Help with final decision re: BGD 3-stone!

[sugarski]

Hey all,

With your help I have gone from (in September) someone who had never owned a diamond and knew nothing about them, to someone shopping for a halo ring, to someone who has now figured out that what she really wants is a trellis three-stone.

I'm going to use my family diamond (5.8mm RBC) as the center stone and will have BGD provide the sidestones. I vacillated for a long time between the beautiful "Butterflies" (Yssie's setting) at Whiteflash and the BGD Crossed Trellis, and have finally decided on the Crossed Trellis, largely because I had a very good experience buying studs from BGD and so I'd like to give them my repeat business.

The center stone is FVS2 and the sides will likely be GVS2. (My ring size is 8.5 and I have short, pudgy fingers, in case that's relevant.)

The one thing I'm still unsure about is what metal to choose. With this design, the shank metal will also be used for the prongs; two-tone isn't an option. I am a lover of yellow gold. I like the way it looks with my skin tone, I like its warmth and the fact that it's a less-common choice nowadays, and most of my modest jewelry collection is yellow. I also happen to like the contrast of yellow gold with white diamonds.

However, I am considering going with platinum for this ring. I worry about the security of gold prongs in this style (with only four prongs around the center stone, three around each sidestone), and I also wonder if this particular design will just work better in plat (I LOVE the shape of the trellis, but I also like the look of diamonds floating on the finger, with the metal less prominent visually).

I have asked Lesley for a "real life" picture of this ring in yg but it seems she doesn't have one, and I haven't found many online images of three-stones in all yellow. I have faith that BGD will make unobtrusive, dainty prongs, so when all is said and done, there may not really be a major difference.

I wanted to do a poll but can't seem to figure out how. So, can I ask for your opinions on this question: should I choose yellow gold or platinum for my BGD Crossed Trellis ring?

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/three-stone/crossed-trellis-platinum-5460p

P.S. Forgot to add: I also need recs for a really good jeweler in North or Central NJ (or someone in NYC with good weekend hours). My fingers fluctuate in size a lot, and since I don't want to always be sending the ring back and forth to BGD, I want to have some good names if resizing is needed, for periodic prong checks, etc.

 

[Laila619]

I would pick platinum!

 

[m-2-b]

I have the BGD Truth 3 stone in platinum and I love the sturdiness/weight of it. I think platinum will complement your F colored diamond very well, too!

 

[Rosebloom]

This is DandiAndi's three stone in yellow gold. It's not the same design but it may help you visualize. Personally I adore yellow gold so I'd do that! But platinum would also be stunning.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I'm a yellow gold fan too - but I don't like prongs in yellow gold. Some of BGD's three stone designs will allow for yellow gold shanks and platinum prongs. I'd call and discuss this with them and ask for their recommendation. Platinum rings are beautiful as well but if you prefer yellow gold and most of your jewelry is in that combo I'd ask for their recommendation for a three stone ring.

 

[sugarski]

One vote for plat. Thanks Laila!

 

[sugarski]

I have the BGD Truth 3 stone in platinum and I love the sturdiness/weight of it. I think platinum will complement your F colored diamond very well, too!

Two votes for plat! Thanks, mom2boys, that's a good point about the weight, too.

 

[sugarski]

This is DandiAndi's three stone in yellow gold. It's not the same design but it may help you visualize. Personally I adore yellow gold so I'd do that! But platinum would also be stunning.

One vote for gold! Thanks, Rosebloom, that picture is very helpful!

 

[sugarski]

I'm a yellow gold fan too - but I don't like prongs in yellow gold. Some of BGD's three stone designs will allow for yellow gold shanks and platinum prongs. I'd call and discuss this with them and ask for their recommendation. Platinum rings are beautiful as well but if you prefer yellow gold and most of your jewelry is in that combo I'd ask for their recommendation for a three stone ring.

Hi MissGotRocks! I did speak to Denise and although she didn't tell me what to do, she did say she always recommends plat for a ring that is worn every day.

I know I might be able to get them to do the prongs in a different metal, but I just don't like that look for this particular design. I really want it all one color. I think plat may be the winner here- thinking I could pair the three-stone with a yellow or rose gold band to bring some warmth if it looks too icy to me?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think if almost all your jewelry is yg, I would go with yg, EXCEPT I do not like prongs in yg because you will see them reflected in the diamonds.

