Please help me choose trapezoids for my new EC!

[cokitty]

@Blingalingaling Bingo, SK is fabulous. Very easy to work with and I have never been unhappy with the outcome.
I like working with the bench directly, sometimes when we see the side stones the flat angles can misleading. It is sort of like pathology. It takes practice to identify things properly.

 

[Blingalingaling]

I'm sorry the photos are so big!! I took them all with natural lighting and no filters with my iphone, but aside from editing out excess in the photographs, I don't know how to make them any smaller!!

 

[Blingalingaling]

@Blingalingaling Bingo, SK is fabulous. Very easy to work with and I have never been unhappy with the outcome.
I like working with the bench directly, sometimes when we see the side stones the flat angles can misleading. It is sort of like pathology. It takes practice to identify things properly.

You're right about that. And I don't want to make a mistake and regret it...!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Beautiful stone! I can't see the larger traps on your size finger. If the finger size was 7-8 maybe, but then I still think the sides would blend into the center stone and look like one big blob of diamond.

I didn't read all the way back through but is your jeweler the one sourcing these traps and making the setting?

 

[cokitty]

Oh I love those photos! Your ring is my dream engagement ring...someday.

 

[Blingalingaling]

I keep thinking about this thread and it has given me ideas for future anniversary upgrades

Well, that's two of us, 'cause I keep thinking about your ring and how beautiful it is!!

 

[ac117]

Thank you, all, for your very thoughtful and kind replies and to many of you who voted!
I thought I'd post a few photos of the stone (in the temporary stone holder) so you can see the L-color (@Emeraldsaremyfavorite) in various lighting inside my house in front of a north facing window, under LED lighting, in a dark room with light streaming through the window and the last two are outdoors in direct sunlight. I'm sorry, I know I've gone a little crazy with the photographs, lol! Thank you, again, for indulging me!!

Holy moly what a stunner!!!!!

 

[Blingalingaling]

Holy moly what a stunner!!!!!

Thank you, so much, @ac117!!!

 

[Emeraldsaremyfavorite]

Thank you for all the wonderful info and pictures! Truly stunning! Shape, ratio, facets...all look amazing! You are defintiely helping me rethink my "stringent" standards of insisting on an "I." Now that I have seen the diamond on your finger I DEFINITELY agree with the smaller traps!! I will be on pins and needles until I see the final product!

 

[Hounddog]

Ooh wow! Your ring is going to be absolutely divine and it’s one of my favourite design settings. I’d go with the bigger traps for the superb look but due to your finger size maybe the smaller would be better. Whatever you choose it will be amazing. I’m so tempted to do this setting with my Octagonal/EC Aqua. Enjoy!

 

[BlingDreams]

Thank you, all, for your very thoughtful and kind replies and to many of you who voted!
I thought I'd post a few photos of the stone (in the temporary stone holder) so you can see the L-color (@Emeraldsaremyfavorite) in various lighting inside my house in front of a north facing window, under LED lighting, in a dark room with light streaming through the window and the last two are outdoors in direct sunlight. I'm sorry, I know I've gone a little crazy with the photographs, lol! Thank you, again, for indulging me!!

Wow. In no way does that look like an L . And the faceting is gorgeous in every photo. You've really got yourself a unicorn there!!

 

[Lorelei]

Thank you, all, for your very thoughtful and kind replies and to many of you who voted!
I thought I'd post a few photos of the stone (in the temporary stone holder) so you can see the L-color (@Emeraldsaremyfavorite) in various lighting inside my house in front of a north facing window, under LED lighting, in a dark room with light streaming through the window and the last two are outdoors in direct sunlight. I'm sorry, I know I've gone a little crazy with the photographs, lol! Thank you, again, for indulging me!!

Absolutely beautiful!!!

That's further decided me that the smaller traps are the way to go, with the proportions on your finger, they'll be far more elegant in my opinion than the larger ones.

 

[lorrissey]

WOWzers! I 100% agree with @cokitty. But after seeing the photos in the stone holder, I vote smaller!. and can't wait to see this!!

 

[Blingalingaling]

Absolutely beautiful!!!

That's further decided me that the smaller traps are the way to go, with the proportions on your finger, they'll be far more elegant in my opinion than the larger ones.

