MY DGS asked me to help him buy an Engagement Ring

[GamGam]

I haven't posted in ages, but keep in touch here. And I hope some of you will join me in advising my DGS as he plans and purchases the engagement ring for his beloved girlfriend. He has a budget at this time of $9000. And he is probably going to be surprised at the cost of diamonds and settings; but for now, I want to honor that amount. He sent me a photo by email of the inspiration ring: a 3 stone with round center and pear sides. I think what he sent is the Vatche 310 or very similar. Does anyone know of another setting that is similar that I could send him? Does Whiteflash carry this setting? I'm not sure that he will buy from an online dealer, but I feel good about recommending Whiteflash to him.
Any other suggestion for him? He lives in the greater Atlanta, Ga area.
Thanks for your continuing help to diamond buyers. It is such a kind, lovely service, and the knowledge available here to potential buyers is absolutely unparalleled.

 

[tyty333]

Whiteflash carries the Vatche 310...there are pictures of it made up at the bottom of the page
https://www.whiteflash.com/engageme...und-and-pear-3-stone-engagement-ring-2356.htm

This stone gets him to a carat under his $9k budget.
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3949678.htm

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Do you think he’d be willing to forego the pear side stones for now and just throw his entire budget toward a very nice stone in a simple solitaire setting? Then they could always upgrade the setting later.

 

[ac117]

Agree with tyty on the setting but I'd want to get slightly above the one carat mark:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3935938.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3936464.htm
Slightly larger and says eye clean: https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3934818.htm
If he could stretch a tough to get the 1.2 mark: https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3963051.htm

 

[prs]

If your DGS won't buy online then Solomon Brothers in Atlanta carries a large inventory and it can also be viewed online. You could maybe help him pick out some stones before he goes in to visit. They have a multitude of three stone settings and their pricing doesn't look too bad.

We bought my wife's anniversary ring there a few years ago when we were totally diamond ignorant. They were very helpful and, in retrospect, we came out quite well considering our lack of education. We ended up buying a 2.05 ct G SI2 and Susan Dair, the lady who assisted us, showed us the inclusion could be hidden under a prong. This turned out to be true and when we take it to be cleaned the jewelers usually think it's a VS stone.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Hi, GamGam! So nice to see you again! I think the problem with him buying locally is whether he's willing to get feedback here on the diamonds he is looking at before he buys. But we know the Vatche setting is great quality and certainly WhiteFlash is a safe place to buy a great quality diamond. He probably won't be able to access diamonds that well cut locally without paying too much. But we could help with price comps as well as cut advice.

Ooops, I just realized the price on that setting for a one carat center in platinum is $3293. I really think that's a high percentage of his ring budget. But I guess if that is what she wants, he should pursue it. But I am betting David Klass could make that setting for under $3000. I'd allow maybe $2500 for the setting and then he'd have $6500 for the diamond. I would not go to I color with the Vatche setting because the sides are probably higher color. You could have the ring custom made with H-I color pears, though.

James Allen has this, but it's still $3,000.

https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...nd-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-1442

 

[quaddio]

I'm not a fan of this particular Vatche setting. Here's a budget friendly style with delicate side stones. This one is very E-ring to me.
https://www.brilliantearth.com/Aria-Diamond-Ring-Platinum-BE1D232-3354648/

 

[TreeScientist]

Do you think he’d be willing to forego the pear side stones for now and just throw his entire budget toward a very nice stone in a simple solitaire setting? Then they could always upgrade the setting later.

This is a good idea, but if he went with WhiteFlash, I think it may be easier/better to do it the other way around: Get the Vatche 310 he/his girlfriend likes now in the size that fits .85-1.25 carat center stones and pick a stone on the lower end of that range (around .9). Then they could use WhiteFlash's fantastic upgrade policy to upgrade the center stone to the 1.1-1.2 carat range down the road if they chose to do so (because, IMO, if you're going to pay the 1 carat premium, you might as well go at least .1 carat over the 1 carat mark to make it worth your while ). Would probably only cost $200-300 dollars to make a new head for the center stone in this case.

This one looks rather nice:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3945630.htm
Higher CA, but the IS and ASET images still look great. And would fit in the budget even with the $3400 Vatche setting.

 

[PintoBean]

Union diamond is in GA iirc. We could help him pick the stone out on PS first. uD might be willing to price match PS prices.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

I'm not a fan of this particular Vatche setting. Here's a budget friendly style with delicate side stones. This one is very E-ring to me.
https://www.brilliantearth.com/Aria-Diamond-Ring-Platinum-BE1D232-3354648/

This one is nice! However, BE won’t sell you a setting without also selling you a diamond (which is ridiculous IMO). But I think this one would be pretty easy to replicate so maybe WF could create something similar? I think a setting like this would save him money on side stones, which would allow him to devote more of his budget to the center stone.

