Archive for side stones
Q: Wow Ira, there is so much to take in when researching this stuff!! Thanks for such a great site (it has certainly helped a LOT), hoping you could give some more of your time to answer a few more questions?
I’ve got a budget of about $8K for the entire ring. I’m aiming for a round brilliant centre stone of around 1.2ct, set in a white gold band with smaller diamonds either side of the main diamond. Similar to a 4-claw version of:
www.diamondexchange.com.au/tray/index.php?main_page=ring_builder&cat=23&s=rb&sku=3977
I assume that the ring and side stones will cost about $1700 to buy and put together, leaving about $6.5K for the centre stone.
So, regarding the centre stone, what should I be looking for (GIA of course)? Your guidelines recommend the lowest eye-clean clarity possible, ie SI1/VS2, Ideal/Excellent cut, Good or better symmetry & polish which I am happy with.
Initially I was hoping for F or better colour with No fluorescence but that might push the price up a bit too far. You suggest H-J colour with Medium Blue fluorescence as a better ”bang for your buck” buy (particularly in a silver coloured ring), is this still a good idea given that there will be other diamonds beside it in the setting? Can you suggest any particular diamonds that would be suitable?
Also, can you offer any guidance for the smaller stones, or is it better to purchase locally from the jeweller who ”assembles” the ring?
Something else that I need to bear in mind is that anything that I import from overseas will incur about 15% in customs duty and taxes, plus insurance. Am I way off the mark with my budget?
I appreciate your help and thanks again for such an informative website.
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Q: First I’d like to say great site! I read the entire thing and recommended it to a friend.
I’m purchasing an engagement ring and the setting I chose is from James Allen:
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/Platinum-3-Stone-Pave-Set-Diamond.html?a_aid=dmnd1357
I’ve done a lot of searching for the center stone using the guidelines from your site. What I’ve noticed is that color seems to be the biggest factor for price difference (after carat weight of course). You recommended to match color of the center stone with the side stones. I was wondering how critical this is?
For example, the setting comes with F-G side stones, would an I color center diamond look out of place? The reason I ask is you can get a much larger stone for the same money by dropping to I color.
Thanks for your help, it’s much appreciated.
PS – My budget for the center stone is $4500
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Q: I am currently in the planning stage of ring shopping, and you website has been incredibly helpful. After reading through your site, and doing lots of recon, I’ve been looking at diamonds and settings trying to make a plan and a budget. I do have a few questions: After browsing through settings on James Allen, http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-colored-sidestones/Pear-Shape-Blue-Sapphire-Ring.html?a_aid=dmnd1357 really stood out to me. Knowing that fluorescence can give a slight blue-ish glow in sunlight, I wondered if coupling a fluorescent stone with sapphire sidestones would yield a particularly eye catching arrangement. My soon-to-be fiancée prefers princess cut diamonds. You mentioned, while giving advice to another diamond-buyer, that triple excellent stones do not happen by accident, so a triple excellent stone would more likely have a great cut. However, your mention of symmetry and polish on the cut page said to ignore those criteria as they were nearly undetectable with the naked eye. Which piece of advice supercedes?
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Following yesterday’s pick of the best Hearts & Arrows Ideal Cut Round Diamond for $12,000, today we present you with the best H&A Ideal Cut diamond for $11,000.
Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the AGS Certificate):
Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge
Carats: 1.20
Diamond Color: D
Diamond Clarity: VS2
Diamond Cut: Ideal
Measurements: 6.85*6.88*4.22
Depth: 61.5%
Table: 53.6%
Crown Angle: 34.7°
Crown %: 15.8%
Pavilion Angle: 40.7°
Pavilion %: 42.9%
Diamond Polish: Ideal
Diamond Symmetry: Ideal
Diamond Fluorescence: None
James Allen Engagement Ring
Diamond Price: $11,380
Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TAD0611 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!
You might have noticed during my current daily diamond series of the best Hearts & Arrows Ideal Cut round diamonds for various budgets that I’ve also tried to highlight a different style concept in engagement rings each day. Today I will try to continue this pattern.
Another style that I love is where the shank of the engagement ring is studded with small side stones that are larger than typical pave diamonds. Most pave diamonds are about 0.01 carat. The side diamonds of today’s ring are 0.05 carat each. 0.05 carat diamonds are usually about 2.4mm across while 0.01 carat diamonds are approximately 1.35mm across. The difference is quite significant and truly changes the look of the ring. In the industry, pave-size diamonds are referred to as “stars” while diamonds between 0.02ct and 0.07ct are referred to as “full cuts.”
James Allen has several rings with side diamonds of this size. My personal favorite among their selection is their 18k White Gold Common Prong Ten Briliiant Diamond Engagement Ring.
Q: Dear Ira, My friend told me about your site and am very glad he did. I was hoping to glean some wisdom from you regarding topping this ring off with a real fireball: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/ring/item_58-2115_design.asp?module=setting It’s a beautiful ring, but has taken a good chunk out of my $5,000 budget ($2,280 for 18k white gold). So, my question to you: would I be able to find a diamond that would compliment this ring and keep the total under $5,000? I would prefer Ideal or even the hearts & arrows cut, but don’t have any preference on color. I would like the center diamond to be large enough to stand out among the two side stones (approx. .22 carats each). When I was at a jewelry store, I noticed that a center/side stone diameter ratio of around 1.5 started to bring the desired results, which I guess would be around .75 carats for the center diamond for this ring (with knowledge of sidestone weight and http://www.zales.com/jewelry101/index.jsp?page=diamonds_Carat). With all that said, the bigger, the brighter, the better. Thank you for any suggestions!
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Q: Glad to come across your site! I’m very near a final decision, but wondered what you thought about the following questions: I’m really attracted to the eternity bands, especially the bezel-set ones, and figure these will provide more comfort, protect the diamonds, keep them cleaner and so on. I want to be practical, however, and have received conflicting advice on the wear that occurs to a eternity band. What is your opinion of an eternity band? I’d like to put a single round brilliant on top of this eternity band, and find various prices. I’m looking at cut as the most important factor. Color and clarity are relative to this untrained eye. So, an Ideal or Excellent cut, g-h color, SI1 or greater, .5-1 ct. I’m trying to stay between 3-4k for the whole ring. I’ve found (more than) a few options in stores and online. Do you advise staying with a local jeweler, or buying online? Hope this info is helpful to you. Thanks for your attention.
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