What to do? Setting perfect, center stone is terrible

[vladib2b]

So I found just the setting I want...a beautiful Edwardian one featured here:

http://www.faycullen.com/Edwardian-Engagement-Rings/10259/

(Please let me know if the above link doesn't work...)

Problem is, the center stone, which is just the size I want (.95, only has a fair cut by GIA. Keep in mind, this is not an antique ring, only a replica from that period. Maybe the fair cut would make it feel like "Old European?" (Please don't kill me for my overall ignorance, I'm a complete newb.)

Do you all think at least the price is good overall for what you get? I suppose I could just order the setting and then just add the ring I want, but it takes 6-8 weeks, and I've been putting off the engagement for too long now! Besides, I heard that Fay Cullen's craftsmanship is sometimes shoddy. What to do...

 

[Tophat1]

Link doesn't work for me

 

[soxfan]

There are many talented PS vendors that can make that setting. Go to loveaffairdiamonds.com to find a stone, and have David klass make the setting.

 

[vladib2b]

Link doesn't work for me

I just don't get why the link doesn't work. Ok, let's try another way...if you were to type Fay Cullen into Google you'd easily get to the Edwardian rings.

Thanks for the attempt, though.

 

[rockysalamander]

 

[EllieTO]

The link works for me. Honestly, not only is the diamond really awful quality (no, a bad cut is not the same as an Old European Cut), but the setting itself doesn't seem nicely made either. I think you can do better.

How about these ones? I think they have a similar feel to the one you posted but a much prettier overall design and craftsmanship.
http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/the-jeni-solitaire-featuring-an-8mm-oec-center/
http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/the-olivia-solitaire-setting/

Maybe if you tell us what you like about this setting specifically, we (speaking for others on this forum more than myself) can give you alternate suggestions. Also your price range.

 

[rockysalamander]

Ivy Rose has some similar feeling rings and with some selectivity, they have some nice old cuts (some are GIA).

• https://www.etsy.com/listing/288055...antique-solitaire-art?ref=shop_home_active_26
• https://www.etsy.com/listing/274632...amond-engagement-ring?ref=shop_home_active_80

https://www.etsy.com/listing/512417...?ga_search_query=gia&ref=shop_items_search_13 {it is chunky, so it's 5.94 mm face-up is less than a .95 modern round at about 6.4 mm}

 

[Niel]

Very similar
http://www.beverleyk.com/bridal/r169-a-d-d-cz-r169-a-d-d-cz.html

 

[Niel]

Real talk. What's your budget and how soon do you need a ring?

 

[Karl_K]

This is my opinion and they may be made other ways.

The setting used and by the looks of the ones from etsy are most likely made by making a mold from a period ring, making a wax using the mold then casting a ring from the wax.
The mold may have been made from a modern reproduction of a period piece also.
They are not close to handmade quality because the detail becomes soft because of the mold used to form the wax and the casting process.
In my opinion based on how they look and the price that is what is going on.

Now to be fair for the price you can get some nice looking rings but don't be fooled that you are getting handmade custom quality from a skilled bench.

 

[valeria101]

The price is very close to a random .95 H VS1 GIA unmounted ...

Keeping the budget and the size, color, clarity of the diamond the same, the obvious option is a finely cut round (modern or OEC style) in a classic solitaire setting.

Else, 4K would pay for an intricate setting like that done very right & empty.

The first choice is done all the time around here. The other extreme - might have heard of a couple of cases ... A fine diamond can be reset into a more intricate ring later; most settings can be reset with a replacement stone (although not many count on remaining equally enthusiastic about a once fashionable setting over a few years ... so, few 4K settings do get made with 100 CZ in them).

The compromise you found - is the kind of choice people come here to recover from (so, obviously it is done too, elsewhere ...).

 

[valeria101]

Ctd.

.9 cts. - 6.27mm - G, VS2 - 4K (Good Old Gold) is the nicest I am seeing. There are a few H&A G-I/VS .9-1.1 cts <5K around (e.g. I/ VS2 (WF), H/VS1 (B2C)). Have not spent much time searching, truth be told.

OEC are a different world.

There are a couple of addresses for great platinum work involving pave & engraving in historic styles - Canera, Klass, Meje... Not too hard to see why a few folks would appreciate the output of those workshops Instead of a diamond, IHMO.

 

[tyty333]

I would go one of two ways...

