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Not sure about my "upgrade"

M

MoxiRoxi

Shiny_Rock
Joined
May 13, 2020
Messages
101
When we got engaged, we had 4 kids in college (his two and my two) so spending a lot on a ring wasnt in the cards for us then. Hubby bought a really pretty .51ct E VVS2, and halo setting from James Allen. I really like the setting and my diamond is super sparkly, albeit dainty :)

Fast forward, kids are out of college, out of the house and hubby surprised me by offering to upgrade for my Bday... I chose a really pretty .84ct F VVS2, from James Allen to take advantage of their upgrade policy. I received the ring today, and the diamond is really pretty, but overall the ring is almost the same size. I was assuming it would have been a bit larger because the rock is bigger.

So now I am torn on sending it back and hoping to find another beautifully performing stone, but bigger and within our budget from James Allen. Or to keep it and some day change the setting to have larger halo stones.

When we made the purchase, we decided to do the reverse upgrade and send back the stone after seeing this ring, I also swapped out to Platinum..

I have a couple weeks to decide, but I dont want to "waste" my upgrade on a stone I am not happy with as I will not be able to upgrade again with the way James Allen only supports the purchase of a diamond twice the cost.

Thoughts?

.51 to . 84.JPG
 
The center looks a LOT bigger but the Whole looks the same size. The halo stones are smaller on the new ring?
 
I think the way the new diamond is set, it overlaps with the halo a bit. The stones in the new halo also look smaller. The center diamond does look bigger, but since you have the halo, the overall size did not increase as much.

I would return the upgrade and get something that makes you happy! Would you be willing to go down in color and/or clarity for a larger stone?
 
OP, would you be open to a compromise and go down a bit with clarity (also eye clean) and color but up with the size? I believe VVS2 is an overkill. How about G/H (also still very white) and VS2 combo? That would enable you to save money and go up in size.
 
daisygrl said:
OP, would you be open to a compromise and go down a bit with clarity (also eye clean) and color but up with the size? I believe VVS2 is an overkill. How about G/H (also still very white) and VS2 combo? That would enable you to save money and go up in size.
Click to expand...

Yes I would be willing to shift the stats a bit to go bigger, but my concern with the JA setting is that the halo diamonds would be Smaller yet and end up in the same pickle...

i could always buy a bigger stone at JA and shop for a setting from my local jeweler. I didn’t go ther initially as I felt I would lose the $ for the upgrade as I assume they won’t pay much for my .51 and the setting. But it’s worth me paying them a visit.
 
MoxiRoxi said:
Yes I would be willing to shift the stats a bit to go bigger, but my concern with the JA setting is that the halo diamonds would be Smaller yet and end up in the same pickle...

i could always buy a bigger stone at JA and shop for a setting from my local jeweler. I didn’t go ther initially as I felt I would lose the $ for the upgrade as I assume they won’t pay much for my .51 and the setting. But it’s worth me paying them a visit.
Click to expand...

How about a round halo with a bigger melee instead of a cushion style halo that you have now?
 
I think the new stone looks a lot bigger but maybe that halo style does not compliment the larger stone...? With that said, if you want bigger I say, go bigger! :)
I also like @daisygrl’s idea of a round halo.
 
After looking at your E all this time you aren’t going to be happy with anything lower than F in my opinion. I do think the VVS2 is overkill if you are trying to get into a larger size. The new ring definitely looks larger to me. But perhaps, as @daisygrl suggested, you do a round halo so it will clearly be evident this is a new ring. I think it will make a difference.
 
Double the halo?
 
Echoing what others said; the two rings are very similar in their overall size, even though the center stone is larger in the newer ring. Trust your gut; if this ring doesn't make your heart sing with joy, or at least whistle, then it isn't the one.

I am not familiar with James Allen, though of course I've heard of them. Is a coloured stone an option with them through their upgrade program? Would you consider a coloured stone, or are you definitely looking for a diamond upgrade? A coloured stone would really pop in that beautiful setting! Or how about a solitaire with a cathedral setting, using the new diamond? That would make the new stone really stand out (no pun intended!).
 
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As the others have said, although the main stone is significantly bigger, the overall size has not increased proportionally IMHO.

I had to look hard to spot the difference if I am honest.

Perhaps choosing a different setting, like a 3-stone, to let the centre stone stand out more? That's what I would be inclined to do.

DK :))
 
daisygrl said:
How about a round halo with a bigger melee instead of a cushion style halo that you have now?
Click to expand...
MRBXXXFVVS1 said:
What about having the stone as a solitaire, 3-stone, or a bigger diamonds in the halo?
Click to expand...

dk168 said:
I had to look hard to spot the difference if I am honest.

Perhaps choosing a different setting, like a 3-stone, to let the centre stone stand out more? That's what I would be inclined to do.

DK :))
Click to expand...

I really like the cushion halo. Bigger diamonds in the halo are an option. I have to call JA and see if they can work with me on that, but I am also going to my local jeweler to see what my options are.

I may just keep the rock which is really stunning and have JA take the setting back.

I’m definitely disappointed and this sort of took all the fun out of upgrading :(.

Thanks for all the feedback!
 
Seems like these are pre made stock settings they set any diamond between x and y size into. The setting is too big for your original stone, IMO whereas the new one looks “just right.” But I’d get how you’d feel disappointed.
 
