Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W)

F

fealloy

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 2, 2011
Messages
17
Hello everyone :)

I am a 28 year old guy, seeking for the "perfect" diamond ring for my future wife.
To be honest, I never thought that this procedure would be this stressful, and lucky me I found this site with all of you diamond experts and lovers.

Well, after a lot of search regarding the settings, I filtered my preferences to two with one prevailing most.
1. My favorite option comes from James Allen website, 18k White Gold Cross Prong Pave Set, Surprise Diamond Engagement Ring (17123W)
17123W1.jpg
17123W3.jpg
17123W5.jpg
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagemen...-Gold-Cross-Prong-Pave-Set-Surprise-Ring.html

2. Me second option is a classic, Cartier Solitaire 1895 Pave setting
http://www.bridal.cartier.com/brida...4600-solitaire-1895/(details)/zoom?view=video


I tried searching for real life photos of the James Allen setting without much luck. I know that there are a few on their site, but not at different angles to appreciate it fully. Maybe I am wrong, but I do not trust the 3d images and video.
I am wondering what is your opinion on this James Allen setting, and whether there are some real life photos anywhere.


Now about the diamond..
I went through the procedure of learning the 4C's in addition to polish, symmetry and girdle.
Having in mind what I read, I am considering to go with FULL Ideal :bigsmile:, 0.72-0.79Ct (if this is large enough for the J.A setting) but I have no idea what is visually perfect enough for colour and clarity. My budget for the diamond is ~3500$


Any help would be much appreciated.

Greetings from the island of love, Cyprus
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

I like those rings a lot, but I honestly think you'd be better off with a cathedral shank that tapers in toward the stone with a .75 range stone. I haven't searched the JA settings to see if they have one, but here is one for reference:

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/legato-sleek-line-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-422.htm

I think the shank tapering in is more complimentary to the diamond size whereas a laarge diamond can handle the wider shank coming up next to the diamond. I have to leave soon so I can't search JA at the moment, but you are on the right track as those are beautiful settings!
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

I have to agree with DS (the last post). That setting from JA is very pretty but I dont think it will show off a .7ish stone
to its best. It is a wide band and I think at the top of the setting that metal may show at the sides of thestone.
You did see the "real" pictures on the JA website right? Here I will post one for ya. This is a .72. Do you see the metal
on the left and right of the stone. I'm not really liking that but thats just my opinion. If it doesnt bother you...than not
a problem.

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/pave/2520/Pave-Diamond-Engagement-Rings.html

This is a .73 in a thinner setting.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/pave/1821/Pave-Engagement-Rings.html
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

Okay, I changed my schedule and came back to look!

This one has a thinner shank which I think would go better with your size stone. If you use a wider shank, I think it is going to make your center stone look small. This one is not tapered, but it is not as wide where it meets the diamond, so I think it will be better:

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-White-Gold-2-2mm-Pave-Set-Diamond-Ring.html

Picture:

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/pave/963/Pave-Rings.html
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

diamondseeker2006, tyty333
Thank you for your responses. I am glad that I asked, as I did not realize the issues you both stressed out.
I checked the links you provided and I am fully aware of what you are trying to tell me.

Prior me starting considering the options you kindly searched and shared, I am wondering what I should look for, in order to get the right diamond for this setting? Is it possible to achieve an eye catching diamond on a budget of 4000$ or so?


minmin001
I would love to see the ring you are getting. I hope it will satisfy you at the most :)
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

it is definitely possible to get an eye-catching diamond for $4000. what color/clarity are you looking for?

here are some settings from JA that I personally like
http://www.jamesallen.com/designer-jewelry/meno-collection-by-danhov/ring/item_412-4013.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-White-Gold-Pave-Set-4-Prong-Ring.html
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-White-Gold-2-6mm-Six-Prong-Pave-Set-Ring.html
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

slg47
These are lovely and I see that all of you prefer thinner settings. Unfortunately whenever I walk with my lady near jewelry shops, her eye stick to the wider ones similar to what i ve shown above. This is the main reason I chose the mentioned setting.

Regarding my diamond preferences, I am not an expert and I never saw diamonds with known C's in person. My knowledge comes from what I read through the web.

My initial plan was to get a diamond with the following specs:
0.72ct, G, VVS2, True hearts cut, Ideal polish and symmetry.
It seems however that i need a bigger diamond, say 0.80ct, I am not sure what is better to sacrifice and still get a "spotless" diamond.
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

fealloy|1304443171|2911276 said:
slg47
These are lovely and I see that all of you prefer thinner settings. Unfortunately whenever I walk with my lady near jewelry shops, her eye stick to the wider ones similar to what i ve shown above. This is the main reason I chose the mentioned setting.

Regarding my diamond preferences, I am not an expert and I never saw diamonds with known C's in person. My knowledge comes from what I read through the web.

My initial plan was to get a diamond with the following specs:
0.72ct, G, VVS2, True hearts cut, Ideal polish and symmetry.
It seems however that i need a bigger diamond, say 0.80ct, I am not sure what is better to sacrifice and still get a "spotless" diamond.
Click to expand...