But I love platinum and am slowly changing almost everything I have to platinum! But you have to think about what you want to wear long term as far as the rest of your jewelry goes!

One other thought. Has Brian seen your diamond? Because you want to be sure it is matched up well with the other stones. I had a family stone recut by him and it turned out really well. But that might not work for you if you want to use yours for the center stone.

 

[sugarski]

I think if almost all your jewelry is yg, I would go with yg, EXCEPT I do not like prongs in yg because you will see them reflected in the diamonds.

But I love platinum and am slowly changing almost everything I have to platinum! But you have to think about what you want to wear long term as far as the rest of your jewelry goes!

One other thought. Has Brian seen your diamond? Because you want to be sure it is matched up well with the other stones. I had a family stone recut by him and it turned out really well. But that might not work for you if you want to use yours for the center stone.

Hi DS, I sent them my stone and in fact it should arrive today. They know the whole deal- Brian will evaluate it for a recut, but I won't have him do it unless it will lose very little diameter. (I've decided that I do like the stone even though it's not ideal cut; it's pretty and I was told by a reputable jeweler that it's a "well-cut older stone".) I will make sure to have a discussion with them about finding sides that match very well!

 

[sugarski]

Y'know what just occurred to me? I wonder if BGD ever lets people trade in stones? I mean, if they like my stone and I could somehow trade it in for a bigger BGS at a reasonable cost to me... how cool would that be? Will have to ask Denise about that...

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Not sure if they do trade-ins or not, but it would probably be dependent on them recutting it. Otherwise, there is a diamond quote feature somewhere on this site, but it probably won't work if you don't have a GIA cert for your stone. I am not sure I would set it in a ring if your desire is really for a larger stone! What about setting it in a pendant?

 

[sugarski]

Not sure if they do trade-ins or not, but it would probably be dependent on them recutting it. Otherwise, there is a diamond quote feature somewhere on this site, but it probably won't work if you don't have a GIA cert for your stone. I am not sure I would set it in a ring if your desire is really for a larger stone! What about setting it in a pendant?

I thought about that, but never having had a diamond ring after 19 years of marriage, I kinda have my heart set on a ring now. But as a SAHM with three kids (one starting college in 2014) I don't feel I can spend much more than I am already spending. I think the 5.84 will actually be lovely in the three-stone, and the overall size (I'm hoping anyway) will be comfy and wearable for me, as well as pretty!

Thank you again, DS, for all your help with this-- I am SO glad I didn't go with my first idea (the halo), and it was your feedback that helped me understand what I really wanted.

 

[AprilBaby]

I have has yg prongs for 33 years and never had a problem. If your skintone looks good in yg you will be unhappy with the white color. The prongs can be either. Lots of people with Wgn rings have Wg prongs so I don't see the problem. It also doesn't change the color or reflect in my diamond.

 

[sugarski]

I have has yg prongs for 33 years and never had a problem. If your skintone looks good in yg you will be unhappy with the white color. The prongs can be either. Lots of people with Wgn rings have Wg prongs so I don't see the problem. It also doesn't change the color or reflect in my diamond.

Another vote for gold! It's a tie now, I think.

AprilBaby, my mom's ering also has gold prongs and has been fine for 45 years now. So, I know you're right that it's not necessarily a problem to have gold prongs.

This is a toughie.

 

[yssie]

I think if you know you love yg then you should do it all in yg. I actually like prongs yellow - I think the contrast with the diamonds is beautiful. I also think we often make too much of platinum vs. gold for prongs on here in general - people far less careful than most PSers have managed with gold for decades! Just get your prongs checked regularly and I really think either choice is just fine.

 

[sugarski]

I think if you know you love yg then you should do it all in yg. I actually like prongs yellow - I think the contrast with the diamonds is beautiful. I also think we often make too much of platinum vs. gold for prongs on here in general - people far less careful than most PSers have managed with gold for decades! Just get your prongs checked regularly and I really think either choice is just fine.

