Upgrade from a Round to a Cushion?

[DiamondsNPearls]

Hi everyone so instead of lurking the board, I am wondering how soon it is expected for upgrading.

I may have an opportunity to *possibly* get a new center stone, I am desiring a brighter color which is something I've always wanted. I have a J round brilliant now, & I like how the H looks & I could see the difference with the white color versus a more antique white (like my J) . Is there much of a difference? My J is 1.02ct with flouro.

I am thinking I'd want an H color, but possibly a smaller stone, if I were to get a 1ct H Si2, it would be around $4000 & I have no idea whether it would be a good idea to get a smaller stone for more sparkle & more *white*. I don't want larger than a 1ct. I'm also interested in a cushion cut (I have a cushion halo) 1.00ct which is $2000 cheaper.

My only concern is that the cushion cut diamond won't sparkle as much as a round brilliant, hearts & arrows, with flouro...Maybe our jeweler has some good ideas, he said to contact him when I want to upgrade, but I'm afraid I will get ripped a new one wallet wise.

I have a few questions:
1) Is a smaller, whiter round brilliant stone better than a larger, cushion cut stone which is less expensive than a round? What do you think?
2) Is going from a J to an H worth the hassle?
3) Is it cheaper to let my jeweler change the diamond or order a diamond from a website?
4) What are some reputable websites with affordable GIA cert diamonds?

 

[JulieN]

I think it is time for you to start over and get what you really want.

 

[DiamondsNPearls]

I've made peace with the ring, I just want an H color. Not trying to go in circles this time, I feel notorious on this forum lol.

 

[JulieN]

I will be blunt. 4000 to change to a 1 ct H SI2 is not a good price. Likely your J is not well cut, that is why it shows so much color. You shouldn't have to say you've "made peace" with your setting.

 

[DiamondsNPearls]

Those are the prices I saw online. I didn't say I could see color in my J either....I said it was an antique white. There are some real diamond snobs on this site. Guess I don't fit in if I don't have the money to burn

 

[SMC]

Is your current J GIA or AGS certed?

Cushions generally face up smaller than rounds, so you may be giving up more size than you think.

I'd look at the sites generally recommended by folks here - Whiteflash, Brian Gavin, Good Old Gold, James Allen, and IDJ. I think IDJ and James Allen may offer the best prices out of the lot. If you go with IDJ, I would contact them via phone instead of looking at inventory online.

 

[DiamondsNPearls]

My J diamond was purchased in Colombia & has an EGL International cert. Yes, I know it's considered horrible on here, but my fiance & I are not American, we are Hispanic & bought the diamond overseas. My fiance did the best he could with what was available to him.

I wonder if we can get the diamond stone online & take it to a jeweler to change it out for us. Would that be a big fee here in the states? I worry about jewelers switching out stones & putting in a lower quality stone, but maybe I'm thinking of things that would happen in other countries...

 

[SMC]

It is extremely unlikely that a jeweler would risk their reputation by swapping out a stone worth a few thousand dollars retail.

If your current setting is a halo and you want to replace the stone and use the same setting, make sure your stone dimensions will fit.

 

[DiamondsNPearls]

^^^Never thought about stone dimensions fitting, thanks for that tidbit.

Is BlueNile overpriced for loose diamonds?

 

[SMC]

For what it's worth, I think that it is worth the "hassle" to get what you want.

I'm a little confused trying to decipher what you want from your first post though.

Do you want a cushion or an MRB? Do you want a J or an H?

Once you figure out what you're looking for and the budget you have, I'm sure you'll get help and suggestions from the forum.

 

[SMC]

^^^Never thought about stone dimensions fitting, thanks for that tidbit.

Is BlueNile overpriced for loose diamonds?

I think Blue Nile is very fairly priced. Problem is, you can't see the stone so if you're looking at SI2s, that's very risky as most of them will not be eye clean. Also, you can get away with going by numbers for MRBs but it's very hard with fancy cuts like cushions. It's best if you can see the stone and get an ASET.

 

[DiamondsNPearls]

For what it's worth, I think that it is worth the "hassle" to get what you want.

I'm a little confused trying to decipher what you want from your first post though.

Do you want a cushion or an MRB? Do you want a J or an H?

Once you figure out what you're looking for and the budget you have, I'm sure you'll get help and suggestions from the forum.

• 
  I want to upgrade to an H.
  
  I'd like to keep my RB, but I'm wondering if a cushion is ultimately a better buy as a 1.00ct, b/c I have a round diamond w/ a cushion halo...
  
  I'd like to stick to my 1ct size (don't mind going lower if it means higher color, but I do NOT want to go higher than 1ct)

 

[SMC]

I want to upgrade to an H.

