Sacrifice carats for design?

[nettestars]

Hello Pricescopers-

Relatively new to this forum and wanting to ask for your expert advice! I'm considering going about 1/2 carat down in size (from a 2.5 to a 2 carat) in favor of more custom artistic design of my ring by a well-repsected designer in order to stay within a budget. Instead of a solitaire with sidestones, it would be a magnificent piece involving diamond sidestones and other "pieces of flair" (includes colored gems too and utilization of different metal finishes) guaranteed to be gorgeous. I consider myself to be a bit on the non-conservative/non-traditional side but want something elegant, tasteful and unique all at the same time. I want my ring to be a reflection of how amazing my relationship is with my guy. I also intend for this my engagement ring to be more of my "signature ring" if you will, which I plan to wear everyday. If it helps to know, I don't have much fancy jewelry at this time and don't plan to be going jewelry shopping a ton in the future. I'm more of a quality not quantity type of gal.

Your thoughts are much anticipated!

 

[Nashville]

Try asking this question over in Rocky Talk! You'll get some great people who would love to help

 

[nettestars]

Will do! Thanks!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

It is all up to your personal taste and priorities.

Personally, I would take a smaller stone in a fantastic design everytime. Other people are more worried about finger coverage and prefer not to sacrifice size. Another group might advise you to get a larger stone now and upgrade the setting to a designer piece later. All of them are valid solutions! You just have to figure out what your priorities are.

By the way, who would the designer be and is there a photo/drawing of the proposed design? I am very curious!

 

[Fly Girl]

Generally I prefer to put the bulk of my money into the rock, and keep the setting simple. A 1/2 ct change makes a big difference for a 0.7 ct stone versus a 1.2 ct stone. But, for a stone that is 2 cts or over, you certainly should get yourself the design that you want.