$11,000 budget - e-ring advice needed!

[Phillyfan]

My items sold on Yoogies! Yay! Now, I have a lot to play with. I made a huge decision to not invest in putting halo on a marquise ring that I don't love.
So, my plan is to start brand new. Need lots and lots of advice here. I've been visiting tiffanys daily. Not thrilled with my SA. The manager though has been nicer. The ring I'm contemplating has been a .76 fancy yellow soleste for $13,600 before tax. But I'm not going over budget. So I called local jeweler inquiring about having a white diamond soleste made with a GIA cushion stone. Back and forth on the yellow color.

Here are my questions:

1) white gold or platinum setting? Tiffanys is in platinum but if I do white gold that extra $ can go into center stone.

2) I really don't want SI cause my marquise is SI and I don't like it. Is VS2 fine or should I go with VS1? I hear on cushions that color is more important than clarity.

3) Is "G" fine for color on a GIA cushion?

4) And finally, so I'm not being ripped off (family members have purchased here before but they might have been ripped off!) - what kind of price range am I looking at for a VS2 "G" cushion in a double halo white gold setting? They told me about $1000 more to do in platinum. I'm estimating $8,000 for stone and $2500 for setting in white gold.

Do you think that is about right? TIA!

I might look at settings already in the store later today if I can get my nails done! Jeweler is bringing in a few diamonds for me June 29th I think.

 

[NYC Chicky]

Wow congrats on the yogi sales!
I originally had a white gold ring but hated how it would start to "yellow" and would either need to get it redipped/polished for it to be white again. I ended up going w platinum for my upgrade.
Re: clarity / it's more the overall quality of "cut" could be why you don't like it vs. clarity - vs2 (gia) should be ok.
Re: Gia price points, suggest you look at pricescope and see the range for the stone would be.
G is near colorless and perfectly fine - you can probably dip into H /I too but up to you and how color sensitive you are. Try and look in person at stones to see what you like.
Your budget sounds right - varies according to how much work / weight / other stones too.
Good luck and very excited for you!

I would still consider yellow soleste bc if you look at diff people who have posted theirs in other threads - the fancy yellow stands out quite a bc of the double / single halo

 

[4LV]

If it's Tiffany Soleste that you love, would you be happy with a look alike one? If you are not happy with your da, you can find another one. I found that Tiffany's service outstanding.

 

[ame]

My items sold on Yoogies! Yay! Now, I have a lot to play with. I made a huge decision to not invest in putting halo on a marquise ring that I don't love.
So, my plan is to start brand new. Need lots and lots of advice here. I've been visiting tiffanys daily. Not thrilled with my SA. The manager though has been nicer. The ring I'm contemplating has been a .76 fancy yellow soleste for $13,600 before tax. But I'm not going over budget. So I called local jeweler inquiring about having a white diamond soleste made with a GIA cushion stone. Back and forth on the yellow color.

Here are my questions:

1) white gold or platinum setting? Tiffanys is in platinum but if I do white gold that extra $ can go into center stone.

Platinum. The upfront cost is worth it because upkeep on WG is going to cost more in the end. Not to mention, micropave will hold up significantly better in platinum.

2) I really don't want SI cause my marquise is SI and I don't like it. Is VS2 fine or should I go with VS1? I hear on cushions that color is more important than clarity.

I prefer VS1 but this is personal preference. VS2 *should* be eyeclean, but there are some that are not. The important thing is seeing it in lots of lighting conditions from every angle and knowing if it will be acceptable for you.

3) Is "G" fine for color on a GIA cushion?

Absolutely. You could probably even get an H or I if you wanted. IF it's well cut, it's not going to be super warm unless you hold it up against a much whiter stone.

4) And finally, so I'm not being ripped off (family members have purchased here before but they might have been ripped off!) - what kind of price range am I looking at for a VS2 "G" cushion in a double halo white gold setting? They told me about $1000 more to do in platinum. I'm estimating $8,000 for stone and $2500 for setting in white gold.

The stone itself: a well cut G-I VS1-2 in the 1-1.2 ct range will run from 7500-up depending on vendor, and specific characteristics.

Setting costs will vary by jeweler. Make sure that you look at LOTS of their custom work, esp in platinum to make sure their work is well done, and also the stones in them. If the melee is not cut well (not everyone uses good quality melee), it won't sparkle. Just like the main stone, cut is everything.

I would strongly suggest considering the below:


Do you think that is about right? TIA!

I might look at settings already in the store later today if I can get my nails done! Jeweler is bringing in a few diamonds for me June 29th I think.

They have well made settings and nice melee stones, and they're reasonable.

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagemen...k-double-halo-pave-engagement-ring-item-17849
or
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagemen...k-double-halo-pave-engagement-ring-item-17881

Ill pm a nice stone.

 

[Phillyfan]

Thanks! Very helpful. I will go with platinum for sure. And I did get my nails done. So I will check out what is in the store tomorrow and report back. Do you think a 1 carat cushion in a double halo makes a large presence on a size 5 and 1/2 finger?

 

[ame]

Absolutely. Cushions obviously don't face up as large as a round will, but I think they still have a nice presence. And no two are alike, either. You have "wiggle" in the shape, as in you can go more rectangular vs more square to get a "larger" appearance. The double halo though, that makes a big difference.