shape
carat
color
clarity

New setting for my wife

distracts

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
6,139
Some things to think about with settings to try on:

Does she want it set low or set high?
Does she like pave with very little metal showing or pave where there is a metal rim around it (more sturdy)?
4 prongs or 6 prongs?
How far around does she want the pave to go?
Cathedral setting or not?

Here are just a few examples I picked at random from the Vatche site:






There are also settings that will be both a basic pave setting AND have a vintagey look:





(Just kind of selected these brands at random since I knew they had good examples)
 

sledge

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 23, 2018
Messages
5,791
I agree it can feel a little odd using a local jeweler for cleanings, etc. I bought my wife a stone from Brian Gavin (BGD) in Houston, and had her a custom setting made from David Klass (DK) in LA.

In my case, I found a local Diamonds Direct (DD) that I like to use for cleaning, scope inspections, etc. First time I went in I was honest with why I was there and offered to pay. They got the manager and I explained. We had a really good & long conversation. He was intrigued because her stone is AGS000 and DD only deals in GIA. I’ve never once had to pay. They always treat us very nice when we go in and sometimes the staff will want to see as they know I’m the “weirdo” that bought an AGS online. Honestly it’s been a really good relationship and I’ve been impressed with their willingness to accommodate us.

I’m not sure if you have a DD around or not but I would encourage you to find a local guy. Offer to pay and just be honest. You will weed out the jerks from the good ones. In our case the DD manager here is just a diamond enthusiast so he likes talking shop and seeing something unique to him since he’s only got GiA.

It will be super handy and mama bear will always have a shiny diamond to boot, lol.
 

sledge

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 23, 2018
Messages
5,791
In regards to the stone, thanks for posting the proportions. They are all within ideal range.

Also if you refer to post #15 you will see @Karl_K’s response that clears up my concerns I had on your behalf. In short, it appears it was a “false positive”. Sorry if you were alarmed.

I wasn’t around diamonds 10 years ago but something else that is unique about your stone is that it’s GIA XXX yet has very precise proportion measurements.

GIA now measures table to the nearest 1%, depth to the nearest 0.10%, crown angle to the nearest 0.5 degree and pavilion angle to the nearest 0.2 degrees.

The precision of your measurements are more similar to AGS, or possibly Jon gave you guys a SARIN report that dove deeper than the typical GIA cert.

I am very intrigued with the stone for sure, and think it’s a rare bird. I would not swap it out unless mama wants more carats.

Nerd article about GiA measurements, rounding, etc if you are interested:

 

Yimmers

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 29, 2008
Messages
1,144
My wife used to drive me insane by intentionally smudging her diamond. I got tired of her shenanigan's and one morning replaced her actual ring with one of those diamond candy rings. She demanded to know where her real ring was and that it was not funny. I let her know indeed it wasn't funny, but if she was going to smudge her ring on purpose she could sport one of those as it was much cheaper, insanely large and tasted good in case she needed a snack.

That's all I really remember of the conversation. But a few hours later after I regained consciousness, I saw she found her ring and had learned her lesson.

Now she regularly cleans at home, but a professional steam clean has the sucker really shining.


D44B301C-8C3F-4A6C-B1EB-1CCDDD0BEB53.jpeg

How long were you sporting that knot on your head? ;)2
 

IbrahimSS

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 18, 2011
Messages
82
Some things to think about with settings to try on:

Does she want it set low or set high?
Does she like pave with very little metal showing or pave where there is a metal rim around it (more sturdy)?
4 prongs or 6 prongs?
How far around does she want the pave to go?
Cathedral setting or not?

Here are just a few examples I picked at random from the Vatche site:






There are also settings that will be both a basic pave setting AND have a vintagey look:





(Just kind of selected these brands at random since I knew they had good examples)

what she wants is towards https://www.dvatche.com/product-p/1533.htm but this might even be too thick. Maybe towards this... https://www.brilliantearth.com/Ballad-Diamond-Ring-(1/8-ct.-tw.)-White-Gold-BE1D1823-4366764/
 

IbrahimSS

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 18, 2011
Messages
82
I am very intrigued with the stone for sure, and think it’s a rare bird. I would not swap it out unless mama wants more carats.

Why do you say that?
 

distracts

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
6,139

That Brilliant Earth brand is only 1.4 mm. The Vatche one is 2 mm. We do NOT recommend anything under 2 mm with pave for a daily wear ring, as it just isn’t all that structurally sound. Rings that width with pace will warp and lose stones a lot more easily. If this is fine with you and you’re fine replacing the setting periodically if this happens, then go ahead. Some people are totally ok with that. But usually people would rather get the 2 mm width and have more security.

I understand wanting the aesthetic of the super thin band. But if you want that it’s a lot better to go with something like a plain knife-edge band.
 

sledge

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 23, 2018
Messages
5,791
@distracts makes good points about band widths. I might add that construction methodology also comes into play on structural strength. Hand forged pieces are stronger than their cast counter parts. Yet cast is normally cheaper. I believe Vatche is hand forged FYI.

My wife's band is a series of widths, some are < 2mm but I don't think any are < 1.8mm. No issues.

Also, has she saw one IN-PERSON yet? When I was designing my wife's band, that had to be one of the most eye opening experiences I had. What looked perfect on the computer screen was either too skinny or too fat in-person.

830652
 
Last edited:

sledge

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 23, 2018
Messages
5,791
Why do you say that?

Proportions are great. Not really sure what Jon was up to but sounds like it was a pet project where he was experimenting with some special cuts.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find another 3x stone to beat it. But a super ideal may as it would have more perfect symmetry. If you did replace, that would be an expensive route, and you'd also have some hurdles to cross to sell/trade the stone unless you plan on starting fresh again.

If you were to go that route, I would want to see a comparable size, color & clarity super ideal stone next to your current stone -- both all cleaned up and in their best condition, under the same lighting, etc. That way you could get a real comparison and read on how your existing stone compares & if it's worth the $$ to swap them.
 
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top