Help with an anniversary ring

[curiousgeorgethesecond]

This year marks ten years married for my wife and I. For her engagement ring, I bought a solitaire in a trellis setting which she loves. For our anniversary I am looking for a 5 stone, also in a trellis setting, in the 1 ct. tw. neighborhood.

I would like some feedback on this specific ring:

http://www.brilliantearth.com/Signature-Five-Stone-Trellis-Diamond-Ring-%281-ct.-tw.%29-Gold-BE2C5380/

It is pretty much the exact style I'm looking for to complement her wedding set. It is also at the very max of my budget this go-around.

Is this good quality for the price? Can I do better elsewhere?

I like the WF trellis settings too, but I think for comparable averages in the diamonds it would still be a lot more and beyond my budget.

Is BE a decent company to buy from? As it happens, we are taking a trip to Boston for our anniversary (which plays into my ring budget) and Brilliant Earth has a showroom not far from where we will be staying. I've had thoughts of setting up a surprise for her while we are there...


Thoughts?

 

[december-fire]

Congratulations on your 10th Anniversary!

I'm sure other more knowledgeable PS'rs will chime in, but just wondering if you're comparing apples to apples.

The BE ring you linked is 1 ctw in 18K gold for $3150 US

The WF trellis I linked is 1.25 ctw in 18k gold for $3584 US (wire price which gives 3% discount).

I didn't see the price for a 1 ctw on the WF site, just taking a quick look, but think it would be worth checking. Colour and clarity look the same as BE, and WF uses their ACA stones which have a great reputation.

http://www.whiteflash.com/right-hand-rings/5-stone-trellis-diamond-right-hand-ring-2334.htm

Have fun in Boston and with your ring hunt!

 

[SimoneDi]

Hi there! Congrats on your upcoming 10-year anniversary! A 5 stone anniversary band sounds lovely. My recommendation would actually be to call IDJ in NYC and ask them for a quote for a 5 stone trellis band with F/G or G/H, 0.2-0.25ct "PS quality" diamonds. Their prices are hard to beat most times and their quality is great! I own several ideal cut diamonds and while I love them, I am not sure if the cost-benefit is there. IDJ can probably ship the ring to you to you while in Boston or have it delivered prior to your trip.
Otherwise, if you want ideal cut diamonds, I would probably select 5 from the BGD inventory and pair them with a custom made trellis setting. If you are paying premium, might as well have AGS000 reports + upgradable stones.

Here are some options based on color (I would match it within a couple grades to your wife's e-ring.)

1. F stones:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.214-f-si2-round-diamond-ags-104082153032
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.210-f-si1-round-diamond-ags-104082724024
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.211-f-si1-round-diamond-ags-104082724026
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.210-f-si1-round-diamond-ags-104084084018
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.212-f-si1-round-diamond-ags-104082153022

1. G stones:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.202-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-104090532022
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.214-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-104090532030
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.210-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-104084084030
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.216-g-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104084084031
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.204-g-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104090532026

I would place the smaller ones at the ends.

2. I stones:
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.210-i-si1-round-diamond-ags-104084719002
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.214-i-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104084719017
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.216-i-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104084719029
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.218-i-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104086353002
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.218-i-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104090532032

Trellis II setting:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/wedding-and-anniversary-bands/eternity-bands/five-stone-trellis-band-ii-18k-yellow-gold-5400y18

The total cost will be somewhat similar to WF.

I would prefer IDJ, BGD, WF over BE and I live in Boston

 

[ac117]

For just a couple of hundred more and more carat weight, I'd totally get the WF trellis ring with ACA stones. Those stones will knock your wife's socks off!

If you must stay below 3k, I'd call Yekutiel at IDJ and ask him to make you a 1.25 trellis ring with PS quality stones (they are uncerted F/G, eye clean SI1...but handpicked and gorgeous without the hefty price tag!) and I'm sure it'll be less than WF and BE.

 

[curiousgeorgethesecond]

Thanks all for the feedback. One question though, what is considered to be "Price Scope quality"? I had IDJ give me a quote on a custom ring, which they refer to the diamonds as PS quality: F-G, SI, "all hand selected they are excellent to ideal cut diamonds- very sparkly white". My biggest emphasis would be on the cut quality, but am I to assume that PS quality diamonds would be un-certified? In short, how is PS quality defined?

 

[SimoneDi]

Thanks all for the feedback. One question though, what is considered to be "Price Scope quality"? I had IDJ give me a quote on a custom ring, which they refer to the diamonds as PS quality: F-G, SI, "all hand selected they are excellent to ideal cut diamonds- very sparkly white". My biggest emphasis would be on the cut quality, but am I to assume that PS quality diamonds would be un-certified? In short, how is PS quality defined?

I think that they gave you a pretty good description - F/G, SI (eye clean), hand selected ideal cut. They are not certified and neither are the ones in the WF band; WF description (1.25ctw, F/G VS, Ideal cut stones) . Only BGD certifies their 20 pointer stones. I am sure that IDJ can help you create an anniversary band with GIA stones, but the price will most likely go up. You can ask them. Their "PS quality" diamonds are very good however.

 

[flyingpig]

Just to clarity, WF ACA melees and BG Signature melees are not necessarily graded by GIA/AGS. In most cases, they are just internally graded by the vendors. Having that said, BG Signature melees are seriously well cut stones. You can actually see clear AND well defined AND uniform brightness/contrast pattern with great sparkle in each stone, even in their $450 0.25ctw huggies.

I am sure WF ACA melees are no different.

 

[SimoneDi]

Just to clarify again, BGD doesn't offer 20pt meleè, they would ask you to choose stones from their inventory, they DO offer AGS graded 20pt and up diamonds. You can match your selection by size, color, etc. Their upgrade policies apply to those diamonds as well. WF's smallest ACA stones start at 30pts.

 

[december-fire]

Regarding WF:

Its true that searching the WF website for loose 'ACA diamonds', the smallest sizes that are coming up are .30/.31 ct.

However, they have 'ACA Melee' which are available in smaller sizes but not listed under the 'ACA diamonds' (because diamonds below a certain size are called 'melee'). You aren't looking for diamonds in the .30 ct or larger, based on what you said originally (5-stone 1 ctw).

My suggestion:

Read about ACA Melee (on the WF website, click Education, scroll down a bit and on the right-hand side click ACA Melee). There are high standards for ACA Melee, and there are lots of positive comments about ACA Melee by PS'rs.

Contact WF and talk to them about what you're looking for and ask about options.

Your original post said you're thinking about a 5-stone trellis setting with 1 ctw.

My first response mentioned the WF 1.25 ctw 5-stone trellis with the ACA Melee and, although I probably wasn't clear, I really think its worth a call to WF to ask about getting a 1 ctw 5-stone trellis with the ACA Melee. Given the price of the 1.25 ctw version, I think a 1 ctw would probably be in your budget and, with ACA Melee, would have great performing diamonds. If not available, there may be other options they can suggest.

Worth talking to them, in my opinion.

Good luck with whatever you decide.