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Pears under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

snoopkat

snoopkat

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 2, 2011
Messages
203
Hi fellow PS'ers,

I'm hoping to get some help from the wonderful PS community for what may or may not be an impossible mission - please help me find a modern cushion cut diamond for no more than $1000. We have a wedding coming up and as this is a 'just because' present from the wonderful Mr snoopkat, I don't want to ask him to increase his budget.

Soooo....my requirements are :

Cut - Ideal/Excellent
Clarity - eye clean with no visible inclusions
Colour - prefer D-F but am happy to go lower in the colour range if the diamond has some fluor (the diamond must look white with no visible yellow tint. Must not look milky in the sun)
Dimensions - no less than 4.71*4.45*2.77 (this is based on a D SI1 EX/EX/EX diamond I have on hold with JA, carat weigh is 0.45)
Carat weight - I'm not too concerned with the actual carat weight, what's important is the diamond must be well cut so that it will face up large(ish) (I'm going to set the diamond in a halo once we free up some more funds).

I'm waiting for JA to send me ASET images of the 3 diamonds I have on hold and I've sent off emails to GOG and ERD to see if they have anything in their inventory that meet my requirements. I"ve had a look at WF and BGD but pretty much everything else I like is out of the budget range.

So what do you think PS'ers? Am I likely to get a beautiful diamond with the budget I've been given and the requirements I have?
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

I don't think it is impossible to find a nice one, but my only thought is that since cushions usually face up smaller than rounds, a .45 cushion may really be a little small to set in a halo ring. I really think I might save longer and put a little more money into the diamond because a .60-.75 cushion would probably work better for a halo ring, to be honest. But it might work better for a pendant.
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

diamondseeker2006|1339732742|3216699 said:
I don't think it is impossible to find a nice one, but my only thought is that since cushions usually face up smaller than rounds, a .45 cushion may really be a little small to set in a halo ring. I really think I might save longer and put a little more money into the diamond because a .60-.75 cushion would probably work better for a halo ring, to be honest. But it might work better for a pendant.
Click to expand...

I agree.
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

H at that size won't have a visible tint if well cut: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1302221.asp Get ASET

Here's a G though: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1302221.asp Get ASET

I'd probably chip in my own money and go with this one though for the spread if it has a nice ASET: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1280494.asp

I do think it is too small to halo though. Unless you do an airline halo. Then I think it might work.
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

Thanks for both your replies. Sorry I should probably have clarified that the 0.45ct was only 1 of the 3 diamonds I was looking at. The other one I was considering is this:

Shape: Cushion
Carat weight: 0.58
Cut: Excellent
Color: F
Clarity: SI2
Certificate: GIA

Depth: 67.9%
Table: 63.0%
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Girdle: Thin to very thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 5.06*4.53*3.07
Ratio: 1.12

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1385212.asp

I know that with cushions, you can't judge by numbers alone so I'm waiting for the ASET to come back before making a decision. Based on the stats alone, this is probably my favourite stone and I like the crushed ice look. But I'm no expert so what do you think? Do you think the 0.58ct will be big enough to halo? I've been wanting a cushion RHR for the last couple of months and all the bling **** on PS is feeding that need (Hi, I"m snoopkat and I'm a PS addict...) Otherwise the other option would be to put this in a simple solitaire until after the wedding when we can possibly do a trade in. Every spare cent I have is going towards the wedding so I'm not inclined to put in any of my own money on a 'just because' present.

I don't know if it's the colour calibration on my monitor, but all the H stones look really yellow to me?? I'm sort of leaning towards going towards the D-F because I have a few pieces of jewellery in the G-H range and it wouuld be interesting to find out if I'm colour sensitive.
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

What's an airline halo?
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

Gypsy said:
diamondseeker2006|1339732742|3216699 said:
I don't think it is impossible to find a nice one, but my only thought is that since cushions usually face up smaller than rounds, a .45 cushion may really be a little small to set in a halo ring. I really think I might save longer and put a little more money into the diamond because a .60-.75 cushion would probably work better for a halo ring, to be honest. But it might work better for a pendant.
Click to expand...

I agree.
Click to expand...

I would agree with this normally but I remember a tiffany legacy ring with a .30ct and it was just beautiful and delicate, I love it so much, never forgot about it!

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-tiffany-legacy-ring.95789/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-tiffany-legacy-ring.95789/[/URL]
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

snoopkat|1339744387|3216764 said:
What's an airline halo?
Click to expand...

