Help with a ring and diamond

[matt8679]

I have been shopping for a round diamond for the last three months, doing as much research as possible before I make my final decision. I have learned so much from pricescope and would like to thank everyone. Last week we were looking at rings one last time to decide if she wanted the setting she had picked out. She came across the HOF transcend and fell in love. I don’t want to pay the huge premium for the HOF brand and asked if I could just buy the setting but the answer was NO. I was told the Transcend is sold as a package only. Does anyone know how the HOF dream compares to the Princess of hearts or Jubilee diamond? Does anyone know of a vender that sells a ring close to this or able to make it?

The HOF is in my budget and for a 1ct there are two classes, Sensational (G-I/VS to SI1 clarity) and Exceptional (D-F/VVS1 to VS2 clarity). I would have to go for the Sensational class but don’t like the idea of not knowing what you are getting. The price is the same know matter what color or clarity you get for that class. You are not able to pick out the diamond that you get.

I would appreciate any input on what you guys think.




Thanks

 

[Lula]

Hi, Matt and welcome to PS!

I have seen the HOF Dream in person and it is my favorite HOF cut. That said, I am just unwilling to pay the premium for the HOF brand, even though I do appreciate their beauty.

You are right to question these "packages" because they are definitely charging you more for color and clarity for the "exceptional" package, but this option does not allow you to choose your own diamond -- which, for those prices, you should be able to select from several stones and choose the one you like the best.

Going with such high color and clarity is expensive. The color and clarity option on the second package (Sensational) will be just fine, in most cases. But, again, for what they are charging, you should be the one choosing the center stone!

I have also seen Crafted by Infinity princess cut diamonds in person. They are a bit different from standard princess cuts in that they have fewer "chevrons" so they do not have the splintery sparkle of most princess cuts. Wink Jones of High Performance Diamonds has made settings similar in design to the HOF setting.

Here is the link to a princess cut stone from High Performance Diamonds:
http://www.winkjones.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=464

And the link to Wink's site:
http://www.winkjones.com/index.php?page=home
Not all of his settings are posted on his new site, but he can e-mail you photos/videos.

The other vendor you should contact is Good Old Gold. They carry the Square Cushion H&A, the Princess of Hearts, and the Jubilee, which are all similar to the HOF Dream.
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamondSearch.php
I'm not sure what Good Old Gold carries in settings, but you can buy your stone from one vendor and have it set by another vendor.

Both Wink and Jonathan from Good Old Gold are highly regarded on Pricescope. At least give them a call to compare what they have to HOF before you spend the big bucks!

 

[tyty333]

I cant tell much from that pic about the stone cut but what about a solasfera?
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/7843/

 

[yssie]

Hi, Matt and welcome to PS!

I have seen the HOF Dream in person and it is my favorite HOF cut. That said, I am just unwilling to pay the premium for the HOF brand, even though I do appreciate their beauty.

You are right to question these "packages" because they are definitely charging you more for color and clarity for the "exceptional" package, but this option does not allow you to choose your own diamond -- which, for those prices, you should be able to select from several stones and choose the one you like the best.

Going with such high color and clarity is expensive. The color and clarity option on the second package (Sensational) will be just fine, in most cases. But, again, for what they are charging, you should be the one choosing the center stone!

I have also seen Crafted by Infinity princess cut diamonds in person. They are a bit different from standard princess cuts in that they have fewer "chevrons" so they do not have the splintery sparkle of most princess cuts. Wink Jones of High Performance Diamonds has made settings similar in design to the HOF setting.

Here is the link to a princess cut stone from High Performance Diamonds:
http://www.winkjones.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=464

And the link to Wink's site:
http://www.winkjones.com/index.php?page=home
Not all of his settings are posted on his new site, but he can e-mail you photos/videos.

The other vendor you should contact is Good Old Gold. They carry the Square Cushion H&A, the Princess of Hearts, and the Jubilee, which are all similar to the HOF Dream.
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamondSearch.php
I'm not sure what Good Old Gold carries in settings, but you can buy your stone from one vendor and have it set by another vendor.

Both Wink and Jonathan from Good Old Gold are highly regarded on Pricescope. At least give them a call to compare what they have to HOF before you spend the big bucks!

Everything she said.

I would add Whiteflash (www.whiteflash.com) if you're also looking for a well-cut multi-chevron princess, as their ACA princess line tends to include. These stones, like Lula said, will be more twinkly & splintery than Infinity 2-chevron types - it is all your preference. I would trust either, and GOG, much more than those packages - there is a huge difference in price, and for some people appearance, between a G and an I or a VS and an SI!

 

[slg47]

good old gold also has a lot of videos comparing different diamond cuts that may be helpful to you! just do a search for "princess" "cushion" "princess of hearts" "jubilee" etc

http://vimeo.com/diamondinfo

 

[Gypsy]

Some retailers will sell the setting and the stone apart, some won't. If you want that setting I think you may be able to find it for sale without the center stone. I really like the quality of the Hearts on Fire settings and would try to get the original setting. And then get a Jubilee diamond or a Princess of Hearts of a square radiant for the center.

 

[matt8679]

I would like to thank everyone for their Replies. I will post pics and a write up soon.

 

[risingsun]

I agree with you that HOF has a substantial mark up on their diamonds. Nonetheless, my ring and stone are from HOF. The settings are beautiful and well made. The diamonds are stunning. At one time, they did permit customers to have their own diamonds set in a HOF semi mount. Is this something specific to the Transcend setting? I had a ACA diamond set in my first HOF ring without any difficulty. I'm curious about this new policy.