Would appreciate some help on halo pendant

[n00bdiamond]

Hi everyone. Thanks to advice from many members at PS I got my fiance a VC emilya halo ring. It is stunning and I can't describe how great it is compared to anything else I've seen out there.

My mother is now looking to get my fiance a diamond pendant and we feel we're going to go the route of the halo again. The issue is that VC halo will be too expensive for our budget this time around (our total budget for everything would be ~$8k stretched out but realistically $7k).

This time, we are set on a strong fluorescent blue diamond since it'll give some pizzazz to the necklace. The issue isn't the stone as much as it's the pendant. What is out there where I can spend say...no more than ~$1500-$2000 on the halo pendant itself and get as close as I can to a VC grade halo (I know VC is custom and at my budget I know I can't go that route and it won't be close in quality but I hope you get my point).

Can PS members please help me on how I can maximize my $ for the best halo possible at my budget? Thank you

 

[Lorelei]

Hi everyone. Thanks to advice from many members at PS I got my fiance a VC emilya halo ring. It is stunning and I can't describe how great it is compared to anything else I've seen out there.

My mother is now looking to get my fiance a diamond pendant and we feel we're going to go the route of the halo again. The issue is that VC halo will be too expensive for our budget this time around (our total budget for everything would be ~$8k stretched out but realistically $7k).

This time, we are set on a strong fluorescent blue diamond since it'll give some pizzazz to the necklace. The issue isn't the stone as much as it's the pendant. What is out there where I can spend say...no more than ~$1500-$2000 on the halo pendant itself and get as close as I can to a VC grade halo (I know VC is custom and at my budget I know I can't go that route and it won't be close in quality but I hope you get my point).

Can PS members please help me on how I can maximize my $ for the best halo possible at my budget? Thank you

Hi Noob,

Many congratulations on your engagement and may I compliment your choice of ring too! How kind of your Mother to gift your fiancé with a pendant! From what I remember of the Emilya setting, I don't think it would be too problematic for one of the vendors to produce a nice halo pendant setting for you. I would suggest if you give us an idea of what type of carat weight/ colour/ clarity you were hoping for, we can look for some diamonds for you, possibly Brian Gavin Blue line might be a place to begin.

For example, here is a quick suggestion for you, an E colour with very strong blue fluorescence, well within budget. I don't know if it is what you had in mind but I thought I would post it for you to see.

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.760-e-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104066186027

K colour, larger and medium blue.

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.150-k-vs2-round-diamond-ags-bl-104063639025

I am sure there are others out there so I will go and have a quick hunt for you.

 

[n00bdiamond]

Thank you Lorelei. I'm still only know the basics about diamonds. I'm familiar with ASET/AGS0 super ideal cuts, etc (which is what I got her--> brian gavin signature super ideal cut).

Her ring size is 1.5 carats and I guess I have to adjust accordingly for her necklace. I heard that the size of the stone for pendants should be smaller than the ring (correct me if I'm wrong). I would think that the size should be somewhere in the ballpark between 0.8-1 carats (but please correct me if you feel otherwise).

Cutwise, I want an AGS0 at the minimum. This is pretty much the only non-negotiable factor and a no-brainer after I saw what I saw with the super ideal cuts for the ring.

Clarity I'm guessing SI1 or SI2 (preferably SI2 eyeclean).

Because we are quite settled on the halo pendant (and have no idea how much it would cost for something that isn't crooked and good quality), we are going to identify the appropriate halo first and allocate the remaining $ to the stone. Hope that helps Thank you!

 

[n00bdiamond]

Also, I can hold out for the right stone as we are in no rush to buy immediately (like the ring).

From what I hear, "E" color is an overkill for a strong fluorescent blue stone. I heard that F-H is more appropriate but please correct me if I'm wrong.

My primary concern is in regards to the pendant rather than the stone. I'm deathly worried I"m going to get a poorly constructed halo for a pendant after seeing a VC halo. I know it won't be the same unless I fork up the $ but I would like to know how I can get as close as possible to a VC halo with a $2k (pendant minus the center stone) budget.

 

[Lorelei]

Thank you Lorelei. I'm still only know the basics about diamonds. I'm familiar with ASET/AGS0 super ideal cuts, etc (which is what I got her--> brian gavin signature super ideal cut).