It's when you have a very small gap between the centre stone and the halo. It's mostly a visual preference, it gives a tiny bit more finger coverage, but mainly it defines the centre stone. I personally prefer halo rings without airlines.

no airline/airline pics here:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/to-halo-or-not-to-halo-omc-1-ct-stone.42516/page-3']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/to-halo-or-not-to-halo-omc-1-ct-stone.42516/page-3[/URL]

what is an airline?

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/what-is-an-airline.134433/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/what-is-an-airline.134433/[/URL]
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

You can't judge color based on online pics, so don't reject a stone based just on the images. I've seen J's that appeared whiter than G's and on JAs site I've seen F's that looked to have a lot of body color. It's just how the dealers photograph their goods. :wink2:
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

That legacy is sooooo pretty! It looks like it has a wide halo (I' guessing 2mm) so that would add some blingpact.

Thanks for clarifying the airline halo Deia, I've seen those type of halos before but never knew that's what it was called. I'm not a fan of airline halos tbh and I don't think it adds that much visual punch to the overall setting (this is my personal opinion though).

The gemologist is meant to come back to me with their assessments and I have told JA that i'm happy to consider lower colour stones as long as they look visibly white with no tint. If I want colour in my stone, I'd get a CS. I also read somewhere that JA will pay for return shipping if I'm not happy with the stone (is this true?) so at the very least, Mr snoopkat won't be losing any money if I decide not to keep it. Hence why I don't want to make any purchases without ASETs.
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

Or am I better off going with a completely different shape so that the stone faces up bigger, like maybe a pear for example?
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

snoopkat|1339762924|3216829 said:
Or am I better off going with a completely different shape so that the stone faces up bigger, like maybe a pear for example?
Click to expand...

Maybe. Pears and ovals are 'shallower' cuts so face up larger, but if you love a cushion, that's what you should get.
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

OK, so I've decided to do a 180 and look for....a pear. As much as I would love to own a cushion cut diamond, with the budget I've been given it's just not possible to to get a stone with the dimensions I'm after. And mr snoopkat really wants to get this before his birthday at the end of June (I get a present when it's his birthday, schweet! :appl: )

I managed to find 3 pears that are close to the dimensions of my current e ring (they range between 6.77mm to 7.09mm in length, approx 0.6ct in weight). 2 are F SI2 (which is a slight concern for me but Stacy from JA said the gemologist will be able to tell me whether or not they're eye clean) and the 3rd one is an I VS2. As long as it's eye clean, the clarity itself doesn't really bother me. It'll also be interesting to see how white the I (with its med blue fluor) will face compared to the F.

I'll post ASET images and more info as soon as I get them. I've now banned myself from looking at anymore pears on JA, Stacy has been unbelievably patient with all my questions and tendency to keep changing my mind.
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

Looks like the cushion I sent back is available! $1487 Pricescope Wire Price. A little over your budget but WOW - huge!

It's a beautiful, crushed ice, icy white stone and you can't see the I1 flaw unless you turn it upside down. Face up HUGE - would look great in a Halo. I sent it back because it wasn't as sparkly as I wanted in low light at home in the evenings.

It's not an ideal cut and the idea of this stone is more the Harry Winston crushed ice look where you surround it with a sparkly halo that would sparkle when the center stone doesn't. Never goes dark, just stays white. Crazy sparkles in jewelry store lighting and looks beautiful in sunlight. Not a stone that PS usually recommends, but since I've had it in multiple lightings I can recommend it for someone on a budget that isn't looking for a super ideal e-ring stone.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-I1-Good-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1325863.asp

Dimensions: 5.94*5.21*2.90

photo(4)_0.jpg
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

vintagelover229|1339781230|3217025 said:
Have you seen this? I realize it's a bit smaller than you were looking for but it's got the setting and is in budget :) I know you switched to a pear but I figured I'd link you to this just in case :)

http://www.diamondbistro.com/category/216/Natural-Diamond-Center/listings/29506/Daussi-Cushion-Halo-Diamond-Engagement-Ring.html
Click to expand...

My goodness, this is quite a deal if the ring size would work!
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

oops...just realized I posted the wrong link above..(I like the one above better but it is not in budget!)

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5590/
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

diamondseeker2006|1339792191|3217174 said:
oops...just realized I posted the wrong link above..(I like the one above better but it is not in budget!)

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5590/
Click to expand...
I almost bought that one. But it is brown. It has a strong brown tint to it. I like warmth and still passed on this one.
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

Gypsy|1339800170|3217276 said:
diamondseeker2006|1339792191|3217174 said:
oops...just realized I posted the wrong link above..(I like the one above better but it is not in budget!)

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5590/
Click to expand...
I almost bought that one. But it is brown. It has a strong brown tint to it. I like warmth and still passed on this one.
Click to expand...

