Studs

[kcoursolle]

J studs up to 1 carat look *very* nice to me for everyday wear, .50''s are still sizeable though.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I''d also like to know if starryeyed has a source of Cartier watches aside from Cartier. I check the Signed Pieces site frequently! They mostly have yellow gold watches, though, as I guess those are not selling as well as the stainless and white gold at the moment.

And yes, if you buy individually certified stones from WF ACA or Expert Selection, they can be upgraded. I am a strong proponent of buying diamonds that can be upgraded! If it''s going to be my fault, I certainly want to lead you in the right direction!

I''d probably look for I VS2 if I were looking for some for you.

You have a good list of basics. I do have pearls but rarely wear them due to the fact that I do not dress up for work. I almost never wear my diamond tennis bracelet either. The e-ring and wedding band, a watch, and the studs are things you''d wear everyday. And I agree with Starryeyed that you need to go to Tiffany or somewhere and try on bands with your e-ring. I think a really skinny eternity ring is going to be too skimpy with a substantial e-ring like yours, to be honest.

 

[Harriet]

What do you consider the basics?

I want a skimpy eternity band because I want the focus on the stone. No?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Basics? I guess diamond rings and studs, pearls, and a watch. Next tier would be the diamond bracelet, pendant, and right hand ring. Of course, over time you can get multiples of certain items, such as Starryeyed and Diamondfan seem to collect watches! The good watch is the one thing that I haven''t ever decided on. And I am now working on upgrading some of the items I''ve collected over the years. That''s why I encourage buying diamonds that can be upgraded. I''m sure my girls will be happy to take the items I no longer want, but still, it is really good to get excellent quality in the first place, and then you might not even want to upgrade later. That''s why I''d go ahead and get a good color in your studs since you are planning to upgrade the color in your ring later.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 1/27/2007 5:54:22 PM
Author: Harriet
What do you consider the basics?

I want a skimpy eternity band because I want the focus on the stone. No?

Let me just say this. Unless you get a wedding band with half carat stones across the top, nothing is going to take away from a 3.6 ct. e-ring stone!!!! I at least like the width of the wedding band to be close to the size of the e-ring band, so a wedding band of 10 pointers will be close to 3mm. I have 10 pointers in my band along with a 1.6 ct. stone, so I really can''t imagine you going with less than 10 pointers in your wedding band considering how much larger your e-ring is. Ten pointers are still small, but they wouldn''t be skimpy next to a 3.6 ct. e-ring with a 3mm setting.

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 1/27/2007 4:22:55 PM
Author: Harriet
Thanks!
When is your e-ring coming? F colour? I'm jealous.
Are the Cartier watches cheaper in France? Are there any online dealers here you trust?
The route from my apartment to my office takes me past Locke's, Tiffany's, HW and near Cartier. Terrible.
I'll 'fess up to one more thing - a pave-haloed cushion cut a la HW.

Ha-ha, Harriet, I knew your wishlist was too short! You could probably swing by Graff easily too! Madison, bet. 63rd and 64th. Hee-hee!

My e-ring is being set in a custom setting. It's taking forever! It'll be much smaller than YOURS! I'd love an F in YOUR size, but at $75-80K, that will not happen anytime soon.

Cartier re-sets its prices every month to account for the FX, so the only way to really save is by getting the VAT back and not declaring the purchase to US Customs. I wouldn't endorse that practice though. The advantages to shopping in France are that sometimes they have "reduced" prices on pieces and you can buy things that aren't yet available in the US.

With respect to online watch shopping, be sure to check the BBB online and epinions before buying. I bought gemstones from Gemnation and they have a pretty extensive watch offering - they are very reputable. I've used Proworth for other Swiss watches - also very reputable. Sometimes, there are even nice watches on Overstock.com. I think they have quite a few Chopards currently. My Cartier's I've bought from Cartier - I can't help myself....

 

[Harriet]

Date: 1/27/2007 6:09:33 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006

Date: 1/27/2007 5:54:22 PM
Author: Harriet
What do you consider the basics?

I want a skimpy eternity band because I want the focus on the stone. No?

Let me just say this. Unless you get a wedding band with half carat stones across the top, nothing is going to take away from a 3.6 ct. e-ring stone!!!! I at least like the width of the wedding band to be close to the size of the e-ring band, so a wedding band of 10 pointers will be close to 3mm. I have 10 pointers in my band along with a 1.6 ct. stone, so I really can''t imagine you going with less than 10 pointers in your wedding band considering how much larger your e-ring is. Ten pointers are still small, but they wouldn''t be skimpy next to a 3.6 ct. e-ring with a 3mm setting.

I''ll go try some on and see how they look. The problem is I have very short fingers, and so don''t want too much stuff on one.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 1/27/2007 6:10:57 PM
Author: starryeyed

Date: 1/27/2007 4:22:55 PM
Author: Harriet
Thanks!
When is your e-ring coming? F colour? I''m jealous.
Are the Cartier watches cheaper in France? Are there any online dealers here you trust?
The route from my apartment to my office takes me past Locke''s, Tiffany''s, HW and near Cartier. Terrible.
I''ll ''fess up to one more thing - a pave-haloed cushion cut a la HW.

