Finally found the perfect setting, but...

[MikeM]

I just sent the following e-mail to Whiteflash, with the same photo and sketch posted here in the thread. I''ll post their response later tonight.

Hello,

I was wondering if you could give me a very rough estimate, from the attached sketch and photo, on how much it would cost to have a similar ring custom made in platinum?

Also, I don’t know if it’s apparent from the photo, but the baguettes are almost the same width as the band (the band if very thin).

Thanks in advance.

Mike

 

[devientdrow]

Mike
Your right....she might not really care, but it''s good that you do. Something to keep in mind here.....your learning all this stuff and it''s good to keep in mind. BUT should you see something that you fall in love with, then thats the one for you. If you see one that you fall in love with and you find out has terrible specs than you might want to try and find similar somewhere else. If the specs are TERRIBLE...i''m tallking I1, I2 clarity....low low on the color scale like past K....and especially if the cut is really off then you know that even tho it looks good under those blazing lights all polished up in the store it *might* not look so well after some wear time.

From what you''ve described......I would check out some independent places especially the neighbors. It would be great to have someone that *sort of* knows you who you could trust. You might find an excellent choice in there. I would STILL go check out as much as you can on the zales diamond.....it might be exactly what your looking for. I would stay away from Jared EXCEPT for a setting........now if you happen to see a diamond you really like for a decent price....then i''d definatly to encourage you to conrtact IGI and get the cut specs before purchasing. All you need to do is write down the IGI number and then to go the website and theres a section where you can put it in and the report will pop up. At the bottom they will give you a number for additional info and you just have to tell them your interested in purchasing an IGI certified diamond from a store and they are saying they don''t have certain specs....then ask for them all one by one yourself.

As for your budget...I don''t know your situation. I know my hubby and I are young and saving up for a house and don''t have great paying job. I would NOT want him paying anything over 4k. THAT IS THE LIMIT Anything other than that would be a down payment on a house for us hehe

 

[mrssalvo]

Here's a thread that has some good viewpoints on IGI. They are known for grading softer, therefore you might not be getting what you actually think. If you do decided to go with and IGI stone make sure the place you buy it from has a good return policy and have it checked out by an indepedant appraiser. I would never buy and igi stone because i would only look at those with ags or gia certs..

ETA: before i found PS I bought a Old european cut stone because it was gorgeous to me. It was cut deep and I ended up paying for extra carat weight that wasn't noticable. I'm all for buying things that look good to your eyes but also want to be sure the paper matches what i think i'm buying. your about to spend a lot of $$ and you should know exactly what your getting and know that you normally get what you pay for

 

[Kaleigh]

Very good advice mrssalvo!!!

 

[MikeM]

Thanks again so much for the help all of you gave me previously.

Also, thanks again, pebbles, several months and 10 - 15 jewelry stores later, I think we've finally decided to go with the setting you suggested in your post on 12/6/2005 7:48:12 AM (see picture below).

After all of that I still haven't found a diamond (any help would be greatly appreciated), and I still haven't decided where to purchase the setting and the diamond from, although I've narrowed it down to two different options.

I'm sorry to trouble all of you again, but I've been agonizing over this decision for a while now.

-----------------

Option 1:
We found a local jeweler, who I must admit, really stood out from the rest: She was patient with us, didn't try to pressure us, and far as I could tell honest. She also spent 3 - 4 hours on two separate visits helping us, and corresponded with me 7 - 8 times via e-mail. The price she gave me is listed below:

Package Price (ring + diamond below): $12,300 + 8% sales tax
Carat: 1.26
Color: F
Clarity: VS2
Dimensions: AGS0
Setting Style: Verragio EUR-8015

Option 2:
I found another retailer, who was discussed in the pricescope forums, who quoted me a price of $1925 + 0% sales tax (is it 0% if they're in a different state?). I was thinking of purchasing the setting from this retailer, buying the diamond from Whiteflash, and then asking Whiteflash to set if for me.

------------------

I feel guilty considering option 2; however, I think I can save $500 - $700 in sales tax. Punching the above specs into the diamond price comparison section on the pricescope home page, her price does seem to be competitive. Can anyone offer me any advice?

Finally, the 1.2 ct. diamond the local retailer in option 1 showed me was definitely out of my price range. I'd like to get something as close to 1 ct. as I can without paying for the "1 ct." name.

Thanks in advance.

Mike

 

[pebbles]

Hi Mike!

I was wondering if you had ever decided on a setting. I think your girlfriend will be thrilled with that Verragio setting...I know I would!

I was in your situation myself a few months ago (not for my original e-ring but for a new wedding ring) and debated myself between going with a local jeweler, or buying a diamond from an internet vendor and saving money. When it comes to spending thousands of dollars on something, I am all for saving as much as you can, so I went with a diamond from Whiteflash. I too bought a designer setting (a Scott Kay one) and had WF set the diamond for me. I have read that a few people on this forum have gone to their local jeweler with specs on a diamond from one of the vendors here and ask if the local guy will price match. Sometimes the local jeweler will find something similar b/c they want the sale, other times they won't even try and you would be better off getting something off the net. My local jeweler wasn't really interested in bringing in stones for me to see (or he would only bring in one at a time) and since I was working with a very tight budget I had to drop down in color and clarity to get the size I wanted. My local jeweler said it would be "impossible" for him to find a diamond to meet all my requirements, yet WF had one right in their inventory. Since my local guy wasn't much help, that's another reason why I went with WF, not to mention my stone blew anything they had away.

