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Oh and when I say "already made" I mean ordered 2 days ago, I don't actually have it so I should be able to tweak it a bit still.
I don't know much about gold, BUT my mother did mention to me that if it is 10k it is crap. I know I will get a lot of flack for saying that but just being honest!
IF I were in your position I might go for the bigger diamond and plan to change the setting later. Also, I would go for 14k over 18k as 18k is softer and more likely to scratch or get damaged.
@Gemma_Leigh: 9k will be much harder to resize later. I had a 10k ring with intricate scrollwork and they were unable to resize it properly. Now, that might have been the stores fault. You might ask the company what they suggest. Is there anyway to go with 14K? I think that's fairly standard for rings that will see daily use.
I would rather have the 18k-- but my ring is 18k so I'm biased. I'm also not sure if the increase of the diamond size would be enough to make the switch really worth it.
I wouldn't. Lower quality gold has a higher danger of tarnishing, discoloration or leaving green marks on your skin. Not cool.
I would consider downgrading the metal, but not to increase stone size. 18k gold is softer and may scratch or lose shape more easily than the 9k. 14k is what I have and that's fairly common. It's really up to you though.
I'm thinking a 9k ring will be less durable or not last as long. I found this:
What's Wrong With 9 or 10 Carat?
Nine carat gold only contains 37.5% gold, so there is more base metal than gold. It is not surprising therefore that, like copper, it tarnishes, turns green or black, and does the same for your skin and clothes. Its only advantage over 18 carat is cheapness.
It can also be brittle, and is not as durable as 18 carat.
Ten carat contains 41.7% gold , unless it's American ten carat, in which case it may legally be only 9 1/2 carat, and therefore contains only 39.5% gold. Whichever, it still isn't very much gold, and still more base metal than precious metal.
If you want to wear gold jewellery, don't let us stop you!, also if copper was so wonderful, why doesn't everybody want their jewellery made from it?
In our opinion, 9 and 10 carat alloys aren't real gold.
from this site http://www.18carat.co.uk/why18carat.html
Why so low? Could you get a 14k ring and still buy a somewhat larger stone? Another option would be for you to get the 18k ring now and upgrade the stone in the future, maybe for an anniversary.
@2ndtime: you have to take that information with a grain of salt...it's a company created to PROMOTE 18k gold!
i have a lot of 10k rings and they are just fine. I wash them like all my other gold jewelry and have never had a problem with brittleness or anything. If you have a metal sensitivity you might have problems with it turning your finger or tarnishing, but for the average person...no.
Also...most white gold now is plated in Rhodium which is what gives it the white whiteness of white gold so that will be another layer of assurance for you. If you want yellow gold this is invalid.
My ring is 10K white gold and Ive had it for four years with no problems :)
@mcklough: well, it's not really inaccurate. The compound and therefore the chemical properties of 10k gold versus 18kt gold IS different, hence why one is more expensive then the other. Here is a better less biased site, outlining the differences:
http://www.pricescope.com/wiki/engagement-rings/gold-rings
10 karat Gold - The lowest common gold alloy is not considered gold in some places, as the content is less than %50 gold. It's hard, but it can tarnish a bit. It's lighter in color and considered a low-end alloy,
12 karat The strongest gold alloy out there, half gold and equal parts silver and copper is very hard. It is not commonly used except as an overlay on gold filled jewelry.
14 karat The most common mid-grade alloy available. It's popular in the US, and it holds up well. It's the most common for decent quality jewelry.
18 karat Considered high quality in the states, and it's 75% pure. It shows a richer color, and it is a softer metal.
20k, 22k and 24k Very soft and almost pure or pure with a deep rich color. It's the norm in Asia and the Middle East and has ancient cultural associations.
I would downgrade but not to 9K, I'd go 14. It's actually stronger than 18 and I think it looks the same (my ering was {lost it, hence the was} 18k, my wedding band is 14K. I personally think they look the exact same, however, I do have yellow gold. I wouldn't go lower than 14K though, my RHR is 10K and pretty intricate- in the swirls it almost looks tarnished. Also, my RHR (which I've been wearing for a year less than myband) is no longer a perfect circle, telling me that it's a lot less stron than 14K. I wear my rings all day. They both take their fair share of beating.
