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Large diamond in Halo Setting

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vince187

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
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I took my girlfriend ring shopping over Thanksgiving break. I plan to buy online, but wanted a better idea what her tastes were.

Her first choice was a cushion cut cubic zirconia in a halo setting ($220)! She really loved it until she found out what it was. She has made it very clear that a "will you marry me" with a diamond under 2 carats is "no". My best effort to negotiate this was a "well, we could get engaged now and you could buy me a bigger diamond later". Unfortunately, nothing on any of the websites I've looked at (James Allen, Solomon Brothers, Abazias, etc) offers a halo setting for a stone that large, and probably with good reason (too bulky).

Her 2nd choice was a horribly included 3 carat round in a solitaire they were trying to sell for $20,000. These 2 rings couldn't be more different. The only thing they have in common is they show I am not marrying her for her refined taste in jewelry.

Should I have something custom made? Should I go with a solitaire? Do you have any ideas where to get a premade setting?
 
vince187 said:
The only thing they have in common is they show I am not marrying her for her refined taste in jewelry.
Click to expand...

:lol: :lol: :lol: Vince, you're so funny!!!
 
Take a look at these...just gorgeous IMHO!
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/enchanted-by-my-2-47-ct-verragio.148189/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/enchanted-by-my-2-47-ct-verragio.148189/[/URL]
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-doron-isaak-reset-is-here.158714/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-doron-isaak-reset-is-here.158714/[/URL]
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-2-carat-g-vs2-rb-ring.158409/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-2-carat-g-vs2-rb-ring.158409/[/URL]
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/comparison-photos-of-my-victor-canera-sk-leon-ring-setting.166496/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/comparison-photos-of-my-victor-canera-sk-leon-ring-setting.166496/[/URL]

More pictures here:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-collection-of-halos.121549/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-collection-of-halos.121549/[/URL]

:wavey:
 
She isn't as bad as you make her sound. She doesn't care about the other 3 Cs as much (carat, color, and cut) and the cheapest of the cheapest 2 carat diamonds is under 1 months salary. She is going to wear this every day for the rest of her life, so I am being picky. Never thought people on this forum would be so unaccepting of people just because they care about diamonds.

Thanks for the link, this is mostly what I am looking for, except:
1) Round is one of her least favorite cuts. I see they have this in princess too though.
2) I don't like buying exactly a 2 carat stone (versus 2.02 or something). I worry I will either get something poorly cut to avoid being a 1.9 carat stone, or someone will sell me a 1.95 carat stone and "round up".
3) Whiteflash prices are high.
 
vince187|1322499409|3070073 said:
She isn't as bad as you make her sound. She doesn't care about the other 3 Cs as much (carat, color, and cut) and the cheapest of the cheapest 2 carat diamonds is under 1 months salary. She is going to wear this every day for the rest of her life, so I am being picky. Never thought people on this forum would be so unaccepting of people just because they care about diamonds.

Thanks for the link, this is mostly what I am looking for, except:
1) Round is one of her least favorite cuts. I see they have this in princess too though.
2) I don't like buying exactly a 2 carat stone (versus 2.02 or something). I worry I will either get something poorly cut to avoid being a 1.9 carat stone, or someone will sell me a 1.95 carat stone and "round up".
3) Whiteflash prices are high.
Click to expand...

I will only address item 2 and assume you are getting a reputably certified stone, since item 1 is very broad and will need clarification on what direction is preferred vs round but this will make things much harder, since cut is very difficult to assess remotely and could end up with very poor performer buying "blind", and Item 3 is generally a you get what you pay for case, where the another C is valued accordingly at Whiteflash, specifically Cut.