My personal opinion that your local jeweler is quoting you a decent price for both an AGS-000 1.26ct, F, VS2 + that verragio setting. I did a quick search using the search tool above and the diamond alone with those specs is around $11,000.

You didn't say what your budget was, but we can help you find something closer to 1ct. Is your girlfriend sensitive to color? You said in a previous post that it seems you are more interested in getting her a well cut diamond than she is, so I am wondering if you would feel comfortable droping down in color to get a bigger size?

Here's a couple I found that are just under 1ct and it appears these are all in house at Good Old Gold (meaning they don't have to bring them in for you):

0.90ct H, SI1 $4,697
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2131/

0.91ct, G, SI2 $4,572
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2137/

0.93ct, J, SI1 (This would be my personal choice if you want to stay under the magic 1ct mark. The J color will show a tinge of warmth, but I think it looks awesome for the price) $3,913
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2136/


There are a lot right at the 1ct mark (or slightly over) but here are a few that I think look nice for the price:

1.02ct I, VS2 (The VS clarity is a little overkill for me personally) $5,532
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2133/

1.06ct I, SI2 $4,869
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2125/

1.083ct H, SI2 A Cut Above $5,445
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/a-cut-above-h-a-cut-diamond-673156.htm

1.04ct I, SI2 $4,180
http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2045516.htm#


You don't have to limit your search to Whiteflash or Good Old Gold, but when I did the search that's who had the most stones in that size range.

As I said, there are a ton right above the 1ct mark but I just picked a few that were lower in color and clarity to keep the price down.

I think some of these may be worth checking out!

HTH!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I didn''t see what your total budget is, but I would suggest stepping down to G or H VS2.

Here are a couple I like:

1.14 G VS2 $8275 http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/869/

1.02 G VS2 $6830 http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2173451.htm

 

[MikeM]

Pebbles & diamondseeker 2006:

Wow! Thanks for picking out all of those diamonds. I hope it didn’t take too much time. They all look really great.

Sorry about not mentioning my budget before: I’d like to spend around $8000, but if necessary I wouldn’t mind spending more. Most importantly, I think, I’d like to do the ring justice, and find a diamond that fits well with it.

On billbarnes website, under the Verragio FAQ, I found that, for the side stones, Verragio uses a color of G, and a clarity of VS.

On Verragio’s website, in the Euro Brochure, I found this: “…the Euro collection is specifically designed to accommodate centerstones up to one carat…” Although, my jeweler said that it could accommodate all the way up to a 1.26 ct. diamond.

How closely do you think I should match the color and clarity of the center stone and the side stones?

Also, I wanted to experiment with the HCA, so I punched in the diamonds you suggested and listed the results below.

-----------------
Pebbles:

I’m sorry I was away for so long.

Actually my girlfriend seems to be mainly interested in the design of the setting. I believe that I've really been influenced by the posts and the tutorials here on pricescope, and I think that I’m the one who the quality of the diamond is important to.

0.90ct H, SI1 $4,697
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2131/

Light Return: Excellent
Fire: Very Good
Scintillation: Very Good
Spread: Very Good
Total Visual Performance: 2

0.91ct, G, SI2 $4,572
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2137/

Light Return: Excellent
Fire: Very Good
Scintillation: Very Good
Spread: Very Good
Total Visual Performance: 1.7

0.93ct, J, SI1 (This would be my personal choice if you want to stay under the magic 1ct mark. The J color will show a tinge of warmth, but I think it looks awesome for the price) $3,913
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2136/

Light Return: Excellent
Fire: Excellent
Scintillation: Very Good
Spread: Very Good
Total Visual Performance: 1.6

1.02ct I, VS2 (The VS clarity is a little overkill for me personally) $5,532
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2133/

Light Return: Excellent
Fire: Excellent
Scintillation: Very Good
Spread: Very Good
Total Visual Performance: 1.6

1.06ct I, SI2 $4,869
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2125/

Light Return: Excellent
Fire: Excellent
Scintillation: Excellent
Spread: Very Good
Total Visual Performance: 1.3

1.083ct H, SI2 A Cut Above $5,445
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/a-cut-above-h-a-cut-diamond-673156.htm

Light Return: Excellent
Fire: Excellent
Scintillation: Excellent
Spread: Very Good
Total Visual Performance: 1.3

1.04ct I, SI2 $4,180
http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2045516.htm#

Light Return: Excellent
Fire: Excellent
Scintillation: Excellent
Spread: Excellent
Total Visual Performance: 0.6

-------------------------

Diamondseeker2006:

1.14 G VS2 $8275 http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/869/

Light Return: Excellent
Fire: Excellent
Scintillation: Excellent
Spread: Very Good
Total Visual Performance: 1.2

1.02 G VS2 $6830 http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2173451.htm

Light Return: Excellent
Fire: Excellent
Scintillation: Excellent
Spread: Very Good
Total Visual Performance: 1.0

 

[JulieN]

Usually you stay within one or two color grades.

