Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement ring

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Please do post CADs. There are always ways to make an eternity band sit flush - you can make a curved band.

 

[tyty333]

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.

Congrats on picking a stone and getting the setting going. I do not think 2.3mm is too wide.
Its wide enough to be durable but not so wide that it will look bulky. Please post cads when you get them.

Feedback has fallen off...I think everyone must be getting busy (I know I'm more busy with my kids back in school). Anyway,
keep us posted. We love to see the CADs/outcome. You are in good hands with Mark.

 

[Gypsy]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

If you want flush fit, you can pick a gallery like mine see below. I wouldn't add pave to it. It looks lovely just with the plain wires and there's no chance of the stones getting in the way of a band.

How big is your diamond on the 2.3 shank?

 

[APbody1224]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I'm glad to hear someone else likes ERD's Emily setting. Mark is actually working on the same setting for me right now after he found me a beautiful OMB cushion.

Please post your CADs and let us know what modifications you plan to make to the setting.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Another option for halos with a donut

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Hi everyone. I received the CADs on Thursday but was out of town over the weekend for a bachelor party so I wasn't able to post them. Here they are, let me know what you think.

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

More cads...

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I'm not wild about the individual set of 4 prongs for the pave on the ring or the line-slots that are created between side by side sets of prongs but Mark says that the pave will fall out if they are not set this way and that he will try to keep the line-slots out of the final product. This does look a little different from Tiffany Soleste since the pave on that ring looks like each diamond sits in a hole of it's own, and I would like to ask my girlfriend but lately I've been trying to keep her out of the loop because she tends to be a bit of a surprise/gift spoiler.

Please provide any feedback...even you lurkers, I can see that you are viewing the images... .

 

[farmer gal]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I would trust what Mark is saying. The cads always look there is more metal than there actually is I think. Also you want a ring that is going to be beautiful and sturdy, minimal prongs result in loss stones and frustration, trust me I know from experience. I personally would want the ring on her finger with a little more prong than spending more time at the shop getting repaired I think it will be gorgeous!

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

The Tiffany Soleste uses V-Cut pave and this one uses U-cut or cut down pave. The reason why the Tiffany Soleste looks like it is in individual metal cups is because it has a heck of a lot of metal showing and the work is not as fine. With that said, ERD's custom work has a lot more metal showing than Leon, Victor and Steve. I personally like no metal to show.

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

The Tiffany Soleste uses V-Cut pave and this one uses U-cut or cut down pave. The reason why the Tiffany Soleste looks like it is in individual metal cups is because it has a heck of a lot of metal showing and the work is not as fine. With that said, ERD's custom work has a lot more metal showing than Leon, Victor and Steve. I personally like no metal to show.

I actually don't think the Tiffany Soleste has a lot of metal showing, at least not to the naked eye. Do you think that the ERD custom work will look like it shows a lot of metal? I've seen other examples of Mark's work on this forum but the pictures weren't good enough to assess whether it looked like a lot of metal.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

The Tiffany Soleste uses V-Cut pave and this one uses U-cut or cut down pave. The reason why the Tiffany Soleste looks like it is in individual metal cups is because it has a heck of a lot of metal showing and the work is not as fine. With that said, ERD's custom work has a lot more metal showing than Leon, Victor and Steve. I personally like no metal to show.

I actually don't think the Tiffany Soleste has a lot of metal showing, at least not to the naked eye. Do you think that the ERD custom work will look like it shows a lot of metal? I've seen other examples of Mark's work on this forum but the pictures weren't good enough to assess whether it looked like a lot of metal.

Too much metal is really something you have to decide. We all have different tolerances. In my opinion, both the Tiffany Soleste and Novo have way too much metal showing and this is basesd on in person and not photos. My friends with Tiffany rings are often surprised when they see my rings and how delicate they look with next to no metal showing - it is pure sparkle from the pave diamonds.

For me, Mark's CAD/CAST pieces (well all cad/cast I have seen) have too much metal showing. I have heard that ERD has a new line that is hand made but I haven't seen anything from there yet. I am really anal with pave and metal work so I am probably not the best person to ask. Personally, I only trust Leon, Steven and Victor for my custom work ... I have tried a lot and had a lot of disappointment.

Don't let this sway you - I am sure your ring will be beautiful. Mark does great work but we each have different tolerances. I would absolutely consider Mark if I wasn't looking for pave or not a super delicate ring.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

To put your mind at ease, check out these halo pave rings from Mark. They are all very beautiful.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/and-the-winner-is-engagement-rings-direct-pictures-inside.162917/?hilit=erd']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/and-the-winner-is-engagement-rings-direct-pictures-inside.162917/?hilit=erd[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/avc-erd-3-stone-with-halo.161821/?hilit=erd']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/avc-erd-3-stone-with-halo.161821/?hilit=erd[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pink-diamond-halo-erd-photos.141265/?hilit=erd']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pink-diamond-halo-erd-photos.141265/?hilit=erd[/URL]

 

[Gypsy]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I am feel the same way Charmy does about pave.

HOWEVER, my wedding band is pave by Scott Kay and is durable as heck. It does have quite a bit of metal showing but only to my very picky eye. I haven't seen ERD's pave in person but in the pics it looks quite nice.

