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PLEASE help me find an e-ring!

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Rough_Rock
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Oct 7, 2006
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Christmas is coming up and you know what that means! Its time for me to cowboy up. I am new to the whole engagement ring process, but I consider that a good thing. I am desperately ignorant of my options and I would really appreciate if this forum could help me.

The Diamond: I think I want to find a lose diamond and get it set. Here are my parameters, and like everyone straight out of college, I'm on a budget.

-I think I want to get a 3/4 ct. rock, or more if it fits in the budget
-Princess or oval cut
-Color, J or better
-Clarity, VS2 or better
-Cut, very good or better
-Looking to spend less than $2500 on the rock

Setting:
-I really like the engraved solitaires, and knife edges so far
-White gold or platinum
-I'm looking to spend around $700 on the setting
-I don't really have a clue about settings

In total I'm looking to spend between $3000 to $3500 on everything. There aren't any jewelers in the area that I trust, so I am not opposed to buying the diamond and setting online. Please critique what I'm looking at so far, I am open to any ideas out there. Thanks! Tonight is pretty much the first time I have seriously search for engagement rings. I have learned the value of forums based on my car hobby so finding a good forum was my first step in making my fiance-to-be happy.
 
Hi there,
heard your cry......try dimend scaasi.com just got my ring and diamond there just love it and so does the hubby.
The owners name is Issac and he is very knowledgeable and great to work with. You can try his site on line then try other places should you not find what you are looking for. He can even show you the diamond real time through the computer.
Also try the sapphire store on line they have a million rings to choose from and will sell you just the setting, where as dimend will only sell the ring and rock together.
Also try the shops listed on this site, they have beautiful settings also.

Have fun and good luck!!!!
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Thanks, I will check them out. Should I go ahead and purchase the wedding band with the ring? It will be about 2 years before I am able to get married, but the situation requires that I get engaged fairly soon.
 
I think if the e-ring HAS a matching band, then it would be a good idea to get it soon, just to be sure it would still be available. But if it doesn''t have a matching band, then it won''t matter. She can try on bands later.

You''ll want to go with 18k wg with your setting budget, and that is fine. Did she tell you she likes princess and oval or is that yoru preference? Those are very different shapes, so I just wondered if that is what she likes.
 
I would suggest putting almost all of your budget into the diamond, and as little as possible into the setting. That way, over the next two years you are engaged, you could save for a new setting and wedding band and most importantly, that way you can include her in the setting selection process. Most places could even give you a tiffany style setting for a couple of hundred dollars...some even for free.
 
I know she likes princess, and that will probably be what I get after thinking about it. I know she wouldn''t want me to swap out settings, she''s just very sentimental about such things. I also think she would want a thin to moderate thickness ring. Thanks for the suggestions. How about this?

gi_WF-Pr106_f.jpg
 
That must be new...very pretty! And the way it is made, a wedding band should sit flush, which is nice.
 
If she likes princess, I would just do a plain solitaire wg setting, and put all of the $$ into an awesome center stone. It will look beautiful, and later on she can change the setting to exactly what she wants.
 
Ooooh, Facetfire, I love that setting! And those are a nice size as a bonus...
 
I think the wheat engraving and a princess stone clash.
 
Just want to chime in and say that an oval will look much bigger for the carat weight than a princess. A princess will look SMALLER than a Round of the same weight. An OVAL will look BIGGER than a round of the same weight. If she never wants to change her ring that size illusion may be very important.

Yes I currently have an oval so I am biased. She may not know about the visual size differences. But you need to talk to her and buy her what she wants.

HTH
 
Date: 10/8/2006 9:03:52 PM
Author: JulieN
I think the wheat engraving and a princess stone clash.
Click to expand...
I agree with you, Julie...don't like the wheat engraving at all with a princess. But then again, its not my choice.
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Like I said, a plain solitaire like the one Facetfire posted would look most lovely, imho...
 
I love FacetFire's 'Vatche suggestion
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.....another thought would be the X prong type mount by Vatche...only if you select a Princess, tho. I don't think X prong mounts are for ovals.

A thought...unless you are thinking of maybe putting an oval in a halo ( beautiful idea!) down the road, as much as I love the oval shape diamond, and owned a lovely one for several years, it was much harder for me to ever find a mount I was satisfied with for this shape stone. Maybe it was just me
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but I feel a princess ( square ) is much easier to mount and work with.
 
Princess would look tacky in that first wheat pattern.

How would an oval look in this setting? Its a little over the budget, but hey, this is a once in a lifetime thing.

or this


I really like the stuff at James Allen. They have a great selection of settings and they seem to be reasonably priced in comparison.
 
I think an oval would look great in either of those settings. But with the first one, I''d want to make sure that the side diamonds were the right ratio relative to the size of the center stone. You wouldn''t want them to overshadow the center stone. You wouldn''t be over your overall budget if you went with that H VS1 oval for $2070 and the setting for $1100. Or were you looking at a more expensive stone on James Allen''s site?

BTW, I bought my pendant from JA recently, and I was very pleased with the quality and prices they offer. I don''t think you will be disappointed in working with them.
 
Good point about overshadowing.

Here are 2 that I found in the bridal set section. They are very reasonably priced when matched with the wedding ring.

$1300 with .5 cts of diamond

$1750 with 1.05 cts of diamond


with this diamond

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=890308
 
You''re at the point where I would start to ask yourself what exactly she wants in a ring. The styles that you have considered are quite different from one another. Does she like the look of little diamonds on either side or was she wanting a solitaire? It will be on her finger for years to come, so it''s really important to get what she is hoping for. If you want it to be a suprise, consider putting it in a basic inexpensive solitaire setting so that you can choose the right setting together afterwards. I guess the reason I''m saying this is that I''m having trouble understanding what she is looking for in a setting based on your posts and the variety of the settings you have considered. I think an oval would look great in either of those settings you posted though, so if that is the look she likes, then you''re doing great! :)
 
I really want it to be a suprise. I don''t quite like the whole, "lets go pick out a ring together" concept, and I know she will not want to swap out bands down the road. Its just the way she is about sentimental things. I want to be able to get a ring that is above her expectations, and she is the most frugal person in the world so I know her expected engagement ring is well below what I''m looking at. We''re at a point right now where she is expecting to get engaged, but based on my situation in the military she doesn''t know if it will happen in the next 2 months or the next 2 years, so with her suprise is always half of the fun. Therefore, I''m sure I''ll catch plenty of critics, but I just want to find a ring for her without her knowing.

As for the styles I''m posting...basically my opinions are changing as I go along and get familiar with what settings are out there. Like I said, I''ve only been looking at rings for 2 days now. However, y''all have been extremely helpful thus far and I welcome any critique at all.
 
I understand what you''re saying. It also sounds like she will be happy with what you choose because you are exceeding her expectations. The settings you are looking at are very classic, so I don''t think you can go wrong with either one. For the size center stone you are considering, I think I prefer the one with fewer side diamonds...once again I''m really into having the center stone shine and be the main focus. :)
 
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