Help picking a diamond.

[Tony44]

Hello Guys and Girls,

My brain is fried. Anyone out there have there opinion on what would be the best diamond out there for my $4000 budget. I''ve got a few jotted down but I was a second opinion and I know you guys have better eyes than me. Thank you so much for your help.

 

[belle]

what is your idea of 'best'? big? ideal proportions? ????? tell us your conditions

what shape?

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

Date: 6/5/2005 12:57:00 AM
Author:Tony44
Hello Guys and Girls,

My brain is fried. Anyone out there have there opinion on what would be the best diamond out there for my $4000 budget. I''ve got a few jotted down but I was a second opinion and I know you guys have better eyes than me. Thank you so much for your help.

Tony if you provide a little more information I''m sure you will get some great responses! As Belle said, size? shape? what kind of setting are you thinking of getting? yellow gold? platinum? side stones? solitaire? Also, does you budget include your setting? Are you looking for the largest stone for the money? Or a stone with perfect proportions?

 

[Tony44]

See told you my brain was fried.

Looking for:
.8-1.0 cts
color H or better
SI1 or better
shape is open

thank you so much again

 

[phoenixgirl]

It''s tough without having it narrowed to a shape. I would recommend either picking a shape and then searching different vendors for the most bang for your buck, or picking a vendor that you feel comfortable with, and then looking at their inventory and picking the stone (whatever shape it happens to be) that''s the most bang for your buck. Whatever you do, I would look for a stone that has an excellent cut for its shape.

Good Old Gold has a bunch of different shapes right on the front page for you to peruse. Maybe one will strike your fancy.

If you decide to go with the classic round brilliant, you can search by cut on this website. 9 stones with your specifications and excellent cuts came up in your price range. The largest was 0.90 carats (it''s harder to find a well cut stone just under one carat since most cutters make the decision to sacrifice cut quality and get the stone over the magic one carat mark). You will need to drop color to I or J and/or drop clarity to SI2 to get a well cut stone over 1 carat for $4k.

 

[belle]

you must at least narrow down to a shape!

 

[perry]

Here is a piece of advice that I post from time to time.

1) If you want a great looking diamond at a reasonable price quickly with little effort on your part - with certs and other documentation on light performance - from a reputatable vendor then go directly to one of the following and just purchase from them: Good Old Gold, NiceIce, Whiteflash - A Cut Above line. Also consider Wink and Supperbcert.


2) If you want a great looking diamond with guranteed light performance and a "Name Brand" (where people in the know - and perhaps your freinds will go "wow" based solely on the name) - and do not care about cost. Buy a EightStar or a Hearts On Fire diamond from one of the select jewelers who deals with them.


3) If you want a great looking diamond at a slightly better price than option 1 above, and without the extra light performance certification, and can spend some time learning (1 week to 1 month), then read the tutorials and hang here for a bit, get an idealscope, - and search amoung the other vendors who are typically represented here on pricescope.


4) If you want the absolutely best price for a great looking diamond and can spend months learning and searching -- Then hang arround Pricescope and seriously dig into the tutorials, archives, and follow the threads, get an idealscope and brouse local diamond shops.

Feel free to tell any of the vendors whom you contact what your budget is: That way they can cut to the chase on how they can best serve you.

In general Pricescope recommends independent appraisal on all purchased diamonds. If money is really tight - I personally feel that you could safely eliminate the independent appraisal with options 1 and 2 (although I personally would still have an independent appraisal done to verify diamond condition and for insurance).

Perry

 

[pearcrazy]

Tony,

Try to at least get an idea of what shape your girl wants. Fancy cuts are generally less expensive than rounds, but don''t have the intense overall sparkle. The allure of fancy shapes diamonds is the shape itself. You may get more diamond for your money in a fancy shape but none of that would matter if your girl wants a round. Sooooooo, try to find a way to get her preferences without spoiling the surprise. Perhaps enlisting the help of one of her girlfriends, family members, or co-workers who wouldn''t spill the beans?

 

[blueroses]

Agree with the above....a fancy shape will often be less expensive than an RB (depending on what shape) but in addition (if we're talking bang for buck here) many fancies w/ a certain L:W ratio (oval, marquise, pear, emerald...) will have a larger comparative spread than an RB of equal weight, so it will appear "larger"

(A good example would be JCJD's gorgeous pear e-ring.....it's around .38ct, very well cut and fiery AND a pear shape, such that when she first got engaged people were guessing it was a carat or more.)

Try to see what shape she likes, and then go to it! Or if she gives you a general shape like "square" then you'll have a lot of different options that we can try to help you out with. Perry's breakdown was helpful as well.

 

[Mara]

I see you are unsure re: shape but if you wanted the traditional round...I personally think this one is nice:

http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=8187859&ref=PS622

It's a .92 G SI1 stone from DCD and the price is about $1400 less than if you got a 1c G SI1 so it could be a sweet spot for size, color, clarity. It's also a 1 EX on the HCA. It's a bit more than your $4k budget at $4600, but you possibly may be able to get a slight discount off the listed price, maybe with cash vs credit etc.

It's hard to choose unless you have SOME idea re: shape..is she a traditional gal? Or does she like the idea of a princess shape and the association? Or does she like ovals? Is she more old fashioned and wants something more vintage like an OEC or a cushion?

