help! buying diamond and rings :)

[nat82]

It''s getting closer to our wedding day (on january 200 and I''m looking for both engagement ring & wedding ring.

So I have several questions

* Considering that I''m in melbourne and a newbie in buying diamond, where should I buy my diamond from?
Should I buy from US (pricescope diamond search linked to jamesallen etc) or here in Melbourne (diamondexchange / empress diamond) ?
Because from the price comparison that I did for .52 F SI2 it''s a bit cheaper to buy it from diamond exchange.
(I will go to their office this friday / saturday to check their diamond though).

as posted by betternotbiggerdiamond (sorry to hijack your wording here ), I want a better diamond, not a bigger one (will upgrade later if have some money left ). I want a stone with excellent symmetry and amazing fire.

My requests:

At least a .50 ct
Excellent symmetry, it must be a well cut stone
Faceted girdle (i''m not even sure what is this )
F+ color..
VS2-SI2 in clarity...

I went to preciousmetal brighton last saturday, love the ring (.5 solitaire white gold), but it''s too expensive for me

* regarding the ring, I would like to make it from platinum.
I do realize that it''s more expensive than white gold. But some jeweler said it will looks better as it''s age. Is that right?

Any suggestion where should I make the rings (engagement and wedding rings)?
Because I shop around (online and from jewelry shops), and get a quote ranging from $400 (online/http://www.seaofdiamonds.com/) - $2000 for the wedding ring alone..
I mean, is there any difference between $600 plat wedding band with $2000 plat wedding band?

Help needed asap!

 

[betternotbiggerdiamond]

Date: 11/18/2007 11:04:50 PM
Author:nat82

as posted by betternotbiggerdiamond (sorry to hijack your wording here ), I want a better diamond, not a bigger one (will upgrade later if have some money left ). I want a stone with excellent symmetry and amazing fire.



My requests:


At least a .50 ct

Excellent symmetry, it must be a well cut stone

Faceted girdle (i'm not even sure what is this )

F+ color..

VS2-SI2 in clarity...

Is there an echo in here? LOL Gosh, I'm new here, I feel flattered that someone quoted me!

Nat, if you've read my thread recently, you've seen that we purchased the ACA stone from WF and it arrived last Friday and I couldn't be happier! I don't know much about how the import taxes, shipping, etc affect you internationally but WOW, WF ACA diamonds are just that... a cut above... my little .53ct is stunning.

Here are two other stones I was considering when purchasing mine.. the first is an ACA, the second is not ACA, it's an ES, but still looks beautiful.


http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-114343.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-18721.htm

The faceted girdle is a matter of preference I believe. I prefer it over a natural just because it's more asthetically pleasing to my eye. A natural is usually left that way because the cutter didn't want to sacrifice any weight on the stone by polishing it out. Sometimes looking at a stone like that from the side will cause a solid line to apear near the culet that some people mistake for an inclusion, but it is just a reflection of the unpolished girdle. I chose to have a faceted one because it looks "cleaner" I guess in my opinion.. some people mistake a natural for being "scratched" or "roughed up". Most people don't notice.. it's just my OCD I think

 

[nat82]

hehehe

thanks for your reply betternotbiggerdiamond, if i could find something local, it''s better. So that I could get the ring done asap

i''ll take that WF diamonds into consideration though

now i know what''s ''faceted girdle'' means

thanks again.

 

[chrono]

If you want to buy well cut diamonds locally, I would suggest Garry Holloway (who posts as Cut Nut):
http://www.preciousmetals.com.au/

 

[nat82]

Date: 11/19/2007 9:12:48 AM
Author: Chrono
If you want to buy well cut diamonds locally, I would suggest Garry Holloway (who posts as Cut Nut):

http://www.preciousmetals.com.au/

Yes, they have good/great diamond, but it''s way above my price range
There''s this ring (white gold with plat collett, with .52 f si1 diamond = aud $6750.

