Help! 1 month to choose an eng ring!

[TC1987]

re post (still getting used to the platform) Thank you very much for your reply. Indeed I would want platinum. Is there any reason you would prefer james allen over blue nile? is it simply because you can see the diamond?

Also should i pay attention to fluorescence?

Thanks again for your input and taking your time to help an unknown!

If you are looking at I color, I'd suggest getting white gold instead of platinum. I color has warmth that you don't need to scrutinize to see, at least from the side view. (Face-up of even an L or M can be very white-ish in a modern H&A superideal RB.) Platinum is a very white metal. Use it for H and up. With lower colors, there's a color contrast between the tint of the stone and the white of platinum that may call attention to tint in the stone. (I'm not sure about I, since my only I color diamond has strong blue fluor and always looks very white.) If you want a white / near-colorless stone of about 7mm that you have to scrutinize to see the tint even from the side, stop at G. Maybe H if you are looking closer to the 1ct size than 1.2 or 1.25 ct.

Blue fluor in an I color usually gives awesome face-up white color to an I stone. But it's not going to help the side view any. And it only works in lighting that has UV as part of the spectrum, which a lot of indoor lighting does not.

These are my personal priorities:
CUT is # 1. Do not compromise. If anyone views toe stones side by side, they can identify the better cut one every time. Even beginners can do this.

Color is the next thing that people notice. Most people start to notice tint at I range in a mounted stone. But an unmounted H, viewed face down can be scary to look at b/c it looks so tinted, lol. But it faces up white.

Clarity, I don't care about. Eyeclean is good enough. I have a great SI2 diamond that is not 100% eyeclean all the time, but even that's okay with me. Wear a diamond ring a while, and you'll find that you can't keep it 100% clean all the time. Over the years, I've decided I'd rather have cut and color and I no longer care about clarity. All other people (and me, most of the time) only see the diamond at arm's length. I want showy, so if there's a tiny discrete speck in there that makes it SI2, who cares.

Another thing to remember about tint is that even if you are not the least bit color sensitive at the start, after you study the diamond a while, especially if you put it next to a colorless CZ, you can train yourself to see the tint in it. Seeing tint and disliking it are two different things. E-F range looks great against my pale winter skin, but with a tan, I have to say that warmer stones I/J or L/M are more flattering.

Cut rules, and all the rest is personal preference. Some people really don't like the D-G range and prefer the warmer colors, and would prefer a larger lower color to a smaller near-colorless range. Some people "need" VS or VVS clarity or better, and some of us embrace our discrete inclusions. lol

 

[mercoledi]

If you have some budget flexibility and are happy at I SI2, then I would suggest WF with this combo:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3063720.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/vatche-venus-solitaire-engagement-ring-2377.htm

The WF ACAs are top of the line, great performers, and have a lifetime trade in policy. With wire transfer that will be $10,000 before taxes. They do have promos, so it can be worth asking. I don't like to suggest anything over someone's budget, but this is a much bigger stone, a great performer, and personally I think the Vache is closer to the Cartier setting.

 

[1820blue]

If you have some budget flexibility and are happy at I SI2, then I would suggest WF with this combo:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3063720.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/vatche-venus-solitaire-engagement-ring-2377.htm

The WF ACAs are top of the line, great performers, and have a lifetime trade in policy. With wire transfer that will be $10,000 before taxes. They do have promos, so it can be worth asking. I don't like to suggest anything over someone's budget, but this is a much bigger stone, a great performer, and personally I think the Vache is closer to the Cartier setting.

thanks for your message! that diamond is actually si1 so very similar.. it is however quite over budget...

also i did favour james allen as i have read various review although I'm sure wf is also great.... the setting is very similar.. perhaps slight more rounded than the JA one?

i have been in touch with JA as the 1.13 they proposed me has already been sold... they have sent me the following possibilities

what do you think..

HCA (1.2-Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.10-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-369391

HCA (1.2 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.15-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-326033

HCA (1.8 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.13-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-347578

HCA (1.1 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.12-carat-i-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-311472

i was quite surprised by the last one to be able to get a vvs1 of that size for that price... as a reminder eye clean would be my main priority... do you think i should request the ideal scope and asset for any of these stones?

thanks again

 

[Niel]

If you have some budget flexibility and are happy at I SI2, then I would suggest WF with this combo:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3063720.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/vatche-venus-solitaire-engagement-ring-2377.htm

The WF ACAs are top of the line, great performers, and have a lifetime trade in policy. With wire transfer that will be $10,000 before taxes. They do have promos, so it can be worth asking. I don't like to suggest anything over someone's budget, but this is a much bigger stone, a great performer, and personally I think the Vache is closer to the Cartier setting.

thanks for your message! that diamond is actually si1 so very similar.. it is however quite over budget...

also i did favour james allen as i have read various review although I'm sure wf is also great.... the setting is very similar.. perhaps slight more rounded than the JA one?

i have been in touch with JA as the 1.13 they proposed me has already been sold... they have sent me the following possibilities

what do you think..

