Just bought a rock!

[bitwh0re]

But am having slight doubts about it. Here it is:

1ct
I2 Clarity
J Colour
Very Good cut

My doubts with it is that you can see the inclusions with the naked eye when you look at the stone directly at the side (so you see no refraction). You cannot see the inclusions when you look at the diamond from any other angle. My gf is picky and I''m concerned that she will see this and be unhappy with it. The jeweler that I purchased it from has a complete upgrade and money back guarantee so I''m pretty safe there.

I guess what I''m looking for from this esteemed group is an answer to my question:

Is an I2 rock appropriate for an engagement ring, or should I have went down a bit in size and opted for a rock in the SI range?

The jeweler (Peoples in Canada, Zales in the USA) keeps telling me that it''s a very good and impressive rock, but I really can''t trust them because it''s in their interests to say this.

Thanks for any input!

PS> I will be unable to read any posts for the next few days.. so don''t feel that I''m ignoring you!

 

[ChooChoo]

Run, don't walk, and return it! An I2, with VERY few exceptions, is not going to be a beautiful rock.

 

[msbennie]

I was told to never go below an SI1...although on this board, I've heard of people who found "eye-clean" S12's. However, I've never heard anyone with an eyeclean I2. Matter-of-fact, my first engagement ring (which we returned and got our money refunded) was an I2 and I could definitely see the inclusion with my naked eye. So, I agree with the other poster, take it back quickly. Too bad you can't get a refund because the upgrade you'll get will not be a good as value as the internet diamonds. Too bad you didn't find this board before your purchase.

 

[elepri]

I wouldn't want an I2 for my engagement ring. I suggest you look at SI2s at least and even those are not always eye clean. Hope you have a good return policy on that rock.

 

[valeria101]

Regardless of what that grade says, I am very surprised that the only thing visible in a 1 carat I2 diamond is a minor spot from the side. The description fits the SI grade in my mind! So... this could be one lucky find or there is a bit of difference between what I imagine and waht you see.

All in all, I don't think that the 1 carat mark means so much that how the stone looks does not matter. If it really is clean enough so that it will look fine once set, I would not rush to give it up. But is it?


Who graded it ? An what "good cut" means?

 

[wonka27]

LOL...someone didn't do his homework first!

It's not too late though

 

[hoorray]

Your finacee will look closly at her e-ring stone many times a day. Since you say she is picky, I would not go I2. (I probably wouldn't anyway.) You want her to love what she sees, not see flaws. I'd take the stone back, get a full refund, and look around to see what you can find in an eye-clean stone.

Good luck!

 

[Rowan]

Everyone's different, but I'd much rather have a stone a bit smaller of better quality. I agree that if she's picky, she will not want to see any inclusions or yellow color.

 

[Diamondsbybree]

Even if you go up to I1 in clarity, you would be better off. I have seen some really nice I1's where the inclusions could be hidden under prongs. And the prices could be in price range you want to spend.
I2's.....

I can't say I have seen a real nice I2. Inclusions were well to visible... If she is as picky as you say, you may want to step up in the clarity range for her.

 

[bitwh0re]

Hi everyone and thanks for all the quick and insightful replies!



After I posted this message I searched around on the forum and ran across these two threads:



I2 Discussion #1



and



I2 Discussion #2



It's funny. He bought the same kind of diamond that I did for the same price from the same chain of stores! I drove, not ran, and got a refund on the ring. The people were very understanding and helpful. I asked to see the diamond one more time. This time around I did see the inclusions from the top.. now that I knew (roughly) what to look for! I was a n00b and they saw me a mile away..



I'm going on a brief trip to a much larger city.. hopefully I'll have time to look around.



So now I'll be on a quest for a smaller, clearer diamond. To keep this thread going, I'd like to hear from the ladies what you look for in a diamond. I know the responses will be varied, but it's nice to hear it from "the other side".

I've been thinking a lot about platinum for the ring... is there a type of diamond or cut that suits platinum better? I've heard that platinum can make the diamond appear brighter..



Again, thank you everyone!

 

[ChooChoo]

Good move, bit. Hope you didn't think we were hard on you! But all's well that ends well, and since you got your refund, there's at least one good thing to be said about the store

If you tell us your budget, I'm sure we can suggest some stones from online vendors that will be closer to what you should be looking for. Have you ruled out the idea of shopping online? You could save a lot of money, and with these people's reputations, you won't get burned.

As far as platinum goes, I would say that if you're on a tight budget, there's nothing wrong with sticking to white gold. It'll cost you half as much, and that money can go toward a larger diamond.

 

[valeria101]

----------------
On 8/12/2004 9:59:52 PM bitwh0re wrote:



I've heard that platinum can make the diamond appear brighter..

----------------

Not me... some say that more open settings make diamons look brighter (especially those that are not all that well cut) since the stone gets light form the side. But again, very high settings are sometimes judged less confortable to wear. It is hard to tell what setting one would preffer and it would be the cut of the diamond that makes the most difference, not the setting anyway.

