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staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help!

C

crashprime

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 16, 2013
Messages
52
I am a big fan of the cushion, specifically a modern cut cushion. Good Old Gold has a branded hearts and arrows cut of this stone (I haven't seen anyone else doing this) that is really quite nice.

I am on a shoestring budget as far as engagement rings go. We're talking between 2500-3500 with the setting and stone (and when I say 3500, I mean I will have to sell a kidney to make that budget).

I have found a few seemingly nice stones on GOG, and I have had less luck with James Allen. The cushions on James Allen in my budget seem to have a lot of less than ideal light performance. Lots of the watery crushed ice cushions. At the admittedly tiny half-caret size, this isn't a huge deal breaker I suppose. I just want to get the best stone I can for the money.

These are the two I have been looking at on GOG:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/10090/
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/10092/

Both stones are spot on 1:1 squares with ideal light performance. Both are ~ the same size. I am trading color and clarity between the two.

Here's what I've found on James Allen that seemed like it fit my budget and was a nice stone.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/0.53-carat-e-color-vs2-clarity-sku-186242
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/0.50-carat-d-color-vs1-clarity-sku-199169
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/0.54-carat-f-color-vs2-clarity-sku-170219
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/0.51-carat-f-color-vs2-clarity-sku-186169

The setting that I am in -LOVE- with is the Tiffany & Co Legacy. I also like the way the Tiffany & Co Soleste looks.

With the difficulty of buying a cushion, I am also considering maybe going with a round brilliant in a Solste round facsimile.

Help!
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

you could also do a round center in a cushion halo!
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Have you picked out your setting? If so, I'd love to see it!

Would you consider dropping colour or clarity to get a larger diamond? I have a couple of earrings in roughly that mm size and I do believe that every mm counts. Does your setting have a minimum mm size? I think all the H&A cushions are supposed to be nice, but I don't know much about them.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Here are some settings that I really like, just to give folks an idea of what I am looking for.

This style halo I really like:

http://www.exceldiamonds.com/-Engagement-Rings-5/Tiffany-Inspired-Legacy-Engagement-Ring-Replica-With-Mill-Grain-Edge--1544.html

This would be perfect if I could find this from a reputable online dealer and not etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79620748/tiffany-soleste-style-14k-white-gold-125

If I can't swing the halo on my budget, this simple ring is gorgeous:

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-engagement-ring-platinum_7798

I'm not dead set on any diamond specifications as long as I am getting a good value stone that will be appealing and do a nice light dance in the sunshine. My concern with color is that I really like settings with melee diamonds, and I don't want the diamond to look "uglier" when it gets setup snug to them.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

The second one you posted is beautiful!! Not sure how I missed it.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Someone puts budget in their title and I am all over it! I love a good price crunch, makes finding something beautiful even more satisfying!

Here is my favorite halo setting for a good price. It has amazing quality and really beautiful. And pair it with a diamond band it would look tdf

http://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/french-set-halo-diamond-engagement-ring-in-14kt-white-gold/6114

I know you like cushions, but if you would consider a round, you could get an eye clean I nice round for your budget at probably 0.7cts and a cushion halo


Or you can ask a ritani sales rep to help you find the kind of cushion your looking for. But a round looks bigger and will have more sparkle than the average cushion, plus you can get a nice size! Just a thought.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Ohhhh, that one is gorgeous too! I knew I would get some great advice here! Thank you guys/gals.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

I don't think you said, would you consider a round?
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Niel|1374005966|3484199 said:
I don't think you said, would you consider a round?
Click to expand...

Yes in my original post the last thing I said was "With the difficulty of buying a cushion, I am also considering maybe going with a round brilliant"

I want/wanted to wonder off into the less mainstream world of diamond buying by getting a cushion.

Something a little off the beaten path.

The truth of the matter is, at the sizes we are talking about, I think the fact that a round will face up bigger, combined by the fact that there is just more supply available on the market .. that maybe the setting itself will be enough of a unique touch so that the sparklie center's shape is not the be-all-end-all of the ring. I know some would say the style of ring I am looking at is more of a cocktail ring and less of an engagement ring, but my significant other has a love affair with beautiful halos (it's not cheating unless she buys one), and with my/our budget, halos can add a lot of finger appeal without putting the whole caboodle into just the center stone.