Do you still have the stats on the old stone?
Can you run them both through HCA if you haven’t already?
If you upgraded from a spready stone, to one that’s not, I think that’s another consideration?
nothing right or wrong about what one wants in an ‘upgrade’ - spread or color or clarity or performance. Just preferences.
It is apparent, as already pointed out, the setting size increase isn’t proportional to the center stone spread increase. I don’t know if that’s something your vendor can ‘fix’ or not, and at what cost?
 
Rfisher said:
Do you still have the stats on the old stone?
Can you run them both through HCA if you haven’t already?
If you upgraded from a spready stone, to one that’s not, I think that’s another consideration?
nothing right or wrong about what one wants in an ‘upgrade’ - spread or color or clarity or performance. Just preferences.
It is apparent, as already pointed out, the setting size increase isn’t proportional to the center stone spread increase. I don’t know if that’s something your vendor can ‘fix’ or not, and at what cost?
Click to expand...

I plan on calling the vendor today. The HCA on my new stone wasnt that great. I purchased it before I knew better. Maybe I can find a better stone altogether and look into alternatives for the setting elsewhere.

I'm willing to shift on clarity but I am concerned that going with a bigger stone still may not give the size I was looking for with James Allen as I am worried their halo diamonds will be smaller yet on a bigger stone.

I went to my local Jeweler today, I have a couple options I am looking into. One setting I looked at today had much larger halo diamonds which I loved! But that of course came at a cost.

.51 Stone
.51 Stone.JPG
.84
.84 Stone.JPG
 
Yes, we can find you the best stone for your budget, and it sounds like you can get your local jeweler to help set it!

Do you mind sharing your budget and absolute minimums for specs?
 
I'm sorry you're disappointed! That's completely understandable. Try not to look at this as something that fell flat, but as an adventure! Sometimes the most treasured things are hard-won :) And the people here are so knowledgeable - what a place! OT, but I'm just in awe at the knowledge bank that exists here.
 
We'll help you find a diamond and ring you love. Its worth putting the effort in to finding what you really want. Don't settle for less!
 
Thank you all, I am so glad I found this forum! Everyone is so helpful. It's really appreciated.

MRBXXXFVVS1 said:
Do you mind sharing your budget and absolute minimums for specs?
Click to expand...

I was hoping to go with James Allen as their upgrade policy allows for anything twice the cost of original stone. In this case, that would be greater than $3360 - $4500.

My minimum specs would be:
.80 - 85ct not dead set on size.
G or better color
Eye Clean
3 EX if possible
Faint to no florescence

If I was to go to other diamond sources, I would have to reconsider my price range for a stone or reconsider the setting I liked to offset the difference in selling my current stone privately.

It's tough because I am so prone to to saying "what's another $500 or $1000" for the right ring LOL.
 
To help you with your search, PS-recommended proportions are as follows:

Table 54-59%
Depth 60-62.4%
Crown Angle 34-35 degrees (up to 35.5 or maybe even 36 degrees with shall (40.6 degree) pavilion, but additional checks are needed)
Pavilion 40.6-40.9 degrees

Here is an earth mined option, if you're open to stretching your budget a bit. It's discounted since it's an E with faint florescence - you'll want to check to make sure it's not cloudy - the photos look nice...

www.jamesallen.com

0.90 Carat round diamond

This 0.9 carat round diamond E color vvs2 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA
www.jamesallen.com www.jamesallen.com

(Edited to remove Lab options, will start another thread in the Lab section of the forum).
 
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@MRBXXXFVVS1 I know we aren’t supposed to discuss your last two options in Rocky Talk, but given OPs budget, color and clarity requirements and that her main reason for not liking her upgrade is that it doesn’t look much bigger, lab may be a good option to look at.
 
anangel said:
@MRBXXXFVVS1 I know we aren’t supposed to discuss your last two options in Rocky Talk, but given OPs budget, color and clarity requirements and that her main reason for not liking her upgrade is that it doesn’t look much bigger, lab may be a good option to look at.
Click to expand...

I’m really not open to lab created just for size, so we can pretend that suggestion didn’t happen

When I purchased the .84, I was satisfied that I would get a mm or two from the halo based off of the size of my existing. That’s didn’t happen... the new halo diamonds are smaller giving the same overall size.

when I called JA today, that said that is very much how all their rings are, so if I was to buy a bigger stone, the halo diamonds would be even smaller. Ugh!

With that said, I’d be ok to go a little smaller with a well performing stone and stay in budget so we can splurge a little on a chunkier setting.
 
Or in the alternative, go with a slightly larger stone. You don't want the halo to overwhelm the stone or get to the point that it looks like a cluster ring rather than an engagement ring.
 
@MoxiRoxi if you went with a solitaire perhaps you would have more of your budget to put towards your main diamond. Could it be in part that it’s getting lost in the setting? I don’t think halos always work in favor of making a main diamond look larger- maybe visit the local jeweler you mentioned just to try on styles and sizes and figure out what feels/looks like a upgrade to you ☺️
 
what part of your trade in do you lose if you don’t get your new setting from JA?
It looks like you need to look for specs just like your original stone (being ‘spready’ and lower HCA score than the current one), and that may not be in normal PS suggested specs? I don’t know? I’m not one of the diamond gurus here. Outta my comfort zone.
 
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