I know the question has been posed a thousand times, but I would like another look at it from you connoisseurs please.
Me: I like quality over quantity. I prefer conservative and traditional styles. Money matters.
I have read as much as I could until overload has now began to set in. I understand cut is critical, and like the technical aspect of using the Holloway cut analyzer to aid my search. I think I understand that in smaller stones an SI rating might be ok.
Some fuzzy points.... I am not sure precisely at what point the table becomes to small or to large. How visible will the difference be between a 55% table and a 60% table in a 6 or 7mm diameter stone. I can do the math but is it noticeable side by side or hard to discern?
Am I wrong in placing a fair bit of stock in the HCA ratings? are the 1.3's truly that much more stunning than a 2.5 HCA rating?
I have not fully decided between H&A, standard cut or AV cuts... still up in the air.. anyone have experience with both? Thoughts? Do the H&A's truly sparkle 2k more than normal rounds or is most of the expenditure for bragging rights?
Her: Not a flashy girl. Not an uptown New Yorker with Russian Blue cats.....She's a Farmers daughter type. Loves gardening, jeans, capris and dogs. She knows it's coming someday and knows I'm saving for it. I recently had her out to look at mall store stones just to see reactions. She likes rounds, and thought a 1.0 (no lab, F, VS1) round was big. She OMG the size of the 1.22 (H, SI2) but thought, rightly so, it was not as nice as the first. The 2.0 princess was "way to big and clunky" for daily wear. Most people we know are 1.0 or less and not stunning settings or quality.
My thoughts then, are that a 1.5 round might look stunning, but she will be slightly embarrassed by the size (similar dimensions to the above 2.0 princess) on a farmers wife's 6.5 finger.
so......I'm thinking 1.1 to 1.35ish will be worn with pride so lets make it nice without breaking the bank.. no 20k stones please.
So solitaire, plain or if I can budget it, something a touch flashier (no halos). I will buy the setting post stone, but just love the:
http://www.verragio.com/Verragio-Engagement-Rings/Parisian-Engagement-Rings/PARISIAN-100?slide=
The stetting is still wide open though.. lets talk stones!
lots of rounds out there in the 1.1 to 1.4 range... leaning to 1.25ish with top cuts, GIA x or AGS 0's, VS2 or better, HCA 1.5ish or lower (see above question), Color... would like D-F for my bragging rights but it might be outside the $$ range. G?, H? (cringes)... are the color F vs. H an all in my head difference in those cuts under normal office or overcast Seattle area skies?
Ladies, would this be a 40 year stone and setting for you? No upgrade required?
I would love to hit 12k total package, but with that setting it seems unlikely.... 14K unreasonable?...do I need to wait a bit and gather another 5k to meet my goals? No rush as we just started broaching the topic after 1.5 yrs dating. 9k and saving atm.
Let the great knowledge base mobilize.........
Me: I like quality over quantity. I prefer conservative and traditional styles. Money matters.
I have read as much as I could until overload has now began to set in. I understand cut is critical, and like the technical aspect of using the Holloway cut analyzer to aid my search. I think I understand that in smaller stones an SI rating might be ok.
Some fuzzy points.... I am not sure precisely at what point the table becomes to small or to large. How visible will the difference be between a 55% table and a 60% table in a 6 or 7mm diameter stone. I can do the math but is it noticeable side by side or hard to discern?
Am I wrong in placing a fair bit of stock in the HCA ratings? are the 1.3's truly that much more stunning than a 2.5 HCA rating?
I have not fully decided between H&A, standard cut or AV cuts... still up in the air.. anyone have experience with both? Thoughts? Do the H&A's truly sparkle 2k more than normal rounds or is most of the expenditure for bragging rights?
Her: Not a flashy girl. Not an uptown New Yorker with Russian Blue cats.....She's a Farmers daughter type. Loves gardening, jeans, capris and dogs. She knows it's coming someday and knows I'm saving for it. I recently had her out to look at mall store stones just to see reactions. She likes rounds, and thought a 1.0 (no lab, F, VS1) round was big. She OMG the size of the 1.22 (H, SI2) but thought, rightly so, it was not as nice as the first. The 2.0 princess was "way to big and clunky" for daily wear. Most people we know are 1.0 or less and not stunning settings or quality.
My thoughts then, are that a 1.5 round might look stunning, but she will be slightly embarrassed by the size (similar dimensions to the above 2.0 princess) on a farmers wife's 6.5 finger.
so......I'm thinking 1.1 to 1.35ish will be worn with pride so lets make it nice without breaking the bank.. no 20k stones please.
So solitaire, plain or if I can budget it, something a touch flashier (no halos). I will buy the setting post stone, but just love the:
http://www.verragio.com/Verragio-Engagement-Rings/Parisian-Engagement-Rings/PARISIAN-100?slide=
The stetting is still wide open though.. lets talk stones!
lots of rounds out there in the 1.1 to 1.4 range... leaning to 1.25ish with top cuts, GIA x or AGS 0's, VS2 or better, HCA 1.5ish or lower (see above question), Color... would like D-F for my bragging rights but it might be outside the $$ range. G?, H? (cringes)... are the color F vs. H an all in my head difference in those cuts under normal office or overcast Seattle area skies?
Ladies, would this be a 40 year stone and setting for you? No upgrade required?
I would love to hit 12k total package, but with that setting it seems unlikely.... 14K unreasonable?...do I need to wait a bit and gather another 5k to meet my goals? No rush as we just started broaching the topic after 1.5 yrs dating. 9k and saving atm.
Let the great knowledge base mobilize.........
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