Hi, @Lorelei! Thank you for the kind words and for your good advice! I think I'm leaning towards the smaller ones now, as since I posted the pictures on my finger it seems the consensus is that the larger ones might be overpowering on me! I think the small ones will still give the feeling of a three-stone ring but not look too over the top.
By the way, I've read so many of your posts with great interest and admired your gorgeous pieces, as well!

 

[Blingalingaling]

Thank you for all the wonderful info and pictures! Truly stunning! Shape, ratio, facets...all look amazing! You are defintiely helping me rethink my "stringent" standards of insisting on an "I." Now that I have seen the diamond on your finger I DEFINITELY agree with the smaller traps!! I will be on pins and needles until I see the final product!

Hello, again, @Emeraldsaremyfavorite! I'm glad I could help you! Let me know how you're doing with your search! I'm very interested in what you decide along the way! I think it's great that you already sold your older ring so you are prepared for when the new one comes along! You're in the driver's seat now, so it's just a matter of time! Keep us posted (literally!!)

 

[Blingalingaling]

Ooh wow! Your ring is going to be absolutely divine and it’s one of my favourite design settings. I’d go with the bigger traps for the superb look but due to your finger size maybe the smaller would be better. Whatever you choose it will be amazing. I’m so tempted to do this setting with my Octagonal/EC Aqua. Enjoy!

I'm so glad you found your trilliants! Your aquamarine is stunning!!! I can't wait to see your new ring!!! Thank you so much for the compliments and for sharing your opinion! And I absolutely love your avatar!!! Such a cute dog!! Did you draw him?

 

[Blingalingaling]

WOWzers! I 100% agree with @cokitty. But after seeing the photos in the stone holder, I vote smaller!. and can't wait to see this!!

Thank you, @lorrissey! I'm leaning towards the smaller trapezoids now, and I appreciate your thoughts and opinions! I'll post the CADS when I get them so I can share them with you!

 

[Blingalingaling]

Wow. In no way does that look like an L . And the faceting is gorgeous in every photo. You've really got yourself a unicorn there!!

Hi, @ILikeShiny! I've read so many of your posts and I LOVE your beautiful step cut ring!!! It's so special and so very unique! Thank you for your sweet and very kind comments about the color and faceting of my stone! Coming from you, that's quite a compliment! And I know you know firsthand about the search for a well-cut step cut stone!

 

[Octo2005]

Your stone is amazing and looks fantastic on your finger!

After seeing it on your finger, I really think the larger traps would be to big and might even be uncomfortable to wear given that the stone seems to leave very little free space on your finger. Can the jeweler give you an estimate for the span of both configurations? Maybe you could find some costume pieces with similar measurements to play around with and see which width is more comfortable to wear and feels more appealing to you.

Whatever you decide you have found an awesome stone and both options are very beautiful - I can't wait to see the finished ring. It will truly be one of those holy grail rings

 

[embdiva]

I was, recently, told by my jeweler that the formula for side stones is 10% of the center stone. So 10% of 6 ct would be .6 on each side. 5 is close enough. I like the balance of the smaller ones.

 

[Blingalingaling]

I was, recently, told by my jeweler that the formula for side stones is 10% of the center stone. So 10% of 6 ct would be .6 on each side. 5 is close enough. I like the balance of the smaller ones.

Thank you, @embdiva! That's so good to know! And thank you for your thoughts, as well! I think I'm leaning towards going with the smaller ones!

 

[Blingalingaling]

Your stone is amazing and looks fantastic on your finger!

After seeing it on your finger, I really think the larger traps would be to big and might even be uncomfortable to wear given that the stone seems to leave very little free space on your finger. Can the jeweler give you an estimate for the span of both configurations? Maybe you could find some costume pieces with similar measurements to play around with and see which width is more comfortable to wear and feels more appealing to you.

Whatever you decide you have found an awesome stone and both options are very beautiful - I can't wait to see the finished ring. It will truly be one of those holy grail rings

Thank you, again, @Octo2005! It's a good idea to ask for the measurements of both. I'm going to do that. I'll call tomorrow.
It's also a good idea to try to find a costume piece in similar dimensions to wear around the house and see how it will feel. I'll do that, too! And thanks for your kind words of encouragement! It's really fun to share this with you!

