Dilemma!!! Please Help!

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#31
ame said:
You could check out ID Jewelry or Engagement Rings Direct, both vendors I would trust to give me a quality diamond (there are no "deals" on a good quality diamond, just FYI) or on Long Island you can visit Good Old Gold (Massapequa Park).
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Thank you very much for the suggestions. DBF wants to go to NY on a weekend and it's good to know a few reputable vendors. I understand that with diamonds "you get what you pay for" and luckily DBF said all he wants is for me to be happy so he will oblige with rings similar to what you've suggested on Blue Nile.
 
#32
I like the emerald cut better on your hand. You have great hands and the squarer shape of the rectangle of the stone works to echo the strength and shape of your hands.

I'm with AME and others here. If you can, and it is possible, consider looking elsewhere as well to be sure you get the best stone for the cost and the highest quality.

White gold tends to need refinishing over time, you may want platinum if you can afford it.

Also smaller local jewelers who want/need the business (reputable of course) might have incentive to work out a good price for you as well. I'm sure tPFers in your area might have jeweler recommendations.

Either way, this is a very exciting time and I wish you much happiness!

But...do look around.

Whiteflash.com bluenile.com for stones -- then find a setting.

Also, don't forget Costco! Not super romantic, but they are getting a good reputation for diamonds.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Moms/story?id=1197202

Just a sample from Costco, your local store may have different inventory:

http://www.costco.com/Princess-Cut-...ing-(2.00-ctw)-Platinum.product.11607006.html

But that is platinum with a 1ct center stone, 2 ct overall for $7499.99

I know it's a bit weird and unromantic to go to Costco, though.

You might also try Empire Diamond: http://www.dialadiamond.com/

Best of luck!
 
#33
ame said:
You could check out ID Jewelry or Engagement Rings Direct, both vendors I would trust to give me a quality diamond (there are no "deals" on a good quality diamond, just FYI) or on Long Island you can visit Good Old Gold (Massapequa Park).

Since you're looking at fancies, there's not really a set mark for well cut standards. For emerald cuts you want a higher clarity stone though (VS1 or so would be sufficient), because the way those are cut, inclusions are harder to hide. Body color in larger emerald cuts is also more visible, but not always a bad thing. What you want to pay attention to is that the facets are straight. You want those steps to be perfectly straight. Not wonky. With Ovals you want to make sure that there's not a bad "bowtie" effect. Those tend to also show more body color in larger sizes, as a lot of stones cut that way tend to do (like radiants). You often see fancy colors in ovals, radiants and sometimes cushions for that very reason, their color becomes more pronounced because they're not often cut for light return in the way something like a round brilliant is. Inclusions are often hidden better though, so a nice SI1 could work to your advantage there.
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What's a bow tie effect? Someone mentioned that earlier in the thread. I am very new to diamonds and the knowledge of them so I appreciate everything.
 
#34
saligator said:
I like the emerald cut better on your hand. You have great hands and the squarer shape of the rectangle of the stone works to echo the strength and shape of your hands.



I'm with AME and others here. If you can, and it is possible, consider looking elsewhere as well to be sure you get the best stone for the cost and the highest quality.



White gold tends to need refinishing over time, you may want platinum if you can afford it.



Also smaller local jewelers who want/need the business (reputable of course) might have incentive to work out a good price for you as well. I'm sure tPFers in your area might have jeweler recommendations.



Either way, this is a very exciting time and I wish you much happiness!



But...do look around.



Whiteflash.com bluenile.com for stones -- then find a setting.



Also, don't forget Costco! Not super romantic, but they are getting a good reputation for diamonds.



http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Moms/story?id=1197202



Just a sample from Costco, your local store may have different inventory:



http://www.costco.com/Princess-Cut-...ing-(2.00-ctw)-Platinum.product.11607006.html



But that is platinum with a 1ct center stone, 2 ct overall for $7499.99



I know it's a bit weird and unromantic to go to Costco, though.



You might also try Empire Diamond: http://www.dialadiamond.com/



Best of luck!
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Thank you for your suggestions as well. Before Christmas, DBF and I were at Costco and I saw a couple of rings that were beautiful but I was kind of cautious about it. Thanks for the reassurance. I'll be sure to check out the sites you suggested and keep an open mind.
 
#35
Jasmine K. said:
Thank you for your suggestions as well. Before Christmas, DBF and I were at Costco and I saw a couple of rings that were beautiful but I was kind of cautious about it. Thanks for the reassurance. I'll be sure to check out the sites you suggested and keep an open mind.
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Costco should be ok if you do homework (such as the reporter did with their research). Perhaps they have an expert on staff in that department who could help you source what you want and transfer it in from another store (you can always ask. IF they do, yay! If they don't nothing lost,right?) If they have a solid return policy, you can also buy it, then have it independently appraised. If it doesn't appraise well, take it back and try again or go with another vendor.

