Working on hubby to upgrade e-ring... Advice needed

[Mommy2BMR]

We've been happily married for 10 years. I have a beautiful 1.01 ct RB, H color, and I am itching to upgrade it to a 2+ stone.

I was pretty sure I wanted a cushion cut until I started lurking here and realized finding one online might be tricky sight unseen. Plus, I am worried I will fall out of love with the shape, while round brilliant is a timeless classic. RB is also easier to buy online, correct?

I would like to keep the color at least H, but willing to go to an eye-clean SI stone to keep within budget. What is the budget? Not sure, but it looks like it has to be at least 20K for what I want, correct?

Also, I have submitted my current stone for some quotes here on PS, and so far I am not happy with the offers at all It may make sense just to keep it. It's gorgeous and obviously special to me. Just for fun, here are some photos of it:





My second questions is, I am not looking to keep the setting. I think I am in LOVE with Vatche based on what I see online. Trouble is, I haven't been able to see any of them in person If I get a stone from an online vendor, should I only shop at the ones that carry Vatche? But how can I try it on?

Sorry for all the questions, I am a newbie but a fast learner

 

[Maisie]

If you don't need to sell your original stone I would keep it. There are some lovely pendants around. Are there any vendors who carry Vatche settings near you? You could go in and try some on and decide which one you love. Then you can get the setting from your diamond vendor and have them make the ring.

 

[Sakuracherry]

Welcome! I just upgraded my e-ring. I bought a 2.13 carat H/SI1 set in the Vatche Caroline from Whiteflash. Which style are you considering? If you go to the Vatche website, you can search for dealers near you.

Just to give you an idea of how much you'd likely be spending....

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1530884.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1533285.asp

 

[Mommy2BMR]

Thank you guys!

I am in Boston. I looked on Vatche website, and there is really only one local vendor, and I actually don't see any settings on their website. I need to give them a call to see if they have any to look at.

Sakuracherry, I searched your posts (sorry, that just sounded stalkerish) and WOW, your ring is stunning!!!!!!!!
I love Caroline, and I also love the look of it in pave or channel set.

Now the question is... round or cushion? H or I? How much to spend? How to tell hubby the $$$ without him fainting? lol

 

[Alexiszoe]

Hi there,

a cushion will face up smaller than a round with the same carat weight, so if that is a concern of yours, I would reconsider a cushion. That said, the light return on my cushion is spectacular compared to my former round (1.5 carat H&A round vs 3 carat cushion) because of the chunky facets and it was picked by a vendor I trusted - it's a fireball in the sun. Color wise it really depends on how much it bothers you - my cushion is an I but I can't detect a tint, and I am color sensitive.

I would say if you love cushions, work with vendors with a good eye to pick out some beauties for your. Mark from Engagement Rings Direct, Good Old Gold (GOG) have a reputation for picking out beautiful cushions. I have also seen beautiful cushions from JBEG (Jewels by Erica Grace) and since some of their diamonds are on consignment, the price is a tad more flexible, making it possible for you to save some money and get a bigger diamond

For your current diamond, you might want to get it appraised first to get a sense of what it's worth and approaching jewelers to have it consigned - that way you get a higher price than what most dealers are willing to offer you. Pearlman's, GOG, and JBEG are vendors whom you can approach regarding consigning your diamond.

And as for hubby...tell him that being a wonderful wife and mother all these years is justification enough for an upgrade! Most women put their needs last and forget about themselves - now is a time for your DH to show his appreciation!

 

[Mommy2BMR]

Thank you, Alexis! That's all very helpful. I did not know about consigning, it's certainly sounds like good possibility. The GIA certificate is from 1999, and I was told it needs to be redone (???). I am tempted to keep it and make it into a right-hand ring.

So... I suppose now is not the right time to complain about the dirty dishes?

 

[Alexiszoe]

Thank you, Alexis! That's all very helpful. I did not know about consigning, it's certainly sounds like good possibility. The GIA certificate is from 1999, and I was told it needs to be redone (???). I am tempted to keep it and make it into a right-hand ring.