- find the right stone and have it put in the Bev K ring (Neil recommended)
http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/beverley-k-jewelry/rings/23PP1/
http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/beverley-k-jewelry/rings/78PP1/
http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/beverley-k-jewelry/rings/85PP1/
or
- find the right stone and have David Klass make the setting (usually reasonably priced but probably going to cost close to $2k) Edit...here is david Klass on Facebook...you can look through some of his pictures.
Having him make one will take 6 weeks+.
https://www.facebook.com/david.klass.jewelry/
Here are a few examples of the work he does
https://www.facebook.com/david.klas...231593959649/1141772392572230/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/david.klas...231593959649/1002318123184325/?type=3&theater

You want an engagement ring quality setting with a nice OEC (Old European Cut stone).

We can help you find a nice stone. Soxfan already linked love affair diamonds and there is Old World Diamonds (call and tell him what you are looking for).
There is also MyDiamondZone on ebay that has some stones at decent prices.
http://stores.ebay.com/MyDiamondZon...14736769&_sid=110520942&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322 (they also have an etsy shop)

 

[Bette]

Honestly, I like the setting you picked better than all the other similar ones. But if you've heard the craftsmanship is shoddy, this is too big of a purchase to waste money on something you may have to fix in a few months anyway. What if you get a better diamond and it falls right out? I know the thought of having it made may be daunting, but if you are set on that setting and the diamond in it is already crap, why not just do it right the first time and get a good diamond and get the setting made. It'll be worth it in wait time, i would think. If I were your future betrothed I'd rather wait for a ring that's good craftsmanship than get one that may be shoddy, even if you do get a better diamond.

I'm a newb as well, so I have no idea how long people are talking about with wait times, but what would be the aprx. difference between the 6-8 weeks for the original setting and having one made?

 

[rockysalamander]

Totally personal, but my jeweller grandmother always told people to buy the best diamond they can at the time and place that into a basic setting. You can upgrade the setting later, but that diamond will be staring at you for a long time. She said choosing a diamond for beauty and durability. I think you already know that the stone fails on beauty. I think most would agree that the setting alone should be $1500-2K. So, you are paying $2K for a diamond you don't love.

If you got this setting and replaced the diamond, you are very limited in the size diamonds that will fit. This would not be a simple head-replacement or re-making of the seats, the entire head may need to be re-built unless you stick with the the same or smaller width and height. Thus, you add more cost to a setting that would benefit from some refinement in the design.

With a $2k diamond budget, I'd look at these:
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/85ct-old-european-cut-diamond-gia-j-vs2-1151
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/70ct-old-european-cut-diamond-gia-h-vs1-1144

and get quotes from those mentioned in this thread for the setting. With some care in design, you could alter the gallery and prongs to allow for a modest size increase in the future.

 

[rockysalamander]

It is not exact, but "Olivia" from LoveAffairDiamonds has many of the same elements of this setting.

http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/the-olivia-solitaire-setting/

 

[vladib2b]

Thanks for all of your help with your responses. This is a great forum and even greater community.

I found the same setting from another vendor, Ashton Taylor on Etsy: https://ashtontaylordiamonds.com/collections/antique

Too good to be true, I thought—I mean, look at the prices! So I wrote them the following. Check out their responses, too.

Me:

Hi, I love your Edwardian pieces, but I just have a couple of questions:

1. The prices of the center stones seem too good to be true, even for diamonds that are not GIA graded. Are they enhanced?

2. You sell many different Edwardian rings of this sort that have different setting sizes for the center stone, and yet, in the pictures you post, they all look the same. If one ring accommodates a 1.5 stone, and another a 2.0 stone, wouldn't the pictures look at least a little bit different? It seems to me that the 2.0 setting would make the setting looks a bit wider...

3. Do you sell the setting alone without the center stone? If so, for how much?

Their responses:
Hello!

To answer you're questions:

1. To start, we don't mark up the industry standard which is 300%. What we specialize in is recreating high end rings in the $15g-30g range for customers with budgets of 3g to $7g. We use only eye clean, sparkly, 100% Natural earth mined diamonds and Genuine Solid Gold or Platinum. No part of any ring is Lab or man made whatsoever. Each ring come with an appraisal from a certified Gemologist .

We purchase our rough stones from Africa and have them cut & processed in India then shipped direct to us.

2. Yes some of the pictures are very similar or the same for a couple of the rings. More like sample photos.

If you'd like to see an exact photo or video of a ring, I can send it to you directly. Just let me know. We are working on getting pictures updated all the time.

