Exchange for larger diamond?

[MichelleCarmen]

I''d MUCH rather have the 1.66 because the 2.2 size would look terrible on my 4.75 finger.

JMO, and I''m not intending to be rude, but for such a significant purchase you should be asking your girlfriend, not a bunch of diamond fanatics here on the internet!!! Seems diamond shrinkage is a common occurance here, but not necessarily in real life.

Think about sitting her down and discussing this with her and if she really wants to keep her 1.66, then possibly surprise her by using the $4K to get her a pair of earrings.

 

[kellyfish]

Ouch!! That painfully reminds me that I need to get a life....argh....

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Well, Ellen and I may be the only two on here that would prefer the first diamond! My diamond is exactly that size and I sometimes think it is too big! And I would prefer the F VS2 over the G SI1. Do you know what size stone her sisters or close friends have? That would enter into the equation. But seriously, if she is expecting 1.3 carats and you get 1.66, I think she will be very pleased and surprised!

 

[enfianced]

If she has a size 8 finger, def go with the 2.2ct. I have a size 6 and it makes a HUGE difference when considering finger real estate. I have friends with 1.5-2.0 ct RBs with small fingers and it looks HUGE on them and when I put their rings on it looks like a whole different (and much smaller) diamond. And, like many others have said, bigger is always better.

 

[KtIceRN]

I started out with a 1.3 then went to a 1.76 now I am over the 2ct mark ( i wear a 7.25) and I tell you that I think the 2.2 size you are considering will look GREAT on a size 7 finger. I am a total size whore though so my opinion is a bit biased.

 

[HEPennypacker]

So I had the first diamond appraised this evening, and the good news is that it's not a dud. She thought the cut was a bit compromised because there were two extra facets (the result of trying to maintain as much weight as possible). On the other hand, she thought the color closer to E, where GIA rated it an F.

That said, I presented her with the GIA reports of two other stones I'm looking at--the one listed above, and a 2 ct. that I found (which I thought would be a compromise between the two). Based on the GIA report, she much preferred the 2 ct. to both stones (she discounted the 2.2 ct 15% for the strong blue fluorescence). But the report on the 2 ct. was from 2005, so there is no cut info or angle info I could run through the HCA. So I've contacted whiteflash to get more info, and hopefully they can come through.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to return the current diamond tomorrow to bluenile regardless. This would allow me to a.) free up money to buy something else and b.) go with a company that has an upgrade policy.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 12/5/2007 10:33:03 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Well, Ellen and I may be the only two on here that would prefer the first diamond! My diamond is exactly that size and I sometimes think it is too big! And I would prefer the F VS2 over the G SI1. Do you know what size stone her sisters or close friends have? That would enter into the equation. But seriously, if she is expecting 1.3 carats and you get 1.66, I think she will be very pleased and surprised!

No ... hey ... don''t forget about me!

I say # 1 as well!
I would much prefer a higher color and clarity - within reason, of course, to, dare I say, "excess" caratage?

I chose to go with a 1.28 E VS2 as opposed to a 1.5 or so lower color and clarity.
Would I love extra cartage ... YES! but do I want it at the sake of color and clarity? Not at this time, however, I plan to work on my size whoring to see if I can change this and become more compromising

Expectation is everything, as I think the OP has probably already figured out.

If you''ve only set her up for a 1.3 carat then she will be blown away with the 1.66 and, given that she comes down with an acute case of DSS, she always has the option to upgrade to her "perfect" size, right?

 

[kellyfish]

That sounds like the perfect answer!! I hope the stone turns out to be wonderful. Whiteflash is great.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 12/5/2007 10:51:17 PM
Author: HEPennypacker
So I had the first diamond appraised this evening, and the good news is that it''s not a dud. She thought the cut was a bit compromised because there were two extra facets (the result of trying to maintain as much weight as possible). On the other hand, she thought the color closer to E, where GIA rated it an F.

That said, I presented her with the GIA reports of two other stones I''m looking at--the one listed above, and a 2 ct. that I found (which I thought would be a compromise between the two). Based on the GIA report, she much preferred the 2 ct. to both stones (she discounted the 2.2 ct 15% for the strong blue fluorescence). But the report on the 2 ct. was from 2005, so there is no cut info or angle info I could run through the HCA. So I''ve contacted whiteflash to get more info, and hopefully they can come through.

I''m pretty sure I''m going to return the current diamond tomorrow to bluenile regardless. This would allow me to a.) free up money to buy something else and b.) go with a company that has an upgrade policy.

This is great, HEPennypacker! Sounds as though you are progressing nicely towards a resolution! What an "ideal" resolution it is too ...

You''re probably really smart to return the blue nile diamond anyways, regardless of what you decide about other one b/c I have a sneaky suspicion that you are not fully satisfied with it.

I can''t wait to find out what you end up with ... Thanks for the update!

 

[iheartscience]

Another vote for going bigger! On a size 7, a 2 carater really won''t look too big at all. And that''s great that you''re going with an upgradeable vendor-it''s always nice to have that peace of mind that if you want to go bigger, you can!

