3 stone ring-advice needed for newbie

[danzur]

Maybe not so much a newbie, but someone who has not been in the diamond market for awhile .

20th Anniversary is in 2 weeks, and I have been intending to research and upgrade her wedding ring for months. Time flies...

Here is what I am thinking:

She currently has a wedding ring with a family heirloom 1.3 Carat diamond which was recut about 10 years a go. VS2, H Color, very nice stone. I want to upgrade her ring to something spectacular, but I cannot trade in, or leave out the current diamond.

I'm thinking of creating a 3 stone ring, in white gold or platinum. Not looking for a dainty ring with 3 stones, but something substantial, impressive.

I want to purchase 2 additional diamonds...one similar to her existing diamond, and a new center stone in the 1.9 Carat range.

I've spent the last few days reading many posts and searching diamonds through WF and others.

Has anyone been through a similar process before? Are the sizes I am considering too big for a 3 stone ring or will it come across as impressive as I would like it to?

Budget is in the $15-20k range. I do also have a 1.6 Carat Marquise that could be traded in, but it appears that this is more difficult than I thought it would be.

Thanks for any advise as I accelerate my search.

 

[yssie]

It will be a very impressive three-stone.. I think you're going to have trouble doing it in your budget though. Let's set aside 1500 for the setting, assuming you go with a basic three-stone setting in a non-specialty white gold. Let's also assume you decide not to take a huge loss with a trade-in of your marquise, which is honestly most likely unless you had a trade-in policy in place at time of purchase.

That leaves 18500 max for two stones, one ~2ct and one ~1.3. Since the one sidestone is an H, you likely want to stay in the G-I range as it's a sizable stone and so gradients in colour will be that much more visible. Drop to SI1/SI2 (can do eyeclean or prongable with a bit of hunting). We don't know what the cut on your existing stone is but unless it was cut for light performance it is probably safe to assume that it is not a superbly cut stone, so you'll want to send it to a trusted vendor who can find it a mate that matches in both colour, cut style, and performance (you wouldn't want one sidestone that is markedly more sparkly than the other).

Depending on colour, clarity, and how well it is cut, you're looking at 5k-7k for this sidestone. Let's make it an even 6k.

You have 12500 left for the centrestone, let's assume you want this to be a spectacular stone. You want a near-2ct. You can do this easily if you drop colour to J and purchase a non-branded stone, and perhaps have some left over to spice up the setting - but you'll have to wait for the right one, pay shipping fees if you have virtual stones called in/shipped to you and decide against them, or pay appraisal fees if you decide you don't need to see it - one or two stones, no problem, but four or five and those fees will start to make a serious dent in your budget. It is a gamble. Or, if you go with a branded stone, you'll pay a premium for the optical symmetry, the warranties/guarantees/policies, the convenience of choosing from an in-house inventory - but you are guaranteed a pretty stone. Looks like branded J may be doable, if you want an I colour your options are very limited, an H or above just isn't going to happen I'm afraid. So,

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104047809005
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104047809009
request IS, eyeclean to your specifications http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1339264.asp
if H&A centrestone is very important to you and you are willing to drop clarity here is one to consider - http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=753
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2561974.htm
request hearts retake http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2192369.htm

 

[danzur]

Thanks so much for the informed response, I appreciate the effort.

I'm going to head out this weekend and look at a number of diamonds/sizes/settings to get some idea of the proportion...and go from there