Hello, First – I think your site is great. Very good information and non of the marketing ploys. Keep up the good work. On to the situation. My girlfriend is leaning towards a yellow diamond as the primary stone surrounded by white diamonds, similar to an antique style. She has mentioned that “fancy” diamonds are not necessary but still would like some color – possibly in the X,Y,Z category. So I have two questions / dilemmas. Fist, are there any downsides at doing a two tone setup such as this? I have not seen many two tone engagement rings out there and am partially worried that it may come back to haunt us. I know this is some what a personal opinion but I value your expertise. Second, if going in that direction I have not found many retailers that carry non-fancy colored stones. Do you have any recommendations on where / who to look for these types of stones.
Thanks for the kind words about the site! I really appreciate it.
Now about your questions…
Firstly, the style you describe is a very classy one that has no downsides at all. If you get a yellow stone set properly by a jeweler who understands yellow diamonds, you will end up with a very classically beautiful ring.
Secondly, regarding where to find such a stone, you’re in luck. It happens to be that one of my closest friends (and neighbor) is Yossi Polnauer, CEO of fancydiamonds.net. Now, I admit that I am biased, but they really are the best place in the world from which to buy colored diamonds. Firstly, their prices are unbeatable. They are primarily a wholesale outfit – their website brings in some welcome extra income, but the vast majority of their business is B2B. They are one of the largest dealers of fancy color diamonds in Israel. The reason why this is so important for you is that they really don’t differentiate between their retail and wholesale customers. Their prices are very low across the board.
Why don’t you let me know your budget (including the ring), what shape you would like, and ideally what size you would like to end up with, and I will sit down with Yossi and discuss what your best options are and get back to you.
In the meantime, take a look at these few rings they already have set that are similar to the style you describe:
http://www.fancydiamonds.net/view_diamonds/3649.htm
http://www.fancydiamonds.net/view_diamonds/2820.htm
http://www.fancydiamonds.net/view_diamonds/633.htm
I look forward to hearing from you!
……
Yossi sent me the attached pictures. Enjoy!
Thank you for the quick response. Seeing those rings and how they are put together definitely put my mind at ease with the dual tone. Here are some more of the specifics that my girlfriend and I had discussed for her ring.
Cut – Cushion or radiant
Clarity – Looking to try to stay in VS2 / SI range – but as you said on your site it is all about what type of flaws that the diamond has and not necessarily on the actual rating. So I am flexible.
Color – Already discussed, trying to stay in the W, X, Y, Z range and not get into the fancy. The 1064 shown above is pretty much spot on. With the right yellow gold setting the diamond will take more of that bright yellow color.
Carat – Largest of course with the prior criteria. I was shooting for at least 1 ct. Although more is always better.
Budget – I’m looking to spend 5000-6000 USD with ring.
About the ring, she has already found a few local stores that carry several styles that she really enjoyed. The ones you showed above are not that far off. Several key things she is looking for:
-Halo of smaller diamonds around the center stone
-Side stones down part of the band
-Two smaller bands intertwined in the ring
-Majority of the ring white gold but yellow gold is ok to accent the main diamond.
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Take a look at this stone that Yossi found today in the bourse. It’s a real beauty at a great price. It’s fancy light yellow, so its stronger in color than an XYZ. It has strong fluorescence, but it doesn’t dull the color at all.
The price for that stone in a ring like you suggested will be $5800.
That is a very nice one and has definately caught my eye. The price you listed below, would that be the stone by itself or with the ring? In regards to the ring setting — Does Yossi’s company do it’s own mounting or primarly sell loose stones? I’m just curious if there is an inventory of rings of his that I could browse through. If that is the price for the stone and ring combined I think we could be close to something final. Thank you for your continued assistance.
Yeah, that’s the price including the ring. FancyDiamonds.net doesn’t fabricate their own rings, but there are a ton of jewelry manufacturers in the area of the bourse in Israel, so it wont be a problem at all to have a ring made either exactly to your specs, or at the very least something very similar. Why don’t you find a pic of one style you like the most, and we’ll see how close we can get.
She really liked the detail of these two tacori styles. We took a look at one at a local store which she really liked — it is the 2623RDSMP pics (there are 2). She also likes the dual band as shown in the other pic 2573. I think a combination of those would be perfect but even if we left off the dual band she would really enjoy it.