Smaller stones of the same color will look whiter.

Clarity doesn't really matter as long as it's eye-clean.

 

[MikeM]

JulieN,

Thanks! That definitely wasn't mentioned in the tutorial

pebbles,

Thanks for sharing your diamond buying experience with me. However, it does seem like the local jeweler, I mentioned earlier, really wants to help us (or she's a very good sales woman). She sent me this e-mail:

Sorry for the confusion, I had said to e-mail me the parameters of your search. For example: 1.00ct-1.15ct Round Brilliant cut G.I.A. D-F color and VS1-2 clarity Table % from 56-57 % and depth from 60.1-62.4% Excellent or Very Good polish and Excellent or Very Good symmetry and no flouresence. That is an example of what I meant. Then I can show you diamonds of that quality . Looking forward to hearing from you.

I never sent her the information she requested. However, I was thinking that I could send her an e-mail with the above information just to see what she comes up with.

I found the following suggestions on finding a good diamond in the tutorial. Could you suggest any others I could send in my e-mail?

Thanks in advance.

Mike

--------------------

Table Size:
http://diamonds.pricescope.com/tablesize.asp

We suggest an upper limit of 63%.

Table size is less critical to the beauty of a diamond than variations in than crown and especially pavilion angle.
-------------------------
Fish Eye:
http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fisheye.asp

Fish-eyes occur between the following pavilion depths and table sizes:

41 degree pavilion and 72.2% table
39 degree pavilion and 58.4% table

----------------------------
Spread:
http://diamonds.pricescope.com/spread.asp

How do you know if the diamond you are considering has a good spread? If you divide the depth by the diameter and multiply by 100 you can calculate the depth percentage. This should be between 56% and 65%.

-----------------------------
Girdle:
http://diamonds.pricescope.com/girdle.asp

The best girdle thickness is Thin, Medium or Slightly Thick.

-----------------------------
Culet:
http://diamonds.pricescope.com/culet.asp

The culet size is listed on a cert and your diamond's culet should be pointed (no culet), very small, small or medium because these are not visible to the naked eye.

------------------------------
Polish:
http://diamonds.pricescope.com/polish.asp

During the GIA observation testing, it was found that observers were less inclined to prefer diamonds with Good and lesser Polish.

If you choose a diamond with an SI or VS inclusions, a few microscopic polish lines may be of no relevance.

------------------------------
Symmetry:
http://diamonds.pricescope.com/symm.asp

During the GIA’s 70,000 observation study, diamonds with ‘Good’ symmetry, but proportions that would have qualified them for the top category, were generally not preferred by both trade & consumers survey participants.

You may never notice any difference between diamonds with Ideal, Excellent Very Good or even some Good symmetry diamonds.

-------------------------------
Fluorescence:
http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fluor.asp

A GIA survey found that fluorescent diamonds were favored over non fluoro stones, especially in lower colors, but even in the higher colors (D, E and F) which are often discounted by the trade.

Some diamonds have extremely strong fluorescence and appear oily or cloudy. This is BAD. But the GIA study found them to be very rare; they were unable to find enough cloudy stones from the 26,010 sample they used.

We advise you not to buy a Very Strong unless you can actually see the diamond side by side with non-fluorescent diamonds in shaded daylight (which has a lot of UV light).

Rarely diamonds fluoresce another color like yellow or orange.

 

[pebbles]

Hi Mike!

Well it really sounds like you are doing your homework!

As far as what else to add to the e-mail, I would ask the jeweler to get either an IdealScope image or a BrillianceScope image of the diamonds you are considering. That way you can see how much leakage there is.

My Scott Kay setting is similar to the Verragio one you picked out. It is a 3 stone ring with round side stones set similar to the Verragio one. The side stones in my setting are G color and VS clarity. I originally had a J colored diamond in the center, and the color difference did bother me so I traded it up for an I colored stone. I could see barely any warmth in the I stone, but if you want to be on the safe side, stick with a G or H color for the center (my opinion anyway as H''s are pretty white to me!)

Also, my Scott Kay setting was made for a 1ct center and I did put a 1.21ct in it when I traded my diamond up.

When using the HCA, as you know it doesn''t discern differences under a 2, meaning a 1.5 isn''t any worse than a score of 1. However, some don''t like the look of stones that score below a 1. I personally haven''t seen any under a 1, but if you do a search using HCA there are some threads on it.

You have a great budget for the ring. I would give the jeweler a chance to see what she comes up with, but those stones right under the 1ct mark usually go pretty darn quick.

Good luck again!

 

[MikeM]

Just to clarify what I said before about my budget, I meant ring ($1925) + diamond = approximately $8000

Thanks in advance for any help.

I''ll also tell you what my local jeweler says when she responds.