I'd like to keep my RB, but I'm wondering if a cushion is ultimately a better buy as a 1.00ct, b/c I have a round diamond w/ a cushion halo...

I'd like to stick to my 1ct size (don't mind going lower if it means higher color, but I do NOT want to go higher than 1ct) [/list]

I looked at your previous posts. Is your setting designed for a cushion cut diamond or is it just a squarish setting designed for a round diamond? Do you know what size range cushion will fit into that setting? Most cushions are more rectangular than square, so you need to figure out what size cushion (measurement wise - length, width, height) can go into that setting. This is irrespective of carat weight.

Alternatively, you can just look for a new diamond and a new setting. I don't know how tied you are to that setting either.

 

[DiamondsNPearls]

No idea, I believe it is a cushion style setting. I don't want to part with it though, not anymore. Getting a whole new ring would totally offend him! He's ok w/ me changing out the diamond though.

 

[SMC]

No idea, I believe it is a cushion style setting. I don't want to part with it though, not anymore. Getting a whole new ring would totally offend him! He's ok w/ me changing out the diamond though.

Well, try to figure out what dimensions would work with the setting. It would be bad if you got a diamond that didn't fit.

 

[DiamondsNPearls]

Will my certificate tell me about what dimensions I have?

 

[SMC]

Will my certificate tell me about what dimensions I have?

The certificate will tell you what size your diamond is, but not what size will fit into the setting you have. A setting with prongs can generally fit a narrow range of different sized-diamonds. A jeweler will be able to tell you. Or the setting manufacturer.

Alternatively, you can look for a cushion that has roughly equal dimensions as your MRB, but I don't know how well that's going to work. I don't know much about settings, I don't know if a cushion will fit in a setting designed for MRBs. I think it might, but I'm not sure.

 

[DiamondsNPearls]

My ring has 4 thick prongs, I went to Jared to get it cleaned/steamed for free (that's how I found out the prongs were thick, I've heard about some prongs being thinner though) Do you think it's safe to say that I could get a diamond that is thin/slightly thin? Or just ask a jeweler about the dimensions for it to fit? I'd hate to spend on a diamond that won't fit, like you said.

I think changing the ring setting would be very drastic (I did think about it, but I don't want to hurt FI's feelings, he is a sentimental soul)

 

[arkieb1]

Hi I just looked at your ring. I think the problem is you don't like the J colour of the centre diamond compared to the halo, do you know what colour the diamonds in the halo are? I actually think that I understand what the problem could be, because I have a J colour diamond in a F/G coloured halo (melee stones) and it bugs the bejeepers out of me....

I think you could either save up and then swap your round for a whiter RB or you would have to get them to look for a square type of cushions with the right mms dimensions that will make it fit.

 

[SMC]

My ring has 4 prongs, do you think it's safe to say that I could get a diamond that is thin/slightly thin? Or just ask a jeweler about the dimensions for it to fit? I'd hate to spend on a diamond that won't fit, like you said.

I think this doesn't have anything to do with girdle thickness. You need to figure out the length, width, and height of a stone that will fit into the setting. I'd ask a jeweler to be safe. It's probably a range. I think cushions are deeper than MRBs, so you'll may have to go up in carat size to get it to fit into that setting. I don't know.

 

[DiamondsNPearls]

My ring has 4 prongs, do you think it's safe to say that I could get a diamond that is thin/slightly thin? Or just ask a jeweler about the dimensions for it to fit? I'd hate to spend on a diamond that won't fit, like you said.

I think this doesn't have anything to do with girdle thickness. You need to figure out the length, width, and height of a stone that will fit into the setting. I'd ask a jeweler to be safe. It's probably a range. I think cushions are deeper than MRBs, so you'll may have to go up in carat size to get it to fit into that setting. I don't know.

Just typing this out from my diamond certificate:
depth is 63.1%, table width is 60%, crown height is 15%, pavilion depth is 43%, girdle thickness is medium, faceted. It says cut grade is excellent.
Measurements are 6.34 -6.32 *4.00mm.

Maybe I'm better off purchasing an EGL diamond than a GIA? They are cheaper, no?

 

[SMC]

My ring has 4 prongs, do you think it's safe to say that I could get a diamond that is thin/slightly thin? Or just ask a jeweler about the dimensions for it to fit? I'd hate to spend on a diamond that won't fit, like you said.

I think this doesn't have anything to do with girdle thickness. You need to figure out the length, width, and height of a stone that will fit into the setting. I'd ask a jeweler to be safe. It's probably a range. I think cushions are deeper than MRBs, so you'll may have to go up in carat size to get it to fit into that setting. I don't know.

