Looking for answers....

[kcwade33]

I have completely confused myself reviewing different diamonds. I have a budget of $5,000 or less and she wants a carat or so round diamond set in a 6 prong platinum setting. What is the best diamond I will be able to find for this budget? Certain sepecifics to look for would be appreciated. clarity, color, depth, table, etc. I just want it to sparkle and look good. Please help. Online?

 

[strmrdr]

A simple plat. tiffany style 6 prong setting will run around $350 - $500

That leaves you $4500 for the stone.
Thats a little short for a super-ideal 1ct in i or above eyeclean so id look at near super-ideal cut diamonds.

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Kcwade:

I think a good option for you is to stick to and AGS or GIA certified diamond in the H, I, or J color range. Depending on what cut quality you are going to focus on you have different options. If you want a decent stone out of the realm of Super-Ideal H&A''s proportions you should be able to get a nice H or I stone. If you decide to go with a superior cut such as a Hearts & Arrows diamond you will have to compromise and color a little and go with a J/vs2-si-1 but these stones will face up beautifully because your maximizing cut quality.

Are you leaning towards the most beautifully cut diamond and going lower in color or are your priorities centered more towards a better color or clarity and buying a beautifully cut diamond out of the Super-ideal Hearts & Arrows realm.

let us know what your looking for cut quality wise and we can better help guide you. You have many different options depending on what you would like to prioritize..

 

[kcwade33]

So I guess I shouldn''t pay much attention to the depth, table, etc. and focus mainly on getting the best cut and color period. I see some GIA ideal cut SI1 with F color but the price differs because of different numbers elsewhere. How do I go deeper into the quality of the stone after the cut and clarity. I''m obviously a novice that doesn''t want to put much time in learning the craft.

 

[kcwade33]

C. Gemstone:

My focus is really getting the best sparkle and brillance within my budget that my woman would like. Her priorities are at least a carat or so in a 6 prong platinum setting that shines. Whatever I need to do to get to that I will do. I don''t really have any priorties as far as cut, clarity, color. Just a budget of 5 grand or under. All these other numbers and percentages are really throwing me for a loop. I hope this helps somewhat in your guidance. Thanks.

 

[strmrdr]

Here is a possibility.
It will face up as well as a lot of 1ct diamonds that arent as well cut.

http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=7403439

Combine it with this setting with 6 prongs:

http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/engagement-detail.cfm?did=1075

And your under budget.

dcd does have the wrong cert linked from that diamonds page.

 

[valeria101]

Definitely like the diamond at DCD...

well, it looks like one fine cut, I-VS1 sounds great, and the weight just enough below 1 carat to keep the price down and the looks just right is a greatfind.

The four prong setting is another thing. Perhaps there might be room for something a tad more sophisticated ? Not to mention the initial request was for 6 prong "Tiffany style". Here's one - very "Tiffany", IMO:

And one AGS0 round from the same shack link : 6.3mm can well be the size of a 1 carat ideal cut on the deeper side (easy to find examples). And $3700 sound good too, IMO. A hair smaller 6.2mm F-SI1 comes along as well.

Just another idea, of course

Neither of these stones need an excuse for size. The only place where some difference will show is the lab report paper. If that counts allot, something has to give: it could be the color in a very well cut and brilliant stone that is less likely to show it (say... J-Si1 ideal) or could be the cut allright (G-SI1, not quite perfect cut).

This setting above as well as generic 6 prongs and Stuller's Solstice 6 prong can be ordered by any seller, I think. Including GoodOldGold.

 

[valeria101]

About this last stone... well , 1 carat G-Si1. It may not gave ideal proportions by the AGS0 standard, but brilliance seems to be top notch:

This stone is a bit larger (6.6mm) that most 1 carat stones because the way it is cut (larger table... less depth, still perfectly balanced angles).

Sorry for the ton of lingo. I bet there''s going to be some follow up after this one !

 

[elepri]

Have you seen this
ideal stone from the Whiteflash expert selection. It''s an SI2 so i''d make sure it''s eye clean but i think it has potential.

 

[strmrdr]

val the dcd setting is available in 6 prong same price they just dont have a picture of it up. You order it from the same page.

 

[Rhino]

Val ... did you note the brilliance results on the Virtual model of that G SI1 (via MSU) and the angles that stone was cut to? Makes for an interesting specimen eh?

 

[valeria101]

Date: 3/7/2005 2:49:47 AM
Author: Rhino
Val ... did you note the brilliance results on the Virtual model of that G SI1 (via MSU) and the angles that stone was cut to Makes for an interesting specimen eh?

Well... honestly, I just looked over the Sarin report. Interesting allright. Hard to imagine what this buddy could be missing out in the sparkle department

 

[kcwade33]

Thanks a ton guys. What looks to be the best deal so far? If I go under a carat, is it that noticeable to the naked eye that you gave up some size?

 

[Regular Guy]

kc,

Have you tried this resource yet? Try constraining between .9 & 1.1, color of F - I, clarity VS2 - SI 1.

Not sure, but I think the options selected above were found without reference to the search by cut resource...not sure why you wouldn''t take a beginning approach by letting Pricescope do the heavy lifting. Then again, the option that I think is a no brainer from DCD just, I think, showed up in the last 15 minutes, so maybe the same sort of thing happened with the others listed. Otherwise, there''s a different set of 5 on that search you''ll see to consider among & between, though who''s to say.

Best of wishes,

 

[kcwade33]

So what do I really need to be concerned with on table size, depth, etc.all these proportions...What are the main factors to be concerned with if I just want the thing to sparkle?

