Please help guide an overwhelmed newbie

[rcooper]

hello all, i feel very fortunate to have stumbled across such an informative and friendly site. like all newbies i feel fairly overwhelmed searching for that perfect diamond for my special someone, so let me explain my situation. i am looking for a round diamond somewhere in the range of 1.5-2.0 carats (the bigger the better obviously). the diamond will be set in a fairly simple four pronged solitare setting (that is yet to be determined). i have a total budget of around $18000, the very vast majority of which will be spent on the diamond. having started looking a couple of weeks ago i have a couple of questions:
1) color, clarity, cut - cut is the most important to me. i feel fairly comfortable with a G or H color and a VS1 or VS2 clarity (assuming that no inclusions can be seen) but anything lower in either category seems to scare me off. is this reasonable? or am i making too much of something that only experts can see anyway? also, in these categories is it possible to get an ideal cut round diamond around 2 ct. with these specs?
3) price - where to get a good deal? i am not necessarily looking for the very best deal, but i want to maximize the size of the diamond i buy for the money i spend. i am able to get into the world trade center in dallas through a friend (with a retail liscence) who claims that the jewelers there sell to retailers at wholesale prices. would this be any better than buying through a pricescope featured vendor?
2) internet sales - honestly, i feel a little weary ordering a diamond sight unseen off of the internet. fortunately i live in houston and there are a lot of diamond sellers here. whiteflash is based in houston and is currently my top choice, seeing as how i could view the diamond prior to purchase. also, www.fullybondeddiamonds.com is located in houston and is owned or backed or endorsed by The Diamond Guy, Fred Cuellars. they claim to be seventy-five percent less than Guild Stores (for example Tiffany’s, Fred’s Joalliers, VanCleef & Arpels, Harry Winston or Cartier) and our prices will be at least twenty percent less than other online retailers for any specific diamond (copied and pasted from their website). sounds good, any truth to that? also, is there some kind of pricescope discount? are taxes applied to purchases over the internet from other states?
well that''s all the questions i have for now, my mind is spinning from all of the information i have absorbed recently. thanks in advance for any help.

ryan

 

[rcooper]

holy crap! i just searched 'fred cuellars' and i think i may have answered one of my own questions.

 

[Jennifer5973]

Whoa! Lots of questions but you''ve come to the right place!
:

1. Color/clarity. Have you looked at diamonds of various color grades and clarities? An eye-clean SI1 would maximize your budget but as you noted, "eye clean" means different things to different people. You really have to work with a knowledgeable vendor and view several stones to get an idea. Many well-cut Si1 (even some 2s) are clean to the naked eye....it may be worthwhile to consider this grade for your budget. It''s te same for color. G-H is smack in the middle gorund--still near colorless but wihtout the price if the super white D,E and f shades. Again, look at stones to see what your eye can "tolerate." you may consider I stones for further price efficiency. Blue flourescence can also help an H or I stone face up whiter.

Make cut your #1 priority regardless-it affects the stone''s beauty more than anything else. You could have a D IF stone that is cut poorly and it''ll look dead. A well cut stone allows for maximum light retirn and hides color and masks inclusions. Read up on the tutotials offered here.

2. The vendors here offer excellent prices--the most competitive I''ve seen. You can do a search for diamonds on the landing page of the site. Do a search on Fred Cueller--I would NOT recommend him from what i''ve learned. There are far more reputable vendors. I believe Whiteflash is in Houston also.

3. If you go with a trusted vendor, you do nt have to be concerned. I am lucky to have a local jeweler but if I didn''t have him, I would buy from one of the vendors here without a doubt. I believe they are honest and offer quality goods at very fair prices, probably the best you''ll see unless you have an uncle in the trade! Also, some Pscope vendors do offer a discount if you mention the Pscope discount to them.

