Hi everyone, my name is John and looking at proposing to my partner end of October/Start of Nov. I want to start by saying thank you for being such an awesome forum, before I discovered it I probably went to at least 10 different websites, read through most relevant articles and made notes, only to realise there's so much more information and useful tips on pricescope which has changed my perspective on what I've learnt. I’ve been doing a lot of research over the past 6months and it's finally time to decide on a diamond. I really appreciate any advice that can be given.
Some background:
Girlfriend has Size 4 finger, and is hoping for a pave setting with a narrow band ~1.8-2mm
Planning to go with a wedding band from Tiffany or Cartier (The mark up for those are a little less crazy than engagement rings), so the engagement band will have to somewhat match (more on that another day!)
So I have spent hours looking through White flash, Brian Gavin, James Allen and HP diamonds, and want to maximise light return/brilliance, then fire.
Budget - Upper limit is ~$21k,
Carat - 1.5 – 1.9 carats (2 carats looked a little too big on her fingers)
Clarify - Eye clean - ideally even if looking close up (~10cm) but will settle with industry standard. When we went to the shop it was really difficult to spot anything even with the magnifying glass, and realistically we won't be staring at it from 10cm..
Colour - Any colour that will not look yellow on a regular pave band and future tiffany/cartier pave wedding band (Which I understand is usually G+ stones?) Could barely tell any difference between a D/E/F with a H/I/J in the shop, girlfriend doesn’t really mind. My only concern is if the diamond is next to the pave band, will this highlight how yellow it is?
My search:
I limited my search mainly to ACA, BG signature upwards, Crafted by infinity, and James Allen under the restrictions of Depth 60-62, Table 55-57, Crown angle 34.4-34.9, Pav angle 40.5-40.8. I also used the formula for the average of width/length multiplied with depth x 0.0061 – all diamonds listed have a decent value.
Below are the ones that I am considering (and there’s quite a lot!)
HP Diamonds
1.8ct, I-colour, VS2 - $18089 - https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD10013 - I quite like this one, but it’s been available since Feb? is that a concern? Larger diamond but sacrificing colour
1.56ct, F colour, SI1 - $17339 - https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD10084 - only inclusion on the table – better colour but ? eye clean
1.596ct, G colour, VS1 - $19576 - https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD9158 - Similar to above and will be eye clean but 2k more
James Allen – If the cuts are the same as the other “super ideal cuts” – will the light return/brilliance of the below diamonds rival the other 3 companies? If not I might not take the risk and rule out James Allen entirely
1.61ct, F colour VS2 - $19040 - https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-vs2-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-5457241 - table towards the upper limit at 56.8 – any concern?
1.88ct, I colour VS2 - $15980 - https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-vs2-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-5642791 - Looks like the best value, a little worried about the I colour – looks a lot more yellow than in the shops. Has INDENTED NATURAL and needles right at the edge – is that a concern?
1.816ct – I colour VVS1 - $16640 - https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...olor-vvs1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-5245085 - this one is interesting, on the certificate it has the crafted by infinity symbol and was issued in 2010. I’ve noticed in the forum something similar with another member where the brian gavin black on the certificate was a mistake. In addition there are quite a few potential issues – crown is 34.2, slightly thick, natural dent and strong blue fluorescence (which is a pro for I-colour>). – Does this rule this one out? - https://agslab-content.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/pdf/104044677001-PLDQR.PDF
1.708ct, I colour VS1 - https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-vs1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-4403970 - the crown angle is 33.7 which is the main negative. the thing I was wondering is in the colour performance map, the entire centre is red rather than usual green, which means there’s more light. Does this mean it has better light performance than other diamonds?
Brian Gavin Advance
1.558ct, I colour, VVS2 - $13371 - https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.558-i-vvs2-round-diamond-bfg-785602 - unsure how accurate the dimension provided are as it’ll need to be cut? Should I stick with only the signature line or is the final product the same?
Brian Gavin Signature
1.732ct, G colours, SI1 - $18939 - https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...ls/1.732-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-104065663001 - the inclusion is right on the table - ?eye clean at 10cm?
Brian Gavin Black
1.738ct, F colour VS2 - $22845 - https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/.../1.738-f-vs2-round-diamond-bkags-104089113007 - looks amazing but quite a few inclusions right in the middle of the table, and it’s over my preset budget. If I can get a similar effect for cheaper, that’d be preferred. But if this is thought to be overwhelming better than all other stones, I may set on this one.
White Flash – ACA
1.818ct, J colour VS2 - $13606 - https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4022276.htm - one of my favourites, if the J colour isn’t an issue and the inclusions can’t be seen at ~ 10cm – will need to clarify
1.703ct, I colour, SI1 - $13696 - https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3897562.htm - similar to above, better colour but losing some clarity, although remains eye clean even though the magnified video seem really obvious
1.816ct (Expert selection), I colours, SI1 - $15496 – https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3227672.htm has good dimensions from what I can see – anyone know why it lost the ACA status? Depth 61.1, table 56.9 (too large?), crown 34.4, pav 40.9 (too large by 0.1?). Also has CAVITY inclusions – deal breaker?
1.828ct, H colour SI1 - $18362 - https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3947722.htm - 1 higher up colour, eye clean, but lots of feathers, including at the edges - ?is this a concern for the diamond’s longevity?
1.62ct, G colour, VS1 - $18362 - https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3965474.htm - Quite a bit smaller but going towards colourless range, and the inclusions are subtle even in the magnified view I don’t think I’d be bothered even if I can see it close up in real life.
