Another noob with questions

[Waited2Long]

Hello all, GREAT forum! Thanks to everyone for their activity here and for their time and knowledge. I''ve been lurking with increasing frequency and am getting close enough to the big day to finally post!

I''ve been with my girl for over 6 years now. I know many women here would have left me long ago (I do read old posts

). Yes, I''ve waited too long, but incredibly my girl has never put the pressure on. I think we''re both happy enough to know we''ll be together forever.

For a while I had a lot of hang-ups on having to have THE perfect diamond. 1C, colorless, VVS, etc. I''m sure everyone goes through this. But I really can''t justify spending that much, even with the great values of PS vendors. I finally went to a B&M place yesterday, VERY well PS-educated, yet still clueless, having never looked closely at a rock before in my life.
I saw the stones and realized that a 3/4 carat stone is not as small as I thought it was, and my gf is very petite (size 4 ring), so it might work. Then I could afford the color and clarity I''ve wanted. (I have a "soft" price cap of $6k for stone/setting.) Problem solved? No.

Here''s where things went awry. I then looked at diamonds side by side. I saw a difference between E and H, but I then looked at a D, E and G, all 3/4 carats, and I couldn''t tell them apart. And of course I couldn''t see any inclusions in the VS stones either. So now I''m back to wondering if I should trade some color/clarity for size. I think I want to splurge on the setting and get a Vatche platinum X-prong, leaving around $5k for the stone.

I know it''s a completely personal decision, but I''d like to get a fresh feel for the majority opinion in this case. Will a G color, VS2 or even an SI1 work with platinum? Do women care more about 1 carat vs 3/4 carat than they do about E or F color vs G color?

I don''t know what her friends wear, but do women compare stones like guys compare cars? Will she feel less like showing it off to her friends if the stone is smaller than theirs, even if it''s a better quality stone? I don''t know how much our friends spent, but I''m certain they didn''t know about PriceScope!

I''m so lost, please help set my mind at ease...

I have a few other questions but I''ll start another thread for those in a bit. This is plenty to read as it is.

Thanks to everyone in advance for your time and advice.

 

[Demelza]

Congratulations on your upcoming engagement!

My first question would be: are the stones you''re looking at round and, if so, are they ideal cut? Getting a very well-cut stone would be my priority ahead of clarity, color, or carat weight. I think you''ll find that to be the case for most people around here. After that, you''ll find people''s priorities start to differ. There are some women who would prefer a colorless, VVS diamond even if that means getting a much smaller stone. There are others who want the absolute largest stone they can get for their money and are willing to sacrifice color and/or clarity. A lot of people would probably rank color ahead of clarity since, to some extent, it has more of an impact on appearance than does clarity (AS LONG AS the stone is EYECLEAN). Many people would find a G, VS2 or SI1 to be a great compromise. I don''t believe there are many untrained people who would be able to perceive color in an accurately graded G color stone. That brings me to my next point. Make sure the stones you are looking at are graded by a reputable lab (GIA and AGS are considered to be the top 2). But, again, I would focus on cut above all else. And, if possible, try to get a sense from your girlfriend how important the other c''s are. Finding the right balance is the key. Hope that helps.

 

[belle]

hey waited2long

welcome to ps!
congratulations on the big step. you''re on the right track by doing your diamond homework first.
i think .75 is a very nice size, but i am in the minority on this around here. i think most of the gals will tell you that bigger is better, but i really think that depends on the wearer. you can definetly sacrifice some color/clarity for size. i don''t see any reason to pay for what you can''t see. my favorite combo is a clean h/si2.

a well cut diamond is going to look better than most any sized pedestrian cut diamond you will encounter on a daily basis.

 

[Kaleigh]

Demelza is 100% correct, you want the best cut stone possible. Then after that, you have a tough choice do you go for size, sacrificing color or clarity or does she want the very best color and clarity and can skip a little on the size. Have a talk with her and feel her out perhaps. Just make sure the cut is there and after that it''s not so hard. We are here to help you along the way, so ask as many questions as you like. HTH

 

[decodelighted]

Well since we don''t know what your g-friends priorities are (BTW: why not? do you ever discuss it? Is it a total suprise, suprise??)... with 5K-ish to spend on a stone I might pick something like

http://www.goodoldgold.com/0_925ct_g_si2_h%26a.htm

or

http://www.goodoldgold.com/0_90ct_d_si2_h%26a1.htm

or for something different, maybe

http://www.goodoldgold.com/0_97ct_f_si1_square_h%26a1.htm

or if I was feeling a tiny bit more flush ...

http://www.goodoldgold.com/asscher_0_91ct_f_vvs1.htm

Interested to see what you end up with. Just under 1ct usually carries a savings. That could get the 1ct look she''s probably hoping for, without sacrificing too much of what you want too.

 

[jaz464]

Wow, I waited 5 years and will now have my ring in the next month. I definately got antsy towards the end-I have to commend your GF for being so patient

! Anyway, IMO I have to say that getting a G, vs2/SI1 is no sacrifice. This would make for a great diamond, assuming the cut was excellent. I say get the best cut you can and then look at the other Cs. All women are different but I would like to have a great cut and then the whitest stone I could-not below a G. SI1s and even some SI2s are fine I think as long as they are eye clean. I say why worry about inclusions you can only see with a 10x loupe? I would get as close to a 1 ct as possible, if it fits into the budget after considering cut and color.