 

[Alexiszoe]

@Blingalingaling that's an L?!! Are you kidding me, it doesn't look it at all! That EC looks STUNNING on your finger! Thanks so much for the photos - the eye candy certainly made my day! I am sure no one would say no if you posted even more photos!

 

[Blingalingaling]

@Blingalingaling that's an L?!! Are you kidding me, it doesn't look it at all! That EC looks STUNNING on your finger! Thanks so much for the photos - the eye candy certainly made my day! I am sure no one would say no if you posted even more photos!

Thank you so much, @Alexiszoe! I think it's the cut of the stone that's making all the difference, in terms of the L-color. I was reading your thread about EC's holding more color vs. less color...very interesting! (I was trying to understand all the technical stuff - zip!! - right over my head!!) LOL! It's a very good question and I'm wondering the same things, myself, because I've also heard conflicting statements made about EC's. It does sound like there is a good explanation based on the length of the light rays and the size of the stone. In the case of mine, I think that light is bouncing off of the long facets in all four directions because the stone is very block-y (if that makes sense) so perhaps what meets the eye is that light and it acts as a prism, throwing off color...that's my layman's take on it (not quite a science!!) The color in my stone is fairly evenly distributed throughout the stone, which I think is supposed to be pretty unusual. I don't know why it is, but that's one of the reasons I bought this stone.
I will post photos of the CADS once I get them and then I will start a SMTB thread for it once it's finished. Thank you for your encouragement and kind words! It's so wonderful to be able to share my love of all things EC with people who feel like I do about them!

I must tell you that I think your ring is absolutely fantastic - I'm absolutely mesmerized by the pastel colors in your stone, I love the size and the halo setting you have it in!!! It's so beautiful!!! Enjoy it every minute!

 

[rocksjust4me]

Hi, @Emeraldsaremyfavorite! I had settled on the 4 ct EC I had (so I'm advising you NOT TO SETTLE!) and the more I knew about what to look for, what makes a "good stepcut" (I think you kind of just know after seeing lots of them and reading Pricescope for a looong time...lol!) the more I realized that my stone wasn't performing the way I wanted it to and it was bothering me. For example, it had obstruction across the middle, a white feather under the table, and no amount of cleaning made it sparkle the way I'd seen better cut EC's sparkle. I wasn't expecting brilliance, like an RB, but I don't think it was a well-cut EC. I have a friend who has an I-color Asscher that sparkles beautifully so I know it wasn't the color that was the issue.
So, I traded it back to the jeweler we'd purchased it from for the pear shaped D SI2 that I have now, which is very white and bright with no visible inclusions.
Yes, I wanted to go bigger for this EC, around 5 carats, so I looked at a broader range of color.
This stone was the only one I looked at that was L color, but it showed less tint than some K color stones I saw and was more lively than the J I told you about. Maybe it's the cut of this EC. When I hold it next to my D, I can see the tint but it's very pleasant looking, not a turn off at all. Also, the facets are so crisp and wide with a distinct personality. I admit that I was wowed by the size, as it was much bigger than anything else I was considering and it was within my price range!! So, it was a no-brainer for me. I could never afford a stone that size in colorless. It's a sacrifice I'm happy to make because I love this stone for what it is and I'm not going to try and make it something it's not.

Regarding the traps, the larger ones are more expensive than the smaller ones, of course(!) but they're one color and one clarity grade lower than the smaller ones, which are H and VS2. If I buy the smaller ones, they're considerably less money, yet higher graded. So, I have to decide which way to go, taking this into consideration as well! (Both sets work well with the EC, color-wise. They're not GIA graded, so I'm using my eye and taking the color grade with a grain of salt. The EC is GIA graded L color).

I think you should be choosy about what you get next and you're right to wait for the right one. It's a risk to order a custom cut, but if the cutters you mentioned will put guarantees in place that they'll share the risk with you, and you trust them, then that might be a good way for you to go. I think you should try to see as many possibilities as you can and decide where you can compromise (if you'd have to-maybe you won't have to!) to get what you want at a price you can afford. And if going custom is the way you decide to go, then it'll be very exciting to see a beautiful, groundbreaking result!
I'd like to follow your journey, as well, so we can learn from each other!!

Your ring turned out great! i am currently looking for some trapezoids to make a three stone ring for a newly acquired EC. Mine is much smaller than yours, just 2.20 carats. Can you recommend a vendor the trapezoids?