White Gold Princess Cut Engagement Ring?
Q.Finally! My brother is getting ready to buy an engagement ring for his girlfriend, who is a great person. He's not loaded. I've started researching diamonds for him and think the classic, round set in platinum or white gold is the way to go. I prize quality above quantity in a diamond--color, clarity and cut above carat. But--honestly, AFers--what's TOO small? He can swing a high-quality 1/2 carat. Would that be better than a 3/4 or so of slightly lesser quality?
A.I *highly* recommend that your brother read the book, "How to Buy a Diamond" by Fred Cuellar. He charts how much you should expect to pay for a diamond of every size and every clarity, color, and cut quality. He also tells the reader to avoid buying a diamond from a mall jewerly store and gives lots of great advice. I checked and found that the jewerly stores in the mall overcharged by hundreds and even thousands of dollars compared to small independent jewerly stores, not to mention that the mall stores' quality was much lower. This book is a must read for anyone looking to buy an engagement ring. As for size versus quality, it really depends on the preferences of his future fiancee. I am so happy that my husband asked me what kind of diamond I wanted before he proposed to me. He said that left to his own devices he would have gotten me a classic round diamond in a gold band. However when he asked me what kinds of rings I liked, I told him that I favored the emerald cut and the princess cut and that I wanted platinum. I don't care for the round diamonds. He ended up getting me a gorgeous emerald cut diamond with princess cuts on the side in a platinum setting. I love it and am SO glad he asked me what I like. I think you should try to find out what kind of cut your brother's girlfriend prefers. Go shopping with her at a mall and stop by a jewerly store window and fawn over the rings. Try to get her to pick out her favorites. Or ask your brother to ask her which kinds of rings she prefers, or ask her yourself. You may be surprised that her taste is different than yours. I know some women who cherish size over quality. I think it depends on the cut of the stone. For example, a diamond cut with a lot of facets, such as a round cut or a princess cut, can be of lower clarity and still look great because the many facets hide the flaws of the diamond. An emerald cut diamond, on the other hand, has very few facets giving the diamond a very open look, so flaws in the clarity are much more visible. As for color, that is another personal preference. Personally I think that color can be skimped on, but that's just my opinion. Platinum versus white gold is a toss up. (I am assuming that all her other jewerly is silver colored and not yellow gold, btw). If your brother buys a setting that is white gold with platinum prongs, he will save a lot of money that he can invest in a bigger diamond. Platinum is more than four times as expensive as white gold and the settings can get very pricey. But some women really prefer platinum because they know it is higher quality or because they are allergic to gold. So again it depends on her preferences and is another reason that your brother should ask his girlfriend what she likes. I realize that your brother wants to surprise his girlfriend with the proposal, but an engagement ring is an accessory that a woman wears every day of her life. It should be something that she really loves. He really should find a way to ask her what she likes. i'd tell him to first figure out if it's a diamond his gf really wants or likes. 8^) there are some lovely colored stones out there that are beauteous in and of themselves. people *think* diamonds when it comes to engagement rings but both diamonds and white wedding dresses are a recent phenomena in society. for example, my SIL (sister-in-law) did get a diamond as the central stone in her engagement ring but it's mixed with emeralds. her wedding band has little diamonds and emeralds on it. it looks perfect for her, literally and symbolically, and it's one of the nicest "traditional" sets i've seen in a long time. the color added just really sets the whole thing off. if there are any gem shows that your brother can go to i suggest checking them out. you can get a nice stone at a lesser price (not always but it's not uncommon. do encourage him to shop around.) which can be put into setting of choice. also, consider a custom setting. these days, there's not a lot of difference in price to a prefabbed one (the settings in prefabs have improved in variety but not a whole lot in cost). actually, in the neck of the woods i'm from i know of an excellent and reputable jewelrymaker and his custom work beats the prefabbed stuff hands down. last but not least i think what would look good on her hand is pretty important. it's more important than just about anything else. does she prefer yellow gold? white gold? rose gold? platinum? silver? does she have short, thick fingers or delicate ones? does something ornate fit her or will a simple design go over best? as a receiver of such an item i know i'd be more impressed and awed by something that looked perfect for me than in what the best bang for the buck my love could get.
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