Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement ring

[cramogon]

Hi everyone,

I started shopping for engagement rings with my girlfriend in May and we landed on what she wanted. I've browsed this forum for some ideas and previous questions asked but now need some help of my own. Since July, I've been keeping my eye on loose diamonds and prices on several online diamond websites, but have also worked with two jewelers in my area. I am looking for a cushion cut diamond in the 1.2 to 1.3 ct. range, G in color, VS1 in clarity, very good to excellent polish and symmetry, GIA certified, no fluorescence. Many of the websites provide a differrent scale for the overal cut rating (i.e. premium, ideal, excellent, very good, good) but I am looking for a diamond in the two top tier ratings with a lot of brilliance. For example, if the scale is fair, good, very good, excellent, I am looking for a diamond with a very good or excellent cut. I've been working with two jewelers in my area, mostly for the opportunity to see loose diamonds and to train my eye to know what I want. My preferences are largely based on some reading and personal preference, and aren't really backed by in depth knowledge of diamonds. The two jewelers have also provided me diamond prices for the criteria I've provided but they tend to be $500 to $1500 higher than what I've seen online with lower color and clarity, and they claim their margins are pretty low. The average price I've seen online is $7000 to $7500 for the criteria I want, but with a wider range from $5,500 to $8,500 for a GIA certified. I would like to pay $7000 to $7500 for the diamond, with a total budget of $10,000. The diamond will be set in a ring with a double halo with pave diamonds on the halo's and along the ring for adding .3 to .5 ctw,similar to a Tiffany Soleste. I'd like the cushion to have a ratio close to 1.10. I haven't read a whole lot on the impact the girdle, the depth %, table %, or how the angles of the crown and pavillion affect the brilliance of the diamond. I have a list of questions.

1) Will jewelry stores show you the rapaport report that shows what they paid?

2) Can online websites list the exact same diamond? I was recently looking at a diamond and found it on another website. All of the specs match, and when I viewed the GIA diamond grading report, both have all the same data, including the date and laser inscription registry number, but one website is priced $700 less than the other.

3) How important are the other factors of a diamond like the girdle, the depth %, table %, and angles of the crown and pavillion?

4) Looking at a VS1, I expect inclusions but am not very familiar with the inclusions that are provided on the diamond grading report such as: crystal, feather, natural, cloud, needle, and indented natural. Are any of those more "scary" than others?

5) Is my budget realistic? Without losing much on the specs of the diamond I want, can I go up in carat weight or will I likely need to go down on some traits? I don't have a solid quote for the ring yet, which makes it kind of hard to gauge if I can spend more on the diamond.

These are just a few questions of many. I appreciate any advice and feedback.

Thanks!

 

[Haven]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Hi, Cramogon. Welcome to Pricescope!

Okay, first, I think it's important to say that you really must judge a cushion with your eyes. Reports aren't very helpful for choosing cushions, and neither are numbers. (I imagine you've already read this on PS, but it's important enough to repeat it here, I think.)

That being said, on to your questions:

1) I have no idea if jewelers will show you what they paid, but I'm going to guess that the answer is "no."

2) Yes, multiple websites can show the same diamond on a search result. There's a difference between in-house diamonds, and virtual inventory. Diamonds listed on a vendor's virtual inventory can show up on multiple sites.

3) All of the factors are important, but as I said earlier, it's not about targeting a specific range for each factor. It's all about how the various elements work together to create a visually stunning cushion. And that, you must judge with your eyes.

4) This is a good place to start reading about different clarity indicators: https://www.pricescope.com/journal/diamond_feather_inclusions_durability_risk

5) I just did a quick search for 1.2 ct G/VS1 cushions and it looks like there are a lot of stones out there around 6 to 7K. I don't know how much a double halo costs, though.

If I were you, I'd figure out the following:

A) What type of cushion does she want? (Modern, antique, etc.) You should check out Rhino's videos. He owns Good Old Gold, and his YT name is DiamondInfoMan. You can see a lot of comparisons of different cushion types on his videos. He's wonderful.

B) How color sensitive is she? If she isn't color sensitive, you may be able to drop the color and then make some more room in your budget for that double halo setting.

