Would like to propose Christmas eve

[canuk-gal]

Date: 12/15/2009 6:26:43 PM
Author: joshtheman2009

Date: 12/15/2009 6:17:25 PM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 12/15/2009 6:14:57 PM
Author: joshtheman2009
BTW, I just saw the legato setting that Whiteflash has and I feel it is very elegant. Now if they would have something around .7 for my budget, that would be the winner.... I guess I''d be going over my budget for the setting, but it might be worth it for as much as I like the setting. Or maybe I''ll just end up getting a smaller stone? Can I get a woman''s opinion on this? My eyes aren''t obviously size sensitive. Is it that much more noticeable between these 2 sizes?

HI:

Sorry, which two sizes?

cheers--Sharon

Sorry, I know I''m rambling. I can feel the time slot closing in on me... I''m looking at size .5 ct vs. .6 ct vs. .7 ct. My budget is only $2K for the stone. Would you notice the difference between those sizes?

HI:

Good deep breaths! You''ll get there!

cheers--Sharon

 

[hmr_mama]

Your thread made me sign up! For heaven''s sakes---don''t wait! My husband and I got engaged a month before my college graduation. He presented me with a .58 solitaire--and I was the happiest girl in the world! It''s not about the rock--it''s about you wanting to spend the rest of your life with her! My husband and I have been married (almost) 5 years and are working on my upgrade. But I will never trade-in the ring he asked me to marry him with. I think the .79 from blue nile would serve you well. My sister got her engagement ring from them and it is stunning.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 12/15/2009 6:59:05 PM
Author: hmr_mama
Your thread made me sign up! For heaven''s sakes---don''t wait! My husband and I got engaged a month before my college graduation. He presented me with a .58 solitaire--and I was the happiest girl in the world! It''s not about the rock--it''s about you wanting to spend the rest of your life with her! My husband and I have been married (almost) 5 years and are working on my upgrade. But I will never trade-in the ring he asked me to marry him with. I think the .79 from blue nile would serve you well. My sister got her engagement ring from them and it is stunning.

Yes I really agree with this. I am sure your gf would much rather have the joy of being engaged for the next 12 months that have a slightly larger diamond.

 

[joshtheman2009]

Date: 12/15/2009 6:59:05 PM
Author: hmr_mama
Your thread made me sign up! For heaven''s sakes---don''t wait! My husband and I got engaged a month before my college graduation. He presented me with a .58 solitaire--and I was the happiest girl in the world! It''s not about the rock--it''s about you wanting to spend the rest of your life with her! My husband and I have been married (almost) 5 years and are working on my upgrade. But I will never trade-in the ring he asked me to marry him with. I think the .79 from blue nile would serve you well. My sister got her engagement ring from them and it is stunning.

Great story, I''ll have to share it with her after we''re engaged. I believe she likes the HOF because of the hearts & arrows pattern. The LEO brand diamonds were sparkly as well and she didn''t like those as much. I don''t think she likes the HOF brand as much as she likes the "thought" of the patterns. She said she can see the arrows as they were sparkling. I couldn''t see anything, all I kept thinking about was the hefty price tag.

I think I''ll stick to finding a hearts & arrows pattern stone, even if it means smaller. Would you mind posting pictures of your ring so I can see what it looks like? It is much appreciated.

 

[yssie]

Date: 12/15/2009 7:28:57 PM
Author: joshtheman2009

Date: 12/15/2009 6:59:05 PM
Author: hmr_mama
Your thread made me sign up! For heaven''s sakes---don''t wait! My husband and I got engaged a month before my college graduation. He presented me with a .58 solitaire--and I was the happiest girl in the world! It''s not about the rock--it''s about you wanting to spend the rest of your life with her! My husband and I have been married (almost) 5 years and are working on my upgrade. But I will never trade-in the ring he asked me to marry him with. I think the .79 from blue nile would serve you well. My sister got her engagement ring from them and it is stunning.

Great story, I''ll have to share it with her after we''re engaged. I believe she likes the HOF because of the hearts & arrows pattern. The LEO brand diamonds were sparkly as well and she didn''t like those as much. I don''t think she likes the HOF brand as much as she likes the ''thought'' of the patterns. She said she can see the arrows as they were sparkling. I couldn''t see anything, all I kept thinking about was the hefty price tag.

I think I''ll stick to finding a hearts & arrows pattern stone, even if it means smaller. Would you mind posting pictures of your ring so I can see what it looks like? It is much appreciated.

Sounds like a plan!

 

[joshtheman2009]

Thanks. I think I have a better plan now.

Date: 12/15/2009 6:57:04 PM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 12/15/2009 6:26:43 PM
Author: joshtheman2009

Date: 12/15/2009 6:17:25 PM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 12/15/2009 6:14:57 PM
Author: joshtheman2009
BTW, I just saw the legato setting that Whiteflash has and I feel it is very elegant. Now if they would have something around .7 for my budget, that would be the winner.... I guess I''d be going over my budget for the setting, but it might be worth it for as much as I like the setting. Or maybe I''ll just end up getting a smaller stone? Can I get a woman''s opinion on this? My eyes aren''t obviously size sensitive. Is it that much more noticeable between these 2 sizes?