I cant imagine that downgrading the gold would save enough to see any sort of difference in diamond size, so I'd keep the 18k gold.
@thursdayschild: This. I think you should downgrade (preferably to 14k if y'all have it) not to get a bigger diamond, but because 18k is really soft, and you'll want it to be as durable as possible while retaining quality.
My Ering is 10k. I love it, and I was so in love with it that I couldnt find anything else that came close.
I have never had issues with it tarnishing, being discoloured, leaving marks on my finger. And had it resized (down 2 sizes) just fine.
In the beginning I wanted a higher grade gold, but I just could not find anything else that compared unless I wanted to pay 5 times the price.
So no complaints from me here.
And I think its crazy how expensive gold is these days!!!
Bigger diamond. Its easier and cheaper to upgrade your setting than your diamond. I would also prefer to always keep my original diamond as I feel it is more sentimental than the actual setting.
I'm with the 14 k club, mostly so it's not so soft. I have 14 k white gold and I wouldn't change it.
I have lots of 10 kt gold rings (like my school ring I've had for ages) and my original engagement ring was 14 kt. I never wanted anything higher because I liked yellow gold and didn't like the colors of the higher kt weights. Never had a problem with tarnishing, sizing, etc. and they are stronger than 18 or higher (less likely to bend and break although it can still happen). I'm not familiar with 9 kt, but do your research online before making a decision.
@Miss Orchard: It actually gets softer the higher you go...18 kt is softer than 9 kt.
How much bigger of a stone can you get?? I would see what your jewelr recomends, I would say to do 14 Kt not sure how much that drops the proce down, also you want to make sure that you dont weaken the prongs and that they will be ok to hold a stone for a long time even if you bump it. It may not be worth it if its not much bigger then the one you have already picked out
maybe instead of going straight from 18 to 9 you could go somewhere in the middle like 14.
@Gemma_Leigh: I don't think downgrading to a lower karat would make a lot of difference; if anything, it will just been a couple hunderd dollars.
It's pretty commonly known in the jeweler industry that 10K and under is generally unsuitable for fine jewelery that is expected for long term quality wear. I do tend to agree with the others who said not to get 18k though. I wanted white gold for a band but they only had 18k or platinum. My mom works at a jewelery store and told me exactly what everyone is saying on this thread about 18k, so I ended up with platinum, which I don't really like all the much either. I wanted 14k. 10K is the minimum they even sell in the US. 9K isn't even considered gold because of how low the gold % is. In that case, if you really don't care about quality, I would just save the money and buy silver or another metal as long as your fingers don't change color.
Is there a reason you want a bigger stone? Just so it looks big? Sometimes you can get a great cut on a ring that gives it more surface area on the top and therefor it looks bigger. Just a suggestion.
Not that engagment rings really hold value (in the sense no one plans to sell it for money) but gold is going to go up in value over the years so upgrading later may cost a lot more...where as diamonds prices pretty much stay the same. something to think about :)
@allergicbee: Best advice on this thread. I would go with the 18k. We are ring shopping now and yes it is softer metal but it's a better quality metal. I'm hoping for a platinum but if we can't swing it I'd be very happy with an 18k.
I work in jewelry and we always recommend gold with 14k or higher. The base metals in anything below 14 will eventually come out and react to the gases and liquids they are exposed to.
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My fiancé and I have gone the custom route for my ring. We have already made it etc it is 18k white gold (we're in Australia so I beleive your carat gradings in gold may differ) my centre stone is .7 carat. I don't want the price to go up more for my FI just because I want a bigger diamond and I don't want to sacrifice quality of the diamond so I was wondering if I should go from 18k down to 9k? I can't tell the difference what they look like so it seems like it would be an okay move...
What do you lot suggest??? Thanks!