C) Once you answer these first two questions, contact Jonathan at GOG and Mark at ERD and see what they can find for you. Both of them are highly respected here on PS, and they can find beautiful stones for you. You'll need to know your budget, clarity and color requirements, and the type of cushion you want.

Good luck! I've owned two cushions and loved them both very much.

 

[stone-cold11]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

GIA/AGS are pretty consistent in color and clarity grading and as such stones graded by them are generally priced higher than other labs, non-graded stones, as the vendors themselves trust these labs more. Think of it this way, if the stones graded by other labs are actually the same grade as they would get if graded by GIA/AGS, why would the vendor not just send it to GIA/AGS, for a fee of about 200USD and turn around time of about 2-4 weeks and get an increase in selling price of about 0.5-1k USD?

Cut grade, no labs grades the cut grade of cushion in general. Some specialty cuts are graded by AGS on light performance. So in general, cut grades are what is stated by the vendor and can mean anything, depending on how good he is and what criteria he uses. Generally, we need at least some images, at least an ASET image, and preferably with a video to buy stones online.

Yes, stones can be listed by different vendors at different price. This is known as virtual inventory, the owner of the stone is advertizing his stones on several online vendors.

 

[slg47]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Hi and welcome! Haven has given you some great advice.

You mentioned the 'tiers' of cut grades...these are generally applied by the vendor and do not reflect any sort of light performance of the diamond...usually based only on table/depth which do not tell the whole story with cushions.

Here is a really helpful video that explains the different types of cushions...once you figure out what 'type' you want then that can help narrow down your shopping.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O7H8E_MYRM

Also, a 1.2 carat with double halo will be quite large since the halo adds a LOT of size! I would personally go with a higher quality single halo setting, but that is just me. I think you might need to budget more for the setting and less for the diamond. OR, if you want to stick with the double halo, you could go with a smaller diamond to stay in budget since the size difference between a 1 carat in a double halo and a 1.2 carat in a double halo is negligible.

 

[tyty333]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I think you should worry less about the "numbers" and put more of the emphasis on how the stone looks. Of course you
need to know what you are looking for...the faceting pattern you like, a nice bright stone with lots of fire, no visible
inclusions, etc.

Look at rhinos videos to give yourself a better idea of what to look for. GOG and Engagement Rings Direct are good
vendors to work with for cushions. James Allen also has cushions.

Some videos...
http://www.vimeo.com/15185438
http://www.vimeo.com/15278435
http://www.vimeo.com/15569377
http://www.vimeo.com/25770713

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all of the great feedback! I guess the reason for using all of the "numbers" prior to anything was to establish what I thought fell in my price range based on online pricing, and having not seen many diamonds in person (i've only looked at 4 closely and under a loupe) I made the mistake of thinking that good GIA reporting characteristics would be representative of good fire and sparkle.

Thank you for all of the video links! They are very informative. After viewing Rhino's videos, its clear to me that my girlfriend wants a modern cushion type. I'm not really sure how color sensitive she is, I just know she wants something that isn't yellow but that has a lot of sparkle and fire. The two jewelers I've talked to, have also talked more about the numbers versus the actual appearance, and didn't really offer up much insight on how to look for more fire and sparkle. Because their prices were higher, I started looking online and unfortunately most websites do not have pictures and that is a significant disadvantage.

Rhino's video also talked about the 4 optics that are used for assessing light performance with the use of DiamXray and ASERT technology. Are these technologies rare or are they available upon request from most online jewelers? From what I saw in the video, these technologies do seem like great objective tools for assessing the light performance of a cushion diamond.

I've contacted both Mark from ERD and Jonathan from GOG. Thank you for the referrals. I checked Blue Nile, James Allen, Diamond Ideals, B2C Jewels, and Buy Diamond Direct for pricing information. Can anyone provide any feedback on any of those vendors?

 

[slg47]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Most jewelry stores do not have idealscope/aset/etc. Many of the PS vendors will provide these images and some will provide videos. However, if you want, you can purchase your own ASET for around $25 and use it yourself.

as far as the vendors you mentioned, JamesAllen is the only one that provides pictures. If you search through their inventory you can see why pictures matter so much!!