I could just go crazy and grab a Tiffany on my plastic tomorrow and be done with it but I just wanted to put the extra thought into it, while keeping the word interest rates out of my vocabulary haha.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

I like the idea of a round brilliant with a cushion halo. I once set a 1.25 CT RBC for a client with square, oversized, chunky prongs with softened edges and the effect was a cushion cut appearance. Very beautiful.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Make sure you visit websites that have the "build your own ring" feature. Lots of fun.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Oh my apologies for missing that. What I would do if it were ME and I was trying to get a unique halo on a budget. I would get that ritani (seems to be the cheapest quality one) have the cushion shape for a round, and ask them to make the halo in white gold (so of matches the center stone and the melee) and have the split shank a different color gold. Like rose
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Plain shank halos are more unique than ones with diamonds in the shank, which you see EVERYWHERE. And doing it with a yellow or rose gold shank would be really unique. Rose gold being very in fashion and yellow gold coming back.

If you would consider a j this seems like a nice size and budget friendly.

http://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-0-71-Carat-J-color-AGSL-certified/D-CG7P1N

And the halo will hide the side view of the stone, which is where you see most color, plus... a smaller stone doesn't show as much color as a larger stone with the samecolor grade . So a 0.7 j ct will look whiter than a 1.7 J
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Noel, very pretty! But I think that combination was above the needing to sell a kidney range.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Niel, sorry about your name. Auto correct on phone prefers the one it chose.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Does anyone have a picture of what a rose colored split shank 2 tone setting would look like? I'm having a hard time visualizing.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

so here is what i mean. the metal under the halo is white so it kind of blurs the lines between diamond and metal. I have no actual pictures of the ritani one so i did a pretty fast and dirty photoshop of it



but here are some pictures, as you can see the metal in the first is white and it makes the whole thing give that diamond-ish look, so it helps the center look bigger



and the one with the rose gold in the halo too doesnt give the appearance of making the stone any bigger, because the color kind of breaks the look up



now Ive seen lovely rings that are made in all yellow or rose gold, so you dont HAVE to do it two toned, but those rings were hand forged, and the craftsmanship sort of made up for the metal color. if i was buying a stock setting id do it this way... it wont LOOK two toned exactly, just help the halo be more flattering...

do you think she would like rose or yellow gold? Does she like the idea of being a little different? but not TOO different :lol:

rose_4.jpg

be1bdb15r15_hand.jpg

be171850_round_rose_top_t_w300_h300.jpg
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Well, as I suspected, the yellow/rose gold is out. She's 100% on white gold or platinum. I had her sister do a little investigative work on that front. I think it's really unique and beautiful, but my opinion is secondary in this situation.

I really do like this halo at Ritani. I'd be sticking with all white gold.

http://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/french-set-halo-diamond-engagement-ring-in-14kt-white-gold/6114

This is in the same basic price range. I would opt out of the mill grain edge and go with the polished edging instead.

http://www.exceldiamonds.com/-Engagement-Rings-5/Diamond-Accent-Engagement-Rings-12/Tiffany-Inspired-Legacy-Engagement-Ring-Replica-With-Mill-Grain-Edge--1544.html

I've heard good things about this one, and there is a short thread from '09 about it here on pricescope singing a high praise. The images are beautiful.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/excels-tiffany-legacy-replica.128845/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/excels-tiffany-legacy-replica.128845/[/URL]

I'd love to hear the opinions on those few cushion cut's I linked in my original post. I am still leaning towards a cushion, and working on squeezing a bit more into the budget (anyone need that kidney?).
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Well I'm a big ritani fan, the quality is amazing. I had one and was very satisfied.
I do really like the second one you posted too, its just that is like 400 more, and in your price range that is actually quite a bit of money you'd be taking away from the ring budget.

Both would be beautiful! Just something to consider.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

I don't really love any of the James Allen ones. I like the good old gold ones, but, my only concern with those is that they are small. So at that size, they are going to look a lot like rounds, just a bit more square. Then, you put prongs on the corners, you'll logos a lot of that corner look anyways, so then, they just look like smaller rounds, kwim? That's just why I think st that size a round in a cushion halo is a better idea. Tones of sparkle, you can get a larger size AND they already face up larger for the same ctw.


But if you go with the bezeled one from excel, I'd choose a cushion just because that bezel outline would make the different shapes look weird.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

I've been in touch with excel, and as suspected, the compromises I would have to make in a cushion to get under budget with that setting won't give me a desirable stone, so I am afraid the legacy replica is out.