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Here is a gorgeous stone. It is a J, a bit overkill for clarity but it might hit all the boxes. JA wont combine offers but they do currently have a 15% off settings which might help.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...at-j-color-vvs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-4580556

The discount on this stone brings it to $6500. I asked for you. It's not a lot. Lately their % off has been very low on every stone I've asked about.

 

[ccuheartnurse]

I would encourage him to buy online. Will stretch his budget up quite a bit if he's having an item shipped from State to State.

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Here are some Stuller Options... they make a nice product, just ask for upgraded melee (which aren't that much). If he can save on a setting, perhaps buying a WF stone is in the cards. He can always get a custom setting made as well.

https://www.stuller.com/products/12...yId=10999&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

https://www.stuller.com/products/12...yId=10999&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

https://www.stuller.com/products/bu...dationSource=CategoryBrowse#/mounting-options

https://www.stuller.com/products/bu...mmendationSource=SiteSearch#/mounting-options

 

[GamGam]

Thank you all so much for your responses! I have forwarded this post to DGS, and will ask him to give me a time frame on his purchase plans. This will enable us to define his options regarding the mounting. He is a recent grad and working as a CPA, so this is his busy, busy work season, and being low man on the work chain, he doesn't have much free time except on the weekends.
I like so many of the suggestions you have made, and the Stuller mounting will probably be cheaper than the Vatche--right? But that opens the door to dealing with one dealer for stone and a different one for the diamond, and I'm not sure he is up to that. However, wanting a larger center stone may serve as a good motivator for stretching his comfort zone. We'll see. I will keep you posted when I get a response from him. And thanks so much. It is such a pleasure for me that he has asked me to help him, and such a good feeling to share this with all of you.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Thank you all so much for your responses! I have forwarded this post to DGS, and will ask him to give me a time frame on his purchase plans. This will enable us to define his options regarding the mounting. He is a recent grad and working as a CPA, so this is his busy, busy work season, and being low man on the work chain, he doesn't have much free time except on the weekends.
I like so many of the suggestions you have made, and the Stuller mounting will probably be cheaper than the Vatche--right? But that opens the door to dealing with one dealer for stone and a different one for the diamond, and I'm not sure he is up to that. However, wanting a larger center stone may serve as a good motivator for stretching his comfort zone. We'll see. I will keep you posted when I get a response from him. And thanks so much. It is such a pleasure for me that he has asked me to help him, and such a good feeling to share this with all of you.

Not necessarily. If you go with a Stuller mounting, almost any jeweler should be able to get it for you. So you should be able to buy the stone and setting at the same place.

 

[Niel]

DGS?

 

[HappyNewLife]

DGS?

I'm guessing Dear God son, or Dear grandson?

 

[GamGam]

DGS is dear grandson. Sorry to be vague.

 

[PintoBean]

Would he consider putting 8500+ towards the stone and less than 500 for a plain solitaire to maximize center stone? Then they can upgrade the setting on the next milestone!

 

[quaddio]

Agreed Pinto bean, knowing dgs cares about size if you're not planning to upgrade diamond, wait for a custom / designer setting. I'm still not a fan of the Vatche suggested, many ps vendors have great three stone settings, I like diamondsbyLauren and Leon Mege.

 

[GamGam]

Do you think he’d be willing to forego the pear side stones for now and just throw his entire budget toward a very nice stone in a simple solitaire setting? Then they could always upgrade the setting later.

Irishgrrrl,
I think he is set on the 3 stone.
I haven't talked to him yet about the possibility of upgrading later.
But he probably doesn't realize how small a 1 carat stone is.
but thank you for your reply.

 

[GamGam]

Whiteflash carries the Vatche 310...there are pictures of it made up at the bottom of the page
https://www.whiteflash.com/engageme...und-and-pear-3-stone-engagement-ring-2356.htm

This stone gets him to a carat under his $9k budget.
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3949678.htm

Thanks
I tried to search for the price of small pears, and was not sucessful. Any idea how much of his budget will be needed for the side stones?

 

[GamGam]

If your DGS won't buy online then Solomon Brothers in Atlanta carries a large inventory and it can also be viewed online. You could maybe help him pick out some stones before he goes in to visit. They have a multitude of three stone settings and their pricing doesn't look too bad.

We bought my wife's anniversary ring there a few years ago when we were totally diamond ignorant. They were very helpful and, in retrospect, we came out quite well considering our lack of education. We ended up buying a 2.05 ct G SI2 and Susan Dair, the lady who assisted us, showed us the inclusion could be hidden under a prong. This turned out to be true and when we take it to be cleaned the jewelers usually think it's a VS stone.