If I could be guided which ones should be eliminated, or which ones stand out from the rest that will be really appreciated.
Thanks so much! I can't wait to share my journey with everyone from the diamond hunt, to the setting, proposal, wedding bands and the whole lot!
Some background:
Girlfriend has Size 4 finger, and is hoping for a pave setting with a narrow band ~1.8-2mm
Planning to go with a wedding band from Tiffany or Cartier (The mark up for those are a little less crazy than engagement rings), so the engagement band will have to somewhat match (more on that another day!)
So I have spent hours looking through White flash, Brian Gavin, James Allen and HP diamonds, and want to maximise light return/brilliance, then fire.
Budget - Upper limit is ~$21k,
Carat - 1.5 – 1.9 carats (2 carats looked a little too big on her fingers)
Clarify - Eye clean - ideally even if looking close up (~10cm) but will settle with industry standard. When we went to the shop it was really difficult to spot anything even with the magnifying glass, and realistically we won't be staring at it from 10cm..
Colour - Any colour that will not look yellow on a regular pave band and future tiffany/cartier pave wedding band (Which I understand is usually G+ stones?) Could barely tell any difference between a D/E/F with a H/I/J in the shop, girlfriend doesn’t really mind. My only concern is if the diamond is next to the pave band, will this highlight how yellow it is?
My search:
I limited my search mainly to ACA, BG signature upwards, Crafted by infinity, and James Allen under the restrictions of Depth 60-62, Table 55-57, Crown angle 34.4-34.9, Pav angle 40.5-40.8. I also used the formula for the average of width/length multiplied with depth x 0.0061 – all diamonds listed have a decent value.
Below are the ones that I am considering (and there’s quite a lot!)
HP Diamonds
1.8ct, I-colour, VS2 - $18089 - https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD10013 - I quite like this one, but it’s been available since Feb? is that a concern? Larger diamond but sacrificing colour
1.56ct, F colour, SI1 - $17339 - https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD10084 - only inclusion on the table – better colour but ? eye clean
1.596ct, G colour, VS1 - $19576 - https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD9158 - Similar to above and will be eye clean but 2k more
James Allen – If the cuts are the same as the other “super ideal cuts” – will the light return/brilliance of the below diamonds rival the other 3 companies? If not I might not take the risk and rule out James Allen entirely
1.61ct, F colour VS2 - $19040 - https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-vs2-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-5457241 - table towards the upper limit at 56.8 – any concern?
1.88ct, I colour VS2 - $15980 - https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-vs2-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-5642791 - Looks like the best value, a little worried about the I colour – looks a lot more yellow than in the shops. Has INDENTED NATURAL and needles right at the edge – is that a concern?
1.816ct – I colour VVS1 - $16640 - https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...olor-vvs1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-5245085 - this one is interesting, on the certificate it has the crafted by infinity symbol and was issued in 2010. I’ve noticed in the forum something similar with another member where the brian gavin black on the certificate was a mistake. In addition there are quite a few potential issues – crown is 34.2, slightly thick, natural dent and strong blue fluorescence (which is a pro for I-colour>). – Does this rule this one out? - https://agslab-content.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/pdf/104044677001-PLDQR.PDF
1.708ct, I colour VS1 - https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-vs1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-4403970 - the crown angle is 33.7 which is the main negative. the thing I was wondering is in the colour performance map, the entire centre is red rather than usual green, which means there’s more light. Does this mean it has better light performance than other diamonds?
Brian Gavin Advance
1.558ct, I colour, VVS2 - $13371 - https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.558-i-vvs2-round-diamond-bfg-785602 - unsure how accurate the dimension provided are as it’ll need to be cut? Should I stick with only the signature line or is the final product the same?
Brian Gavin Signature
1.732ct, G colours, SI1 - $18939 - https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...ls/1.732-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-104065663001 - the inclusion is right on the table - ?eye clean at 10cm?
Brian Gavin Black
1.738ct, F colour VS2 - $22845 - https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/.../1.738-f-vs2-round-diamond-bkags-104089113007 - looks amazing but quite a few inclusions right in the middle of the table, and it’s over my preset budget. If I can get a similar effect for cheaper, that’d be preferred. But if this is thought to be overwhelming better than all other stones, I may set on this one.
White Flash – ACA
1.818ct, J colour VS2 - $13606 - https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4022276.htm - one of my favourites, if the J colour isn’t an issue and the inclusions can’t be seen at ~ 10cm – will need to clarify
1.703ct, I colour, SI1 - $13696 - https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3897562.htm - similar to above, better colour but losing some clarity, although remains eye clean even though the magnified video seem really obvious
1.816ct (Expert selection), I colours, SI1 - $15496 – https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3227672.htm has good dimensions from what I can see – anyone know why it lost the ACA status? Depth 61.1, table 56.9 (too large?), crown 34.4, pav 40.9 (too large by 0.1?). Also has CAVITY inclusions – deal breaker?
1.828ct, H colour SI1 - $18362 - https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3947722.htm - 1 higher up colour, eye clean, but lots of feathers, including at the edges - ?is this a concern for the diamond’s longevity?
1.62ct, G colour, VS1 - $18362 - https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3965474.htm - Quite a bit smaller but going towards colourless range, and the inclusions are subtle even in the magnified view I don’t think I’d be bothered even if I can see it close up in real life.
If I could be guided which ones should be eliminated, or which ones stand out from the rest that will be really appreciated.
Thanks so much! I can't wait to share my journey with everyone from the diamond hunt, to the setting, proposal, wedding bands and the whole lot!
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