Post # 61
Member
318 posts
Helper bee
franklymydearidont: Huh. When we picked out my ring, we were told to go with the setting we liked and a diamond that we could afford. The jeweler told us that if we want to upgrade the diamond eventually, we can bring it back and they’ll give us full price for that diamond so that we only have to add money to get a bigger one later on. So we went with their suggestion and definitely don’t regret it. The setting I chose would be easy to alter for a bigger diamond (unless we talking about going from 1 caret to 2 carets and not from .8 carets to 1 caret).
Post # 62
Member
6299 posts
Bee Keeper
Second setting and larger diamond! I like the BG solitaire more anyway.
Post # 63
Member
568 posts
Busy bee
The size difference won’t be overly noticeable if you dont have them side-by-side.
That being said, I can offer 2 comments (which I used when considering mine): Get as much diamond as you can – ring shrinkage is real. 2) The simple setting could be upgraded in the future for a lot less cost than the diamond.
2 is my preference style wise (regardless of size of stone).
My friend has a 2.3 carat stone, mine is 2.23 ct (centre) and you cannot tell the difference unless one person wears them side by side!
Happy shopping!
Post # 64
Member
743 posts
Busy bee
I’d rather have a beautiful setting than a bigger rock. Quality not quantity. 🙂
Post # 65
Member
2394 posts
Buzzing bee
Interesting. I haven’t read all of the comments but I voted for a larger diamond over the more extravagent setting (because I like big diamonds – one day!). However; after seeing your pictures and looking more closely at the specs, I would go with Option 1. The size difference is nominal and the setting in option 1 is goegeous. You could always upgrade the diamond later if you wanted to!
Post # 66
Member
4698 posts
Honey bee
I would definitely pick #2. The first one has way too much going on..
Personally, I think the ring is all about the feature stone. I’d much rather a bigger centre stone than a setting that will look dated in a few years.
Post # 68
Member
594 posts
Busy bee
Yes the size difference we are talking about will be noticable. The diffetence is .30 carat. The difference between a 2.3 and a 2.23 is .07. And if you are thinking of upgrading in the furture make sure you get in writing exactally what the requirements are. Some places you can do that but you need to spend double what you paid for the origional diamond. There are lots of different requirements on trade-ins for upgrades.Â
Post # 69
Member
4643 posts
Honey bee
Go for the larger diamond. I think there is more wow factor there than the smaller one in the more intricate setting.
Post # 70
Member
318 posts
Helper bee
Mdmc: I think it definitely depends on the jewelers and their upgrade offerings, so to OP, no matter what you choose, you should look at the store’s options for upgrades on settings AND stones. For example, the jeweler we went with allows us to upgrade, for life, ring or stone. To upgrade the setting, we can trade in the old setting but have to pay $500 minimum toward a new setting. To upgrade the diamond, however, we only have to pay $1 past what the original diamond cost (so if the diamond we’re upgrading cost $3,000, we can find and switch to a diamond that is $3,001 and only have to pay them a buck). I really like that, and that’s why I chose the setting first. But yeah, not all places do that, so check before you make a final decision.
Post # 71
Member
12291 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
I agree with the OP that the difference between 1 and 1.3 is both noticeable and significant. See her earlier post that shows the comparison. Proportionally it will look like a much bigger jump in size than between 2 and 2.3. even though there is also a visible difference there IMO.
Post # 72
Member
1296 posts
Bumble bee
It’s barely more than a half millimeter difference. In all reality, that is a very, very small amount, no matter which way you twist the numbers.
Post # 73
Member
1296 posts
Bumble bee
That diamdb site is not at all accurate. I ran several scenarios myself while ring shopping, and I ended up getting out a ruler and drawing them myself. And you won’t have both diamonds side by side for more than a minute, and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference without them next to each other.
Post # 74
Member
1296 posts
Bumble bee
For all intents and purposes, the OP really won’t miss the extra .6 of a millimeter, but will probably become bored with the plain setting.
Post # 75
Member
92 posts
Worker bee
My vote is definitely for the Brian Gavin. Although I must say, I am pretty biased as that is where my husband bought my ring. Brian Gavin’s diamonds are so STUNNING! I have the knife edge solitaire with an eternity band and I think it’s perfect!Â
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