The ones she had her eyes on, what's the size of the center stone? We prefer thinner setting only because we feel it will make the .75ct "pop" more.
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

oh, if she likes a thicker setting then by all means get one! Also I think you can drop clarity and get a larger stone, you will not see any difference between VVS2 and VS2.
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

If you can go down to an "I" you can get in the .9ish area. You would need to request an idealscope for this one.
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1373277.asp

Here is an .8 H vvs1 (having hard time finding any with lower clarity).
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VVS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1372539.asp

Edit - here is a nice BGD stone H&A .83 H VS1 for $3961. You would have to ask them to load the pics for
you.
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104051366021

Here is a whiteflash stone that is nice...
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2599716.htm
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

I really like the first setting you posted, I think it will look gorgeous :appl:

I think this diamond looks like a real stunner

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1346480.asp

Light Return Excellent
Fire Excellent
Scintillation Excellent
Spread
or diameter for weight Very Good
Total Visual Performance 0.8 - Excellent
within TIC range
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

Here is another one as well. I am not sure if you know this but if you contact JA they will look at three diamonds for you at a time and their gemologist will tell you which one is the best overall.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1362092.asp

Light Return Excellent
Fire Excellent
Scintillation Excellent
Spread
or diameter for weight Excellent
Total Visual Performance 1 - Excellent
within TIC range
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

does she like the reverse taper (gets wider toward the top) or just a wider setting?

the one you posted...I don't like the metal near the sides of the diamond.

what about this one? not thin, but a touch thinner, and the head looks more integrated
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/ring/item_412-4118.asp
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

Thank you all for the comments and links. I had a look on the diamonds you all shared with me, and I see that I must go to several jewelery shops and check how VS2 clarity and H colour look like. I am glad though that with a reasonable budget a good 0.8ct diamond could be bought.

At the moment I am in talks with a JA representative to check whether they could alter the design of the setting, so those edges won't protrude. I have some hard time explaining in english what I mean, so if anyone could offer proper wording, I ll be delighted.

minmin001|1304443641|2911279 said:
The ones she had her eyes on, what's the size of the center stone? We prefer thinner setting only because we feel it will make the .75ct "pop" more.
Click to expand...
In general, you do not see stones bigger than 0,7ct in the stores, and not to mention that they sell for > 8000$. Yep, I understand that the thinner the setting the more the diamond pop, but unfortunately my lady likes thicker bands. Partly is my fault because I bought her, a few years ago, an 18k white gold ring with ~20 minute diamonds, 4.5mm wide. How fullish i was :D

slg47|1304446807|2911339 said:
oh, if she likes a thicker setting then by all means get one! Also I think you can drop clarity and get a larger stone, you will not see any difference between VVS2 and VS2.
Click to expand...
Hmm, didn't know that. The fact is I like the sound of VVS but since it is better to get a bigger diamond for this setting, i guess I ll learn to live without it :D
What about the colour. Sometimes I feel that "G" might not be colourless enough, and I fear looking "H". How true is this?

farmer gal|1304450254|2911393 said:
Here is another one as well. I am not sure if you know this but if you contact JA they will look at three diamonds for you at a time and their gemologist will tell you which one is the best overall.
Click to expand...
This is a good info, cheers for that.

slg47|1304450716|2911397 said:
does she like the reverse taper (gets wider toward the top) or just a wider setting?

the one you posted...I don't like the metal near the sides of the diamond.
Click to expand...
I guess she likes wide settings in general.
As I wrote above, I am in talks with JA to see whether they could "fix" the issue you stress regarding the metal near the sides of the diamond. I have trouble wording this issue correctly but I did send a picture trying to illustrate it. We ll see how it ll go :)
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

I think you should strongly consider going with your girlfriend to look at diamonds. Arrange for her to see some diamonds in the H, I, and J color range (GIA/AGS, not EGL certified...that can be an issue if you're dealing with local jewelers).

Some are more color sensitive than others. The reality is though, for "most" people diamonds in the I-J range face up white. If you look at it next to a D-E diamond, sure it will look less colorless. That's why you don't show her those diamonds, because if she's comparing an I to and E, the experience will be much different than if she is comparing an I to an H.

It's very likely she will be fine with something in the I-J range. You can get a heck of a lot more size for your money if you're willing to compromise on color. However, she may be very color sensitive, so it's not one of those things you would want to do without her input.

Echoing what others have said, no need to go any cleaner than VS2.
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

fealloy...when you go to look at stones for color you need to make sure you are looking at well cut stones. I'm not sure
where you are located but if you have a Jareds near by you can look at their Peerless collection or if you have some
jewelry stores that carry Hearts on fire stones....you will get a true indication of color.

Color is graded with the stone upside down (pointed end up). A poorly cut stone may show more color than a well cut
stone that is reflecting light back the way it should. The stones we are helping you with are well cut stones. And...like someone
else pointed out, some people are color sensitive and some people are not. So one person may really feel like they
see color in a G and someone else may be able to live with a J. Dont compare the stones side-by-side...just look at them
individually to determine if you see color in them (at the end you can compare side by side...this is when most people can
see color).
 
Re: Opinions please: Diamond and setting (James Allen 17123W

I see.. I am going around then to see some diamonds in person. By looking at them I ll know what I should get and what I shouldn't.
I am not taking the lady with me because I want to surprise her. I hope the surprise wont get back to me like a boomerang :lol:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top