advice on a bulgari engagement ring + solitaire

[rickdeckard]

Hi guys and girls,

this is the first time i post on this forum, but i have to say that it already helped a lot to read some posts here !

i bought a bulgari "torcello" engagement ring, and even if i know that the price i paid is because of the "brand" i would like you idea on the ring, and the stone...

torcello platinium ring with a 0.35ct diamond
round brilliant
GIA cert october 2008 + bulgari cert.
as for the stone :
IF
E

cut : excellent
symetry : excellent
culet : none
(as for the proportions, i don''t have them all in mind, but last time i checked it did match perfectly what is most of the time stated as the perfect proportions !)
fluorescence : medium blue
details : minor details of polish are present

i bought the ring for around 5000$, and i do not regret it cause i really fell in love with this very ring, it is the style my girl like, and since she does not like when the stones are too big, i think the 0.35 would fit perfectly, i am for sure not rich, but i wanted this ring to be special and of high quality, sicne it is for me the most important jewel i will ever give as a present

i searched this website before register, because of the famous "fluorescence" question... and i read here and there, that the blue fluorescence i kind of appreciated by many people, but that fluorescence on itself, is better to be avoided when buying a high clarity stone, and on the other hand can enhance en less high clarity stone...

here is a picture of the ring, so you can have an idea of the setting, i would really appreciate to have your idea on the ring (if you like it) and on the stone, (is it a good deal? if not by price, at least by quality)

thanks a lot to eveyrone to have taken the time of reading this till the end, and sorry for my poor english !!!!

there is another pic in attach, but i don''t know if it will work... LOL

Rick

 

[angeline]

Hi and welcome!

I can''t speak to the stone without any of the specs but I have to say that I LOVE that setting! I have drooled over it many times and considered trying to get a custom one like it.

All I can say is, lucky girl to get the real thing

It has such style and you won''t see many of them around.

I think you did very good.

Oh and pleeease can we have a real life pic? I would love to see a real one!

 

[Upgradable]

It looks beautiful, and I have no doubt the quality is about the highest you could get!! Congratulations!!

 

[stone-cold11]

Fluor is a personal thing, at medium blue or lower you are unlikely to notice anything different in most viewing situation. Nothing to do with clarity, most would like to have blue fluor in lower color stones.

What is the table, depth, crown and pavilion angles?

 

[AprilBaby]

Beautiful setting!

 

[gwendolyn]

I think it''s a lovely ring, but if you love it, are happy with what you paid and think your lovely lady will love it, then why are you asking us?

 

[Fly Girl]

I have strong blue fluorescence in both my 0.63 E VS2 and my 0.70 F VS1 diamonds and unless you happen to be near a UV light you would never know that it is there. They are spectacularly beautiful diamonds, just as yours is.

Beautiful ring, and please enjoy your purchase. Sure, there are less expensive 0.35 ct rings out there, but they wouldn''t be a Bulgari. Love the Bulgari setting. Love the platinum. Congratulations on your choice.

 

[iota]

I can only imagine that you are asking because you are seeking compliments on a high-end purchase or you are just a teeny tiny bit unsure whether you''ve done the right thing with your $5000.

From what the picture shows, this will undoubtedly be a beautiful ring and a beautiful setting. The diamond you will have in the center of your ring, however, will be somewhat smaller than what is showing in this picture though. Have you seen the ring you are purchasing live?

This falls squarely in the category of unsolicited advice but using the PS cut search engine, I found a D color, IF, "ideal" hearts and arrows, 0.4 carat round brilliant, faint flores for $1,670 from James Allen: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-IF-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1241630.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131. Although you haven''t presented us with all of the measurements, from what you''ve stated, this JA diamond has higher color, lower florescense and is slightly bigger.

So, for the Bulgari name, setting and workmanship, you are in some sense paying more than $3,330. If you feel this is a fair price for the abovementioned items, then I absolutely believe you made a fantastic choice that your soon-to-be fiance would love... because again, the ring as a whole is beautiful.

If not, I''m sure one of the very high quality ring setters on this forum can custom recreate what seems to be a fairly simple setting for far less than $3,300... you can also add your own personal touches to a custom setting too (secret inset stone, pave diamonds, etc.). I believe Leon Mege, which people often talk about on PS, does work for Harry Winston... so if you go with him, you can be positive that there''s no compromise with respect to the quality or workmanship.

For me, sure, it''s a status symbol to say I have a Bulgari ring... but IMHO, you''re also making quite a statement when you say, you had to ship your custom designed ering from New York from a high-end ring artiste like Leon.

