Bigger Diamond Solitaire vs Smaller Diamond Halo Setting
“I know that my girlfriend really wants a one carat diamond, but that she also wants a fancy setting like the Sarah Halo engagement ring in platinum, and the reality is that I’m working with a budget of around $10k, and I don’t see the point of spending almost half my budget on a setting! We’re both concerned about the diamond being 100% eye clean, because her girlfriends really scrutinize everything, and we want the diamond to face-up bright and white. Do you think I should focus on buying the best diamond possible for the budget, and just have it set in a simple solitaire? Or is there a way to pull off a halo setting with a one-carat diamond for $10K?”
Deciding which halo setting to buy:
Brian Gavin offers Halo settings are available in a variety of styles, alloy types, and feature different total carat weights of accent diamonds, thus the price is different, the Sarah halo that you reference is a halo setting that features 0.80 carats of accent diamonds, which is pretty substantial, and that contributes to the price! You might consider the Anita halo setting from Brian Gavin, which features a total weight of 0.53 carats of accent diamonds, making it more affordable, it’s about two thousand dollars less than the Sarah halo setting, which is $2k more that you can apply to the diamond side of the equation.
Assuming that your girlfriend simply wants a Brian Gavin halo setting, and she doesn’t absolutely have to have the Sarah halo, the Anita halo seems like the perfect choice, because you can combine that with this 1.017 carat, I-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature ADVANCE round diamond, and be right on target in terms of your budget.
If by chance you or your girlfriend might not like the idea of blue fluorescence in diamonds, there is this 1.003 carat, I-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gaivn Signature Hearts and Arrows round diamond, which will also keep you within budget. I’m sure that your girlfriend will fall head over heels with the hearts and arrows pattern exhibited within this diamond when it is viewed while unmounted through a hearts and arrows scope, and you can give each of the eight hearts a special meaning that is unique to your relationship. Trust me, it’s worth taking a minute or two to do this, you’ll score major points!
Of course you could set aside the concept of the halo setting for a moment, and focus on something larger like this 1.221 carat, I-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature round hearts and arrows diamond and then set it in a traditional solitaire style engagement ring like this classic tiffany half round six prong platinum solitaire, thereby dedicating the majority of your diamond engagement ring buying budget buying the largest center stone possible, and then buy her a halo setting for a special moment like your first or fifth wedding anniversary, people do that sort of thing, we’re all working on a budget and have to decide how we want to prioritize the components of engagement rings and other major purchases.