Reviewing different diamonds, I notice these proportions change as well as price...What are the things I should definately not give up within my budget of $5,000?

 

[kcwade33]

What our some views on this one.....

http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_18ct_k_vvs1_h%26a.htm

 

[Regular Guy]

kc,

Low haning fruit...there''s a lot of stuff being discussed on this board right now, all of it quite rich, and your question seems to be the lowest hanging fruit.

If I''ve gone to the GOG website efficiently, I cannot read the sarin data from it. That is...it seems as though it is available there, if you download the sarin viewer, but I''ve tried once, and cannot do it. If you can pull the sarin data, if you care, you would do what I would do, run it through the HCA, and see what you''d get.

Do you need to do this? If you said instead that Jonathan at GOG is a master selector, and virtually anything he would choose would be a good pick, regardless of someone else''s system, I would agree with you. Does it make sense to question a master chef on their ingredients? I don''t know.

But, I can tell you I would be motivated to know the HCA. With respect to your earlier question:

So what do I really need to be concerned with on table size, depth, etc.all these proportions...What are the main factors to be concerned with if I just want the thing to sparkle

...others on this board are much better trained and understand these things better, so that they can be responsive. But, I understand that without having to know much about those details at all, the concept of a system like the HCA, or AGS''s system (the GOG diamond, we are told and we can believe, does conform to AGS''s current AGS0 proportions) is designed to take all of those variables, and give you a single output, telling you that they package together nicely enough to get you an "ideal" output.

Also, despite the sometimes arbitrariness with which these these things come together...the pairing of a K and a VVS is unusual. Based on Jonathan''s expertise, you can go with it. But...the wisdom on this board suggests that if you can''t presume to see it at all, you may not be benefiting from it''s presence. I don''t think it''s ever suggested to go below VS1 from that point of view, and also, the K color is generally pretty warm...custom tends to keep it at K and above. But...this is custom...and that particular diamond was probably selected by Jonathan for a good reason.

Particularly since you have choices between vendors, it''s worth considering these things. With all that said...and I''ll add that Jonathan''s picks are temporarily unfairly (from the point of view of the consumer!) not included in the Pricescope search by cut page, so I have lazily not reviewed them for that reason alone....I could appreciate your considering going with most anything you can get from his shop, based on having an appropriate level of confidence that it was wisely chosen.

Just some things to consider.

With best wishes!

 

[kcwade33]

Or for instance like this one....

http://www.whiteflash.com/round/Round-cut-diamond-1202700.htm


What do I need to request to know this is good value and it will sparkle like I want it to....


Thanks alot....

 

[Regular Guy]

Hi, KC,

I''m just a very interested beginnger, if that.

Otherwise, suggest you review the basics, by reviewing the tutorial.

Then also, check out some shopping suggestions I put together.

The pick you found could be an excellent second option, or even first, but you have to know that until it is called in, it is an unknown.

Hope this may be helpful!

 

[kcwade33]

regular guy,

I ran this through the HCA and it came out all excellent. The Ideal Scope looks very red so this should be a good thing, right? It''s color is not very high at J and the clarity is SI1. What do you think? The link has GIA, sarin, and ideal scope....

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-1137387.htm#

 

[Regular Guy]

kc,

Such that I know how these things work, that should be an excellent selection and value.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Yes, cut quality is the most important factor. A well cut J diamond will "pop" more than a dull D diamond.

I'm not sure about the GOG stone . . . it seems a waste to pay for that clarity when the color is borderline. Plus it's over your budget. I would check out their 0.92 J SI1 8 star or the 1.016 J SI1 H&A if you are interested in buying from them.

The first White Flash stone you linked to has no cut info and is rather deep. I doubt they have it in stock if there is no ideal scope image. I would pass on that one.

The second stone you listed seems like a winner . . . great ideal scope image.

There's also this 1.14 J SI1 A Cut Above for $4655 with the PS discount. It is 6.84mm in diameter, so it might look a bit bigger if you are going for size.

Basically, there are a lot of options out there in your price range. You may want to visit a jeweler and decide what type of color and clarity you are comfortable with. If you want F-G and/or VS clarity, look for a stone just shy of a carat. If you're looking for one carat exactly, look for H-I and/or SI clarity. If you edge down a bit in color and clarity (J-K SI2) then you can get even more size. All of this is assuming competitive pricing and excellent cut quality.

 

[kcwade33]

Thanks, phoenix, katrina, and reguar guy....You guys are a great help. I''m glad I found this site as it looks to be a tremendous help in just a short time....

I will look into your suggestions...

 

[Bagpuss]

I too would go for an I, SI 1/2 stone that is as well cut as possible. Good luck with your search.

 

[kcwade33]

I''m ready to purchase now. Most of these are sold now, can anyone find others in this same range? Thanks.

 

[Regular Guy]

Hi, KC,

Welcome back.

I might like this one...but there are quite a number of attractive options. Why don''t you give this database yourself a spin, and see what you come up with. You could hardly do too wrong.

Best,

 

[kcwade33]

I actually have given it a spin. I have a few options that I would love opinions on but they always end up getting sold too quickly so I''m afraid to post them. You know how frustrating that can be. I''ll email you some options. Let me know what you think of them. THX

 

[kcwade33]

Alright here we go....Thoughts?

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=AGS-5760410#

 

[Regular Guy]

You could get this one instead and have 30 days to review...

kidding.

Best wishes!