Thanks, Yssie. Making matters even more complicated, I have been so tempted to get unplated wg like yours- I think it is SO beautiful in pictures. What's stopping me is that I hesitate to try it for the very first time in a (for me) major project, without really knowing how it will look on me, whether the alloy will be that gorgeous creamy color yours is, or whether I could develop a wg sensitivity at some point.

I really understand, now, why so many ladies here have multiple pieces of diamond jewelry. One ring can't possibly be all I want it to be.

 

[Christina...]

A PS member just recently did her BGD trellis 3 stone in rose gold and I was drooling over the keyboard! But since that isn't one of the options...I think that you should try on both plat and yg at your local jewelers and decide which compliments your skin tone best. I think that the stone would be more secure if the head was done in plat regardless though.

As far as your sizing question, I would ask that the ring be made to fit you during the hot summer months and plan on adding sizing beads if necessary in the winter. I wouldn't want to be sizing my ring over and over again. I have no idea if it could cause structural issues or not, but it could definitely get costly, and well...I just hate being without my rings for any amount of time.

 

[yssie]

I think if you know you love yg then you should do it all in yg. I actually like prongs yellow - I think the contrast with the diamonds is beautiful. I also think we often make too much of platinum vs. gold for prongs on here in general - people far less careful than most PSers have managed with gold for decades! Just get your prongs checked regularly and I really think either choice is just fine.

Thanks, Yssie. Making matters even more complicated, I have been so tempted to get unplated wg like yours- I think it is SO beautiful in pictures. What's stopping me is that I hesitate to try it for the very first time in a (for me) major project, without really knowing how it will look on me, whether the alloy will be that gorgeous creamy color yours is, or whether I could develop a wg sensitivity at some point.

I really understand, now, why so many ladies here have multiple pieces of diamond jewelry. One ring can't possibly be all I want it to be.

I love the colour of unplated Ni wg and I'll never choose anything else again, but... I would have to agree that it's not for everyone. It's a total PITA to match colours unless you buy a number of pieces at once or go to the same vendor (and even then stock vs. custom pieces may be made from different alloys), and there's of course the possibility of realizing you're allergic/becoming allergic - it's rare, but it wouldn't be fun to find out thousands of dollars later that you're one of the unlucky few! If you think you might be interested I'd recommend picking up a cheap plain wg band, having it stripped, and seeing if your skin reacts - Ni alloys are standard in the US so you can be reasonably sure that non-specialty wg will tell you what you need to know on that front.

 

[sugarski]

A PS member just recently did her BGD trellis 3 stone in rose gold and I was drooling over the keyboard! But since that isn't one of the options...I think that you should try on both plat and yg at your local jewelers and decide which compliments your skin tone best. I think that the stone would be more secure if the head was done in plat regardless though.

As far as your sizing question, I would ask that the ring be made to fit you during the hot summer months and plan on adding sizing beads if necessary in the winter. I wouldn't want to be sizing my ring over and over again. I have no idea if it could cause structural issues or not, but it could definitely get costly, and well...I just hate being without my rings for any amount of time.

Hi Christina! I love RG too, and did consider it, actually. But from the images on BGD's site as well as comments here, I decided their stock RG is too bright/pink/coppery for me... I like the peachy/creamy tone of RG that is very close to yellow, so rather than add yet another complication in having them source some other RG alloy, I decided to stick to something I know I'll like.

And thanks for the help re: sizing. I am thinking maybe I'll go with a 9, because that way I can (theoretically) wear it on my RH when it's colder out, and on my LH when it's warmer.

 

[sugarski]

I think if you know you love yg then you should do it all in yg. I actually like prongs yellow - I think the contrast with the diamonds is beautiful. I also think we often make too much of platinum vs. gold for prongs on here in general - people far less careful than most PSers have managed with gold for decades! Just get your prongs checked regularly and I really think either choice is just fine.

Thanks, Yssie. Making matters even more complicated, I have been so tempted to get unplated wg like yours- I think it is SO beautiful in pictures. What's stopping me is that I hesitate to try it for the very first time in a (for me) major project, without really knowing how it will look on me, whether the alloy will be that gorgeous creamy color yours is, or whether I could develop a wg sensitivity at some point.

I really understand, now, why so many ladies here have multiple pieces of diamond jewelry. One ring can't possibly be all I want it to be.

