Trying to decide for an e-ring - help is appreciated

[diamonds_forever]

Hello everybody,

There are some questions I have before choosing the best engagement ring for my girlfriend. I did some research on the internet and found this site (I am glad I did), and today I went through the local B&M stores. The experience in the stores was not very pleasant, with the exception of the last one.
The guy was the only one to bring me an explanatory sheet with the 4 C''s, and he assured me that the diamonds he buys have quality of cut as first priority, they are in the F-G color range, with purity from VS2 up. In comparison with the other vendors, he also spoke a great English (I live in Austria). So, from PR point of view, top notch. The diamonds were however a bit pricey (and my budget is quite limited).
The only one affordable was (quoting from my memory) a 0.31 ct, G, probably VS2. He said he has certificates for diamonds, but I have not seen them (I did not insist too much on this). Anyway, the diamond looked great (to my untrained eyes) compared with what I had seen in other stores. The stone was set in a 18k white gold (palladium alloy) with a setting that I liked. The price: about 2000$.

Searching on the vendors'' sites listed here I could find somewhat better offers, including the additional taxes I will have to pay. The story being said (I hope it was not too long), now the questions:

Has anybody from Europe experience with on-line stores? I am asking in terms of total time from the placement of the order till they receive the object. It is quite complicated because wire transfer (required apparently for international shipments) takes also a few days. I wonder if it''s possible for the jeweler to start working as soon as I place the order, so it can be sent by the time the wire transfer will be ready.

The next question is about the material for the ring. I had opted for 18k yellow gold initially, but the ring that I saw today looked great in white gold. The guy assured me that the palladium alloy does not become yellow over time, thus not requiring re-plating (at that time I did not know about Rh plating on white gold).
On the other hand, I could not find information on the on-line shops like WhiteFlash, JamesAllen or GoodOldGold about what kind of white gold they use. I would like to know what you have to say about diamonds (F-H grades) on yellow gold rings with white prongs: comments here are appreciated.
I would not go with nickel-alloyed gold, because of skin tolerance issues.
I also considered a platinum ring, but as far as I understood this wears out any piece of gold jewelery next to it (and next to an e-ring comes a w-ring, which I would have in gold). Again, I look forward to your comments.

Now I see that I made quite a long post for what I thought to be two simple questions. I hope I am not too annoying, and look forward for your feedback. Thanks!

 

[Tuckins1]

Hi there! Welcome to PS! I do not live in Europe, so I can''t help you with those questions... I did however find a few nice stones that are in the size/quality range you were looking at. Here''s a question for you- Do you want to stay in that size range due to money issues, or is that the size you want? As far as the metal- I don''t know what type of white gold these online vendors use, but i''m sure you could e-mail them and find out.

Here are a few stones-
stone 1
stone 2
stone 3

(Just a few to get you started

)

Also, what was the design of the setting you liked?

 

[diamonds_forever]

Thanks for such a quick reply! Concerning the size, I could go a bit higher, close to 0.5. A quick choice from your suggestions would be the second stone. I would rather have something discreet and simple. During my today''s experience in the real world I would have liked to see the difference between an F diamond and an H, but people were getting a bit nervous when I was trying to discuss about the specifications.
The setting should be also simple but delicate... what I saw was a 6-prong, something like this or this. I liked how the color of the diamond was evidenced by the white gold.
What is your personal opinion about a diamond on a yellow-gold ring?

 

[FireMonkey]

Date: 8/8/2009 2:29:46 PM
Author:diamonds_forever
Hello everybody,


There are some questions I have before choosing the best engagement ring for my girlfriend. I did some research on the internet and found this site (I am glad I did), and today I went through the local B&M stores. The experience in the stores was not very pleasant, with the exception of the last one.

The guy was the only one to bring me an explanatory sheet with the 4 C''s, and he assured me that the diamonds he buys have quality of cut as first priority, they are in the F-G color range, with purity from VS2 up. In comparison with the other vendors, he also spoke a great English (I live in Austria). So, from PR point of view, top notch. The diamonds were however a bit pricey (and my budget is quite limited).

The only one affordable was (quoting from my memory) a 0.31 ct, G, probably VS2. He said he has certificates for diamonds, but I have not seen them (I did not insist too much on this). Anyway, the diamond looked great (to my untrained eyes) compared with what I had seen in other stores. The stone was set in a 18k white gold (palladium alloy) with a setting that I liked. The price: about 2000$.


Searching on the vendors'' sites listed here I could find somewhat better offers, including the additional taxes I will have to pay. The story being said (I hope it was not too long), now the questions:


Has anybody from Europe experience with on-line stores? I am asking in terms of total time from the placement of the order till they receive the object. It is quite complicated because wire transfer (required apparently for international shipments) takes also a few days. I wonder if it''s possible for the jeweler to start working as soon as I place the order, so it can be sent by the time the wire transfer will be ready.


The next question is about the material for the ring. I had opted for 18k yellow gold initially, but the ring that I saw today looked great in white gold. The guy assured me that the palladium alloy does not become yellow over time, thus not requiring re-plating (at that time I did not know about Rh plating on white gold).

On the other hand, I could not find information on the on-line shops like WhiteFlash, JamesAllen or GoodOldGold about what kind of white gold they use. I would like to know what you have to say about diamonds (F-H grades) on yellow gold rings with white prongs: comments here are appreciated.

I would not go with nickel-alloyed gold, because of skin tolerance issues.

I also considered a platinum ring, but as far as I understood this wears out any piece of gold jewelery next to it (and next to an e-ring comes a w-ring, which I would have in gold). Again, I look forward to your comments.


Now I see that I made quite a long post for what I thought to be two simple questions. I hope I am not too annoying, and look forward for your feedback. Thanks!

Hello! I''m unable to help with all your questions (sorry!) but I will offer input where I can:

1. Of the diamonds suggested by the previous poster, the first would be my pick. Scores a 1.5 on the HCA and should be pretty fiery!
2. I think that yellow gold with white gold prongs looks beautiful with diamonds in the F thru H range. You shouldn''t experience any negative color issues at all.
3. Yes, platinum will wear away at gold when in constant contact. You''re right to be proactive about this.
4. I''m not sure of the alloy %s that PS vendors offer in their gold pieces, but I''m interested. Does every jeweler have a proprietary mix/formula? And is one ''better'' than the other? Can you e-mail your potential vendors and ask what they use?

Oops - I''m asking questions instead of answering them! Anyway, hope I helped some. Keep us posted!

 

[Tuckins1]

I really like that James Allen setting. I would email a few vendors (James Allen, Good Old Gold, Whiteflash, etc...) ad enquire about the metal, custom work and or shipping, and stones. They should be able to work with you on getting a good size and quality, and getting you a setting that you love. Good luck to you!

 

[diamonds_forever]

Thank you very much for your insightful comments!

The white gold issue: at WF they told me that it is a Ni alloy; JA states also on their FAQ page that the same combination is used; the lower priced settings at GOG were in 14k white gold (as option), and the other ones were out of reach, so I no longer asked about the composition.

I decided to work with WF because they have ASET and H&A pictures of the diamonds and it makes me feel I know better what diamond I am about to buy (although I am by no means an expert). I finally chose quite a small stone for my ring (I do not want it to sit too high on the ring, but it should have great optical qualities); the ring will be in yellow gold and a simple setting with 4 platinum prongs.

It should be here by the end of the next week.

 

[FireMonkey]

I''ve never purchased from WF, but they have an excellent reputation here - I''m sure you''ll be pleased. Please come back and post photos of the ring. Congrats on your purchase!