It is hard to tell what makes a diamond attractive for someone else. To me, a "good deal" would be a round brilliant with a good cut, around 0.9 cts, about H-I color and as clean as you can accept (Vs2/SI1 seem popular, but this is just a hint, like everything else I could say).

As for waht "good cut" may mean above - nice proportions as per AGS0/1 or the HCA (see the "Cut Adviser" on the first page hear) taking some license about H&A and all.

Much of this is based on PS wisedom - with I should say

You may wnat to run a poll!


Something like this may fit the bill - add a small setting in white gold just good to keep diamond on finger until the lady decides what style she likes.

Would you consider shopping online again?

 

[Diamondsbybree]

If your looking to stay within a budget, I would get 14kt white gold. That way you have more $$$ to spend on a nice sparkly stone for her.

 

[hannah]

Buy the best diamond you can afford in your price range. Back in the day, when my husband was starting the search for my e-ring, I told him to pick sparkle over size. And because I knew that his budget would be tight, I told him to buy white gold over platinum.

It's a beautiful ring. It's not the best of diamonds compared to others I've seen (0.56 ct, J, SI1). But it's the one that my love-of-my-life saved money for and bought for me

.

 

[Carmel]

My advice is to BAIL OUT NOW, and get your money back. I recently processed a return to Ben Bridge. If interested you can see my nightmare. Do a search for “Please Advise on this Situation.” I think they have a 90-day return policy. You owe them nothing. All is fair in love and war. Don’t be mislead into thinking that those “sales people” have anything close to all the answers. I got some excellent advice from Dave Atlas on this forum as to how to address the situation (from another thread that I can't seem to find right now). I chose a couple of statements, memorized them and stuck to them. Believe me, you will be very proud when you accomplish this, and then you can be free to select something worth a much better value.

Slow down and think about this. Read a little ~ even just a little, and you will become invigorated to pursue a beautiful stone for all the right reasons.

 

[Patty]

HERE is Carmel's post about her ring problem.

 

[ame]

oh boy, definitely take this back. NOW!

 

[bitwh0re]

How does this diamond look?

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?pid=LD00274431&item=7_39&filter_id=0&sec=&query=&page=1&sortby=price

Will that diamond have the "fire" that I'm looking for?

I think I will stick with platinum over white gold. She likes platinum and has some expensive tastes.

 

[wonka27]

If you have a few extra bucks, these will for sure be rockin like crazy!

GOG J VS1 .90
SC J VS1 .95

 

[valeria101]

The improved clarity has little do do with fire - cut has, and GIA certs do not provide enough detail to tell

The "Ex" polish and symmetry are nice on paper, but do not say much (if anything) about fire and brilliance.

Here's one J-VS1 that does come with the appropriate demonstration of brilliance (Sarin and Ideal Scope tests). Regardless of seller, this is about the level of detail that can predict if a diamond is more or less brilliant than average

 

[alexah]

If you're trying to keep the price down to get the platinum setting, then the WF stone AnA posted looks great. You can get an extra 5% off by mentioning PS & paying w cash/cash equiv.

That SC Wonka posted looks like a real beaut too!

 

[bitwh0re]

Well, I've started working with a local jeweler and hit something that will do. It's a .86ct, clarity is between SI3 and I1, it's I colour. It's $3895CAD / $2979USD.

Now, he had this diamond beside an F colour I1 and you couldn't tell tell the two diamonds apart. You can only see the inclusion under the microscope at 10X. It's a clear feather, so it's hardly noticeable. The inclusion is also near the edge, so it can be masked by a carefully placed prong. The other diamonds I was shown either had white feathers, were cloudy, or had blackish dots and/or feathers. Stuff you could easily see with the naked eye before even looking at it at 10X! I went to this jeweler under the recommendation of a friend and am I ever glad I did. The difference in customer service was outstanding. He was very patient and willing to work with both my pickiness and my budget.

The one unique thing about this diamond is it fluoresced under the microscope. Under normal incandescant lighting you couldn't see it at all. When it went under the microscope it fluoresced this beautiful purplish blue colour. He said it'd fluoresce under sunlight, but for the most part you shouldn't see it. I'm actually happy with it doing that, just a hidden uniqueness to the diamond that she should be surprised with when she notices it.

I feel like I've made a good choice, what does everyone here think?

 

[zoobiedo]

As long as you are happy and feel that you did well is really the main point. It sounds like a much nicer stone than the one you originally picked out. I wish you the best with your upcoming proposal.

 

[Todd07]

My choice would be to use the money back guarantee and go for a J SI1-2 very well cut.


Look here to get a feel for their costs https://www.pricescope.com/sift.asp




If you want more input on what you have bought, provide the full spec from the certification or plug it into the cut adviser tool yourself (ling at top of PS pages). You might also take it to an independent appraiser for analysis. Check the appraisers link at the top of the page if you need help locating. This may cost $80