 

[HEPennypacker]

So after thinking about her stated preferences, I decided to go with a smaller diamond from a vendor with a good upgrade policy. She''s starting a new job soon and is probably worried about first impressions, not coming off as flashy, etc. After she advances over the next few years, we can upgrade to a larger stone

. So which do you guys prefer between these two diamonds? I am leaning toward the 1.76 but am open to either one.

1.76 ct F SI1

. Report: GIA

. Shape: Round

. Carat: 1.76

. Depth %: 61.6

. Table %: 56

. Crown Angle: 34.5

. Crown %: 15.0

. Pavilion Angle: 41

. Pavilion %: 43.5

. Lower Girdle %: 80

. Girdle: M-STK

. Measurements: 7.76-7.79X4.79

. Polish: Excellent

. Symmetry: Excellent

. Culet: None

. Fluorescence: None



Diamond 2:

1.71 ct G VS1

. Report: GIA

. Shape: Round Ideal Cut

. Carat: 1.71

. Depth %: 61.8

. Table %: 56

. Crown Angle: 35

. Crown %: 15.5

. Star : 50

. Pavilion Angle: 40.8

. Pavilion %: 43

. Lower Girdle %: 75

. Girdle: Medium Faceted

. Measurements: 7.67-7.71X4.75

. Polish: Excellent

. Symmetry: Very Good

. Culet: None

. Fluorescence: Medium Blue

 

[HEPennypacker]

Anyone? I need to make a decision today. The SI1 is eye-clean, btw.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 12/13/2007 3:43:40 PM
Author: HEPennypacker
Anyone? I need to make a decision today. The SI1 is eye-clean, btw.

Hennypacker - If it is eye clean, I like the SI1 better since I prefer the F color and it''s a teensy, weensy bit bigger.

Both should be fine though! They are both a fantastic size! Nice choice!

 

[HEPennypacker]

That''s what I''m thinking too, sparkalicious. I like the size and F color better, but I''m not sure if the VS1 tips the scales in favor of the other stone from a value standpoint.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 12/13/2007 4:20:00 PM
Author: HEPennypacker
That''s what I''m thinking too, sparkalicious. I like the size and F color better, but I''m not sure if the VS1 tips the scales in favor of the other stone from a value standpoint.

My personal opinion -- I would prefer to get the F color, which I, being color sensitive prefer, as opposed to the VS1, when the SI1 does not show any inclusions. Now, if the SI1 had visible inclusions, I would opt for the VS1 ...
Why pay for something that you cannot see, right?

Just my thoughts.

 

[HEPennypacker]

My thoughts as well

. Before I show her the reports, I''m going to challenge the FI to find the inclusion first, so that she has a good sense of its eye-cleanliness.

So I just pulled the trigger on the 1.76

. Can''t wait to see it in person!

And I would like to say how incredibly helpful Whiteflash, and Lesley in particular, has been. Great service!

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 12/13/2007 5:20:01 PM
Author: HEPennypacker
My thoughts as well

. Before I show her the reports, I''m going to challenge the FI to find the inclusion first, so that she has a good sense of its eye-cleanliness.

So I just pulled the trigger on the 1.76

. Can''t wait to see it in person!

And I would like to say how incredibly helpful Whiteflash, and Lesley in particular, has been. Great service!

Congrats! Good job! I''m sure it will be adored by your FI. Can''t wait to see pics!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Wait!!! That first one does not say "round ideal cut". Did you just accidentally leave that off?

 

[HEPennypacker]

Hm no, it wasn''t one that they had in-house. I assumed that was why. Is it not?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Was it one listed on the site? If so, give me the link. I would not have looked at any on their site that did not say round ideal cut.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

For what it's worth, the other stone looks terrific.

Did the F stone have an idealscope image?

 

[HEPennypacker]

The first stone is the one that I turned down; the second is the one that I bought:

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_details.aspx?idno=283314#

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_details.aspx?idno=490477

I just did a quick search, and it appears that only their in-house diamonds receive the "round ideal" designation, although I was assured that the stone that I purchased was excellent.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Well, do they have the F stone in-house now and did they take idealscope pictures for you? Seriously, most of us here would not take the F stone without them at least making the idealscope picture. I'd want to see the cert, too. The G stone looks very close to hearts and arrows, and it has all the info to confirm it.

(ETA: I am not trying to scare you, but that is a lot of money not to have more information on the stone than is given on that link. Will they give the upgrade policy on the F diamond?)

 

[HEPennypacker]

Yes, they sent all of the pics, IS, and Sarin info. I just didn''t have time to upload them. Here they are:

 

[HEPennypacker]

 

[HEPennypacker]

 

[HEPennypacker]

The best I could do to make a pic out of the PDF of the cert:

 

[diamondseeker2006]

WHEW!!! Okay, great! I almost had a panic attack thinking you bought a stone without all that info! It looks great!!!

Sorry to have worried you!!!

 

[HEPennypacker]

Whew! No, thanks for the concern

. Having all of this info made me much more confident in my purchase than I was with the first stone I got from BN.

 

[Lynn B]

Personally, I was rooting for the 2.2 ...

Haha!

Seriously, you made an AWESOME CHOICE in a KILLER SIZE!

You done gooooooooood, REAL GOOD!

Congrats!