While if I buy the diamond separately it''ll cost up to $2000 + the ring cost.


Any feedback on diamondexchange / empress diamonds? Any1 use them before?

 

[nat82]

bumped!

btw, am i allowed to do that?

 

[nat82]

Can someone suggest me which one I should take a look when I go to diamond exchange ?

http://www.diamondexchange.com.au

carats from : 0.5-0.6
color : f-g / h
clarity: vs2-is2
cut quality: which one is the best?

and how do i use the hca ? http://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp ?
i can''t find the parameter from diamondexchange website -.-

getting headache

 

[honey22]

Hi nat82! I am in Melb too, and have my heart set on a diamond from Diamondexchange (just waiting for the man to ask the darn question!).

Anyway, I have done lots of research online for diamonds in Melb and they seem to have great quality diamonds at good prices. I am not an expert but I would recommend looking at their Ice Ideal cut diamonds (the best quality they stock). If you search for Ice diamonds, pick one that says Ice Ideal H&A with an AGS certificate - they are AGS000 ideal cuts diamonds, which also display Hearts and Arrows. You can request IS images and then post them here for experts like Cut Nut to check them. They also have GIA cert stones but they are not as strict as AGS. I don''t think you can go wrong! I can have a search for something in particular later if you want, but I am still at work at the moment - good luck! Another note, these diamonds shown on the search are from their international stock, you won''t be able to see them all in Melb but they will be able to show you a selection of their Ice ideals.

 

[honey22]

Hey again, here is just one I pulled from the list (the list is huge!). It would be easier to help you search for something if we knew you budget for the loose stone!

http://www.diamondexchange.com.au/catalog/diamond_info.php?&catnum=99678

It''s a F VS2 Ice Ideal H&A, AGS certified. $2144 plus GST.

There are heaps in this price range, and of course, cheaper when you go down in colour, clarity etc. I personally wouldn''t go less than VS for an ering, but there are many PSers out there with stunning SI grades, so I guess it''s up to you whether you want to go eye clean or mind clean (I''m neurotic - enough said!)

 

[nat82]

how do i use the HCA for this diamond? and the budget is < $2000 or could be a bit more +$200

 

[nat82]

Date: 11/20/2007 1:12:20 AM
Author: honey22
Hi nat82! I am in Melb too, and have my heart set on a diamond from Diamondexchange (just waiting for the man to ask the darn question!).


Anyway, I have done lots of research online for diamonds in Melb and they seem to have great quality diamonds at good prices. I am not an expert but I would recommend looking at their Ice Ideal cut diamonds (the best quality they stock). If you search for Ice diamonds, pick one that says Ice Ideal H&A with an AGS certificate - they are AGS000 ideal cuts diamonds, which also display Hearts and Arrows. You can request IS images and then post them here for experts like Cut Nut to check them. They also have GIA cert stones but they are not as strict as AGS. I don''t think you can go wrong! I can have a search for something in particular later if you want, but I am still at work at the moment - good luck! Another note, these diamonds shown on the search are from their international stock, you won''t be able to see them all in Melb but they will be able to show you a selection of their Ice ideals.

hehe i hope he''ll do it soon

yes, i am really considering the ice ideal. Is it better than the one from canada? (diamond of hope)

 

[nat82]

btw honey22, how about empress diamond. have you check them out before?

 

[honey22]

Hi again, Empress diamonds sound good on the radio but IMO I checked out their online diamonds and they don''t have many and they don''t have enough info. Also, they seem to have only the same stones advertised, which makes me think either they don''t have a lot of stones, or the inventory isn''t updated. But, that said, they may have some goodies. What I liked about Diamond exchange is all the info (specs etc, so you can work out exactly what the cut quality is like). You could either go in and have them pick one for you, or (cheaper way) we can suss out the list for something that takes your fancy and then request the IS images, You can post all the important info and others can chime in. As I said before, I am no expert, but I have spent many hours on this site and you do learn lots!