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Hi Slg47,

I'm confused by your comment. Will a 1.2 ct modern cushion be too big for a double halo setting? First you mentioned that the 1.2 ct would be large in size but that the difference between that and a 1 ct cushion is negligible. Will a 1 ct also be large with the double halo setting? A local jeweler I have talked to is trying to steer me towards a 1 ct modern cushion and she too mentioned that the difference in size is negligible.

Thanks!

 

[slg47]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Hi Slg47,

I'm confused by your comment. Will a 1.2 ct modern cushion be too big for a double halo setting? First you mentioned that the 1.2 ct would be large in size but that the difference between that and a 1 ct cushion is negligible. Will a 1 ct also be large with the double halo setting? A local jeweler I have talked to is trying to steer me towards a 1 ct modern cushion and she too mentioned that the difference in size is negligible.

Thanks!

the difference is less noticeable when in the halo setting since the halo adds so much size. for example, a double halo adds about 6 mm of diameter. a 1 carat cushion measures about 5.7 mm and a 1.2 carat cushion measures about 6.1 mm. (these measurements can vary widely but this just gives some idea). So instead of comparing a 5.7 mm with a 6.1 mm, you are comparing 11.7 mm with 12.1 mm and the difference is much less noticeable.

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Can someone explain the different facet patterns for a modern cushion or point me to a thread that has this explanation with images. I've been working with a few vendors and reading other posts on this forum and I am not familiar with the different facet patterns of a modern cushion (i.e. 8 main). Are some patterns naturally more brilliant than others? Thanks!

 

[slg47]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Can someone explain the different facet patterns for a modern cushion or point me to a thread that has this explanation with images. I've been working with a few vendors and reading other posts on this forum and I am not familiar with the different facet patterns of a modern cushion (i.e. 8 main). Are some patterns naturally more brilliant than others? Thanks!

there are a lot of facet structures...

this might help
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UfJDCtyCgw&feature=related

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

1) Will jewelry stores show you the rapaport report that shows what they paid?
This isn't too important. It has little relevance on the price you pay.

2) Can online websites list the exact same diamond? I was recently looking at a diamond and found it on another website. All of the specs match, and when I viewed the GIA diamond grading report, both have all the same data, including the date and laser inscription registry number, but one website is priced $700 less than the other.
Many vendors carry a virtual inventory so you will find the same diamond on multiple sites. Many vendors will price match so I would stick with the vendor with the best rep, style to match yours and policies.

3) How important are the other factors of a diamond like the girdle, the depth %, table %, and angles of the crown and pavillion?
They are all very important and contribute to cut. Buying a cushion diamond is much more difficult than purchasing a round.

4) Looking at a VS1, I expect inclusions but am not very familiar with the inclusions that are provided on the diamond grading report such as: crystal, feather, natural, cloud, needle, and indented natural. Are any of those more "scary" than others?
You are generally ok with a VS1 diamond. I personally am not a fan of feathers - I find that I can see feathers at certain angles and if they are close to the table. I have seen a feather in a VS1 that made it look like a crack. I also don't like indented natural but most vendors think I am crazy for that.

For a cushion, you really need to educate yourself on the varieties first. The short version is first to decide on the facet structure and length/width ratio and then go from there. Cushions can have very different looks so you need to find the one that works for you.

 

[Gypsy]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Here's a separate issue. I don't think your budget is anywhere near enough for the setting you want in any kind of quality for everyday wear. The setting you want is about 5K, or more depending on the vendor.

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

@ slg47 - thanks for the video, do you know if 8 main moderns (either square or rectangular) are really becoming rare?

@ Charmypoo - thanks for your feedback. I've learned a lot by reading other posts on this forum and believe I understand more about what I am looking for. I am looking for a modern cushion with a lot of sparkle, fire, and brilliance. I prefer less of a crushed ice look - I have nothing against this look - just pure preference. I would like one that is more rectangular than square, with a ratio of 1.07 to 1.10. I like how the rectangular 8 main facet pattern looks, but have only seen these in online videos, and have not seen too many online pictures or in person. I have only looked at a few diamonds in person and was much less educated on differences in facet types and patterns then, but I didn't like the ones I saw and the price point was much higher than I have been finding online. I have been looking around a lot, but it's a little hard not being able to see them in person. A few of the PS vendors that I've talked to cannot provide ASET or idealscope imagery and someone else on this forum told me not to use that vendor if they cannot provide those images. What do you think?

