Am I crazy?

[GoodCents]

I Hope everyone is having a good Sunday! I have a dilemma, maybe you can help?

I was getting close(until recently) to narrowing down my surprise Ering choices for my GF and am contemplating a total change in direction today, just when I thought I was almost there! Let me explain...

Until today I was set on one of Jon''s AV cushions in a delicate halo micropave(either Leon''s Adrianna or one from Mark @ ERD), or in the Tacori 2620(mostly because of how nice diamondtiger''s turned out). I realize these are two different looks but I''m trying to decide which suits my girlfriend better. I really like the look of the HW inspired micropave but worry it might look too blingy for her(would probably go a little smaller on the stone to offset the halo size). Also, I like the detail of the basket work on the tacory but I worry that it may be a little too ornate for her taste and I don''t love it''s look from the side profile compared the the HW. She is a florist and tends towards simple and delicate designs. She has no idea this is coming her way, but will likely love either of them I suspect(leaning towards the HW).

Anyways, things that make my situation a little different is that the gf is a big fan of old fashioned 14k yellow gold. It just looks great against her skin tone, and I think she would like it "different" then the standard platinum settings. She never wears silver or platinum anyways. So whatever setting I choose will be done in yellow gold, likely with platinum prongs to help make the stone pop a little more.

Pretty close to getting it all figured out, right? Wrong.

Today I''ve started taking a serious look at yellow diamonds.
ie http://rockdiamond.com/index.php/jewelry/halo-diamond-ring-88ct-faint-yellow-daussi-cushion-18kt-looks-large-r3145

Since she likes yellow gold, I wonder if she''d like a yellow diamond in one of these settings? Anybody have any thoughts on how this might come together? Especially given the contrast between the yellow center and the halo/pave stones in a HW inspired piece to be specific?

I know that if I go with a colorless stone it will take on some color from the yellow gold anyways but going with something like a fancy light yellow is big difference in appearance of the ring. Not to mention I don''t know if I could get a great chunky cut cushion in a FLY. Also, part of me worries this might be a little too non traditional for her.

The other part of me thinks that a light yellow stone set in yellow gold with a delicate halo and great set pave would look stunning on her finger, and exactly what she would love! Decisions, decisions, decisions...Would love to hear anyone''s thought''s on how I can figure this one out. Sorry for the long post.

 

[JulieN]

Unless she has specifically shown you a yellow stone that she liked or said it, I wouldn't suggest it.

Yellow stones are perfectly lovely in their own right, but it is unlikely that's what she's been thinking of.

Big difference between liking yellow gold and wanting a yellow stone.

 

[GoodCents]

Thanks Julie

 

[jan can]

Date: 3/14/2010 7:41:42 PM
Author: JulieN
Unless she has specifically shown you a yellow stone that she liked or said it, I wouldn''t suggest it.

Yellow stones are perfectly lovely in their own right, but it is unlikely that''s what she''s been thinking of.

Big difference between liking yellow gold and wanting a yellow stone.

Ditto.

I like YG but wouldn''t want a yellow stone.

Good luck in your decisions.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 3/14/2010 7:41:42 PM
Author: JulieN
Unless she has specifically shown you a yellow stone that she liked or said it, I wouldn''t suggest it.

Yellow stones are perfectly lovely in their own right, but it is unlikely that''s what she''s been thinking of.

Big difference between liking yellow gold and wanting a yellow stone.

Yes, I agree too.

I think a colorless diamond in a yg setting with a halo would be stunning! I love the way pave looks in yellow gold.

 

[GoodCents]

I really appreciate your thoughts everyone. Thanks for taking the time.

 

[Collee]

I am a little biased since we selected a D colored AVC and the Tacori 2620 setting. Also a HUGE fan of Leon''s Adrianna and a HW inspired halo setting. Total personal opinion, but I am not a fan of yellow stones. I prefer colorless to near colorless (I is my cut-off).

 

[slangofoil]

I agree with the others. A yellow stone is definitely not the average woman''s taste. If you really like the idea you''d have to find a way to find out if she''d like it. Maybe get a friend involved to ask her.

I have this setting in yellow gold and it''s beautiful. Sometimes the side stones sparkle so much you can''t even tell it''s yellow gold.

 

[GoodCents]

Thanks Slang and Collee, you both are helping me make sense of this. And Slang you bring up a good point that the YG may not be that noticeable if I go with the HW type setting. The center stone may not take on as much color from a YG setting with all the pave if I decide to go with a colorless stone.