Ok, great. I will discuss with Yossi tomorrow and we’ll see what we can come up with.
……
I spoke with Yossi and he says that in the fancy color business no two rings are alike. Everyone he sells a ring to gets a custom made ring to his/her specifications. He says since every stone is different in size, shape, and color, and since every client has their own very specific tastes (by definition someone looking for a colored diamond wants to be unique), they don’t even bother trying to sell the stock stuff.
The price will remain $5800 as long as the diamonds on the side are pave (and not larger like in one of the pictures you sent in your last email).
So I’m going to pass you on to Chavi, fancydiamonds.net’s head of jewelry. I have CCed her and Yossi to this email. I forwarded them your last email, so they have an idea already of what you’re looking for.
Of course, before they start working on your ring, you’ll have to arrange payment with them. The $5800 is the price for a bank wire (including shipping). For credit card, they’ll need to add 5% to cover related expenses. You’ll be able to work that out with them as well.
I’m always here if you have any more questions. Be well, and I look forward to hearing more from you!
Ira, thank you so much for all of your assistance. I will be sure to write up a recommendation when everything is all said and done.
Unfortunately, I have some bad news. There was a miscommunication before between myself and Yossi regarding the price of the ring. We had priced the diamond at 5200 and the ring at 600 (cost). Basically, the problem is that a ring like this will have to be hand made. I mistakenly thought that a pre-existing mold would already be available. If you would like fancydiamonds to do the ring, they can do one that matches the tacori “2627PRLG”, but it will be $1400 for the ring (so $6600 total). That is their cost from their jeweler. It’s still a fantastic deal at $6600. A tacori ring like this with a stone like this would cost many thousands more in a retail store, and a couple thousand more from any other online store.
I feel really terrible about the mistake.
So I think there are three ways we can move forward.
1) You can stretch your budget, and we’ll still make the ring for you with this 1.53ct diamond for $6600.
2) We can scratch this stone, and look for a smaller/cheaper one to make the whole package fit into your $6000 budget.
3) You can buy the stone loose for $5200.
Please accept my heartfelt apologies once more. I truly hope we can still come up with a viable solution for you that will make you very happy.
I must apologize, after having a long (and frustrating) conversation with my girlfriend. Apparently, the type of ring I thought she wanted and what she actually wants are pretty different. So far we have pretty much come to the conclusion on two things. The yellow stone and the halo. The good news is I think the style she is leaning towards is simpler than I originally thought. I’ve included a few pictures of what, I think, should be an easier ring to come across. Here is a the latest set of criteria that we have discussed.
– Still the halo around the center stone
– Fairly shallow mount (does not want the main stone or prongs to sit high)
– Small adjustment from the images: A smaller sized halo and have the main stone sit slightly higher (she didn’t like the visible spacing between the stone and halo – see HD-B-change HD-A-Change)
– Thin band (single is is fine)
– Intricate classic metal working (such as the numerous notches between side diamonds shown in pics)
Let me know if Chavi or Yossi has something similar to this and can provide any pictures.
I spoke with Yossi and Chavi, and this will work great. Since the ring is being custom made for you, it will fit the diamond perfectly – no space between the diamond and the halo. Chavi even sent me a picture of a similar ring she’s made in the past. I’ve attached them to this email as well. We’ll be able to do this ring and this stone together for 6300 — will this be OK?
I’ve CCed Chavi on this email, so please be in touch with her directly now to make sure she understands your requests perfectly.
—–
(FROM CHAVI):
Hi there. Here we go… Your ring turned out BEAUTIFUL! It Looks like a Fancy Yellow not like a Fancy Light Yellow.
……….
(FROM ME AGAIN): Saw pics of the ring. It looked amazing! Did you get it yet? I’d love to hear your reactions once you see it in person.
I did get it and in time. Chavi was great in expediting the process to I was able to propose exactly how I wanted to, for that I am very grateful. The ring is beautiful! I am still very impressed with the service that both you and fancydiamonds.net provided. Thank you once again Ira for all your help.
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What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
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- One free resizing within the first year of purchase
- High quality images of about half of their diamonds
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