@ gypsy - so basically I was budgeting $2500 to $3000 for the setting. I had received a quote for $2900 from one jeweler for the setting with .37 ctw on the setting but I didn't inquire about the specs of the diamonds or of the durability of the setting. When you say the quality for everyday wear, are you referring to 18k gold vs platinum or just the strength of the amount of gold or platinum that would result from how much I have budgeted? Do you have any good recommendations for online vendors that could make a double halo setting or that carry one today?

 

[Gypsy]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I mean the quality of the actual setting of the pave. I had a master gold smith make my original halo setting. She's featured in museums. Couldn't do the pave right and she had LOTS of pave work in her portfolio and she tried and tried. After three years of melee falling out I had it re-done by a pave expert. The difference is amazing. And I have a plan shank... pave in a single halo only. You are talking about two halos worth of tiny melee and a shank with pave as well. That's a headache worth of tiny stones.

You have to be careful with that much pave. It's VERY VERY VERY easy to get bad or mediocre pave. And even if you have a warranty...there's only so many times you can take that ring in for repair before you just let it sit in the jewelry box, sick of repair issues, and tired of melee falling out. And even if the vendor offers to remake it for you (mine did)... if they couldn't do it right the first time-- what's different the second time? And if you don't have personal testimonials to the quality of pave work (every vendor looking to make a sale will tell you their pave is good, but that pave will lose melee occasionally), you are just rolling to roulette wheel. I know this from personal experience.

Yes, I do have recommendations but they are going to blow your budget. Still it's worth a call.

Steven Kirsch-- he re-did my halo and his pave work is impeccable.
VIctor Canerra -- who I have not worked with but would without question.
Leon Mege... I hate his personality, but his pave work is very good.

and for a CAD and CAST vendors... the only pave I have seen myself in person is by Brian Gavin Diamonds, but it was lovely and they stand by their products. It is not the same as say, Steven's work, but they have many happy pave customers.

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I went to look at two diamonds that a local jeweler had brought in for me tonight. I did have a bumpy start with the sales associate from this jeweler. I contacted her based on a recommendation from a friend and went in with my girlfriend to start the process. Two weeks went by and I had to contact her to get the ball rolling again, and when I did, she didn't remember much details from my initial visit. I gave her another shot since a friend had recommended her. I do feel that she is beginning to lose patience with me because I have asked more questions than an average consumer and a fellow associate of hers came up to me and said that I am making this too hard and that it should be fun. I also feel like they want me to buy the first thing they show me. To be honest, it has been kind of awkward. I think the sales associate that I have worked with is a little newer because I feel like I know more than her from what I have read online and on these forums. She brought in a 1.02 ct G VS1 modern cushion and a 1.20 ct G VS2 modern cushion. The 1.02 ct G VS1 is $6300 and the 1.20 ct G VS2 is $8400. When I tried asking her the facet patterns, whether 8 main or 4 main, she said it was an 8 main but she couldn't explain to me why. She called over the diamond buyer to explain but she was busy with a customer and never made it over. I then asked to view the ASET image and she didn't know how to use the tool so another associate had to come over and help. Everything I've seen has been a request by me by educating myself from this forum. They did voluntarily offer to show me a sarin report but I didn't get much out of it. I'm skeptical of whether or not the 1.02 ct diamond was an 8 main since they couldn't explain it, and I had a hard time differentiating based on what I've seen online. The 1.02 ct cushion diamond was pretty but I did not love it. Since we had a bumpy start, she is giving me "special" pricing. Again, I am skeptical. Other jewelers that have shown me diamonds have always had a price tag on the diamond and I didn't see whether these diamonds did. Initially I told her my budget was $10,000 and ever since I told her that I get the feeling that she is trying her hardest to get me as close as possible to that number, while sacrificing the size of the diamond I wanted. Her goldsmith quoted the 18k white gold double halo setting at $2,900 for G SI1 .01 diamonds combining for .37 tcw. She got the .37 tcw from a quote of a tiffany soleste that I showed her. Her final quote with sales tax was $9,960. I plan on calling her tomorrow to followup on what the facet pattern of the diamonds are, and to ask about what their normal pricing is since I am getting a "special" price? I also said that I would pay in cash and that too is getting me "special" pricing but tonight she told me she could give me the same pricing if I wanted to finance.

