Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamond!

[mandasand]

Hi all,
Yay, my first post! I have fallen in love with a halo engagement ring at ShaneCo. I've always had excellent luck with this retailer. I am not sure about buying the stone from them. I'm looking for a .75 round and it has to be eye clean and super sparkly. Our budget cannot be over $5k and less would be better since we have to pay for the wedding ourselves and we just bought a house. The setting seems to be reasonably priced at $975 but the mounting is pretty plain. There was one I found at Gabriel & Co with a fancier mounting but it was twice the cost and the pave TW was less than ShaneCo.

Opinions please? Here are the two I like:

http://www.shaneco.com/Catalog/ProductDetail.aspx?O=PRODSEARCH&X=41051979&nid=GN_Header_Search_Button



http://www.gabrielengaged.com/style/ER7525W44JJ

 

[mrssalvo]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

Check with ID jeweley. Many pricescopers have worked with them and their prices are tough to beat. Make sure they know you are a pricescoper when you call/email. They also carry G & sons so one stop shopping at it's best.

 

[SweetAsscher]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

I like Shane because it's just so easy to get maintenance done. If they are your local B&M that is. I'm considering a new diamond band from them just because if the melee ever falls out I know it won't be an issue to fix it for free with them. I have a few bands from them and in the three years I've had them only one tiny diamond has fallen out while it was being cleaned. And I'm pretty rough on my rings and wear them 24/7. I know there are other vendors with better quality melee in the settings, but it sparkles enough for me and I'm pretty happy with the cast settings shane provides.
I also do think it'd be possible to find good loose diamonds from them but you really have to put in a lot of effort finding out the angles and whatnot. On the plus side, they dont price diamonds according to cut grade unless it's a GIA triple ex. Basically what I've found to be true is that two diamond same carat, clarity and color but one with ok cut angles and one with great angles will be priced the same.
That being said, I chose to purchase my center stone from one of our PS vendors.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

I love that Gabriel and Co. halo! It has such a beautiful profile!

 

[armywife13]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

Check with ID jeweley. Many pricescopers have worked with them and their prices are tough to beat. Make sure they know you are a pricescoper when you call/email. They also carry G & sons so one stop shopping at it's best.

This! ID jewelry is amazing!

 

[mandasand]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

ShaneCo is my local store and I have been shopping there for a long time. I think they have a great setting collection and I think if we are very specific about the quality of diamond then we should be able to make it work. The only downfall I see is paying a higher price for a lesser quality stone. That makes me a little nervous. The deal I made with my boyfriend is I pick a couple settings I like and he will do the rest, so it will be a surprise in the end!

I cannot say enough about ShaneCo's customer service and trade-in policy.

 

[ovallvr]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

I really like the second one. The Gabriel & Co.
I think because there seems to be a little less metal around the diamonds and I like that look.

 

[lknvrb4]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

I love the Gabriel and Co one.

 

[chel180]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

I prefer the G&Co, especially the profile. If you can afford it, I prefer that one.

Just a thought though...the G&Co setting seems to have a cushion in it rather than a round. Would you consider a cushion?

 

[mandasand]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

Hi Chel,
I was thinking the same thing that the G&CO is a cushion center. I wonder if they would be able to change the prongs to accommodate a round? I am really a brilliant round kind of girl. I would consider a princess cut, but round is my favorite. I showed my boyfriend the G&CO and he says he likes the Shane setting better. But I really love the side profile of the G&CO. Would I be happy with the Shane ring? Yep.

In terms of the diamond, it's a hard decision because I was sort of adamant with my boyfriend that I DID NOT want a large center center, like 1.0 carat+. But his mom thinks I should get the biggest stone our budget will allow. I've had a 1 ct before with .5 on each side and I thought it was too big. I always had to take it off when playing with my nieces and nephew and I always banged that huge ring on everything. So, this time around, simple and elegant with a vintage touch is my dream. And, from my experience, a big flashy ring says nothing about a guy's commitment to you. A thoughtful promise and promises kept is the most important thing to me!

 

[mandasand]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

After finding a local retailer for Gabriel & Company, and meeting with the owner looking at settings and rings, the jeweler will be ordering the Gabriel setting I've been wanting to see:
http://www.gabrielbridal.com/style/ER7525W44JJ

It should be here next week!

He also showed us a beautiful diamond, VVS1, .62, GIA....I don't have all the specs. We looked at it through the loop and ideal scope. Then, he put the diamond in a machine and it was scanned. It created a "DNA" of the ring and all the specs came up. It's an ideal cut diamond, H&A, etc., etc. The diamond is beautiful but I would have to see it in the setting before we make a choice on that because I was thinking closer to a .75 center. However, this diamond was a little spready and it faced up more like a .70.

I'm super excited. More to come later!

 

[chel180]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

I'm sure a setting made for a cushion could/would fit a round too.

Thats a lovely setting that you've picked. I hope you love it even more when you see it.

Remember a halo will add quite a lot of bling to a ring. A .75 in a 1-2mm halo would look larger and blingy-er than a 1ct solitaire imho.

I also don't think there will be a huge difference in size or appearance between a .6 and a .7, so if the .6 performs well (put the numbers in the HCA tool) and you like it, then go for it!

if you can take some snaps when you see the setting and ring together the please come back on here and share.

 

[Amys Bling]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

I love the Gabriel & CO setting

 

[Mrs.W 514]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

I agree the Gabriel and Co setting is my favorite.

 

[mandasand]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

The jeweler is ordering me the one with the cushion center. This setting will hold a 2/3-3/4 center stone and it fits a round
http://www.gabrielengaged.com/style/ER7527W44JJ

One thing my boyfriend mentioned is that even though I say I want something vintage and delicate, the settings I pick out are "blingy." I don't want it to be really blingy. So, I need to see it in person with the .62 stone. I think Chel is right that if I get a larger stone it will be over-powering with the halo. I am not TRYING to be too blingy! But, I want a setting that sits lower and I don't want a solitaire. It's a tricky predicament I'm in! If he had his choice, he would get me a solitaire and call it a day.

 

[mandasand]

Re: Vintage Halo I love...but what to choose...and the diamo

The Gabriel setting came in and it's perfect. I am really happy with it. My boyfriend took some pics but he is has them on his phone. I think he wants me to try and contain myself!

The setting will fit a round or cushion up to 3/4 carat. I was set on a round and picked one that was nice at .62 but faced like a .70. However, now I'm thinking a cushion would be nice. I am so torn and my BF said I have to make a decision. I don't know much about cushion cuts but I suppose if I am wanting to go with the vintage look this might be the way to go.