1 carat diamond under 3000?

[nsaids_nurse420]

is it possible to purchace a 1 carat diamond under 3000 and it still be decent? i''ve been checking out some sites and am pretty sure i will have to purchase color j,k or l, which i am ok with, as long as it is ideal cut or close. i realize that i will not be able to afford a round brilliant, as those are completely out of price range. i have seen many good clarities, si1 or higher which is great. been looking @ radiant, princess, and x-factor. been concerned about corner breakage of princess stones. bf has been across the country 3 times this month trying to earn enough money to purchase stone, i really want to get some bang for his hard earned buck. any suggestions would be great, and i really appreciate any opinions... btw, is this a good stone?




GIA
Shape: Princess
Cut: Select Ideal™
Carat: 1.15
Color: L
Clarity: VS2
Regular Price: $2427
Wire Transfer Price: $2356

Diamond Proportions:
Measurements: 6.09-5.95-4.23
Length to Width: 1.02
Depth Percentage: 71.1 %
Table Percentage: 73 %
Girdle: VTN-M
Culet: None (Pointed)
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Fluorescence: None (Inert)
Special Notes:

 

[JulieN]

http://www.whiteflash.com/xfactor/X-Factor-cut-diamond-28.htm

 

[nsaids_nurse420]

that''s beautiful, thank you very much!!!!!

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 5/26/2007 4:07:25 AM
Author: JulieN
http://www.whiteflash.com/xfactor/X-Factor-cut-diamond-28.htm

Great find Julien, this is a great stone...way better than just decent!

 

[jstarfireb]

Princesses, X-factors, and radiants are lovely diamonds. I prefer square stones to round, for that matter. But if I understand you correctly from your first post, it seems that you really would like a round! I'd suggest going a teeny bit down on size. A 0.9ct RB is a good bang for the buck, and I'd be willing to bet most people can't tell the difference between that and a 1ct. How about this one?

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?__fun_frm=i&pid=LD01058275&filter_id=0

P.S. They say the medium blue fluorescence should make this J diamond appear whiter. I'm no expert, but that's what I've heard around here...

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 5/26/2007 3:27:39 PM
Author: jstarfireb
Princesses, X-factors, and radiants are lovely diamonds. I prefer square stones to round, for that matter. But if I understand you correctly from your first post, it seems that you really would like a round! I'd suggest going a teeny bit down on size. A 0.9ct RB is a good bang for the buck, and I'd be willing to bet most people can't tell the difference between that and a 1ct. How about this one?


http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?__fun_frm=i&pid=LD01058275&filter_id=0


P.S. They say the medium blue fluorescence should make this J diamond appear whiter. I'm no expert, but that's what I've heard around here...

Not to mention the fact that a princess often faces up really small for it's size. So while it would be 1 carat in WEIGHT a .9 round would probably look bigger on the hand! For example that .9 jstarfireb found is WAY bigger than the other 1.01 xfactor found before. It's important to look at the measurements of the stone, not just the carat weight. Not to mention the fact that rounds hide color better than princesses...

 

[jstarfireb]

Good point neatfreak! My 1.016 ACA princess is 5.5x5.38. I adore it, but every now and then I catch myself wishing it were a little bigger!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 5/26/2007 3:35:51 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 5/26/2007 3:27:39 PM
Author: jstarfireb
Princesses, X-factors, and radiants are lovely diamonds. I prefer square stones to round, for that matter. But if I understand you correctly from your first post, it seems that you really would like a round! I''d suggest going a teeny bit down on size. A 0.9ct RB is a good bang for the buck, and I''d be willing to bet most people can''t tell the difference between that and a 1ct. How about this one?


http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?__fun_frm=i&pid=LD01058275&filter_id=0


P.S. They say the medium blue fluorescence should make this J diamond appear whiter. I''m no expert, but that''s what I''ve heard around here...

Not to mention the fact that a princess often faces up really small for it''s size. So while it would be 1 carat in WEIGHT a .9 round would probably look bigger on the hand! For example that .9 jstarfireb found is WAY bigger than the other 1.01 xfactor found before. It''s important to look at the measurements of the stone, not just the carat weight. Not to mention the fact that rounds hide color better than princesses...

Absolutely. Great points.

That''s a good candidate from BN. One more thought, and suggestion. If you buy from somewhere that offers upgrades, you can get a great, somewhat smaller stone now, and use it towards a bigger diamond later. BN doesn''t do upgrades though...

How bout an ACA?

PS discount would be 5% off listed price.

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-283263.htm#

 

[jstarfireb]

Mmmmm, I'm liking that ACA! I'd choose it over BN, even if only for the upgrade policy, but also because WF is fabulous. And I'm too lazy to do the math, but it should fall under budget with the PS/wire discounts.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I agree with the others that a round faces up larger than most of those others, so I''d go with the one Ellen posted if you like rounds. I would not go to a really low color.

 

[jstarfireb]

Here''s yet another one to throw into the mix! It''s Expert Selection, which means it will probably be a very beautiful, ideal-cut diamond, but without the slight price bump that comes with the ACAs. Some ESs were actually cut to be ACAs but didn''t make the "cut" (haha) because a few percentage points were off somewhere. You''d have to call to take a look at this one, and make sure it''s eye clean. Also ask for an ASET. The IS image looks good to me (though I''m not the expert!).

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-283291.htm