Reset vs. Replace - And is this setting attractive?

[Island_Fever]

Hello all. I posted my first post yesterday about upgrading my diamond for my 15th anniversary. I currently have a 1.24 carat round brilliant. I'm thinking of upgrading to a 1.5-1.75 carat, shape undecided.

For giggles, last night my husband and I popped into the only halfway decent jewelry store open at 7pm when we were out - a Shane Co. Never been a real big fan of their stuff but I wanted to see what a 1.25 carat looked like in a cushion halo. My hands are overall pretty small, and I really don't have much room b/w my knuckle and the base of my finger. When we placed a 1.23 carat stone into the cushion halo, it was pretty big and had lots of "finger coverage" given the size of my finger.

For those of you who have upgraded, how did you ultimately decide to do that, particularly if you had a perfectly fine diamond to begin with? I get that this is a personal decision that only my husband and I can make, just looking for personal stories. When I got my ring over 15 years ago, I really wanted a 1.5 c but it was out of budget at the time. I'd hate to reset my current diamond and 3-5 years down the road decide I should have really just upgraded to a larger stone.

Also, opinions on this setting: http://www.shaneco.com/detail/halo-diamond-split-shank-wedding-set-with-pavandeacute;-setting/41057583

My husband generally has no reaction to jewelry but he and I both loved this one. I was surprised b/c it is rather budget-friendly. The proportions were just right on my hand, but does it look cheap? You won't hurt my feelings.

 

[PintoBean]

It was very easy for me to decide to upgrade - I have a size 9 finger - there is no such thing as too big of a diamond on my hand!
When I upgrade, I set it in a simple solitaire. I want time to live with the diamond and wait till DSS (diamond shrinkage syndrome) sets in before I upgrade the setting. It lets me save money towards a dream setting, and makes sure that I have ample time to think the purchase through. I also like having a solitaire for stacking bands with.

As for the halo setting - if that is the style you like, I would recommend checking out BE (Brilliantly Engaged). If you search for Brilliantly Engaged or their former name ERD (Engagement Rings Direct), you will find a lot of beautiful examples of their work.

 

[Island_Fever]

Thanks PintoBean - yes, I understand a wider finger can carry a larger stone well! I've seen women carry off 4-5 carats beautifully but on me it looks really gaudy. My finger size is between 4.5-5.

Here's a pic of my current ring - do you think it will be nicely proportioned with a halo or would bigger look better (yea, yea, bigger is always better)? (I lost my band about a year ago, so I am just wearing the e-ring):

 

[PintoBean]

I've been thinking about it, if I had a 4.5/5 sized finger and a diamond that already gave me ample finger coverage, this is what I would do.

Since you mentioned that the cut of your stone is "very good", I would take the diamond and send it to Brian Gavin Diamonds for a cut analysis to see how much weight and diameter I would lose to get it as close to ideal proportions as possible. If this is going to be your forever stone, might as well get it to as close to perfection as possible, right? Cut analysis is free, from what I understand.

I would then get a quote for a cushion shaped halo from BGD - since they'd have your diamond already if you opted for a recut and from BE/ERD. Based on the price quotes for the setting, and how comfortable you are with either vendor's communication style, I would use those factors to select a vendor to make my dream setting.

 

[Island_Fever]

Hold up - they can do that? I am clearly novice to this game, I just like sparkly things! I honestly did not know they can re-cut your diamond to get it to ideal proportions. How much is such a process? Do you lose much in carat weight or (more importantly) appearance of carat weight?

I do not have my GIA cert with me, but I can pull it out tonight. Perhaps I'll list the specs for my stone and if it's a real dog, maybe that answers the question for me?!?!

 

[PintoBean]

I think it was something like $350 per carat? This looks like a helpful thread:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/sending-3-47-ct-to-brian-gavin-for-a-recut.201732/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/sending-3-47-ct-to-brian-gavin-for-a-recut.201732/[/URL]

 

[RockBrat]

My personal experience: I change my stone more often than the average person so I don't really consider it upgrading, more of changing. For many people, an upgrade is a one-time thing, really special and sentimental. For me, it's not really like that, I get bored and there are just too many diamonds to explore and appreciate. My problem is I am always seeking better.

I personally like ShaneCo. I feel their prices are decent and like their business model. I think they have a wide variety of stones and have really advanced in the past few years. Also, they have a lot of settings to choose from. I do however feel a lot of their settings are generic but they do a fantastic, top notch job on their shop work.

If your original diamond was from ShaneCo and you want to use your trade value, I'm sure you can find a good stone.

I think the first place to start is decide if your current stone is sentimental. If it is, do you want to keep it? Maybe a new revamped setting will help you love it more. If it is not sentimental, then look at a new stone.

A lot of people love to recut but there is a lot of risk in that. I personally would only recut something with a chip, or extremely sentimental or irreplaceable. But if yours is sentimental, it's an option but it will get smaller. If you want larger, many fancies will be deeper and face up smaller than rounds, except maybe marquise or pear. But if your round is a very good cut, getting into an excellent cut will give you more diameter and face up finger coverage.

 

[Island_Fever]

Thanks Rockbrat. My stone was purchased at Solomon Brothers in Atlanta. We still live in the general area, so I could return to them for an upgrade. No, I am not sentimental about the stone. I am sentimental about the man. Honestly I'd like a slightly bigger stone... perhaps we are really better to wait longer and just upgrade the stone and setting. You have a fun (and expensive!) hobby my friend!

 

[Island_Fever]

I finally got around to calling Solomon Brothers during lunch and they offer trade in credit of what you originally paid for your diamond. Since my original is an H, VS2 and I plan to downgrade to a lower color (J-K) with a better cut, I should be able to trade for little $$, comparatively speaking.

 

[MarionC]

I am not sentimental about the stone. I am sentimental about the man.

Lovely : )

 

[RockBrat]

I finally got around to calling Solomon Brothers during lunch and they offer trade in credit of what you originally paid for your diamond. Since my original is an H, VS2 and I plan to downgrade to a lower color (J-K) with a better cut, I should be able to trade for little $$, comparatively speaking.

Some places will make you spend double on a trade but a lot of places just want you to spend more and spending double is not required. Did they clarify that by chance?

I know a lot of posters here recommend online vendors but trade value is important and can allow people to get into what they want while spending less out of pocket, even if they're paying a higher asking price for a particular stone. I have no experience with Solomon Brothers but if you can find what you're looking for within your budget and get the trade credit, why not?

Exciting!

 

[Island_Fever]

Rockbrat - she said as long as you are upgrading - $100, $1000 or $10000, it didn't matter. I have Friday's off so I'm probably going to take myself down there tomorrow for more info face to face. I wonder if there's a fee for re-certifying the diamond, etc.

I also want to look at cushion cuts. I *love* those and can likely get into a 1.75-2 carat cushion for a low price with the credit, especially since I am going down in color to J or K. I plan to try on a 1.5-1.7 round, 1.5-1.75 oval and a 1.75-2 carat cushion. Once I have a shape I prefer I'll have to research cut. I really don't care about color or clarity as much as cut and size.

 

[PintoBean]

If Solomon will be pulling from virtual stock, you can start a thread with your parameters and the veterans can help you find some potential diamonds for Solomon to call in.

Since you mentioned cushions - here's a great informational thread:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/[/URL]

 

[Island_Fever]

Thanks Pinto. Once I have chosen a preferred cut I'll do just that. Honestly this will probably end up being something we invest in towards the end of the year, but I figure obsessing over it for 9 months is a healthy approach (heavy sarcasm). I have always admired cushions but I know finding a stunning one can be quite the uphill battle.