Depending what you want, there are lots of ways to go. The great news is that you are going to there together!
 
#36
Jasmine K. said:
Thank you very much for the suggestions. DBF wants to go to NY on a weekend and it's good to know a few reputable vendors. I understand that with diamonds "you get what you pay for" and luckily DBF said all he wants is for me to be happy so he will oblige with rings similar to what you've suggested on Blue Nile.
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You will need to confirm that the vendors I mentioned are open on weekends. A lot of folks working in the diamond business are Jewish and likewise will often shut down early Friday and don't work Saturday.

That's awesome that he's interested in looking outside of the mall to make sure you get a great ring! :)

Jasmine K. said:
What's a bow tie effect? Someone mentioned that earlier in the thread. I am very new to diamonds and the knowledge of them so I appreciate everything.
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It's a "pattern" created due to opposing facets in the "belly" of a fancy diamond (oval, pear, marquise, etc.) of the way light "leaks" out of the stone. It's very common in ovals and most fancies, some are bigger and more obvious than others. Some people like it, some don't. Ideally you'll have very little of it. Most if not all will have SOME form of bowtie. I've seen maybe 2 ever that had none.

A couple really good videos from Good Old Gold that go into ovals:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9zvoO0WHAo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ7hTGmnbZM
 
#37
:yes: I'm pleased ame spoke up and that you're going to look around - the rings in the pics are just not great IMO. I think a halo has to earn it's place around a great centre stone and therefore it really needs to enhance and set-off the brilliance of the centre stone. The halo stones were too large for the centre stones in both rings, proportion all off :nogood:

Upload some pics once you try on new things in NY :D :yes:
 
#38
Thanks again ladies. We're now planning on opting with Tiffany. The question is: does anyone know the quality differences between the Embrace and Soleste Emerald cut and the rings I've added earlier in the thread? They're the same shapes, I would like to know if the halo settings will be proportionate.
 
#39
Significant. The diamonds themselves will be leaps and bounds better, as will the diamonds used in the settings, and the make of the settings themselves. Obviously that comes with a slight pricebump but frankly, worth it in this case.
 
#40
My DH found our jeweler David S Diamonds, who is just off the diamond district, on Yelp and I highly recommend going to see them for a rudimentary diamond education. He ended up choosing them because he didn't feel pressured to purchase and they seemed most keen on making sure we were educated (I don't post here much but I read a lot of the diamond posts and the jeweler reminded me a lot of Ame because they were so helpful). If you would like, I can PM you the contact information for our jeweler. Best of luck with the diamond search! And I do agree with some of the other posters here - the emerald cut does stand out more on your hands but both would be beautiful for you :smile1:
 
#41
I also highly recommend David S Diamonds. If you go there, ask for Amy. She is so knowledgeable and will make sure that she educates you about each diamond that you look at. My fiancé did a ton of research prior to purchasing my ering and found Amy at David S to be the best! We trust her whole heatedly.

As for the two rings you posted- initially I liked the oval much more, but when you compare the two against each other in one picture, the radiant stands out more and has more of a "wow" effect.

Good luck!
 
#43
elliesaurus said:
My DH found our jeweler David S Diamonds, who is just off the diamond district, on Yelp and I highly recommend going to see them for a rudimentary diamond education. He ended up choosing them because he didn't feel pressured to purchase and they seemed most keen on making sure we were educated (I don't post here much but I read a lot of the diamond posts and the jeweler reminded me a lot of Ame because they were so helpful). If you would like, I can PM you the contact information for our jeweler. Best of luck with the diamond search! And I do agree with some of the other posters here - the emerald cut does stand out more on your hands but both would be beautiful for you :smile1:
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luxuryfever said:
I also highly recommend David S Diamonds. If you go there, ask for Amy. She is so knowledgeable and will make sure that she educates you about each diamond that you look at. My fiancé did a ton of research prior to purchasing my ering and found Amy at David S to be the best! We trust her whole heatedly.

As for the two rings you posted- initially I liked the oval much more, but when you compare the two against each other in one picture, the radiant stands out more and has more of a "wow" effect.

Good luck!
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PS--this Amy is not ME. I am not in the trade.
 
#45
:) Thank you!

I just wanted to make sure everyone was clear since the poster after you mentioned asking for Amy. I am not in NYC (though, I'd love to live there...well, in the summer anyway. Screw this winter in the ear!) and don't work in the business.
 
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