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Setting/Diamond advice

C

cdn_traveller

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 21, 2012
Messages
6
Hello,

I am so glad I came across this site. I am looking to purchase an engagement ring on a budget of 2000-2500.

I know she likes halo type settings with a princess cut diamond. I know from reading that I should focus on the cut.

I am not afraid of buying something online or even used(she is fine with that) as long as it is good quality and looks great!

I have been looking at bluenile and just feel overwhelmed with options :)

Any advice? As a side note, does anyone know of a jeweler to recommend in the Brantford, Ontario, Canada area if I wanted to shop local?

Thanks in advance!

Matt
 
A lot of people are happy with BN and they have many great reviews, the drawback however is the lack of information on the diamond that they can provide. They can only offer you the diamonds grading report and it's impossible to assess a fancy cut diamond based on the measurements provided by these reports. To truly make a well informed decision you need to be able to see magnified images, and ASET images to determines it's light performance. I'm certainly not suggesting that BN isn't a wonderful company, I just want to mention that there may be some drawbacks to limiting yourself to them alone. =)

There were several fantastic options on the secondary market suggested to another poster, all of which were in your price range, so I know that they are out there. I think that they may have done a search on ebay for a princess of hearts diamond in the .5ct range. You could try a similar search. I'll take a look for you as well.
 
Does she absolutely want a halo?

Here's my question.

If she had to give up the princess cut center for a different shape OR the halo setting, which would she chose? And also, does she have to have a diamond center or would a sapphire in pink or blue be something she's be interested in (Good enough for the royal family!).

Here's one listing:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-Nile-0-46-Princess-Diamond-GIA-F-VVS2-18K-Diamond-Ring-3-300-/330733515750?pt=Diamond_Solitaire_with_Accents&hash=item4d0140f3e6
 
I was wrong, it's hearts on fire that was recommended and it was Gypsy that actually found the great recommendations! =) Although they weren't in halo settings, but were solitaires.
 
I feel bad because I initially over looked the fact that you were specifically looking for a halo setting and now I'm having difficulty finding anything exactly to your requirements on the second hand market. :nono:

I did find this on diamond bistro though.
http://diamondbistro.com/category/216/Natural-Diamond-Center/listings/28259/Beautiful-Platinum-Engagement-Ring.html

and a three stone
http://diamondbistro.com/category/216/Natural-Diamond-Center/listings/23791/Three-stone-diamond-ring.html

The first one mentions a grading report but doesn't say who graded it and you would want to ask. The second one doesn't mention a report at all so you would also need to inquire.
 
Yeah, the Dream cut is a cut cornered square brilliant. And gorgeous to boot. I didn't see anything good available in your price range. There is one, but the setting is solitaire that is very much an acquired taste. I'd rather have the princess above.
 
Talk to her some more. See what she says. She can always upgrade to a halo later. Or if she goes for a different shape we might be able to get her a bigger look in a halo.
 
How about something like this...

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2675105.htm

set in this...
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/halo-bezel-diamond-engagement-ring-197.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/halo-prong-diamond-engagement-ring-521.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/amphora-for-princess-diamond-engagement-ring-1521.htm

If you purchase from White Flash you will receive an additional discount just for being a PS member and then another $75 for making your first purchase. For some reason it's not showing me as 'logged in' and isn't showing me the PS price, but I think that any combination of this stone and setting would bring you somewhere between 2500-3k...

edit $1284 for the diamond
$1681 for the setting...so a bit outside of budget but a truly beautiful ring with exceptional quality! =)

edit again, plus you still get your $75 off and the diamond qualifies for their upgrade and trade in policy and the one year buy back program.
 
I've always thought that this was a great plain shank solitaire at a great price, and they can custom make it to fit a princess cut.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/-18k-White-Gold-Pave-Set-Diamond-Engagement-Ring.html
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/pave/7000/Pave-Engagement-Rings.html

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1417826.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VVS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1491352.asp

These would keep you in budget, but you should have someone confirm the cut on the diamond selections from JA though because I'm not an expert.

It looks to me that you can do better quality and price wise by shopping new online from a PS vendor. =) :appl:

Great find Gypsy!! :wavey:
 
Gypsy|1337655654|3200675 said:
If you can afford it, go with Christina's recommendations. I think they are better than mine because you have all the information up front and know that stone is a performer, plus there is the upgrade policy. http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/halo-prong-diamond-engagement-ring-521.htm This setting made for a princess would be my choice.
Click to expand...


I didn't know that Eternity Diamonds didn't offer an upgrade policy. They must be one of the only vendors that don't?
 
Good Old Gold and IDJewelry - both PS approved vendors - carry Gabriel & Co.

Here are some options (Some with plain shanks).

My word - we can do better than that .10 chip of princess she liked! :) And no, as a former Ontario resident, you will not find cheaper unless you find a steal of a deal on kijiji - which has it's own risks!

Factor about 20% off the posted prices - both vendor discount off MSRP

http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER8280W44JJ - $600
http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER7818W44JJ - $600
http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER8272W44JJ - $1012
http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER7841W44JJ - $1030

Which leaves you about $1500 for the latter, and about $1900 for the cheaper ones. I'd suggest getting one of the latter seeing as that is what she liked better.

You can combine anyone of those with one of the diamonds Christina posted - you'll probably pay a setting fee on top of that (have the vendor send the setting to Whiteflash). Setting $1012 plus diamond $1230 = $1242 plus setting fee ($250?) = on budget! Yay!

Or have IDjewelry source a princess for you - they are fantastic with budgets!
 