Also, after contacting someone at Ritani, I was told going below the color grade of "G" for their halo setting wasn't recommended due to the halo setting preventing light entry and refraction up through the top of the diamond, so while in a solitaire setting, it will face up as a "J" but in this halo it will face up darker, and be noticeable next to the much whiter side stones.

I was going to attempt to squeeze this into my budget: http://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-0-71-Carat-J-color-AGSL-certified/D-CG7P1N

But now it looks like I'll have to sacrifice clarity or size to get up into a higher color grade.

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD! Hah.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

I strongly disagree with ritanis statement that a halo has to have a g or higher stone in it!

If your uncomfortable with a j that's one thing, but an I or H would be fine, as a well cut stone will be very brought with light coming from the top of the stone.

heres a thread with I J stones in halos ( and some of those are stones like ovals and other fancy cuts that show more color than rounds)

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/please-post-halos-with-i-j-center-stones.186841/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/please-post-halos-with-i-j-center-stones.186841/[/URL]

or look though these

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-collection-of-halos.121549/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-collection-of-halos.121549/[/URL]
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

If your budget really is now 3500 id inquire about these two SI2 stones, its a good chance they arent eye clean, but there is no harm in asking

http://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-0-70-Carat-I-color-GIA-certified/D-ZQJVWJ
http://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-0-71-Carat-H-color-GIA-certified/D-CQ6N68

this one is a little smaller but nice

http://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-0-63-Carat-H-color-AGSL-certified/D-DV7JSR


but i dont see a reason you cant put an H- I in a halo, and with the size your looking at, i dont see a problem with a J either....

are you near a ritani retailer where they could ship them to you? so you could see maybe that J and the smaller H and which you like better?

Or, if those two SI1s dont come back eye clean, and you wanted to be on the safe side, Id go with that .63 H
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Niel I must say you are a good ritani salesperson. I'm sold on their halo settings. I have found a couple of stones I am really liking, and I will likely be going with either a Round Brilliant AGS 000 .60 J SI1 or AGS 010 .58 H SI1. Both are identically priced at ~$1500, and both are eye clean. I am still a bit worried about the J vs H, but this ring is gorgeous:

img_969.jpg

I'm just trying to decide if I want to add to the cost by going with the french-set side diamonds or not. I think the clean shank is a very nice look, and helps with the wedding band decision, so I can keep that kidney afterall!

http://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/french-set-halo-diamond-band-engagement-ring-in-14kt-white-gold/6113

http://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/french-set-halo-diamond-engagement-ring-in-14kt-white-gold/6114

Thank you thus far!
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

:lol: :lol:

i promise i dont work for them!

I just had a ritani and was super happy with the quality, especially for the price. Easy to recommend them. It was a halo with a plain shank too, not the same one as yours though
uploadfromtaptalk1374179817077.jpg

The reason i personally picked a plain shank is again, more interesting, cheaper, and if you put a diamond band with it, they look like two different rings, and you still get a nice diamond band around your finger. Or, if she doesnt want to go with a diamond band, its easier to mix and match....

BUT, which do you think she will prefer, and which is honestly better for your budget. Are you comfortable spending that much for diamonds in the shank? Both are beautiful.....


Do you have a link to the two stones? Without seeing the specs I'm include to say go with the H sense its only . 02 ct smaller and then there's no worry about color, but may think differently with more info.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

I think the plain band is the way to go. At one point she had said how pretty a plain banded halo was in a jewelry case while out shopping, so I think either way, she'd be happy.

(Found out Whiteflash is an authorized Ritani dealer so...) Diamonds in question:

.595 J SI1 triple zero http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2960100.htm
.58 H SI1 010 http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2953053.htm

Going off the photography I think the J's inclusions are a bit harder to see, which is why I'd lean towards it. However, I think with ideal light performance and symmetry, the non-ACA (a cut above) having "only" excellent polish is of no matter.

There are a few others in that same range on whiteflash, but those two seemed to be the best trade-offs.

.59 I VS2 020 http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2829789.htm

Not sure if a "very good" polish would affect my eyes. I have had a hard time determining how important the polish rating really is.
 
Re: staying under budget with cushion cut and setting.. help

Good idea to go through whiteflash. I don't know if they still do but they used to give you 75 off your first purchase. Have you gotten in touch with them? Make sure they have the setting for the same price? The sales associates are really helpful! I'd ask them what they suggest
 
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