HI:

Sorry, which two sizes?

cheers--Sharon

Sorry, I know I''m rambling. I can feel the time slot closing in on me... I''m looking at size .5 ct vs. .6 ct vs. .7 ct. My budget is only $2K for the stone. Would you notice the difference between those sizes?

HI:

Good deep breaths! You''ll get there!

cheers--Sharon

 

[joshtheman2009]

Can I have your thoughts on the Jamesallen stone I put on hold? Does that display a true hearts & arrows pattern? What are your thoughts on I color and SI1 clarity? The question now is should I just purchase that one, or go with a smaller stone with better color/clarity from whiteflash in their legato setting.

Again, I don''t know how I''d get through this without pricescope. I am very thankful.

 

[hmr_mama]

My sister''s e-ring. I''m pretty sure it''s .68

 

[hmr_mama]

Okay...that turned out really small. Just shows how computer illiterate I am. Can anyone tell me how to upload decent sized pictures? Thanks!

 

[coda72]

I really think you should call Brian Gavin Diamonds or Whiteflash tomorrow. Not too put you in too much of a panic, but you are really running out of time to get a ring by Christmas Eve. Either of these two vendors is your best bet for getting a ring in time. Brian Gavin looked to have more diamonds in your size and price range, but Whiteflash may also be able to help you. Both companies sell diamonds that will sparkle as much as any Hearts on Fire stone. But you need to get the process underway ASAP.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Date: 12/15/2009 8:48:52 PM
Author: coda72
I really think you should call Brian Gavin Diamonds or Whiteflash tomorrow. Not too put you in too much of a panic, but you are really running out of time to get a ring by Christmas Eve. Either of these two vendors is your best bet for getting a ring in time. Brian Gavin looked to have more diamonds in your size and price range, but Whiteflash may also be able to help you. Both companies sell diamonds that will sparkle as much as any Hearts on Fire stone. But you need to get the process underway ASAP.

Ditto - couldn''t agree more! They can recommend stones they are familiar with rather than you trying to look at each and every one.

 

[Collee]

I am going to join the opposing team and advise that you postpone the engagement Focus on your studies, graduate, secure a position in your desired field THEN concentrate on the diamond, engagement and wedding planning. You have the rest of your lives to spend together and IMO, there is no need to rush the engagement.

Can you guess my profession?

 

[SB621]

This is my old ering. It is a .76ct on a 5.75 finger.

Does your lady really like diamonds or would she like something else? You should hop over to the colored stone section. many people on there have lovely colored stone erings. For 2k you could get a very nice sapphire.

EDIT: sorry I didn't see that you are proposing in 2 weeks! That doens't give you much time to shop around. I would also recommend calling whiteflash and James Allen to see your options. I think an Si1 diamond is fine as long as it is EYE CLEAN. And the I color is lower on the scale but it will have a nice warmth to it rather then be ice white.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 12/15/2009 7:37:46 PM
Author: joshtheman2009
Can I have your thoughts on the Jamesallen stone I put on hold? Does that display a true hearts & arrows pattern? What are your thoughts on I color and SI1 clarity? The question now is should I just purchase that one, or go with a smaller stone with better color/clarity from whiteflash in their legato setting.

Again, I don''t know how I''d get through this without pricescope. I am very thankful.

The arrows your gf commented on are a product of optical symmetry in the diamond. You don''t actually have to pay for an H&A diamond to see those!

The JA diamond is an H&A diamond though, so it will show arrows and has the best optical symmetry you can get. I color will look nice and white in the majority of lighting environments. In some it *may* look ever so slightly tinted when viewed from the side, but it would probably only be noticable if you gf held her ring next to a F color stone, for example. As long as it is eye clean I love SI clarity.

I do think you should call BGD about those diamonds I posted earlier though.

 

[moobaby]

I just helped my brother in law with the purchase of a diamond yesterday from Whiteflash so he could have it as a Christmas gift. The ship date will be the 21st so if I were you I wouldn''t delay much longer. We ended up going with a smaller stone to fit his budget but still allowed him to get a H&A diamond. What really sealed the deal for me was Whiteflash''s upgrade policy. In 1 or 2 years if they had substantially more money it wouldn''t be a big deal to upgrade the stone in my opinion.

 

[outatouch0]

I do not know what your relationship circumstances are but I do know that anything forced into a rush tends to not come out as well as we hope or intend. A lot of times the urgency is self imposed rather than well thought out.
There are great vendors that can come through on this so I would think it may still be doable. There is always New Years Eve or even Valentines Day if it came down to it.
Also, I don''t know what your current ability to earn/save is but a budget increase to 3K would open a great deal of doors as far as size and selection goes. Could you pick up a side job or somthing and save another 1K in 6 months?
Wish you all the best either way, just food for thought.

