Post by Marcanj » February 7th, 2012, 7:44 am
Hello there,

I've reading through Pricescope posts for awhile and I decided to finally created my own account. I am doing some diamond research as I am planning to propose to my girlfriend in 2012. I would really appreciate your help! The more I research the more confused I become about where I should make the compromise in terms of a better color or clarity.

Now let me start off by telling you a bit about my girlfriend. She is a someone who knows what she wants in the sense that she loves diamonds that sparkle. What girl doesn't, right? ;) Anyway, I've gathered from the hints she has made that she loves round, brilliant cuts, and she would be happy with anything over 2 carats. She comes from a fairly wealthy family and her mother has a 3+carat solitaire ring, that my girlfriend swoons over all the time. Although she would be happy with a larger diamond, I think ultimately it's better to aim for quality rather than just size in considering my budget.

My question is essentially would it better for me to purchase, for example, a 2.14 carat G VS2 that has a 1.5 HCR, or a 2.25 carat F SI1 with a 3.5 HCR? I don't think I feel comfortable going any lower than a G color because I am planning on buying the ring online. I have mostly been looking on BN, but I did look at JamesAllen and WF as well, but both sites seem to have a) less selection, and b)higher prices based on the specs. Therefore, I am not going to be able to view an actual image of the diamond because BN doesn't provide photos. I would however like to, with your help, try and maximize my chances of ordering a diamond that reflects light well. Also, if you feel that I may be mistaken in saying that BN seems to have a better price/specs ratio (based on the GIA and AGS certificates) then please feel free to enlighten me.

Thank you all for your help in advance!