Please help me find the setting/stone for my engagement ring!

[wallacemp]

Last week I didn''t know a girdle from fluorescence. Now, after 12+ hours of reading/searching the internet and 4-5 hours in local diamond stores in the last few days, I consider myself both moderately educated and completely burnt out. Time to turn to the experts: you guys!

In short, I looking for an engagement ring and have a total budget of approximately $3200-3500, though that could probably be moved higher or lower if you give a convincing enough argument.

My girlfriend wants what basically amounts to an eternity band with a larger round diamond front and center. Following are the specs we''re looking for:


THE SETTING
WIDTH: 1.5-2.5 mm - the thinner the better, she has a small finger (4.5) and likes the thinner, more petite look
CARAT TW: 1/3-2/3 or so, not too picky on this - I just don''t want to side stones to overshadow the central stone (see below for specs)
METAL: White gold or platinum - any thoughts on this? My girlfriend prefers the brighter look of the white gold, but I worry about wear & tear (and the annual rhodium plating) and am thinking platinum might be the way to go
TYPE: Shared/common prong - She would like single diamonds in a row lining the outside of the band, preferably all the way around but only 1/2 way if necessary (see below links for examples)
COLOR/CLARITY: Something that won''t detract from or overshadow the central stone (see below for specs)

THE STONE
SHAPE: Round
CERTIFICATION: GIA or AGS
CARAT: Somewhere in the .68-.75 range, the bigger the better (go figure)
CUT: Very Good-Excellent/Ideal
COLOR: Probably H. We were in the store together and couldn''t tell an F from an H (both GIA, similar size/cut) when they were side-by-side. Neither could the salesman when I switched them up and asked him, so I figure I''ll save the money.
CLARITY: VS2-SI1 - the latter if it''s eye clean
FLUORESCENCE: None-Medium - I''ve heard that anything up to medium can almost be a good thing, am I right on this?
DEPTH: 58.5-62.5%
TABLE: 52.4-59.5% - I found a table on some website for Depth/Table, are these numbers about right?


Okay, so that''s basically what we''re looking at. The closest I have found (and that the GF liked) that include the setting are from Mondera, Whiteflash, and Solomon Brothers. (I have read that all are reliable/reputable, please correct me if I''m wrong.)

Mondera:
http://www.mondera.com/buildring_newer/buildring_Setting.aspx?dpartno=&shape=&sellprice=&dsellprice=&partno=3007315&Wpartno=&Setsell=&showallvalue=0
- This one is my first choice so far

Whiteflash:
http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Diamond-Settings/-Diamonds-for-an-Eternity--Engagement-Ring_998.htm#
- Second choice

Solomon Brothers:
http://www.solomonbrothers.com/jewelry_87440


While looking at separate eternity bands, I came across the following bands that my girlfriend liked. It would be great if we could find a band that resembles these, but with a setting.

http://thejewelstore.com/product_info.php/collection/round_eternity_collection/item/eter137-round-diamond-eternity-ring

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-eternity-ring_5765?rf=pd


Note: I would prefer not to get something custom made, as returns would be too much of a hassle.

So there you have it. Please feel free to give your opinion or leave any advice. Let me know if you find anything!

Thanks!

Mike

 

[atroop711]

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1982348.htm

this is an ACA stone from WF..it's .60 ct but is $1700. Will give you a discount for being a PSer. Also this price gives you more $$ for the diamond setting.

BTW in my own experience with buying a strong blue fluorescence, it was a great. It made my H stone look very white and also enabled me to get a larger stone since the prices were a tad lower with the strong blue fluor.

Oh..I've worked with WF and they are great! THere are many vendors on here that you can't go wrong with. GL with your search

 

[phoenixgirl]

Most people here will probably tell you to go with WhiteFlash because of their upgrade policy and the way you can view the IdealScope and ask for a personal opinion on the stone. Plus for a few hundred more, you are getting a setting with 0.90 ctw vs. 0.69 ctw with the Mondera setting. The Solomon Brothers setting doesn''t look like a full eternity to me and doesn''t list the price, so I''d cut it to help you narrow down your decision. However, with a 0.70 or so stone, I might like the daintiness (2.3mm vs. 2.5 in the WF ring) of the Mondera ring better. So if you are not going to upgrade, then you can more easily find a stone in the size, color, and clarity you want at Mondera, you just have to do trust the angles and plan to use their return policy if the stone isn''t to your liking.

So let''s see. The Mondera setting costs $1300 (you can use the chain link icon above to make links), and the WF setting costs $1575. So you''d have about $2200 at Mondera (plus they are offering 5% off all overs today) and $1925 at WhiteFlash to spend on the diamond.

If you''re going to shop at Mondera, be sure to sure to use the Holloway Cut Adviser (under Tools) to check the angles. If the blowup of the GIA cert is too small, you can probably still make out the report number, and then you can plug that in here: http://www2.gia.edu/reportcheck/index.cfm I tried to find a stone for you but was finding the way the their search engine works frustrating, and then I couldn''t always make out the crown and pavilion angles on the certs. So like I said, just go slowly and patiently through the list -- there seem to be a lot of options in your price range, but I''d eliminate anything that scores over 2 on the HCA.

Here are some lovely ACAs at WF, but neither is exactly what you are looking for: 0.61 H VS2 for $1640 0.74 J VS2 for $1963

This is more like it, but you''d have to increase your budget: 0.70 H SI1 ACA for $2390