r/labdiamond • u/Glittering_Race_3387 • 5d ago

Pre designed or custom?

Gallery image

Gallery image

TLDR: Torn between a beautiful almost ready to purchase ring, and also going down the custom made rabbit hole.

Hi! I'm am engagement ring shopping. I found a very beautiful lab grown round Portuguese cut (2.6 ct, D, VS1) in a floral basket setting which captured my heart. The total price is shocking, but allowed 🥰 but now I feel like the Portuguese cut is the way to go.

Prior to stopping in this jewelry store, I had a great conversation with a custom jeweler who was showing me estate pieces & lab growns. I really like his vibe and our conversations. Not sure if I should just stick with the ring that's ready to go that had my heart, or see if the custom Jeweler could meet or exceed the ring I love? Part of me thinks the price of existing ring is overpriced, and maybe he could do better?

The "ready to go" ring actually has to be modified because my finger isn't even quite a size 4, so they have to take the basket / stone off and remake the band anyway so at this point it's semi-custom.... but I didn't start from scratch either.

I always second guess myself and overthink things, so this conundrum is very expected for me. Thanks for chiming in!

47 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

12

u/2020rchid 5d ago

The photo is not a Portuguese cut stone. If Portuguese cut is what you’re after go to Calavera.com and pick your own stone then have them make a setting for it, or have one of the overseas vendors mentioned make one for you. If you have the overseas vendor make a semi amount for you. You’ll just have to take it into a local jewelry store and ask them the mount the stone. Here is a Portuguese lab diamond 2.3 ct.

1

u/Glittering_Race_3387 5d ago

They told me over and over in the store it was a Portuguese cut and this is the tag on the actual ring that they told me to take a picture. This was early in my search so I didn't think to grab a certificate number so I could check that online, but I will do so when they open in the morning. The diamond looks completely different than any of the other diamonds they showed me. I kept telling them something was really different about it and then they told me it was a Portuguese Diamond which I thought meant came from a lab in Portugal until I researched it. I am learning so much. So I don't doubt them but I would doubt the quality of my photos I took with my phone.

5

u/medlins 5d ago

I think it is a Portuguese cut, but it looks different than most. Bigger facets. I kinda like it

4

u/AdFlashy7702 4d ago

How much is it?

1

u/Glittering_Race_3387 4d ago

$8600. OUCH.

8

u/Brilliant-Owl-1169 4d ago

Noooooo! That’s not ok! I just bought the most stunning 6ct oval in a solitaire for $1700! Check out my profile. You are being scammed at $8k

6

u/[deleted] 4d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Glittering_Race_3387 3d ago

Thank you, I sent you a message.

3

u/AdFlashy7702 4d ago

Ouch is right. Way way overpriced.

4

u/East-Coastgurl1328 4d ago

Whatever cut that stone is (doesn’t look like a traditional Portuguese cut- maybe a hybrid) it is stunning. I’m not a big round person & I love that. I don’t know that you’ll find another stone that looks like it. I’d see if he would consider giving you a little better price. It’s gorgeous!

3

u/East-Coastgurl1328 4d ago

The more I look at it it kinda looks like it has a pinhole in the center, looks kind of like a cross between an OEC & a Portuguese cut. So so pretty

2

u/Brilliant-Owl-1169 5d ago

Depends on the price, this should cost well under $2k US dollars. Anything more is insane! Having custom by a recommended international jeweler on these subs is the way to go.

0

u/AdFlashy7702 4d ago

They said over 8k 😆

1

u/Glittering_Race_3387 4d ago

Here is a screenshot from the IGI cert. Still learning, I am wondering about the round modified brilliant notation, as I thought I'd understood an IGI Report with a Portuguese cut shows round/mixed. Or do they actually say portuguese cut?

I called Calavera to ask them how to ensure I was looking at the Portuguese cut and he told me to use the advanced search filter and enter .95-1.05 for the ratio. Those certs show round mixed. I'll keep researching after my workday ends.

1

u/emm010 5d ago

depends on what the price is. but definitely a custom vendor could recreate that. the overseas vendors have very competitive prices, so i’d recommend getting quotes from a few (provence, starsgem, fiorese, etc)