3. Yes we do sell settings by themselves. We also sell loose diamonds.

This setting by itself: Platinum $1200

I hope that answered your questions/concerns! Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.

What do you think?

 

[MollyMalone]

What do I think? That I would not send my money to a stranger
* whose website domain name was registered just 3 months ago -- for the minimum term of 1 year and using a proxy in Canada to conceal their true identity
https://whois.icann.org/en/lookup?name=ashtontaylordiamonds.com

* who is otherwise non-transparent: the Etsy listing says they are in Virginia Beach, VA, but the area code of the phone number is for Cincinnati, OH. There is no Ashton Taylor Diamonds company registered in either VA or OH. And they are coyly not otherwise making themselves known.

* who uses the same stock photo, in different sizes, for all of their diamonds, but doesn't tell you it's a stock photo. And although they claim their diamonds have been "graded by a certified lab" (as if US gemstone grading labs are certified by the federal government or any independent authority; they are not), Ashley Taylor Diamonds doesn't post a copy of the lab report.

* whose assembly of such varied styles of photos on their Etsy and website home pages
https://www.etsy.com/shop/AshtonTaylorDiamonds?ref=l2-shopheader-name
https://ashtontaylordiamonds.com/collections/all
suggests they have simply lifted pics from other vendors' sites (and/or Pinterest). I'm heading out the door & don't have the time right now to do reverse GoogleImages searches to confirm my hunch, but at least a few of "their" rings look very familiar to me.

So to help us better help you, I'll repeat Niel's question above, what's your budget and how soon do you need a ring?

 

[rockysalamander]

What do I think? That I would not send my money to a stranger
* whose website domain name was registered just 3 months ago -- for the minimum term of 1 year and using a proxy in Canada to conceal their true identity
https://whois.icann.org/en/lookup?name=ashtontaylordiamonds.com

* who is otherwise non-transparent: the Etsy listing says they are in Virginia Beach, VA, but the area code of the phone number is for Cincinnati, OH. There is no Ashton Taylor Diamonds company registered in either VA or OH. And they are coyly not otherwise making themselves known.

* who uses the same stock photo, in different sizes, for all of their diamonds, but doesn't tell you it's a stock photo. And although they claim their diamonds have been "graded by a certified lab" (as if US gemstone grading labs are certified by the federal government or any independent authority; they are not), Ashley Taylor Diamonds doesn't post a copy of the lab report.

* whose assembly of such varied styles of photos on their Etsy and website home pages
https://www.etsy.com/shop/AshtonTaylorDiamonds?ref=l2-shopheader-name
https://ashtontaylordiamonds.com/collections/all
suggests they have simply lifted pics from other vendors' sites (and/or Pinterest). I'm heading out the door & don't have the time right now to do reverse GoogleImages searches to confirm my hunch, but at least a few of "their" rings look very familiar to me.

So to help us better help you, I'll repeat Niel's question above, what's your budget and how soon do you need a ring?

And this is why the power of PS to protect consumers is mighty. @MollyMalone provided the technical details for exactly the response I was writing. No way. No how.

The setting looks the "same" because they stole the photos from FayCullen. They are not the same, they are exact.

I actually did that reverse image search and found many stolen photos...including from a PS member post ...
https://ashtontaylordiamonds.com/pr...ne-diamond-engagement-ring-vs2-f-14k-platinum
FROM: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/james-meyer-bezel-reset-has-arrived.97999/

https://ashtontaylordiamonds.com/products/edwardian-ii
FROM: http://www.durhamrose.com/vintage-antique-engagement-ring-and-jewellery-styles-series/

https://ashtontaylordiamonds.com/products/2-59-ct-solitaire-platinum-engagement-ring
FROM: http://www.jewelryon5th.com/_p/prd4/4195866141/product/eng389 {I would assume all the rings on the mirror are from this site, the photography is too distinct, it also looks a lot like @Wink }

https://ashtontaylordiamonds.com/products/1-65-ct-cushion-halo-genuine-diamond-engagment-ring
This ring was posted on another Wedding Advice site (I recall the nails)

https://ashtontaylordiamonds.com/products/1-53-ct-edwardian-style-platinum-engagement-ring
FROM. At least 4 sellers on Ebay are using these same photos.

 

[mrs-b]

It is not exact, but "Olivia" from LoveAffairDiamonds has many of the same elements of this setting.

http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/the-olivia-solitaire-setting/

This is gorgeous, @rockysalamander !

