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Alternatives to Jared's Engagement/Wedding Set

bolingj

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 14, 2011
Messages
2
Hello everyone, this is my first time posting. My girlfriend found a setting that she likes at Jared's. Here is the link

http://design.jared-diamonds.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/ring/item_58-6063.asp

I like the setting but believe the price of it is too high. Is this set exclusive to Jared's? If so, does anyone know of any similar settings at a cheaper price? She wants it to be a matched engagement/wedding set.

Any help or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Ring 1.jpg

Ring 2.jpg
 
If you are looking for more of a budget setting I don't think Tacori is it. Honestly the price doesn't seem that unreasonable for both the wedding band and the engagement setting. Do you know what features she liked about it? (double pave? pave on the sides?) Perhaps you could get a slightly different setting but keep the features she really liked?
 
The features she liked most were two things. First, she liked the double row of diamonds on both the engagement and wedding rings. Second, she liked the diamonds that were on the lateral side of the diamond where the milgrain is. I personally have had a hard time even finding another ring with a double row of diamonds on it. Thanks for all your help! I have looked at all of the settings and will pass them along. Any further suggestions would be great! Thanks!
 
Re: Jared Engagement Setting (and Diamond)

What would you guys think of this setting with a 2.18 carat cushion cut diamond in it? I've looked all over and have a deposit down with another jeweler on a diamond that I'm not satisfied with. My girlfriend saw this setting and a diamond quite a while ago that she loved at Jared, and, when we went back to Jared a few days ago, the diamond and setting were both still there -- total price $14,200 (about $1000 cheaper than the first time we saw them). The diamond is an H, SI2 certified by GSI (which I know most people detest since it isn't AGS/GIA). However, it's a great looking diamond. I'm not too worried about the certification as long as it looks good, and, after looking at tons of diamonds, this seems much better than the 2.00 F/SI1 EGL that I have a deposit on. (And yes, I realize that I'll probably get laughed off of here for considering GSI and/or EGL.) I've also looked at GIA/AGS diamonds, but, quite frankly, I can't afford them -- even if I drop down to worse colors/clarities than what I'm looking at with EGL/GSI.

In any event, is $14,200 ridiculous for the settings above with a 2.18 carat cushion cut that I like and that my girlfriend loves? The other option is the diamond I have a deposit on, which is the 2.00 F/SI1 EGL cushion cut with a G. Gonshor halo setting (model 7256) for the same price ($14,200). Girlfriend loves the C. Gonshor as well, but the diamond to go with that setting just isn't as nice.

Here's the C. Gonshor setting: http://www.cgonshor.com/main.php?page=collections&search=7256
 
One thing she may not have considered with a ring and band like that with pave on the side is that the diamonds are going to rub against each other without a spacer band in between them and damage the settings and probably the stones too.
 
bastetcat|1359474011|3366399 said:
One thing she may not have considered with a ring and band like that with pave on the side is that the diamonds are going to rub against each other without a spacer band in between them and damage the settings and probably the stones too.

She actually wants to wear the wedding band by itself a good deal of the time since her job requires her to do a lot of work with her hands (medical job). If she's only going to wear the two together occasionally, would that alleviate some of those concerns, or would the rubbing still be a major problem?
 
Re: Jared Engagement Setting (and Diamond)

There are several separate things that concern me.

1. GSI lab report for a H SI2 stone is likely to be the equivalent of a GIA K/L I1/I2 diamond.
2. There is no mention of cut and cut is what makes the stone sparkle like crazy, not colour and clarity.
3. Have you seen the diamond away from the fancy store lights that make even the worst diamond sparkle and checked for inclusions? Have you ever seen a well cut diamond to compare this one to?
4. The stone is a 2 ct stone, which is set very high in the picture. As a medical professional, will it get in the way of wearing gloves and handwashing? If she uses her hands a lot, expect melees to fall out sooner than what most people would experience under normal wearing conditions.
 
