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Need help realizing my girlfriend's E-ring dream

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dc46and2

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 11, 2014
Messages
6
Hi to all! I'm a complete diamond newbie except for the fact that I spent all day yesterday reading about diamonds and pricing things on the internet. I have a few questions and hope that I can draw from all the experience present on these forums.

My girlfriend and I have already talked a lot about marriage and I know she is very particular about the kind of ring she wants, so we went to the mall and looked at a lot of rings. She is totally in love with a ring we saw at Kay's (stock number 940232600), but I wasn't impressed with the clarity of the diamond and the price seemed too high. Also it is set in white gold, and I would prefer platinum. I don't think she really cares about WG vs Pt, but I think Pt would be more durable and wouldn't yellow.

I think I can find a better quality diamond on pricescope and have a custom setting in Pt made very similar to the one at Kay's for the same or less money. Is that a reasonable expectation, or should I just wait for a sale and buy the one at Kay's?

Assuming it is a reasonable expectation, how should I evaluate the cut quality of the princess diamonds listed on pricescope? I've read the knowledge article https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/princess-cut-diamond, but some of the criteria doesn't seem to be present on the GIA reports I've seen. What are the most important things to look for in the reports if I want the best light return?

Now, once I've found the diamond I want, where do I go from there? I live in Seattle, and a quick google search shows there are lots of jewelers. How do I pick the right one who can do the custom setting and will work with me to make the ring perfect for my girlfriend while keeping in my budget? Specific recommendations or general hints would both be greatly appreciated.
 
Fancy shapes (like princess cuts) should be evaluated by an ASET image, something the vendors PSers recommend can easily provide. It's not a shape that you should buy based on numbers on a certification alone. AGS is the only lab (reputable lab, at least) to give cut grades to princess cuts, GIA does not. Look for a cut and light performance grade of 0 (ideal). Some PS vendors you'll need to ask for the ASET image, while many of them already provide it. An example is this 1.05ct G VS2 from WF: http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2928617.htm

I certainly wouldn't buy the setting or diamond from Kay's, you can find much better diamonds and quality workmanship from the vendors here, especially for such a detailed ring like the one you posted. There are many PSers who can find you a very similar setting, or there's the option of getting an online vendor to do the custom setting (they'll send you CADs and even wax models)

What's your budget? Do you have a preferred size for the centre stone? For the other PSers, here's the link for the setting his FI liked: http://www.kay.com/en/kaystore/diamond-bridal-set-2-1-4-carats-tw--14k-white-gold
 
What is your budget for the setting? That will help determine if you can go custom or something stock.
 
I bought a ring at Kays. It was platinum. Never, ever again. There were issues with the ring and the main diamond was not "really nice" like the sales girl had said. After sending it back several times, I had to send it to a local bench to be repaired properly. Wish I had found Pricescope first. You live and learn ...
 
Thanks for the very helpful replies!

Because AGS is the only lab grading the cut of princess diamonds, can I assume that any well cut princess will be graded by AGS and automatically disqualify anything graded elsewhere? If I filter for only AGS graded diamonds would I be missing any possible bargains?

Sorry for not mentioning my budget in the original post. I'm looking to spend under $7,000 for the entire ring and I would prefer to stay near 1.0 ct. Looking at these ideal-cut diamonds graded by AGS, I'm starting to think that may be difficult to achieve. I did find this 0.95 ct H-VS2 for $4300, which looks to my untrained eyes to be a very nice diamond: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.95-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-277386. By the rules of rounding, I can still honestly tell her it's 1.0 ct. :Up_to_something:

So that would leave me about $2,700 for a Pt setting with about another ct total weight of similar diamonds. Feasible? Or do I need to start lowering my expectations?
 
Just to give you some reference. I just purchased this GIA graded diamond princess cut 1.02 for $4700.00. Here is a pic of it with the grade report

image_1169.jpg

image_1171.jpg
 
Color is very important in princess cuts. In this cut, prefer G-colored stones and higher, though some will be happy with H-colored princess cuts.

I have to say that this looks to be quite a nice stone:

1.042ct, F, VS2
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.042-f-vs2-princess-diamond-ags-104067955001

Paired with either of these settings:

Within budget - http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/the-valentine-micro-pave-1-18k-white-gold-5688w18
Higher-end - http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/classic-truth-sleek-micro-pave-18k-white-gold-5542w18


After Pricescope discount, you're out the door with a stone over a carat and an elaborate 18k gold setting, while still keeping under your budget.



Also - is your screen name a TOOL reference?
 