I personally like alot of various shapes for diamonds in general...I wouldn't toss a beautiful stone out of bed....but for my engagement ring, I had to go round, it was just me to be more traditional. What is she like?

 

[blueroses]

Yum, Mara, I concur!!

 

[Mara]

Oooh and if you can do an eye-clean SI2...which this one definitely appears to be...this one could be a very nice deal at $4300 PS Price in case that other one is a bit out of reach..

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=AGS-5935601

.91 G SI2 Expert with a 1 EX on the HCA

Those are my two round picks...well cut as well! If she wants a round.

blue!

 

[Tony44]

Going to go with a round cut. Actually my budget is around $3800 in case anyone else has some more for me to look at. Thanks again, Tony.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 6/6/2005 6:25:04 AM
Author: Tony44
Going to go with a round cut. Actually my budget is around $3800 in case anyone else has some more for me to look at. Thanks again, Tony.

Though you deserve to take your time...this one from Wink will probably go fast.

Best,

 

[Regular Guy]

Ummmm......not sure what happened with that one with Wink...though it still appears at his website, it no longer appears here on the search by cut database. Maybe you got it?

But here''s an odd trick (how often do I even try this?)...

Try constraining, given your size range, down from D to H, and you could include VS2 (adding an option in the process). From D to H, you''ve got 9 viable options, in my count...all under $4K (remember to sort by price, after executing the search).

Best,

 

[Regular Guy]

A possible first choice?

 

[Mara]

Unfortunately it seems like your budget is in that weird point between stones...aka you could get this one,

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=GIA-12835697

.83 G SI2 Expert Selection Ideal for $2858 PS Price...

OR that other one listed above for $4300 but there isn''t too much in between in terms of other options for SIZE increase, there are a few GOG options listed on the search around $3200-$3600 but they are coming up with dead links.

You could increase color to an E/F/G to spend that entire $3800 on a ~.80c stone, which is not my cup of tea due to costs, but I like the above stone if it''s eye clean, in smaller stones it is harder to tell to see inclusions so you may get lucky and save $1k from your budget! Take her on a trip to surprise her.

OR up the budget by $500 and get the other stone up above, that is what I would do because size is my obsession...

 

[Regular Guy]

Tony,

A few thoughts:

As anyone who reads my posts knows, I'm a WF fan more than most. That being the case, though you might wisely stay around the $2800 price point, with either the option Mara points out, or the H SI 1 at DCD.... if you have the slightest preference to not leave money on the table...the unique option suggested with yet another 3 options at DCD, one of which I note above, is that you can actually get a D in your budget. You may not appreciate it necessarily on even your best day, but mindful of discussion of a) color here, b) the comparatively relative fact that, given all options available between, for example, 1 - 1.1 carats, that are SI1, you could not get a D color looking at the search by cut database if you wanted to, and c) the fact that Ds are pretty rare, and you just cannot get more ideal for color....based on the coincidence of these options being available at your price point...I just thought you might want to give them a look.

P.S. (edited to add)...btw, if Wink's option ever left, it seems to be back. Given your ability to get an option near to 6 millimeters, I personally think you're in pretty good shape!

Best,

 

[Tony44]

Just another quick question. Next to round, what''s the next best stone in terms of brilliance?

 

[valeria101]

Date: 6/7/2005 5:03:33 PM
Author: Tony44
Just another quick question. Next to round, what's the next best stone in terms of brilliance?

Most should come close in theory, but in practice do not. "Ideal cut" is not well defined for other shapes than rounds - let alone the very new AGS0 princess cuts and some branded shapes. Of course, this does not prevent non-branded, random fancy shapes to be brilliant - it just makes harder to pick them.


PS:

please disregard the next post - it contained a mistake. This one has been edited too, as you can see. Sorry for the confusion...

 

[carrot]

The beauty of a diamond is fundamentally in its light return, that is its brilliance, fire and scintillation. Light return is determined almost entirely by the quality of the cut. Learn to recognize diamonds with exceptional light return and make that your priority. Visit some of the guild stores to get an idea what a beautiful diamond looks like. There is a huge range of light performance and difference between diamonds, so it is worth doing your homework.

Further, understand that women attach a huge emotional significance to a diamond and most will not part with it easily. That means that whatever diamond you buy, she will probably be looking at it for a very long time. It is important for a diamond to be eye clean. If it isn''t, once you notice the inclusions in a stone, you will see them every time you look at it.

Make sure that you compare diamonds of various colors in person so that you understand what you will be getting in any particular color grade. Some people appreciate the difference between each individual color grade and some can''t tell the difference between a D and a G stone. Don''t pay for something that you can''t see.

If you go with a round brilliant shape, you can use the Cut Advisor to rule out poor performing stones. Don''t buy a diamond without having information on the crown and pavilion angles unless someone you trust and who knows diamonds picks it out for you after seeing the diamond in person.

If you plan to buy a diamond without seeing it first, you can save a lot of time and headaches by learning how to evaluate IdealScope images and GemEx Light Performance reports first and then using these valuable tools to select a diamond with dazzling light perormance.

Finally, you can save a significant amount of money by buying a stone slightly under a carat instead of one slightly over, and the size difference will almost certainly be imperceptible.