I love the colour of unplated Ni wg and I'll never choose anything else again, but... I would have to agree that it's not for everyone. It's a total PITA to match colours unless you buy a number of pieces at once or go to the same vendor (and even then stock vs. custom pieces may be made from different alloys), and there's of course the possibility of realizing you're allergic/becoming allergic - it's rare, but it wouldn't be fun to find out thousands of dollars later that you're one of the unlucky few! If you think you might be interested I'd recommend picking up a cheap plain wg band, having it stripped, and seeing if your skin reacts - Ni alloys are standard in the US so you can be reasonably sure that non-specialty wg will tell you what you need to know on that front.

As always, thanks, Yssie. Yes, I really like that idea. Now that I'm so interested in diamonds, I wouldn't be surprised if someday I start looking for an OEC solitaire... after all, I didn't have to pay for the center stone in this ring, so [justify justify justify]. I really like your idea of ordering a thin inexpensive wedding band in unplated/stripped wg and playing with it for a while. If nothing else, it will come in handy to wear on days when I want to be very low-key with my jewelry (which honestly is most of the time!). As I recall, you used e-weddingbands for an unplated band at one point, yes? How were they?

 

[sugarski]

Maybe I should start a separate thread for this update? Not sure, but I heard back from BGD re: their assessment of my family stone. They sent ASET, Idealscope, SARIN and other images and basically- it's a mess! Denise's exact words were: "You should MOST definitely get it re-cut." It will go from .803 carat, 5.89mm to .720 carat, 5.78mm. I think I should go for it! Thoughts? Will it still be big enough to look right in the setting i have picked out? I was going to go with GVS2 .318 (each) sidestones (4.37mm/4.39mm); will they now look too big with the center stone, proportionally?

 

[Logan Sapphire]

Maybe I should start a separate thread for this update? Not sure, but I heard back from BGD re: their assessment of my family stone. They sent ASET, Idealscope, SARIN and other images and basically- it's a mess! Denise's exact words were: "You should MOST definitely get it re-cut." It will go from .803 carat, 5.89mm to .720 carat, 5.78mm. I think I should go for it! Thoughts? Will it still be big enough to look right in the setting i have picked out? I was going to go with GVS2 .318 (each) sidestones (4.37mm/4.39mm); will they now look too big with the center stone, proportionally?

It depends on whether you want the side stones to look more accenty or not. My ering has similar proportions to what you're thinking about. I'm on an iPad now, but if you look at some of my old posts, you can see if that look is for you. It seems most people here don't prefer my look...

 

[ponder]

Do the recut. What you will not like is the sparkle contrast between your center stone and the side stones they source for you. The center stone will probably be dull and lifeless in comparison, and that will bother you. The loss in weight/diameter will probably not be a huge problem as a well cut diamond looks SO much bigger than a poorly cut one because it will sparkle from edge to edge. Also, don't worry about the side stones till after the recut, if you need to change them to get the proportions you want, I'm sure it's not a big deal.

 

[Enerchi]

I'm a +1 to Ponder's advice above. You still keep and utilize the family stone but it improves in performance to match what BGD would source for you. They would not recommend you recut it, if they didn't feel it would be a good candidate AND that it would be the appropriate thing to do for this stone. Improving your diamond will make the whole ring look just perfect!!! And you'd be unhappy if you didn't... you'd probably end up regretting not doing it - so to me, the cost/size loss (minimum in the overall effect of the 3 stone) would be well worth it!

I think you are going to create a gorgeous 3 stone! I hope you'll love your BGD trellis as much as I love mine!

 

[yssie]

I've bought a handful of bands from e-wb and they're fantastic They're a smaller operation, I think, but they're super responsive and super helpful. If you're considering the plain band I'd definitely recommend them!

As long as you're okay w/ the small risk of damage I'd go for the recut too, others have posted about their recut experiences and they all sound very positive

 

[Christina...]

I would go with the recut too. You are really only talking about losing the width of a sheet of paper around the diameter of the stone, and as mentioned before it will likely look larger than it did before the re-cut because of the increased light performance. I also agree that if you decide not to re-cut that the difference in optics will be really noticeable and will drive you crazy.