Collee, since I''ve been reading up on your journey you and I have similar tastes! And of course your opinion is biased, it''s supposed to be Can''t wait for your surprise to happen so you can post some photos of what will undoubtedly be a gorgeous ring.

This is all pretty exciting honestly, it''s funny to be "sharing" the experience online with strangers while the woman I love is outside about 15 ft away. Thanks for your opinions.

 

[lulu]

I agree that there''s a big difference between liking yellow gold and wanting a yellow diamond.

 

[Collee]

Date: 3/14/2010 8:53:02 PM
Author: GoodCents
Thanks Slang and Collee, you both are helping me make sense of this. And Slang you bring up a good point that the YG may not be that noticeable if I go with the HW type setting. The center stone may not take on as much color from a YG setting with all the pave if I decide to go with a colorless stone.

Collee, since I''ve been reading up on your journey you and I have similar tastes! And of course your opinion is biased, it''s supposed to be Can''t wait for your surprise to happen so you can post some photos of what will undoubtedly be a gorgeous ring.

This is all pretty exciting honestly, it''s funny to be ''sharing'' the experience online with strangers while the woman I love is outside about 15 ft away. Thanks for your opinions.

Thanks so much. You are so sweet. The journey is A LOT longer than I have shared.

OT short version threadjack.....I joined the AVC waiting list at the end of September. FF said the deadline was December. With no stone selected by mid-November he agreed to push the deadline to the end of January. As the new year approached, he asked about the progress (yes, he left the stone and setting decision up to me), I replied that I am still waiting for "the one" (magic 2cter G-I). At that point he said that he was expecting the ring to be completed by the end of January. I was totally shocked and stressed as i assumed the "deadline" was for the stone selection and NOT the finished setting. After 3 wks of non-stop emails with my beloved and most patient Rhino, I rushed to GOG to view a 2.04 H and a 1.67 D AVC. Although the 2.04 was gorgeous, I preferred the 1.67. I placed the diamond on hold and a few days later returned with FF to "borrow" the chunky monk to have appraised. After the appraisal we returned the stone and finalized the setting details. At that point, I agreed to take a seat in the caboose cab and let FF take control.

6 weeks later and knowing that he has the ring in his possession (subtle hints he provided), I am in proposal anticipation AGONY.

Although I felt a bit rushed to make a diamond selection, I am glad the decision was made when it was. I am still an AVC lurker

and based on the online inventory availability, there hasn''t been any new AVC arrivals since we purchased.

Not that you asked but thanks for letting me share and vent.

 

[GoodCents]

Wow Collee, it has been a long process for you! You''re definitely right about the lack of AVC inventory, I''ve also been a lurker for a while and haven''t had anything really catch my eye yet. It''s been a great opportunity to do A LOT of research though. I personally think it''s great that you are in anticipatory agony My gf dropped some subtle hints that she wasn''t the "go ring shopping together" type so all the decisions are up to me! Personally, I find it all pretty fun. Yea, that OCD side can take over from time to time in trying to find the perfect ring/stone etc, but mostly I enjoy learning about things I was so unfamiliar with just a couple months ago.

I think the fancy yellow stone thing might just be a phase for me right now. I wouldn''t be prepared to take that big of a risk unless I could get some good leads that she would love one. However, I suppose there''s a part of me that thinks she might or else I wouldn''t be posting, huh? I''ll let you know where I end up. You let us all know when the ring finally makes it''s way onto your finger!

 

[PumpkinPie]

Date: 3/14/2010 7:41:42 PM
Author: JulieN
Unless she has specifically shown you a yellow stone that she liked or said it, I wouldn''t suggest it.


Yellow stones are perfectly lovely in their own right, but it is unlikely that''s what she''s been thinking of.


Big difference between liking yellow gold and wanting a yellow stone.

ditto!

 

[RaiKai]

I would prefer a coloured diamond or stone over a white/colourless.And I am not your girlfriend.

Are you certain she would want a total surprise with ring? Erings/wedding rings are very personal! Some propose with stone or simple solitaire and set later.some women choose ring beforehand or at least share what they like. Some go no ering at all and choose later! We actually did latter due to spontaneous circumstances and I skipped ering altogether due to short engagement and now that we are married I am designing a set to replace my current wedding ring. No doubt my husband would of chosen something beautiful as he has wonderful taste for beautiful things...but I also have my very specific preferences for something to wear everyday which are less ornate than his!