@ibdrinken: Thanks for the pics. Would you consider that an ideal princess cut? If so, how did you determine this before you saw it?

@RockyRaccon: Thanks for the tip about the color; I didn't know that. I agree that the stone you suggested is very nice, but I'm afraid that would leave me very little to spend on the setting. My girlfriend strongly prefers a halo setting with lots of pave side stones for extra sparkle, so I don't think the settings you suggested would work for her. The ring she liked at Kay's had a double halo. The inner halo created the illusion of a larger center diamond from a distance, which I think she enjoyed.

And yes, my handle is a TOOL reference. Nice catch!
 
Did she particularly like the side view of the Neil Lane ring as well, or was it just the top view she liked? Plenty of vendors do double halos with split shanks, but not with that particular side view look.
 
dc46and2|1392160520|3613135 said:
@ibdrinken: Thanks for the pics. Would you consider that an ideal princess cut? If so, how did you determine this before you saw it?

@RockyRaccon: Thanks for the tip about the color; I didn't know that. I agree that the stone you suggested is very nice, but I'm afraid that would leave me very little to spend on the setting. My girlfriend strongly prefers a halo setting with lots of pave side stones for extra sparkle, so I don't think the settings you suggested would work for her. The ring she liked at Kay's had a double halo. The inner halo created the illusion of a larger center diamond from a distance, which I think she enjoyed.

And yes, my handle is a TOOL reference. Nice catch!
Click to expand...

Got it.

If you go with the double-halo from JA posted just above, paired with either of these stones, you'll be out the door under $7k, with a killer ring:

.92ct, G, SI1
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.92-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-sku-283669

.95ct, H, VS2
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.95-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-277386


'... just ahead of me.'
 
Thanks again for all the replies. I'm checking out all the suggestions.

@hawk25: I don't think the side view of the Neil Lane was important. The things she seems to be very focused on were:

1. The size the halo stones compared to the center stone. Too big and they seemed to detract from the overall look. Too small and they become insignificant. This one had the right ratio in her estimation.

2. The way the inner halo blends into the center stone when viewed from above. From a distance it makes the center diamond appear larger than it really is.

3. The huge amount of sparkle.
 
One more question: I can't seem to find any info on the extra expense associated with doing a custom CAD setting. Should I even be considering it with my budget? What sort of premium should I expect compared to a stock setting?
 
Despite all the wonderful suggestions, I have not been able to find a setting for the princess diamond like the one from Kay's that is also in my budget. I have seen lots of double halo, split shank designs, but none that looked quite right. As a result, I have shifted the focus of my search to the runner-up from our ring-shopping trip to the mall: a pear-cut diamond with a halo, split shank setting.

I've found a setting at B2C Jewels that I think she will love:
http://www.b2cjewels.com/Diamond-Ac...-Split-Shank-Platinum-(3-4-cttw.)-8458-1.aspx

I think I've also found a great stone within my budget to go with it:
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-4130877-1.14-carat-Pear-diamond-G-color-VS1-clarity.aspx

I would love to hear any second opinions about this stone. B2C rates the cut excellent, but I don't know how much stock to put in a vendor rating. The ratios all seem to be in line with the ideal pear cut from the PS table, but I think that is just a rough guide. I've looked at the ASET and Idealscope images, but frankly I don't know what I should be looking for there.
 
Choosing a pear is far more difficult than choosing a round.

Your best bet is to work with a vendor that can source some stones for you, and give you in-person analysis.

In this situation, I would suggest Good Old Gold. Jon (Rhino here on the boards) is great with fancy cuts, and may even be able to make you a video of the top contenders.

Reach out to Jon at GOG and see what sort of option he may be able to offer. He is easy to work with!
 
dc46and2|1392169040|3613243 said:
One more question: I can't seem to find any info on the extra expense associated with doing a custom CAD setting. Should I even be considering it with my budget? What sort of premium should I expect compared to a stock setting?
Click to expand...

There's no better way to know than reaching out to some of the vendors, showing them the ring your FI liked, and seeing what they can do. I'd imagine that if they have a stock setting that's somewhat close, they can alter the setting so it looks more like the Neil Lane ring, which may cost less than a 'start from scratch' custom ring. BGD does custom work, I think it's worth the time to ask.

As Rocky said, it's much more difficult shopping for a pear, although GOG will definitely be able to help you with that. They've made videos comparing various diamonds they call in for a customer, and it's invaluable for choosing a shape like a pear.

It looks like you'll either have a harder time with finding just the right setting, or a harder time finding just the right pear diamond. I think I'd honestly rather deal with the setting, but that's just me.
 
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