 

[rockysalamander]

Make that at least 2 PS members!!

https://ashtontaylordiamonds.com/collections/halo/products/ring222
FROM: https://www.pricescope.com/communit...rm-2-4ct-oec-in-new-single-stone-halo.182455/

All the rings with this background are stolen from Erstwhile Jewelery.
https://ashtontaylordiamonds.com/co...100-genuine-diamond-engagement-ring-vs2-si1-f

 

[Niel]

OP, honestly I think you would benefit from the assistance of PS members who have shopped online before as none of the shops you're considering are worthwhile and I'm concerned about the mistakes that could be made.

What is your budget? How soon do you need a ring. Besides this ring, please show examples of rings she liked.

 

[BlingDreams]

@MollyMalone and @rockysalamander, you guys are AWESOME!!

OP, your search will be considerably easier if you let the experts on here help. The "too good to be true" deal you seem to be looking for is just that, and will only lead to disappointment either now or in the future.

Decide if you want a bigger/better diamond and simpler setting to be upgraded later or a compromise of smaller diamond but more intricate setting. Let us know your decision and then we can help you put it all together for the best price/quality possible.

 

[vladib2b]

OP, honestly I think you would benefit from the assistance of PS members who have shopped online before as none of the shops you're considering are worthwhile and I'm concerned about the mistakes that could be made.

What is your budget? How soon do you need a ring. Besides this ring, please show examples of rings she liked.

After looking for hundreds of rings, this is the only one she likes.

 

[Niel]

What do you want to hear, here?
That ring is poorly made and overpriced.
There are very similar rings out there in the world you could get right now (like this https://www.newyorkestatejewelry.co...gement-Rings&int_item_id=29059&int_category=3)
Or you can have one made to look just like it by someone who knows what they're doing, but you've set a date you feel you need that ring by.

Do you want us to tell you to buy it? No one here will suggest that. We'd be happy to help you but I'm not even sure what you want. A

 

[MollyMalone]

@rockysalamander, thank you ever so much for doing the reverse GoogleImages searches!!

I'm ready to spit nails at etsy for making it so difficult to report listings; eBay is sooooo much easier.

 

[MollyMalone]

Take a look at the Edwardian rings made by Whitehouse Brothers in Cincinnati, Ohio; these are all die struck and excellent quality:
http://www.whitehousebrothers.com
http://www.whitehousebrothers.com/diestruckprocess
http://www.whitehousebrothers.com/engagement-rings

It doubtlessly varies, depending on the time of year & what other orders they have in the pipeline, but Whitehouse Bros. made a ring for this PSer in less than a week:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ec-diamond-engagement-ring-experience.187210/

Good Old Gold is an authorized retailer for Whitehouse Brothers, so you could easily make this "one stop" shopping, so to speak.
https://www.goodoldgold.com
You'll usually see Whitehouse settings offered in platinum, but I think you can get gold if you'd prefer.

P.S. Whitehouse also offers wedding bands.

 

[rockysalamander]

I think our advise will depend on your budget, but it won't be to buy the setting you and your GF like -- from either FC or the sketchy seller. Poorly made or bad daimond.

If you have a 4k budget, I'd recommend she look at simpler settings with a similar feeling, and put most of your budget into a diamond.

Setting: https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...ave-scroll-diamond-engagement-ring-item-55439
Diamond: https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2536084

If you are open to pre-loved or real vintage,

• http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/1-00ct-antique-cushion-cut-vintage-ring
• http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/1-38ctw-fancy-golden-brown-old-european-cut-diamond-cluster-ring
• https://www.etsy.com/listing/512012...?ga_search_query=gia&ref=shop_items_search_26

 

[valeria101]

"we specialize in is recreating high end rings in the $15g-30g range for customers with budgets of 3g to $7g"

If you want the ring at the lowest price, this sounds like the right place ! The only worry might be that they send nothing at all ... which, is OK too, as long as you have a way to dispute the transaction.

Why I give up: the way you have chosen a complex design at an impossible price, does not leave options - it was meant that way. Then, the straight & narrow does not exacty offer the world on a platter ...

 

[vladib2b]

Several of you have asked about my budget. My original (and preferred) budget was about $4500-5000. But I could go as high as $7.5k out the door if I must...

My gf is very picky. So what i'll likely do is take the Fay Cullen pics to the best jeweler in town and have him manufacture it. Then I'll buy the biggest rock I can within my budget and have him center it.