I need help please

[JayG]

Hello All,

I wish I had found this site a lot sooner than a week ago. Anyways, time is running out and I need help ring shopping. My girlfriend and I will be leaving for a short vacation first week of October and that is when I want to give her the thing.

I''m shopping for a 3 Stone ring with yellow gold. I don''t really have a huge budget, around $5500. I know it''s a limited budget but I''m only 24 and recently bought a house.

I went to Hannoush Jewelers (mall store) to check things out. They had a 3 stone ring which to me looked great but what do I know. The sales lady said the center diamond was G in color, SL1 in clarity and just less than 1CT. The side stones were .30 carats each. Unfortunately that is all the information I got. It could have been the lights they had in the store but the ring did shine very nicely. They wanted $5600 for that particular ring. I was tempted to purchase it but walked away to think about it.

I doubt you guys can offer me much advice since I don’t have all the specifications on the diamond but from what I do have one do you all think?

I know this isn’t a purchase that really should be rushed but of course I made it that way.

Thank you all for your insight.

 

[quaeritur]

I'm not familiar with that particular mall store, but I can tell you that the lights in most mall jewelry stores I've been to could make rock salt look pretty. Good for you for taking a moment to think about it.

Would you consider making your purchase online? I'm not affiliated with any vendors here, but have had great experiences with several. And since the setting you describe is not enormously intricate, I'm betting one of the vendors listed here on PriceScope could help you. Alternatively, if you don't mind posting what part of the country you're in, I suspect you might get recommendations for good independent jewelers in your area.

 

[reena]

what Q said.




i assume you're talking about round cut stones?

 

[JayG]

Thank you for the response. I am not opposed to purchasing online one bit. I have looked at a few of the vendors listed but I always seem to be out of my price range fast, I'll have to shop around some more. I'm located in Massacusetts. I work in Watertown, that is where I would be doing most of my shopping. I looked up stores in the area in the YellowPages but didn't find much.

You are correct, I am looking for round stones.

 

[Gale]

Your budget is more than decent. Whatever the size/colour/clarity range you are looking for, you will surely end up with a beautiful stone. Plenty of really beautiful stones can be found in the $3500 - $4000 range that are beautifully cut and nicely sized. This will leave you a decent sum for the setting.

At this point in time, I would guess that the big question is, what are you looking for in the centre stone? Are you looking for size, sparkle, a particular colour or clarity range? Are you looking to meet the 1 carat mark? If you can privide some more information on exactly what you are looking for, I know there would be many wonderful Pricescopers that can help you look for just the thing.

 

[JayG]

Thank you for your response Gale. I'm looking for sparkle and clarity more than I am size. My girlfriend has small hands and small fingers so nothing huge is really required. I don't really expect to make it to the 1 carat mark with my budget so that really isn't important, I think anywhere in the .75 to .90 range would be fine.

I do have a question about the color rating. I forget where I read it but it stated that G is the best color to get if the stone is going into a yellow gold setting. Is that correct?

Thank you for all your help

 

[ame]

you can go lower still with yellow but most settings that hold the stone are platinum. Its in my opinion better for security.

You can probably find a nice .9 center and a nice set of .2 or .3 side stones. I bet one of the vendors here can rock your socks.

 

[JayG]

I may have been confusing the band color with the setting color, sorry

 

[Gale]

I am not so sure about the G colour being the best one for a yellow gold setting. I think that the real experts can chime in here about that. Right now I am wearing a G in a platinum setting and it is positively beautiful. Forgive my prejudice there Jay, but it IS mine and I did choose it. Many others frequenting this forum have set IJK stones in platinum and white gold and their rings are all really, really lovely. For that matter, many have set DEF and all those other colour graded stones into 14K or 18K yellow gold and they too are very beautiful.

I have read that if you are getting a colour in the DEF range, you are better off with a white setting. I think there may be some validity in that, intellectually speaking, but am not absolutely certain about it either. Is your preference for yellow gold?

Ame is right - you can certainly check out one of the PS vendors and they will knock your socks off. I cannot recall what the specs were on Ame's stone, but it sure is lovely. She recently posted some pics in the show me the ring folder if you want to take a look at her lovely rock.

As a quick sort of check, I looked at superbcert.com and found 19 results in the D-L colour range, FL to SI1 clarity. All under $4700. There was even one at .95ct.

 

[quaeritur]

I think the tricky thing is going to be the three-stone part. I have no doubt that you can find one beautiful .75-1.0 ct stone for $5500. Finding a center and two sides plus a setting will still be possible, just more of a challenge. I think your best bet would be to call a vendor or two, tell them what you want, and see if they can help you. If they are getting you three stones, they might be able to give you more of a package deal, or discount for the set. I don't know that for a fact, just think it's worth asking about.

On the white vs. yellow gold... I don't think there's a formula to stick to. However, if you buy a colorless stone and set it in yellow gold, the yellow prongs will reflect slightly on the stone, and might make it look slightly less colorless from the side. Just something to consider if you pay the premium for the colorless range. If you prefer yellow gold, I think you can safely go down to I or J color, as long as the cut is tops, and still have it look very very nice!

FWIW, I wear a size 5 ring, and I really liked the .75 center with .25-.3 ct sides. Actually bought a cheapo sterling and CZ version of that for fun

 

[JayG]

Thank you for the site recomendation, I will be checking that site out next. I'm currently viewing http://www.mondera.com. They have a few settings that caught my eye and some loose stones that look good.