My two cents.

 

[elle_chris]

I love the ring. Bvlagri workmanship is top tier and they make beautiful items. I''ve been considering the B Zero ring with Pave for years.

You did good, she''ll love it!

iota- While Leon''s work is gorgeous, i don''t believe people outside of the PS community know who he is.

 

[iota]

Elle, I completely agree. I''m not sure how many non-PS''ers know about Leon, perhaps there are a lot, I don''t know... I live on the other coast. His workmanship though is unquestionably fantastic, at least from what I''ve seen on his site and here.

As with other items for those of "discriminating taste" - as long as the man is spoken of like he''s a god with the indisputable quality and workmanship to match, it is perhaps the other party who is unfortunate enough to not be "in the know".

 

[rickdeckard]

Hi everyone,

thanks a lot for your answers, it is really nice you show interrest in questions from a newb ie on that forum, it is really appreciated !

for Iota, well i'm absolutely not looking for compliments on that purchase, and i'm not unsure about the price i paid (i know it is way over the value of the ring and the stone)
The only thing i was looking for is the wisdom of all of you regarding the quality of the stone, i mean, i did some researches, but i am not experienced at all, and like i said it is a one of kind expense for me and i just wanted to be sure that what i bought for that price was a high quality stone ! and even if i like it, just some subjective comments about the settings from other people can only show me if most people like or most people don't... since i did not bought it for myself, i'm not sure SHE will like it, even if i definately hope so !

to answer some other questions stated above, i have the ring in hands, and i will take pictures of it tonight and post them tommorow, cause indeed it is not to be seen in most bulgari stores (at least in europe where i live) and to me it looks different than what is shown on the pics, i will also take a pic of the gia report, so you will have all the specs

i also think that making a ring on demand at a designer, is even more exclusive, since it will be really unique, and not part of a brand collection, it is just that i really fell for that one, and did not looked for any other after... Usually when i really like something i stop there, cause otherwise, if i keep looking, i got confused, don't know what i like or not or even what i'm really looking for !

the specs are :
round brilliant
the table is 56%
the depth is 63%
culet : none
the girdle? is "medium"
color E
clarity IF
cut excellent
polish excellent
symetry excellent
fluorescence medium blue
comments :
minor polish details are present

 

[stone-cold11]

Depth is too big to be a good stone. Which lab grade the stone?

Anyway you can change the stone?

 

[rickdeckard]

Hi,

the stone was graded by the GIA, ihave no idea if i can change it, since they showed me the ring + the cert prior to buying... but again, the specs are what i have in mind by having looked at the cert yesterday, even if i think it is right for those 2 values i might have msitaken, i will post the pic of the report tommorow so you will see everything that is mentionned and all proportions, thanks a lot for your help !

 

[rickdeckard]

Hello back,

here are the pictures, sorry for the quality, my camera is more the kind for holiday pics than rings

 

[rickdeckard]

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[DiamondFlame]

A Bulgari E IF diamond ring says ''CLASSY''. I''m pretty certain your GF wd be thrilled to receive it!
I love the setting and I welcome fluorescence in diamonds.

 

[VRBeauty]

I'll let the resident experts weigh in on the cut of the diamond, but I wanted to say that I love the look and the overall proportions of the ring. That setting certainly highlights the diamond beautifully, and makes it look like a much larger stone. And an E-flawless solitaire is nothing to sneeze at either!

 

[rickdeckard]

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[rickdeckard]

Just for info, even if talking about your future wedding is like talking about your children "nobody except you is really interrested"

it is a very fun coincidence that i have planned a trip to venice prior from buying this ring, and now i''m seriously considering doing it on the torcello island !

 

[Vancity]

Many warm congratulations to you, Rick!

Wow - a proposal in Venice (one of the most romantic spots on planet earth!), and a Bvlgari ring (which always holds a special cachet

) to go with it! Your lady will be beyond thrilled!

Please please please come back soon with pictures

~Allyson

p.s.
I just thought of something...maybe you could also pick up one of the many lovely Bvlgari fragrances...hand her the perfume box first, and then pop out the gorgeous matching ring!

 

[stone-cold11]

Dimensions are good. You did well. Congrats.

 

[Lorelei]

Very unique ring, it looks great!

 

[rickdeckard]

a BIG thank you to all of you for the advices and ideas, the fragrance idea is great !
i''m glad i bought a good stone !!!!

will come back with pics, but since it is only planned for september...

have a very nice day !