Pick my diamond!

[goldengirl]

Okay, guys, just for fun, I thought I''d see what everybody else would pick, if they were me.

I will be purchasing my stone from Whiteflash. I am looking for a RB in the 33-to-45-point range, under $800, eye-clean, nice J (face-up white) or above. Cut is important and especially FIRE!

Given these parameters, what would YOU buy?

 

[goldengirl]

Silly GG... PM''d Leonid to move this to the right forum.

 

[Scintillating]

.46 J -VS2 Expert Selection $835 ( - discount)

.40 H - VS2 Expert Selection $815 (- Discount) - need to see an IS, but everything looks good.

.35 G VS1 ES $780 (-discount) (a little unsure of the 34.3 and 40.5 combo, pavil might be a little shallow, but looks good on the HCA)

Here are a couple to look at. WF doesn't have many H/I/J Si's in the Expert Selection right now. You should email them and ask.

Scintillating...

 

[goldengirl]

Heh, yeah, the .46 is actually one I emailed them about.

Another that I'm really diggin' is:

this one
Price: $698.00
Report: AGS
Shape: Round Ideal Cut
Carat: 0.430
Color: I
Clarity: SI1
Depth: 61.3
Table: 56.7
Crown Angle: 34.5
Pavilion Angle: 40.7
Girdle: Thin to Slightly Thick Faceted
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Culet: Pointed
Fluorescence: Negligible
Measurements: 4.82-4.85X2.97

HCA scored it 1.0, EX/EX/EX/VG. Waiting to find out if it 1)is eye-clean, or prong-coverable and 2)faces up reasonably white.

Hard to make a decision, so many stones!!!

 

[E B]

GoldenGirl,

I like the one you picked the best. It'd be my choice, hands down. Which settings are you looking at?

 

[MissAva]

Is this for your engagment ring? Or something else? What sort of setting are you planning on?

 

[MissAva]

.42 H SI1 4.81-4.84X2.97 This one is 745$ without the pricescope discount and scores a 1.4 on the HCA nad has a yummy Sarin! No pictures yet but I imagine they would be happy to send you the 40x and IS if you were intreasted.

 

[goldengirl]

Ebree, I''m going to go with a solitaire, but the specifics haven''t been ironed out on that yet.

Mata, good call... it''s hard for me to pick diamonds by numbers, I need pictures!! I''ll fwd this to Bob for the IS & 40x. Thanks!

 

[Jelly]

ACA .412 for $818 before discount
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-1958303.htm
ACA .39 for $697



What about these?

 

[pebbles]

With that budget, I personally don''t think you need an ACA. It allows you to put a little more weight in the stone.

What kind of solitaire setting are you looking at? I personally found that a cathedral type setting, as opposed to a standard tiffany type on, makes the diamond look bigger.

I had a .55ct J stone from WF that faced up totally white. There is a pic in the under 1ct thread.

All the stones posted are beautiful choices and I don''t think you can go wrong with any of them. I probably would go with the I/SI1 you picked out.

 

[Scintillating]

GG - that I-SI looks really clean.
I can't really see much in the magnified picture.
IS looks really good, as do the numbers.
It's so below your budget, (below $800 for the stone?) that you might be able to go a little larger.

I agree with you, stick with Ideals and ES stones, they'll make your money go farther.
I'm starting to regret that I didn't go SI - stones like that I-SI look SO clean!
Congratulations! I'm so excited for you.

Scintillating...

 

[goldengirl]

Jelly, those are some sexy stones!!

I didn''t even check the ACAs because I figured at my price point, I''d get more for my money with the near-ACA ES stones. But dang, those are some good-lookin'' ISes!!

Pebbles, re: setting, I''m not quite sure. I like the continuous lines of a cathedral, but I don''t (generally) care for how high they sit. I''m still looking at my options, really.


Scintillating, the budget is my high point... I''d love to find a stone that meets my needs for less.

(Plus it would allow me a bit more flexibility on the setting.)

 

[Jenjen]

GG-

That .43 I SI1 ES is exactly the one I''d pick! Yummy numbers, and if it''s eye clean....

(I''ve done a lot of searches with the same parameters as you b/c that''s probably the size my e-ring will be...one day

)

 

[Kim N]

GG, that I/SI1 would be my pick also! Great IS image!

 

[appletini]

Go for the I SI1 and join the I SI club!

 

[goldengirl]

Date: 12/13/2005 10:01:34 AM
Author: Jenjen
GG-

That .43 I SI1 ES is exactly the one I''d pick! Yummy numbers, and if it''s eye clean....

(I''ve done a lot of searches with the same parameters as you b/c that''s probably the size my e-ring will be...one day

)

Oh, I''m so glad I''m not the only one!!

It''s tough because in the PS world, this is practically a sidestone

but in my world, it''s extravagant. I feel a little silly asking for help, when I think so many here have earrings twice the size!... My mom''s e-ring is a .25, and she thinks anything bigger than 1/3 is insane. (I haven''t told her that someday, I''ll be sporting at least a carat!)

Heh, you guys, last night I was looking at that I SI, daydreaming about the IS, and it really hit me: I am shopping for a diamond. I''m shopping for a diamond!! I''ve browsed before, playing the "if I were going to buy, what would I buy?" game, but this time... this time, I''m REALLY going to buy!! I could be wearing that soon!! I have to PICK ONE!! AAA!!

Unfortunately I don''t have access to my personal e-mail while at work (stupid filters) so I have to wait til I get home to see what Bob says...