Click on the cut adviser link on the Pricescope home page, and then enter in the stats from the website/certifcate, ie. table, depth, and crown and pavillion angles., culet = 0 for none. For the diamond I linked before, it came out as a 1.4 (from memory) and was inside AGS ideal.

I will go and have another hunt for some others that come under $2200, maybe drop down to a G or down to SI1 in clarity, but you will need to check with them if they are eye-clean on a stone-by-stone basis.

be back soon

 

[honey22]

Another one that looks nice

http://www.diamondexchange.com.au/catalog/diamond_info.php?&catnum=99863

I think there are so many to pick from, it''s almost overwhelming. I think you should decide what colour and clarity and then go from there. You could easily get F SI1 or G VS2 for your budget, and there are heaps to pick from in those categories. Then when you have figured out how to use the Cut adviser, narrow down a couple and then call the consultant for their opinions too maybe. There is a tutorial on using cut adviser somewhere on Pricescope too, but from what I can gather, you want the little cross to fall in between the AGS ideal box, check the IS image and then I don''t think you can go wrong - a killer stone with tons of sparkles! Ooooh, I am so excited for you

If you still can''t fiigure it out, link a couple of diamonds you think you like and I can do it for you.

 

[nat82]

hmm.
i should buy the diamond and ask my parents when they go abroad to claim the gst back

i'm trying the hcs

thx a lot for the help! it's really overwhelming, there're a lot of diamonds on their list -.-

i've been reading pricescope articles since last week, but still not sure

btw, can we send a pm to someone here? i was wondering if i could ask johan from mdx for his help
or maybe someone have his contact number?

 

[honey22]

I''m not sure, but giving them a call wouldn''t hurt. If you go in to the store, you pay a slightly higher price and can only chose from the diamonds they have in stock (unless previously arranged they said on their website), but the consulants are available by phone to help you find one. I have actually asked them (and they said it''s ok) to make an appointment to view a selection not buy on the day, then you go back home and find something similar online for a cheaper price from their online inventory. You could also post the specs from the ones they recommend and get some feedback from others around here, that way you can double check their info and whether they are being up front about the quality of their stones - God Bless Pricescope!!Good luck with it all - I am sure whichever Ice stone you pick will be awesome, I have heard they are among the best stones available in Australia. Remember to post pics in the SMTR thread!!

 

[nat82]

i think i''ll go with f si1. because i don''t think i could see the inclusion when the diamond is not that big ?
is that right?

i''ve only seen 3-5 diamonds rings and the one with f, si1 (from precious metal) is pretty good for me

btw, about this one : http://www.diamondexchange.com.au/catalog/diamond_info.php?&catnum=99863

did i do this right?
result from hca :
-------------------------
Selected: 61% depth, 56% table, 34.3° crown angle, 40.8° pavilion angle
The result is for a symmetrical diamond with a medium girdle and very good polish
Total Visual Performance 1.1 - Excellent
-------------------------

what i don''t understand is from the diamond specification, it''s said that Girdle : TN (thin)
how come when i entered the details into hca, it comes out as medium girdle ?

where''s my mistake?

 

[honey22]

From the specs, it looks really nice - well done. It falls right into the ideal range on the HCA graph. I think (hopefully Gary can chime in here) that the tool just assumes the girdle is medium, you can''t change that, but I don''t think it makes much difference. The result you got is still great. I would definately give them a call and ask for the Idealscope Image (emailed so you can post it here) and whether it''s eye clean or not. Some SI1 are not! You also need to check what their definition of eye clean is, for example nothing visible or only small inclusions visible close up if you understand what I mean, their definition of eyeclean may be different to yours, but I think they have a good exhange policy so you can always swap it. They also may be able to suggest similar stones that may be cut just as well, but have better inclusions?!

 

[honey22]

I meant to add - please post back and let me know how you went dealing with Diamond exch. I am hoping to make a purchase in the next couple of months with them, so I would be keen to see how their customer service etc is.

Good luck!!!