I need the experts opinion!! 3 carat diamond w/ 1.5 ct setting

[faina00]

My husband just ordered my birthday gift......and now I am getting incredibly nervous!!!

Here are the (partial) stats:

round, 3.03 carat center, I, VS

here is a link to the setting, it si 1.5 carats yellow and white diamonds, it will be custom made to fit a round, as opposed to the pic which is princess:

http://www.steindiamonds.com/product-settings-details/1173

This company is rated A by the BBB and we are comfortable with them.

Do you think the quality of the diamond is one that I will be happy with? I LOVE the setting, but I am worried, will it be over the top, 4.5 carats alltogether, or will it look beautiful? I am a bigger is better kind of girl

 

[chrono]

Date: 8/7/2009 4:25:47 PM
Author:faina00
My husband just ordered my birthday gift......and now I am getting incredibly nervous!!!

Here are the (partial) stats:

round, 3.03 carat center, I, VS

here is a link to the setting, it si 1.5 carats yellow and white diamonds, it will be custom made to fit a round, as opposed to the pic which is princess:

http://www.steindiamonds.com/product-settings-details/1173

This company is rated A by the BBB and we are comfortable with them.

Do you think the quality of the diamond is one that I will be happy with? I LOVE the setting, but I am worried, will it be over the top, 4.5 carats alltogether, or will it look beautiful? I am a bigger is better kind of girl

Link fixed.
If you are the bigger is better type, you can''t go wrong with going big now because many succumb to DSS (Diamond Shrinkage Syndrome).

 

[faina00]

Thanks for fixing the link.

Diamond Shrinkage Syndrom....that''s hilarious! I thought I read posts about diamonds shrinking and I was thoroughly confused....I figured it must all be in the head

 

[RaspberryBliss]

Wow, that''s going to be a show stopper...bling, bling! Make sure you come back with some hand pictures for us!

 

[faina00]

Yes, I wasnt expecting such a large setting, I was looking for yellow diamonds and antique, and came across this one and loved it.


My concern is this:

We were initially looking at G color, but it was Si1 or S12.

Hubby decided to go lower in color, to an I, but raised the clarity to VS.

I hope the drop in color wont be extreme, is an I still close to colorless?

 

[tyty333]

Wow! Thats a whole lot of ring! Are you used to wearing big rings? What size finger do you have?
Just curious how big your ering is? Will it compete? Do you care?

 

[D&T]

Date: 8/7/2009 5:50:58 PM
Author: faina00
Yes, I wasnt expecting such a large setting, I was looking for yellow diamonds and antique, and came across this one and loved it.


My concern is this:

We were initially looking at G color, but it was Si1 or S12.

Hubby decided to go lower in color, to an I, but raised the clarity to VS.

I hope the drop in color wont be extreme, is an I still close to colorless?

you should be fine! it will be beautiful gorgeous!

 

[faina00]

This is to replace my original engagement ring. Now to figure out what to do with the old one!!! My old ring was 1.5 ct center, .5 setting. We will either be turning it into a pendant or band for the right hand. It was a tacori setting.

Yes, most of my jewelry is on the big size.

 

[faina00]

Thank you D&T...your comment helped qualm my fears about the I color

 

[Gypsy]

Just wanted to comment and say that you don''t mention the shape of the diamond or it''s grading lab.


If the center is a radiant you might see body color. Especially as the ''cup'' it''s sitting in will be yellow.

If it''s not a radiant and it''s a "I" graded by GIA or AGS I you will likely be okay-- IF you have seen the diamond placed in the setting and have looked at it (in the setting) in all lighting environments. But... in a stone that large if the stone isn''t cut for optimal light return you might see some body color in an I especially in anything rectangular.

I''ve seen large I stones and loved them. But almost all of them showed some body color even to my eyes. And most of them ones I saw were very well cut, and not in yellow gold ''cups'' like that setting has.

Personally unless your center is an emerald cut or an asscher I would rather have an eyeclean SI G or H (GIA or AGS) in a square, at that size, for that setting than higher clarity.

 

[faina00]

The center stone round....the setting has been custom made to be round.

My husband decided that a stone that large should be a vs, as in that large of a size clarity might dominate color.

 

[faina00]

PS
I could be wrong, but I am thinking a yellow diamond cup like this one might hide any color the stone might have better than a white diamond cup.....just my thoughts we shall see any day now I suppose....

Just wanted to hear others'' opinions on an I versus G, is it drastic and was it smart to go better clarity in that regard....

 

[Gypsy]

Ahh. Good do you have stats on the round then? Any of the numbers off of the certificate... anything?

TO MY EYE, in ideal cut rounds no... G to I face up is not huge, at all. At all.

 

[Phoenix]

I'm intrigued by this thread, as I'm currently also considering an upgrade (yet another upgrade

). My current e-ring is F VS2. I can't upgrade to a larger stone of the same colour as the outlay would be astronomical. I thought I'd already decided on G and eye-clean Si2, but have lately been going back and forth between G/H Si2 and H/I Si1 (very eye-clean) or even I VS2.

My gemologist recently told me that faced with budget constraints (don't we all, unless your name is Warren Buffett?!

), you should go for a lower colour (as low as you can tolerate it in your eye and mind) and a higher clarity. His reasoning is that most people can't discern the differences in these different grades of colour, unless the stones are placed upside down, unmounted and right next to each other, which one's e-ring will never be. He also seems to think that most people can pick out inclusions in a diamond, however. This is very interesting because I'd always thought of myself as being fairly colour sensitive and not so clarity-sensitive.