For item 2) GIA (Gemological Institute of America), which rounds down 0.001 up to 0.008 carats to 0 and rounds up 0.009 carats to 1. This means that a 0.998 carat diamond will become a 0.99 diamond, while a 0.999 carat stone will become a 1.00 diamond. - one thing worth mentioning is generally sub 2.0 carat stones look larger because they are cut better while right at 2.0 they are cut for weight and the premium that "magic number" brings, it isn't uncommon to find 1.7 - 1.9 stones that look or are visibly larger because the weight in the 2.00 stone is dead weight due to being cut too deep, and therefore hidden from view or wasted (since too deep hurts optical performance and only ends up costing you money for something you can't see except when looking at one line on the grading certificate)
 
vince187|1322499409|3070073 said:
She isn't as bad as you make her sound. She doesn't care about the other 3 Cs as much (carat, color, and cut) and the cheapest of the cheapest 2 carat diamonds is under 1 months salary. She is going to wear this every day for the rest of her life, so I am being picky. Never thought people on this forum would be so unaccepting of people just because they care about diamonds.

Thanks for the link, this is mostly what I am looking for, except:
1) Round is one of her least favorite cuts. I see they have this in princess too though.
2) I don't like buying exactly a 2 carat stone (versus 2.02 or something). I worry I will either get something poorly cut to avoid being a 1.9 carat stone, or someone will sell me a 1.95 carat stone and "round up".
3) Whiteflash prices are high.
Click to expand...

1) what cut does she like?

2) reputable vendors will not 'round up'.

3) do you mean for the setting? WF is pretty competitively priced for what you get...
 
I'm sure she'd still marry you even with a smaller diamond! I think it's hard to read the tone when things are typed out online and people didn't understand that she's just kidding. Nothing wrong with wanting what you like if you can afford it!

Here are a couple options you might like, of course I'm not really sure what your budget is...

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8797/
~ 1.95ct square cushion

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8214/
~ 2.20 rectangular cushion

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8395/
~1.82 Princess of Hearts

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/7559/
~1.72 princess ($11.5k)
 
Here is just a quick search of the Cheapest >2.0 Ct princess cut diamond listed as In-house from Pricescope vendor - Others will warn of the generous grading of EGL, but that shouldn't apply to weight.
Measurements: 7.41-7.12x5.04
Length/Width ratio: 1.04

There is this for a 2+ Ct cushion (GIA Cert) 7.83x6.93x4.61. The return policy seems good and meets your requirements. you should be able to pair that with a custom halo from EngagementRingsDirect.com for ~$1800-$2000 and end up out the door for <$10,000

I can't speak to anything about how that stone will perform optically or how it's cut, but it meets the primary C of 2+ carats, and the color and clarity can be trusted because it is a GIA Cert.

Another option is JBEG
http://jewelsbyericagrace.com/antique_vintage_and_reproduction_rings_page_2
they have this one 1.87ct antique cushion diamond ring, GIA PRICE: $11,495 (close to budget) and comes with a setting - almost same size 7.57 x 7.14 x 5.13 mm as above (more square)

Here's an Emerald Cut from Blue Nile that might work as well (size above all else) again need to probably pick a shape and then list budget with setting ($10,000 etc).
 
I missed it if you mentioned a budget... but this Leon Menge ring is stunning... a perfect mix of color and clarity a cushion in a beautiful halo.... or Victor Canera does a bunch of custom rings on here.. there are a couple right now in "Show me the Bling"... also very pretty. Lot's of options...

You also don't mention what size she wears... I have a 1.300 Round Brilliant in a Cushion Halo by Sareen Jewelry that on my 5.75 size hand looks very sizable... it certainly doesn't look small. But it sounds like she saw a 2ct CZ.. so that may be the bottom for you... Good luck!!! There are tons of options!!!

http://www.micropave.com/index.php/engagement-rings/halo-engagement-ring-leon-mege.html
 
Vince, your post made me laugh! It's nice to hear someone taking the humour of the situation for what it is :-)


That said... I have some more questions.

-What size is her finger? A 2ct in a halo will look very different on a 5 and a 10, and there are different types of halos - some more delicate/substantial than others ****

-Does she really understand that a ring like this is going to be high-maintenance? No wearing 24/7, taking off for activities, regular gentle cleaning, repairs when melee crack/fall out (it's pretty much inevitable with pave, not a crisis but it does require dealing with)

-What is it about the round she doesn't like? Too much in-your-face sparkle (in which case a step cut might be a better fit)? Did the CZ cushion you saw have hard or softly rounded corners - is one better than the other? (I ask because I've seen all sorts of things mis-labelled, so what you saw might not be what comes to mind when we on here think "cushion").



