1/2 carat from James Allen

[Vento95]

This is for an e-ring.

1) http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?find=1&cid=130&item=1113933

2) http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?find=1&cid=130&item=1101356

3) http://whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-540875.htm

James Allen seems to be a little cheaper for comparable stones compared to GoG and White Flash. Is this typically the case? The sales people at White Flash were exceptionally helpful and nice, but they didn''t quite have what I was looking for. Unless someone can convince me otherwise, going from an I to a G in color isn''t worth $350. Any thoughts on these?

 

[Vento95]

I wish I could actually see what an ''I'' looks like versus a ''G''. Should I just go to a B&M an look? This is obviously one of the things that you have to sacrifice searching online.

 

[JulieN]

The I and the G look nice. In this smaller carat range, the difference is considered by most people to be not noticeable.

 

[Vento95]

Do you see anything wrong with the J, besides it being a J?

 

[ImpatientOne]

Kind of off topic, but might relate to your pricing question - both GOG and Whiteflash have excellent upgrade policies. If an upgrade could possibly be in your future, you might want to consider that and check out James Allen''s policy.

 

[JulieN]

the other two have Ideal Scopes up. cut seems to be slightly not as nicely as the other two, but probably not something you would be able to notice.

 

[milton333]

Yes, you should go to a B&M and look. You''ll want to compare apples to apples - see if they can show you an AGS ideal cut diamond in each color (which is what you''re looking at with WF). It can be harder to see in typical jewelry store settings, though, be sure to ask if you can see it in "harsher" bright light to get a feel for the color. Also ask to see stones in the .5 size range, color gets more noticeable the larger the stone.

FWIW, I tends to be where most people can begin to see a bit of a tint from the side in a diamond. It will face up very white, but that tint can bother some people, so it''s good to see it in person to get an idea if it will bother you. In fact, if you''re a guy, it''s good to know if your gf will have a problem with a bit of tint, as she''ll be the one wearing the diamond. There are lots of I and J owners, and it''s a very budget-friendly choice, but some people are color sensitive and you should try to get an idea of whether color will be an issue for your gf.

You may also want to buy from a vendor with a generous upgrade policy if you want to increase the size or upgrade the color of the stone in the future, as budget allows (this can be nice for a "milestone" anniversary). With JA, the upgrade policy is that you have to spend at least 2x what you spend on this diamond, WF''s policy is that you just must be trading in for a diamond of "greater value" without a set multiplier of how much more (this might allow you to upgrade color or clarity without necessarily upgrading the size or dropping a ton of money).

 

[Vento95]

Thank you Julie. Milton, responses like yours is why I posted here. All good things to consider. If one can only start to see some tint from the side at ''I'' then these will be fine. I''ll go into some brick and mortars this weekend and make an apples to apples comparison. Also, anything that scores a 2 or below on the HCA is going to be a pretty strong performer, correct?

 

[milton333]

I didn''t run the numbers on your first diamond, but the other two are AGS ideal for light performance, they''ll be stunning. Shoot for an HCA score under 2, 1-2 is probably the sweet spot (and lower is not "better"). I think it''s unlikely that I or J color would bother you at .5 carat, but I throw it out there because we had someone not too long ago who bought but was really bothered by an I - it''s all a matter of individual taste, I have an H and it''s very white, though not quite as icy white as a D-F, but fine for me with my budget. That said, tiny increments in carat size aren''t going to be all that noticeable, so I probably would not drop from I to J just to go from .52 to .54 in carat size, all other things being equal, with just $100 or so in price difference. If you could get a big jump in size, maybe, but for basically identical sizes and pretty much the same price, I''d go with the highest color you can get.