My advice: don''t involve the GF in the purchase & don''t learn about Diamond Qaulity

[CharmyPoo]

I wouldn''t go with the route of a temporary setting. Your girlfriend seems like the type that is set on a finished product - I feel that she will be disappointed if she received a temporary setting. You are better off finding the perfect cushion and making a similar setting before presenting it to her. I honestly feel that she is set on the look of the Hezlberg setting look but not so much about the diamond etc. I feel that you both would be happy to find the perfect cushion and make a setting almost identical (if not more beautiful) than the Hezlebrg setting. The challenge is your date - nice cushions are difficult to come by. It''s an open market - check out other vendors like ERD or GOG as mentioned here. I am sure your gf will be very happy with a well cut cushion - it will be more beautiful than she ever imagined. I am sure she will appreciate it even more once she learns more about diamonds.

 

[Circe]

Another thought ... if Christmas is an impossible deadline for a complete custom/resized Helzberg''s ring, what about

a) looking into secondhand sellers like Pearlman''s or Signed Pieces - they do sometimes get cushion-cut stones in ...?

or

b) resetting your planned proposal date for Valentine''s Day or the like?

or

c) proposing with JUST the stone, no setting: that way, she never has that icky "didn''t get my wish" feeling, but only a "wish deferred" instead; I can see how it must be hard to part with an engagement ring to get it reset, even if you know it''s going to come back better than ever.

They''re three different approaches, but isn''t it better to do it right than to do it quick? I still think a temp setting is a good way to go, but if that doesn''t sit well with you, at least there are at least a few more options to consider.

 

[winternight]

Date: 12/8/2009 9:21:17 PM
Author: SkiRush
The cushion cut just sort of happened because that''s what that ring one. I know she likes princess cut too. Which would sparkle more, cushion or princess?

ski

Just have to note that I don''t like the princess cut at all, even though it probably sparkles more than the cushion cut (which I adore). So it isn''t always about what "sparkles" more!

 

[winternight]

I''m sort of confused by the problem. Is it that you don''t like the markup you''re paying for the quality? First just to add something to the 14k vs. 18k, they''re both white gold so they are both plated and look identical. Second, are you going to be selling the ring sometime soon?

I also have to say why not just get the Tiffany legacy ring, you can see if they can get you an I colored ring with a lower quality, I don''t know maybe VS, and just be done with it. It seems like you''re going to suck the joy out of this engagement if you keep fighting over it. Maybe some people think she''s being rigid, but I think you are. She''s told you that she values the design of that ring, more than the stats, and you won''t let go. In the grand scheme of things the ring she loves might be 1-2k more than you think it should be priced at, but why all this grief over that amount of money when you''re supposed to be celebrating. (Also, many women want bigger rings, so I think you''re lucky that she''s in budget at all!)

 

[arobert22]

although she is not really involved per se my girlfriend is pretty much the same way...she could care less about the certification, and only worries about color and clarity. I on the other hand have research like crazy and am now so particular as to what I want. haha im not even gona be wearing the thing. I think the struggle will be worth it...that ring might have merely made her happy but you want one that blows her away...good luck

 

[Hest88]

Ski, you''re a good guy to care so much about your GF''s happiness. She''s a lucky gal.

I suspect that your GF really cares most about the setting. She will never notice if the cushion looks like the Helz cushion or if it has larger flashes or chunkier facets or anything of the sort. I agree that since the Helz needs to be resized anyway this gives you a huge out so you can wait a few weeks to propose. I also wouldn''t bother paying a premium for a proprietary but like GOG''s August cushion unless you can get a larger stone (enough so she''d really notice that it''s a lot larger than the Helz) in a custom setting exactly like the Helz setting. The much finer cut is just not a priority for her. I wonder if Mark at Engagement Rings Direct might be a good place to check too?