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2 Carats Under 8K: Doable or Bad Idea?

They sell a.jaffe. here are some halos that msrp in gold less than 2k. They may be more for 2 cts, but as idj can often do a setting for less than the msrp, worth an ask
https://www.ajaffe.com/engagement-rings/floral-inspired-milgrian-detail-halo-round-engagement-ring
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https://www.ajaffe.com/engagement-r...y-and-shank-detail-round-halo-engagement-ring
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I own a Halo that in total measures about 16mm. If she wants something flashy, I don't see anything wrong with that. If she wants something more "traditional," that's of course good too.
 
Or may be even better - show the photo of the ring your FF likes to Yekutiel and ask him suggest an alternative- they might have access to more than available on the site
 
Listen, IDJ can probably do a better quality setting than JA anyway. JA is not where I'd go to buy a setting unless I happened to be buying a diamond there. IDJ can make you a custom setting to exactly fit your stone, so the fact that your stone is 2 cts is immaterial. I can guarantee you that IDJ has access to far more settings than JA. JA is a diamond vendor that offers a limited amount of settings whereas IDJ is a jewelry store that has access to ordering thousamds of settings or making a setting custom. A simple halo setting is not hard for them to do and likely will cost less than a brand name setting. But I am going to urge you again to just do a single halo on a stone that large. I have an 8.4mm round and I won't put a halo on it because it would just be too much. Of course, if her close friends all wear 3-4 ct diamond engagement rings, that's different. But if they mostly wear 2 cts or under, the diamond alone is going to be larger and a single small halo will increae the diameter to over 10mm wihich is the equivalent of a 4 ct stone...as in huge.
 
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I'm going to disagree with ds here and say there is nothing wrong with a double halo if your girlfriend is in need of a lot of finger coverage. Some people are uncomfortable with such a large piece on their hand. Others are not. I'm inclined to think she is not from your description of her. But, only you know. :)
Plenty of people here have halod 2ct, 3ct, and 5 ct stones.
 
A halo on a brown colored stone is not going to magnify the center stone, nor increase the diameter of the center, unless the diamonds set in the halo are brown. The contrast between the center diamond, and the diamonds set in the halo is going to magnify the intensity of the color of the center stone, not increase its size. The halo, itself, including the additional metal will cover more finger space, but the center stone will still keep its original size presence. A single halo or a double halo really doesn't matter because of the color of the center diamond; the single vs. double halo dilemma will only matter to fit her personal preference.
It would be wise to have her try on single halo settings, and double halo settings to see just how much coverage she gets...then determine if it's just too much. She may end up loving a single halo design.
That's just my $0.10 worth... ;)2
 
This has brown undertones it is not a fancy brown diamond.
 
My thoughts. Honestly I'm not a halo person. I would only get a halo, if your gf expressed a preference for it. Otherwise expand your search to other types of settings. As she said she didn't mind a 1 or 1.5 carat stone, I don't think going for the most finger coverage is necessary, unless that's what SHE wants. Another option, is to get champage diamonds or pink sapphires as the halo stones, to make the center stone look whiter, and not clash.
 
OP, get the double halo. You've shown your GF the single halos and the doubles and she prefers the double. Get the double. Ask if ID can match the setting price with the 25% off coupon. I know JA offered you the discount and you are really keen to use it. I get having everything done in house at one place is the ideal scenario, so just ask if they'll match the discount. Again, stick to your guns (or really, the guns of what your girlfriend wants). She's the one wearing it, not all of us and it seems like she's made her preferences abundantly clear.
 
So quick update: Yekutiel came through and confirmed he talked to Narola. 99.9% sure he said that we have the diamond, but he needs me to wire the money first :) so that he can wire it to Narola (minus his cut) tomorrow. Sent him the wire.

Also asked Yekutiel about the setting. Gave him the link from James Allen that my g/f liked. He said he'll look into it and that he has a lot of settings but if he needs to make it custom it'll take 3 weeks so advised me to ask James Allen what their turn around time would be as well.

For what it's worth, B2C also got back to me and told me this: "As per the update received from the diamond vendor, the diamond with GIA 1263260291 is weak and to the naked eyes it looks brownish. They have suggested not to go ahead with this as it lacks the fire & brilliance on it."

So the possibility for regret I guess is real, but fingers crossed!