So... I suppose now is not the right time to complain about the dirty dishes?

I am not sure if you really need a new GIA cert as opposed to a recent appraisal. I think if you are interested in selling, the best thing to do is to get your diamond appraised first, and get the opinion of the appraiser whether or not a new GIA cert is necessary for reselling purposes. Neil made a post some time ago about appraisal for resale: besides advice (such as appropriate avenues to sell your diamond etc), if your diamond has some minor issues (nicks etc), they can also advise you on what to do to get it fixed so as to increase the value of your diamond, amongst other things. There are a few reputable appraisers who are frequent posters on PS, such as Neil Beaty and Dave Atlas who can work with you. Jeff Averbrook from Metro Jewelry Appraisers is in Medford so in terms of location it might be easier for you to work with him.

I think keeping it or selling it depends on 1) How sentimental your husband and you are about the ring, and 2) If not selling your current e-ring will impact your ability to upgrade. If finances is not that big a concern, and it has great sentimental value to you, I say keep it.

Now is the time to say "Honey, look at all the wonderful work I have done...taking care of you and the kids, making sure the home is always warm and lovely...gosh my hands looks kinda dry from all those years of housework...a nice 2 carat diamond would look nice on my hand"

 

[Sakuracherry]

I see some nice arrows in your diamond. I believe GIA was not issuing cut grades back in 1999. Maybe it's worth sending it to GIA for regrading.

What kind of cushion do you like? There are many types. I hope you can see some diamonds with your own eye and find out what you really like. I love cushions

 

[Circe]

I'm not at the 10 year mark yet, but I did just get a lovely anniversary ring, going from a 1.5 carat J VS1 MRB to a 2.5 carat J VVS2 transitional. My husband knows how much I love jewelry, and has since before we got together. He also respects my knowledge of the market, since I've called spiking metal prices more than once. So when I casually mentioned that if we were ever thinking of buying me a boulder, doing it now before the next set of price increases would be a good idea ... he listened.

All in all, I'd say we tossed the idea around for, like, a year before I found a piece I loved at a price I liked. I almost succumbed to a few things - a 4 carat light yellow stone from meliny_pino on eBay in a gorgeous halo, an emerald with French-cut sides from JBEG. But in the end, I'm so glad I waited for my transitional - it hits my sweet spot on color and clarity, it's a size I'm comfortable with, and the price was right.

Long story short? Talk to him, and in enough time for him to adjust to the idea. I bet he'll be delighted at the opportunity to make your face light up the way it did when you got the original.

 

[Mommy2BMR]

Thank you all very much for all the helpful info and advice!

I went to E.B.Horn today (downtown Boston) to look at some stones. Have any of you heard anything about this B&M vendor? Anyway, they didn't have a huge selection to choose from, but there are a couple of things I have learned by looking at the stones.

1) I "think" I prefer an elongated cushion over the round. They only had one cushion in stock for me to look at. It was a 2.0 ct ideal cut E color, SI2. The size looked a little smaller than what I had hoped though, even though the stone was cut to the correct depth (60-something???).

2) I was originally thinking of getting an H stone, but in a bigger size it actually looked quite a bit warmer than my existing H stone, which I was told was because bigger sizes and better cuts show more color (???) So, I may need to think about going up on the color.

3) SI2 is sufficient because most look eye clean unless you really study it... which nobody is going to do once it's set and on my finger. Although black inclusions are more visible and should probably be avoided.

4) I am not sure what kind of cushion cut I prefer or if I even have a preference. I really care about the size, I do want it to face as large as possible without compromising much of the light return. I don't know if it makes sense to pay a premium for a "branded" cushion cut as long as the numbers look good?

5) Buying a cushion online may be tricky since they are all so different. Do you know which vendors drop-ship their diamonds and which of them pre-select from a few they have in stock?

