plat 6-prong solitaire?

[Atenay]

I posted before about trying to find a quality platinum setting and still have enough money for a great stone for under $2500. Well, since I posted I have been looking at my options and finally decided to get the cheapest 6-prong platinum setting I can get and go for a bigger, better diamond. But, I think my budget is going to be about $500 less, so I will only have $2000 to spend on both the setting and the diamond. I am hoping to get about a half carat (my girlfriend has a size 7 finger, if that makes a difference about what size is "big enough"). I think we are going to end up going with WF, as they''ve been great about answering our questions and they have a platinum 6-prong for $500. Also, without seeing the diamond I like the peace of mind that comes with a brand name like ACA, and the markup for it doesn''t seem ridiculous to me. My problem is, I haven''t seen any pictures of the setting "in real life" and I wonder why no one else on pricescope has gone with that setting. What is wrong with it? Also, the people at WF told me I could shave down the prongs- would this help make it look more delicate and the stone look bigger? If anyone knows of any other similar platinum 6-prongs in the $500 range, I would love to see more options as well. I saw one at Union diamond, but some of the reviews of Union from pricescope members have not been great and you can''t buy the setting separately, so I am not sure about that. Any info is appreciated, but please don''t tell me not to go with platinum. My girlfriend really wants it, we have talked about pros and cons, and she understands that she is giving up a little bit of carat weight for this, but for her it is worth it and I want to get her what she wants without sacrificing too much in the way of diamond size. Thanks again for your help.

 

[shimmer]

I have this setting, my diamond is 0.83 carats and my finger size is 5.5 (it was sized 5.75 originally, but I found that too big with such a thin band). Here are some pics...

I can''t upload them grrr. You can see some

here

 

[betternotbiggerdiamond]

It's personal preference but to me, with a .50ct diamond, 6 prongs tends to "swallow" the diamond. I prefer 4 prongs so more of the diamond is seen. X prongs look nice with this size in my opinion too without being too "plain " or traditional if you don't like 4 prongs for that reason.

ETA: Oh, and btw, you won't be sorry with WF, I got my .53ct ACA there... love it!

 

[betternotbiggerdiamond]

Ok here ya go... this is close to your budget... not an ACA... but an awesome stone. I''m not sure what you''re looking for in terms of color and clarity, but you say you want the "bigger better" diamond.

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-18721.htm

1809.00 diamond price w/ PS wire discount
445.50 platinum setting w/ WF 10% special on settings right now

2254.50 your total if you''re not in TX

 

[Atenay]

thanks for the replies. betternotbigger, I hear what you are saying about the x-prong or just a 4-prong, but my gf wants the 6 and I really want to get her what she wants. That being said, that is part of the reason I want the biggest diamond I can get for the money
because I agree that bigger does look better in 6-prong settings. We are willing to go as low in color as a J, although we do like a G or an H, and an eyeclean SI1 or 2 is also fine. I am hesitant to pick out a diamond until I make up my mind about the setting though.

Shimmer, your ring is beautiful. Is that the setting as is, or did you shave down the prongs or otherwise ask for alterations? One thing I am really considering is shaving down the prongs, which they told me costs about $75. Doing that would still be a lot less than a replica, but I am not sure what the results of doing that will be. Your ring looks very delicate and I am not sure that shaving down the prongs on that setting would change the look of the ring very much. Then again, a .50 ct stone will be noticeably smaller than yours.

Has anyone seen the Union diamond setting I mentioned? It is I believe $425 in platinum, although you have to buy it as an entire ring with diamond. Still, even with my misgivings about Union diamonds when I see the setting compared to the WF it looks very different and I wonder, if I like that look best, if it is worth it to look more at Union? The diamond is the most important part, so I don''t want to compromise that for a setting that most people won''t be able to distinguish from the one I would get from WF. With such a big
purchase ($2000 may not be a lot for some, but it''s a lot for me) I really don''t want to get it wrong and regret my decision later.

 

[shimmer]

Atenay, mine is the setting as-is. I was sooo worried about it being too clunky, but when I finally saw it in real life the actual ring is very tiny and the prongs are barely noticeable from the top view. Those close-ups really skew things, it doesn''t look overpowering at all. All I see is diamond from the top....from the side, they look very delicate. I just took more photos, maybe these will help.

 

[shimmer]

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[shimmer]

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[shimmer]

This one just for fun...

 

[shimmer]

The prongs do not stand out as much as it looks in the last picture. Like I said, all I see is diamond...