If your DGS won't buy online then Solomon Brothers in Atlanta carries a large inventory and it can also be viewed online. You could maybe help him pick out some stones before he goes in to visit. They have a multitude of three stone settings and their pricing doesn't look too bad.

We bought my wife's anniversary ring there a few years ago when we were totally diamond ignorant. They were very helpful and, in retrospect, we came out quite well considering our lack of education. We ended up buying a 2.05 ct G SI2 and Susan Dair, the lady who assisted us, showed us the inclusion could be hidden under a prong. This turned out to be true and when we take it to be cleaned the jewelers usually think it's a VS stone.

Good to know about Solomon Brothers. Do you know if Ms. Dair still works there?

 

[GamGam]

Hi, GamGam! So nice to see you again! I think the problem with him buying locally is whether he's willing to get feedback here on the diamonds he is looking at before he buys. But we know the Vatche setting is great quality and certainly WhiteFlash is a safe place to buy a great quality diamond. He probably won't be able to access diamonds that well cut locally without paying too much. But we could help with price comps as well as cut advice.

Ooops, I just realized the price on that setting for a one carat center in platinum is $3293. I really think that's a high percentage of his ring budget. But I guess if that is what she wants, he should pursue it. But I am betting David Klass could make that setting for under $3000. I'd allow maybe $2500 for the setting and then he'd have $6500 for the diamond. I would not go to I color with the Vatche setting because the sides are probably higher color. You could have the ring custom made with H-I color pears, though.

James Allen has this, but it's still $3,000.

https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...nd-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-1442

Diamondseeker2006,
I feel like I know you from reading so many of your helpful responses to other "Seekers"! You are so generous with your advice.
I agree that 1/3 of his budget on the setting is too much, and will hamper his choices for a nice sized stone. I don't know his time frame--my hunch is the first weekend in May as that is Kentucky Derby weekend and they have gone in the past. But I'll find out soon, I hope.
I also feel that in order for him to be comfortable enough to order online, it needs to be stones and setting from the same dealer. And, I also feel that perhaps he sould be directed to a center stone that does not qualify as hearts and arrows ideal cut and thereby save a bit more. However, he (and I) want the best cut stone possible within his budget. And by the way, this is my Grandson. Sorry to be cryptic in my original post.
All that said, I feel my role is to present options to him, and I am not nearly savvy enough to do that without help from those of you on this Message board.

 

[GamGam]

Union diamond is in GA iirc. We could help him pick the stone out on PS first. uD might be willing to price match PS prices.

So good to know this. Thanks.

 

[GamGam]

Here is a gorgeous stone. It is a J, a bit overkill for clarity but it might hit all the boxes. JA wont combine offers but they do currently have a 15% off settings which might help.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...at-j-color-vvs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-4580556

The discount on this stone brings it to $6500. I asked for you. It's not a lot. Lately their % off has been very low on every stone I've asked about.

Do you call them about discounts?

 

[GamGam]

Here are some Stuller Options... they make a nice product, just ask for upgraded melee (which aren't that much). If he can save on a setting, perhaps buying a WF stone is in the cards. He can always get a custom setting made as well.

https://www.stuller.com/products/12...yId=10999&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

https://www.stuller.com/products/12...yId=10999&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

https://www.stuller.com/products/bu...dationSource=CategoryBrowse#/mounting-options

https://www.stuller.com/products/bu...mmendationSource=SiteSearch#/mounting-options

If he went with the Stuller setting, could he also use WF?
I'm a bit confused about this.

 

[prs]

Good to know about Solomon Brothers. Do you know if Ms. Dair still works there?

She did as of a year ago, we found her to be very straight forward and helpful.

 

[ccuheartnurse]

JA usually gives a PS discount but you have to ask for it.
A lot of jewellers have accounts with Stuller & can have the stone set.
Don't forget to ask the jeweller how much they charge to set the stone.

No way he would go for a 3 stone with round side stones? The WF Butterflies is one of my favourites.

IF he can find a reasonable setting, here is a nice size stone. Has blue fluoro as well.

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3826685.htm

I would check with David Klass as to how much a custom setting will cost as he is quite reasonable. If he's set on having a pear shaped side, then perhaps a round but pronged in a way to elongate the one end a bit longer? DK can probably figure something out.

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Brian Gavin.. I like the Grace, is delicate looking.

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/three-stone/grace-3-stone-pears-platinum-5557p

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/three-stone/the-summer-platinum-5371p

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...pear-sidestones-with-shoulders-platinum-5367p

Please put that WF stone on hold till you can think about it. It's the largest, cleanest, cheapest stone I could find. It's a J yes, but it has a lot going for it. It's going to be large & in a 3 stone, will look fantastic. I think the pricing is doable.