 

[researcher]

IMO a G will face up really white, so I would go for size over color. My stone is an I, and people are always asking if it''s a G or higher! All people seem to see is the bling. Now, my I faces up REALLY white. Before this stone I hadn''t wanted to consider anything lower than a G. The fact is that some stones face up extremely white while others do not. The color is very much dependent on the cut, as others have stated. So, if you go for an ideal cut stone I don''t see any reason not to go with a G in color. As for clarity, as long as you can''t see anything with the naked eye I say it''s a keeper! So, don''t rule out VS2/SI1 stones

 

[tareyton]

were are you from? I have lived all over the US and in Big Cities ie NY, Boston, Chicago GIRLS CARE ABOUT SIZE. In the smaller towns they don''t tend to care as much.

I am about to get engaged and my GF does not care about size however upon telling some of her GF''s that I had picked out a stone the only question they had was HOW BIG IS IT. (boston)

 

[Regular Guy]

Welcome, and congratulations on moving forward.

The "medium" qualities for color and clarity are frequently favored here, and though I''m a personal fan of G VS2 (got this in a .9 for my wife), considering the available options can steer one, and with both H and SI 1 being also very reasonable, this is another one you might check out (getting you virtually every feature of 1 carat, except the name & associated price point -- since the relative price per carat does go up once you go above .99).

Regards,

 

[LAJennifer]

As long as you can''t see any inclusions with the naked eye, and it faces up near colorless when looked at by itself (not necessarily in comparison with higher colors when viewed side by side), they try your hardest to reach that 1 carat mark. She will greatly appreciate it and you will never regret it. Especially if she isn''t a pricescope girl - we''re all crazy about the "numbers" - but they probably won''t mean that much to her if she hasn''t done her own research. I''m a pricescope girl who tends to get caught up in the numbers when doing my own research, but in reality, I just want it pretty and sparkly in a size relative to my peers and on my finger!

 

[Daniel B]

Welcome first of all

I'm like you, in that i am searching for a diamond for my GF to propose in May 2006. Isn't this site great!

I stood in the same dilemma you did. I wanted D or E, VS2 is the absolute lowest-- but you quickly realize your budget will be knocking on your door very quickly

.

So please take my advice-- Ive been to Band M stores around here (Cleveland) and have seen the SI1's and 2's and they look great! Dont worry about the top of the line, they'll drain your wallet. Color grade-- I'll go with a G or I-- not J or lower IMO, all in effort to maximize the size!
Oddly enough something happened today about that. . .

I was waiting in line today at CVS to pick up a prescription for my Grandma (aren't I nice

) and low and behold i was struck by this womans diamond ring standing in front of me. I didn't notice the color, clarity or anything but the SIZE

!

Im friendly, so i ask her " I'm planning on a buying a diamond ring for my GF soon, and i would like to get her something, oh, i don't know maybe in that size (pointing to her ring). she said oh this is 1.25.

To make a long story short, i noticed the size before anything else-

So dont worry about sacrificing some of the clarity or color, go with a bigger Stone!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 10/10/2005 8:21:39 PM
Author: belle
hey waited2long

welcome to ps!
congratulations on the big step. you're on the right track by doing your diamond homework first.
i think .75 is a very nice size, but i am in the minority on this around here. i think most of the gals will tell you that bigger is better, but i really think that depends on the wearer. you can definetly sacrifice some color/clarity for size. i don't see any reason to pay for what you can't see. my favorite combo is a clean h/si2.

a well cut diamond is going to look better than most any sized pedestrian cut diamond you will encounter on a daily basis.

belle
i'm assuming you're talking about diamonds

yes, i agree with belle...what good is size if it doesn't perform.

make sure you buy a well cut stone.

 

[pebbles]

Date: 10/10/2005 11:35:35 PM
Author: tareyton
were are you from? I have lived all over the US and in Big Cities ie NY, Boston, Chicago GIRLS CARE ABOUT SIZE. In the smaller towns they don''t tend to care as much.

I am about to get engaged and my GF does not care about size however upon telling some of her GF''s that I had picked out a stone the only question they had was HOW BIG IS IT. (boston)

I have to agree with tareyton. In my circle of friends, and even complete strangers, the first thing around here people care about is size. Most could even care less if it''s eye clean! I live outside Chicago. If I get a comment about my ring the first thing people ask after saying how pretty it is is "what size is it?"

At least for me, there was something mental about having a 1ct stone. I know that sounds dumb, but since that''s what I have, I don''t think I want any bigger (ask me again in 5 years though

). As others have mentioned, is this a complete surprise? Have you two discussed these issues? Maybe your GF would be fine with a 0.75ct in a higher color. For me, I had to sacrifice color to get the size I wanted, but I would not sacrifice cut.

So I guess to formally answer your question, I care more about whether it is a 3/4 or 1ct stone vs a E, F or G color. She will want to show it off to her friends because it''s a diamond!

And a G, SI1 will look great in platinum.

 

[Waited2Long]

Thanks everyone! I will definitely increase my scope a bit then and trade some quality. Sorry I didn''t give more info. I''m probably getting an AGS ideal round--cut is the last thing I want to trade. H&A would be nice, but more as a conversation topic than anything else I think.

So ~ 1 carat, maybe G,SI1 might work? I don''t want to go much over 1 carat. My gf is conservative. Heck, she may not even wear this ring all the time. But I want her to have it anyway. She is entirely out of the loop on this decision...after 6 years it may be a surprise or maybe it''ll be "WELL FINALLY!". We''ll see.

How much does it cost to grow a plat ring 1/2 size in case I''m wrong about her ring size?

Thanks again!