Where to spend your $$ -- center diamond or setting?

[jellybean]

Here''s another question for my cousin.

My 23 year old baby cousin is looking at e-rings. She has found a diamond wedding set that she totally loves, however if she gets it her budget only allows her a .75ct center. If she doesn''t get the set and opts for a plain solitaire and relatively plain band, she can get a center stone closer to 1ct.

Most people are telling her to get the bigger stone now and get the setting of her dreams later as her tastes may change anyway and also b/c she may not get an upgrade as soon as she would like. However, she LOVES the set that she picked out and is afraid she''ll regret not getting it.

So where would you put your budget -- toward the center stone or more toward the setting?

I should add that she''s looking at rounds for her center diamond.

Thanks!

 

[Momoftwo]

Stone. I agree wth waiting and changing the setting later.

 

[Sunni79]

I''d go for the bigger stone. A setting can always be purchased a little later.

 

[mrssalvo]

hmmm, i agree most will say to put the $ in the stone and get the setting later. I guess for me it would be how long is later...6 months, 5 years? How important is the 1 Carat mark. If I could get the bigger stone now and the new setting in a few months time, I would do that. Would her jeweler let her put the new setting on layaway? Do they have an upgrade policy on the stone? Then maybe she could get the wedding set she loves and over the next year or two upgrade the center stone. It''s a tough call and ultilmatey she is going to have to decide what will make her happy...

 

[sjz]

Date: 5/29/2005 4:28:31 AM
Author:PB & J

Here''s another question for my cousin.

My 23 year old baby cousin is looking at e-rings. She has found a diamond wedding set that she totally loves, however if she gets it her budget only allows her a .75ct center. If she doesn''t get the set and opts for a plain solitaire and relatively plain band, she can get a center stone closer to 1ct.

Most people are telling her to get the bigger stone now and get the setting of her dreams later as her tastes may change anyway and also b/c she may not get an upgrade as soon as she would like. However, she LOVES the set that she picked out and is afraid she''ll regret not getting it.

So where would you put your budget -- toward the center stone or more toward the setting?

I should add that she''s looking at rounds for her center diamond.

Thanks!

I would normally say to for the bigger stone, but in this case, the size difference between .75 and "closer to 1 ct" may not be all that significant. If she truly loves the setting, and it''s something particularly unique or special and something she''s going to want to wear for a very long time, I''d vote for getting the setting she wants now and waiting for the upgrade on the stone later on down the road.

 

[Mara]

.75 and 1c is a big difference on the hand...we are talking about a 5.9mm diameter of a well-cut .75c vs a 6.5mm diameter of a well-cut 1c. That is a difference of about 0.6mm which is MORE than what my last upgrade from a 1.29 to a 1.60 took me to and my stone now looks much bigger than my old one. In a smaller stone like a 1c, that 0.6 will make a visual difference in a big way IMO.

Personally I agree with getting the bigger stone now and getting the setting later. ESP with how diamond prices have been going up, that setting may go up $100 in the next year but the diamond upgrade may cost her an additional $500 in a year. Who really knows...but I would take my chances with the costs of metal being less than costs of diamonds the way things have been going.

Also, it will give her a chance to wear something simple on the hand and decide what she absolutely wants for the set, tastes do change over time as well!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

How difficult will it be for your cousin to find that setting in the future? If it''s unique then I''d say purchase the setting rather than the larger diamond. But, if the setting can be found later, I''d recommend purchasing a stone closer to one carat IF your cousin likes simple settings.

Many believe that the setting is so important as part of the package that they choose reduce the center stone for a better overall appearance. . .it''s really a matter of preference for your cousin

 

[ame]

I wouldprobably never spend more on the setting. Partly because simpler on me looks better. And if I want a Leon Mege someday I want a honker to put in it.

 

[flower12]

I go for 1ct center stone and settingl later.
also I would make sure that buy the center stone where I can up grade in the future.

then I would start saving for future setting or up grade .
so far I did change E-ring''s setting 4 times in past 17 year''s.
because just changed mind or because of it''s become out of fashion ( I thought)

 

[aljdewey]

I'd also chime in and say "get the larger stone now, upgrade setting later".

If she does decide to go the other way, though, she should find out if it would be possible to modify the setting (changing the head, etc.) to fit a larger diamond later. If she buys a .7 now and gets a 1.10 later, and for some reason the head cannot used, she's paid all that money for a setting that won't let her upgrade.