EDIT: One other thing. That double halo on IDJ's Instagram? That's actually a Tiffany ring. :-D :-D
 
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HDer said:
So quick update: Yekutiel came through and confirmed he talked to Narola. 99.9% sure he said that we have the diamond, but he needs me to wire the money first :) so that he can wire it to Narola (minus his cut) tomorrow. Sent him the wire.

Also asked Yekutiel about the setting. Gave him the link from James Allen that my g/f liked. He said he'll look into it and that he has a lot of settings but if he needs to make it custom it'll take 3 weeks so advised me to ask James Allen what their turn around time would be as well.

For what it's worth, B2C also got back to me and told me this: "As per the update received from the diamond vendor, the diamond with GIA 1263260291 is weak and to the naked eyes it looks brownish. They have suggested not to go ahead with this as it lacks the fire & brilliance on it."

So the possibility for regret I guess is real, but fingers crossed!

EDIT: One other thing. That double halo on IDJ's Instagram? That's actually a Tiffany ring. :D :D
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Wow - you are a brave soul! And there is absolutely no return with this stone?
 
MissGotRocks said:
Wow - you are a brave soul! And there is absolutely no return with this stone?
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No return. That said I'm expecting that it's not materially different from what they've advertised. If it's a totally different stone from the one I'm seeing on their website, or Narola decided to hack at it with a hacksaw or coat it with black tar, I'd expect Yekutiel to make it right.

My guess is that B2C has had people complaining about stones looking brown in the past so they just want to cover their bases.
 
HDer said:
No return. That said I'm expecting that it's not materially different from what they've advertised. If it's a totally different stone from the one I'm seeing on their website, or Narola decided to hack at it with a hacksaw or coat it with black tar, I'd expect Yekutiel to make it right.

My guess is that B2C has had people complaining about stones looking brown in the past so they just want to cover their bases.
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Very risky and I'd have to respectfully disagree with you here - I'm sure there are no returns bc Yekutiel himself is unable to return the stone. Like you've previously mentioned, he's only acting as the middle man. If Narola were to send something materially different, it's on Narola to make it right. I'm sure Yekutiel would try to help and facilitate but he's not going to get stuck with a stone you insisted on getting, knowing the no refund policy.

Regardless, I truly do hope it works out for the best! IDJ has an excellent bench if you do go with them for a custom setting!
 
I would certainly clarify expectations before buying a non refundable stone.
 
ac117 said:
Very risky and I'd have to respectfully disagree with you here - I'm sure there are no returns bc Yekutiel himself is unable to return the stone. Like you've previously mentioned, he's only acting as the middle man. If Narola were to send something materially different, it's on Narola to make it right. I'm sure Yekutiel would try to help and facilitate but he's not going to get stuck with a stone you insisted on getting, knowing the no refund policy.

Regardless, I truly do hope it works out for the best! IDJ has an excellent bench if you do go with them for a custom setting!
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gm89uk said:
I would certainly clarify expectations before buying a non refundable stone.
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OK, I e-mailed Yekutiel and he called me. I actually pointed him to this thread (hi Yekutiel, if you're still reading). He reassured me, it's totally fine, I'm not going to get defrauded by Narola. They're an established company in the diamond business. The people who take the video are owned by James Allen. The diamond has the GIA number inscribed.

Yes, the diamond will have a brown tint, and my g/f and I are both OK with that, but I'm expecting that it should be as they have described and shown.
 
HDer said:
Well, I was originally planning on getting this one: https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...-halo-engagement-ring-round-center-item-41414

But then after looking at all of the choices she decided she liked this one better: https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...-edge-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-item-49364

So double halo. :) But I actually took a screenshot and measured the width of the version set with two carats, and it only came to something like 10.6-11 mm, so actually on the small side even for a normal single halo.

I'm 80% sure we're going to go with that, but please send me any suggestions you might have! Really, the only two requirements are that it should be a halo and in rose gold.

EDIT: the way I measured was by taking, from the face on position, the length of the diamond + halo and dividing the the length of the diamond. So let's say "optically" it's under 11mm. In reality, it'll be wider than that because the edge of the halo is behind the edge of diamond.
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Can I make a suggestion? Instead of doing a double halo like is shown, how about a double edge halo, with one on top and one on the sides? Basically the halo's are perpendicular to each other. Here's an example from VC's site - https://www.victorcanera.com/rings/engagement/halo-solitaire-with-u-stems. That way you'd still get a ton of bling but without it looking like you're trying to artificially increase how big the center stone is.
 