What are everyones thoughts on this experience?

 

[farmer gal]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I don't know exactly what you are looking for but I just thought I would throw some diamonds out for you from JA. They will look at 3 diamonds for you to tell you which ones are the best, and they will proved assett images if requested.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1376267.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1362591.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1281342.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1375798.asp

I would not do buisness with someone that I didn't feel comfortable with. Always follow your gut, you are the costumer and in this economy someone looking to spend 10 grand on a ring, in my opinion of any amount should be treated like a rock star. If the first time you went in it didn't feel right don't go back.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

The challenge is that many diamond sellers aren't educated on cushion cuts. They wouldn't have any idea what you are talking about which is my experience. However, sellers like ERD and GOG have invested a lot of time looking at cushions ... which is why they are frequently recommended here. If I recall correctly, there is a branded modern cushion in the works - I don't know how long that will take but definetly something I would watch out for.

These are the non-modified cushion plots. When we talk about a 8 main modern cushion, we are talking about plots 3 -5. My favorites are 3 or 4.


Here are some real life examples but I find the photos aren't reflective of how they really look. I put this together many years ago so there are better photos examples now.

 

[Gypsy]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

DO. NOT. PAY. CASH. Pay with a credit card with good consumer protection. PARTICULARLY if you are doing a custom setting. Use one that extends return policies. Also please check with us to make sure what you HAVE TO HAVE on the receipt-- especially for the custom work. And yes... they are trying to use your full budget and you may not be getting the best deal you could because they want to it that 10k mark or as close to it as possible.

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Thanks everyone for sharing your advice and knowledge with me. I'm really glad I found this site.

@farmer gal - Thanks for sending these diamonds. I'm looking for a modern cushion, at least 1 ct, ratio of 1.07 to 1.10. I originally started with wanting a 1.2 ct cushion set in a double halo pave setting but as I've seen more examples of prices on vendors website for the setting, I'm beginning to think I might need to lower the diamond budget and increase the setting budget. My total budget is $10k. I'm going to let the local jeweler know that I am not interested in having them make a ring for me.

@charmypoo - Thanks for these images, they are very helpful. I also like plots 3 and 4. Do you know if these are becoming more rare? I don't find many modern cushions with these plots on vendor websites.

@gypsy - Thanks for your note about my budget for the setting and method of payment

I've contacted both GOG and ERD and have them doing searches for me and so far they both have been very helpful. Initially I mostly focused on working with local jewelers because my girlfriend thought it was more convenient as far as getting the ring resized, cleaned, etc. Several of the posts I've read on this forum are very supportive of online vendors and have commented on the quality of their work. Can anyone speak to the ease of working with them as far as having to make adjustments to a ring, mailing it back to them, etc?

Can anyone tell what facet pattern the modern cushion in this video on the right has?

http://www.youtube.com/user/DiamondInfoMan#p/u/14/fhOsLRZjsfY

 

[slg47]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Thanks everyone for sharing your advice and knowledge with me. I'm really glad I found this site.

@farmer gal - Thanks for sending these diamonds. I'm looking for a modern cushion, at least 1 ct, ratio of 1.07 to 1.10. I originally started with wanting a 1.2 ct cushion set in a double halo pave setting but as I've seen more examples of prices on vendors website for the setting, I'm beginning to think I might need to lower the diamond budget and increase the setting budget. My total budget is $10k. I'm going to let the local jeweler know that I am not interested in having them make a ring for me.

@charmypoo - Thanks for these images, they are very helpful. I also like plots 3 and 4. Do you know if these are becoming more rare? I don't find many modern cushions with these plots on vendor websites.