That said, I'd prefer the halos with 1/2 pointers personally.

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I've seen the Tiffany Soleste in person 3 different times and it seemed delicate to me and my gf and I liked the look of it, but I also have not seen a lot of pave in person. Charmy, thanks for the 3 referrals, all of the rings do look beautiful. The ring with the pink diamonds looks most similar to the custom ERD ring. Does the first ring have the v-cut pave?

Gypsy, in my conversations with Mark he said the ring is micro pave and the diamonds are .005 cts. Do they look like .01 diamonds to you? I asked him to confirm the carat weight of the ring today but he said he wouldn't know until the ring is completed.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

It is U-Cut / Cut Down.

An article with more details: http://www.artofplatinum.com/vault/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=6

From the top, you actually can't tell a difference but from the side - you can see the difference. Below are my ring, the halo ring is v-cut while the others are cut down pave. In the pictures, the pave work almost looks the same but I can tell you that the halo ring has more metal showing (look at the little prongs between the diamonds) then the other rings.

Leon, Maytal, Leon, Steven


Leon, Leon, Maytal, Steven

 

[Gypsy]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Gypsy, in my conversations with Mark he said the ring is micro pave and the diamonds are .005 cts. Do they look like .01 diamonds to you? I asked him to confirm the carat weight of the ring today but he said he wouldn't know until the ring is completed.

Good to know. CADS are weird when it comes to things like that. I'm sure that if he's using 1/2 pointers it will be lovely.

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I called ERD yesterday to talk to Mark about the amount of metal that the CAD shows and the pave style. He wasn't available at the time but I talked to Chris and he mentioned this custom double halo ring that they just completed about a week ago. This looks a lot more like the Tiffany Soleste. Now I am having second thoughts about the custom version of the Emily that Mark provided images for because this ring is beautiful! Please share your thoughts.

http://www.youtube.com/user/xristoserd2011?feature=mhee#p/u/7/hUP7aUo9dFE

 

[OCmom3xboys]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I called ERD yesterday to talk to Mark about the amount of metal that the CAD shows and the pave style. He wasn't available at the time but I talked to Chris and he mentioned this custom double halo ring that they just completed about a week ago. This looks a lot more like the Tiffany Soleste. Now I am having second thoughts about the custom version of the Emily that Mark provided images for because this ring is beautiful! Please share your thoughts.

http://www.youtube.com/user/xristoserd2011?feature=mhee#p/u/7/hUP7aUo9dFE

Wow! I love the tiny split shank on this one...

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

These are the new cads. I'm not sure what I will do for a wedding band yet. I've mentioned to Mark about working on one that would curve a little so it follows the curve of the shank. I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger on the whole engagement ring. What does everyone think about adding melee to the 4 struts that support the halos? I think this is called a basket. I know it will probably increase the thickness of the struts some. I am talking about a similar look that the first CAD images had above. Let me know your thoughts.

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

More CADs

 

[slg47]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I would leave the struts plain...unless the pave is done REALLY well it can look clunky IMO. this looks much 'cleaner'.

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

I would leave the struts plain...unless the pave is done REALLY well it can look clunky IMO. this looks much 'cleaner'.

Thank you for confirming what I suspected. I do think this look is clean and pretty and delicate looking. I think I am ready to pull the trigger. It's taken a few months to get to this point and about a month since I started posting on here. Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[cramogon]

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.

Do you still think I shouldn't pay cash even if I am going with ERD? ERD charges a 3% fee for using credit cards so I wanted to avoid that. Also, I've checked with the credit cards I have, and none of them really offer good consumer protection. Or at least the credit card I have with them doesn't have those added perks.

Can you tell me about a few of these things that I have to have on the receipt since I am having custom work done?

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Hi everyone, I spoke with Mark from ERD today and my engagement ring is ready to ship! He provided a photo and a youtube video of it. I asked about what I could expect with the ring and he mentioned the GIA report, bill of sale, and appraisal. I asked him if it came with a written statement with the warranty and he said no but that he could provide a written statement at my request.

Does anyone have any last minute advice on any special steps I should take or any special requests I should make to prior to completing the process? It'll take me a few days to transfer the money between my banks for payment. I've never done a wire transfer before...any last minute thoughts? Anything I am forgetting?

 

[TheGreatTwizz]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Lets see the finished product - photos and vid link please!!!

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

Here is the youtube link:

http://www.youtube.com/user/xristoserd2011?feature=mhee#p/u/7/H0pdk4JNIsQ

I'm attaching the picture below.

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

What is the process for insuring the ring? The ring is insured by ERD while it is being shipped. What should I be doing in preparation for when I accept delivery of the ring?

 

[slg47]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

you can either get a rider on your home insurance or get a standalone policy with someone like Jewelers Mutual.

 

[cramogon]

Re: Looking for loose cushion cut diamond for engagement rin

slg47, thanks for the feedback, you have been helpful throughout this process.

Does anyone know as a general guideline if insurance companies will be okay with an appraisal from the jeweler or should it be from a 3rd party? Also, is there a general guideline of what the appraisal value should be relative to the purchase price? I have no idea, so I am just wondering.