HCA (1.2-Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.10-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-369391

HCA (1.2 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.15-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-326033

HCA (1.8 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.13-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-347578

HCA (1.1 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.12-carat-i-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-311472

i was quite surprised by the last one to be able to get a vvs1 of that size for that price... as a reminder eye clean would be my main priority... do you think i should request the ideal scope and asset for any of these stones?

thanks again

id do the 1.15 and the 1.13, though im inclined to this neither of those SI2's are eye clean. The vvs1 has too big a table for my liking, I don't think its necessarily better just because its a VVS1.


I might also put this one on the list

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.26-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-362218

 

[1820blue]

If you have some budget flexibility and are happy at I SI2, then I would suggest WF with this combo:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3063720.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/vatche-venus-solitaire-engagement-ring-2377.htm

The WF ACAs are top of the line, great performers, and have a lifetime trade in policy. With wire transfer that will be $10,000 before taxes. They do have promos, so it can be worth asking. I don't like to suggest anything over someone's budget, but this is a much bigger stone, a great performer, and personally I think the Vache is closer to the Cartier setting.

thanks for your message! that diamond is actually si1 so very similar.. it is however quite over budget...

also i did favour james allen as i have read various review although I'm sure wf is also great.... the setting is very similar.. perhaps slight more rounded than the JA one?

i have been in touch with JA as the 1.13 they proposed me has already been sold... they have sent me the following possibilities

what do you think..

HCA (1.2-Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.10-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-369391

HCA (1.2 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.15-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-326033

HCA (1.8 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.13-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-347578

HCA (1.1 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.12-carat-i-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-311472

i was quite surprised by the last one to be able to get a vvs1 of that size for that price... as a reminder eye clean would be my main priority... do you think i should request the ideal scope and asset for any of these stones?

thanks again

id do the 1.15 and the 1.13, though im inclined to this neither of those SI2's are eye clean. The vvs1 has too big a table for my liking, I don't think its necessarily better just because its a VVS1.


I might also put this one on the list

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.26-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-362218

thanks niel.. i def want eye clean.. I'm surprised ja sent met those stones as one of my main criteria is eye clean.. is the one you sent me eye clean? how can i tell

 

[Niel]

If you have some budget flexibility and are happy at I SI2, then I would suggest WF with this combo:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3063720.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/vatche-venus-solitaire-engagement-ring-2377.htm

The WF ACAs are top of the line, great performers, and have a lifetime trade in policy. With wire transfer that will be $10,000 before taxes. They do have promos, so it can be worth asking. I don't like to suggest anything over someone's budget, but this is a much bigger stone, a great performer, and personally I think the Vache is closer to the Cartier setting.

thanks for your message! that diamond is actually si1 so very similar.. it is however quite over budget...

also i did favour james allen as i have read various review although I'm sure wf is also great.... the setting is very similar.. perhaps slight more rounded than the JA one?

i have been in touch with JA as the 1.13 they proposed me has already been sold... they have sent me the following possibilities

what do you think..

HCA (1.2-Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.10-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-369391

HCA (1.2 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.15-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-326033

HCA (1.8 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.13-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-347578

HCA (1.1 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.12-carat-i-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-311472

i was quite surprised by the last one to be able to get a vvs1 of that size for that price... as a reminder eye clean would be my main priority... do you think i should request the ideal scope and asset for any of these stones?

thanks again

id do the 1.15 and the 1.13, though im inclined to this neither of those SI2's are eye clean. The vvs1 has too big a table for my liking, I don't think its necessarily better just because its a VVS1.


I might also put this one on the list

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.26-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-362218

thanks niel.. i def want eye clean.. I'm surprised ja sent met those stones as one of my main criteria is eye clean.. is the one you sent me eye clean? how can i tell

My concern about the ones JA cent is the location of the inclusions. I am not certain if the one I sent would be or not.... I just suggested it as there is room in your three and the inclusions were such that id think either they werent noticeable or could be covered by a prong.

