Fire-Dream-Solitaire-Diamond-Engagement-Ring-/280659110844?pt=Diamond_Solitaire_Rings&hash=item4158962bbc
 
Thank you all for your replies.

That one on Ebay looks pretty good. Might it be practical to have the diamond re-mounted? Or the "band" part of the ring redone? I know my girlfriend wants diamonds (or at least detail) over half of the band. (And she is size 6 whereas this ring is 5 or 5.5.)
 
I am not an expert at all, but this is what I think. Diamonds can definitely be remounted and this should not be a problem. I don't think resizing the ring up half or a full size will be a problem either. However, I do not know about somehow changing the band to a more pave look although I personally would not do that. If you think the diamond is a good deal in and of itself, I would get the diamond and order the setting she wants from HOF. Or, maybe she likes the ring as is even without the diamonds on the band and you can call it a day!
 
OK...if she was looking at a 0.75 carat I don't think she would be thrilled with a 0.5 carat ebay purchase. Just my two cents.
 
It wouldn't be worth buying just for the stone, that's for sure! I want really discourage you from going smaller for the center stone. You can go larger than .70 if you go to other excellent cut stones. Can you tell us what your total budget for the ring is?
 
I do not have a strict budget, but from what everyone is saying, it seems I can find a similar halo setting with a very nice diamond for around $7000. (If the halo setting is about $2000, then I have about $5000 for the diamond.)

I like the brellia cut. There are a couple on GOG site that are a bit above my target price for the diamond, but not much:
(someone likely mentioned one of these two before)
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8038
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8297

Of course, the larger the diamond is (even a minute difference) I imagine the halo setting jumps up in price because it needs to be a little larger. Any other brellia cut diamonds from other sites? Or any other square-ish cuts that compete with the sparkly-ness of brellia cut diamonds? (I imagine it varies by individual diamond.)
 
RedEagle|1304691604|2913899 said:
I do not have a strict budget, but from what everyone is saying, it seems I can find a similar halo setting with a very nice diamond for around $7000. (If the halo setting is about $2000, then I have about $5000 for the diamond.)

I like the brellia cut. There are a couple on GOG site that are a bit above my target price for the diamond, but not much:
(someone likely mentioned one of these two before)
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8038
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8297

Of course, the larger the diamond is (even a minute difference) I imagine the halo setting jumps up in price because it needs to be a little larger. Any other brellia cut diamonds from other sites? Or any other square-ish cuts that compete with the sparkly-ness of brellia cut diamonds? (I imagine it varies by individual diamond.)
Click to expand...

The Brellia cut is very nice. I think you'll want to stay in the 3/4 carat range, or a little above, if that's the size she saw and liked in the HOF.

If you are able to go to GOG, you might want to call ahead and ask if Jonathan and his staff can arrange to have some more stones in your price range brought in. The two you are considering are priced higher because they are D and E color, which pushes the price up. If Jonathan can locate stones in the F, G, H color ranges, in the VS and SI clarity ranges, you'll save some money and maybe even be able to go up in size. GOG also does custom settings, as well as stock settings, so they should be able to help you with the setting design you're looking for, too.

As to your question about what other vendors to contact -- have you looked at Brian Gavin Diamonds (BGD)? I believe that is where slg47 got her beautiful square-cushion H&A stone and setting.

Here's a thread with photos of her ring https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-ring-square-cushion-ha-with-pear-sides.148616/
 
slg's setting came from Brian Gavin, but I am almost positive she got her center stone from Good Old Gold. That is the only place I know of selling the square H&A stones.

Red Eagle, those are both gorgeous stones and would make an excellent stone for a halo ring! I agree that you could easily go to F-H color if there was something available. I'll take a look, but the E stone would probably be fine. I'd just like to see the picture..it must be a new stone.
 
diamondseeker2006|1304696330|2913938 said:
slg's setting came from Brian Gavin, but I am almost positive she got her center stone from Good Old Gold. That is the only place I know of selling the square H&A stones.

Red Eagle, those are both gorgeous stones and would make an excellent stone for a halo ring! I agree that you could easily go to F-H color if there was something available. I'll take a look, but the E stone would probably be fine. I'd just like to see the picture..it must be a new stone.
Click to expand...

actually I got my center stone locally! lula thanks for linking the thread. I would call GOG but since these are not as common as say H&A rounds it may be difficult to find one in your exact color/clarity specs.
 
I'd ask about this one because it looks like it may be eyeclean. You might want to call and have them pull all three stones and make a picture or video for you! Also ask about halo settings.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/7878/

Sorry slg!!! I just knew GOG was the only one here carrying them!
 
diamondseeker2006|1304696704|2913947 said:
I'd ask about this one because it looks like it may be eyeclean. You might want to call and have them pull all three stones and make a picture or video for you! Also ask about halo settings.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/7878/

Sorry slg!!! I just knew GOG was the only one here carrying them!
Click to expand...

oh, no problem! definitely ask about the SI1, you could save a lot to get a really awesome halo setting :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top