 

[goldengirl]

Date: 12/13/2005 1:59:49 AM
Author: Matatora
.42 H SI1 4.81-4.84X2.97 This one is 745$ without the pricescope discount and scores a 1.4 on the HCA nad has a yummy Sarin! No pictures yet but I imagine they would be happy to send you the 40x and IS if you were intreasted.

Pics are now posted on the site!! (I think they're just TRYING to make my life harder!)

 

[Kim N]

Date: 12/13/2005 4:45:17 PM
Author: goldengirl

Oh, I''m so glad I''m not the only one!!

It''s tough because in the PS world, this is practically a sidestone

but in my world, it''s extravagant. I feel a little silly asking for help, when I think so many here have earrings twice the size!... My mom''s e-ring is a .25, and she thinks anything bigger than 1/3 is insane. (I haven''t told her that someday, I''ll be sporting at least a carat!)

GG, you''re definitely not the only one! I recently bought a 1/3 from WF myself!

I would pick the I/SI over the H/SI because 1) it''s cheaper

, and 2) I don''t like the depth on the H/SI. Also, I wonder why the Sarin numbers differ so much from the AGS numbers on the H/SI? I know there''s always variation between the Sarin and AGS, but the Sarin shows the depth to be 62.3 (which is high for me personally) and shows the crown/pav angles to be leaning towards steep/deep.

 

[E B]

I prefer the I SI1 over the H as well. It's my favorite, and has been since you posted it. We in the Whiteflash ES I, SI club always welcome new members!

 

[goldengirl]

Date: 12/13/2005 4:59:40 PM
Author: Kim N
I would pick the I/SI over the H/SI because 1) it''s cheaper

,

Since it''s otherwise fairly equal, me too.

 

[jennalyns]

I like the .43 stone myself, the images look awesome!! I think that stone will look incredible. I can''t wait to see your finished product!

I have a "small" ring too- mine is .55, and in real life I don''t think it''s small at all but on here, well you know! I originally had a .33 stone, but we upgraded because for some reason I had that 1/2 carat stuck mark in my head. Both my stones were ACA from Whiteflash, and they are awesome! Both my stones are H SI1, and they are blinding white, especially in sunlight- I never see any color. Their stones are incredible, even my tiny .03 and .02 melees in my ring sparkle like crazy!

My mom is the same way yours is- she wore a .25 ct ring for 25 years, and then her 25 year upgrade was to a 1/2 ct! Not because of money, but because, like your mom, she thinks anything over 1/3 ct is huge. My dad was really sweet about it- he bought the stone that was exactly .50, so it would be "25 points for 25 years."

Her stone is a hearts on fire, and it is gorgeous.

It''s funny because when I surf on here I think my ring is kinda small, but in real life it''s not small at all. I have tried on a 1ct a few times and still think it is too big, even though on here everyone says people like me with size 6.5 fingers should never have below like a 1 or 1.5 ct.

I always chuckle when people say that their .5 each earrings are too small, but that''s the same size as my e-ring! In my neck of the woods a 1 ct diamond is still huge!

Good luck, I hope the stone looks as great in person as it does in the pictures! Can''t wait to see pictures!

 

[gailrmv]

Congrats on your upcoming engagement!
Several friends of mine chose cut over carats and went with smaller stones, and they have beautiful rings!
Sorry to disagree but in my limited experience nothing makes a stone look bigger than a 4 prong Tiffany setting with a thin band. Not saying that''s what you should get, but it is budget friendly and makes the stone look ginormous!

 

[goldengirl]

Date: 12/13/2005 9:36:32 PM
Author: gailrmv
Congrats on your upcoming engagement!

Several friends of mine chose cut over carats and went with smaller stones, and they have beautiful rings!

Sorry to disagree but in my limited experience nothing makes a stone look bigger than a 4 prong Tiffany setting with a thin band. Not saying that's what you should get, but it is budget friendly and makes the stone look ginormous!

Gail (and everyone), you will be happy to hear that a 4-prong tiff-style was, indeed, my final selection.

(Kyle's one request being that I please pick something that didn't tower off my hand and gouge holes in his!)

As well as the enormously-popular ES .43 I SI1, which Bob assured me was not only white and eye-clean, but the most beautiful of the four stones in my "potential" pile.

I should be getting my ring in early next week, and I promise to have prompt pictures!

Ohmigosh... my first diamond!!!

 

[pebbles]

Yeah! I''m glad you found a great stone and setting that you love!

And I was proposed to with a .38ct diamond. I was really intimidated when I first started browsing this site as, like you said, that is a side stone for many people. It took me 6 years to get the 1ct that I wanted. It was definitely worth the wait!

 

[allycat0303]

Oh Goldengirl! I don''t know how I missed this thread! I love the stone you picked. I have an ES and I LOVE it! Can''t wait to see the hand pics of this one.

 

[HOUMedGal]

Oh how exciting!!! GG, the diamond that you picked would have absolutely been my choice as well. I''m sure it''s going to be absolutely STUNNING!!!!! And the 4 prong tiff-style setting will showcase it very nicely.

I''m DYING to see hand pics.

 

[Rhapsody]

I am so excited for you GG! Your ring will be stunning and although in the pricescope microcosm it may seem small once it''s on your hand you''ll feel like its the most amazing ring to have ever been made. At least thats how I felt with my half carat stone

I cant wait to see the pictures when it come in.

 

[Patty]

Goldengirl, it sounds beautiful! I can''t wait to see the pictures of it!

 

[Logan Sapphire]

Congratulations! I''m looking forward to pictures.

 

[ello]

How exciting! Can''t wait for the hand pictures!