In general... I don't like pave - I find it terribly impractical. BUT I think if you're going to go with a pave'd piece, far better to pay the premium for excellent workmanship up-front than to spend it all anyway on repairs and wind up with a sub-par product. I've found the differences between spectacular and mediocre pave work to be shockingly obvious in comparison - it's definitely something you'll *see*. How much would you pay? Well - that's up to you! If you give us a budget and a bit more on what you're looking for, and how you'd like to split it stone/setting, we can help point you in the right direction...
 
All the vendors will have halo settings that will be made to fit the size stone you buy, so that is not an issue at all.

The best deal I see at the moment for a 2 ct. is this one because they are having a 10% off sale (off regular price) through today:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/2.002-i-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104049675004

Then you can go with a million different halos. They can probably order something like this one, the Vatche Grace, which has a cushion shaped halo for the round stone. Pricing is around the low $3000 range for platinum. It is very similar to the Tiffany Legacy ring and is very high quality.

http://dvatche.com/index.php?page=collection&catID=2,15&startRow=18&id=50&alt=2

You need to know that rounds give the most size appearance for the money. A 2 ct. round is going to face up a little larger than a cushion or princess in most cases. By putting the round in a cushion shaped halo, you get the best size combo since she doesn't want a round halo.
 
I've worked with Yoni over at eternitydiamonds.com who did an amazing job on a micro pave 138 melee diamond setting and 1ct princesss cut center stone. They definitely did an amazing job and are willing to work with you. They specialize in customized settings as well having their own settings on their site. You can always tell them exactly what you want and they can CAD something for you to your likings.

They also have 20% off settings for Cyber Monday.

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/engagement-rings/

Here are pics of the engagement ring they made for us: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/survived-the-rain-forest-and-came-back-engaged.167691/#post-3052256#p3052256']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/survived-the-rain-forest-and-came-back-engaged.167691/#post-3052256#p3052256[/URL]
 
I would check out the halo thread on PS- there are many 2ct + stones on there with halos. I'm in the process (well near future) of resetting my 2.04ct RB into a halo. I have a size 6.5 finger so I think a HW inspired halo will look great on it.
 
Hi Vince! I don't know what your budget is, but if I were you I would focus on getting her a great stone, setting it in a temporary white gold setting (for around 300), and then after you are engaged, and your bank account has time to recover, having the stone you got reset into a fancy pave setting that she helps pick out.

However, I am not you, and I am not your GF (who seems most concerned with size). And the goal is making her happy. So if budget is an issue, and you don't have, say, 20, 25, 30+ k to drop on a really well cut 2 carat diamond, perhaps you could consider a Daussi cushion. I'm not necessarily advocating Daussi cushions (in my very limited knowledge it appears they are cut to maximize size and not sparkle), they apparently face up very large for their carat weight. For instance, if your GF wants it to look like 2 carats, for a cushion that is probably a 7.5 mm diameter. For a round, 2 ct is a little over 8 mm. The Daussis appear to be cut shallower, so you can achieve the bigger look with a diamond that weighs only 1.5 (for example, maybe even less) carats.

If your GF were obsessed with cut and having something really sparkly, this would probably not be the best option. And *you* may not be happy with this option. And hopefully other PSers won't get mad at me for suggesting it! But if she was happy with a CZ initially (which can look more glassy anyway I think), and would have taken a horribly included stone just because it was huge, if it's slightly less sparkly but very large it seems like that would make her happy and not break your bank account.

just for reference: http://www.since1910.com/engagement/Henri-Daussi.aspx
 
another thing to think about is that a halo setting adds a LOT of size. but then if she saw a 2 ct cz in halo and liked the size of that ring...then that may be what you are aiming for. if you tell us what cuts she likes and what your budget is we can better advise you. good luck!
 
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