The Band or The Stone?

[macrac]

Okay, I know this has been covered before, but my question is a bit more specific. I''m a college student w/ a very limited budget. Going over this budget is not an option, so I have to decide which to put my money into, the stone or the setting.

So, should I get a .45-.5 ct stone and a nice setting? I''ve been looking primarily at Vatche and Jeff Cooper settings. If I went this way, the setting would cost as much or more than the rock.

OR, should I go w/ a .60-.65 ct stone and a simple solitaire setting?

Personally, I like the idea of a more elaborate setting. Plus, the increase in diamond size is minimal, so it seems like a fancy setting would stand out more than a slightly larger diamond on a plain setting.

 

[eks6426]

If you don''t mind me asking, what''s your budget? If you use PS you might be able to find a bigger stone than you expect. Also, if you are open to stones other than the round brillant you''ll generally get more carat weight for less money. Furthermore, if you lower clarity & color standards while looking for a great cut you might have more options.

That being said, what do you think your girlfriend would like? Are you sure she would love the settings you are considering?

 

[Logan Sapphire]

Well, without hearing your answers to Island Dreams'' questions and without knowing anything else, I personally would go for the larger stone in a simple setting. Are you open to changing the setting down the road or is the one you give her now, the one she''ll have forever? What size hands does she have? I''ve tried on both the Royal Crown and the X-Prong, and for me, with size 3.75 hands and a smaller stone, the bands were too thick for my preference.

If you are only interested in these two options (smaller stone, Vatche or Jeff Cooper setting or larger stone, simple solitaire), I would suggest going to a store and checking out stones of these carat weights in both types of setting. You may be surprised to find out you don''t care for it as much or "the one" might become obvious! Good luck!

 

[ame]

Id go with a simple setting because you don''t want to pick something really nice and pricey and have her not like it. Let her pick the setting when you can afford one.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 3/3/2005 9:54:49 AM
Author:macrac

Personally, I like the idea of a more elaborate setting. Plus, the increase in diamond size is minimal, so it seems like a fancy setting would stand out more than a slightly larger diamond on a plain setting.

One more vote for this idea

I don't know the price tag of the settings you have considered so far, but you might want to take a look at THESE. I don't know if other shops price settings according to diamond size - WF does.

At least Vatche's solitaires are quite classic and conservative - something you can hardly go wrong with.

 

[Patty]

I don''t know about Jeff Cooper, but Vatche settings are pretty pricey. If you know the style she likes, maybe you can get a similar setting for less money. I''d invest most of the budget in the stone.

 

[macrac]

Thanks for all the advice so far.

My budget is $2200 - 2300. All I know from my GF is that she wants platinum, and that diamond size isn't as important as quality.

I've looked at the PS price comparo, and have a pretty good idea of what sizes I can get w/ in my price range.

My sister is helping w/ picking a setting, and she's really liked what I've shown her from Vatche and Jeff Cooper. However, after doing some looking around, I agree that a similar setting can be had for significantly less expensive. I just figured since I can't "wow" her w/ a big stone I can at least wow her w/ a pretty stone in a unique setting.

Edit: I should add the fact that whatever I get now is most likely what she'll wear forever. She's very sentimental, and it's the symbol more than the actual object. So, I doubt she'll want to change the setting (or the stone for that matter) in the future.

 

[treysar]

Hey!

I would go for the larger stone size. When my fiance proposed, he chose a solitaire setting that was only $99 - this way he could get a bigger stone. For an early wedding gift he let me choose my own setting. This gave him about 6 months to come up with more money for a setting!

Congrats and good luck! Also, if you like ornate settings, you may consider one similar to mine - it really makes the stone POP and look bigger than it really is!

 

[codex57]

I''d go for the bigger stone. Most people have no idea about the different setting designers and stuff and the classic solitaire is well known and expected. If she doesn''t have any preferences, then I''d throw all the money at the stone cuz that''s what pretty much everyone is gonna concentrate on.

And have you seen a .4 vs .6 in person? You may be surprised at the actual size difference even tho it doesn''t sound like much.

 

[lmurden]

Since you like the Vatche' setting then you should use half the budget on the center diamond and the other half on getting the setting custom made. I think you can do it!

 

[glitterata]

When she says quality is more important than size, what does she mean? Has she looked at diamonds & does she understand the 4 C''s? Does she like the symbolism of having few flaws, or is she worried about eye-visible flaws? Is her eye sensitive to color?

I ask because many people when they''re first starting to learn about diamonds think the color and clarity will affect the sparkle, but that''s not true--it''s the cut that makes a diamond sparkle. If she''s concerned about how it''ll look, rather than the symbolism of rarity & purity, you might be able to go down in color or at least clarity and go up in size, as long as you get a nice cut.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 3/3/2005 10:57:41 AM
Author: macrac
Thanks for all the advice so far.