 

[Roxy]

If you're interested in learning about (& possibly pursuing) a cushion, Good Old Gold has their own brand of cushions called August Vintage Cushions (AVC) which are really amazing stones. One of GOG's top priorities is educating the consumer, so I've found that they can be a good place to start your *learning curve*. There are quite a few PSers who have posted pics, stats, comparisons of their AVCs on the PS website, so you can do a few searches & find tons of great info.

GOG also has August Vintage Rounds that might help you as you're comparing shapes. If you look on YouTube you'll find many educational videos by the owner of the store (Jonathan), comparing & contrasting the performance, sizes, colors, personalities, etc of a huge variety of stones. Just look for videos by DIAMONDINFOMAN. Since we all know that when shopping for gemstones nothing can replace actually seeing the stones for ourselves, Jonathan's videos fit the bill. And once you're closer to actually narrowing down your options for purchase, you can ask Jonathan if he'd make a video comparing specific attributes of your *semi-finalist* selections.

With that said, I'm mentioning GOG only because they are the PS vendor w/ whom I've had the most experience. But as you browse this website, and read other PSers reviews, you'll see that there are a variety of top notch vendors for you to work with. In fact I think that at least one other vendor has begun carrying their own brand of cushions as well, so you definitely have options.

 

[Alexiszoe]

OP,

I am not a huge fan of E.B Horn, although I have had positive experiences working with Hefez and Sons. Cushions are cut deep, so it will appear smaller - if size matters to you, get a round.

Better cuts showing more color does not make sense: If it was a truly beautifully cut stone, the light performance and return would mask the color of the stone! Also, I believe currently only AGS grades cushion by cut grades, if they mentioned it's an ideal stone but with a GIA cert then I would be cautious. For cushions (or fancy shapes) there is really no "ideal" depth - these are diamonds which cannot be judged by numbers, which is why working with a vendor with a good eye for such things is invaluable when shopping for a fancy shape.

Jon at GOG definitely has an eye for cushions. If you need him to call in a couple of stones for him to examine I believe that they charge a small fee for calling in each stone to cover their costs (cannot remember if that fee is waived if you eventually purchase a cushion from them). AVCs are spectacular, however because it is a branded cut, it does come at a premium price.

 

[Mommy2BMR]

Thank you guys! I have submitted a request to GOG, we'll see what they come up with for me.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, as much as I adore antique cushions such as the ones from Good Old Gold, you definitely get a larger size appearance from the rounds. I don't see H or I color a problem at all with a well cut August Vintage cushion because they are so well cut. You just have to decide if you love the cushions enough to sacrifice the face-up size you could have with a 2 ct round.

Oh, and if you can, I'd keep the current diamond either for a pendant or for a three stone ring. I kept mine and don't wear it, but I plan to give it to one of my kids.

 

[madelise]

Just throwing this idea out there: why not sell the diamond yourself? Put it out there for more $ than you were offered, but still at a discount for the secondary market to get a buyer? You can put an ad on DiamondBistro or LoupeTroop and link to it here on Pricescope's Preloved section.. and see if you get any bites?

 

[madelise]

It's beautiful, by the way Forgot to add that.

 

[distracts]

2) I was originally thinking of getting an H stone, but in a bigger size it actually looked quite a bit warmer than my existing H stone, which I was told was because bigger sizes and better cuts show more color (???) So, I may need to think about going up on the color.

4) ... I don't know if it makes sense to pay a premium for a "branded" cushion cut as long as the numbers look good?

5) Buying a cushion online may be tricky since they are all so different. Do you know which vendors drop-ship their diamonds and which of them pre-select from a few they have in stock?

2) Better cuts should NOT show more color. Better cuts, that is cuts defined as returning more light to the eye, should show LESS color.

4) You can't buy a cushion by the numbers, you should use an ASET scope to judge light performance. You can either use a vendor that offers ASET images or purchase one yourself (they're inexpensive) and learn to use it.

5) With a cushion, unless you're going with a branded cut, you'll probably have to have a vendor find one for you. GOG and ERD have branded cushions (ERD has both antique and more modern styles), and those two, Perry Chen, and BGD are all supposedly pretty good at finding cushions.