 

[sjz]

I think I find it sort of interesting that most of you would want to get the bigger diamond instead of the setting. Which are most people more sentimental about? The stone or the setting? When upgrading, do most people get both a new setting and a new stone?

When I got married, instead of a wedding "set", I had an ering and a wedding band. I''ve upgraded both the diamond and the setting a couple of times over the years, but I still have the original wedding band and I wear it all the time. No matter how many times I''ve upgraded or reset my diamond, I would never part with the "original" ring I was married with. If I had been married with a wedding set, I probably would still be wearing it...maybe with a bigger diamond than the original, but I''d still want to wear the original.

If this wedding set is something that the girl intends to be married with on her wedding day, I would think that setting would be what she would want to spend her money on now, and put the larger stone in later if she wants to upgrade. I haven''t seen too many rings that you couldn''t put a larger stone in, especially if you swap out the head or re-work the prongs. It might only get tricky if you decide later on that you want a completely different shaped stone, like going from a RB to a princess or something like that. Even that isn''t always impossible.

But if she''s not the sentimental type, and doesn''t mind getting married with one ring, and getting a different style of ring later on down the road, then I suppose going with a larger diamond might be the thing to do.

There''s always the whole "shrinkage" issue. I still don''t think that there is that much of a significant difference between the .75 and "closer to" one carat. I guess it would depend on how much "closer" that would mean. If she is talking .8 to .85 or something, the size difference would be barely noticable. If she is talking more like .95 to .98, possibly. But what if she does forego the setting she wants for a plain one with the larger diamond, and the shrinkage thing sets in...and the diamond doesn''t really seem all that big after all, and now she''s got what still "seems" like a smallish diamond in a plain band. Will she have buyers remorse and wish she''d gone with the fancier wedding set? Tough call.

 

[Regular Guy]

Seems like it''s personal preference. Whereas for myself, the focus wholly was on optimizing my wife''s diamond, and all thoughts about the setting were secondary...seems like your cousin does have a thing for this set. There''s no rules. With a statement like:

" However, she LOVES the set that she picked out and is afraid she''ll regret not getting it."

I think she will be right. She may never need to upgrade, and if she chooses to do this later, lovely. Meanwhile, she''ll know for sure she will have gotten something she did know she wanted...no regrets about that. Of course, if she should later, in her shopping, stumble across a bigger diamond she''ll then have regret about not getting, that may be a different story, and she''d have to choose one regret for another. For the meantime, seems like keeping things simple, and based on known quantities, may be the clear way to go.

Sorry to be perhaps a minority. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Mara]

For me personally I am not sentimental at all re jewelry, not even as sentimental as I thought I'd be on the w-ring.

For some settings are very important and 'showcase' the diamond, while for others the diamond should shine and the setting should be very simple. It's a very personal question...

But she does mention that she wants to upgrade the stone later...so I take that to mean the stone size would be important. I love different types of settings and sometimes wish I could 'snap change' my stone into another setting for something different at times, so I can see not getting attached to a setting or switching it out and keeping the stone. For me I would switch out stone or setting. It'd be great to be able to keep the original set but for us it would not have made sense cost-wise.

Anyway, it obviously depends on the gal in question and what she thinks, but my two cents is that if the setting will be there a year or so from now, then maximize the stone which to me is the heart of the ring. And again, appreciation re: pricing..she may regret if she doesn't get the stone at a lower price now. If a 1c is 20% more in a year...(who knows with the way things are going now), and the setting is $150 more in a year, money-wise it is smarter to go with a larger stone now IF she thinks she wants one anyway. Practically speaking I guess.

re: 'closer to' a carat..I agree re: .80 or .85 not being too much of a difference but something like a .93c well-cut would be 6.4mm which is still a huge jump over a 5.9mm .75c. So if it is .90 or over for me it would be large enough difference visually to make the difference count.

 

[afrodyt2000]

since I''m not really a fan of plain settings unless the diamond is 2 carat or above, I would choose the setting. I have this issue myself because I could get a plain platinum setting for maybe 500 and put another 1000 towards the diamond, but I''d rather a setting with diamonds and antique engraving and such. I may be in the minority but I can''t see myself wearing a solitaire.

 

[michela002]

I think it''s really a matter of opinion.

If I''m going to get sentimental about anything to do with my (future) e-ring and w-band I think it will be the setting that I will be attached to, rather than the stone. I want "my ring" (aka the setting I love) and will get whatever stone will fit into the budget with the money left over. it''s not like I would spend 12 times as much on the setting, but to me changing the centre stone isn''t as noticeable as changing your whole wedding set. I''d rather get my "real" ring with a smaller stone and upgrade the diamond later, than get the slightly bigger stone and reset it later, which would feel like a whole new ring to me.

