Please help me decide!

[E B]

Hello everyone!

My boyfriend and I are in the beginning stages of "looking" for the perfect engagement ring. We have a budget of around $4,000, and I'm trying to decide between two setting styles. I thought you wonderful ladies (and gentlemen!) could help me out, as I'm having a bit of a hard time.

I've been doing TONS of research (mostly on this site and the diamondtalk forums) and I've figured out that with what we can spend, these are what we can afford:

Setting 1: .70 ideal cut J SI1 with custom setting similar to Ritani Endless Love Halo Setting

Setting 2: .80 ideal cut H-I VS2-SI1 stone with a plain platinum x-prong setting (maybe with a surprise diamond!)

I've tried on J-colored stones, and they look just as white to me as any above it, so color doesn't make much of a difference to me at all. As long as the diamond is eye-clean, I'm happy as well. You could say I'm pretty easy when it comes to diamonds. Whatever looks pretty to me is what I'll be happy with.

Setting #1 is beautiful and unique. Extremely sparkly. I love love love it.
Setting #2 is classic and will never go out of style. I love this as well.

I'm conflicted because my heart is telling me to go the "unique" route. On most women's hands I see the solitaire, and while it is beautiful and classic, I don't want something everyone else has, or "the standard" (please, don't take offense to this as this is just an opinion of mine!). However, part of me is afraid that if I go with setting #1, I'll get sick of it later on in life. I'm not big on jewelry in general, and will probably never update (who knows, though

), but this is a special piece of jewelry and I want to make the right decision.

...so. Any thoughts? Opinions? I'd greatly appreciate it!

p.s. my ring size is 6.25 or 6.5

 

[Shiny42805]

you sound like me, 1 year ago! We were both students at the time, and my boyfriends budget was not a penny over $3000.

I always knew I wanted a princess stone, but I debated for a loooong time about the setting. I even played with different TYPES of solitaire settings - lucida, prong, bezel, etc....

well I ended up going the "unique" route. My ring is like nothing I''ve ever seen before, and I love it more and more everyday. If I ever feel like it''s dated, or I''m tired of it, it won''t cost much to swap out the setting for something else.

We ended up spending $2800, and more than 90% of our budget went into the stone. We chose 18K WG for the setting, and it only cost us $200. We purchased everything in the New York Jewelry Exchange (Bowery.)

here''s my original thread

I say, GO UNIQUE!!!

 

[lilyinct]

You''re right, this is a special piece of jewelry, so go with what your heart tells you- get the "unique" style....you want the ring that you''ll be wearing the rest of your life to speak to you and have special meaning to you...Congrats!

 

[ame]

I vote with option two. You can add bling with your wedding band. The halo craze might die down in a year or two and you might not like it anymore, then again that trend might go even more insane and people will be all over it. It won''t be as unique anymore...

Either way, I like the sounds of the Simple one...though I wonder why you don''t step down in color one more notch and go just above a .8

 

[jcrow]

follow your heart. you aleady know your answer.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I wanted a really unique ring. I wanted a ring where not everyone and their mother has the same one. I am very, very happy I decided to go this route. I love people''s reactions when they see something differenct. Its true halos might go out of style but there isn''t really much of a size difference and you can always re-set either diamond. I agree with the other posters. Go with your heart. If you love one don''t worry about it going out of style. That''s the beauty of upgrades!!!

 

[E B]

Thanks for the replies, everyone! Nicole, your ring is stunning- you absolutely made the right choice. Everyone''s rings look so beautiful, and I love that they all reflect different personalities and tastes.

I think unique is definitely the way to go in my case. I''m not wanting something "in the now" (as I see it), I''m wanting a simple, classic shape with simple tiny diamonds outlining it. I find this to be as classic as the solitaire, with a little more shine

. I''d love to hear more opinions though, if anyone is still reading this thread. Also, if anyone has pictures of the pave halos, I''d love to see those as well.

Again, thanks for the feedback!
Emily

 

[decodelighted]

I know I''m late on this but I just saw an approx. .80 w/round halo in person on someone for the first time and it knocked my eyes out. It looked so special & perfect on the particular gal who was wearing it and I asked her about it and she said it was the first ring she tried on in a year-long search and her fiance remembered it after all that time & thought it was the best for her. She''s thrilled. I think it''s all about you and your personality & tastes. Some people look best in classic, simple, clean lines ... & some shine in sparkly, unique dazzlers. Here''s hoping you get what you love & love what you get!

 

[Sundial]

It is nice to have choices and you have two good ones so you can''t really go wrong here. I would go with the unique setting. It seems to speak to you more than the ordinary solitaire. You could get tired of either one really and you can always have your diamond put in a different setting later on.

 

[flutterby]

Go with what you REALLY want, which seems to be the halo. They may be popular now, but that doesnt mean you wont love it for a long time. They really are unique, and regardless of their popularity in magazines, I dont know anyone with one. I want something unique but classic and that is why I am going with my ruby halo. Anyway, it sounds as if you have decided.

 

[Shiny42805]

Date: 9/7/2005 7:21:00 PM
Author: EBree
Thanks for the replies, everyone! Nicole, your ring is stunning- you absolutely made the right choice. Everyone''s rings look so beautiful, and I love that they all reflect different personalities and tastes.


I think unique is definitely the way to go in my case. I''m not wanting something ''in the now'' (as I see it), I''m wanting a simple, classic shape with simple tiny diamonds outlining it. I find this to be as classic as the solitaire, with a little more shine

. I''d love to hear more opinions though, if anyone is still reading this thread. Also, if anyone has pictures of the pave halos, I''d love to see those as well.


Again, thanks for the feedback!

Emily

Thank you so much, Emily! I highly recommend checking out the first thread on the "show me the ring" board. 40something pages of BLING!!! I was up til 3am one night, just oogling. haha