Its hard to tell, and youd have to have someone review them in person really to see for sure, but its nice that ja now has that zoom out function so you can look at them at more realistic sizes.

 

[1820blue]

If you have some budget flexibility and are happy at I SI2, then I would suggest WF with this combo:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3063720.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/vatche-venus-solitaire-engagement-ring-2377.htm

The WF ACAs are top of the line, great performers, and have a lifetime trade in policy. With wire transfer that will be $10,000 before taxes. They do have promos, so it can be worth asking. I don't like to suggest anything over someone's budget, but this is a much bigger stone, a great performer, and personally I think the Vache is closer to the Cartier setting.

thanks for your message! that diamond is actually si1 so very similar.. it is however quite over budget...

also i did favour james allen as i have read various review although I'm sure wf is also great.... the setting is very similar.. perhaps slight more rounded than the JA one?

i have been in touch with JA as the 1.13 they proposed me has already been sold... they have sent me the following possibilities

what do you think..

HCA (1.2-Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.10-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-369391

HCA (1.2 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.15-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-326033

HCA (1.8 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.13-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-347578

HCA (1.1 Excellent)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.12-carat-i-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-311472

i was quite surprised by the last one to be able to get a vvs1 of that size for that price... as a reminder eye clean would be my main priority... do you think i should request the ideal scope and asset for any of these stones?

thanks again

id do the 1.15 and the 1.13, though im inclined to this neither of those SI2's are eye clean. The vvs1 has too big a table for my liking, I don't think its necessarily better just because its a VVS1.


I might also put this one on the list

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.26-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-362218

thanks niel.. i def want eye clean.. I'm surprised ja sent met those stones as one of my main criteria is eye clean.. is the one you sent me eye clean? how can i tell

My concern about the ones JA cent is the location of the inclusions. I am not certain if the one I sent would be or not.... I just suggested it as there is room in your three and the inclusions were such that id think either they werent noticeable or could be covered by a prong.

Its hard to tell, and youd have to have someone review them in person really to see for sure, but its nice that ja now has that zoom out function so you can look at them at more realistic sizes.

thanks niel - what would the effect of the big table be? as i see it has the best hca score ?

 

[pyramid]

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-311710

A steep deep but looks good to me, although large table, what do you all think? It is an H and 1.13. Probably only faces up as a 1 carat
though.

 

[pyramid]

I think this one is a beauty, should be very firey.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-348385

 

[1820blue]

I think this one is a beauty, should be very firey.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-348385

thanks for that pyramid - indeed both are interesting.. the second option is slightly over budget.. and the first one would only face up as a act - in that case would i not be better off finding a better quality at act? thanks again for your input

 

[pyramid]

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...0&PriceTo=999000&Sort=Carat asc, DefaultOrder

Here are the 1 carat options at H V...0&PriceTo=999000&Sort=Carat asc, DefaultOrder[/url]


For looks yes, but then it is still a 1.13 carat for bragging rights and weight.

 

[pyramid]

I think you really need to know what an I looks like and get your own or your woman's preferences to color and clarity. She may
prefer a lower color or an old cut diamond as they are very popular now.

I know I need to go with what I prefer and could not be happy with a diamond chosen by others.

 

[1820blue]

I think you really need to know what an I looks like and get your own or your woman's preferences to color and clarity. She may
prefer a lower color or an old cut diamond as they are very popular now.

I know I need to go with what I prefer and could not be happy with a diamond chosen by others.

yes it is indeed hard choosing without being able to talk to her - i know she likes a very classic eng ring - hence the solitaire 1895 from cartier so the setting I'm fairly sure of. for the clarity all that matters is eye clean and the bigger the better i think. i personally find whiter a little nicer but from what i have read you cannot tell a diff between an G-H-I colour..

 

[pyramid]

I find H is too tinted for me, I prefer G and above. I think a lot of people can tell between a GHI from the side view. You will need
to make a decision pretty soon as it could take 2 weeks to have the diamond set and another week for it getting to you.

I think getting the idealscopes from James Allen can take a few days too sometimes. Your ring will also have to clear customs when
it comes into your country. In the UK we have to pay 20% vat and 2.5% custom charges. The 2.5% is waived if it is just a diamond unset I believe, I don't know how safe that would be though.

 

[1820blue]

I find H is too tinted for me, I prefer G and above. I think a lot of people can tell between a GHI from the side view. You will need
to make a decision pretty soon as it could take 2 weeks to have the diamond set and another week for it getting to you.

I think getting the idealscopes from James Allen can take a few days too sometimes.