My girlfriends preference is yellow gold so that's what I'm going to get her. I don't prefer it but it's not my ring.

 

[ame]

*blush* Why thanks! Mine is a .86 and looks pretty monstrous on. I wear a size 5ish.

I think you can do VERY WELL with the vendors on here and I assure you they won't steer you wrong. You can have it made to your specifications or choose from something they already have, simple is always a classic. My personal preference is stones in the F, G, H range. Not that higher or lower in the alphabet isn't still smashing, I just think those give you the most bang for the buck. Still white, and more reasonably priced. you can definitely get by with at least a VS2 clarity, maybe even SI1. The vendors will tell you if its clean. I tend to prefer VS1-SI1 myself because you can't see the inclusions and no one else can either, no point in overpaying. We are still arguing with ourselves about making mine a threestone. I would probably go with .3ct or .25ct sidestones if I did that. I think a .85 with a couple .25 sides would rock. Having a gold setting kind of frees a little money up for you to use on stones.

 

[Upgradable]

I just went to Blue Nile and used the "Build Your Own Three Stone Ring" feature to choose an 18k yellow gold setting (think Vatche Truffle), .84 H SI1 very good cut center stone, and added 2 .31 side stones (G/H SI1/2). This gorgeous ring totaled up to $4732, and there's no tax!!!

I think you could get something wonderful made, stay within your budget, and knock her socks off!!!! Good luck.

 

[Gale]

Q (sorry, I am a bad speller Ms. Q) and Ame are right on target with recommending you call a vendor about what you are looking for. Many wonderful vendors frequent this form and are a wealth of help and information. You know your budget and what you want. In that you are many steps ahead of the process than others.

 

[diamondsonthemind]

Hey Jay, I was in a similar situation. I too am in MASS, Foxboro area, and I had visited a lot of the local jewelers including Hannoush and found that although they had some very nice stones(and very poor ones that they said were good), they wanted way too much for them. That is why I turned to this site and got set up with a jeweler by the name of Good old gold (GOG as you will see alot of people refer to it here), who is a vendor that can be found on this site. They have been great, you should check out their site at the very least, it has a ton of info. I would tend to agree with the rest of the folks here in saying that you can do much better with one of the vendors on this forum. There is a wealth of information out there and this site has a lot to offer. I think if you contact a couple of vendors as some others have suggested you should be able to find just what you are looking for. The only potential snag that I can see would be that you need the ring by the first week of October. Some vendors may have a problem making the ring that fast, but if you act soon I would think you should be okay. The good thing is that knowing the setting and stone size you want gives you a leg up on the process. Good luck.

 

[JayG]

Thanks for your help everyone. I got absolutely no work done this afternoon and still no ring. The search will continue tomorrow!

 

[Todd07]

If you are on a budget, look carefully at I/J well cut stones. I need to work on my photography but here are two photos of a J.


One photo is a close up of the J in Platinum. The second compares the J in platinum with a CZ that came with my idealscope (should compare as a D) The color is off


/idealbb/files/Starbucks 049.jpg

 

[ChooChoo]

I would second Upgradeable's recommendation and build your own ring with Blue Nile (not that the other vendors here aren't great, but I think Blue Nile would be fast and they would have tons of the settings you want in stock).

EDIT: I just saw your comment about yellow gold and her preferences - sounds like you did your homework

 

[JayG]

I think I have found a setting and a stone from one of the vendors. How does this diamond sound:

Shape: Signature Round
Laboratory: AGS
Carat Weight: .732
Color: G
Clarity: VVS2
Measurements: 5.85x5.88x3.54
Depth: 60.3%
Table: 57%
Polish: Ideal
Symmetry: Ideal
Culet: Pointed
Girdle: 0.7-1.2
Fluorescence: None
Culet: Pointed
Crown Angle : 35.1°
Crown %: 15.0
Pavillion Angle : 40.8°
Pavillion %: 42.8

Thanks again

 

[ame]

Why so high on clarity? You could probably go down to VS1 or 2 and save a little money or go bigger on the stone a little.

 

[JayG]

Well I was looking at another stone that was similiar to the one I posted but it was a VS2 and only $200 cheaper.

 

[rocks]

jay,
DO NOT RUSH. you budget is plenty for what you are looking for. you should easily be able to get a lovely .8ct in the g/h vs2/si1 range with small side stones.

worst case, get the center stone, propose with that, and worry about the side stones after the vacation...

 

[rocks]

a bit more advice. i was (just yesterday) working with a 26 year old who came to me asking for a f/g vvs clarity round. he ended up with an absolutely magnificent clean ags triple 0, fsi1...at the size he wanted, and saved quite a bit of money (which he will be spending on a vacation for himself and his intended).

good luck.

 

[quaeritur]

Hmmmmm.... it looks nice (did you get an IdealScope image?) But I actually like the picture better on that VS2. I also like the angle combo just a teeny bit more, and the way the score breaks out on the HCA. But that's splitting the proverbial hair. The VVS2 (according to the HCA) will have Very Good white light return, but does get an X in spread... My personal pref is for excellent in light return over spread.

 

[JayG]

Well I have made the purchase! I purchased the diamond I mentioned a couple posts ago. Time was running out and I had to make a decision.

Now I just need to figure out how to wire that kind of money without my girlfriend noticing a huge chunk of money missing!

Thank you everyone!