Newbie!

[Shupe]

Hi all,

I am in the market to purchase my partner an engagement ring. I know exactly what her dream ring is which helps a lot, however I really do not have an eye for this sort of stuff. I want to 'wow' her as much as I can within my budget (I'm sure everyone has the same goal!). We went ring shopping together some time ago and she fell in love with this one from Tiffany's - https://www.tiffany.com/engagement/...ment&search_params=param+0/0/0/0/0/0/GRP10097

In my search I have found a couple to be very similar, albeit significantly different prices and I am unsure as to why.
https://www.bravermanjewelry.com/18...d-engagement-ring-1-2-ct-tw-1328-di-di-18w-ro
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...edge-pave-engagement-ring-handmade-item-62944

As you can see, one is $1110 and the other $3430. I'm sure there is something obvious, but I don't know what it is! I'm inclined to go with the cheaper option so that I can get a better diamond to accompany it.

Does anyone have any experience with Braverman Jewelery? Are they a reputable brand?

Thanks for any help offered, I'm at a stage where I need to look at purchasing something and $10000 is a lot of money to get wrong!

 

[lovedogs]

I like the JA one, and people on this board are very familiar with them as a brand. I have no idea about the quality or any other info about braverman's, so I'd be a little wary of doing business with a vendor I'm entirely unfamiliar with.

The only differences I see offhand are the following: The Braverman's one is .5ct, whereas the JA is .6. The Braverman's is 18K gold, whereas the JA one is 14K. Also, Braverman's doesn't state the thickness, which makes me think it might be thinner than one would want, or not as solid/heavy. But those are just my initial guesstimates.

 

[sledge]

I'm not familiar with Braverman so no comment on that aspect.

A few more differences:

• JA setting is handmade. Braverman appears to be cast. Handmade work is more expensive and higher quality.
• JA stones are F-G color with VS2-SI1 clarity. Braverman stones are G-H color with VS2 clarity.
• Look at the side profile of the JA setting and you will notice it tapers from a wider point to a narrower point (see my sketch below). The Braverman & Tiffany settings do not appear to have this taper. This is a preference thing visually, but will require more metal and stones hence part of the higher cost.
• Because of the above taper, the pave diamonds in the JA setting are graduated in size going from smaller towards the bottom of the ring to larger at the top of the ring. The Braverman/Tiffany setting does not have this.
• The JA stones appear bigger. While carat weight may be the same, having fewer larger stones will be more expensive that a larger quantity of smaller stones.

 

[kindred]

The JA one is handmade, which costs more in itself. The Braverman one looks like a nice ring, but I don't know anything about that company. Hopefully someone else here will.

 

[sledge]

You mentioned $10,000 was a lot to spend. Is that your all-in budget for setting AND stone? Or is that for just the stone by itself? Not trying to talk you into spending more, but we need to clearly define this aspect so we can best help you reach your goals.

Also, what size, color and clarity of stone are you hoping to get? I noticed on the Tiffany page it showed 1.5 carats, but had a price of $29,000. No doubt, we can find you a better deal than that but we need to know the constraints.

Lastly, on the setting I would reach out to David Klass (DK) in Los Angeles and ask them for a price to replicate the Tiffany setting. I used them to create a custom piece for my girl and the quality was superb and price cheaper than the original (crappy quality) inspiration piece.

 

[sledge]

So I was looking on Instagram and just happened to stumble onto this -- apparently DK has already made one of these style of bands. It should be an easy job to replicate for you.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf3mSXyFyJ1/?taken-by=davidklassjewelry

 

[Shupe]

Thanks for the responses thus far. Interesting that nobody is familiar with Braverman - it makes me pause a little. Would love to hear more feedback on this if anybody has experience?

Sledge - I am not considering the Tiffany's ring. That was her dream ring, so now I'm trying to find something similar without paying for the blue box. My budget is $10000 total incl setting. Hence why if I can go with a cheaper setting, I can get a flashier diamond! Please also note that I am Australian, so the equivalent is about $7000usd. When the JA setting is half that cost, I just don't think I could afford the diamond to do it justice.

The non-negotiables for me with the ring I know my partner desires is the style of setting described and a 1 carat diamond (minimum, but I know with my budget I won't be able to get anything bigger!). I'll check out David Klass.

Thanks

 

[scarsmum]

I’ve never heard of them. I would check with DK first on what it would cost to do that type of setting. The braverman ring seems very skinny and this may be a durability risk and also lost you the substantial feel of a slightly wider setting. The diamonds on that one are also very small. Having said that, it could be a good way to save more budget for your center diamond. You may, however, need to consider it as a setting that may need replacing within 5-10 years. I also have some concern about the way the head is connected to the shank, looks a bit prime to be knocked off.

 

[peacechick]

Since you are in Australia, have you tried Holloway Diamonds? They are highly respected as the inventor of the Idealscope and would probably be worth checking out to see if they can make your design.

 

[diamondsareagirls]

I have the Vatche U 113, which is about the closest Tiffany replica and a 1.60 Whiteflash diamond ( J VS2 ). If the Tiffany is her dream ring I would look into this combo as you basically get a Tiffany for much cheaper and a better diamond!

 

[sledge]

Hey @Shupe, does that $7k USD value already take into consideration import fees and taxes? There is a form you can fill out to avoid some of the cost because of import agreements.

I'm curious what DK quotes. At this point I think you have to assume $1,500 or so. Leaves you about $5,500 for the stone.

I bought my girl a BGD Blue 0.867ct H VS2 for $4,800. That was a steal at the time. I was looking in the barely less than 1 carat category so I could avoid the 1 carat premium and most the .90ct+ stones were $5,500ish for H+ and SI1+. FYI part of the reason my stone was cheaper is because it has medium fluor. Some love this, some don't. But they trade slightly cheaper.

If getting over the 1 carat mark is important I think you will need to drop color a little and/or look into GIA XXX stones instead of the super ideals offered by BGD, HPD, WF, etc.

You can find some great XXX stones but it takes work and verification. Don't worry we can help you. The upside is you get more stone for the money. The downside is normally less awesome trade up programs, stones are typically part of virtual inventory and you will likely get limited or no advanced light performance imaging such as ASET or idealscope to assist in your decision process.

I will start looking for options as I'm sure others will too.

 

[mrs-b]

@Shupe -

I'm sure DKJ aka DK aka David Klass Jewelry could make that style ring for you for less than the JA price. Please contact them; their work is stellar, their prices are terrific, and they will make you something far nicer than either of the ones you posted.

Once you work out what setting you want and get its price, we'll then know what you have to spend on a diamond. There's not a lot of point in just swinging in the wind before we know.

Also - Sledge's question was an important one; does your 7k US budget include import duties etc? Or is it only meant to cover the setting and the stone? Also, are you at ALL flexible on budget? So often people come to this site with a 'fixed budget' - and after days and days of work by all of us, while getting a better grasp of what's available, how much it costs, and how good it is (or isn't) - they'll find they need to stretch their budget another 5%, 10%, or more. So please be up front as to whether this budget is set in stone.

But first, I'd give DKJ a call. I'm the third person on this thread to recommend them, and that's no accident. DKJ is highly respected on these boards and so many of us have worked with them and benefitted from their low prices. I believe they're on vacation until Thursday next week, tho they are still occasionally reaching out to people with existing projects.