Re: Jared Engagement Setting (and Diamond)

Chrono|1359476084|3366430 said:
There are several separate things that concern me.

1. GSI lab report for a H SI2 stone is likely to be the equivalent of a GIA K/L I1/I2 diamond.
2. There is no mention of cut and cut is what makes the stone sparkle like crazy, not colour and clarity.
3. Have you seen the diamond away from the fancy store lights that make even the worst diamond sparkle and checked for inclusions? Have you ever seen a well cut diamond to compare this one to?
4. The stone is a 2 ct stone, which is set very high in the picture. As a medical professional, will it get in the way of wearing gloves and handwashing? If she uses her hands a lot, expect melees to fall out sooner than what most people would experience under normal wearing conditions.

1. I agree, but, after having seen quite a few GIA/AGS stones in the F/G/H/I range, this one looks, at least to the naked eye, to be very comparable to the H/I range diamonds I've seen. I know GSI/EGL and similar graders are usually "off" from GIA grades, but would it be completely out of the question for them to actually grade one the same as GIA/AGS? I know that, most times, a jeweler wouldn't send a diamond to GSI/EGL if they were not afraid that GIA/AGS would give it a poor grade, but would it be out of the realm of possibility for GSI/EGL to get lucky and actually grade it correctly?

2. Unfortunately, the Jared stone doesn't have a large certificated with the details. The EGL stone cert is attached (or at least I think it is). I like the EGL considerably less than the Jared stone since the Jared stone looks better to me and my girlfriend.

3. I have seen the diamond outside, and it looks very good to both of us. As I noted above, I've seen lots of GIA diamonds to compare against for cut, etc.

4. I don't think it will get in the way since she doesn't plan to wear the engagement setting to work. That's part of the reason she likes the Jared setting -- she can wear the wedding band by itself to work since it's pretty large.

Relatedly, can anyone tell me how accurate these descriptions of the various grading companies are? Based on this, it would seem that GSI would be considerably better than EGL/EGLI. http://www.shaneco.com/jewelry/diamondcertification.htmx

Thanks for the replies! I'd still love to hear what others say.
 

Attachments

You cannot wear those rings together EVER without doing damage. She'd have to wear a thin band in between anytime she wanted to wear them together. I don't think that would look particularly good with these rings, but that's what you have to do when you choose pave on the sides.

And under no circumtances would I buy a diamond from Jared's. You will be overpaying for inferior quality. If the stone was GIA Excellent or AGS ideal cut, then you'd know what you were getting but would still overpay. That may seem like the easy way out, but doing a little research will result in a much nicer set of rings.
 
Re: Jared Engagement Setting (and Diamond)

It would be a very rare case for a diamond from EGL or GSI to be given the same grade as a GIA or AGS diamond. EGL International has an even looser grading standard compared to EGL USA (the best of all the EGL labs). Unfortunately, when it comes to fancy cuts like cushions or even radiants, there is no cut grade provided by any labs in the world. Therefore, your comparison against GIA stones is for naught. This means that you have no idea how the cut is on the other GIA stones you looked at. I did not realize you weren't considering rounds. The EGL stone you linked to has a huge table that I fear will look unattractive (glassy with table glare) instead of shooting off fire from the other facets.
 
Re: Jared Engagement Setting (and Diamond)

Chrono|1359480612|3366513 said:
It would be a very rare case for a diamond from EGL or GSI to be given the same grade as a GIA or AGS diamond. EGL International has an even looser grading standard compared to EGL USA (the best of all the EGL labs). Unfortunately, when it comes to fancy cuts like cushions or even radiants, there is no cut grade provided by any labs in the world. Therefore, your comparison against GIA stones is for naught. This means that you have no idea how the cut is on the other GIA stones you looked at. I did not realize you weren't considering rounds. The EGL stone you linked to has a huge table that I fear will look unattractive (glassy with table glare) instead of shooting off fire from the other facets.