Just typing this out from my diamond certificate:
depth is 63.1%, table width is 60%, crown height is 15%, pavilion depth is 43%, girdle thickness is medium, faceted
Measurements are 6.34 -6.32 *4.00mm.

Look for a square cushion that is approximately 6.3 x 6.3 if you are sure you want to stick with your current setting. I'd probably start with James Allen. What's your budget for the stone?

 

[DiamondsNPearls]

So I guess a RB would be out of the question

 

[SMC]

So I guess a RB would be out of the question

No, you can also look for an RB. You have an RB now. I asked you to look for a cushion because that's what you said you wanted.

 

[DiamondsNPearls]

So I guess a RB would be out of the question

No, you can also look for an RB. You have an RB now. I asked you to look for a cushion because that's what you said you wanted.

Only if the cushion had the same fluoro that my RB has now, love that flouro!

I wonder if I'd be able to trade in my RB for an EGL H? since that is what it is certified in?

 

[SB621]

Those are the prices I saw online. I didn't say I could see color in my J either....I said it was an antique white. There are some real diamond snobs on this site. Guess I don't fit in if I don't have the money to burn

Completely uncalled for, when she has been alot more patient then you deserve in previous threads.

And to stay on topic i think sinking 4k into another diamond is burning money.

 

[arkieb1]

So I guess a RB would be out of the question

No, you can also look for an RB. You have an RB now. I asked you to look for a cushion because that's what you said you wanted.

Only if the cushion had the same fluoro that my RB has now, love that flouro!

I wonder if I'd be able to trade in my RB for an EGL H? since that is what it is certified in?

Please don't buy an EGL diamond, EGL International in particular is usually 3 to 4 grades incorrect compared to GIA in colour and it can be up to 5 or 6 grades wrong in colour and around 2 to 3 in clarity (it can be more), EGL USA is usually one to two out in colour and around one to two in clarity. If you buy an EGL diamond you will likely throw more money down the drain and potentially end up with something worth even less because they will sell you something with a SI clarity that is really an I1 to I3 clarity.

A whiter round or a whiter square shaped cushion is going to fit. A GIA eyeclean SI2 that has a H or better colour is probably going to do the trick for you.

 

[JulieN]

You Egl Intl is probably L color or lower. The cut is not helping.

 

[DiamondsNPearls]

So I guess a RB would be out of the question

No, you can also look for an RB. You have an RB now. I asked you to look for a cushion because that's what you said you wanted.

Only if the cushion had the same fluoro that my RB has now, love that flouro!

I wonder if I'd be able to trade in my RB for an EGL H? since that is what it is certified in?

Please don't buy an EGL diamond, EGL International in particular is usually 3 to 4 grades incorrect compared to GIA in colour and it can be up to 5 or 6 grades wrong in colour and around 2 to 3 in clarity (it can be more), EGL USA is usually one to two out in colour and around one to two in clarity. If you buy an EGL diamond you will likely throw more money down the drain and potentially end up with something worth even less because they will sell you something with a SI clarity that is really an I1 to I3 clarity.

A whiter round or a whiter square shaped cushion is going to fit. A GIA eyeclean SI2 that has a H or better colour is probably going to do the trick for you.

But in Latin America, you will usually find EGL Intl. What about EGL USA? Is that a little better? I looked up a GIA Si2 H 1ct & it is $3,940 on BlueNile...I know most people will be anti-EGL but I just want a whiter diamond, that's all.

 

[braga123]

Hi everyone so instead of lurking the board, I am wondering how soon it is expected for upgrading.

I may have an opportunity to *possibly* get a new center stone, I am desiring a brighter color which is something I've always wanted. I have a J round brilliant now, & I like how the H looks & I could see the difference with the white color versus a more antique white (like my J) . Is there much of a difference? My J is 1.02ct with flouro.

I am thinking I'd want an H color, but possibly a smaller stone, if I were to get a 1ct H Si2, it would be around $4000 & I have no idea whether it would be a good idea to get a smaller stone for more sparkle & more *white*. I don't want larger than a 1ct. I'm also interested in a cushion cut (I have a cushion halo) 1.00ct which is $2000 cheaper.

It sounds like you have 2 concerns. Your first concern has to do with timing. You are obviously not 100 percent satisfied with your ring because you are contemplating an upgrade in terms of the quality of the stone. You mention you want to improve color and want it to sparkle more. You also mention that you don't want to upset your fiance and frankly, this comment is what makes me wonder if just changing your stone is going to be enough. You might spend all that money and then have another issue. You need to be honest with your fiance so that you can get the overall ring that you really want.