I have chosen my ring...now for the center

[DonnaH]

I have chosen this Kirk KAra ring which I love. I went to the only B&M store in my area to sell Kirk KAra...I would buy it online if I could. Anyhoo, therein lies the dilemna...Now I need a center stone. I would like a vintage cushion cut vs2 clarity, G or better color...i just have a thing against the S1/S2 thing...perhaps I am crazy. I am having two tiny sapphires put on the sides for my twins birthstones. By the why, this is actually an upgrade, been married 13 years. My budget is 9K inclusing the setting which is 4K. So I am looking for a .90 to 1.o plus antique cushion for 5K or under. My B&M jeweler has a 1.05 ct cushion (not antique) H s1 for 5300. Please help me

 

[DonnaH]

I am open to a RB or any other suggestions

 

[MissGotRocks]

The ring you have chosen is very beautiful. It does, however, take up almost half of your budget. It's an intricate setting and while some may advise to try to have it custom made, I'd think that isn't the best course for you. Once you've seen and decided on the real deal, it's sometimes difficult to have it reproduced into a version that you would really love.

That said, you come to the point of your post which is finding a center stone. I don't know how many diamonds you've had a chance to view in real life, but your specs are a bit high in relation to your budget given the huge price increases we've seen in stones in recent weeks. I'd call some of the online vendors here to get suggestions on stones they may have in stock. VS1 and VS2 stones are beautiful but I wouldn't throw out all SI stones until I'd had a chance to see them. I have a 2+ carat center stone that is an SI1 and completely eye clean. It is not just a mental thing - the inclusions are pinpoints off to the edge of the stone. They are all very small and invisible to the naked eye and yet it is the number of them that contribute to the SI clarity rating. Some have thought the stone would have easily been a VS stone in less stringent grading so it is possible to find a very eye clean SI stone. In terms of color, H is very close to G and I seriously doubt you'd be able to tell the difference - particularly in a setting that halos the center stone. A well cut stone will more than make up for color grading outside of the colorless range. I say all of this more in relation to a rb stone - cushion cut stones are a different animal indeed.

You can use the diamond search feature at the top of the page to input different size, color and clarity stones. This will give you some idea of where you would be in terms of price for the various specs you have mentioned. There are tons of posts and pictures on the forum showing different clarity and color grades. My point is that until you've seen some really well cut stones in person, try not to limit yourself to clarity or color. You might be pleasantly surprised to find that your parameters can be greatly increased.

 

[slg47]

does the setting fit a more square or more rectangular stone, or will it be made to fit whatever center you choose?

some options

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/7138/
http://engagementringsdirect.com/DiamondCushionDetails.aspx?Item=33
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/8050/