Gotcha! I actually like brown or champagne over yellow, but I doubt she is wanting color in this project.
 
Pear under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

webdiva - I do like the cushion that you've posted. Funny enoughl, I actually prefer the crushed ice look but I don't think I can get past the I1. It's just not mind clean enough for me.

vintagelover - I saw that exact same ring on DB and I was so in :love: with it! Unfortunately my ring size is a 4.5 and I think the seller advised against resizing it.

diamondseeker that's a good sized diamond you posted (the one that's within my budget). Gypsy, I can see some brown at the tip end of the pear, is that where you see it too? How does one go about reading the DiamXray image?
 
Re: Pear under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

snoopkat|1339838979|3217578 said:
webdiva - I do like the cushion that you've posted. Funny enoughl, I actually prefer the crushed ice look but I don't think I can get past the I1. It's just not mind clean enough for me.

vintagelover - I saw that exact same ring on DB and I was so in :love: with it! Unfortunately my ring size is a 4.5 and I think the seller advised against resizing it.

diamondseeker that's a good sized diamond you posted (the one that's within my budget). Gypsy, I can see some brown at the tip end of the pear, is that where you see it too? How does one go about reading the DiamXray image?
Click to expand...

Have you seen a crushed ice cushion in person? There's NO way to tell it's I1 from the top or side - that's part of the beauty of the crushed ice look! :cheeky: I had to examine it for a couple days to actually find the crystal, which is a tiny diamond forming inside the big diamond - two for the price of one! Bonus! ;)

This is the feedback I received from James Allen at the time: "This is Emily with JamesAllen.com, and I wanted to confirm with you that the diamond is eye-clean. Our diamond department has also commented that the diamond plays light wonderfully and is an all around great diamond."
 
Pear under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

I have seen crushed ice in person and I must say I kind of prefer that look. My e ring has a sapphire centre stone and it throws out the most amazing pinpoints of light when tilted at a certain angle and I find that so pretty. I'm sure the stone you initially bought is gorgeous, but it's just beyond my own mental tolerance level. Everyone's gotta draw a line somewhere I guess :)

Ok, some update from JA! Out of the 3 diamonds I've picked, the gemologist has made his recommendation and I've attached the ASET image below. There's a fair amount of red and green (to me anyway) and for my budget, it seems to be a decent stone. There are a couple of black spots at the tip of the pear and the side that is a slight concern, but perhaps it can be covered up by the prongs. There is a bowtie but it appears to blend well. The gemologist's opinion also is that it's eye clean to most people.



Would love to get the experts to chime in on how they view the ASET.

Oh yeah before I forget, here are the stats:

Shape: Pear
Carat weight: 0.61
Cut: Excellent
Color: F
Clarity: SI2
Certificate: GIA

Depth: 62.7%
Table: 56.0%
Polish: Good
Symmetry: Good
Girdle: Slightly thick to very thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: Medium blue
Measurements: 6.82*4.88*3.06
Ratio: 1.40

Inclusions according to the report are crystal (which doesn't really bother me) and feather (waiting on JA to advise where exactly the feather is).

I'm hoping GOG and WF come back to me soon as mr snoopkat is ready to make the purchase next Thur when his funds clear.

1423342aset.bmp.jpg
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

*bumping for feedback on JA's ASET image*

Pending JA's response to my questions about the location of the inclusion (feather) and whether the med blue fluor has an impact on its overall appearance (I know 99% of diamonds are not affected by fluor, but I'd hate to be in that 1%), I think this is the stone we will end up getting since I still haven't heard from GOG and WF is asking for credit card details before they would bring the stone in for evaluation.

Mods - any chance I can get the subject title changed to 'Pears under $1000 budget' since I'm no longer looking for a cushion? Thanks!
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

Can you provide the link to that stone? I'd like to see the regular image and see where the feather is. Med Blue fluor. is not likely to be a problem. You'd have to be more cautious if it was very strong blue.
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

Here's the link as requested http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Pear-Diamond-1423342.asp I hope it works coz I know JA took it out of the inventory when they put it on reserve. I tried looking for it myself using the virtual loupe but after looking at a fair few diamonds over the weekend, everything is a bit of a blur.

Appreciate your help on this diamondseeker! :)
 
Re: Cushion under $1000 budget - Mission Impossible?

IT'S DONE!!!!! :lol: :lol: We just finalised the sale with JA and with any luck I'll have my 1st pear in my hot little hands next week before Mr snoopkat's birthday. Can't wait!!! :appl: :appl:

I'll post pics as soon as I get it.
 
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