 

[joshtheman2009]

Good morning. Apologies for being MIA last night. I wanted to give more background. We are ready to be married, we''ve had many conversations. i''ve been planning the proposal for about 6 months now, and we''ve saved up for a down payment on a house, but I dropped the ball on the ring. So that''s where I''m at now. I don''t want to postpone getting engaged, but postponing the proposal is an option. The reason I chose Christmas eve is we''re flying to her parents'' and I wanted her family there. They are very close knit and they''ve accepted me (because I''m a good stand up, hard working, no drama guy, should I go on?) even though I''m not from the same social background. Trust me, it was quite a hump in the beginning of our relationship but I''ve made it happen.

The Jamesallen rep emailed this morning and said the stone isn''t eye clean if not set, but they can cover it with a prong, which will hide the inclusion completely even from all angles. I don''t really understand what that means. How can an internal inclusion be hidden?

I''m checking out Brian Gavin today, so I''ll let you know what I find. If anyone has any other recommendations, feel free to post. I need all the help I can get.

 

[Dreamer_D]

In that case I would pass on the JA diamond. Some day you may want a different setting, and it is totally easy to find eye clean SI1s.

 

[stone-cold11]

Probably the grade setting crystal is not eye-clean, the one at the 10-11 o''clock position near the girdle. Should be easy to cover with a prong.

 

[joshtheman2009]

How about something used? A friend told me I can get double the size if I buy used since resale price is about 50%. Is this true?

 

[stone-cold11]

Might be difficult to find in a short time frame. Probably just a 0.9c instead of double the size.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 12/16/2009 12:12:31 PM
Author: joshtheman2009
How about something used? A friend told me I can get double the size if I buy used since resale price is about 50%. Is this true?

It's not going to be double. It will be half the PRICE but price is not linear with diamonds. Thus a 1.4 is not twice the price of a .7 it's many times more than twice the price. Also finding what you want in such a short time frame used is going to be hard. Especially because your girl wants an H&A stone.

I think you're better off buying from BGD or Whiteflash and taking advantage of their upgrade policy later on.

But you NEED to pull the trigger today if possible if you have any hope of getting this before x-mas.

 

[joshtheman2009]

My sister is now helping me and she''s been emailing with Lesley. It turns out she knows about PS and have spoken to Lesley before.

So here are my 2 options and I would like your honest opinion.

They have a setting that is very similar to the Legato and is very pretty. I''ve attached pictures. But the price is $750 for gold.

I can buy that setting with something like:

AGS-1040381680088Brian Gavin H&A0.562HSI155.361.55.315.333.27$1,159.00

for a total of $1,909.

OR

I can buy their cheapest 4 prong setting with stones like these.

AGS-10377509Brian Gavin H&A0.720JVS157.461.35.745.783.53$1,955.00
AGS-10377508Brian Gavin H&A0.711JVS157.361.55.715.733.52$1,928.00

What do you guys think?

 

[joshtheman2009]

Another view of the pretty ring.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Although I love that setting, a .5mm difference in size is very noticable at that carat weight. So I would get the larger diamond and then get her the nicer setting for a birthday or christmas! She may want to get a halo too, or a three stone. Let her decide later? It is fun!

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 12/16/2009 1:48:35 PM
Author: joshtheman2009
Another view of the pretty ring.

HI:

You really seem to like the setting, so you should get it!!

What I would do isn't important in the scheme of things--but since you asked.....

given your options, I would not spend as much on the mount relative to the price of the stone. Get the bigger stone and the less expensive mount.

That said---either way, they will be winners.

cheers--Sharon

 

[joshtheman2009]

Okay, I think I''m getting closer. What is everyone''s HONEST opinion on a J color stone for an engagement ring?

 

[Dreamer_D]

I had a J color diamond prior to my K, and I am awaiting my new G color diamond. I was happy with the J color. There is a very faint tint when viewed from the side, but only in certain lights. My diamond was a .80ct, and it is more difficult to see any tint in that size. Just so you know, the typical e-ring is an I/J color anyways I think, and BGD diamonds are graded very strictly by AGS, so are probably less tinted than the average J walking around . Not to mention the much better cut. Have you ever seen an ideal cut diamond? Sparkle mania!

I never got anything but compliemnts on my J and most people were shocked at its color.

BGD has an excellent return policy and an upgrade policy too. If you ended up not liking the J then you could exchange for something else or return it all together. I suspect that you will love it and not mind at all though.

 

[ms.halo]

I''ve had an H and a J stone (and the J was EGL, so it was probably K) and I saw no warmth except from the side and then still not much.

Go for the bigger stone and worry about the setting later. You''ll see the size difference.

 

[HVVS]

I think a very well cut J in that .7 - .8 ct range would not show huge amounts of tint. Try it. Then if she does not like it, use the return or upgrade option later. If I had to pick between .5ct H or .75 J, I'd pick the .75ct J. Most people don't notice color first thing, but do notice the diameter and the sparkle.