Sick of shopping! Help me find twisted band and pretty .7+

[aggie10]

What started as "Honey, I'd like to know what styles of rings you like" has gradually turned into obsessive talk of 4Cs, metal preference flip-flops, fluorescence preference or not, girdle confusion, countless emails to online shops, and so on. It would be SO MUCH EASIER if online shops would just let me buy a setting without a stone, so that I could just mix and match my absolute favorite setting to my absolute favorite diamond. I just want this all to end!

Here is what I am looking for:

* A twisted / crossover / braided /whatever pave band setting in platinum, preferably. I'm open to white gold. No halo. No intricate artwork on the profile view (like that Tacori one). Simplicity is preferred. This is our current pick, but I don't like their diamond prices and they don't let you buy just a setting.

* A diamond that is a good balance of the 4Cs. Best cut there is (H&A is a bonus but not essential), minimum VS2, minimum G, minimum .70c, fluorescence fine if not milky - but that's hard to tell over the internet! (Preferably not all the minimums at the same time... G VS2 .70 is pretty easy to find, but I want a little more of a WOW factor)

Total budget after shipping, sales tax (Texas), and whatever else is about $5500. Absolutely no higher than $6000.

Please please please work your magic. You guys have a ton of talent for spotting great stones and great deals, I'll forever be in debt if you show me the ring/stone that we eventually buy. I'll paypal you like $20. Only sort of kidding... So tired of shopping....

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Sick of shopping! Help me find twisted band and pretty .

Well, I think your budget will go farther if you buy out of state.

Gabriel and Co. carries several rings of that style, and it would probably be less expensive than custom. Good Old Gold carries that line if you should like one of the settings.

http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/styles?category=ER&style=Criss+Cross

And here are a couple of diamonds that would be excellent, but they can source others if you want:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8410/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9351/

 

[rubybeth]

Re: Sick of shopping! Help me find twisted band and pretty .

I agree with diamondseeker completely. Call up Good Old Gold or shoot them an e-mail telling them what you want, your budget, and they will help. Quite a few of those Gabriel & Co. settings look even nicer than the Brilliant Earth option you posted, and they do platinum, as well.

 

[webdiva]

Re: Sick of shopping! Help me find twisted band and pretty .

Great suggestions for you! BTW, Gabriel & Co can customize the ring if you don't find 100% what you're looking for. You pick out the diamond at GOG, Gabriel & Co makes the ring and sends it to them to set. You're in Texas, so no tax! Plus, GOG takes about 20% off MSRP of those Gabriel & Co rings. I just got my custom ring from Bev K (a similar outside manufacturer to G&Co) from GOG, and they did a great job communicating my changes to the manufacturer!

 

[aggie10]

Re: Sick of shopping! Help me find twisted band and pretty .

Thanks diamondseeker2006! I hadn't seen their website before, and they do have a lot of twisty ones. Some are little fancier than I like, but there are 2 that I like almost as much as the BrilliantEarth one...

Rubybeth: I just sent GOG an email about the first diamond ds2006 posted, and described the sort of setting I'm looking for. Hopefully they get back to me today! I see that they are closed Sunday/Monday, I hope no one buys the stone I like before then (I've had that happen literally 3 times while shopping through BrilliantEarth - it's just too popular of a site, I guess)

webdiva: Good to know! I'm really happy to hear that they take off 20% - otherwise all but one would be out of my price range if I got the diamond I want. How much do you think they charge to upgrade one to platinum, and possibly make something a 6-prong instead of 4? (You might not know, I just figured it doesn't hurt to ask

I'm flipping between liking these 2 diamonds...
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8410/
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9424/

Which would you go with? At first I was like EEK SI2?? but... I really can't see anything even in the picture!! (they are within my budget because we are willing to do the bank wire thing)

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Sick of shopping! Help me find twisted band and pretty .

I would call them before they close. They are busy on Saturday and they might be behind on emails. I'd personally rather have a G VS2 over an E SI2, because I feel like if I were paying for high color, I would want VS clarity, too! But all are nice stones!

All of the rings are offered in platinum, but they will likely have to call on Tuesday to get current pricing. And I don't know about changing the head. I really like a lot of G & Co settings!

 

[aggie10]

Re: Sick of shopping! Help me find twisted band and pretty .

I'd personally rather have a G VS2 over an E SI2, because I feel like if I were paying for high color, I would want VS clarity, too!

Before I saw the pictures, I'd completely agree. But... I'm looking through all the pictures and I just can't see anything wrong! And these pictures are blown up to fit on a computer screen, it'd be impossible to see anything in real life size right?

I'll see about calling them today. I think my boyfriend is getting a little tired of me taking charge on this issue

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Sick of shopping! Help me find twisted band and pretty .

I think it depends on whether the diamond can be seen from the side. If so, I would want to ask if it is eyeclean from the sides as well as the top. They will look at them and be honest, though.

 

[aggie10]

Re: Sick of shopping! Help me find twisted band and pretty .

Good to know. GOG has a kind of crappy website that looks like it's something out of 1999, but boy do they seem to have a good reputation among this community. Both stones rank great in the HCA calculator... 1.5 and 1.2 respectively. I requested a GIA cert from BrilliantEarth on one I was looking at, and it turned out to rank 3.9 - yikes. No wonder they don't put angles (or real photos) on their site.

 

[webdiva]

Re: Sick of shopping! Help me find twisted band and pretty .

Good to know. GOG has a kind of crappy website that looks like it's something out of 1999, but boy do they seem to have a good reputation among this community. Both stones rank great in the HCA calculator... 1.5 and 1.2 respectively. I requested a GIA cert from BrilliantEarth on one I was looking at, and it turned out to rank 3.9 - yikes. No wonder they don't put angles (or real photos) on their site.

They can make a video of your final choices for you, btw - which they made for me. For reference, I have a rare eye clean I1 from GOG and holy crap this thing practically lands planes with the sparkle!

 

[mandasand]

Re: Sick of shopping! Help me find twisted band and pretty .

GOG will also look at the two diamonds and give you a recommendation. They may even take a video for you to decide. I have never seen a setting in person from Brilliant Earth but I have from Gabriel. Absolutely beautiful. Please don't get caught up in the hype...BE is over priced.

I was trying to compare your inspiration ring from BE to G&C style and this one is so nice - delicious. Look at the detail! http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER8039W44JJ