4 replies to this topic

[Mel1ssa]

I think that the title speaks for itself. My boyfriend and I are shopping for rings. I have settled on a round diamond with a halo of diamonds around it, on a very thin band (as thin as you can get) with diamonds on the band. I want this ring to literally sparkle so much that it causes blindness. Stop me if I am using too many technical terms here .

I do not need a large center diamond - .75 - 1 would be perfect for me. 1 might almost be too big. I don't care about the diamond being perfect in every way, I understand that what is important is the cut here.

We've been to many other jewelry stores and I have found many with the type of setting I want, but the diamonds are not brilliant. In fact, the band and halo stones are often extremely dull. I saw a Hearts on Fire ring that finally was all that I was looking for in terms of blinding - in not only the center but in the halo and band diamonds as well (Repertoire Solitaire). However, I have also heard that HOF rings can be fantastically overpriced. I really want to get the most bang for my boyfriend's buck in brilliance. Can anyone help me out? Ideally, if someone knows of a particular brand that carries diamonds comparable to HOF but is not as expensive, I can look for jewelers who carry that brand. I'm asking about brands because honestly, I do not know all about diamonds, and I don't want to know all about them. I don't want to go on a lengthy search for the most perfect deal for the perfect loose diamond - especially on the internet when I can't accurately gauge it visually. And I don't know how I can visually compare the most well-known brands side by side. But, I'm betting that there will be a few people here who have significant knowledge about diamonds, who know of reputable stores or diamond brands, etc., or who might have some informative tidbits to offer. Who would you trust, where would you look first? I know I could ask for a HOF and my boyfriend would get it, but I'm trying to be kind to him and his hard-earned money!

[denverappraiser]

Mel1ssa,

HoF is, by quite a bit, the most widely distributed brand of ‘super ideal’ diamonds but they are definitely not the only one and you’re right that they’re usually among the most expensive. Most brands are associated with a single store or small network so it depends on what’s available in your town unless you are willing to consider out-of-town sources. Ask the jewelers what they offer in this category and listen carefully to their answers. Evaluating brands can be tricky. Some stand for quite a lot while others mean almost nothing. If you don’t want to go through the trouble to do that, buying an HoF and paying the associated premium price is a perfectly reasonable choice. They make good products and their dealer network consists of reputable stores.

Neil

[jan]

Mel1ssa, on Monday, Jan 21 2008, 02:00 AM, said:

I think that the title speaks for itself. My boyfriend and I are shopping for rings. I have settled on a round diamond with a halo of diamonds around it, on a very thin band (as thin as you can get) with diamonds on the band. I want this ring to literally sparkle so much that it causes blindness. Stop me if I am using too many technical terms here .

I do not need a large center diamond - .75 - 1 would be perfect for me. 1 might almost be too big. I don't care about the diamond being perfect in every way, I understand that what is important is the cut here.

We've been to many other jewelry stores and I have found many with the type of setting I want, but the diamonds are not brilliant. In fact, the band and halo stones are often extremely dull. I saw a Hearts on Fire ring that finally was all that I was looking for in terms of blinding - in not only the center but in the halo and band diamonds as well (Repertoire Solitaire). However, I have also heard that HOF rings can be fantastically overpriced. I really want to get the most bang for my boyfriend's buck in brilliance. Can anyone help me out? Ideally, if someone knows of a particular brand that carries diamonds comparable to HOF but is not as expensive, I can look for jewelers who carry that brand. I'm asking about brands because honestly, I do not know all about diamonds, and I don't want to know all about them. I don't want to go on a lengthy search for the most perfect deal for the perfect loose diamond - especially on the internet when I can't accurately gauge it visually. And I don't know how I can visually compare the most well-known brands side by side. But, I'm betting that there will be a few people here who have significant knowledge about diamonds, who know of reputable stores or diamond brands, etc., or who might have some informative tidbits to offer. Who would you trust, where would you look first? I know I could ask for a HOF and my boyfriend would get it, but I'm trying to be kind to him and his hard-earned money!

There are plenty of blinding ideal cut diamonds out there that you won't have to spend as much on as the HOF diamonds. They have the AGS lab report, hearts and arrows, ideal cut etc.
Also some of them actually have a guaranteed light performance as well as the HOF diamonds don't have that, it can vary on the HOF diamonds.

Edited by jan, 21 January 2008 - 08:51 AM.

[diamondsbylauren]

Hi everybody!
Mel1ssa, another thing you might consider, is looking at round brilliant diamonds that have GIA reports from 2006, and on, which contain a cut grade.
It may be possible for you to see a few of these at a local dealer.
It's possible you'll find satisfaction with one of these.


Below is a 1.78 H. VS2, graded "excellent" cut grade by GIA

Edited by diamondsbylauren, 21 January 2008 - 12:46 PM.

[cera]

Hi Melissa,

I just found your post when searching for HOF "repitoire". Your situation sounds similar to mine...

I already have this ring - and you are right, the diamonds in this setting sparkle like no other stones (apparently they are all individually cut)! However, my FI and I did not want to pay the extreme HOF price. Turns out, you can buy the Repitoire setting separate (apx. 2K), and then get your center diamond somewhere else for MUCH cheaper (try Jeweler's Row in Chi or NYC, which we did - and got a better quality ideal cut 1 ct. for less than the HOF price). The total cost of my ring was thousands less than the HOF ring - plus, we got a bigger & better quality center stone.

I have two warnings for you though:
1) HOF has discontinued the Repitoire ring
2) Because of the small thin band, the Repitoire ring has a tendency for diamonds to fall out...which is sad, but the HOF setting is guaranteed forever, so they will keep replacing them for you at no cost. It's just a pain in the ass.

Hope this info helps you!