Looking for advice/assistance in purchasing an Engagement Ring from BlueNile

[Ricker]

Hello All - This is a good forum and I have learned alot thus far from reading this site!

I am planning on purchasing a Diamond engagement ring from BlueNile soon. I am seeking some advice and or assistance in getting the best balance in a Diamond ring. Below is my guidline for purchasing

-My price range is $1800.00 CDN or less shipped.

-Main Stone will be Princess Cut .40 carat or less

-Setting I am thinking of is something along the line of this:
http://www.bluenile.ca/product_details.asp?oid=4779&filter_id=1

If anyone can assist in the best choice of stone and setting for my price range (from BlueNile), that would be great. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank You All,


PS. the 4+ C''s have my head spinning......

 

[Regular Guy]

Hi Ricker,

Do read a) the tutorial here, under knowledge, and b) do a search on princess cuts, to understand recent literature.

Still, given the constraints you have (though I did a currency conversion to $1475 US, I gather the link you''ve provided to Blue Nile has its prices in Canadian), based on the focus many of us have here on cut, and Blue Niles self described suggestion, this one may be a clear choice, if not one to look at closely.

Regards,

 

[Ricker]

Thanks for the prompt reply.

The diamond you posted is nice. Although, will the naked eye be able to tell the difference between this higher quality stone, and say something of slightly less quality?

Also, what do you all think of the setting I posted? My Girlfriends hands are very small, so we dont want anything too big, as it just doesn't look right.


Edit: I found this stone that is within my budget.

http://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gia14032459zoom8hy.jpg

Any comments on the GIA Report? I am concerned about the "Crystal, cloud, Feather" Characteristics. Can something like this be seen by the naked eye?

 

[Regular Guy]

Ricker,

Hopefully others more knowledgeable will reply. G VS2 is swell (that's what I got for my wife!...and although it may be with princesses you want to be even more careful with clarity grading than with rounds, I generally think VS2 would be fine), but given your budget, and choice of vendor, I really only saw the one they regarded as a "signature ideal" with respect to cut. (When I checked for other similar ones, two other signature ideals came up, with one leaving money on the table, and the other being over your budget). The others more knowledgeable may know what I can only speculate about... but since with non rounds, and non new AGS rated stones, it's been said that you can't tell very well in advance whether or not it looks good...I don't know that even these signature princess cuts are looked at by Blue Nile, in advance of their grading. A call would confirm, though, and it's only on the basis that it has been viewed and regarded as good that I made the suggestion. Perhaps the suggestion was spurious at best.

Changing constraints and criteria slightly...say you did want to include in your criteria a well cut stone...ostensibly, images from reflector technologies can help you to see if it is well cut...or at least...such images can show one trained in reading them. Maybe Blue Nile (already has?) or can get these for you. Maybe they can secure this for you from the one you found, and then you can post it here for comment. The search by cut database on this board includes vendors with options where the diamond has already been viewed. The idea is that such images are also already captured by the vendor for you to see as well. Not sure...maybe they've been busy, but for example two options in hand from White Flash here, a respected vendor, are this one and this one, both G VS2, the first at $753, the second at $921 (in US), without discounts (which you can request if you pay by wire and optimize by saying you saw 'em here.) I'm not sure how those are differentiated to justify the price difference, and if they can't help you there, the cheaper one is obviously the bargain. Moreover, although I don't know why images are not already available, I believe if you contact them they will supply one for you. Though DCD has one, too, it's girdle shows to be extremely thin in part, so WF as presented here may be your best alternate bet, if Blue Nile cannot help you with meaningful visuals at a distance. The search by cut database knows all, and I am just a cheap shill for it (the database merely contains options in hand from vendors, seemingly mostly good ones, who advertise here).

Still, Blue Nile comes to play here, too, is an advertiser, and I'll bet they'll at least respond to your request for help with a red reflector image of your item of interest. I hope you'll pursue it, get the image electronically, and forward it here for further review. Others here (besides me) can actually help you evaluate this meaningfully.

P.S. I'll also defer to others on your questions on the setting (which seems swell) and inclusions...which others may be able to speak more knowledgeablly on, though generally, you're thought to be OK with VS rated diamonds.

With regards,

 

[Ricker]

Well, I think I will be going with the following :
http://www.bluenile.ca/diamonds_details.asp?pid=LD00468064&filter_id=0&sec=&query=21&page=&sortby=size-d

Stock number: LD00468064

Carat weight: 0.30

Cut: Signature Princess

Color: F

Clarity: VS1


Depth %: 63.0%

Table %: 69%

Symmetry: Very good

Polish: Very good

Girdle: Medium to very thick

Culet: None

Fluorescence: None

Measurements: 3.97x3.78x2.38 mm

Crown height: 8.8%

Length/width ratio: 1.05


What do you think??

 

[Ricker]

And this setting:

http://www.bluenile.ca/product_details.asp?oid=4779&filter_id=1


Any comments??

 

[Ricker]

Wow, dont all speak at once. Thanks for your opinion Regular Guy, I appreciate your time. I guess I was expecting a few more opinions maybe from some of the "experts" on here.

It seems from the research that I have done on this particular site, with regards to BlueNile, the typical response is "do a search on the main page to price your diamond, you will find a better price somewhere else". It seems like alot of people on here don''t like Blue Nile due to there pricing.

I understand, I am in the IT industry, and I must sound like a laemon buying a computer from Best Buy - wich is a big no-no in my industry. I kind of got the feeling that Blue Nile is the Best Buy of the Diamond industry - now I am rambling.

I made my decision and purchased a ring from BlueNile, and invested a good amount of time into trying to pick a decent quality diamond. Based on local retailers, I am paying half the price I would from a retail store, and getting a much higher quality stone based on the specs on the GIA.

 

[phoenixgirl]

This seems to be the only signature ideal princess in your price range. However, I might suggest doing a bit of research on cut and considering some of their larger stones. Maybe consider dropping color and clarity a grade or two to maximize size with something like this 0.67 H SI1. I don't think you'll be able to tell the difference as long as the cut is comparable (really need to know the crown angle to determine this).

I don't have anything against BlueNile. They have a good reputation and a big outfit. Some of the vendors here can provide better pricing, personalized attention, and a trade-up policy, but you have to keep in mind that you're dealing with one store with a few people. Will they still be around in twenty years if you want to trade up? I don't know. BlueNile's large presence gives some peace of mind, and that might be worth paying a little bit more. Plus the search engine and build a ring process is simple.

Also, I assume that since BlueNile has a Canadian website, purchasing from there will be easier than figuring out customs with one of the vendors here.

Good luck on your purchase!

 

[Sundial]

I think PhoenixGirl has given you some good advice. I have never purchased from Blue Nile, but they seem to have an excellent reputation and a very good return policy. I learned from my own experience with princess cuts that you really need to be able to see them to see how they perform, but you are probably pretty safe with one of their signature cuts and you'll be able to return it if you don't like it for some reason. The setting you've chosen is very nice.