Pricescope help me through the difficult process of selecting the right diamond, so I want to try to give back a little and share some of my key lessons learned. I am not an expert, just an ordinary guy who was set on getting the absolute perfect ring for my soon to be fiancé.
Lessons learned:
-- Cut is by far the most important factor that cannot be sacrificed. All "ideal" cuts are not the same. I insisted on having as much fire as possible. I ended up purchasing and sending back 4 diamonds in total. All were not equal.
-- The clarity grade is a farce-- gives smart shoppers a chance to really save some $$$ or invest in other qualities that actually matter. My research found that the absolute best value is a 100% eye clean SI1. Because it is a little bit of a pain to find these, you have to pay about a 20% premium just to bump up to VS2. 20%!!!
-- For those who just like to have the "piece of mind" of having a clearer diamond, unless your diamond is flawless, it has flaws all sorts of different microscopic flaws. As long as I can''t see them and they don''t affect the structural integrity of the diamond, I don''t care if those flaws are very small or very very very very small.
-- I ended up with a Whiteflash A Cut Above, and was really happy with it. Why I would recommend WF to others who want top cut ring: Great customer service (I recommend asking for Jamie, she was excellent!). WF makes it easiest (of the three online dealers i tried, BN, Mondera) to find a eye clean SI1. CALL THEM and ask to see the diamonds eye inspection--it will explain to you exactly what type of flaw the SI1 has (white vs. black, near the surface, etc.)
-- Color: anything above a F is a waste of money, don''t fall for it. I ended up going for F, would have dropped down to G
-- Online vs. offline: If you take the approach I did, Offline (particularly WF), gives you the best deal. bigger selection (easier to find an eyeclean SI1 ) and no sales tax. To offset some of the unknowns of buying a diamond online, I chose to buy WF''s ACA brand because it just reduced my risk of getting a dud. I think the premium is worth it and is more than offset by the no sales tax and the 20% saved by finding the perfect SI1. I know that there are other online dealers who could have offered an even better value… but with all the characteristics of the diamond that I am trying to juggle and save money on, I didn’t have time to waste with 2nd or 3rd teir online dealers. I want the absolute best deal balanced by the risk that I am taking buying such a high priced item.
-- Look for a HCA score of under 2. Use the HCA advisor. Don''t get caught up in the difference b/t a 1.3 and a 1.7. See the stone!
-- ALWAYS call online retailers and ASK FOR THEIR ONLINE DISCOUNT-- even if you don''t know of any available. The CS reps want you to make an order with them and do not want to lose your sale to their online channel. They will almost always give you a discount if you ask. At WF, I asked for the Pricescope discount and saved like 8%. I also saved by sending the money via wire. saved like another 5%. It all adds up.
Anyway, that is it for me now... good luck to everyone...
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