Her ring size is 1.5 carats and I guess I have to adjust accordingly for her necklace. I heard that the size of the stone for pendants should be smaller than the ring (correct me if I'm wrong). I would think that the size should be somewhere in the ballpark between 0.8-1 carats (but please correct me if you feel otherwise). I think the size you are considering is perfect for a pendant. I have also heard the saying that pendants should be smaller than the engagement ring but it's up to the individual, anything goes these days!

Cutwise, I want an AGS0 at the minimum. This is pretty much the only non-negotiable factor and a no-brainer after I saw what I saw with the super ideal cuts for the ring. Understood, it will limit you more finding strong fluorescent stones though. Might I suggest considering medium blue? There are some superbly cut GIA Triple X with supporting images, maybe we can come back to that strategy if needed if you are agreeable at a later date.

Clarity I'm guessing SI1 or SI2 (preferably SI2 eyeclean). No problem there.

Because we are quite settled on the halo pendant (and have no idea how much it would cost for something that isn't crooked and good quality), we are going to identify the appropriate halo first and allocate the remaining $ to the stone. Hope that helps Thank you!

Ok, if you could let us know which vendors have the setting you like, then we can search those or the vendor themselves might be able to source you a diamond.

Here is another diamond that might suit, it's a little smaller than you wanted but definitely worth consideration.

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity-new&id=1221

 

[Lorelei]

Also, I can hold out for the right stone as we are in no rush to buy immediately (like the ring).

From what I hear, "E" color is an overkill for a strong fluorescent blue stone. I heard that F-H is more appropriate but please correct me if I'm wrong.

My primary concern is in regards to the pendant rather than the stone. I'm deathly worried I"m going to get a poorly constructed halo for a pendant after seeing a VC halo. I know it won't be the same unless I fork up the $ but I would like to know how I can get as close as possible to a VC halo with a $2k (pendant minus the center stone) budget.

I would keep an open mind here concerning colour grades, we have limiting factors with budget, only considering AGS0 cut grade and strong blue fluorescence already, so I would absolutely consider an E colour if everything else is right, otherwise you could miss out on the perfect diamond for your needs and make finding the right diamond much more challenging, I would not advise disregarding this diamond because of its colour. A bonus with such high colour and strong blue fluorescence is the discount such stones often command if they are fluorescent.

I do understand your concerns with the halo. If you are more comfortable finding the halo first then that's fine. It might be possible once you find the halo, to purchase the stone elsewhere and have it set in your halo but bear in mind that should anything happen to the diamond and the setter didn't sell the diamond, they probably won't assume responsibility should anything happen, albeit this is rare.

 

[n00bdiamond]

Lorelei, thank you for the wonderful advice. It's not so much about "finding" the halo first but getting an idea as to what the budget is going to be like to purchase the halo I want. If I were to purchase a 7k stone first only to find out that the halo I want was $2300...this is going to be very very problematic. I absolutely need to know what I'm dealing with in terms of price for the halo before committing to a stone. On the other hand, I don't want to spend under budget on my center stone either. I have no idea what a good halo will cost and even who to buy it from yet). Hope you understand my point and concerns

 

[Lorelei]

Lorelei, thank you for the wonderful advice. It's not so much about "finding" the halo first but getting an idea as to what the budget is going to be like to purchase the halo I want. If I were to purchase a 7k stone first only to find out that the halo I want was $2300...this is going to be very very problematic. I absolutely need to know what I'm dealing with in terms of price for the halo before committing to a stone. On the other hand, I don't want to spend under budget on my center stone either. I have no idea what a good halo will cost and even who to buy it from yet). Hope you understand my point and concerns

You are most welcome and I understand where you are coming from. I think that's the place to start, Gypsy should be on later and as I say, she is a WIZARD with settings and takes a special interest in quality halos, I am sure she will be able to point you in the right direction!

Then once you know roughly how much the setting will be, we can go from there.

 

[RockyRacoon]

I can tell you that this pendant is great - with BG Signature stones in the halo. You can easily pop a BG Blue stone in there and be set:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond-pendants/halo-bezel-pendant-18k-white-gold-5677w18

To my eyes, this would be the perfect stone to fit in that pendant and would provide a significant presence:
.707ct, H, VS2
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.707-h-vs2-round-diamond-ags-bl-104069795033


I purchased the exact pendant for my wife and she loves it. I used a similarly-sized BG Blue center stone as the one I had linked above, as well. She really enjoys the reverse of the pendant, in addition to the obverse, as the design is quite delicate.

If you decide to expand the budget slightly, this Blue stone is also worth considering:
1.012ct, G, SI1
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.012-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104070749009

Best of luck!