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Grimes

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 4, 2009
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I am planning on proposing to my girlfriend and she has found a ring that she really likes at Zales. After doing a bit of research it has been pretty obvious to me that buying from them is not the best way to go. Here is a link to the one she fell in love with and I was wondering what I could do to find a ring similar to this one and not having to go through Zales.

http://www.zales.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3401273&kpc=1


Thanks for any help at all!
 
I am trying to stick to a budget around 2500 or so. I think around a half carat for the center stone would look nice. That ring is very nice, thanks for the help!
 
Date: 1/4/2009 12:56:46 PM
Author: Cocosgirl
Hi there,

Most of the vendors who participate on this site, like Whiteflash, GOG etc., could likely create a custom setting for you very similar to this. What''s your budget? Do you know what size center stone you will get?

I did come across this fab setting at jamesallen.com that might be a nice compromise:

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/ring/item_58-2115_design.asp?cid=58&item=2115&module=setting

Good Luck!
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Ditto and welcome to Pricescope,

Is your budget for the diamond or for the whole setting?
 
I am trying to stick to 2500 for the whole setting. I will start trying to look at some of the vendors and do a bit more research because I am absolutely clueless about the cut/shaping/certification kind of details.
 
I would show this picture to the folks at whiteflash, goodoldgold, and knoxjewelers.biz and get quotes for the cost of a custom setting. The design wouldn''t be hard to achieve. You might be getting close to going over the budget depending on whether this also includes the wedding band.
 
After looking at stuff all day I have just a few questions. When it comes to the actual diamond what is typically the most important factor? I found a half carat IF H diamond which I think is very nice and at a reasonable price. What is the factor that makes the diamond sparkle? I am pretty sure that is the most important thing to my girlfriend so I don''t want to be backward and need better quality at cut/color etc. Thanks for all your help so far!!
 
Date: 1/4/2009 4:55:49 PM
Author: Grimes
After looking at stuff all day I have just a few questions. When it comes to the actual diamond what is typically the most important factor? I found a half carat IF H diamond which I think is very nice and at a reasonable price. What is the factor that makes the diamond sparkle? I am pretty sure that is the most important thing to my girlfriend so I don't want to be backward and need better quality at cut/color etc. Thanks for all your help so far!!
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Cut quality is the ONLY thing that will affect the sparkle, brilliance, and scintillation of your diamond. It is by far the most important factor. In my opinion, and in the opinions of many other PSers, color and clarity are subjective and up to the individual buyers preferences. Unless you are looking at a very very icluded diamond, neither one of these factors will affect the sparkle one iota.

Regarding clarity, many people feel that as long as the stone is "eye-clean", which means you cannot see the inclusions with the naked eye when it is set, then paying for anything more is just crazy! LOL! But many others feel that a stone needs to be "mind clean" too, meaning they don't like the *idea* of inclusions or they do not want to see inclusions with a loop. Which one are you? Which opinion does your future fiance hold? Many people here opt to look at stone in the VS2-SI1 range that are eye-clean (as labelled by a reputable vendor) to maximize their budget.

As for colour, in my opinion it is completely up to you! Again, many people like to maximize size for their budget and so will get I or J colored stones (I am in this camp), bearning in mind that an ideal cut stone will face-up whiter than a poorly cut stone. Others want a crisper whiter stone, and like to stick in the E-F range. Again, many consider the sweet spot to be G-H, which allows maximized size without a too hefty pricetag, and also is a color that will not show a hint of warmth to the vast majority of people.

ETA so reading your post again, given your intended's desires, I would start by looking for GIA Excellent and AGS Ideal graded diamonds in the G-H colour range with VS1-SI1 clarity!
 
Ditto on everything dreamer_dachie said!

It’s easy to get swept up on the look of a setting, especially in a jewelry store or website photo where the lighting is perfect. But a setting with many side stones will eat up your budget and not leave anything for the center stone. A nice center stone can last a lifetime; get upgraded, get reset and/or become an heirloom. A lot of us prefer to spend a bigger chunk of the budget on the center stone and when the budget is tight, plan on spending more on a fancier setting for a later anniversary.

Just more options to think about!
 
Welcome Grimes,

Others have been dissappointed by Zales so do shop around. I agree with all the other posters.

Good luck!
 
Thanks a lot for everyones help! I sure have learned a lot in just one day and realize I have a lot more I need to look into.
 
Date: 1/4/2009 9:31:13 PM
Author: Grimes
Thanks a lot for everyones help! I sure have learned a lot in just one day and realize I have a lot more I need to look into.
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Just ask if you need any more assistance!
 
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