My budget is $2200 - 2300.

My sister is helping w/ picking a setting, and she''s really liked what I''ve shown her from Vatche and Jeff Cooper.

It surely helps to know this... Prices for designer settings do vary from place to place - I think you can get what you want.

 

[Mara]

well with about $3k you can definitely get a bigger stone...what is your thresshold on color and clarity?

i ask because I was eyeballing a .70 J SI on WF's site last nite in their ES section and it was 1999 or something like that.

if you don't have color sensitive eyes (meaning you can't tell a D from an E or F!) then you may want to consider something like that, if it's eye clean. The cut will be fabulous and the price leaves another $1k for a setting.

personally i would go for a bigger stone over a fabulous setting, but it depends also on if you plan to keep this stone and/or setting, could you upgrade the stone and/or setting later. every situation and person is different.

*I* would go for the biggest stone possible and get a simple solitaire setting or one with a few diamonds on top and upgrade both later (hee!) if there is no upgrade coming on stone, then focus on the stone and change out the setting later when you have more money, maybe for an anniversary or something.

Edited to add: just noticed WF also has a .80 I SI ES stone that is $2150...what an awesome price. Better color too. Check out the Fine Line by Le solitaire setting on WF's site...I have always really liked that setting as a slightly different take on the typical solitare.

Or if you want something with some diamonds for a bit of jazz, the A Jaffe pave rings I have posted in the past, the e-ring in white gold is about $800 and has something like .15c of diamonds. 'rms' has the e-ring and has posted her ring in my 'Show me your diamond eternity wedding sets' in the SMTR forum.

So hmm I would do the .80 I SI and then get the AJ setting and come in at about $3k total. Not bad!

Good luck!

 

[Hest88]

I would go for the more elaborate setting but ONLY if the setting is different enough to really make the ring. Given your price range I don''t think springing for a simple designer setting, such as the Vatche solitaire, is worth it. It''s just not sufficiently different enough from an inexpensive Tiffany setting in most people''s eyes to offset the bigger impact of a larger stone.

 

[snlee]

I''d go for the better diamond. You and your then finacee can pick out a different setting in the future when you have more money.

I didn''t give much thought about the setting when we purchased my ring. We just bought a simple platinum tiffany solitaire setting. After my upgrades, it ended up being only 5% of the total cost. Hehe. I''m happy with that though. I love this setting and it allowed us to put more money on the diamond.

 

[jinx3875]

Hi! I am new to this forum and felt I wanted to comment on this post. I have my personal situation to share, but first I have to say that I agree with all of the other posters here to go for a larger stone with a simple solitaire. The reason I suggest this is because you stated you do not know for sure the setting that she likes.

That being said, my fiance did the exact opposite. I knew that I wanted a more ornate setting, platinum, side stones, etc... We did a lot of looking before he surprised me with the ring and he knew that I was willing to compromise the size of the center stone so that it could be paired with the setting I wanted. If you are interested you can view my set in Show Me the Ring under "Longtime lurker..." Had I not been so exact in my preferences I would have wanted him to focus on the main diamond.

If your girlfirend has not clearly expressed that she desires an ornate setting I feel it would be a better choice to get a really nice main stone in amore simple setting. You can always pair it with a sparkly wedding band for more "pop".

 

[macrac]

Mara: Thanks for all the suggestion. The biggest problem is that 3000 is wayyy out of my price range.

As far as her clarity preference, it wasn''t related to color or cut. I personally am very particular about cut (mostly because of this place). So, I''ll give up some color, but I don''t want any visible inclusions (eye clean) since that was her main gripe about some of her friend''s diamonds, and I want pretty darn close to H&A/Ideal/Perfect cut. I''ve been looking in the G/H/I range in a VS2 or better.

Hest: I tend to agree about some designer settings not being original enough. That''s one reason why I was looking at Jeff Cooper. The lines and shape of some of his rings are really unique and beautiful. The biggest problem I''m running into are price and I can''t find an internet vendor that carries them.

There are some very good points on here. I appreciate everyone taking the time to help out.

 

[snlee]

macrac, I would lower the clarity a little. You can get an eye clean SI1 and that will allow you to go up in cut/color/carat.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 3/3/2005 1:43:33 PM
Author: macrac

I was looking at Jeff Cooper... The biggest problem I''m running into are price and I can''t find an internet vendor that carries them.

Try Weddingband.com even if the one ring you want is not on the website, they can probably source it. This, unless the seller of the diamond cannot (are you sure they can''t ? it is worth asking...).

 

[twinkletoes]

mara: you are like the dream friend when it comes to shopping! you should really put that down in your resume.

 

[Mara]

haha thanks TT...''dream diamond friend'' goes on as a hobby.

sorry mac, i saw the 2300 and thought it was 3000...wishful thinking i guess!!!