Ring shopping this past weekend---a couple of questions...

[Murr4168]

My boyfriend and I went ring shopping again over the weekend and I was finally able to see a couple of cushion cuts for the first time in person. I was having a hard time deciding between a cushion and a round and finally have decided on the cushion.

The jeweler was able to call in 2 cushions for us to look at. A .75 ct D, SI1 and a 1.01 ct F VS-something. He placed the stones on top of a plain solitaire setting and pave set wedding band and I fell in love All the questions I wanted to ask went out the window and I just smiled like an idiot. My hands were shaking and I managed to drop the 1.01 ct stone in the floor!!

Anyway, the .75 ct stone was GIA graded and looked fabulous. He actually recommended this stone over the 1.01 ct for the size of my hand. I don''t have any specs but it looked smaller than I thought it should so it may have been very deeply cut (I''ll know more when I email him for a copy of the stats). However, the price was more than we were hoping to spend ($4500).

The 1.01 ct was graded by EGL (not sure what country) but it did look a little yellow to me so I''m thinking it wasn''t EGL-USA. An "F" normally should not look yellow right?? Surely I''m not that color-sensitive!! I believe he said it was around $5700.

These prices seem high after entering what few specs I do know into "pricescope your diamond" so we''ll definitely be ordering online. But it was good to see a couple of stones in person.

Then we stopped into Shane Co...not seriously looking though. I did really like their solitaire setting though. Do they sell settings by themselves? My boyfriend had called a few days earlier to ask if they had cushion cuts in stock for us to see. The person he spoke with said they didn''t but they had emerald cuts with extra facets that look exactly the same. When we mentioned this to the sales lady she asked who we spoke with because they certainly do carry cushion cuts.

What she showed us was most definitely NOT a cushion. I wanted to correct her but I didn''t.

The first jeweler we went to suggested 18K white gold settings with a platinum head on the solitaire. He also said I wouldn''t see any yellowing in 18K for about 25 years. I''m worried about the fact that gold wears away over time unlike platinum. Am I going to have to replace my settings eventually? I''d really rather have platinum but I could put more budget toward the stone if I went with white gold. Any suggestions??

 

[belle]

i have worn wg for many years and never had a problem. it's a personal decision, and for some a financial one. platinum prices have gone through the roof recently, and for many wg is a budget friendly alternative.
there are people who have to have their wg 'replated' more than others because it starts to look yellow. i have never encountered this problem. if you are uncertain, definitely consider the platinum.
btw...there are tons of thread on the wg vs. plat. subject. you might want to search for them.

and no, an 'f' should DEFINITELY not look yellow.

 

[robbie3982]

Hmmm...I''m not sure that what he told you about 18k white gold is right...18k white gold is actually yellower than 14k white gold because there is a higher gold content. There''s no way he could guarantee that it wouldn''t yellow for so long. white gold is usually plated with rhodium and that''s what gives it that very silver color. Rhodium can wear off due to many factors including body chemistry and chemicals such as chlorine. My e-ring that I just got less than 2 weeks ago is 14k white gold. When it''s not plated, it has a very pale yellow color. I received it plated on the first day of our 1 week beach vacation and by the end of the week it was back to it natural pale yellow color. I did wear it swimming in the pool, so it could have been due to the chlorine, my body chemistry or both. I just had it replated today and if it wears off again so quickly I''ll be changing my setting to the same one in platinum. I kind of wish I just would''ve gone with it from the get go.

If the yellow tint of white gold (it will be a bit more than a tint for 18k) will bother you, then I would recommend going for the platinum otherwise you might make up for the price difference pretty quickly with the costs of having it re-plated.

 

[Murr4168]

The yellow tint would drive me crazy and I''d be replating it every 2 weeks or so. I think platinum will be cheaper in the long run for us most likely. I''ve been looking for reasonably priced platinum settings and have found a few so hopefully that will work out. Thanks!