Niel said:
DONT BUY YOUR HALO FROM JAMES ALLEN
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Yekutiel, is this you? :-D FWIW, James Allen gave me a non-response when asked about setting time: "Typically, the total process to complete a ring can be up to three weeks." Yekutiel said he'd take a look at what he has, so will see what he comes back with.
 
ILikeShiny said:
Can I make a suggestion? Instead of doing a double halo like is shown, how about a double edge halo, with one on top and one on the sides? Basically the halo's are perpendicular to each other. Here's an example from VC's site - https://www.victorcanera.com/rings/engagement/halo-solitaire-with-u-stems. That way you'd still get a ton of bling but without it looking like you're trying to artificially increase how big the center stone is.
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That's actually similar to the James Allen setting my g/f picked out. If you look at the photo of the 2 carat version, the outer halo is set perpendicular to the main diamond. Much more subtle than something like this, https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...k-double-halo-pave-engagement-ring-item-17846 which for the record my g/f was OK with, but I vetoed.
 
HDer said:
That's actually similar to the James Allen setting my g/f picked out. If you look at the photo of the 2 carat version, the outer halo is set perpendicular to the main diamond. Much more subtle than something like this, https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...k-double-halo-pave-engagement-ring-item-17846 which for the record my g/f was OK with, but I vetoed.
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I think you'll find that, in general, people will buy double halos when they have smaller center stones. It's a way of placating the desire for lots of bling without having the money to buy the big bling. However, you're starting with a well cut 2ct 8mm spread ring. No shortage of bling! So in this case the halo should enhance, not overwhelm the center stone.

I for one LOVE double edge halos. I mean... diamonds from every angle? SWOON.... And yes, I keep going back to waity-katie's champagne diamond with rose gold ring. If you can pull off that look, even in a smaller version, it's going to be spectacular.
 
All the best - hope it all turns out exactly as you envision and that you are both happy with the ring. I hope you'll come back with pictures!!:appl:
 
No I am a woman who doesn't understand why you are still considering buying a Halo from ja. There is no logical reason to if you didn't get the stone from them WHICH YOU DID NOT.
The quality isn't better.
They are by means cheaper
I'm fairly certain they won't even DO custom work for outside stones.
If you you wanted the hassle and dangers of having it set outside of the diamond purchaser you could have a CUSTOM MADE one from dk for the same price.

Like it's a terrible idea I can't understand why you can't let that go.
 
Yes, and it's not like it would take less time, both quoted 3 weeks
 
HDer said:
She actually was OK with this one: https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...amond-engagement-ring-round-center-item-41435 but when I really insisted on knowing which one she liked better, she admitted she preferred the double halo.
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Question for you - how big is she actually expecting her ring to be? Like actually? You've said already that she's expecting a smaller stone so she may prefer the double halo because she wants that to provide the oomph to the size. I'm not trying to dissuade you from a halo - I think a brown diamond will look brilliant in a white halo.But 11mm is a huge amount of coverage on a size 7 finger and may also sit up quite high. Cut out a circle of paper 11mm across and sit it on finger. Expect it to sit at least the same amount up - my 7mm e-ring sits up about the same distance off the hand and I knock it occasionally and it can catch on pockets etc. Is she wanting to wear her ring every day or at work? It may become difficult for her to do that if it's too big.
 
Hello,
Here is a pic of my diamond with double halo ring purchased from Yekutiel at IDJ.
Note my center diamond is 1.70 J VS1 Gia Triple Excellent. Yekutiel picked this diamond for me.
Till this day I adore this well cut diamond ring.

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And here is the cushion diamond also purchased from Yekutiel at IDJ,
Can you tell I Love Halos!!!
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Congratulations on finding a diamond that you and your GF both like!
I'm looking forward to seeing photos when its set and on your GF's hand!

Regarding settings for your diamond, if your GF is planning on wearing a wedding band with the ring, you might want to consider how a band would fit up against the diamond ring; will the diamond be high enough for a band to fit under it, if the wedding band has diamonds will they touch - and therefore eat away at - the prongs of the diamond ring, etc. Just a thought.
 
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