@gypsy - Thanks for your note about my budget for the setting and method of payment

I've contacted both GOG and ERD and have them doing searches for me and so far they both have been very helpful. Initially I mostly focused on working with local jewelers because my girlfriend thought it was more convenient as far as getting the ring resized, cleaned, etc. Several of the posts I've read on this forum are very supportive of online vendors and have commented on the quality of their work. Can anyone speak to the ease of working with them as far as having to make adjustments to a ring, mailing it back to them, etc?

Can anyone tell what facet pattern the modern cushion in this video on the right has?

http://www.youtube.com/user/DiamondInfoMan#p/u/14/fhOsLRZjsfY

maybe that is a Birks Amorique? (the one on the left)

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

And the other is a beautiful H&A. I wish someone would make me a true cushion H&A - less square edges.

 

[slg47]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

And the other is a beautiful H&A. I wish someone would make me a true cushion H&A - less square edges.

but if it had less square edges it might look round?

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

This is a GIA report for a pre-selected diamond from an online vendor. I know that a GIA report is relatively a poor amount of data for judging a diamond's light performance but what does everyone think? I know it's a VS2, but does this diamond have a lot of inclusions? Should I ask the vendor anything specific about these inclusions? I've requested actual images, so we'll see if I can get those. My knowledge of diamonds and experience viewing them is still pretty limited, but maybe I am getting hung up on the details of this report.

 

[slg47]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

This is a GIA report for a pre-selected diamond from an online vendor. I know that a GIA report is relatively a poor amount of data for judging a diamond's light performance but what does everyone think? I know it's a VS2, but does this diamond have a lot of inclusions? Should I ask the vendor anything specific about these inclusions? I've requested actual images, so we'll see if I can get those. My knowledge of diamonds and experience viewing them is still pretty limited, but maybe I am getting hung up on the details of this report.

we need images for cushions.

also you cannot tell anything by the 'number' of inclusions. I would just ask the vendor if it is eye-clean.

honestly I know you don't want to hear this but I think your best bet is going with GOG and getting their halo setting and an AVC that is under a carat.

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

what do you guys think of the modern cushion on the left in this picture? Mark from ERD researched it for me. Does anyone know if he provides idealscope or aset images?

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I just realized that I posted the wrong GIA report for the diamond on the left. Mark has also provided me the ASET image of the diamond. I am happy with the picture of the diamond and the aset image but would like some additional feedback. I appreciate everyones help.

 

[slg47]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

that one looks like it is losing some brightness around the edges? might not be as much of an issue if you go with a halo setting...

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

@slg47 - I am planning on going with a halo setting, actually a double halo setting.

Does anyone else have any feedback on this diamond? Mark from ERD found this diamond and has been very helpful and patient. It is priced at $7,300. Based on searches I've done at other online vendors. I am happy with the price. What does everyone think? Is that a fair price?

I have since stopped working with the local jeweler that had provided me a quote very close to my budget, so it looks like I will definitely be buying the diamond from an online vendor. There have been a lot of testimonials and recommendations based on vendors that are very good to work with for finding diamonds and of the qualify of their work. Can anyone provide feedback on their experience with online vendors after purchasing the ring?

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Well the feedback has really slowed on this forum. I pulled the trigger on a diamond and setting from ERD. I've been working with Mark and he's been patient and easy to work with. I should be getting the CAD images soon. The diamond is a 1.21 ct F VS2 cushion modified brilliant, and the setting is similar to the Emily on ERD's website but it will have a 2nd halo:

http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/DiamondJewelryDetails.aspx?ID=131

This setting is similar to the tiffany soleste setting except that the shank on the soleste splits as it approaches the halos, and the diamonds on the ring go further down the side. Mark said that this doesn't allow for a wedding band to sit flush against the engagement ring, and I like the look of this one. I asked my girlfriend about it and she too would prefer a setting that can allow a wedding band to sit flush against it. I had originally wanted 18k white gold but the price difference to go to platinum was negligible so I upgraded to a platinum setting.

The ring width is 2.3mm. Does anyone think that's too thick? I don't want it to look chunky. If anyone wants to see the CAD images when I get them, I will post them.