I also have been looking at diamond rings in shops and face-up, I really can't discern the differences between a G and I (both diamonds of a similar size, ie. about 4ct). When viewed from the side, the I does show a slight tint but very very slight. Again, most of the time, you'll wear your ring on its own and not next to another one.

I suspect this is very much a "mind-clean" issue, ie. choose whatever you and your husband feel comfortable with. Either way, IMHO (I'm not an expert), you cannot go wrong with G or I, VS or an eye-clean Si, in a RB.

With regard to your other Q's: No, a 3ct centre stone would not be too big (you already wear 2ctw earrings, I seem to remember from another post) and a WG basket would be better as the YG would impart the yellow onto the stone. Again, just my 0.02.

(As an aside, I have J colour studs and face-up they're very very white, but they're of top-notch cut, which is very very important in making diamonds face up whiter. Just thought you might want to know that).

 

[faina00]

Gypsy, I should have the stats soon...hubby has been doing this for the most part Thanks for the comparison G to I...

 

[faina00]

Phoenix, thanks for the advice. That is what we decided on as well, lower color, higher clarity (I, VS)

I hope you are not right though about he yellow basket reflecting yellow on the diamond
I love yellow diamond e-ring mountings, with white diamond centers, which is why I picked this particular setting....I was hoping that the yellow and white would contrast greatly. I guess we shall see!

 

[Gypsy]

About the ''cup''... as they are custom making the setting for your stone. I would ask for a white metal cup. That yellow cup will impart color into a white diamond. Just the cup part. Keep the bezel and the rest yellow, but I personally would want the cup white metal... or not there at all (Open Culet).

 

[D&T]

Date: 8/9/2009 9:51:28 AM
Author: faina00
Phoenix, thanks for the advice. That is what we decided on as well, lower color, higher clarity (I, VS)

I hope you are not right though about he yellow basket reflecting yellow on the diamond
I love yellow diamond e-ring mountings, with white diamond centers, which is why I picked this particular setting....I was hoping that the yellow and white would contrast greatly. I guess we shall see!

I think it will look stunning. For whats its worth I have a completely yellow gold ring including prongs, with a K Super Ideal color diamond and my diamond still looks pretty white face up nicely i think.

 

[faina00]

Excuse my ignorance but I dont think I truly understand what the"cup" is?!

 

[marcy]

Your will have a beautiful ring.

 

[D&T]

Date: 8/9/2009 1:54:09 PM
Author: faina00
Excuse my ignorance but I dont think I truly understand what the''cup'' is?!

I think Gypsy meant this...

 

[Phoenix]

I'd go with Gypsy's recommendation to not have any cup at all.

Have you noticed how with FY rings, they're almost always set in YG in the basket and a lot of them with have a yellow cup underneath the stone, to enhance the yellow colour?

Plus, the cup will block out the light from entering the stone from underneath and may make the stone look less white and less firey too. Your setting, whilst beautiful, will already block the light from entering from the sides, so I'd, if it were me, not want the bottom of the stone to be blocked too.

This is what *I* would do. I I hope someone else with more experience/ with expertise will chime in on this.

 

[faina00]

Thanks everyone for the cup recommendations. Hubby thinks its only there for the photo but I will find out just in case.....

I am second guessing myself , if I should make it all white gold and keep the yellow diamonds still to keep that tone tone look?

I am afraid that the yellow diamonds will get lost in the yellow gold and blend in too much? But then again I do love the two tone look as well...

 

[D&T]

let me just give you something to think about, you can see from this ring, that the diamonds are all white but with two tone and just the center is yellow diamond. But your center will be white. This may or may not help you.

 

[D&T]

and here is one with yellow diamonds on the shank. does it look like it will blend in too much?

 

[faina00]

D&T....thanks for those photos.....you and everyone on this site are so helpful!!

No I do not believe it will blend in when I look at those photos. I think it is tricky because I am customizing the setting. Basically I liked the setting, but wanted one for a round stone. I did ask them to change the prongs to smaller more invisible ones as well. I am guessing that a white halo would make the diamond look larger than the yellow one I am getting but I liked the contrast in colors.

I do feel like I am being too bold by going into this blindly to some extent, and with such a large purchase. Yes, I see the setting but not what it will look like for a round stone. My hubby says if I want adjustments we will send it back and have them do so, but I do not know if it will be so easy!! I''m not sure if once its set it can just be manipulated too much. But I suspect I will love it, just need a drink while I wait

 

[D&T]

Date: 8/10/2009 11:41:27 AM
Author: faina00
D&T....thanks for those photos.....you and everyone on this site are so helpful!!

No I do not believe it will blend in when I look at those photos. I think it is tricky because I am customizing the setting. Basically I liked the setting, but wanted one for a round stone. I did ask them to change the prongs to smaller more invisible ones as well. I am guessing that a white halo would make the diamond look larger than the yellow one I am getting but I liked the contrast in colors.

I do feel like I am being too bold by going into this blindly to some extent, and with such a large purchase. Yes, I see the setting but not what it will look like for a round stone. My hubby says if I want adjustments we will send it back and have them do so, but I do not know if it will be so easy!! I''m not sure if once its set it can just be manipulated too much. But I suspect I will love it, just need a drink while I wait

lol... doing anything custom is nerve racking I''m sure, I''ve done it three times, and everytime second guessing myself. But I loved every piece I did, Do you think they can do a CAD drawing for you first? before you commit? so you aren''t going in completely blinded know what I mean