First of all, thanks to all of you for all your help. I didn't do a lot of posting, but I did a LOT of reading. This post is the culmination of all of that effort. As a guy, I had absolutely no experience buying diamonds before. What I learned was that the diamond industry is ironically opaque, and you have to be incredibly careful. I am sharing my entire experience with you so that others can learn from my experience.
How I found the stone. I live in NYC, which makes things a lot easier. I started out with recommendations from friends who have bought diamonds in the past. I started out knowing only that my fiancee wanted a cushion. From there, I did everything I could to learn as much as I can about the characteristics of the stone that mattered to me, beyond the rudimentary four C's. After a ton of research I decided that I wanted a cushion brilliant with good symmetry. I went to several dealers I met through friend recommendations, as well as others I learned of through this site (among others, Leon Mege). Ultimately, I went with Chick Polak. He and his wife Nisa were incredibly patient with my difficult request, which was a proportional (1.07 ratio or better) cushion brilliant 3cts or larger and G SI1 or better. It took about 3-4 months to find the stone. Chick learned what I was looking for over time (to be honest, it was a learning process for me as well), which he was generous with. I learned a lot about how to pick a diamond from him and his wife. I decided I wanted a cushion brilliant because in normal cushions, you tend to lose sight of facets in favor of increased brilliance. I liked clear facets because they look more like a round. found that cushion brilliants were rarer than normal cushions, and that proportional cushions were rarer still, and 3 cts and up made the search even more difficult. In retrospect, I can't imagine a better team to search with. Shoot me a pm if you want his contact info. Leon also has great antique cushions if that is what you are into.
The setting. After I got the stone, the effort turned to finding a setter. To me, there were really only two options: Leon Mege, and Steven Kirsch. I met with both of them. I found that personality-wise, I got along better with Steven. Both were great. Leon wanted to do it Leon's way (after all, he is incredibly good at what he does), whereas Steven really spent a lot of time with me to meet my exacting standards (I wanted a setting which would allow a wedding ring to sit flush beside it, with very exposed pave). I also felt more sure that Steven himself would be doing the work, whereas I wasn't as certain with Leon. We spent hours drawing up the design, then he showed me something in CAD. I can't say enough about Steven's courtesy and politeness. The appraiser I used, David Wolf, was particularly impressed with the workmanship.
I put a couple of hidden stones underneath as well. I went for curved stems, a single pave on the halo and on the ring. You can barely see the metal anywhere on this ring. I'll try to find some more pics that show perspective if I can.
For the engagement, I took her on a surprise trip to Paris. Hope this is helpful, and feel free to ask any questions below.
How I found the stone. I live in NYC, which makes things a lot easier. I started out with recommendations from friends who have bought diamonds in the past. I started out knowing only that my fiancee wanted a cushion. From there, I did everything I could to learn as much as I can about the characteristics of the stone that mattered to me, beyond the rudimentary four C's. After a ton of research I decided that I wanted a cushion brilliant with good symmetry. I went to several dealers I met through friend recommendations, as well as others I learned of through this site (among others, Leon Mege). Ultimately, I went with Chick Polak. He and his wife Nisa were incredibly patient with my difficult request, which was a proportional (1.07 ratio or better) cushion brilliant 3cts or larger and G SI1 or better. It took about 3-4 months to find the stone. Chick learned what I was looking for over time (to be honest, it was a learning process for me as well), which he was generous with. I learned a lot about how to pick a diamond from him and his wife. I decided I wanted a cushion brilliant because in normal cushions, you tend to lose sight of facets in favor of increased brilliance. I liked clear facets because they look more like a round. found that cushion brilliants were rarer than normal cushions, and that proportional cushions were rarer still, and 3 cts and up made the search even more difficult. In retrospect, I can't imagine a better team to search with. Shoot me a pm if you want his contact info. Leon also has great antique cushions if that is what you are into.
The setting. After I got the stone, the effort turned to finding a setter. To me, there were really only two options: Leon Mege, and Steven Kirsch. I met with both of them. I found that personality-wise, I got along better with Steven. Both were great. Leon wanted to do it Leon's way (after all, he is incredibly good at what he does), whereas Steven really spent a lot of time with me to meet my exacting standards (I wanted a setting which would allow a wedding ring to sit flush beside it, with very exposed pave). I also felt more sure that Steven himself would be doing the work, whereas I wasn't as certain with Leon. We spent hours drawing up the design, then he showed me something in CAD. I can't say enough about Steven's courtesy and politeness. The appraiser I used, David Wolf, was particularly impressed with the workmanship.
I put a couple of hidden stones underneath as well. I went for curved stems, a single pave on the halo and on the ring. You can barely see the metal anywhere on this ring. I'll try to find some more pics that show perspective if I can.
For the engagement, I took her on a surprise trip to Paris. Hope this is helpful, and feel free to ask any questions below.
I must say, I LOVE that you were able to combine the curved pave stems with being able to wear a wedding band flush! I have browsed through countless posting and have never seen that ingenuity on the basket. Genius! Congratulations on the engagement; All the best on your lives together! 
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