Here are 2 stones within your budget (#2 is a bit high but only by $100) you might like:

ACA .575
GOG .577

 

[Maxine]

Never heard of the website you posted....I''m sure someone around here will chime in on that....
But you can start by soing a search by cut quality at the top of the page to get a general idea of what''s available for your budget....It might be possible to get a very clean SI1 diamond, which would allow you more leeway re: size or color....If you really want a VS1, you will probably have to get a smaller size for the same $$$$.........just a thought.....
Also, look around at diamonds in person to get an idea of size, color, and generally what to expect re: different clarity grades...
If you buy on the internet - or anywhere - it''s always a good idea to have an independent appraiser look at the stone (make sure the vendor will allow you to return it if it doesn''t check out OK).....Good Luck in your search.......

 

[Maxine]

I THINK the budget was $18,000?????? (or was it $1,800????).......................

 

[Jennifer5973]

OMG--THANKS, Maxine...

I need glasses

...Everything I wrote is still true EXCEPT those sample stones--they pertain to $1,800 budget!

I took a quick look and VS2, H 2 ct stones hover around $17,000-$18,000...you should have no problem!

 

[rcooper]

thanks guys! i can''t believe how close i came to scheduling an appt. to meet with fred cuellars. from what i have now read i bet he would have warped my little mind!
any thoughts on dallas WTC jewelers vs. whiteflash?

 

[strmrdr]

Honestly I think the best thing you could do would make an appointment with Brian @ whiteflash you will learn more about diamonds in a few hours than most people learn in a lifetime.

He is in Vagas this week but if your not in a huge hurry you would be well served by setting up an appointment with him for when he gets back.

They will have a variety of color and clarity combinations to show you all very very well cut.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Strm - thank you for the recommendation.

Regarding Brian Gavin: Many of us arrive in Vegas for general ed sessions beginning Thursday (best wishes, Leonid!). However, Brian's commitments with industry peers don't occur until the weekend, so he could be available by appointment for rcooper this week.

 

[Regular Guy]

rcooper,

Good luck with this process. I did a brief search with the utilities here, and you'll certainly have lots of options and room in the 1.5 - 2 carat category. Here's one that leaves you lots of room. But, there seems to be a big cliff between 1.7 and 2. Maybe a personal consult, as has been suggested with Brian or others at WF can help you get their help keeping an eye out. Otherwise:
1) to both
a) go beyond 2 carats, and,
b) stay with a well cut diamond, I think you'd have to
2) use either or both the Quick search or Price stat tools here
a) constrain for AGS0 or 1A respectively
b) accept EGL certification,
c) yielding a few options that may be worth a second look, like this one, discountable to $17,142.

(edited to add...in consideration of the cliff, here's another way to go (improving the color!), and with it discountable to $16,966, my possible first choice)

Best,

 

[phoenixgirl]

When I searched by cut, they were nearly all F color diamonds coming up in that range (I expanded to F-I when just G and H yielded very few results). Perhaps the diamond gods are telling you something . . .

As far as getting closer to 2 carats, WhiteFlash has this 1.80 E SI1 H&A for $16625. Other than a 1.80 G VS1 at GoodOldGold and a 1.81 E VVS2 at White Flash (mucho $), there aren''t any bigger stones under 2 carats showing up in the range of excellent/very good cut (according to HCA), D-J color, VVS1-SI2 clarity. The truth is that it''s hard to find stones just under the two carat mark.

If you''re really looking for size, you might consider WhiteFlash''s 2.04 or 2.05 J SI1 H&A stones.

Whatever you end up getting and wherever you end up shopping, good luck and let us know what happens!

 

[rcooper]

thanks so much guys. i will definately give brian at whiteflash a call to see if he can meet with me.

 

[MissAva]

Hey miss Jenn! I think he meant 18000!
WF 1.56
WF 1.71

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 6/1/2005 9:09:41 AM
Author: rcooper
thanks so much guys. i will definately give brian at whiteflash a call to see if he can meet with me.

kewl
please report back if you do meet with him and tell us about it :}
We are alway curious to hear about people meeting people we only know from the board.

 

[belle]

best of luck finding your diamond! let us know how it goes!!