Size 8 solitaire?

[squazy]

Hey all,
So I originally had planned to get my girlfriend a haloed engagement ring - but as I talk to Leon I am starting to have second thoughts around it.
For the Halo I had originally planned - it is coming in a little over my budget... I am now trying to discern if a solitaire would be a more elegant look as well as economical.

My girlfriend is pretty complacent with the style of ring - as long as it has detailed pave (I am thinking the Ashley setting).
My biggest concern around this is faceup size.
The stone is a 1.3ct cushion I sourced through perry with 7x6.56mm dimensions. While ordinarily I wouldn't be too put off by the size - she wears a size 8... What are your guy's thoughts around this? I'm having a hard time finding pictures of people with similar size/coverage...

Thanks!

 

[Amys Bling]

not sure if there are sizes listed, but scan through these...

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-1-2-ct-center-stones.35700/

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-cuts-a-collection.135031/


size 8 thread....

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...-me-your-ring-size-8-engagement-rings.152162/

 

[Circe]

I take it you're trying to decide between a slightly bigger solitaire vs. the complex halo?

I don't know the Ashley off the top of my head (link?), but I'm betting you'll get better finger coverage with a halo than you would with a comparably priced diamond. The ONE exception I would make to the "get a halo" option, especially if you know she loves this look, would be if you're planning on upgrading for, say, the 5 year anniversary or prior: it's hard to amortize a 3K setting if you're going to be swapping it out in the near future (though, even then, you can always find a lovely colored stone for the original setting).

So ... how far over budget are we talking? Do you have a hard deadline for the engagement (by Christmas, V-day, International Women's Day, whatever), or is it something that could be rationalized by taking another month to contribute to the ring fund?

 

[Amys Bling]

I take it you're trying to decide between a slightly bigger solitaire vs. the complex halo?

I don't know the Ashley off the top of my head (link?), but I'm betting you'll get better finger coverage with a halo than you would with a comparably priced diamond. The ONE exception I would make to the "get a halo" option, especially if you know she loves this look, would be if you're planning on upgrading for, say, the 5 year anniversary or prior: it's hard to amortize a 3K setting if you're going to be swapping it out in the near future (though, even then, you can always find a lovely colored stone for the original setting).

So ... how far over budget are we talking? Do you have a hard deadline for the engagement (by Christmas, V-day, International Women's Day, whatever), or is it something that could be rationalized by taking another month to contribute to the ring fund?

have you considered having leop use a slightly lower color grade for the melee? or only have the mele on the halo and not the shank... or have the mele go 1/2 down the shank or 3/4 down the shank insde of all the way around? Not sure of the ashley so I don't know if any of these things are options.

maybe you can inquire with other vendors to see if their pricing is less expensive? like ERD or ID jewelery?

 

[squazy]

I have already sourced the stone and am happy with it - so it is more so a decision around if the extra coverage of a halo is worth it....

Leon did walk me through a trillion options of not putting stones on the stems and shank etc - however she really enjoys the profile views of rings over the face down view - which is what is making me look at solitaires.
The price difference is coming in around $500-$1k depending on the actual design and what I decide to do...
I am hoping to have the ring done by the end of January so I can propose then. I certainly could talk myself into adding more to my fund but I have a hard time justifying it when I know she will be happy with anything

Thanks for the links and responses - I'll start digging!

 

[JulieN]

The extra coverage of the halo is much cheaper than going up in carat weight.

What percentage of the budget are you going over? 10-15%, no brainer, go for the halo. 25% over, reconsider. Between 15 and 25% can go either way, depending on your personal finances.