If you do want a surprise without knowing what she would choose herself I think playing it safe is best idea. If she has said she likes yellow gold go yellow gold - but don''t assume she would prefer a yellow diamond from that too! I would also try to suss out whether she likes halos. A lot of women do not like them for erings myself included (and many do love them!).

 

[RaiKai]

I just saw she does not want to go ring shopping. I still suggest trying to find out more about her preferences if you are going to go outside the simple to the more ornate or unusual!

 

[hmr_mama]

Hi GoodCents,
How fun! Here''s my 2 cents:
I LOVE "colorless" diamonds...my cutoff is an ''I''. I LOVE yellow diamonds...but I prefer vivid yellow. I do not wear yellow gold--but if I did I would prefer a colorless/near colorless diamond with it. The great thing about yellow gold is that you can go lower in color because the setting will not contrast. I have seen some yellow gold settings with J colored diamonds that I swore were G colored. Have you thought of a two tone setting....or even three tone?

 

[GoodCents]

Raikai, Thanks for all your input, you''ve brought up some great points. I know that she definitely would want it to be a surprise which means the decisions on the ring are up to me. I''ve gotten a good sense that she likes a halo design, an "oooh that''s pretty" from one of The Bachelor episodes. I also agree with you however that playing it "safe" is always a good idea when it comes to something like this. I''m certainly not rushing into the assumption that she would like a fancy yellow stone merely because she only wears yellow gold, but there''s honestly part of me that thinks she might. Now whether I''d be willing to actually see that through to find out is another story I''m merely speculating on what other women on this forum would think about a fancy yellow set in a HW inspired halo and yellow gold. It''s a little tough for me to picture it mentally still. I think in order to pursue it further I may have to send some spies to dig for information, but I''m worried about the potential of her finding out honestly if I let other people in on it.

HMR, I totally agree. Vivid yellow would be my preference. Fancy yellows is such an unknown realm to me though that the thought of finding the "right" one makes my head spin. I also agree that I could go warmer on the colorless spectrum but while I''m not worried about the contrast between the setting metal(like you mentioned), I am little worried about the potential contrast between the melee in the halo/pave with the center stone. Especially with a cushion. I''ve found that some people seem to like this effect, and others seem to think it diminishes from the stone. If I do go with a "colorless" stone in a HW design then I was thinking of still keeping things around a G/H to avoid this potential. Plus, in this design, I doubt much yellow gold will be visible face up especially with plat prongs. Your thoughts?

 

[GoodCents]

Oh and I don''t think a two tone setting is something that she would like personally. Just a hunch.

 

[Gypsy]

Can you get a Fancy yellow from a vendor with a return policy and propose unset? I REALLY wanted a canary diamond at one point. And honestly I would have been thrilled with one. But I did drag my FI jewelry displays whenever we saw one, and I recall that several of them were yellow diamond displays. So he knew I would have been happy with one. Absent that kind of certainty, I REALLY would propose with an unset returnable stone if you are doing anything ''wild''. If she loves it, you guys can work on a setting together. If she doesn''t you can start over.

 

[Firestone]

I wouldn''t recommend a yellow diamond unless your gf specifically mentioned that she liked it. I think the look is a matter of personal taste but I don''t think it has mass appeal. Personally I don''t care for the look of the yellow diamond with the colorless halo and pave stones in the link you posted but other people may.

 

[reader]

Humm, there is something very classy about a white (esp something creamy and well cut in the I-J-K range) in very buttery yellow gold (22k anyone?) . Easy to match with clothing and other jewelry, and timeless.

A yellow diamond makes a wonderful right hand ring, and would be a fantastic future anniversary present.

I know a woman with a yellow diamond e-ring. It is beautiful, but her lament was that it often seemed to clash with clothing and other jewelry, even watches. Even though she loves yellow, she wished he would have picked a white stone so that it would go with absolutely everything.

 

[GoodCents]

I think those are all great points. After sleeping on it and reading your responses, it just seems a little too risky for me. Unless she had specifically mentioned it(which she hasn''t) then I think my best bet is still on the colorless spectrum. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to offer your thoughts. I will post some pics whenever this ring is finally made.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Best of luck with your ring. IMO, you made the right choice. Yellow diamonds are a very personal preference and it would be risky buying one for someone you''re not sure wants one.