If she truly loves the setting I say go for it! It''s just personal preference. If she loves it, why shouldn''t getting what she loves be a priority?

 

[Momoftwo]

Having been there and upgraded, I kept my original stone and sold the setting to the jeweler who reset it. The diamond will last a lot longer than any setting. Metals wear down over the years. My feeling is the stone is what your fiance is presenting to you. The setting is the package.

 

[jellybean]

Thanks for the replies. I''ll pass the PS Expert Opinions to my cousin.

I''ll clear up a few things. She would love close to a 1ct stone, meaning .9 - .98ct however she''s willing to get the smaller stone b/c of this setting. This setting could accomodate a larger diamond if she upgrades in the future - according to the jeweler it''s a matter of switching the head. It''s not a really unique setting (at least according to the picture she sent me). It''s a cathedral setting with 4 bead set rounds on each side with a matching bead set wedding band. I believe there is some engraving on the sides and miligrain along the edges. Not a designer setting, just one she saw in the case at the jeweler. They do have a pretty good upgrade policy, however she probably wouldn''t upgrade for at least 5-10 years.

She is kind of sentimenal in that she doesn''t want to be changing her wedding set several times over the years. I have suggested she get the fancier band and a plain solitaire if she always wants the wedding band she was married with.

She is leaning toward the set b/c that''s all she talks about. I get the feeling the center stone is secondary.

She also really doesn''t see paying more for an ideal cut round, even though I have showed her the difference b/c an ideal and non-ideal cut stone (using my own rings as examples). My PS and diamond obsession has not had an effect on her.

Like most people it seems, if it''s "sparkly and pretty" that''s all that counts. Incidentally her own family is telling her to get the set.

 

[codex57]

Whatever she values more. If she values the set, then get the set. I''d like to see a picture of the setting tho. Just cuz you can change the head to accept a bigger diamond doesn''t mean it''ll look right. We asked the same quetion to the jeweler I bought the e-ring from. He said he could do it of course, but he didn''t recommend it cuz it would look awkward on that setting with such a big head. That particular setting didn''t have the head mounted yet so he showed me different sized heads and he was right. It did look funny. I''d have your cousin take a look at different sized heads in that setting to make sure the option of upgrading using that setting is still an option.

Personally, both me and my fiancee feel the diamond is what''s important. In the end, it''s just a symbol so you can feel important about whatever you want. But since the diamond is what costs the most money (in our situation anyways), that got the most value.

 

[jellybean]

Here''s a set from Stuller that is very similar to the one she''s looking at, except hers does not have a fancy open gallery like this one does.

She''s really not a jewelry type so I doubt if she did upgrade she would get anything larger than a 1ct (at least in the immediate future anyway).

 

[jellybean]

Sorry, that was the gallery, I thought I was posting the top shot. Let''s try it again!

 

[sjz]

That type of setting looks very elegant. My sister has one similar. I think that a bigger diamond would work in that down the road. Especially since she might not even want to go bigger than 1 ct.

I know I am one of the few dissenting individuals when it comes to what''s more important to sink the money into, the setting or the stone. I''d rather be happy with my "original" wedding set and sink my future upgrade money into a bigger diamond for my ering. Or even consider using the money later on for bigger stones for other rings, like maybe a killer RH ring or anniversary ring, or diamond bracelet or that type of thing. But like everyone says, it''s all a matter of personal preference. If your cousin is not big into jewelry, and this is pretty much going to be "it" for her, I think that she should get whatever she really has her heart set on. I''d say if she could get a stone that was considerably bigger, like 1.25 or something, it might be worth sacrificing the fancier setting and going with a cheaper plain one for now, and keeping her eye on the type of setting she really wants. But going from .75 to LESS than 1.0 probably isn''t going to make enough of a visual impact to make up for not getting the setting she really wanted.

I know that what Mara says is true...a well cut .9 or .95 stone might look significantly bigger than a .75...BUT, that would probably mean getting an ideal cut stone which is going to fetch a higher price. But will she be pleased with it if it''s in a very plain setting?

I currently have a .743 H&A cut RB in a fairly simple setting. It looks plenty big to me. Compared to my friends 1.0 carat, it looks pretty much the same size. If your cousin could afford the .75 stone in an ideal cut, and put it in the setting that she''s really wants, I''m thinking she will be pleased.

 

[hlmr]

Definitely go for the larger stone now and the setting later.

Heather