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Need help on a ring... driving myself nuts!

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Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 5, 2012
Messages
65
Hello everybody,

I would like to get any of your expert opinions on a diamond and ring I'm debating on purchasing as an engagement ring. I'm building it at the ritani site. I've looked through so many ring options it is literally causing me to have an aneurism. So here it goes:

Ok the diamond is a GIA certified 1.12 carat, SI1 clarity, Ideal cut, H color, round diamond.
It weighs 224 milligrams.
Table 59 %
Depth 61.1 %
excellent polish and symmetry
no cutlet
thin to medium girdle
depth is 4.1 mm (have no idea if this is good or bad)
no fluorescence
measurements: 6.72mm X 6.69mm X 4.10 mm (no clue here either lol) :confused:

Now the ring is

http://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/channel-set-diamond-engagement-ring-in-18kt-white-gold/4594


Any suggestions on 4 prong or 6 prong? Any input negative or positive would be of the most help. I'm just trying to get the best engagement ring for my buck. Dont care if you can see the devil in it under the microscope. :shock: Just want the most eye clean diamond for my buck that will impress a girl that is basically clueless about diamonds (thank god!)


Thank you guys for any help! p.s. She's a nurse!
 
Do you have the GIA certificate number? If not, then do you know the following information listed on the paperwork:
1. crown angle
2. pavilion angle

What is the listed reason for the SI1 clarity? Is it eye clean (small inclusions off to the side or a single large one)?
 
Crown angle is 35 degrees
pavilion angle is 41.2

It is eye clean (according to them of course)
 
It's not a good diamond at all. You can use the following tool to understand why. Any score between 0 and 2 is a good bet that it will be a top performer. The angles just aren't working well together.
https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca
 
I just input all the numbers, and it came back good or very good on all of them with a 3.9

It came back "very good" visual performance and "worth buying if the price is right." Can you explain how this could be a very bad diamond?
 
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/holloway-cut-advisor
Deeper stones in the upper green and blue zones have more leakage and often appear dark just inside the table and the outer girdle edges; they are best set in open backed rings so light can get in the bottom or pavilion.

When a diamond is cut to AGS0 specifications or scores between 0 and 2 on the HCA, you can set it in anything and it is going to sparkle like crazy. Placed next to the one you have chosen, the amount of fire and light return will be obvious.
 
Ok.. so I typed in one that is a 1.07 carat, I color, SI1 clarity, ex polish and symmetry, no fluo.

same table and depth percentage. It was just slightly different in pavilion and crown angle.. It was 34 degrees crown, 41 degrees pavilion.

It came back with a score of 1.8. Excellent return of light too. So basically the difference is so slight.. 35 to 34 degrees. and 41.2 to 41 degrees. Can it make that big of an impact? It's essentially the same price for both diamonds. I would be sacrificing .05 carats and downgrading one level in color. What do you think?
 
told you I've gone bonkers over this! :wacko:
 
You got it! It is all about the correct combinations of angles that need to work together in order to get an excellent performing diamond. The sacrifice of 0.05 carats will not be visible. Take a look at the mm measurements - can you tell the difference? Not only that, a well cut diamond will look bigger than a not so good cut diamond because of the sparkles coming off it. A well cut diamond also masks body colour better than a poorly cut diamond, so although you are downgrading one level in colour, I doubt you will see any difference when viewed face up. At the same price, my choice will be obvious.
 
They both are listed as ideal cut. So you would choose the latter diamond for sure? The 1.07 carat diamond. This diamond is basically just shy of $6,000. Ripoff? Not ripoff?
 
6.57mm x 6.61mm x 4.03mm are its measurements
 
Sorry, I meant the measurements of both the first diamond and the second diamond. Comparing the two together, the mm difference between the two for 0.05 ct is almost negligible. $6K for a 1.07 I SI1 that is eye clean and a good performer is a decent price - looking around the PS recommended online vendor's pricing, I see stones with the same stats and cut quality go anywhere from $5500 to $6500.
 
Thank you very much chrono!

I would have never really considered even asking about pavilion and crown angles (as it is not listed on their site) until you informed me. Honestly, I know that my lady would be happy with just about anything I got her, but I want to make sure I can do the best I can within my budget. We looked vaguely at some stones in a jewelery store just last week--- .70 to .85 carat diamonds. They seemed to be very sparkly to me and were of the same quality stones that I just described, at least as far as the 4 C's go. I didn't ask too in depth because I don't want her to believe that I'm thinking this seriously about the engagement. :Up_to_something:

Also, I saw some stones online that were EGL USA graded. I have a feeling what you're going to say about this, but I went up to a vs1 clarity, and I can get this much cheaper. Don't touch with a 10 foot pole?
 
You are welcome. When I purchased my first diamond, I was just as clueless until I came across PS and once I followed the advise here, I noticed that the diamond I selected and viewed in the store is much nicer than the rest, even with the same basic stats.

The thing about jewellery store lighting is that they use very strong spot lights placed strategically to make even the cruddiest diamond sparkle. Take the diamond out into the real world and that's where the difference becomes apparent. If you want to see what an ideal cut diamond looks like in person, drop by your local Hearts of Fire dealer to see a few examples. Just ignore the price tag because you know you can get the same quality for less yourself now.

When the labs are lined up together, AGS has a slight edge but GIA is comparable in terms of colour and clarity accuracy. EGL USA is better than the other EGL labs but could be off in terms of either colour or clarity by 1 level.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-usa-vs-gia-ags.152860/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-usa-vs-gia-ags.152860/[/URL]
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-usa-vs-gia-vs-ags.153773/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-usa-vs-gia-vs-ags.153773/[/URL]
 
I won't comment on the diamond, you're in great hands.

