Three Stone Ring Advice

[anon34985]

I am considering turning my solitaire into a 3 stone ring and have a couple of questions! My inspo rings are @LLJsmom and @mrs-b

unfortunately the diamond I am working with is neither as big nor as nice as their main diamonds, however, it was an uninformed purchase several years ago, and it's what I have.

it's a 1.7 ex/ex/ex (which is not actually ex cut lol) I VS2 my question is, to get a ratio that looks similar to theirs, what size side stones would be appropriate? My next question is, if i got my side stones to be a true ideal cut would that look silly next to my not well cut center stone?

 

[tyty333]

Can you post your GIA report for your 1.7 so we can check out the numbers on it?

 

[mrs-b]

Can you post your GIA report for your 1.7 so we can check out the numbers on it?

Yes - ditto this. We need to see your stats to see what we're trying to match.

I'm not sure which of my 3 stones you mean, but if you mean my current 3 stone, the sides are roughly 28% of the ctw of the center stone.

So that would mean your sides should be about .47ct each - which is an easy purchase, as a .47ct diamond is as close as you can get to exactly 5mm.

As soon as we can see your GIA certificate, we could almost certainly help you match it.

ETA. Are you open to the idea of a recut?

 

[mrs-b]

I just looked back through @anon34985's threads and found this diamond. Anon, is this your diamond? Having taken a good look at its stats, I have to say, a re-cut seems like the best way to get a top performing diamond, rather than adding two rather poorly cut stones as sides.

Let me know what your preferences are and we'll go from there.

 

[Rfisher]

If you are happy with your centerstones performance - and it’s mind clean for you -
I think there’s nothing wrong with finding more closer to PS ideal cut parameters than what yours is, for the sidestones.

Would it be prudent to get a pair of superideal sidestones if you think it will make unhappiness with your centerstone? Or for someone who it’d never be mind clean to mix? No, I don’t think that’s a good choice. 5mm is large enough to appreciate the faceting pattern with naked eye imo.

Mrs b has kindly given you the percentages to follow for the look. And what a gorgeous and impeccable look those 2 ladies three stone rings are!! :swoon: my faves as well!
But I also think you may need to tweak it depending on your finger size, the setting itself, and the sidestone angle to maybe get the same perspective perception of it on your hand, same to the inspo photos.

 

[LLJsmom]

I agree with the comments of everyone. It’s not a matter of whether it’s silly. It’s a question whether you will notice the difference in Performance between the center and the sides. You know yourself best but defibrillator be brutally honest with yourself. I am guessing better cut side stones will not help. I would prioritize spending your budget on getting a center stone that you are love with. Then the side stones can come later. Those will be less costly no matter what.
My sides are relatively big compared to my center and I have no regrets. This very blingy look is the right look for me. For my own peace of mind I made sure my center was the brightest and best cut stone. My OCD brain needed that. One side is less well cut (my original ering stone) and I can totally live with that. But I know plenty of people that could not and that is fine too. Be honest about what you truly want and what would make you happy. And go for that. In my experience anything less has been just money flushed down the toilet, or what I nicely call a very expensive lesson.

 

[anon34985]

@LLJsmom @mrs-b thank you both for your input! I think I really like the look of the side stones being larger next to the center diamond even a 1/1.5/1 (if I could get a recut to around 1.5)
I have thought of doing a recut in the past, and I would really need to look into it further to know how much weight I would loose. I honestly don't hate my diamond and when it's clean its nice and sparkly haha. My finger is a size 5 for what it's worth!
Another direction my mind goes is after spending the money to recut or taking a huge loss on my current stone, I could probably make the entire ring out of lab diamonds (in which case I would hop on over there) for the same cost. I would need to do more thinking of how I truly feel about lab diamonds and if it would always feel "fake" to me, even though I know they aren't, just takes some getting used to!

 

[momofive]

While I love EG diamonds, I got used to LG real fast when I was looking to upgrade. I couldn’t justify spending that kind of money with all the uncertainty in the world. I’m still waiting on my JG upgrade from JP, but I’ve seen LG diamonds and they are just as beautiful.

 

[Lakefront]

You can mask some of the difference in stone cut by having the side stones tilted a bit and not quite as flat across the top of the ring. That way, you won’t see all of the tables and tops of the stones from one single angle. You’ll see them more in their own and you won’t be mentally comparing the cuts.

I’m not sure if that makes sense but it works for me. It would bug me to see them all from one viewpoint and notice the differences.

Note: tilting the stones helps to mask different cut variations but it will make color differences even more obvious since color is better noticed from the side view.

 

[LLJsmom]

@LLJsmom @mrs-b thank you both for your input! I think I really like the look of the side stones being larger next to the center diamond even a 1/1.5/1 (if I could get a recut to around 1.5)
I have thought of doing a recut in the past, and I would really need to look into it further to know how much weight I would loose. I honestly don't hate my diamond and when it's clean its nice and sparkly haha. My finger is a size 5 for what it's worth!
Another direction my mind goes is after spending the money to recut or taking a huge loss on my current stone, I could probably make the entire ring out of lab diamonds (in which case I would hop on over there) for the same cost. I would need to do more thinking of how I truly feel about lab diamonds and if it would always feel "fake" to me, even though I know they aren't, just takes some getting used to!