Good to know about the table size. Thanks for that. Yes -- the only diamonds I am looking at are cushion cut since that's what she wants. I feel like there's a little more leeway to play around with cushion cuts than with other cuts (round, etc.) as to which lab it's graded by, but I could be wrong.
 
Re: Jared Engagement Setting (and Diamond)

piratecaptain|1359484116|3366589 said:
Chrono|1359480612|3366513 said:
It would be a very rare case for a diamond from EGL or GSI to be given the same grade as a GIA or AGS diamond. EGL International has an even looser grading standard compared to EGL USA (the best of all the EGL labs). Unfortunately, when it comes to fancy cuts like cushions or even radiants, there is no cut grade provided by any labs in the world. Therefore, your comparison against GIA stones is for naught. This means that you have no idea how the cut is on the other GIA stones you looked at. I did not realize you weren't considering rounds. The EGL stone you linked to has a huge table that I fear will look unattractive (glassy with table glare) instead of shooting off fire from the other facets.

Good to know about the table size. Thanks for that. Yes -- the only diamonds I am looking at are cushion cut since that's what she wants. I feel like there's a little more leeway to play around with cushion cuts than with other cuts (round, etc.) as to which lab it's graded by, but I could be wrong.

You need to post your own thread and people will be happy to help you. But you shouldn't take over someone else's thread. I think I was actually replying to you above and then realized you were not the original poster!
 
I am sorry to say that there is no less leeway when it comes to colour or clarity grading accuracy when comparing grading done by GIA to other labs. What is going to make your search difficult is that it is almost impossible to buy by the numbers only when it comes to cushions. Table and depth helps but only a little. Without an experienced eye to help or an ASET, there is little anyone can advise unless you are able to take good close up pictures and post it here.

ETA
I'm not replying to the OP? I had no idea! Yes, please start a new thread on your stone.
 
have you looked at jamesallen.com?
Very good site with lots of similar pave settings and you can see the stones. also, fair prices. Whats your overall budget, and what kind of cushion does she like, or is it just that she likes the shape?

did you start a new thread?
 
Re: Jared Engagement Setting (and Diamond)

diamondseeker2006|1359484316|3366594 said:
piratecaptain|1359484116|3366589 said:
Chrono|1359480612|3366513 said:
It would be a very rare case for a diamond from EGL or GSI to be given the same grade as a GIA or AGS diamond. EGL International has an even looser grading standard compared to EGL USA (the best of all the EGL labs). Unfortunately, when it comes to fancy cuts like cushions or even radiants, there is no cut grade provided by any labs in the world. Therefore, your comparison against GIA stones is for naught. This means that you have no idea how the cut is on the other GIA stones you looked at. I did not realize you weren't considering rounds. The EGL stone you linked to has a huge table that I fear will look unattractive (glassy with table glare) instead of shooting off fire from the other facets.

Good to know about the table size. Thanks for that. Yes -- the only diamonds I am looking at are cushion cut since that's what she wants. I feel like there's a little more leeway to play around with cushion cuts than with other cuts (round, etc.) as to which lab it's graded by, but I could be wrong.

You need to post your own thread and people will be happy to help you. But you shouldn't take over someone else's thread. I think I was actually replying to you above and then realized you were not the original poster!

Sorry about that. No one had posted in this thread in around two years, and, since it had the pictures I was looking for, it was easier to post in here (for some reason, pictures won't load for me). I don't exactly consider it a highjacked thread when it's been dead for a couple of years (I doubt the OP minds at this point), but, that said, I totally get where it would be confusing. I'll try to get a new one going in a bit.
 
Haha! I didn't notice the year since it was January! So I will agree that it isn't hijacking a thread. But for those wanting to help you, I think they would be less confused (like me!) if you posted a new one!
 
diamondseeker2006|1359486727|3366630 said:
Haha! I didn't notice the year since it was January! So I will agree that it isn't hijacking a thread. But for those wanting to help you, I think they would be less confused (like me!) if you posted a new one!

Indeed. I'll get a new one up. Thanks for the advice so far!
 
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