Ha-ha, Harriet, I knew your wishlist was too short! You could probably swing by Graff easily too! Madison, bet. 63rd and 64th. Hee-hee!

My e-ring is being set in a custom setting. It''s taking forever! It''ll be much smaller than YOURS! I''d love an F in YOUR size, but at $75-80K, that will not happen anytime soon.

Cartier re-sets its prices every month to account for the FX, so the only way to really save is by getting the VAT back and not declaring the purchase to US Customs. I wouldn''t endorse that practice though. The advantages to shopping in France are that sometimes they have ''reduced'' prices on pieces and you can buy things that aren''t yet available in the US.

With respect to online watch shopping, be sure to check the BBB online and epinions before buying. I bought gemstones from Gemnation and they have a pretty extensive watch offering - they are very reputable. I''ve used Proworth for other Swiss watches - also very reputable. Sometimes, there are even nice watches on Overstock.com. I think they have quite a few Chopards currently. My Cartier''s I''ve bought from Cartier - I can''t help myself....

Thanks.
I forgot about Graff. I live right on 64th. Oh oh.

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 1/27/2007 6:26:51 PM
Author: Harriet
I forgot about Graff. I live right on 64th. Oh oh.

UH-OH!

Be sure to ask for "Wes" - he's the nicest!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 1/27/2007 6:24:29 PM
Author: Harriet
I''ll go try some on and see how they look. The problem is I have very short fingers, and so don''t want too much stuff on one.

I understand. I think trying them on will solve the problem. If the wedding band is too skimpy, I think it looks like you spent all your money on the e-ring and didn''t have enough left for the w-band.

So by all means choose what looks good, but don''t worry about 10 point stones taking away from the e-ring. Jadeleaves new ring has 10 pointers in the wedding band, and I think it is very well proportioned to her 2 ct. diamond. However, I think the thing that makes the e-ring diamond show up the most is to have the e-ring band be plain like yours is. Then you can have decent diamonds in the wedding band and not feel like the diamonds overpower the e-ring diamond. I do think sometimes the e-ring diamond blends in when both rings have diamonds on the bands.

 

[Harriet]

Starryeyed,
What have you bought from Graff?!

DS,
Thanks. I''ll keep you updated.

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 1/27/2007 6:57:45 PM
Author: Harriet
Starryeyed,
What have you bought from Graff?!

Harriet, you sound like my mother! Ha-ha! I love her to death, so that's a compliment!

She always asks in order to see what she can borrow.

Nothing yet - "Wes" helped us when we were scoping e-rings. We hit all of the big lux stores for comparison. Their strengths seem to be colored diamonds and larger high-quality diamonds.

 

[Harriet]

Their stones are beautiful (or is it just the lighting?). They weird my FI out because they drop prices even before you open your mouth.

 

[Phoenix]

You PS''ers are just the worst (or do i mean best?) influence ever!

I wonder if people are already addicted to jewellery, in particular diamonds, before they come on here or do they turn into diamond-monster because of this forum? We should do a poll on this. He he!! Either way, I am soooo glad i''ve found this forum. It''s great to talk to like-minded people without feeling like you''re bragging or going crazy or both! And I LOOOVEEE, absolutely love reading and seeing other people''s pieces. It''s like therapy, you know.

Harriet, I''m not too keen on Aspial, I am afraid. I find their prices way too high and from what I''ve seen so far, I am not too impressed with the quality. I personally reckon you''re best off buying from the internet, ACA''s seem absolutely divine to me. I also love the "LitteD" that Lucky Sparkle just bought. Not sure how many of you have bought from ERD, would love to hear and see more, more.

 

[Harriet]

LienTN,

Did you see my response to you on your thread? Also, what do you think of all the hearts-and-arrows stones being sold in S''pore?

 

[Phoenix]

I did, thank you, Harriet. I''d say no, mainly because they''re not real H&A, even if the sales people try to convince you they are. The exceptions are perhaps Larry''s Lazzare and one more I forget which. But forget them, they are way way too high, usually 50-100% more expensive than the ''net.

 

[lisaC]

Harriet when you were looking at erings what was the absolute lowest colour you were still happy with? Same with clarity... Kinda like what would mind clean for you. There is no right or wrong choice just what you''d be most comfortable with. There have been a few threads lately about studs and all the possible combinations but it boils down to whether you''d be happy. I do think you probably need to go to somewhere like Tiffany''s to try on a few sizes.. and then you''ll be able to make a decision.
Same with your wedding band. Perhaps you could take a look while at tiffany''s- plain matching knife edge and various carat weights. You might discover that the skinny band may not be what you''re looking for or that you like the minimal plain band but a humongo eternity for your right hand...
Heck since you''re in NY what about making an appointment at signed pieces?

 

[Harriet]

Lisa,

The lowest colour and clarity I wanted for my e-ring were I and VS2. I''m wondering if I can lower those specs for studs. As it is, I''m already hunting for an SI-1 e-ring but in a higher colour. You''re right - I do have to stop by Tiffany''s. It''s always so crowded though.