That is good to know - i have not heard that before many people say its unnoticeable. i have noticed that the vvs1 sent over by JA has a medium blue fluorescence, could this help make the stone look lighter?

 

[pyramid]

As the experts have said on here the fluorescence is only going to make the stone brighter in light with has that e.g. sunshine.
Fluorescence is sold at a discount, but normally okay at medium. I would buy medium but would not be looking at it making the stone whiter as it doesn't always. I think it needs to be more than medium to do that. Many people on here are happy with I color diamonds, as the face up view is white, depends if she looks at the side view much, I think the people around her would not notice. I remember
Dave Atlas who is a long time appraiser saying he felt the sweet spot was G VS2. I agree with that. There were lots buying J color on here for a while to hit larger carat weight but don't see so much of that now, I think people wanting large now are buying preloved old cut stones.

In the UK it is unheard of but many here buy from a vendor which has an upgrade policy. For a while people were buying from
Whiteflash and upgrading every year and sometimes more to get larger stones. Ofcourse if you are outside the USA then customs has to be taken into account and you need to get a special code to put on the paperwork to stop you being charged more than once on the original diamond size. Some in Australia were saying that this was not foolproof there and they could easily be charged customs again. I don't know what happens with insurance in these cases now, people used to get Whiteflash to put it on their insurance as apparently all the insurance companies in the UK will not insure diamonds of a certain value, the limit was not very high but can't recall what it was.

 

[1820blue]

As the experts have said on here the fluorescence is only going to make the stone brighter in light with has that e.g. sunshine.
Fluorescence is sold at a discount, but normally okay at medium. I would buy medium but would not be looking at it making the stone whiter as it doesn't always. I think it needs to be more than medium to do that. Many people on here are happy with I color diamonds, as the face up view is white, depends if she looks at the side view much, I think the people around her would not notice. I remember
Dave Atlas who is a long time appraiser saying he felt the sweet spot was G VS2. I agree with that. There were lots buying J color on here for a while to hit larger carat weight but don't see so much of that now, I think people wanting large now are buying preloved old cut stones.

In the UK it is unheard of but many here buy from a vendor which has an upgrade policy. For a while people were buying from
Whiteflash and upgrading every year and sometimes more to get larger stones. Ofcourse if you are outside the USA then customs has to be taken into account and you need to get a special code to put on the paperwork to stop you being charged more than once on the original diamond size. Some in Australia were saying that this was not foolproof there and they could easily be charged customs again. I don't know what happens with insurance in these cases now, people used to get Whiteflash to put it on their insurance as apparently all the insurance companies in the UK will not insure diamonds of a certain value, the limit was not very high but can't recall what it was.

Thanks for that info - that is def something to take into consideration. i am now having an annoying issue in that i prefer a setting from blue nile that is not really available on JA - the one from whiteflash sent above is also nice. i am a bit wear of buying from blue nile as you do not get as much info about the stone. i need to make a decision soon as plan on proposing on the 12th but feel no closer to say I'm confident I'm buying the right diamond and going ahead with it - there are so many variable factors.

this is the setting from blue nile http://www.bluenile.com/ch/en/build-your-own-ring/diamond-engagement-ring-setting-platinum_23185

her friend told me that she thinks she will prefer a thinner ring (this one is 1,.9mm) and that this one would be more elegant... however i feel less confident being able to find a diamond on blue nile than on JA.... tempted to just take her to tiffanys lol

 

[1820blue]

Thank you all for taking your time to reply on this post - it is much appreciated and im slowly getting there. As mentioned above I may have to back track on JA as I have not found the setting that I like. my favourite is the one from BN in the link above. I am however very wary of choosing a diamond from blue nile without pics, ideal, ASET etc ...
any suggestions on this would be welcome - to reiterate im looking for:

budget $6000-6500 (stone only)
1.-1.2ct (biggger the better)
eye clean
preferably color G /VS1/2 - SI1
Below 2 HCA

If i find a BN stone that looks a good prospect is it possible to obtain pictures and an ideal scope ? or is it simply not doable...?

Thanks for any further input

 

[pyramid]

I don't think Blue Nile have idealscopes etc. I have never heard of anyone getting this service from them. As you are on
a tight schedule I think you would need to start ordering something now. Customs can hold up things, you have to make your
payment to fedex before they will clear it and then they have to deliver, depending where you are, I know I could only get delivery on a truck on Mondays. When I have ordered from vendors in the USA it has usually taken about two weeks until it is posted to me.