As for 4 or 6 prongs, if she's a nurse, she's probably using her hands a lot, latex gloves off and on, opening and closing drawers, moving patients, ie: she's not an office worker sitting at a desk, You might want to consider the 6 prongs, it will make the diamond more secure and protected.
 
I've debated back and forth on 4 or 6 prongs. Some people said go with 4 because it will show off more of the diamond. They also said that because the stone would only be around 1 carat, not to worry about it being more secure. Then I talked to one of my local jewelers and he made it out to be a huge risk to set a stone in 4 prongs. So basically I have no clue! Once again. :errrr:

Then I thought that maybe I (and she) would even like the 6 prong better because it would make it more "rounded" as the stone would be a round stone. :twirl: Then I thought maybe this would cover up to much of the diamond as it is not a very big stone :?

So now I feel like this all in 2 seconds :mrgreen: :errrr: :twisted: :wacko:

She is a nurse and will be using her hands frequently. Any input?
 
I'd totally forgotten to address the setting part of the question. Whichever you decide, what's important is to keep the diamond (and setting) low set so the head doesn't get caught in the gloves or rip holes in it and banged around. In terms of 4 or 6 prongs, both are secure as long as it is set properly. There are plenty of 4 pronged settings in the Show Me The Bling section of PS.
 
For once, the low setting is something I have already considered. Basically, what I would have to do is just order this ring and see if it meets all of my standards. If it doesn't I'll send it back. But I'm thinking from the link that I posted in my first post that it will probably be low enough for her.

So let me get this straight.. low setting means I don't necessarily have to go with 6 prongs? Because it wont be sticking out so bad
 
I like that it has smooth edges and flows up so it's a design that isn't likely to get caught in things often. Yes, a low setting means you don't necessarily have to choose a setting with 6 prongs because it isn't sitting sky high. I wonder how high this setting is though because it needs the space to add the surprise stone at the side.
 
I think the channel set looks best anyway. I personally don't care for the "saw blade" look up through the ring. So it's kind of a win win. The tcw of the ring itself is only .14 carats so I just figured that it didn't need much room and it would be fairly low set. I mean at some point I just have to say "you know what that's close enough." I know that it isn't a high setting so I did what I could. Sometimes not all the circumstances allow for the exact perfect ring. If everything aligned, I wouldn't be on here trying to get all of the most helpful advice, I would just go buy the best thing out there 8-) Butttt I cant do that.

So I think the next step is just to suck it up and buy the thing! There's only one way to tell.

Here's one more thing. She's got size 7 fingers. Long fingers. It's crazy she's 5'4" 125 lbs and she's got man hands :shock: She'd kill me if she knew I said that, but I know that the band is like 2.2 mm in width. I think that's pretty thin. And I KNOW that's what she wants. This should help the diamond look bigger right? ++++ for me! :bigsmile:

She's been very emphatic about wanting a slim dainty band.
 
Let's just blame it on having large knuckles and leave it at that. A thinner band gives the illusion of the ring being bigger in contrast.

Quick question for you: do you need to buy the diamond from Ritani or can you supply your own? If you get it from a PS vendor, you are likely to get a stone just as pretty for less.

ETA
Nope, could find anything decent for less than $6000.
 
Haha ok large knuckles it is.


I don't necessarily have to buy the diamond from ritani. Here is what I have heard though: you need to buy the stone and ring both from ritani because I've heard horror stories that if you don't have Ritani set the stone, many local jewelers have messed up setting stones in ritani settings. Have no idea if that makes any sense or if that's just dumb, but that's what I've read. Also, I couldn't really find a much better price from anyone else on a loose diamond, so I just figured what the heck if I pay 1 or 200 more for ritani, they'll set it and send it off all in one piece. Much easier. Plus I don't have to deal with the ring is from there the diamond is from here stuff.
 
True and a very good point. Since Ritani has the stone that meets your specifications and within your budget, it is best to play it safe and get the stone and setting from the same place. Ritani is now responsible for any damage to the diamond during the setting process. Also, please reconfirm with Ritani that the SI1 is eye clean.
 
I will make sure it is eye clean. That is really all that matters to me as well as my lady. She can't tell, I can't tell.. WHO cares! I don't want to put money into it just for a cert. I do understand that diamond buffs would not agree with me at all on this one. But we live a simple life and there's other things money is best for.

I don't think a 1.07 SI1 H color ideal cut.. and excellent at 1.8 according to the chart you showed me is any knock to anybody though. I'm sure she'll be elated if that's what I decide to buy. If I do purchase this ring and diamond I will take pictures and show you guys on here to get more opinions.

Can't thank you enough for your chart and special help! Means a lot to a confused guy. :))
 
I understand where you are coming from perfectly - you want the best for your money but don't want to stress too much over perfection. A great thank you is to see the end result - a beautiful diamond in an elegant setting. Better yet, on her finger. You are most welcome.
 
I'm not sure what the rules are where she works. But here, hospital personnel can't wear rings with stones in them. They are permitted to wear one plain band but even that is strongly discouraged for hygiene reasons. Rubber gloves tend to loosen prongs from stones. I would not base my choice of e-ring setting on being able to wear it while working, because most likely, she won't be allowed to.
 
She is a nurse now, but will be a nurse anesthetist very soon. If she can wear it great, and I want to make sure that in the case that she can wear the ring it won't drive her nuts. If she can't wear it, then that's life. I'm not really basing my decision on her occupation, but I want to allow for the possibility that she may be able to wear it to work. I'm sure that most nurses can't wear rings, but being a nurse anesthetist she may be able to.

Just trying to do the best I can. Thank you though!
 
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