Christina...|1337656214|3200678 said:
Gypsy|1337655654|3200675 said:
If you can afford it, go with Christina's recommendations. I think they are better than mine because you have all the information up front and know that stone is a performer, plus there is the upgrade policy. http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/halo-prong-diamond-engagement-ring-521.htm This setting made for a princess would be my choice.
Click to expand...


I didn't know that Eternity Diamonds didn't offer an upgrade policy. They must be one of the only vendors that don't?
Click to expand...

Looks like Eternity Diamonds does have an upgrade policy:

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/faq.php

However, the exact upgrade policy is not detailed on their website.

Christina: your suggestions look great! And I really like that WF setting that Gypsy posted.
 
Hello again!

Webdiva, I think she would really like that Gabriel 1741 ring. I think it looks great.(I will show it to her). If I go that route, I just contact Good Old Gold and IDJewelry for a quote then contact whiteflash and set it up so I call the other vendor back and have them send the Gabriel setting to whiteflash then whiteflash sets the stone?

You still recommend this stone if I go that route?

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2675105.htm

You guys are great :)
 
cdn_traveller|1337694088|3200842 said:
Hello again!

Webdiva, I think she would really like that Gabriel 1741 ring. I think it looks great.(I will show it to her). If I go that route, I just contact Good Old Gold and IDJewelry for a quote then contact whiteflash and set it up so I call the other vendor back and have them send the Gabriel setting to whiteflash then whiteflash sets the stone?

You still recommend this stone if I go that route?
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2675105.htm
You guys are great :)
Click to expand...

Yes - the first step is contact the two vendors for a price and how long it'll take to get made.

Keep in mind, there's no tax or shipping from the states - but you may have to pay 13% HST on top of that but no duty (you'll have to on all purchases). I just realized my suggestion will take you $250 over budget.

That's a gorgeous stone Christina recommended, one of Whiteflash's A Cut Above!

If you would prefer going with one vendor, you can :
1. contact IDJewelry and send them that stone as a comparison and have them find you one (GOG didn't have any princesses under $2900 with the exception of a super yellow one - but they also have access to all the wholesalers in NY and can find you one in your budget). You can go a step down in clarity from that as long as it's eye clean. Ask for an ASET for any stone finalists. (Your best bet at this point while calculating the 13% HST into the budget)
2. Contact Whiteflash to see if the ring Christina chose (really beautiful ring!) can be made for a princess without any upcharges:
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/halo-prong-diamond-engagement-ring-521.htm
However, this option brings you slightly over budget to $2784 (with an approx 3% PS discount.) but $600 over with HST ($3145).
3. Ask Whiteflash to find a virtual stone up to $800 - which may be tough.


You'll need to have the ring made to the specific stone, btw - so you should finalize and purchase the stone before ordering the ring (but not before researching and locking down the ring specs with a vendor). Best of luck - I'm glad we could help you - we love finding rings on a budget! :)
 
Ok. Now I have family in the US, I could have the ring shipped to them and not have to worry about the HST if I pick it up when I go visit?

So if I do this setting:

http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER7841W44JJ - 1030(estimated earlier)

and this stone:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2675105.htm - 1264(from website)

It should be:

1030+1234 = $1264

Minus the 75 new customer discount and then plus some type of setting fee?

Would there be taxes on that as well?
 
cdn_traveller|1337702422|3200898 said:
Ok. Now I have family in the US, I could have the ring shipped to them and not have to worry about the HST if I pick it up when I go visit?

So if I do this setting:

http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER7841W44JJ - 1030(estimated earlier)

and this stone:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2675105.htm - 1264(from website)

It should be:

1030+1234 = $1264

Minus the 75 new customer discount and then plus some type of setting fee?

Would there be taxes on that as well?
Click to expand...

There wouldn't be taxes, but if they find the ring they can seize it or make you pay a penalty and taxes on it. It's up to you if you feel comfortable saving $300 in order to take that risk.

Here's another option - pre-owned stone and ring at $600 : http://diamondbistro.com/category/216/Natural-Diamond-Center/listings/28703/*-Close-Out-*-Princess-cut-Diamond-Ring.html .75 size - she will sell the center stone separately. Act FAST!
 
Christina...|1337656003|3200677 said:
I've always thought that this was a great plain shank solitaire at a great price, and they can custom make it to fit a princess cut.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/-18k-White-Gold-Pave-Set-Diamond-Engagement-Ring.html
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/pave/7000/Pave-Engagement-Rings.html

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1417826.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VVS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1491352.asp

These would keep you in budget, but you should have someone confirm the cut on the diamond selections from JA though because I'm not an expert.

It looks to me that you can do better quality and price wise by shopping new online from a PS vendor. =) :appl:

Great find Gypsy!! :wavey:
Click to expand...


That's a nice stone, C. And it's well within budget!
 
Ok, everything has come together.

Purchased Gabriel 7841 setting(and matching wedding band) from GOG. They are sending to Whiteflash.
- http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/styles?s=7841

Purchased stone and getting it set by Whiteflash! whiteflash is charging me $100 to set the stone.
- http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2675105.htm

I am so happy with things. I came in on target for the engagement ring. The wedding band was a bit more than I wanted to spend but I decided to do it all at once.

I will post some pictures of the final product when it is done so you can all see it.

Thank you again. I really appreciate the advice and assistance.

Matt
 
That does seem like a really good price - call Marie at GOG and see how much their price is, if you're interested.

Or if you're happy with the setting (esp. because the matching wedding band is more for the $875 one), then you did great and we're happy you got a higher quality, larger diamond with a better quality setting on your budget! She's going to love it and I hope you post pictures! Congrats!!
 
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