I think it’s totally fair to consider all your options. Take your time and do your own due diligence so that you are happy with your final decision. Best of luck to you.

 

[anon34985]

@Karl_K I see you have knowledge about recuts! From the cert posted above would you think my stone would be a strong candidate to recut without loosing too much weight?

 

[Karl_K]

@Karl_K I see you have knowledge about recuts! From the cert posted above would you think my stone would be a strong candidate to recut without loosing too much weight?

No one can say for sure if it can be recut until it is evaluated in person by an expert in the field familiar with diamond cutting.
Given the GIA gross rounding this is just a guess not a fact.
If possible a pavilion only recut to 41 77-78% lgf% degrees would keep a similar size in MM and weigh around 1.6? ish.
This would greatly improve the brightness and liveliness of the stone.

Cutting to a more ideal cut range 58T/33.5ishC/41P/77% lgf% would probably drop it down close to 1.5ish could be under could be over.
The crystal may get in the way here depending on how deep it is the stone.

Again take those numbers with a grain of salt as they are just guesses.
If you are unhappy with it as is I think its worth having it evaluated for a recut.

 

[anon34985]

No one can say for sure if it can be recut until it is evaluated in person by an expert in the field familiar with diamond cutting.
Given the GIA gross rounding this is just a guess not a fact.
If possible a pavilion only recut to 41 77-78% lgf% degrees would keep a similar size in MM and weigh around 1.6? ish.
This would greatly improve the brightness and liveliness of the stone.

Cutting to a more ideal cut range 58T/33.5ishC/41P/77% lgf% would probably drop it down close to 1.5ish could be under could be over.
The crystal may get in the way here depending on how deep it is the stone.

Again take those numbers with a grain of salt as they are just guesses.
If you are unhappy with it as is I think its worth having it evaluated for a recut.

I've just reached out to a local jeweller who does recutting- terrible idea? haha. I don't want to have to hand hold him necessarily but I would like to point him in the right direction incase he isn't very well versed in "ideal" proportions.
Does anyone know if my JM policy covers a diamond being destroyed during recut? I would reach out and ask but don't really want to raise any red flags

 

[Karl_K]

No insurance company will cover a stone doing a recut.
Whats the price per ct of the local guy for a recut?
There are a couple options to send it off for a recut yourself.

 

[anon34985]

No insurance company will cover a stone doing a recut.
Whats the price per ct of the local guy for a recut?
There are a couple options to send it off for a recut yourself.

Okay that is good to know RE:insurance, reading up on someones other thread they felt like theirs was covered for any damage through JM.
he is $289 per diamond, I've reached out to BG and SW diamond cutters.

ETA:starting at $289 per diamond

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

I love the idea of recutting your original diamond, I find it very symbolic. All the years in that diamond, recut to reveal its brightest best.
And with a size 5 finger, you have so many options!

 

[headlight]

No insurance company will cover a stone doing a recut.
Whats the price per ct of the local guy for a recut?
There are a couple options to send it off for a recut yourself.

I don’t know JM’s current coverage on that, but about 4-1/2 years ago I did a recut on a stone I no longer have through a local jeweler who sent it to a cutter on my behalf. I moved the stone over to JM from the coverage I had on my homeowners policy specifically because they offered coverage for breakage during a recut. I don’t think making the inquiry raises any red flags.

 

[Lookinagain]

I've just reached out to a local jeweller who does recutting- terrible idea? haha. I don't want to have to hand hold him necessarily but I would like to point him in the right direction incase he isn't very well versed in "ideal" proportions.
Does anyone know if my JM policy covers a diamond being destroyed during recut? I would reach out and ask but don't really want to raise any red flags

If you don't know his experience in this, stick with BG or SW diamond cutters. You don't want to be his "experiment" when there are well known recutters out there.

 

[anon34985]

If you don't know his experience in this, stick with BG or SW diamond cutters. You don't want to be his "experiment" when there are well known recutters out there.

By the sounds of it he sends the stone away... but the cost of this would be in the $1200 range- a fun development is, he offered me $7200 for my stone. If I could talk him up to around 7500, add the $1200 I'd save by not recutting I would have $8700 (in my mind lol) to put toward a new stone. There is quite a nice second hand ACA been posted on here for in that ballpark. A lot to think about

 

[Lookinagain]

By the sounds of it he sends the stone away... but the cost of this would be in the $1200 range- a fun development is, he offered me $7200 for my stone. If I could talk him up to around 7500, add the $1200 I'd save by not recutting I would have $8700 (in my mind lol) to put toward a new stone. There is quite a nice second hand ACA been posted on here for in that ballpark. A lot to think about

Well, if he's actually giving you cash (and not offering that amount as a trade in value) and you can buy a stone that you like more for around that much I wouldn't let the $300 difference stand in my way. You always have risks with a recut. However, I think you should still get recut quotes from BG and SW. I know somewhere it was discussed what they charge per carat for recuts, but I can't find it now. It may be that the $1200 figure is higher.

Edited to add that the cost of recuts from SW is right on their website and seems much lower than what your jeweler is quoting.

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